Chapter Text
Harry had been doing the dishes when Dumbledore visited. Aunt Petunia hadn't been too pleased, but her fear kept her from denying Dumbledore entry. He'd given her a pleasant smile, and had asked Harry to sit down.
"Harry, Britain isn't safe." Dumbledore spoke gently, as if revealing something Harry hadn't already known. "We think there may be a leak in the Order. Someone who has valuable information, possibly about you and your family."
"Do you have any idea who it is?"
"I have some ideas, but not enough to be sure. To accuse would be revealing we know, and could send them into hiding before we catch them. You understand why we can't do that, my boy?"
Harry nodded slowly. It had felt as if the air had been filled with tension the last time he went to Diagonally, almost a year ago. In Hogwarts, especially near the end of the year, anticipation had felt tangible. Older years were lashing out, starting fights, harming younger years who hid in their dorms. It had become… unlike anything Harry had known Hogwarts to stand for. The war, the silence from Voldemort, was sending everyone on edge, regardless of affliction.
"We value your safety, and the safety of your family. Which, if you are willing, we want to move you somewhere else, where only a select amount of people would know the location."
Harry's heart sank a little. "You're going to move all of us? Are we going to stay in Britain?" Such an uproot would stress out the Dursley's, and make the whole summer so much more unbearable than it already was.
"Your family will stay in Europe. But, Harry, I thought you should be moved somewhere safer. Away from the conflict," Dumbledore held up a hand when Harry started to protest, "you'll be turning of age soon, and with that comes a burst of power. Though some are small, larger bursts are detectable to magic-sensitive wizards. I don't want to take the risk that when you turn. The transition will exhaust you and you'll need time to recover."
Harry pursed his lips. He knew about the whole 'inheritance' thing, where wizards and witches came to their full power potential. Some older wizarding families even had the chance to inherit creature blood, but that was more common in older centuries when wizarding families intermarried with different species more often. Harry supposed it wasn't that odd to think he'd get a large magical boost, but still.
"What does that have to do with me going somewhere alone?"
"Distance does affect the ability to detect. I suspect Voldemort can sense magical potential for most of Britain. But further the distance, say Japan or Hawaii, and the ability grows much more faint."
That did make sense. "But why now? I’m so close to being able to go out and help. I can hunt for Horcruxes, do something- "
"And before that happens, you would be exhausted, vulnerable, and Voldemort would know exactly where you are. I need you safe, Harry."
"What about Hermione? And Neville and Ron and all the other children from light families that recently turned or are turning seventeen? You didn’t move them across the continent for their birthdays. I don't need to be separate, I need to be here where I can fight." Even as he spoke, he thought he was fighting a losing battle. Dumbledore had a hard set to his eyes. The decision had already been made.
Dumbledore gave him a smile that Harry thought was part pity, and part something else. He knew he didn't like it. And he knew he wasn't going to win this argument. "Voldemort is focused on you , Harry. You are the thing he seeks to destroy more than anything. Voldemort knows your birthday is at the end of July, and he will be waiting."
Harry sat in silence for long moments, gaze fluttering from the partially-completed dishes to the worn table. "Am I going to be completely alone?"
As it turned out, Harry would not be alone. And it would all be happening quicker than expected. His birthday was in three weeks, and Dumbledore wanted him settled and safe by July 5th at the absolute latest. But Harry didn't have much to pack, and his new 'Guardian' assured him Hedwig would arrive safely before they got there. Daniel Reroyse had been chosen for his excellence at warding and memory charms, along with a decent ability in defense. Harry met him a week before their flight, when Daniel had been sent to inform Harry of the process they would be undergoing.
Daniel and Dumbledore were the only ones allowed to know the location of his new home. He was allowed to write some letters to his friends, which Daniel promised to deliver. Other than that, he would be cut off from most contact in Britain. Harry knew he was scared at the idea. Harry even knew he was scared that Daniel wouldn't deliver the letters, that Hedwig wouldn't make it, that Voldemort would strike as soon as he left, that it would all go wrong-
But it wasn't until he was on the plane that he knew he was scared of Muggle technology. By the time they had taken off Harry decided he would never take another plane ride for as long as he could, and the trip to the states was long . Harry wasn't sure how far Washington was from Surry, but he knew it was enough for him to get a fitful night's rest before he woke up to green.
