Rewrite: Kind but Scary

Chapter 12: A Quiet Morning and Late Night Visitors

(Very short chapter)
Chapter 12: A Quiet Morning and Late Night Visitors

The echoes of laughter slowly faded into the quiet, comfortable hum of the morning. The next day brought the familiar, soft pitter-patter of Forks rain against the tall glass windows of the manor. For Jasmine, the day passed in a pleasant, steady blur of completing her school reading, sharing a quiet cup of tea with Narcissa, and helping Neville organize some of the magical seedlings in the greenhouse.

By the time night fell, the house had settled into a peaceful silence. Most of the family had turned in for the evening, leaving only Jasmine sitting by the fading embers of the living room fireplace, a thick charms textbook resting on her lap.

A sudden, gentle chime from the perimeter wards made her look up.

It wasn't the frantic, heavy alarm of an intruder, but rather the soft, rhythmic pulsing that indicated someone familiar was approaching the boundary. Jasmine closed her book, setting it on the side table as she stood up and walked toward the front door.

Opening it, she peered out into the cool, misty night to see Edward and Bella walking up the gravel path, their heads tilted together in quiet conversation. Edward looked up, his golden eyes catching the warm light spilling from the open doorway, and offered a soft, apologetic smile.

"I hope we aren't interrupting a quiet evening," Edward said as they reached the porch, his hand gently holding Bella's.

"Not at all," Jasmine welcomed them, stepping aside with a warm smile. "Come in out of the damp. The others have gone to sleep, but I was just catching up on some reading. What brings you two by so late?"

"We wanted to check on you," Bella said softly, wrapping her jacket tighter around herself as she stepped into the cozy warmth of the foyer. "And... Edward told me about what happened with Felix and Demetri. We wanted to make sure everything was okay after they left."

Jasmine let out a soft, musical giggle, her green eyes dancing with residual amusement. "Oh, we are perfectly fine. In fact, we had quite the update from them earlier."

"An update?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity as they walked into the living room.

"Let's just say," Jasmine smiled mischievously, gesturing for them to take a seat on the plush sofa, "that the fearsome executioners of the Volturi might have gotten themselves into a bit of a tight spot with their Kings, and their immediate reaction was to panic-dial my mobile phone."

Edward stared at her for a fraction of a second before a rare, brilliant laugh broke through his usually quiet demeanor. "You're joking. Demetri and Felix? Panic-dialing a witch in the middle of the Volterra throne room?"

"In perfect unison," Jasmine nodded solemnly, though the corners of her lips twitched. "They screamed 'NO' so loudly I think it rattled the receiver. Honestly, I think they are far more terrified of me showing up with my wand than they are of Aro's anger."

Bella couldn't help but laugh, the tension leaving her shoulders. "It sounds like you've thoroughly adopted them into the family, Jasmine."

"We have," Jasmine said softly, her gaze drifting toward the crackling fireplace. "They might be ancient, feared creatures to the rest of the world, but to us, they're just family. And we protect our family."