Green & Gold

***
March 3rd, 2004

Harry wasn’t an optimistic person, not really.

He usually expected the worst to happen, and it typically did.

Finds out his godfather wasn’t trying to kill him? Can’t clear his name.

Win the Triwizard Tournament? Voldemort comes back.

Escape Private Drive after 17 miserable years? Hedwig and Mad-Eye die.

Harry’s personal favorite though was celebrate becoming an adult in the wizarding world? Minister of Magic shows up to threaten him.

So when Harry expected things to be crummy, he wasn’t disappointed. Which is why he was surprised to show up at school a couple of days after seeing the Weasley’s in a optimistic mood.

“Nice day isn’t it?” he asked his group of vampires when he got to school that morning.

“No,” Edward said shortly. Harry just ignored him, Edward had been a bit of a prat ever since he couldn’t beat Harry in a fight, so his opinion didn’t count.

“I think it’s a good day,” Jasper said loyally.

“That’s because you’re whipped,” Emmett chuckled. “Just positively whipped bro.”

“And you aren’t?” Jasper raised a brow at his brother. “You spend 75% of your free time gazing in Rosalie’s eyes and showering her in compliments.”

The rest of them laughed loudly, no longer bothering to remain inconspicuous in front of the muggle students. In fact, ever since Harry started sitting with the Cullen’s, it stopped making them all seem so dark and mysterious. Now when Jessica or Lauren said hi to Harry in the halls they included whichever Cullen was with him.

Except for Bella Swan. Bella still talked a little with Harry in their shared classes, but she never spoke with any of the Cullen’s. Which, in Harry’s opinion, worked out fine because the less she got involved with them the better for herself. Alice was all pouty about not being best friends with the girl, but Harry kept logically reminding her that it was join or die for Bella by Alice’s own visions, so she should get over it.

Harry narrowed his eyes as Edward’s head perked up when Bella’s truck came roaring in the parking lot. Harry could see Edward tracking Bella out of the corner of his eye, and, once she got out of her truck, Bella seemed to be looking at him as well.

“Hey, Edward, what am I thinking right now?” Harry asked, catching Edward’s complete attention at the invitation to try and read his mind. Edward furrowed his brow and stared in Harry’s eyes for a long moment.

“Something is making you angry?” he said, his voice was tight with frustration at not knowing exactly what Harry was thinking. “I think you’re annoyed by someone,” he said.

“I am. It’s you,” Harry said. “Leave her alone.”

The other Cullen’s laughed at Edward’s scowl and Jasper wrapped an arm around Harry’s waist.

“You would have been a Hufflepuff, wouldn’t you?” Harry said thoughtfully. “Loyal as you are.”

“As I’m sure you’re aware, I don’t even know what that means,” Jasper teased him.

Which, was fair. Because Harry hadn’t ever explained the house system to any of them before. No time like now.

“Er, right. So Hogwarts divides students in to classes and dorms based on their ‘characteristics’.”

The group was eagerly listening, even Edward who stopped following Bella with his eyes to hear more about Hogwarts.

“There’s four houses you can be put in. So if you’re a Hufflepuff then it’s because you value hard work, fair play, and loyalty. Like you Jazz. Ravenclaw values wit and intelligence. Slytherin values self-preservation, ambition, and cunning. And then there’s Gryffindor that values daring, nerve, and bravery.”

“And you were a Hufflepuff?” Alice asked.

“No,” Harry squinted at Alice in confusion. What made her think he values fair play? “Jasper would be a Hufflepuff. You’d be a bloody Slytherin.”

“Are Slytherin’s bad then?” Rose asked. “I like their name.”

“No they’re not bad,” Harry said truthfully. “They’re just cunning, and Alice is a sneaky thing, isn’t she?”

“So you were a Gryffindor then?” Edward asked perceptively. Which was either a compliment to Harry’s nerve or an insult to his intelligence.

Actually, the more he thought about it, the more certain he was that it was an insult really.

