Moonspell (Harry Potter/Twilight Crossover)

Chapter Twenty-Three:

My mom, Renee, is a child at heart. All my life, I've been the caretaker, the mother figure, so I couldn't really use her as an example. I hadn't spent a lot of time with the Weasley matriarch, but she's the most matronly person I've ever met.

Esme smiles with me. "Well, I do think of them as my children, in most ways. I never could get over my mothering instincts- did Edward tell you I lost a child?"

"No," I said, stunned and completely knocked off hilt by the sudden turn the conversation had just taken.

"Yes," Esme sighed, "my first and only baby. He died just a few days after he was born, the poor tiny thing. It broke my heart. That's why I jumped off the cliff, you know," she added, matter-of-factly. I tried not to gasp- I only half succeeded.

"You jumped off a cliff?" I squeak. Esme blinked, surprised.

"Edward didn't tell you?"

"I, um, I haven't really asked him about how you guys became vampires." I admit. I'm surprised to see Esme's face light up, like I've just told her the best news she's ever heard.

"I'm so glad Edward found you. He's been the odd man out for far too long; it's hurt me to see him alone." She said, her eyes shiny as she beamed at me.

"Thank you," I tell her, pushing aside my curiosity at the, again, sudden change in topic.

Esme stopped then; apparently we'd reached the edge of the field. It looked as if they had formed teams. Edward was far out in left field, and my eyes tracked him as he smiled at me.

"All right," Esme called in a clear voice, which I knew they'd all be able to hear, no matter how far out they were, "batter up!"

Alice was holding the ball, and Emmett was swishing an aluminum bat through the air, looking excited. Alice's pitching style seemed to be stealth, and I barely noticed her throw, she moved faster then a striking cobra. One second the ball was in her hand, then her wrist flicked and suddenly the ball was smacking into Jasper's hands.

"Was that a strike?" I asked Esme.

"If they don't hit it, it's a strike," she explained. Jasper hurled the ball back to Alice's waiting hand. She permitted herself a brief grin and then her hand spun out again. This time, Emmett managed to hit it, moving fast enough to meet the invisible ball. The crack of impact was shattering, thunderous- I immediately understood the necessity of the thunderstorm.

I watched, intrigued, as the ball shot like a meteor above the field, flying deep into the surrounding forest. Emmett was a blur around the bases, and I was waiting for Esme to say homerun, when instead she shouted, "out!"

There was a touch of disbelief on my face as Edward sprang from the fringe of the trees, ball in his upraised hand, his wide grin visible even to me. "Emmett hits the hardest, but Edward runs the fastest." Esme tells me, with a smile.

The inning continued before my eyes, and I had to admit that I was impressed. It was impossible to keep up with the speed at which the ball flew, the rate at which their bodies raced around the field.

There was a large part of me that wanted to break out into laughter- these were vampires; lethal, blood-sucking monsters. And these fearsome, ferocious creatures were playing baseball. And I was watching them.

Emmett's team was up by one- Rosalie managed to flit around the bases after tagging up on one of Emmett's long flies- when Edward caught the third out. He sprinted to my side, eyes sparkling with excitement. "What do you think?" he asked.

"Amazing," I smile. But add in a few flying broomsticks, bludgers and a golden snitch, and it'll be even better, I add, silently. Edward quirked an eyebrow.