And green it was. Trees as dense and tall as those in the Forbidden Forest, in some areas. And that trend continued as the taxi drove further, the clouds grew darker, and the population density got smaller. Harry didn’t know what the significance of Forks, Washington was, but he did like the house, with its neutral tones and pretty front deck. He liked the forest at the back, and the lack of Dursleys.
He did not like the way his magic felt heavy in the days leading up to his birthday, like the pressure in his nose during a severe cold. It felt as if his head would burst at any moment, making Harry feel on edge and at times snappish towards Daniel, who gave him a raised eyebrow and disappointed frown that simultaneously raised Harry's shackles and made him feel guilty.
The night of July 30th, Harry was restless. Daniel had thrown some wards around the house and Harry's bedroom to protect whatever backlash there may be. Harry was just hoping they were strong enough. Midnight passed, the pressure increasing until Harry was ready to try pissing himself to relieve it. Hours came and went; eventually 3:56 came around, the time Harry was born seventeen years ago.
The pressure exploded. Harry felt as if his insides had been turned inside out at the force of it. But finally, finally , that incessant push behind his eyes settled, and Harry was able to sleep for a few hours.
He woke up feeling disoriented, and needing to pee very bad. Once Harry realized he wasn't going to die from a full bladder, the bathroom mirror caught his attention. His face changed a bit. Maybe not so much that Dean or Seamus would notice it, but probably enough that Ron and Hermione would. Harry thought he had grown an inch or so, his skin seemed darker and his hair a bit longer, curling around his ears. There were some other changes to his face, something about his eyes and mouth that were different , but not to where he knew exactly what it was that had changed.
Daniel had been helpful, though. "It's gotta do with the whole 'mate' thing," he spoke around a spoon, "all wizards have a potential for a mate, and during an inheritance some wizards and witches change a bit to so called 'better suit' their mate." Daniel swallowed and snorted a laugh. "Really, I think it's got to do with blood in old Pureblood families, something about being the head of the family or possibly adopting that role. I don't really understand that, but I know it's not that big of a deal." Daniel dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand, taking another bite of cereal.
Harry frowned. The idea felt too important to be dismissed like that, but he was way too exhausted to argue over it.
"How'd last night go, though? Your room trashed?"
Harry stared at the table, stirring his cereal. He wasn’t hungry, but he felt strangely… empty . "Only a little."
~~~
The Cullen house was in more chaos than it had been since Rosalie was turned. Alice was a epicenter of the chaos, with her squealing and jumping around the couch Jasper sat on. Moments ago, Alice had loudly proclaimed she just had the clearest vision she'd had in centuries, a romantic scene involving Jasper and someone else who Alice refused to talk about. Esme and Carlisle were trying to get more details out of her, while Rosalie and Emmett were absent on a hunt, and Edward sat at the piano with his back stiff.
"Tell me about them." Jasper pleaded. It probably sounded more like a demand to everyone else. His thoughts were on a loop, a symphony of mate, mate whirling through his head as he stared at Alice, who only gave him a bubbly smile. Jasper almost snapped her neck then and there.
"You know I can't tell you, it'll ruin everything! Just go run it off if you need to, it's just another month or so and then you'll meet them," Alice told him, waving her hand in a dismissive fashion.
“Then why did you tell me at all?” Jasper snarled, standing. Alice waved at him again.
"I'd rather not have to clean up bits of Alice today, Jasper." Edward called out, still trying not to shudder from the image he knew Alice couldn't help but share. Jasper growled low in his throat and ran into the forest. Seriously. The first mention of his mate in centuries and they wouldn't allow him a little leeway?
On his run, Jasper couldn't bring himself to think of anything but his potential mate. How should he introduce himself? Would it be a man or a woman? What would they be like? Why were they moving to Forks? Where did they live before? How old would they be? At least high school age, he knew. Would he have any classes with them? Jasper found himself yearning more than he could remember in a very long time.
~~~
"You can't be serious."
"Look, it's a small town. I don't even think it's as big as Beauxbaton's, Durmstrang's, Illvermony's, and Hogwarts' student bodies combined. That's not that many people! The people that live here are going to notice if a teenager appears around the town to get groceries and whatever else isn't going to some sort of school. It’s going to draw attention! It's already bad enough I'm not staying."
