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"Someone, quick, get her back on her feet, we're creating a scene," Lupin instructed, pushing his way to the back where Lavender had fallen. So far, no one but Parvati had moved, and she was holding Lavender's hand and sobbing.

"Let me through," Edward muttered, not wanting to push anyone. Bella followed close behind, and noticed the ogles and stares much more so than her husband did. "I'm trained in medicine, let's see what we can do for her," Ed suggested as he knelt beside Lupin.

"And I'm a trained wizard," he retorted, "Besides, you're the reason she fainted in the first place."

Edward ignored the jibe and went to work checking the girl's pulse. He could hear the thump of her heart without checking, but he checked anyways. His cool touch on her neck caused her to stir, and her fingers twitched in Parvati's hand.

"Beautiful…angel…boy…vampire…hot…" her eyelids fluttered just as Bella growled at her, and she sat up quickly at the noise, her eyes wide. Edward's face was mere inches from hers, and she tried to reach up and touch it, but he stood before she could do so.

"Damn," Ron muttered to Harry, "I was hoping we could offer her up as a sacrifice to these Italian vamps…"

Parvati had helped Lavender to her feet and she whirled to face Ron now, her features indignant. "Humph, a sacrifice huh? How about if I just seduce one? I mean, there has to be some that are single…" she cast a longing glance over at Edward, who was leading the procession again.

"Um, Professor Lupin?" Edward called over the students' heads, and Remus hurried to meet him and his wife at the front.

"Yes, Mr. Cullen?" Ron, Harry and Hermione were listening intently now, as was everyone else. They were still standing in the square, and people were beginning to stare.

"Please, call me Edward. Anyways, I believe it would be best if Lavender keeps her mouth shut for the remainder of our stay here. The Volturi would do… things to a human wishing to seduce one of their ranks."

"Ah, I see. Of course, of course. Lavender!" Lupin called, and Lavender looked up in surprise.

"Well go on, Lav-Lav," Hermione sneered.

"Come on Parvati, let's go," Lavender grabbed her friend's arm and tugged her along through the students.

Quickly and with the movements of a practiced wizard, Lupin placed a Silencing Charm on both Lavender and Parvati. Edward raised an eyebrow and Bella grinned.

Edward sighed, clearly not used to magic. "I was thinking something along the lines of a sock in her mouth or just telling her to be quiet, but this works just as well."

"Probably better, actually," Bella chimed, convinced that no more advances were going to be made towards her husband.

"Blimey, these Volturi must mean business if Lavender can't speak to them," Ron whistled softly, and Hermione laughed.

"Well, we'd best continue on our way," Lupin began walking across the flagstones, but Edward called him back.

"Actually, we're having some of the Guard meet us here, so keep your eye out for people in cloaks." Just as he said this, two men and a small girl stepped out of the shadows of a tower.

The tallest man greeted Edward and Bella, smiling, "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. Might I ask you to bring your… group this way please?" His hood was over his face, but as Harry looked closer, he thought he could see the gleam of crimson eyes.

"Of course Felix, right away. Come on then, children!" Bella called before stepping gracefully into the shadows with Edward's hand clasped in hers.

"Children," Draco drawled, "She can't be much older than us, can she?"

"Actually," Bella paused and asked Edward the name of who had spoken once all the class was assembled behind her in some sort of stone corridor, "Draco, I am older than you. I'm currently… thirty-eight years old. You have a lot to learn about us, child." She couldn't help tacking on the demeaning word to her sentence.

Hermione stifled a giggle as Draco looked shocked at being bested. "Shut it Granger, before I do the same thing to you that Lupin did to Lavender."

"Oh Malfoy, you're not frightening. Besides, you're only a child," Ron guffawed at Hermione's insult, and everyone turned to stare.

Felix cleared his throat and pushed back his hood, revealing what Harry had thought he had seen earlier – blazing crimson eyes, along with pale skin, even in shadow, and short black hair. "Perhaps we should introduce ourselves, Demetri, Jane?"

The class watched as the tiny girl stepped forward and slid her hood back to reveal slightly darker eyes, a bob of straight brown hair, and a face so beautiful that it appeared to have been sculpted to perfection. "My name is Jane. Don't make me angry." She grinned malignantly as she swept her gaze over all of them, and the students in the front cringed, including Neville.

"I'm Demetri," a tall vampire with shoulder-length black hair and near-black eyes stepped forward, "And you can run, but you can't hide from me." He smiled as well, but it was much friendlier than Jane's.

"Of course, Jane and Demetri are alluding to their talents," Edward clarified as he ushered the students to keep walking down the corridor. "Jane can make you feel utmost pain, just by looking at you." The students closest to little Jane shied away quickly, and she narrowed her eyes at them. "Demetri is a tracker, and there isn't one human or vampire that has escaped him once he's set on finding them."

