Hunting
Wednesday March 17, 2004
God I haven’t had this much fun since me and Rose went to Aspen. I wonder if I could be a full-time bad vamp hunter? Then I could just run and kill bad guys all the time. I bet Carlisle wouldn’t mind. It’s not like I’d be drinking their blood. Awe man, Rose wouldn’t like it.
“Focus,” Edward murmured to his brother when his thoughts veered off in to images of the many (disgusting) ways Emmett planned on making up with Rosalie.
“My heads in the game,” Emmett flashed him a gleeful smile as they ran silently through the forest. “How’s the kid?”
Edward struggled to find Harry based solely on his thoughts, but he smiled once he had. He still couldn’t hear precise thoughts from Harry, but the general image he was getting was amusing all the same.
“He’s smug as hell about something, I think he wants to challenge someone to some sort of flying contest,” Edward whispered aloud to his brother and sister. Edward kept Harry’s odd images of fire to himself, not wanting to overshare and irritate the actual honest to god wizard who was helping them to track James and Victoria.
“I want a turn on the flying broomstick,” Emmett called up at the sky towards the invisible spot they presumed Harry was.
“Beat me in a fight then,” Harry taunted him from beneath his invisibility cloak. “And, hold on, point me Victoria- yeah, okay, turn west.”
Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie did it immediately. They had tracked Victoria from the mountain range in Washington clear to the Voyageurs forest in Minnesota. Edward was confident that where Victoria was, James would be as well. The four of them had the clear advantage- Harry could track their general direction with his magic wand from the air and the others could pick up their scent as they stayed on their trail. The only thought most of them had was ending this quickly so they could return to their lives.
So Edward could return to Bella.
buzz
Is Harry eating?
Okay, the only thought the hunting party had was ending this quickly, Jasper had been sending a flurry of texts ever since Harry told him they were starting, all concerned about Harry’s general health. It would be cute, something to mock Jasper for later anyway, if it wasn’t driving Edward and Harry both crazy.
“Jasper wants to know if you’re eating,” he said quietly through the tree tops. Victoria had about a fifty mile lead on them, but it would be stupid to yell and catch her attention either. Every once in a while Edward sprinted ahead of his siblings to catch a flash of her thoughts (FLEE. KILL THE WIZARD. FLEE.) and it frustrated him to not be able to get close enough to hear James’ mind.
“Tell him I’m drinking bunny blood,” Harry said sardonically. “And ask if he’s eating.”
Edward typed just that as he ran, a small smile on his face as Harry was clearly toying with Jasper. It was nice to see Jasper loosen up, he’d been so rigidly self-contained for eons, and it was all the better that Harry had a ‘take no shit’ personality.
Served Jasper right to have a partner so dedicated to driving him crazy. Jasper had done it to Edward for years as he struggled to contain his bloodlust.
HE HAS TO EAT HUMAN FOOD EDWARD! I WILL FEEL ISABELLA BLOOD IF YOU AREN’T FEEDING HARRY PROPERLY.
Edward frowned at his brothers rapid and irate message, he didn’t think Jasper would harm Bella, not with Alice there to watch anyway, but... but his last thought before he left was awfully threatening.
Esme packed Harry enough food to last a year. How is Bella?
Annoying.
Jasper deserved Harry and all his sarcasm.
They continued running, putting small bursts of speed in their pace in futile attempts to catch the pair they chased. It was infuriating how quick and slippery they were, Edward rarely met vampires as quick as he was, aside from Irinia in the Denali clan.
She’s crossing the border, Rosalie thought sharply as they continued to follow the trail Victoria was leaving.
“So will we,” Edward responded aloud. “Harry, you can cross into Canada right?”
“Pretty sure it’s fine,” Harry said. “I don’t know much about- oof.”
Rosalie shockingly outran Edward to the spot where they heard Harry strike a tree branch, then another branch, a third branch, before smacking the ground.
“HARRY!” Rosalie was frantic (Don’t be hurt. Don’t be hurt. Please God don’t let him be hurt. Please. Harry.) as she located where he fell based on scent alone. Edward and Emmett were at her side in an instant, both watching as she yanked the cloak off Harry.
“Ugh.” Harry rolled on to his back and Edward winced at the gratuitous amount of bruising on his face. His glasses were broken, and there was a dark scent of blood coming from the stream running out of his nose, but he was breathing easily and groaning.
Jasper would probably still freak out.
“Harry, are you okay?” Rosalie was kneeling beside him, the hunt forgotten as she dabbed at his nose, the blood not bothering her in the least.