“I’m still a Gryffindor,” Harry smirked. “Once a Gryffindor always a Gryffindor.”

“What would I be?” Emmett asked eagerly.

“Gryffindor,” Harry nodded. Emmett was all brashness. “Jazz is a Hufflepuff-“

“I like to think the youngest Major in the history of the United States Armed Forces would be a Gryffindor,” Jasper said drily. “But whatever you say Darlin.”

Harry grinned up at him, “Alright, alright. You can be a Gryffindor too. Edward’s a Ravenclaw, and Rose...” Harry scrutinized Rosalie closely for a moment before nodding decisively, “Slytherin with Alice.”

While Alice was arguing about if ‘one really poorly thought out plan, and she’s sorry again by the way, really made her a Slytherin because she would much rather be a Hufflepuff,’ the bell rang and the group of them slowly made their way to the high school.

“Who decides?” Edward asked Harry curiously. “Or is there a magic spell to figure it out?”

“A magic hat,” Harry deadpanned.

Edward rolled his eyes with a small grin and muttered under his breath as he walked away, “If you didn’t want to tell me you didn’t have to.”

It wasn’t Harry’s problem if he didn’t believe him, it was the truth.

Harry was smug with himself all through his morning classes. He’d successfully distracted Edward from Bella with their conversation; which was quite Slytherin of him really. Unfortunately, from the looks Bella was giving him now in their shared history class, his success wasn’t going to last.

“Hey Harry, can I ask you something?” she finally whispered.

“What’s up?”

Bella chewed on her lip and her eyes flicked around before she leaned closer to Harry and dropped her voice even lower. “Are you with Jasper?”

Harry furrowed his brows and gave a pointed look to the chairs surrounding him. “I think he’s in sociology?”

“What?” Bella looked at him curiously before her cheeks pinked up and she let out a little huff of a laugh. “No, I meant are you and Jasper dating?”

“Oh.” This time it was Harry’s turn to blink stupidly and flush. “Er, no?”

“You don’t sound very confident,” Bella said drily with a small grin.

“I- I- why??” Harry asked.

“I was just curious. You guys make a sweet couple,” Bella said. “I just figured with Rosalie and Emmett, Alice and Edward, and you and Jasper that you guys must go on group dates together or something.”

“Ew.” Harry curled his nose. “Alice is Edwards sister, they aren’t dating.”

Even if Harry knew they weren’t actually related, they were still just as much siblings as Ron and Ginny.

“Oh.”

Bella didn’t say anything else, so Harry let his mind wander back to her original question. Was he ‘with’ Jasper? Were the two of them a couple? Harry had only had one relationship, and Ginny was so straightforward that Harry doubted he could have ever questioned what they were at any given time, but Jasper wasn’t that blunt and upfront.

Yeah, they kissed, but Harry and Cho had kissed once and that didn’t make them a couple. And taking Parvati to the Yule Ball certainly hadn’t made her his girlfriend.

He could ask Jasper, but would that be weird? If Jasper thought they were dating and Harry didn’t know? Or what if Jasper didn’t want to be dating and then he thought Harry was pressuring him in to it?

During fourth hour, Harry’s optimistic mood was gone, his head hurt, and he swore he was going to buy Hermione a cell phone for a graduation gift.

It took Harry until he walked in to the lunch room, still pondering the situation with Jasper, to realize Bella Swan was a bloody Slytherin too.

She didn’t care about ‘group dates’ or whatever, she just wanted to know if Edward was with Alice.

And Harry, who was admittedly terrible at anything to do with relationships knew this for a fact because Bella was sitting at a table with Edward on the opposite side of the cafeteria from where Edward should be sitting.

“You can’t kill him in the middle of the cafeteria,” Jasper told Harry as soon as Harry sat down.

“Yes he can.” Rosalie was seething and glaring viciously at her brother.

