“Come on, we’re nearly there,” called Lupin, half a block ahead of everyone else.

They had all just taken a portkey from the Burrow to a very dreary looking street. It was dark and only a single street lamp was on. The dementors’ mist was surrounding the whole area making it difficult to see.

Harry had never seen Lupin this eager before. The day before they left the Burrow he kept wringing his hands and went very pink when someone asked him what the matter was.

Tonks prodded Harry in the small of his back, pushing him forward.

“Who’re we seeing?” asked Harry when Tonks came along side him. Her hair was shoulder-length and forest green, matching her eyes. Tonks frowned.

“She’s an old friend of Lupin’s that was what he told me. Not really sure she was really an ‘old friend’.” She looked up, staring in Lupin’s direction. “He’s been acting very strange, too, don’t you think?”

“Do you know what’s wrong,” he asked, looking forward as well.

Tonks shrugged. “I suppose he’s just overworked. Ever since Dumbledore died everyone turns to him for answers. That can’t be very comfortable, especially after what Greyback did to him…”

Harry shuddered slightly; he had seen what a werewolf’s anger could do to someone. Lupin spent six weeks in St. Mungo’s because of how fiercely Fenrir Greyback had clawed at his entire body after acquiring that Lupin was a part of the Order of the Phoenix.

“Hurry up you two,” said Ron and they quickened their pace.

The house was quite small compared to the mansions surrounding it; there was only one floor. The windows were covered in black curtains so that no sunlight could be let in. On the splintering door two black feathery wings were painted crudely, some of the enamel running down the cracked wood. Hermione was looking around nervously, obviously hoping this was not the place they were supposed to be. Harry felt quite the same way.

Lupin walked up to the door and knocked twice, everyone else standing several feet away. The door opened and the sound of a woman screaming met their ears. Harry couldn’t see what was in the doorway, but what ever it was had pushed Lupin back and wrapped its arms around his neck.

“Remus! What on earth are you doing here?” said the woman’s voice excitedly.

Tonks cleared her throat loudly. Lupin turned around, a dark silhouette standing behind him. He gestured for them all to come closer. Harry gasped softly when he saw their host.

She was magnificent, so beautiful, the sight of her made Harry’s eyes painful. Her hair was black with red streaks in it, pulled back in a high ponytail. Her eyes were powder blue and reflected her visitor’s astonished expressions. Considering the look of the house, they had all expected an ugly old woman or something else of that nature.

“Come in, come in. I just made some tea,” she said and turned into the house.

It was surprisingly well lit in her home taking into consideration the bleak setting outdoors. They followed her down a hallway with portraits of old witches and wizards, some of which called out to them.

“Dear lord! We have visitors!” cried a pale skinned wizard with blue hair. “I just might die of shock.”

An old woman with only one eye replied, “You’re already dead, Caesar. Watch out for the cat,” she added warningly to the guests, “the damn thing bit my fingers off!” she held up her left hand which only had a ring and little finger. Ron cringed and sped up.

Their host gestured for them to sit down at a long table in the kitchen as she lifted a kettle off the stove.

“I wasn’t expecting anyone, so I don’t have much food…” she said apologetically. “I do have a few biscuits, though. Milk?” she asked Harry, staring at him expectantly.

Harry’s mouth suddenly went dry and merely nodded.

“Monicola, you look just as beautiful as the first day I met you,” said Lupin, smiling up at her. She turned to get the biscuits to hide her now pink face.

“I’m sure I’ve changed a bit.”

Tonks looked rather livid; she gripped her cup so hard her knuckles were turning white and her lips were curled into a sneer.

“Won’t you introduce us, dear,” said Tonks, her tone uneven.

“Oh, right,” said Lupin, clearly forgetting he brought other people. “This is Tonks, my girlfriend, Ron, Hermione, and Harry.”

“Nice to meet you all,” said Monicola, inclining her head at each of them. “You’ll be James’ son then?”

Harry looked up. “Er, yeah, I am.”

Monicola smiled but didn’t linger on the subject. “So, Lupin, what brings you here?”

“I suppose you’ve been reading the Prophet lately?” said Lupin.

“I have,” Monicola muttered, now looking dismal. “I couldn’t believe what happened to…” Her voice broke. “I guess this has something to do with that?”

“Yes, we understand that Dumbledore had already had an idea for the next Defense professor.”

“He already knew?”

“Since the school seems to lose Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers after every year, I suppose he made plans for the next one.” Lupin smiled as he said this.

“Then why did he give Severus the job?” she asked savagely.

Lupin shrugged sadly. “He trusted him,” he said simply.

“Why’d you bring this group?” she asked curiously.

“Well,” Lupin began, shifting in his chair uncomfortably. “Tonks, she goes everywhere with me, I…enjoy her company.”

Tonks beamed at him.

“That’s very sweet, Lupin,” said Monicola coolly, “but I was talking about the other three.”

Lupin didn’t answer.

Harry knew exactly why Lupin had brought Ron, Hermione, and himself. Dumbledore had used him to encourage Horace Slughorn to take the post of Potions master; this was no different.