“What the hell happened?” Emmett asked. They’d been following Victoria for 40 hours now and hadn’t had any issues. At least, not Harry falling from the sky type of issues. Victoria and James were incredibly talented at evading them, every time they would gain on them, Victoria would swerve in to a human populated area and cause them to ease up lest she start a fight in front of the humans and bring the Volturi down on all of them.
“Canadians happened,” Harry said darkly. He sat up and rubbed his face. “Dang.” He plucked his glasses off his face and scowled at the broken lenses. He pulled his wand from his hoodie pocket and tapped each side once, the glass instantly repairing itself.
Damn. I wish I had magical powers.
Edward snorted at Emmett’s thought before focusing on what was important, with every second they delayed now, Victoria and James were getting further away. “What happened?” he asked Harry again.
“I can’t be sure, but I’m guessing the Canadian government doesn’t want foreign wizards just flying across the border.” Harry ignored Rosalie’s offered hand and got himself to his feet. He grabbed the cloak off the ground and threw it over his shoulder. “Where the hell is- aha!” Harry walked a few paces away to grab his broomstick that was obediently hovering four feet off the ground.
“So what do we do?” Emmett growled. They were all sick of the nomads evading them every time they thought they had them pinned. It was almost as if...
“Evasion,” Edward breathed aloud. “Victoria- that’s why her thoughts were so wrapped up in fleeing, she has a gift for evasion.”
“A tracker and an escape artist?” Rosalie handed Harry a pair of clean black socks from her pack for his still-bleeding nose. “Terrific.”
“And if the kid can’t fly across the border...” Emmett trailed off and his thoughts finished his sentence, do we leave him or leave them?
“Neither,” Edward decided quickly. “Emmett, you and Rose go, quickly, chase them back around to this side of the border. Harry get under your cloak, maybe if they believe only I’m here then we can finally end this.”
To their credit, none of his siblings argued. Rosalie brushed Harry’s shoulder with her hand once then ran as quickly as she could with Emmett to head off the nomad pair. Harry straddled his broom and Edward saw him hovering only about 8 feet in the air before he disappeared beneath his cloak.
“I can get in Canada no problem,” Harry whispered. “I just need to get a message to their government and they’ll let me in.”
Edward recalled the stories Harry told Jasper, badly hidden secrets within his brothers mind, and agreed. Harry Potter didn’t seem to be the type of wizard to be refused entry by any magical establishment.
“How long would that take?” Edward asked. If Victoria had a gift for evasion, then she must have sensed that entering a new country would delay them from following.
“No idea,” Harry said. “Hold up- Expecto Patronum!”
Edward watched with appreciation as he was once again given the opportunity to study Harry’s ‘patronus’, a large silver stag that Harry said was good for sending messages and ‘fighting dementors’. He wasn’t entirely surewhat a dementor was, but Harry said they suck the soul out of your body, so they didn’t sound good.
“Can you take a message to the Canadian government? Whoever’s in charge of the border wards?” Harry asked the stag. Edward would have laughed at Harry talking to something that looked like a ghost of an animal, if it hadn’t nodded it’s head almost immediately.
“Great, tell them: Hello, this is Harry Potter. I am wanting to gain access to your country to kill a vampire who is trying to kill a muggle. Please let me in.”
Edward did snort at that absurd message, Harry really had a way with words, but he watched as the stag pranced away immediately and disappeared in to the trees.
“Now we wait,” Harry said.
“Now we wait,” Edward agreed.
Edward stepped closer to the shadow of the large fir tree, listening intently for any sign of Victoria, James, or his siblings returning. Unfortunately, despite Harry’s thoughts being clouded and partially blocked, they were still incredibly loud.
“What are you thinking about?” Edward scrunched his nose from the amusement and grief that seemed to be coming from a memory of Harry’s involving someone being caught on fire.
“Merlin you’re annoying,” Harry said. “Hold on-“
Instead of answering Edward’s question, like a normal person, his thoughts abruptly swung towards what Edward was pretty sure was Jasper.
“I’m not doing it on purpose,” Edward hissed, disgusted with the lewd ideas Harry was projecting about his brother. He was incredibly grateful that the oddity of Harry’s brain prevented him from getting clear images, though the mere flavor of his thoughts was still disgusting.
“That doesnt make it any less annoying,” Harry said. “Plus it’s bad luck. Let two blokes that went digging in my mind are both dead, and I killed one of them myself.”
