Into the Pensieve: Of Blood and Snow

The entire family sat with them in the vast living room. All of them had a pallid complexion, and stared at them through wide, ochre eyes. They were all impossibly perfect-looking; perfect hair, perfect skin, and perfect build, even. It was like looking at a mannequin set, or a TV family played by models. If anyone looking guessed that the family wasn’t normal, they would be correct, for they would have been looking at a family of vampires.

They sat quietly, unbreathing, unblinking. They waited.

Don cleared his throat, “I trust you already know why we’re here?”

The oldest-looking vampire (or at least, he seemed to be of the oldest age before becoming a vampire) nodded. “We received the message several months ago, yes.”

“And yet you failed to respond?”

“Must’ve gotten lost in the mail…” the vampire nearest the fireplace grinned.

“Edward, please,” the oldest vampire said. He turned back to the wizards.

“Might I inquire what caused you to ignore our summons for registration?” Don Rage continued.

Edward glanced at the fireplace pointedly, suggesting what he had done with the letter.

The man caught on. He looked at the messy-haired vampire now. “You do realize, Mr. Cullen—Edward that failure to register your…progeny to the Office is a violation of numerous laws? The mere fact that it exists is already a grave offense.”

The vampire woman seated next to Edward looked scandalized. “Don’t talk about Renesmee like she’s an object. She is our daughter, Mr. Tremaine.”

Don raised his hands in a show of no offense. “Forgive me. So, back to the matter at hand, you are required by law that upon birth, you are to register your child to the Government. Dhampyrs walk the line between our world and the Muggles’; we fear that their existence might cause some breach in the Statute of Secrecy.”

“By your laws, you mean,” the vampire, Edward Cullen said. “We are not governed by the laws of mortals.”

Don raised his brow, unfazed. “You will find that you are. It is our common goal after all to successfully co-mingle with Muggles without fear of prosecution. If we are to reach this particular goal, you have to submit to the laws.”

“No,” Edward said, his ochre eyes narrowing.

“No?”

“We will not register Renesmee,” the vampire said.

Don cleared his throat. “You understand that outright refusal will result to us seizing the, uhm, child, sending her to a facility, and we will have to arrest you and your…wife for insubordination?”

“It was in that stupid letter, yes,” Cullen replied, already tiring of the subject. He looked at the rest of his family, who looked untroubled, their marble faces unreadable.

“Very well,” Don rose, his companions rising with him. “You have three days to rethink about your decision, after which—”

“I don’t care if you give us a year to decide, the answer will still be ‘no’. Our Renesmee will not become some statistic in any government file.”

Don subtly folded his arms, his fingers touching the wand concealed in his sleeve. He looked at the rest of the vampires. They nodded at him, as though agreeing with what Edward had said. He pulled out his wand. His companions did the same.

“Very well,” he said. “Edward Anthony Masen Cullen and Isabella Marie Swan, you are hereby placed under arrest for deliberate insubordination against the laws by which—.”

He stopped short, for at that moment, a little girl, dressed in a frilly, winter-white dress stepped into the living room. Right behind her, like a bodyguard, was a burly boy, wearing a sleeveless shirt.

Don looked at the child. She looked to be twelve years old, but he knew she was far younger than that. She was looking at the scene before her with an unnaturally mature understanding. He knew what she was capable of. He’s read her files. A single touch can cause her stream of consciousness to flow into yours. If he was being honest with himself, this was the actual reason why she was being summoned to register. Her power had the potential for manipulation, the wizarding government would want to keep that in check.

“Please don’t arrest my parents, Mr. Tremaine,” Renesmee said gently. “We promise that we won’t break the Statute of Secrecy. We’ll keep to ourselves, here in the forest.”

“That’s all well and good, child,” Don said, his wand hand still raised. “But what you and your family have to understand is that we have laws to abide in and breaking those results to consequences.”

“You seriously think you can take us on with those sticks?” the largest vampire in the group growled. He edged forward, ready to attack.

“Yes,” Don replied. “I honestly do. Petrificus Totalus!”

There was a flash of silver light as the spell hit Emmett’s chest, but it rebounded and traced a line of ice along the ceiling.

For the first time that afternoon, a troubled look settled upon Don’s face. He staggered slightly back. Before him the male vampires made slow advances, smirks on their faces. The three females were hanging back, although their poses suggested readiness to take offense when necessary. Isabella Swan took her child and stood behind the wall of vampires between her and the wizards. The child’s bodyguard had transformed himself into an enormous brown wolf, and stood over his ward defensively.

“You have to understand, Mr. Tremaine that I won’t let you separate Renesmee from us,” Edward Cullen said, bending low, ready to pounce. “So, here is your warning. Leave now, or we take you apart, limb from limb.”

Don raised his wand stubbornly. Beside him his fellows had raised their wands as well, a deadly look on their faces. Junix’s history as a Death Eater made him no stranger to facing dangerous situations. Dave and Pryce would not have made it this far in their Auror Courses if they weren’t excellent fighters.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Mr. Tremaine,” Dr. Carlisle, the vampire with the oldest appearance, said placidly. “You are clearly outnumbered.”

“What? Seven against four?” Don said, snorting. “You are clearly outmatched. Now, enough of this, and come—Impedimenta!”

An invisible wall blocked a pouncing Jasper mid-air and threw him back. He hit a pillar with a thunderous crash. The rest of the Cullens pounced like jungle cats hunting for prey.

“That was your last warning,” Don Tremaine said through gritted teeth. “Incarcerous! ” he cast pointing at a charging Edward.

Chains wrapped themselves around the vampire. Without breaking stride, however, Edward broke free from them and continued to charge.

Unfazed, Don cast a Stunning Spell without speaking, but Edward avoided it without difficulty. He could read minds, Don remembered reading about the attribute mentioned in the records submitted to the Auror Office by the Volturi.

He cast multiple nonverbal spells towards and around Edward, pummeling him with several things to avoid: a wave of ice, flying furniture, chains bursting from the ground.

While the vampire dodged, Don chanced a glance at his companions:

Junix was cornered by Rosalie and Emmett. He was unfortunately finding out that Stunning Spells were of no effect to the vampires, but was effectively keeping them at bay.

Pryce, although adeptly dodging attacks, was finding it hard to land a direct hit against the partnership of Alice and Jasper.

Dave was finding it an effort to break through the two remaining vampires, Dr. Carlisle and his wife and the large wolf guarding Bella and her daughter.

They were at a standstill, Don concluded. He slashed his wand, causing the floor to rise up and throw Edward off his footing. The vampire may be able to read his mind, but his casting was quick enough for that not to significantly matter. Before the vampire could recover and attack again, Don pointed his wand towards the ceiling. Edward’s eyes widened, getting a glimpse of what the wizard was thinking.

“Malefacto Inflamare! ”

There was a screaming sound, like the cries of the tortured souls from Hell. Volcanic fire exploded from Don’s wand tip, blowing up the ceiling and the upper floors. The vampires steered clear away from the ensuing fire, although it was a huge effort. It flowed like scarlet water, consuming everything in its path; the piano, the chandelier, the rest of the furniture. It moved as though it had a consciousness of its own, morphing in and out of shape.

The large wolf took Renesmee by its mouth and leapt through the window and into the backyard, Bella and Edward close behind.

Don rallied his companions. “To the forest! We need wider ground!” and he Disapparated.