Green & Gold

Sunday March 7th, 2004

“I probably shouldn’t have brought you dinner, I didn’t think of how loyal it makes me seem,” Jasper teased Harry.

Harry just rolled his eyes at him and lifted a shoulder. “Would it make your kind Hufflepuff heart feel better to know that some of the best people I knew were Hufflepuffs?”

“Perhaps,” Jasper allowed. He watched Harry finish off the slice of pizza that Jasper brought and decided it was as good of a place as any to push him in to talking. “I’d certainly feel better if you told me more about these ‘best Hufflepuff’s you know’?”

Harry’s emotions quickly turned to guilt. grief. sorrow. and Jasper realized that they must be gone now.

“Cedric Diggory and Nymphadora Tonks,” Harry said quietly. He curled his legs up beneath himself and seemed the sink down on the opposite end of the sofa from Jasper. “Those are the best Hufflepuffs I knew, best people really.”

“And they’re gone now?” Jasper asked gently. He didn’t want to pry, not if it upset Harry, but his text Friday had made it seem like he would finally get some answers to the mystery of Harry’s past.

“They are,” Harry said. His emotions were so filled with guilt that Jasper briefly wondered if Harry himself had killed them. Harry pinched at one of the couch cushions with his eyebrows furrowed down while they sat in silence for a minute.

“I’m bad at talking,” Harry blurted abruptly. “And I don’t want to tell you things that will make you realize I’m not really that great. So I know I said we’d talk, but I don’t know what to say.”

“Darlin.” Jasper slowly shifted closer to Harry on the couch and tried to catch his gaze. “I told you I led armies of men who were fighting for the continuation of slavery. I’m sure you couldn’t possibly top that.” He reached out and put one of his hands on Harry’s fidgeting ones. “I’ll listen to anything you wish to share.”

And if it took away even one of his 700 or so questions, then Jasper had plenty of time to get the rest of the answers.

“It’s hard to know where to start,” Harry laughed (guilt. grief. anger. agony.). “My life’s a bit of a... what does Emmett say? A shit show?”

“Says the eighteen year old to the 170 year old vampire,” Jasper said with a small grin. “Tell me about shit shows when you’ve been around this long.”

“Seventeen.”

Jasper did the math again, not that he thought he was wrong, but Harry started talking before he could. Harry turned his hand palm up beneath Jasper’s and entwined their fingers together.

“I died on May 2nd, almost a year ago,” Harry said. His voice was soft, his emotions agonized, and Jasper hung on every syllable. “I wasn’t just drunk the other day, I really did die. I was- am- seventeen. I’ll be a technical minor for the rest of eternity,” he spat the end out bitterly.

The rest of eternity.

Harry died. Truly died.

When he was only seventeen.

Which he would be...

Forever.

He wasn’t going to die.

Harry was furious, sorrowful, agonized, so Jasper wisely did not remark on that and instead squeezed his hand lightly as a silent reassurance.

“Hermione and Ron don’t know that, and I’m not telling them right now either,” Harry looked firmly in to Jasper’s eyes and Jasper nodded solemnly.

“Anything you tell me stays between us,” he said.

“Me, you, and Edward,” Harry scowled.

“Well,” Jasper grimaced apologetically. “If it’s any consolation; I know he isn’t your favorite vampire right now, but Edward truly does despise knowing peoples secrets. He would never bring it up.”

“Rose is my favorite vampire,” Harry grinned in an attempt to either lighten the mood or change the subject. “Then Emmett.”

Jasper indulged him, “That’s fair, because as you know, Ron is my favorite wizard. Then Bill of course. George is likely my third favorite.”

“Ron will like that,” Harry laughed (amusement.). “He used to be jealous of me, you know? But he’s over that now.” Harry sighed and turned so he was shoulder to shoulder with Jasper.

“Why was he jealous?” Jasper considered moving his arm to Harry’s shoulders, just wrapping him in to his side, but he stopped himself. Harry was still twitchy on occasion, he would let him dictate their physical contact.

He had an eternity for Harry.

An eternity of the green eyed wizard by his side.

“Once upon a time... there was a prophecy made.”

Jasper remained silent in anticipation as Harry drew in a few deep breaths and seemed to unconsciously tighten his hold on Jasper’s hand.

“It said that a baby was going to be born, one who was the only person who had the power to defeat a Dark Lord named Voldemort.”

Jasper was apparently going to get more than one question answered tonight.

“Voldemort was a madman,” Harry said. “He found out about the prophecy, heard that the baby was going to be the only one who could kill him, and decided to kill the baby before he got the chance.”