"But that isn't even the point! I haven't kept up with muggle education for the past seven years, I'll be years behind! It's different than wizarding education." Harry stressed. What good did keeping up appearances mean if he was just waiting until he was able to go back to Britain? Whenever that was.
"You know my skill with memory charms. We're basically going to stuff as much of it in your head as we can when your magic settles. Also it's good to socialize, Harry. We don't know how long you're going to be here," Daniel paused, a worried look on his face, "no one really does. Until then, you need some company of people your own age."
Harry threw his hands up into the air in frustration. “Why do I even need to do well? Isn’t it enough that I show up and stay in the classes?”
Daniel shook his head. “A transfer student in this town already draws a lot of attention. If you fail your classes people will notice, and if you fail you’ll get kicked out, and then people will really notice. The whole point of this is to keep you hidden and safe, Harry.”
Harry rubbed his eyes and wanted to cry a little bit. This really did seem useless when he could be, oh, fighting Lord Voldemort, for example. He sighed, his posture deflating. Daniel seemed to take that as consent. "We're going to start the memory charms in a few days, once we're sure your magic is settled."
~~~
This is ridiculous. Harry had no idea how to socialize with others so ignorant to who Harry was anymore. He didn't know how to talk to people who had no idea of magic or Voldemort. But here he was, driving -which just felt wrong- to school, on a rainy day at the end of summer. The shabby car thankfully fit in with all the others, enough that Harry wondered why the few students in the lot were still staring at him. Surely not everyone knew every car that drove to the school?
Scoffing at himself for the idea, he found a parking spot close to the building. He looked around one more time from his shelter, noticing that people were still looking at his car. Harry shook his head and hit the steering wheel lightly. This was so stupid.
Harry got out of the car and walked to a brick building labeled FRONT OFFICE in bold white lettering, resolutely keeping his head down. The pounding rain muffled all sounds, which was all the better. He had heard enough of people talking about him in his life. Why are they all just standing in the rain?
As he walked, his magic prickled, a sensation he was slowly getting used to the longer he had his inheritance. Harry found it meant any number of things, but something told him he was being watched. Which, really, what a wonderful revelation. I had no idea I was the most recent person to move to this town in the past century. Harry ignored it.
The front office was managed by one lady who knew exactly who he was with a small exclamation of "the new student!" It didn't take long at all before he was using the poorly-printed map on the back of his time table to find his first class, English 12.
~~~
Jasper had been waiting in the parking lot since seven, even if school didn't start until eight. His mate was going to show today, and Jasper refused to miss them because he arrived late. The entire time was spent gripping his car seat almost hard enough to break it and swallowing the venom pooling in his mouth. His mate was all he could think about, so much so that the emotions of the students around him became dulled by the distraction.
That didn’t make waiting any easier, though.
Jasper’s patience was rewarded, and he knew so when he felt the faintest tug coming from the street. Jasper followed the feeling to a car he had never seen before. As he looked at the driver he felt an emotion that was wholly his own.
Anticipation. Yearning. Longing. A need so deep Jasper wondered if his heart would burst. His vision of the driver was poor, at best. Even with his eyesight, the rain pounded heavily. His furiously moving windshield wipers did nothing to help. But what he did see was dark hair, and strong, tanned hands. Jasper knew he would be in love, but to actually see them…
Jasper stifled a sound that might’ve been a whimper as the car passed him. He was too damn old for that shit.
Jasper watched as they stepped out of the car and walked into the front office. He came to the conclusion that it was a man, somewhat shorter than him, but a raincoat and hood obstructed the rest before his mate walked quickly into the building.
Jasper had gotten out of the car and was halfway across the parking lot before he realized it. A small hand grabbed his arm and stopped him. He whipped around and snarled quietly. Alice raised her eyebrows at him, projecting her disappointment at him.
“You’re lucky I’m not a regular student who would have fainted at that. Did you even know you bared your teeth?”
Jasper looked away, controlling himself. He didn’t need to overreact right now. He wasn’t going to lose his mate, Alice wouldn’t let him. Even if he was a dick about it. “Sorry,” Jasper said with a nod. Alice seemed satisfied and dropped his arm. Jasper’s whole body yearned towards the office but he knew Alice wanted to speak to him.