“Lupin, I have told Dumbledore this more than once. I will not teach!”

“But why not?” Lupin exclaimed.

“I heard about your…difficulties as a professor. How am I going to cope with them?”

Lupin shrugged. “The same way you used to.”

“I can’t threaten students or their parents for that matter; surely they’ll be my biggest problem!”

“How would your teaching be a problem?” asked Hermione.

Monicola glared skeptically at Lupin. “You didn’t tell them?” She turned to Hermione. “I’m a vampire.”

“You’re a what?” asked Ron exasperatedly.

Instead of repeating herself, Monicola opened her mouth wide and revealed very long, very sharp incisors.

Hermione breathed excitedly and mouthed the word “wow”.

Something furry brushed against Harry’s leg. He jumped and pushed himself back. A black cat with red, piercing eyes skulked from under the table looking bored.

“Sorry about that,” said Monicola hastily, hurrying over and picking the cat up. “Hades is extremely rude.”

“You named it Hades?” asked Tonks, incredulous.

“He has the attitude that would fit the god of the Underworld, so I thought that was best…You saw what he did to Madam Peephole.”

“I can’t believe you still have this thing,” said Lupin, putting his hand out to pet Hades. The cat scratched his palm and hissed at him.

“I decided to keep him to remind me of Sirius. I can’t rightly get rid of it, can I?” She was lost in nostalgia until Harry spoke.

“You knew Sirius?” he asked hurriedly. Monicola nodded, putting Hades down.

“We were very close,” she replied. For some reason the corners of her mouth twitched.

Lupin’s cheeks went very red.

“How so?” asked Harry urgently.

Monicola smiled, obviously eager to tell a story.

A/N: Dedicated to my friends Nida and Marissa and my Beta for being my best readers.
I made this fic PG-13 for later chapters and I think I'll keep the rating that way. I NEED reviews! I gotta know what you guys think and your suggestions!

Sorry forgot to do this.
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling is #1 and that's why her characters belong to her (or is that backwards?) She owns everyone but my OCs.

The wind was blowing gently through the open window of Monicola’s bedroom. Her soft breathing matched the pulsing breeze caressing her cheek as she lay under the blanket her grandmother had knitted for her. Outside the front gate creaked open and a figure glided toward the manor. It whispered to her and the draft lifted the sound through her window and into her ears. She woke suddenly, heart racing. A dreamy, mystical voice had just called for her.

Monicola rose out of her bed, night dress swaying at her ankles as she approached the window. She gasped when she saw a man holding an illuminated wand aloft, his features so capturing they took the breath right out of her. He whispered to her again and she obeyed. Creeping silently down the stone steps, she opened the front door and strode across the green grass to stand in front of her visitor.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said quietly in her ear. His lips brushed against her skin and a vibrating sensation spread throughout her body.

“Why do you want me?” asked Monicola.

The man smirked. “I want you to join us.” He bent down and kissed her, the gentle touch of his lips making her knees weak.

His caress slowly moved across her cheek to the base of her neck. Her head was light and she could not sense any other emotion other than the desire she had for this stranger.

Suddenly, something pierced Monicola’s skin and a trickle of blood rolled down her neck and into her nightdress. A liquid was seeping through her body, contaminating her blood with the poison that arrested her limbs, paralyzing her. She could not push him away…

Monicola was awoken from her stupor by a great jolt from the train. This didn’t irritate her though. She didn’t want to recall the rest of that memory.

She shifted in her seat, fingering the potion Albus Dumbledore sent her. He was the new Headmaster at Hogwarts and had been for some time. It had been so long since her last year at the school; she couldn’t remember who the Headmaster was then. She appreciated this man already. Not many people would take the time to create a Sun Protecting Potion for someone they didn’t know. The process was difficult and stressful, which was why Monicola never tried it herself.

A second return to Hogwarts; what would this be like? The night of her attack that changed her from human to vampire was the eve of her return to Hogwarts for her sixth year. She was unable to return after that. The threat of the sun and of curious eyes was enough to keep her secured in her house. Even after her parents and sister died and Muggle contractors came to destroy the home, Monicola stayed and defended the building.

All Monicola wanted now was to be left alone, but the horrible thought of her past kept creeping into her mind. Hawk Livingston, the reason for her pain and suffering, was haunting her everywhere she went. Unfortunately she was still in contact with him; there was no getting out of that. Hawk loved Monicola like a sister and sometimes a little more than that. Monicola recalled countless times when she let him seduce her into bed and then waking up angry. She supposed he liked his own work and checking up on it was his way of showing love.

Monicola looked out the window. The Hogwarts Express was rolling along a mountain side, the sun winking at her. She loved its warmth. Leaning her head against the glass, Monicola closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep again.

A moment later, something heavy shifted her seat. Monicola slowly opened her eyes and then screamed.

“What the bloody hell are you doing here?” she shrieked, pressing herself as far away from the intruder as possible.

“I thought I’d give you a visit.” Hawk inched toward her, putting a hand on her arm. Monicola withdrew it quickly; his fingers felt frozen.