Harry reached up with his right hand and flicked his bangs off his forehead, exposing a silver lightning bolt scar. “He killed the babies parents-“ grief filled both his eyes and his emotions as he glanced at the photo that Jasper knows is James and Lily Potter. “-and he tried to kill the baby, but it didn’t work. The spell bounced back and killed him instead.”

“But he didn’t die?” Jasper guessed when Harry was silent for a few moments.

“No, he didn’t. But it ripped his soul, left a piece in the baby. And he collapsed, everyone thought he died and they called the baby a hero. The Boy-Who-Lived, the only person to ever survive a killing curse.”

“He survived it twice?” Jasper guessed absently again, his mind whirling with the implications of a man ripping his soul and leaving a piece inside of an infant.

Harry looked over at him and his eyes were burning with agony, but he forced his mouth into a wry smile. “Well he didn’t really survive the second time, did he?”

“He saw the afterlife and came back, I would say that if his heart still beats then he lived,” Jasper countered with.

“Yeah, well, we can agree to disagree,” Harry murmured. He slowly, so agonizingly slowly, leaned his head on Jasper’s shoulder. “Anyway, every witch and wizard heard that the baby survived so they gave him a dumb name and he became the most famous orphan in England.”

“What happened to the baby next?” Jasper asked gently.

“He went to live with his moms sister and her husband and son (anger. sorrow. fear.) and they stuck him in a cupboard until he turned eleven.”

“Excuse me?” Jasper looked sharply down at the top of Harry’s head. “A cupboard?”

“They didn’t like magic, they were- are- afraid of it.” Harry lifted one shoulder in an attempt to physically match his nonchalant tone, but Jasper could feel his emotions flickering erratically until they landed on sorrow. “So the Boy-Who-Lived was alone.”

“Until he turned eleven and met a red headed boy on a train and was adopted by a family of terribly protective wizards,” Jasper suggested in a gentle tone that hardly matched his own furious anger. There were times, not too often, but certainly right now, that he regrets being unable to simply tear apart despicable humans such as Harry’s relatives. Children should be cherished, there were immortals who would give their whole lives for a child, immortals who did just that in fact, children should not be put in a cupboard.

Harry chuckled, ignorant to Jasper’s anger, and both of their emotions lightened. “You’ll have to tell me what they said to you, I wouldn’t have left you alone except I figured they’d just stalk you until they got to say their piece,” he said.

“I believe the overwhelming sentiment was that if I hurt you then they are going to roast marshmallows over my burning corpse,” Jasper said. Harry laughed again, a more genuine one this time, and he sighed fondly.

“They’re the best,” he said.

“They are,” Jasper agreed.

“Pft,” Harry let out a shaking breath and grinned up at Jasper. “You can ask your questions now, but then I’m getting a drink.”

“I have exactly 688 of them,” Jasper told him.

“Er...” Harry squinted as if unsure if Jasper was kidding, which he was not. “Five then.”

“What happened to Voldemort?” he asked quickly.

“I killed him for good in May. I had to destroy all the Horcruxes, the pieces of his soul he left in objects to live forever, then I let him kill me and then I came back to life and killed him.”

As fantastical as that sounded, Jasper could hardly doubt the authenticity of the statement when Harry said it so matter-of-factly.

Magic was the most insane concept Jasper could ever imagine.

“Is that why your Prime Minister offered you a job as a magical auror?” he asked.

“You can just say auror, you don’t have to specify they’re magical,” Harry laughed. “And yeah. There was... there was a whole war (guilt. grief.). And it ended when I killed Voldemort, now they call me the Man Who Conquered,” he said this title just as bitterly as he had his previous moniker.

“You saved a lot of lives,” Jasper guessed, trying not to use one of his precious free questions on what he was already certain of.

“Not enough,” Harry said quietly.

GUILT. AGONY. GRIEF.

“Which was hardly your fault if there was a war,” Jasper said gently. “You-“

Harry grabbed his wand from his jacket pocket. “Accio Bourbon.”

“I thought I had three more questions?” Jasper raised a brow as Harry opened the bottle.

“I’m not going to be too drunk to answer in three more questions,” Harry scoffed. He summoned a glass, a civility that he hardly bothered with the last few times Jasper had seen him drink, and filled it to the brim. “Three more then.”

Jasper debated on which of his many questions he wanted to prioritize while Harry threw back his drink like a professional.

“What were you doing when you were sixteen and too busy to get a license?” Jasper finally settled on.