"Edward, stop scaring them," Bella laughed, "Relax, no one is going to hurt you while you're here," she said to the students, "That's why we're with you."

Somehow Ron wasn't reassured. "Compared to the big ones, Scrawny and his girlfriend don't look so dangerous."

"Oh, Edward, stop here, this is the door," Felix stepped in front of Edward and pushed aside a heavy looking wooden door easily. Lupin stepped through hesitantly, followed by Edward and Bella. The students filed into the lit, white hallway and some gasped in surprise. The three members of the Guard chuckled and shut the door behind them as they stepped into the hallway as well.

"It's so… Muggle looking," Ron exclaimed as he examined a fluorescent light hanging above the moving crowd.

"Well of course Ron, they want to blend in," Hermione muttered, "I read somewhere that some vampires melt under any light though… I wonder…" She took a quick glance over at Felix, but he seemed to be unaffected by the artificial lighting.

"That's why we're here Hermione," Lupin had overheard her surmises and had dropped back to join the three. "To learn about these vampires, and discover what is truth and what is pure myth."

"Look," Harry chuckled as the hallway came to an end. "Elevators."

Indeed, two elevators were situated on the dead-end wall, and one was currently open. "Alright, Gryffindor and Slytherin students, take the open elevator with Edward, Jane and I. Bella, Demetri and Felix will accompany the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students." Lupin hastened to organize the students into groups, and they all rushed to comply.

Edward shepherded students into the large elevator, winking at Bella while doing so. She smiled and blew him a kiss much too fast for the students to see, but Harry marveled at the spot where her hand blurred and then went still again.

The elevator ride was short, but tense. Jane glared up at everyone the entire time and Edward hummed Claire de Lune softly to himself to keep out errant thoughts he didn't need to hear – especially the ones coming from Lavender.

When the door opened the students spilled out haphazardly into a large reception area with wood paneled walls, thick green carpets, large, bright paintings and grouped pale leather couches. Overall, the room looked harmless and inviting, ordinary. Harry found himself squished next to Cho Chang as Edward split the crowd by walking through it. Suddenly he whirled around to face Lavender and told her sternly as he smiled, "See these teeth? They could snap your neck in a second, so don't think you'll be getting near my mouth anytime soon, not unless you want to die."

She nodded quickly and turned her back on him to hug Parvati tight. There, Edward thought, she's stopped. He smiled as Bella stepped out of the other elevator with her group and she smiled back, though she was surprised to see Edward smiling at all. He had wanted Emmett to take this job, but Rose absolutely refused to do it with him, and wouldn't let him do it alone. So Carlisle had nominated Edward and herself…

"Welcome to Volterra, Hogwarts students!" Gianna's replacement, Jen, greeted the students warmly from behind her desk. "Please follow Felix to the third door down the second corridor on your left. Have a pleasant visit!"

"Hey, Heidi," Demetri smiled at a beautiful vampire woman with long, carefully tousled mahogany eyes who had stepped out into the reception area, and she laughed.

"Hello Demetri, did you do some fishing of your own?" she eyed the group speculatively, but he shook his head.

It was Edward that replied, "Heidi, these are some guests that have come to visit your city. Surely Aro told you…?" Hopefully Aro didn't fail to mention it…

"Oh yes, that's right, the Hogwarts students… the witches and wizards. Yes, he did tell us." She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow and laughed, "Though I hardly expected these students to be so… delectable looking." She smiled as she looked straight at Harry, and then laughed upon seeing his scar. "Ah I see someone's already tried to take a chunk out of that one!"

"Many times," Harry muttered under his breath, nudging Ron as he did so, but his friend's gaze was locked on Heidi's body.

"Well, I'd better not keep you, Demetri, Felix, Jane, Edward, Bella," Heidi nodded at each of them in turn and disappeared down another hallway.

"Did you see her?" Ron asked incredulously, and Hermione smacked him in the back of the head with her bag.

"Yes Ron, I did, and what did I tell you before we left? I don't care how beautiful they are, you are not running off to get eaten by some vampire temptress!"

"Okay Hermione, you win," Ron sighed and stared at his shoes as they shuffled on down the hallway.

They stopped just in front of the third door and Edward cautioned, "Now, please watch what you say in front of them, and if you are uncomfortable with other people knowing your thoughts and secrets, don't touch Aro – the overly cheery one with black hair. You may ask polite question about their lives, diet, appearance, city etc, but do not upset them in any way. Bella and I will enter first."

He gripped Bella's hand and led her through the door, and she got a strong sense of nostalgia as they went into the throne room. "Hello Edward, Bella!" Aro called from his throne, instantly rising and coming to kiss Bella's hand and shake Edward's. "Mrs. Cullen, you look simply stunning. Immortality has finally done your character justice."

"Thank you, Aro."

"Now, where are the children?" He clapped his hands together and chuckled, "Oh how I would simply love to meet them!"