“Yes I can,” Harry agreed. He was surprised that Bella didn’t look up from where she had her head bent together with Edward as harshly as Harry and Rosalie were glowering. “And if he can hear me, which I know you bloody well can, then I’m going to kick your arse you stupid selfish leech.”

Harry felt accomplished when he saw Edward’s back stiffen, but then he said something to Bella, who immediately glanced up at Harry.

“Why does it bother you?”

“What?” Harry looked up sharply at Jasper. Jasper didn’t look like he was taking the mickey, he looked genuinely curious. “Are you serious?” Harry demanded. “Why does it bother me that- wait, Alice what’s it look like now?”

“Two paths for sure,” Alice answered immediately, already knowing what Harry was asking. “Her with us is much more clear than her dead though if that’s any consultation.”

“It’s not,” Harry told her shortly before turning back to Jasper. “What’s your question here? Why am I pissed that your brother is obsessed with a muggle and going to either kill her or take away her mortality? Why wouldn’t that bother me?”

“Does it count for nothing that he loves her?” Jasper asked calmly.

“If he ‘loves her’ then he should leave her alone,” Harry grit out. “You know he’s being selfish!”

Jasper wasn’t cowed in the slightest by Harry’s rising temper. “What if she loves him?”

“Is love worth her having to go to her dads funeral one day? The funeral of all her friends? Never getting to see them again?” Harry slammed his palms on the table and drew more than a few pairs of eyes from the other students. “No, it’s not,” Harry hissed. He snatched his textbook off the table and stormed out of the cafeteria, and he curled his lip up at Edward on his way out for good measure.

It wasn’t until Harry was yanking on his car door handle that he remembered his keys were in his locker.

“Son of a bitch,” he swore loudly. He could unlock his car easily with an alohamora, but he didn’t know any spell that would start it.

Hermione might get a cell phone much sooner than June.

Harry sunk to the ground and groaned. So much for going home right now. He could apparate, but there was always a risk that he’d pop back up in front of a stray muggle when he came back. And he could walk to the woods nearby to do it, but he was mad and his hands were shaking; neither exactly productive to not splinching himself. He decided he’d just go back in and get his keys once classes started and he could go home then.

He could just drink until he wasn’t so pissed.

Bloody Edward.

Bloody Bella.

Bloody Jasper.

“At last Rose has some common sense,” he muttered in his knees.

“I think at the point when Rosalie agrees with me is when I begin questioning myself.”

Harry had his wand out before Edward could finish his sentence.

“You’re going to kill her,” Harry said harshly. Edward slowly raised his hands in a defense position.

“It is not my intention, no,” he said slowly, understanding Harry’s statement for what it was.

“Then you’re going to turn her,” Harry said. “I don’t think that’s much better.”

“I agree whole heartedly,” Edward said solemnly. “However that is also not my intention.”

“I don’t care about your intentions!” Harry yelled. Two single red sparks flew from the end of his wand, responding to the wave of fury. “That’s the future Edward! Kill her or ruin her life! That’s it!”

“There’s a third option.” Edward spoke calmly, but he kept a wary eye on the wand aimed at his chest. “But there is a teacher who thinks they hear shouting about to come check this area. Perhaps you and I could talk? In private?”

Harry took a shuddering breath and nodded curtly. He slid his wand up his jacket sleeve, keeping it within easy reach. Edward made for his car so Harry climbed in the passenger seat, his anger at Edward warring with his curiosity at what third option he was seeing here that even Alice didn’t.

“Speak, leech, before I decide that there’s one too many Cullen’s in the world,” Harry sneered.

Edward frowned at Harry while he turned the radio on, a soft piano melody filling the car with sorrowful notes.

“You don’t seem to like vampires much,” Edward said. He leaned back against his seat and kept studying Harry like he was a difficult puzzle.

“I’m not crazy about ones who are acting like selfish arses, no,” Harry said. “But in general I don’t give a damn about what someone is if they aren’t killing people. Bars on the floor there, isn’t it?”