Harry raised his brows and leaned back to Jasper’s side. “Well I don’t actually know anyone besides muggleborns who get their license, you don’t need one to fly,” he grinned. “Sixteen? That was the year I was learning about Horcruxes and Voldemort and I had a bit of an obsession with my classmate, Draco Malfoy. I thought he was a death eater, and I was right.”

Jasper waited, but Harry poured another drink, apparently believing he answered the question adequately.

“Will I have to use one of my questions to ask what a death eater is?”

“Oh. No, sorry.” Harry took a sip while he thought about it. “A death eater is someone who followed Voldemort. They thought that muggleborns were scum, and only people with pureblood, all magical ancestry, were ‘worthy’ or whatever. They had matching tattoos,” he smirked at the end.

“Aah.”

As Jasper’s question had actually gotten quite a bit of information from Harry, he decided to utilize it again. “What were you doing when you were fifteen?”

Harry swirled his drink around (GUILT.) and resumed his heads place on Jasper’s shoulder.

“I had court that year,” he said. “I used magic in front of my cousin, Dudley, and I got a letter saying I had to go to a hearing to find out if I was being expelled from Hogwarts or not. Dumbledore, that was my Headmaster (anger.sorrow.), showed up to court and got my name cleared. Then we had a Ministry worker come teach Defense, she gave me this-“ Harry lifted their joined hands to show Jasper the back of his left hand.

“‘I must not tell lies’,” Jasper traced it lightly with his free hand. “She cut you?” he gasped.

“Technically I cut myself,” Harry clarified. “A special quill she had me use to write lines in detention. Then Hermione started an illegal club-“

“What?” Jasper laughed at the absurdity of that statement. Harry chuckled as well and nodded his head.

“Yeah. Voldemort was back and she wanted us to learn to fight. So she started the club and I taught it-“

“Why you?” Jasper interrupted again. “I thought you said Hermione was the top of your class?”

“Not in defense,” Harry smirked. He looked and felt smug when he added, “I’ve always been top of our year in defense.”

“Of course,” Jasper smiled. “Go on then darlin, you were teaching an illegal club of students how to fight, your teacher was a disgusting woman, and you did not get expelled. What else happened?”

“Let me think...” Harry grimaced and finished off his second drink while he thought. “I had that date with Cho, I was banned from quidditch, Dumbledore was fired, Hagrid brought a giant to school, I was supposed to learn occlumency, and I killed my godfather,” he finished in a rush as his emotions went haywire.

Jasper opened his mouth to-

“Last one then,” Harry said quickly. “And no, I’m not talking about any of that just now.”

Jasper politely ignored both the way that Harry’s emotions were choking him with agony and the way that Harry had decided a glass was no longer in his best interests to use.

“Seventeen,” he said. Jasper’s chest was tight with phantom pain that Harry is sending him through his own agonizing emotional waves. “What did you do the year you were seventeen?”

“Camping trip from the day after my birthday until I died on May 2nd.” Harry let out a deep sigh and sank down in his seat. “Done.”

Apparently Harry was finished answering questions tonight.

They sat in silence for a while; Harry with his emotions going haywire and Jasper with his own thoughts on the pieces of his past he’d shared with him. Harry eventually put the bottle on the table, Jasper frowned to see it was now only a quarter full. Though he quit frowning when Harry burrowed down in his side. Jasper grabbed the knitted blanket off the back of the couch and threw it over him before replacing his arm across his shoulders.

“Hey Jazz?”

“Yes darlin?”

“Why aren’t you allowed on La Push beach?”

Jasper chuckled at Harry’s slurred question and the curious emotions he was basking in, a welcome reprieve from his prior agony.

“I’d prefer you didn’t mention that I told you this, as I’m not entirely sure it wasn’t included in our treaty, but the Quileutes descended from werewolves darlin. We’re enemies. They let us stay in Forks because Carlisle assured them of our vegetarian lifestyle, but they don’t trust us on their land.”

Jasper could only see the top of Harry’s head as he was processing that, but from the way his emotions flared with confusion, curiosity, amusement, he presumed he was making quite the expression.

“Muggles can’t be werewolves,” Harry said slowly. “So I think either you’re wrong or I would have been the worst auror in the world.”

“Oh I don’t think any of them are left now,” Jasper assured him. “I believe it was your cousins great-grandfather who made the treaty with Carlisle. Ephraim, perhaps?”

“Oh.” Harry yawned. “Yeah, he was a squib. Sirius’ squib uncle blasted off the tapestry.”

Jasper hummed as if he was meant to know what ‘blasted off the tapestry’ meant.

“You goin’ to school tomorrow?” Harry asked.

“I am not, it’s supposed to be incredibly sunny.”