Edward made a conscious effort to ignore Harry’s thoughts after that, or at least not comment on them again. The two of them waited in silence; Edward straining to hear the first sound of anyone approaching, and Harry breathing as quietly as he could.
The first sign of an approach wasn’t a twig snapping, or the whisper of quick feet on the ground, it was a continuous litany of thought:
He’s alone. I can kill him before the others are able to catch up. Find the wizard. Kill him. Flee. Meet up with James. Kill the wizard. Flee. Find James.
Edward masked a snarl in anger. James wasn’t with her. While Bella was safe in London at Harry’s ‘heavily warded house’, his parents were still alone in Forks, both capable but unlikely to win in a fight against an experienced tracker. He also hoped that Harry was prepared, because he hardly risked even twitching a finger in warning as Victoria was being herded directly towards them.
He crouched in his shadow as the sound of footsteps increased, focusing on the direction Victoria would be entering his small clearing from the images in her mind. Any second...
Edward sprung, landing on the red-headed vampires back just as she burst through the thicket across from him.
Victoria snarled, she rolled forward and threw Edward from her shoulders and straight in to a tree. Edward sprung to his feet and they danced in front of each other, both in half-crouches. Edward focused on her thoughts and moved in each direction that she feinted in.
“Where is he?” Victoria asked, her voice breathless and surprisingly soft. A contrasting tone to the feral look on her face. “Where is the wizard?” She inhaled deeply, still circling Edward and her eyes flicked around the clearing as she realized Harry’s scent was too strong to not be present.
“WHERE IS THE WIZARD?!”
Edward kept his eyes on Victoria and his focus on her thoughts, shifting in anticipation each time she moved to attack, and only saw the red spellfire as it streaked past him, narrowly avoiding making contact with Victoria’s head. Victoria snarled again after coming back up from the quick roll she had executed, her red eyes flickered around anxiously as she looked for the threat that she couldn’t see.
Flee. Flee. Flee.
“Don’t go now,” Edward murmured enticingly. “Who knows when you’ll get another chance at the wizard?”
Victoria hissed as Harry struck again, this time with a magic spell that ripped through the fabric across her chest, cutting her skin and leaving deep bloodless gouges in its place.
“Those don’t heal either,” Harry said from somewhere on Edward’s left. He could hear his feet moving, the same as Victoria could, but Harry was quick and kept changing positions as he sent more spells. Edward creeped closer to Victoria, hoping he could get a good shot at her neck while she was frantically avoiding Harry’s spells.
He was nearly there, Victoria was rolling to the left and he could jump on her if he jumped just right, wrapping his arm around her neck and pulling as hard as he could-
Edward was thrown backwards by an invisible spell just as Victoria screeched, an unholy sound of blinding pain. Edward lunged forward to grab her while her mind was screaming to flee, but he only avoided being struck by another flame from an invisible spot by a quick last millisecond dodge to the right.
“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?” Harry screamed, whipping his cloak off himself.
Edward wasn’t afraid of much; most of his fears lived either in the past or in the hypothetical situations he envisioned. But Harry- Harry was terrifying in that moment. His eyes were glowing with rage as he watched Victoria fleeing, her arm still lit and burning from the flame Harry sent at her. Harry’s black hair was standing on end and the air was thick with his scent- that dark, cold, powerful smell that was entirely, uniquely, Harry.
“You burnt her,” Edward said shocked. He could smell the distinct scent of burning vampire beneath Harry’s scent. “I- I don’t think her arm can heal.”
Which he was happy about, obviously, but it had all happened so quickly. He had nearly darted right between the fire coming from Harry’s wand and Victoria. That could have been him losing a limb from a magical fire.
“Maybe next time I’m trying to burn a vampire maybe DON’T GET IN BETWEEN US!” Harry yelled, his green eyes were flashing with anger even though his thoughts seemed worried. The air around him seemed to be filled with static, or magic he supposed. Edward took a few steps away as saw a quick flash of himself on fire in Harry’s mind, the image wrapped in worry, before it devolved in to general flames everywhere.
“Maybe warn me next time,” Edward suggested coolly, his anger at losing Victoria warring with his guilt for ruining Harry’s perfect attack. “‘Oh hey Edward I’m going to START A FIRE THAT COULD END YOUR EXISTENCE, BETTER MOVE!’”
“Great idea mate,” Harry was panting, propping himself up against a tree trunk with a look of anger in his eyes. “Let me just announce my bloody plan in front of the leech I’m trying to kill. How could that go wrong?”
