Moonspell (Harry Potter/Twilight Crossover)

Chapter Seven:

CHAPTER SEVEN:

When I opened my eyes on Monday morning, something was different. It was the light. It was still the gray-green light of a cloudy day in the forest, but it was clearer somehow and I realized there was no fog veiling my window.

Sliding out of bed to take a look outside, I almost shrieked in delight at the sight of the fine layer of snow that covered the yard, dusting the top of my truck and whitening the road. All the rain from yesterday had frozen solid too, coating the needles on the trees in fantastic, gorgeous patters.

I used to hate the snow. Absolutely despised it, in fact. But Luna had loved it and I learned to enjoy spending time making snow men and snow angels and even enchanting snow balls to fly around hitting people (mostly Slytherins).

Charlie had left for work before I got downstairs and I threw down a quick bowl of cereal and some orange juice from the carton. I felt almost excited to go to school and that was undeniably concerning because I was very aware that it wasn't the stimulating learning environment I was anticipating, or even seeing Angela my sort-of friend. If I was being completely honest with myself, and a friendship with Luna had taught me that I always should try to be, I knew I was eager to get to school because I would see my Biology partner, the very intriguing and not-very human Edward Cullen. And that was very, very stupid.

I should be avoiding him entirely and not only because he was a vampire, but because I'd already let too much slip yesterday– my survival depended on my ability to stay beneath any sort of notice. I wasn't even exactly sure what the attraction was; maybe it was because he was a part of the world I missed so desperately... or maybe it was because he was just so frustratingly nice.

While driving to school, my truck thankfully seemed to have no problem with the black ice that covered the roads. It was only after I arrived at the parking lot that I saw why I'd had so little trouble. After stepping out of my car something silver had caught my eye and I'd carefully made my way to the back of the truck to examine my tires only to realise that Charlie had gotten up who knew how early to put snow chains on my truck. My throat went tight at the sight– I wasn't used to being taken care of and Charlie's unspoken concern caught me by surprise, sucker-punching me right in the heart.

I was standing by the back corner of the truck, struggling to fight back the sudden wave of emotion the snow chains had brought on, when I heard an odd sound. It was a high-pitched screech, and it was fast becoming painfully loud. I looked up, startled, and saw several things simultaneously. Nothing was moving in slow motion, the way it did in the movies. Instead, the adrenaline rush seemed to make my brain work much faster and I was able to absorb in clear detail several things at once.

Edward Cullen was standing four cars down from me, staring at me in horror. His face stood out from the sea of faces, all frozen in the same mask of shock– because skidding towards me, tires locked and squealing against the breaks, was a dark blue van spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of my truck and I was standing between them.

I didn't have time to pull out my wand. I didn't even have time to close my eyes.

I was on the run from the corrupt Ministry of Magic, but a muggle car crash was how I was going out, a distant part of me noted. Fan-bloody-tastic.

But just before I heard the shattering crunch of the van folding around the truck bed something hit me, hard and not from the direction I was expecting. My head cracked against the ice covered concrete and I felt something solid and cold pinning me to the ground.

It took me a dazed second or two to realise I was lying on the pavement behind the tan car I'd parked beside, but I didn't have time to notice anything else because the Merlin-damnned van was still coming. It had curled gratingly around the end of the truck and, still spinning and sliding, was about to collide with me again.