“Damn.”

Jasper smiled down at Harry’s messy head of hair, charmed both by his verbal pout and the way he was apparently a rather cuddly drunk. He was content to just sit there and allow Harry to use him as a pillow for however long Harry was, but when Harry began snoring he chuckled and realized it may be a while.

Which was fine. Jasper would do this for an eternity.

And he could.

Jasper was still elated when Harry left for school and he returned home.

Eternity.

“You look happy,” Rosalie glanced up and narrowed her eyes at Jasper suspiciously when he walked in the door.

“I apologize, let me dig up a scowl for you,” Jasper said drily.

“Aw, babe, leave him alone. Our little Jasper’s in loveee,” Emmett chuckled. “Where’s the kid at?”

“School of course.” Jasper peered at the computer monitor that Rosalie and Emmett were both focusing on and rolled his eyes when he saw they were car shopping.

“Not black,” Rosalie murmured to Emmett. “White, with tinted windows.”

“We can repaint it babe.”

Jasper left them to their shopping and sought out Edward. He was certain his brother knew what he was going to say, but it would be best to ensure the message was delivered clearly either way. He knocked politely on Edward’s closed door and let himself in.

“Got it,” Edward said immediately. He was stretched across the couch in his room and was staring up at the ceiling. “But he agrees with me you know.”

“He’s a depressed alcoholic with recent trauma,” Jasper said coolly. “Keep your damn opinions on his soul to yourself.”

Edward was sending out waves of self-loathing and misery. There was a small amount of wonder and love mixed in, but an overall unpleasant emotional state.

“I’m an overall unpleasant person,” Edward said with a sardonic smile as he plucked the thoughts from Jasper’s head. “You’re lucky you know. You can keep him.”

“I know I am,” Jasper said, refusing to rise to the bite in Edward’s tone. “Perhaps you should leave? Go back to Alaska. Get away from her.”

Edward scoffed and looked up at his ceiling once more. “Could you leave Harry?”

“If I thought I was going to hurt him? Yes. I would leave him.”

“You guys deserve each other.” Edward’s lips quirked up in one corner, “He told me that he would die for the people he cares about. I guess he would, wouldn’t he?”

“Share any of what you know with anyone and see who can put you out of your misery first,” Jasper snarled quietly, resenting the way he was unable to protect Harry’s secrets from his brother. Though it would be terribly amusing to see Harry avenge himself. His temper was both alarming and endearing.

“You know I won’t,” Edward said, and Jasper did know that, but it was still worth clarifying. “I’m happy for you Jasper. You both deserve to be happy.”

Jasper’s irritation dimmed a small amount as he registered that he truly was lucky, lucky in a way that Edward wasn’t. Had Jasper not initially fallen for what he believed was a human? A human he planned on turning? He had gotten lucky when Harry revealed his magic and dissolved the need for secrets between them. He got lucky again when Harry forgave him for his terrible plot with Alice. And now? Now that he knew Harry was going to be around for an eternity?

Lucky would never be a strong enough word to use.

“You deserve happiness as well brother,” he said. He sent a small push of peace to Edward and closed his door gently when he left.

Jasper sighed when he looked out the window and saw the sunlight that was keeping him home today. He debated on seeing if Emmett would want to go for a run, but from the quiet bickering in the living room he assumed he was still shopping with Rosalie.

“Go hunting with me?” Jasper poked his head in Alice’s bedroom and smiled winningly. Alice was buried inside her closet, which made up over three quarters of her bedroom space, and was throwing clothes out erratically.

“I can’t,” she wailed. “I’ve lost my favorite sweater!”

Jasper eyed the mountain of clothes warily, certain that they cost more than whatever sports car Rosalie was currently shopping for. “Buy a new one?” he suggested.

Alice unearthed her head long enough to glare fiercely at him. “I can’t,” she seethed. “I was going to wear it tomorrow and it is from Morocco, how am I supposed to buy a new one before tomorrow?”

It seemed to be a rhetorical question, so Jasper simply closed the door slowly behind him.

Apparently all of his siblings were busy today. He checked his phone rather longingly and was surprised to already have a text from Harry.

School is boring. Remind me why I wanted to come here?

To experience American culture I believe. Though since I’m sure that was a lie, I’d be happy to know the truth?

Jasper turned his ringer up so as to not miss any future messages and went in search of Carlisle. He had no problems going hunting or running alone, even if it was more enjoyable with a partner. But Jasper had been caught up with his own life and had not had a chance to catch up with Carlisle recently.

“Come in,” Carlisle called through the office door after Jasper knocked, his human mannerisms ingrained too tightly to act any other way.