"You really should be thanking me right now," Alice commented. Jasper raised an eyebrow at her. She started walking towards the office and Jasper followed, almost leaping. "I went to the office a few days ago, started talking to Maggy. Wasn't that hard to get her to talk about the new kid, about his schedule and what kind of classes he'd be taking. Also wasn't hard to tell her that, ' oh, my brother Jasper is sick and I came in to tell you about some changes for his schedule for this year .'"
Jasper glanced at her, wondering where this was going. He could never tell with Alice. “And?” They stopped a few paces short of the building, to Jasper’s disappointment. His mate was still inside, Jasper knew.
" And , you have all your classes with him. And you owe me a really pretty deer." Alice smiled mischievously. Jasper gave her a wide smile in response.
"You'll get the best buck of the bunch." Jasper promised, making Alice laugh. "Do you have my schedule then? I thought it was weird it didn't come in the mail." Alice was already handing him a folded piece of paper. He took a quick glance and shoved it in his pocket.
"Maybe you should go try to catch your mate wandering around? He's probably lost, wouldn't want Jessica to get her hands on him."
Jasper got a nasty feeling in his chest and quickly walked away from Alice in the direction he could feel his mate going. Jessica might be the worst person for his mate to meet first. Ideally, Jasper would be the first person his mate had ever been intimate with, but that was unreasonable. He did hope that he would be the first one to introduce him to the town and school. Okay, again, likely not the first… but before Jessica, at the least . Jasper found him easily once he entered the building. Jasper rounded a corner, his ears picking up footsteps and his heart lurching, lurching, lurching, and suddenly his mate was there, alone and looking at his map like it was the most confusing thing in the world.
If he had a heart, Jasper knew it would be pounding. In fact, his undead heart may have just skipped a beat. His mate was… amazing, fantastic, handsome, wonderful, staring at him-staring at him?
Jasper blinked a few times at the pretty green eyes looking at him. They were closer than he expected to be, enough that Jasper took a large breath and caught his mate’s scent. It smelled better than any deer, lion, bear, any human had ever smelled.It filled Jasper with a need and desire to get closer and he felt so empty and he needed his mate to fill that he needed to get closer and let that scent encompass his entire being and existence and-
The eyebrow attached to the gorgeous green eyes was up at him. His mate cleared his throat -an amazing sound, truly a masterpiece- and Jasper became aware his mate was expecting him to speak.
"Do you need help finding your first class? Rain washes away the building markers pretty quickly, makes it hard to find if you don't know where you're going." Jasper cringed. Alice should have given him some advice. He hadn’t dated anyone in over a century.
Jasper felt attuned to everything his mate did. Every breath, shift of his weight, every blink of his eye and - Jasper was staring again. He looked down to control himself, swallowing what felt like buckets of venom. Jasper felt suspicion and curiosity in the air, heard his mate shift and a rustle of paper.
"I suppose that's probably a good idea. English 12 in building three?"
Jasper’s head snapped up. His mate was assessing him, stopping at his eyes and continuing before flickering back to his schedule and the poorly printed map. Jasper was taken so off-guard by his mate’s accent -British, he recognized. Carlisle still had a faint accent from London, and they visited sometimes- that he struggled to respond.
“I have the same class,” Jasper said. He did not blurt , he spoke it calmly. “I’ll show you. It’s just a hallway down.” Jasper waited for a response. He could be still, he could be patient.
The man nodded, gesturing for Jasper to lead the way. Jasper smiled wide -too wide- and turned, feeling like he was moving faster than he should. He made a concentrated effort to match his footsteps to his mate’s. “I’m Jasper,” he spoke.
His mate looked up at him. Jasper hadn’t realized how much he missed his mate’s gaze until it had come back. His heart felt a little hollow when he looked away again. How do Carlisle and Esme do this?
“Thank you, Jasper,” his mate said, curling the ‘s’ in his name in a delicious way, “I’m Harry.”
Harry held out a hand to shake. Still walking, Jasper put a tremendous effort into being as delicate as he possibly could as he took his mate’s hand. A small shock ran up his arm at the contact, sending pleasant shivers up his spine. From the surprise in the air, Harry felt it too. They dropped hands and walked side by side. Jasper’s heart soared.
“From the United Kingdom, right?” Jasper knew he was right, but the desire to talk to his mate had made him blurt the obvious. Harry didn’t seem to mind, though Jasper thought the suspicion grew a bit more...intense.
