Chloe Cullen 4 - A Harry Potter and Twilight Crossover

Chapter 16: The Denalis

The first week after arriving in Denali is great. I go shopping without the goon squad and instead I go with all the girls. This is also the time when I decide to finally write back to my friends (months after they sent the letter). I figure now that I have more chances of going back to school, it's a good time to respond.

Dear Harry, Ron, and Hermione,

Before I say anything more, I'm sorry that I'm responding this late, but I don't think I had another choice. These past few months have been very eventful to say the least. When I first got home, I wasn't that sick. I had a few temperature spikes, but nothing much worse. In November, though, I got sick. Really sick. It started out with just a fever, nausea, and fatigue but it turned into meningitis. I don't know what form, though. I was too weak to pay attention to a full conversation and I don't want to know now. I went to sleep one night and I had a vivid dream. We were in class and Moody was teaching us about the unforgivable curses. As soon as he wrote "cruciatus curse" on the board, I felt like I had been lit on fire. I'll spare you any more graphic details. When I woke up, I found out that I had been transformed into a vampire.

The main reason I never responded sooner was because I didn't know if I was going to be able to go back to school or not. I've had to readjust to everything. All of my senses are heightened, and so is my temper. According to my parents, I have a lot more control than most newborn vampires. That's probably because I've known my whole life I was eventually going to be a vampire. The transformation process only took one day, apparently. That's probably because I already had venom in my body. I still have more to learn, but Dumbledore said I could go back to school. I talked with my mom about it, and she'll allow me to go back to school eventually. We've talked about when I'll go back, but I won't tell you when that'll be. I want to surprise you.

There are some major perks to being a vampire. I have a lot more magic now, which has taken a bit of practice to get used to. I also don't have the trace on me anymore. According to Dumbledore, the trace disappeared after my heart stopped beating. Everything is so much clearer now. I can see literally everything. Even the dust in the air. Hermione, did you know that there is an eighth color on the rainbow? Me neither! Human eyes can't see it, and I'm not sure what to call it. I can't even describe it. My dad's teaching me to fight. I have yet to win a match against him, but I've learned a lot of fighting techniques. I can beat him in arm wrestling though!

I don't know when the second task is, but I highly doubt I'll be able to make it if it hasn't happened yet. I'm so thankful that Harry survived the first task. The way you finished it is genius. I'm not too bummed about missing the Yule Ball. I don't know if I had the control to be around that many humans at the time. I've had a lot of practice now, so I think I'll be better when I see you guys again. Anyway, I'll see you guys soon. My mom wants me to practice acting human for when I go back to school, and I've still got to write a letter to Fred. I don't think acting human will be that hard.

From,

Chloe

True to my word, as soon as I'm done with that letter, I take out another piece of parchment and write a letter to Fred.

Dear Fred,

Hi.

I know I haven't written in a long time and I'm really sorry. I don't know if you've been exchanging letters with my parents or not, but I'll tell you what has happened anyway. After I went home, I wasn't really sick for a while. Then, I got meningitis. I'll spare you the more painful - literally - details, but I'm a vampire now. That's why I haven't written. I've been really busy trying to adjust to this new life. I literally feel like a new person. I can see everything. Dust, an eighth color on the rainbow, everything. I have more magic, I can smell everything, and my brain has a lot more room. Part of my brain has constantly reminded me to write you and when I didn't, I felt really guilty. I didn't write because I didn't know when I was going to be able to see you again. Dumbledore is going to let me go back to school, and my mom agreed as long as I can maintain my control. I'm hopeful that I can return before the school year is done. I'm doing well. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sent me a letter that said you had a good time at the Yule Ball. I'm glad, and I'm sorry I couldn't make it.

I'm in Alaska right now. It took my parents forever before they finally let me out of the house, and even then they insisted my dad and uncle go with me. Now we're in a completely different state and I'm happier. We have a new vampire in the family. His name is Garrett and he's very interesting. He's always asking me about being a witch and wanting me to demonstrate spells. He's cool. He can also be intense. He was human during the Revolutionary War, so he is a really big patriot. I'll see you when I go back to school. My mom wants me to have lessons in acting human, so I better go. Tell George and Lee hi for me.

Forever yours,

Chloe

As soon as tie these on Maple's leg, I make my way downstairs.

"The biggest thing you need to remember is to not sit too still or move too fast," mom says. I'm standing against the wall, bored. When she says to not be too still, I put my weight on my left leg, which makes me feel stupid. I have to be reminded to move? "If you're having any trouble, watch the humans around you to see what they're doing. You need to blink at least 15 times a minute, and don't stare at any one thing for longer than a couple of minutes or so. If you're standing, shift your weight at least twice a minute. Got all that?" she asks. "I think so," I answer. I never realized I did all those things unconsciously as a human. It's a lot to remember now that I have to purposefully do all that.

"Don't worry. You have lots of time to practice. I want you to walk across the living room. Remember, don't walk too fast," she says. At least the guys are hunting, so I won't be laughed at. Mom is doing the teaching, and the other girls are just watching. Feeling stupid again, I do as she requests. "Slower," mom says. I slow down. "Just a little slower," she says again. I sigh and slow down. "That's good," she says. "Do humans always go this slow?" I ask as I walk back. This is taking me a whole two seconds longer than it would have otherwise! Mom smirks and nods.

Next thing she has me do is sit down while we watch a movie. At first, it's not easy. I can't really watch the movie because I have to remind myself to blink, cross my legs and move around a little bit so I don't sit still for too long. A few times, Carmen reminds me to move my hair and pretend to scratch something. About an hour into the movie, though, it starts to get easier. Part of my brain keeps tabs on how long I've been sitting in a certain position and how many times a minute I've been blinking, and any other thing that relates to acting human. By the end of the movie, mom tells me that she thinks that with just a little more practice, I'll be ready to go back to Hogwarts.