“It is.” Edward spun a soda bottle top on his finger, the top didn’t even waver as he talked. “Would you like to hear my plan? It may save you time from plotting my overdue murder with Rosalie.”

“I said I’d hear it,” Harry said. “But if I don’t like it then I’m going to do what I have to to protect her.”

Harry had no real attachment to Bella, but it was the principle of the matter. People shouldn’t have the power to take away someone’s bloody mortality. It shouldn’t even be an option.

“I can’t leave her alone,” Edward said. “I could no more walk away from her than you could cut your arm off-“

“I’m gonna stop you there mate,” Harry said, furious already. “I’ve got people I care about back in England; friends, people who call me their son, I’ve even got a godson. And I’m telling you now, I would cut off both my arms with a smile on my face if it meant they‘d be safe. I’d die for them.”

And he would.

He did.

Edward smiled wryly, keeping his eyes on the spinning top. “That’s because you’re a good person Harry,” he said. “And I’m a selfish monster. I don’t want to leave her alone, so I believe I cannot. But I do think I can be with her without changing her. And, of course, I have no intention of killing her. I care about her,” he finished softly, his voice an awe-filled whisper.

“Wait-“ Harry stared incredulously at Edward. “You mean be with her while she’s human? You’re not trying to keep her forever?”

“And take away her soul? Damn her to an eternity of thirst and misery? Take away her opportunity for an afterlife? No, I’m not. Even I’m not that selfish, despite how it may seem.”

“What?” Harry’s blood ran cold. “If you die- you don’t get an afterlife?”

“Carlisle believes in an afterlife for all, I do not,” Edward said with a small sigh. “I believe that the cost of immortality is the loss of that supposed paradise.”

“It’s not supposed, it’s real,” Harry murmured while his thoughts whirled.

He had seen enough proof of it to know that the afterlife was real.

The train station.

Dumbledore.

His parents. Sirius. Remus.

All together and waiting on him.

He really was never going to see them again. He’d doubted if he could, but a small part of him held on to the hope that one day, even a thousand years from now, he’d die and see them again.

But Edward was right. Nothing came for free. Especially not immortality. Harry knew that.

Unicorn blood- a cursed life.

The resurrection stone- a half-life.

Horcruxes- the ripping of your soul.

How had Harry never pieced it together before? He spent all this time worrying about if he could ever die one day, he’d never considered what would happen if he did. It wasn’t his mortality that was the issue, it was his soul.

“Can anyone see us?” Harry asked Edward in a strangled sort of tone.

“No,” Edward said slowly. “Or at least-“

CRACK!

By the time school ended and Jasper showed up at Harry’s house, returning Harry’s car that was left in the parking lot, Harry was midway through an alcohol fueled pity party.

He was currently laughing himself sick when Jasper let himself inside, a common occurrence lately.

“Must be a good joke.”

Harry looked up in surprise, tears streaming freely down his cheeks from how hard he had been laughing.

“Not really, no,” he admitted once his eyes readjusted to account for the tall fit blonde leaning in his living room doorway. “Wanna hear it?”

“Of course.” Jasper crossed his legs beneath himself and sat on the floor by Harry’s feet.

“It’s just-“ Harry chuckled. “I thought today was going to be a good day.”

“Aah.” Jasper glanced at the nearly empty bottle in Harry’s hands. “And instead it was bad enough to drive you to drinking? I’m afraid I’m missing the punch line Darlin.”

“It’s just how it works,” Harry said morosely. “Nothing ever just stays good, does it?”

“Is your day frequently ruined by annoying vampires?” Jasper asked.

Harry gave him a snort of laughter for his efforts. “Not vampires,” he said. “But it feels like every time I think something is good, it ends bad.”

“Harry, are you upset about what I asked at lunch? Because I agree with you, I was just curious what your reasoning was. I apologize for upsetting you.”

Harry waved away Jasper’s apology with the bottle. “You’re a prat,” he said with a soppy grin that sober Harry would never wear. “But I’m not mad at you. I’m just- I dunno.”