"Yes, quite a bit away from home,” Harry said casually. They had made it to the classroom, Jasper held the door open for Harry. Jasper was delighted when Harry didn’t protest to them sitting next to each other. He wanted to say Harry was more curious and interested in him than anything else, but part of him was afraid to hope.
"Well I do hope you enjoy your stay. Not that there is really much to enjoy here, unless you enjoy camping and cleaning mud off your car." That got a small laugh from Harry. Jasper wanted to prance, just a little. For the moment, he made sure he didn’t smile too wide and tried to use his will to make time go slower.
"Not that much different than Surry. Less groceries stores, though."
Jasper turned his chair so he could look at his mate just a little easier. This close, the scent was almost overwhelming and absolutely intoxicating. And perhaps he was sitting a little closer than what was normal, but what did he care? If Harry didn’t protest, he would bask in the proximity.
The bell rang, and Harry turned away from him. Jasper felt disappointment rattle in his chest like a rock, but he squashed it. He took the time to look and observe Harry more out of the corner of his eye. Being this close… Jasper felt content. It was the first time in… ever that he hadn’t been bothered by others emotions and scents. Like his whole world was focused on Harry, and nothing could disturb his bubble. He could sense the other student’s emotions, but it felt dampened. Like he would have to concentrate to decipher them. The scents were odd also; they didn’t bother him. All he could really smell was Harry. It was wonderful.
Jasper spent most of the class focusing on Harry, so he was able to turn away and pretend he hadn’t been staring when Harry faced him. “Know where precalc in building two is?” Harry was putting his folder in his backpack when he spoke, hunching over and looking up at Jasper through his messy hair. Jasper absolutely did not let that affect him. God forbid Edward was here and could hear what he was thinking.
"I do, that's my next class actually. Hand me your schedule, I'll see what else I can help you find." Alice did deserve the best deer in the forest; all his classes were the same as Harry's. He wanted to jump in joy when he saw a smile on Harry's face and a pleasant emotion coming off him at the announcement. Things were going amazingly well.
Harry talked to him in between classes, happily sitting next to him when he could. The times teachers decided assigned seating was necessary Jasper could feel a tinge of disappointment from Harry and wanted to crow despite the separation. His mate liked him. His mate liked talking to him.
The lunch bell rang. Jasper sidled up to Harry as soon as they left the classroom. Harry smiled at him and walked closer. Jasper almost kissed him then and there, but that wasn’t appropriate. Yet .
“Cafeteria isn’t far. Did you bring lunch? Or I could show you the lines for school food, if you like poison,” Jasper said, elbowing Harry lightly. He shivered at the small shock. Harry shivered too, but Jasper thought it would’ve been imperceptible to anyone besides him.
The apprehension in the air was sudden and choking. Jasper started to worry, thinking that he would be sweating if he could. Did Harry not want to be seen in public with him? Did he know someone else and he didn’t want to seem like a jerk brushing Jasper off? Did something bad happen to him in a cafeteria? Did he miss his friends? Did-
“I brought lunch; I had a feeling the food here wasn’t going to be as good as my last school,” Harry said casually, but the apprehension didn’t lessen. Hating his mate being in distress, Jasper searched for things to say that would distract Harry.
“So are all Europeans this short?” Jasper asked, waving a hand over the top of Harry’s head. His fingers lightly skimmed his black hair - God how Jasper wanted to run his hands through it- to make his joke clear.
Harry rolled his eyes at him. “I think there's just something in the water here that makes you tall. There’s no point to it. What are you, six foot?” Harry asked, indignation and humor now coloring the air. Jasper thought it was much better.
“Six two,” Jasper corrected. Harry huffed. “Hey, don’t be like that. You’re what, five nine?” Jasper asked, though he knew, and took delight in the difference. He waited for Harry to nod before he continued.
“Edward, that younger brother I told you about, he’s around the same height. And Alice -the eccentric sister- doesn’t even come to Edward’s chin.”
"Bloody Americans," Harry murmured, to Jasper’s amusement, "thank you again for showing me around Jasper. You don't have to sit with me for lunch though, not sure how receptive your family would be-"
"Please, Harry," Jasper stopped him, turning to look in those wonderfully green eyes, "I would love to sit with you. Besides, there are some sharks at this school who will absolutely try to get their claws in you.” Stanley. The thought alone made him want to bare his teeth. “Want to try and find an empty table?"
