The Safe Wizards

43: Chalice

When Jasper entered the kitchen, it was crowded. All their guests were chatting loudly as they sat down to eat, the Cullens taking part in the conversations if not the meal. He spotted Harry surrounded by his best friends and gave him a beautiful smile as their eyes met, the tension that had previously built up between them still present. Now Jasper was looking forward to the two of them being alone together, confident that they would finally complete their bond. There was too much tension between them, they both wanted it too much to be otherwise.

A lollipop appeared under his nose took him out of his thoughts and desires. His eyes traveled up the spotted arm to fall on George's mocking smile. Things had been complicated for him. The inventor had actually welcomed death when it came to him, hoping to finally find his twin, but his family had not heard him that way. Percy and Arthur had fought to keep him alive, giving him first aid, talking to him, explaining that Fred would have wanted him to live. When the mediwizards arrived, they had treated his physical wounds, but George was not willing to return. They brought him back to Forks in a coma, his family devastated. Then Harry, after talking with the Weasleys, had come to Jasper to ask if he could try to ease George's pain a little to help him return to them. The empath spent many hours with the injured man, gently changing his emotions, without rushing him, and after three days, George had opened his eyes. Now Jasper and George shared a friendly relationship, the wizard particularly enjoying teasing the vampire.

"Bear blood lollipop," the inventor announced.

Jasper returned a skeptical look, wondering where the joke was.

"To calm your frustration until you can get something more palatable in your mouth," George explained with a laugh.

Despite the fact that the young man whispered, all the vampires exploded with laughter. Jasper glared at them and mentally insulted them, which only made Edward laugh even harder. He took the blood lollipop and put it in his mouth to take the edge off the frustration while glaring at George. The redhead, unimpressed, winked at him and left to see Emmett.

Jasper shook his head with a smile, as amused as he was annoyed by his friend. He was the only one who dared to make those kinds of remarks to him. His family knew that nothing had been easy for him since he met Harry, and they avoided provoking him too much about it. Wizards just didn't take the risk.

The conversation between Hermione and Harry caught his eye. He usually avoided listening to discussions that didn't directly concern him, leaving it up to his companion to tell him, but this was different.

"I need to talk to you," the brunette had whispered, "in private."

Jasper saw Harry nod and stand up.

"Let's go to your room," the young woman then suggested.

"If you want it to be really private, we'll have to cast a silence spell."

"We'll probably both be more comfortable if no one can hear us."

The empath wondered why Harry was nervous about leaving with his best friend. He looked at Edward, mentally asking him if he knew anything, but he didn't. His brother whispered to him that Hermione had literally been thinking of nothing but stringing pearls ever since she returned. Jasper frowned, there was something in the air and he didn't like being left out, but he took it in stride, focusing on Harry's emotions to try to reassure himself. He felt embarrassment very strongly, then sadness, hope, disgust, and embarrassment again. He really wondered what they could say to each other.

Harry and Hermione sat down on the bed that the wizard shared with Jasper. He waited for his friend to start, but she obviously didn't know which way to go.