“Hello,” Jasper smiled at Carlisle. “Would you like to go hunt?”

“Of course.” Carlisle smiled up at his son and swiftly neatened the stack of papers on his desk. “The others are busy?”

“They are,” Jasper said. “Would Esme like to go?”

“No thank you dear,” Esme called from outside.

“She’s landscaping,” Carlisle said with a warm and loving smile. “Apparently our yard is ‘dreadful’.”

Jasper chuckled at Esme’s dedication to the garden that would inevitably end up flooded in the cloud and rain filled climate.

“Shall we?” Carlisle’s emotions were happy, confused, loving as he extended an arm to the door. Carlisle was the only one of them who insisted on using doors, the rest of them simply jumped from the windows as a convenience.

They were running through the woods in a comfortable and companionable silence when Jasper’s phone went off.

A reporter tried to vanish my clothes Jazz. I had no choice but to flee for my life.

Jasper let out a startled laugh, what on earth?

“I’ll assume that’s Harry based on your smile,” Carlisle said after Jasper replied.

“It was,” he said. “He’s at school.”

“At some point you will have to tell me what I’m supposedly treating Harry for every week,” Carlisle said casually. “I had no idea he was so ill.”

Carlisle’s emotions were more amused than truly irritated so Jasper laughed again. “We will try and find new excuses for him to use,” he said with his best attempt at an apologetic smile.

Carlisle shook his head with mock disapproval as they ran through the forest. “Or he could quit missing school.”

“Hmm,” Jasper chuckled as he imagined Harry’s indignation if he suggested such a thing to him. “He could.”

Carlisle laughed this time, his buoyant emotions were lightening with every laugh that came from Jasper’s mouth.

“You’re so happy,” Carlisle observed as they slowed by the river. “It’s heartening to see.”

“It’s heartening to feel,” Jasper admitted. “I never expected this.”

“I have always wanted this for all of you,” Carlisle said genuinely. “I can’t say that you and Edward chose traditional partners... but I’m sure it will all work out somehow.”

“The vampires, the wizard, and the human,” Jasper mused. “We make quite a group.”

“That we do,” Carlisle chuckled. “Shall we?”

The two of them spent their time leisurely wasting away the day lit hours as they dispatched various elk and deer that they encountered. Carlisle patiently waited with a pleased smile when Jasper would stop to send a text or laugh at some snarky observation Harry was making about their classmates.

“He’s beginning to get quite the vocabulary,” Jasper chuckled when they were running back that night.

“Emmett’s influence undoubtedly,” Carlisle said.

“And his cousin,” Jasper murmured as he agreed with Harry that homework indeed was a bitch. “Oh.” Jasper glanced over at Carlisle and frowned. “Did you know Ephraim Black was a squib? He descended from a magical family.”

“Really?” Carlisle breathed, his eyes lighting up with this new information. “It was magic that led to the tribe’s transformations?”

“Harry said that ‘muggles’ can’t become werewolves, so I assume so,” Jasper said. “I... I mentioned the tribe to Harry because his cousin told him we weren’t allowed at La Push beach.”

“Which was never specifically disallowed in our treaty,” Carlisle said easily. “I’m sure Ephraim thought we would never have cause to share their stories, so he never added that contingency.”

Jasper let out a small breath in relief that he had not actually violated an ancient treaty with the tribe of wolves. Though Emmett would be disappointed once he learned that the magic in the line must have died out. His brash and easy to please brother spends a decent amount of time hoping to one day fight their fabled enemies.

The two of them were nearing the house when Jasper’s feeling of contentment and peace was overran with anger (Rosalie), guilt and wonder (Edward), and shock (Emmett).

“Somethings happened,” he murmured to Carlisle. They sped up and entered the garage where the others were gathered within seconds.

Jasper saw the way the others were gathered around Edward, and based his position near Emmett and Rosalie, certain that he would side with them against whatever terrible decision Edward had made now.

A thought that had Edward scowling at him.

“What is it Edward? What happened?” Carlisle must have ascertained that Edward was the center of this new dilemma the same way Jasper had. He placed a gentle hand on Edward’s shoulder and looked at his first son with love, concern.

“Bella- she-“ Edward took an unnecessary and deep breath. “She was going to be attacked, by a group of thugs, and I stopped them, but...” he gave Carlisle a pleading look, one that unnerved Jasper as it contrasted sharply with his loving and wondrous emotions. “She knows,” he said. “Bella knows what we are.”

Jasper had only time to suck in a shocked breath before Rosalie punched Edward square in the jaw.