“Sad?” Jasper offered quietly. “And drunk, I think.”

“Both,” Harry agreed. “D’you know you don’t have a soul?”

“Excuse me?” Jasper leaned back to peer up in Harry’s face better. “Who says I don’t have a soul?

“Edward,” Harry told him. “He said there’s no afterlife for im-im- people who can’t die.”

“And you believe Edward?” Jasper asked skeptically. “Based on his long lifespan of self-imposed misery and self-hatred?”

“He’s right though,” Harry insisted. “Listen Jazz- everything comes with a cost. And if you try and live forever then you lose something good like life after you die with your family.”

“Do you believe in the afterlife?” Jasper asked. “Granted, this is a rather heavy discussion for four in the afternoon while you’re clearly intoxicated, we could talk about anything else if you’d rather.”

“I’m fine,” Harry said. And he was, mostly. “And it’s real,” he insisted. “I’ve seen it.”

“You’ve seen the afterlife?” Jasper’s eyes were round. “What?”

“Yup. Train station in the clouds,” Harry’s eyes were wistful as he remembered the perfect feeling of peace and the lack of pain. “I could catch a train or come back, so I came back.”

Jasper let out a soft sigh and smiled indulgently at Harry. “I believe that you believe that,” he said fairly. “But I also believe that you’re drunk and perhaps rambling.”

“Ask Ron!” Harry cried, insulted at the coddling tone Jasper used. “Or Mione! I told them about it when I died!”

“You died,” Jasper repeated blankly. “Explain, please?”

“I died, I was at a train station, I was told I could catch a train and go on or come back so I came back,” Harry said. “It’s true.”

“I- I don’t even know what to say,” Jasper let out a mirthless laugh and ran his hand through his hair. “Are you planning on telling me the rest of the details I’m clearly missing or simply being terribly vague forever?”

“Terribly vague,” Harry smiled cheekily, his sullen mood improving as Jasper looked so bewildered. “It’s cute when you’re confused,” he told him seriously. “Your face I mean, your face is cute.”

This time Jasper’s laugh was more genuine. “How much have you drank?” he teased.

“I don’t need to be drunk to say you have a cute face,” Harry rolled his eyes.

“Great, then you can tell me again tomorrow.” Jasper stretched out on the floor and propped himself on his forearms to look up at Harry. “If indeed you don’t need a drink to flirt with me,” he added with a playful smirk.

“I will,” Harry said stubbornly. “Just watch- I’m just going to drive you mad telling you about your cute face all day tomorrow.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Jasper said with so much solemnity that Harry started laughing again.

“Dang,” he sighed once he calmed down. “I missed class again.”

“At this rate the office is going to think that you have a chronic and fatal disease,” Jasper said. “Although, perhaps it was good that you missed biology. Edward said that they were doing blood-typing, which is why he was available to irritate you earlier. Vampires and a room full of bleeding humans? Tsk, it’s almost like your biology teacher wants some of you to die.”

“Blood doesn’t make me want to kill people?” Harry scrunched his nose up, ignoring Jasper’s joke at the end as he tried to work his way through why Harry shouldn’t find out his blood type.

“Oh.” Jasper looked surprised by Harry’s confusion. “I know that darlin, I just thought that perhaps magical blood would not react normally to the testing strips they used.”

“Dang,” Harry said again, quite liking the phrase of annoyance/surprise/confusion that Jacob uses frequently. “I dunno. Maybe yeah. But I wanted to know what my blood type is.” Harry had even read ahead in the textbook, curious about the different types of bloods and how they could or couldn’t be combined with other types. It had made him think of the blood-replenishing potion and how it never mattered what a persons blood type was to take it.

He should have asked Snape that.

He should have asked him a million things.

But instead, Snape was dead and Soulless-Harry would never get the chance.

“They’ll probably have a makeup class,” Jasper said quickly. “Bella Swan and Zach Coursen both became ill and had to leave the class from the blood, so I’m sure that your teacher will offer a redo.”