Harry beamed at the suggestion. Jasper couldn't imagine anything better as he led Harry into the cafeteria. They were able to find a table easily, with most students standing in line for food. Jasper didn't have anything, and Harry pulled out an apple and a bagel from his bag. It didn't take long for Harry's eyes to glance around the room and notice a trend of where everyone else was looking.
"Are they staring at me, or you?" Harry whispered, leaning in from across the table. Jasper leaned closer in response. It suddenly felt very intimate; Jasper didn’t dare pull away.
"Both, but really mostly you. My family is old news by now, and you're new, well, new meat if I’m being honest. They can't really help themselves. Me and my siblings have been here for years and they still stare everyday."
“Well, if they’re the same as you I’m not surprised,” Harry said, looking around the cafeteria. Jasper furrowed his eyebrows. What did Harry mean by that?
But Harry was rolling his eyes and taking an aggressive bite out of his apple. He turned his eyes back to Jasper, and the emotions around him, clearer than anything else had ever been, turned brighter.
"Are those your siblings?” Harry asked, pointing somewhere over Jasper’s left shoulder. He didn’t need to look to know Harry was right. He could hear them talking about his mate.
Jasper opened his mouth to answer, but it snapped shut as he looked past Harry. Jasper clenched his fists tightly in his lap and tensed. It wouldn’t do to kill her in front of everyone. Harry tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at him. Jasper didn’t look at him. Maybe if he stared her down she wouldn’t approach.
But, no, that was too hopeful. She completely ignored him as she walked closer, before her -honestly very shrill- voice was right next to them.
"Hi! My name is Jessica, you're the new student, Harry, right?" A brunette girl took a seat next to Harry, sitting a little closer than Jasper would have preferred. He wanted to snarl at her, but she didn't even look in his direction. He swallowed the venom pooling in his mouth and almost strangled her when he felt Harry's mood sour. He couldn’t just let her do that to his mate.
"Stanley, shouldn't you-"
"Hi Jasper.” Jessica smiled sweetly at him before turning back to Harry in a dismissive manner. “Are you really British like everyone said?”
“Stanley, don’t you have the rest of the school you could sit with?” He was this close to snarling at her. His lips itched to pull back.
“Well, you know me Jas!” She smiled -too wide- and giggled. “I want to know everyone. And you can’t hoard him, you know. You’re entire,” she paused, grimacing, “ loving family is over there waiting for you. Now, Harry-”
"Please leave." Harry said. Jessica blinked at him a few times, her sticky smile faltering. Jasper halted, his warning on the tip of his tongue, to stare at Harry. And well, he could do that forever, so that was okay. But he had just rejected Stanley. As he should have. Jasper felt smug to his core. His mate had chosen him over someone else . Well, it was Stanley, but still.
"Excuse me?" Jessica’s voice had lost it’s sticky-sweat tone.
"Please leave. I chose to sit with Jasper, and you clearly just insulted him and his family in some way. You didn’t ask to sit, and I’m asking you nicely.”
Jasper could barely see the anger coming off of her through Harry’s black cloud of… disgust? Frustration?
Jessica pursed her lips. “So he didn’t tell you about his weird siblings then?”
“Frankly, I don’t care. I’m asking you to leave for the third time. Thank you,” Harry smiled tightly, turning away from her and looking solidly at Jasper’s left shoulder.
Looking like she was about to cry, Jessica walked away quickly. Jasper watched her, a smile curling his face when he turned back to Harry. He may have been aroused, just a little . But Harry’s black cloud of distress took precedence over anything like that. "Well done," Jasper congratulated, "I don't think I've seen anyone handle her that well before."
“That’s frequent, I take it?” Harry asked in a monotone voice. Jasper frowned a little bit, but shook it off. “She spent weeks trying to talk to my family. I think she still hits on Edward sometimes. I am truly impressed,” Jasper paused, waiting for a reaction he didn’t get, “but I’m going to give it a nine out of ten, because I would’ve liked to see her cry.”
That made Harry laugh, even if it was just a muffled one into his apple. Jasper smiled at him, catching his eyes. “You amazing.”