“It couldn’t have gone much worse,” Edward spat. They finally had a chance, one chance to kill her and find James, and he lost it. Victoria was quick, and they’d lost too much time with their argument. He didn’t know how they’d catch back up to her at this rate. “She’s not going to be pleased when she sees you again,” he warned Harry.
“Pft,” Harry smirked. “Don’t suppose I’ll be too happy to see her again either.”
Edward gave his youngest sibling his best attempt at a smile, it wasn’t Harry’s fault she had gotten away, but his own. An annoyed grimace was the best he could do though as he considered their position now. “I guess we’ll wait for Em-“
Edward was cut off by the sudden appearance of a silver beaver scurrying up to them, another patronus he assumed. The beaver stopped in front of Harry and propped its tiny corporeal paws on his shins.
“Mr Potter, we would be pleased to have you enter our country. Please feel free to exterminate the vampire you are hunting and then come by our offices in Toronto to receive a citizen card. Thank you for all that you do.” The silver beaver disappeared after giving Harry an odd little bow.
Harry let out a slight chuckle and his shoulders relaxed against the tree. The air seemed to settle around him, his hair falling limply across his forehead and neck. “Well, it’s a little late for that.”
Edward scoffed and took the opportunity to check the flurry of texts he’d received while they were busy with Victoria. It had only lasted perhaps two minutes, but in that time his brother had sent multiple texts and voicemails.
Bella’s gone.
Edward she left.
We can’t find her.
Alice sees her in a library.
(PICTURE MESSAGE)
That’s the room Alice sees her in with James.
Edward?
*SIX MISSED CALLS*
Edward snarled, his fury and fear spiking to the point where he was frozen.
Gone.
She was gone.
Alice sees her with James.
How could he have done this?
How could he have done this to her?
Harry stepped forward and easily snagged his phone out of his hand to see what had caused his abrupt shift in behavior. His eyes scanned the screen quickly before he typed out a number and held the phone to his ear.
“Hey Rose, it’s me, we’re leaving. Bella got herself kidnapped it seems. I know right? I’m leaving my broomstick here, can you find it? Thanks, we’ll meet you back in Forks. Bye.”
“Ready then?”
Edward snapped out of his frozen fear and saw Harry standing there, staring at him with a brow raised.
“We’ll never find her,” Edward croaked. His mind was already filled with images of Bella lifeless, dead, drained of blood, broken, cold. How could he have done this to her? Exposed her to his world and risked her very life on his ability to protect her?
“Quit being a git,” Harry snapped. “Grab my hand.”
“I AM NOT BEING A GIT!” Edward shouted, startling several birds out of a nearby tree. “HE HAS HER HARRY! AND WE DON’T KNOW WHERE!”
“Don’t scream at me,” Harry scowled. “We do know where she is but you’re wasting my time. Either grab my hand or you can explain to Jasper why I went by myself.”
Edward held his breath, a small spark of hope igniting in his chest. “You can find her? Quick?”
“She’s here,” Harry shook the phone in Edward’s face, the detailed sketch of the room Alice saw lighting up the screen. “I told you guys before, I can’t apparate to a place by wanting to be where someone or something is, I need to know either the exact coordinates or I need a clear picture of it. So we’re either going to pop in this room, or we’re going to splinch the hell out of ourselves. Now grab my hand you git.”
Edward quickly grasped Harry’s hand, he had wasted enough time with his pointless self-recriminations. Saving Bella was the only thing he could focus on. He just hoped it wasn’t too late.
“Hold tight,” Harry said. He stuffed his cloak in his hoodie pocket, held his wand in one hand, and clutched Edward’s hand in the other. Edward prepared himself for the scene they were undoubtedly about to show up in, if they didn’t ‘splinch the hell out of themselves’, and Harry turned on the spot.
CRACK!
Rosalie and Emmett were only a few miles away from the spot they were tracking Harry’s scent back to when they heard his disappearing noise. They exchanged an uneasy look, neither of them liking the odds of Harry and Edward facing down a rogue vampire on their own, but neither of them able to follow.
“Rock paper scissors on who tells Jasper?” Emmett offered with a hopeful look.
“Not a chance, that’s on you,” Rosalie said.
“Why me?” Emmett whined. “Babe, please, he’ll take it better from you.”
“Fine.” Rosalie ran up to where Harry’s broom was and stuck a hand out towards Emmett. “Rock paper scissors.”
After a quick eleven games, Emmett gave his wife one last pleading pout before he pulled out his silver cell phone.
“I hope you’re happy when you’re a widow,” he muttered. “Hey Jasper, bro, listen...”