“Oh!” Bella’s name coming from Jasper’s mouth reminded Harry of an important question. “Hey, are we together?”

Jasper sent a pointed look around Harry’s sitting room before smirking up at him. “It certainly appears so.”

Harry laughed for a few seconds before focusing on the conversation. “No, I mean, are we dating? Is that what we are?”

Jasper looked caught off guard, but not unhappy. “We could be,” he said with a small smile. “If you wanted.”

“Yeah?” Harry felt his face warming up, which was probably just a side effect from drinking. “Alright then.”

“Alright then.”

***
The secretary gave me a candy bar Jazz. They really do think I’m dying from some disease.

It’s a common side effect of missing as much school as you do.

You guys miss a lot of school too?

But we are an outdoor family who loves to camp. It’s a well-known fact about that weird Cullen family. You are a skinny insomniac teenager who turns in a doctors note twice a week.

Are you going ‘camping’ today then?

I am. I’ll be in the mountains with poor cell service until Sunday night. Do you have any plans this weekend? Aside from thinking about my cute face of course.

I hate you and I’m going to Jake’s on Saturday.

Is that any way to flirt Harry Potter? And here I was promised to be ‘driven mad’ by your flirtations.

Don’t you have a grizzly bear to irritate?

I do actually, have fun with your cousin Darlin.

You too... sweetheart?

LOL

Harry grimaced as he looked down at his phone. Jasper was being polite, probably, and hadn’t asked about Harry’s drunken babble the other night, but...

Will you come over when you get back? We could talk.

He waited for Jasper to respond and reminded himself that Jasper had shared a lot about himself to Harry. They couldn’t be together if Harry wouldn’t reciprocate.

Probably.

It seemed like a thing to do in relationships anyway.

Ding!

Of course. I’ll bring dinner and you can tell me how incredibly thoughtful I am.

Harry laughed at that. Jasper was cute.

He went ahead and said that.

Never let it be known that Harry wasn’t a Gryffindor.

***

“Potter!”

The group of guys greeted him enthusiastically when Harry showed up in La Push beach on Saturday.

“‘Ello mate!” Paul laughed. He reached out to try and get Harry in a headlock but Harry ducked before he could reach him.

“I don’t sound like that you git,” he laughed.

“Do too,” Quil said around a mouthful of chips. “Git.”

“‘Ello ‘Arry,” Jacob tried mimicking him. “My names Jacob.”

“Your name’s idiot,” Jared laughed.

“Pull up some sand bro,” Embry pat the ground beside him around the fire they were all gathered around.

Harry liked spending time with Jasper’s family, he didn’t have to hide his magic around them and, besides Edward recently, Harry got along with them all great. But being in La Push made him feel absolutely, insignificantly, normal. Back when he’d been just ‘that odd Potter kid’ who lived at Number Four Private Drive, before he knew about magic, when he’d had no one, he’d always dreamt of having friends like this.

Everyone in La Push was just infectiously carefree. Harry wasn’t sure how he’d managed to fit in with this loud, joyful, chaotic group, but he wasn’t complaining.

“How’s the pale faces?” Jacob tossed a can of soda to Harry.

“Pale,” Harry quipped. “How’s the rabbit?”

“Broken still,” Quil laughed and elbowed Jacob.

“Better than your car, oooh wait...” Jacob laughed and pushed Quil over on the sand. Harry and the others laughed as they began playfully wrestling.

It was decent weather, for them. The sun was peeking out behind the clouds, making bright rays streak down to the sand. Harry shifted a little until he was in the sun. It was one of the few days he’d had here since he moved that he could get away without wearing a jacket, a privilege he was happy to take advantage of today.

Not one that he thought out very well though.

“Daaaamn Potter! What happened to your arm?”

Harry glanced down to where Jared was gawking at, drawing the other guys’ attention, and grimaced at the round puncture scar on his arm.