That might’ve been too pushy, Jasper worried. But Jasper noticed just a little coloring on his neck, and his cloud was lightening. Jasper smiled a bit bigger.
"She's nothing,” Harry waved off, smiling a little.
Classes went on, and Harry continued to chat with him. Jasper didn't think the day could have gone any better, save Stanley. Harry seemed interested in his family and his life, and not in the way most people in the school were. Jasper was able to explain what Stanley meant by ‘loving,’ and though he feared Harry would grimace the way she had, he just nodded and didn’t comment.
Eventually the last bell rang. Jasper thought his heart was going to leap into his throat. He didn’t want to leave his mate. “Can I walk you to your car?” He asked, handing Harry his coat. Harry smiled and nodded, arm brushing Jasper’s hand lightly. Jasper wanted nothing more than to take his hand and kiss him.
They got to the parking lot. Jasper could see Harry’s car. Before he could think of anything to say, they were there and Jasper was opening the door for Harry.
"Do you have a phone?" Jasper blurted. Harry raised an eyebrow at him. Jasper started to think he must've completely misread this entire day before Harry's face cleared.
"Oh, you mean this," Harry said, pulling a slightly outdated phone out of his pocket and handing it to Jasper. "I get the basics of it, but some things still confuse me."
Relief flooding him, Jasper smiled and grabbed the phone. Harry tried to look at what he was doing over his shoulder, and ended up losing his balance and bumping into Jasper. His whole left side seemed to light up and sent shock waves down his spine. Jasper swallowed the small pool of venom that had collected in his mouth and gave the phone back to Harry.
"I added my phone number under my name to your contacts and texted myself so I would have your phone number. If I call, hit the green button to answer. The red button declines. If I text, use the keyboard to respond. Do you know all that?"
"Yeah, I get that part," Harry said slowly, shuffling his feet. Jasper knew he was getting ready to say goodbye. But he still wasn’t ready.
“Ask him out,” he heard Alice say. She must’ve been ten feet away from him, but he caught her smile over Harry’s shoulder. Trusting her and taking a breath of Harry’s scent, he steeled himself.
“Would you like to go to dinner with me?” He asked as Harry sat in the driver’s seat, now even shorter. Harry froze, one hand on the door. Jasper thought he would’ve crushed something if he’d been holding it.
“It’s a school night.”
Jasper stopped. “Wh..what?”
Harry looked around, noticing the kids staring at them. His eyes flickered back to Jasper. “It’s… a school night.”
Jasper didn’t know how to respond to that. Alice had said-
“How about Friday?” Harry interrupted his thought. Suddenly Jasper could think again.
He smiled, hoping he didn’t look like a child who just got a lollipop; he certainly felt like one. “Friday sounds fantastic,”
“Brilliant,” Harry reached out to squeeze Jasper’s bicep -was that a… English cultural thing?- and closed the door to his car. Jasper watched him drive away, and could have sworn he saw Harry dancing as he left the lot.
Jasper didn’t move for another minute or so, caught up in the moment. He had a date with his mate and it was going to be great. “Do you know how many times you made me want to vomit today?” Edward said, nudging his rib cage. Jasper snorted, shaking his head to wake himself up.
“Can’t you just be happy for me?” He teased. They walked towards their car, where Alice, Emmett and Rosalie waited. Edward rolled his eyes, and didn’t comment.
Alice squealed when they got closer. “This is going great!” She exclaimed. Jasper couldn’t help the smile that crept on his face.
“Yeah, congrats Jas!” Emmett said, patting Jasper’s shoulder. Jasper looked to Rosalie who was leaning against the car. Though she was aggressive and protective towards their family, she and Jasper had always been family, and he wanted her opinion of his mate. He saw Edward smile behind her, though he was distinctly looking at the clouds.
“He handled Stanley well,” Rosalie said quietly. Jasper didn’t hug her, since he wanted to keep his fingers, but he gave her a small smile, which she returned.
“Are we ready to go home? Esme is going to want to hear everything!” Alice announced.
The drive home was short, and Jasper spent much of it replaying the day with Harry. Edward gagged next to him. Jasper elbowed him in the side, Edward responded by putting him in a headlock. Though Rosalie scolded them for not acting their age, they laughed her off. Jasper hadn’t felt this happy in... ever.