“Er... snake bite?” he said.

“What the fuck kind of snake leaves that big of a bite?” Jacob asked.

“A... big one?” Harry said slowly. Why had he said snake bite? Why not make up literally anything else? “I think it was an exotic breed.”

Basilisks were rare, so exotic seemed to be a fitting description too.

“Dang Harry,” Jacob’s eyes were round with surprise as he scrutinized Harry’s arm. “I can’t believe you didn’t die, it looks brutal.”

“Got lucky I guess,” Harry smirked. He may be crap at making up lies on the spot, but he was at least smart enough not to mention phoenix tears to a group of muggles.

“Bet it helps with the ladies,” Quil wiggled his brows. “Chicks find scars sexy.”

“Is that why you’re single?” Embry asked Quil.

“Hey! I could get any girl I wanted.” Quil puffed his chest out before he laughed. “I just don’t want to.”

“Embry talks a lot of shit for a guy whose never even kissed a girl,” Paul said.

“Oh and you have?” Jared asked. “Your mom doesn’t count.”

“Does yours?”

Harry laughed and rolled over quickly to get away from Paul as Jared lunged at him. Paul dodged him and Jared landed face first in the sand, causing another roar of laughter from the other guys.

“Dick.” Jared grinned good-naturedly and threw a handful of the sand at Paul. The two of them were still in a ‘sand fight to the death’ when Jacob turned to Harry.

“What about you?”

“What about me what?” Harry asked.

“Do you have a girlfriend, brainless,” Paul laughed, finally conceded the sand fight and stretching out on his back under the sun.

“Oh. Er, no. I’ve only got one ex-girlfriend. I’m still friends with her though,” Harry said truthfully. He didn’t add anything about Jasper. He wasn’t exactly sure that muggles in America weren’t as weird about it as his uncle had always been and didn’t care to find out just then.

“That chick that came with you that one time? The one with the curly hair? With the redhead?” Jacob’s eyes looked wistful in a way that Harry bristled at.

“Nooo, that’s Hermione, and she’s marrying that redhead this summer,” Harry narrowed his eyes at him. “I’m the best man.”

“Lucky guy.” Jacob bounced back quickly from his momentary pout. “You guys should have seeeen her, ugh. I’m a sucker for brown eyes. And her bod-“

“I’m going to kill you,” Harry interrupted him with a disgusted grimace. “Hermione’s like my sister.”

Jacob, who really was the worst even if he was Harry’s friend and kind of cousin, smirked and batted his eyelashes coquettishly. “Soo, don’t ask you how a supposed bookworm got such a body?”

Harry decided that Jared and Paul had the right idea and he threw a handful of sand right in Jacob’s face with a laugh. “Gross.”

“I heard British girls are hotter than American ones,” Quil eventually said after everyone settled back down. “That true?”

Harry compared Ginny to Lauren or Jessica and nodded solemnly. “Ginny, the girl I used to date, is gorgeous.”

“Pics!” Jacob crowed. “Pics or it’s all lies!”

Harry snagged his phone and scrolled before he found one he took on Christmas of all the Weasley’s, and Harry and Hermione and Nolan, wearing their new sweaters.

“There,” he pointed at Ginny.

Harry didn’t usually fall in to the macho ‘my ex is better looking than your ex’ gig that Jacob and the others were bad about, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel a little good about himself when the guys all nodded immediately and said he ‘won the hottest ex contest’.

He didn’t know it was a contest, but he would make sure to tell Ginny that he won. It seemed like the type of odd compliment that she would like.

“Why would you ever break up with someone who looks like her?” Quil sighed as he relinquished Harry’s phone back to him.

“She said we were ‘trying to force something that wasn’t there’,” Harry shrugged.

“Oooh,” Jared drug the sound out slowly and gave Harry a peculiar look. “You’re into dudes.”

Harry blinked at Jared, having no real idea of that was meant to be an insult or not. The other four guys swiveled their heads back and forth between them until Jacob finally nodded and relaxed back against the sand.

“Dang,” he said. “I owe Leah ten bucks.”

“Yup, called it,” Paul chuckled. “Damn kids got an ex that looks like that and he throws it all away.”

“More babes for us,” Quil shrugged. “You guys wanna swim?”

Harry did not want to swim, mostly because he was crap at it when compared to the rest of them, instead he just marveled at the utter carefree attitudes that they all had. In the end, Paul, Embry, Quil, and Jared went swimming while Jacob and Harry decided to walk along to beach and enjoy the sun.

They had made it around the bend, and were laughing at a dumb joke Jacob made, when they spotted a group of students from Forks. There were about half a dozen of them sitting around a fire of their own, talking happily, and listening to music.

“Harry!” Mike Newton held up a hand for a high five, which Harry awkwardly gave him, when he and Jacob walked up to their group. “What are you doing here?”

“This is my cousin, Jacob.”

“Jacob?” Bella Swan, who Harry hadn’t noticed at first, looked up in surprise. “I forgot you guys are related!” She gave Harry a wary look, and Harry wondered what Edward told her about why he had been glaring at them during lunch. “Do you guys wanna hang out with us?”

Harry was going to refuse, but Jacob beamed and sidled right up beside Bella on her log, irritating both Harry and Mike for entirely different reasons. Harry bit back a scowl and sat next to Jessica, who looked entirely too happy about it.

Jessica immediately began chatting Harry’s head off about a spring dance coming up next weekend that she didn’t have a date for. He mostly ignored her, humming occasionally so not to seem rude, while trying to think of an excuse to leave. He was jolted from his desperate plotting by Lauren interrupting Jessica with a sly grin.

“I’m surprised you aren’t with the Cullen’s Harry,” she said sweetly, ignoring Jessica’s huff. “I thought you and Jasper were awfully close.”

“The Cullen’s?” Jacob perked up and cocked his head at Harry. “Are you friends with them?”

“Er-“

“Of course he is,” Lauren said. She smiled at Jessica when she added, “Him and Jasper are practically attached at the hip at school.”

“Well I assumed that Bella would have invited them today,” Jessica said. “Since she sat with Edward at lunch the other day.”

Harry had the oddest feeling that Jessica and Lauren were having some sort of fight that was done with sweet smiles and friendly sentences.

“The Cullen’s don’t come here,” Jacob cut in with a shrug. “Never have.” Bella and Harry both looked at him curiously.

“Why?” Harry asked.

“Tribe secrets,” Jacob winked. “If you’d quit skipping the meetings Dad invites you to, then you’d know.”

Harry just shrugged, he had no problem hanging out with Jacob and Jared and the other guys, but listening to a bunch of old men tell stories about the past didn’t sound entertaining at all. He was curious about why the Cullen’s didn’t come to La Push, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t just ask Jasper tomorrow night. He went back to thinking of an excuse to leave while Mike tried to strike up a conversation.

He was considering if he could say his pet cat was sick and needed him to come home or not when Bella actually gave him an easy out.

“Jacob, would you want to go for a walk with me?” she smiled at Jacob, who lit up like an eager puppy.

Jacob really was a sucker for brown eyes.

“You don’t mind, do you?” he asked Harry.

“No, of course not,” Harry said hastily. “I was gonna head home anyway. Have fun.”

Harry made quick goodbyes to the other students before he started trudging up the beach to the road. He looked back once more and watched Bella and Jacob’s retreating backs for a moment. Bella was giggling loudly at something Jacob must have said. She swatted him playfully on the arm and Harry could practically sense Jacob’s preen.

Harry narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at the uncharacteristic behavior of the usually shy and reserved muggle girl.

Harry reminded himself that Bella Swan was absolutely a sneaky and cunning Slytherin and she was absolutely up to something.

But... Harry shrugged and resumed heading towards the parking lot where he left his car. As long as it didn’t involve vampires then it really wasn’t his problem.