Hawk’s yellow eyes stared longingly at her. Since their last meeting a few months prior, Hawk had changed. His hair was shorter but still blond with natural highlights. He was dressed in Muggle clothing, a simple pair of blue jeans and a white T-shirt. Even then he still looked gorgeous.

“How’re you in the sunlight? Why aren’t you burning?” Monicola’s heart was pounding. She could feel the thick blood rushing through her veins. She hated that feeling.

Hawk shrugged and answered, “I have my own supply of Sun Protecting Potion at home. Now,” he said, getting even closer, “why aren’t you glad to see me?”

“Am I ever?”

“No, but after a while, you get comfortable enough.” Hawk slid an icy finger down her arm, giving her goose bumps.

Monicola grabbed his hand. “Stop. Not here.”

“But why not?” he whined. “We have enough privacy.” He turned to the compartment door and closed the curtain. After returning to his seat, Hawk put his hand on her waist and pulled her closer.

“Why are you here?” Monicola asked quietly.

“Not for tea, I can tell you that much.” Hawk reached into his pocket and withdrew a small vial full of a thick red liquid. “Thirsty?”

Monicola’s eyes grew wide with fear. “Hawk, don’t even think about it. You know what blood does to me this early.”

“Exactly,” he whispered and then kissed her on the lips.

All in one motion Hawk was on top of her, the cork in the vial was off, and his wrist was tilted, threatening to drip the liquid in her mouth.

“Don’t!”

Suddenly the compartment door flew open. Hawk disappeared so fast Monicola didn’t realize he was gone until she found herself on the floor, a teenage boy standing over her.

He looked very strange to her. His long black hair hung in his face as he stared down at her in shock. Was this hair style in fashion now? Monicola had been locked up in her house too long to notice how much times had changed.

“You alright?” he asked, putting a hand out to help her up.

“I’m fine,” she replied, not taking his hand but lifting herself up on her own.

The boy stared at her, an unbelieving look in his eye. “I heard you scream…”

“Look, I fell off my seat while I was taking a nap. I didn’t mean to scream. I’ll be fine, okay?”

“Fine,” said the boy and turned to leave. “By the way, my name’s Sirius. Welcome to Hogwarts.”

***

Sirius Black returned to his compartment and shut the door gently.

“Where’d you go?” asked Remus, a boy with light brown hair several scratches on his face. “I thought you said you had to use the bathroom. You were gone quite some time.”

“I did use the bathroom,” Sirius mumbled, sitting down next to James who had very messing jet black hair and glasses. “I heard this scream so I went to investigate―”

“Padfoot to the rescue!” cried James, laughing heartily.

“I saw this girl,” he continued, ignoring his friend’s comment. “She was lying on the floor, like someone had pushed her. She was a bit rude; wouldn’t let me help her up and got all snotty when I asked her if she was okay.”

“P.M.S.,” murmured Peter, a pudgy blond. Everyone laughed at this.

“She was beautiful though…” said Sirius, smiling faintly.

“Oh here we go,” said Remus exasperatedly.

“What?”

“Every time you see a pretty girl you go after her and then you get bored after she likes you back. You’re a heartbreaker, mate.” James said this as if he had done this speech several times.

“I am not!” cried Sirius, a scandalized look on his face. “Name one time I’ve broken a girl’s heart, go on.”

“There was that time in the second year when Patty Mack asked you out,” replied Peter rather quickly.

“She had a weird name, you can’t really blame me for that, Wormtail,” mumbled Sirius.

“Erica Taken was distraught when you jilted her last year and then cried even harder when you went out with her sister,” said Remus.

“Her sister was prettier than her."

“They were identical twins!” Remus, James, and Peter all exclaimed together.

Sirius screwed up his face in defeat and decided to change the subject. “This girl, she’s different. I think I have a chance with her.”

“Good luck with that,” said James nonchalantly.

I’ll prove them wrong, thought Sirius. I can be the most compassionate person on Earth!.

***

After long talks with her teachers and several short ones with Dumbledore, Monicola started getting into the habit of going to Hogwarts again. It was a lot like the days when she went to the school; only the kids were different and the skirts the girls wore were a considerable amount shorter.

Monicola was placed back in her original House, Gryffindor. Two weeks into the term, she saw Sirius Black, the boy that had come to her rescue on the train, sitting alone in an armchair looking very tired in the Gryffindor common room.

“Are you alright?” she asked him, taking the seat across from him. Sirius immediately sat up straighter.

“I’m fine,” he said cheerfully. “I remember you from the train.”

“Yes, you came in while I was on the floor.” Monicola thought about this for a moment then said, “I’m sorry I was so rude to you. I wasn’t in a very good mood.”

“I can completely understand that,” said Sirius, thinking of every second he spent with his father.

They talked for almost two hours before Monicola looked at her watched and declared that Sirius talked too much. The conversation had been held mostly by Sirius, trying to impress her with heroic stories. He was conceited, arrogant, and quite obnoxious. She wanted to get away as fast as she could.

“Good night, Sirius,” she said and turned to go to the girls’ dormitory.

“Wait. Er…oh god I forgot your name!” cried Sirius, his face turning red with embarrassment.

“Call me Moni,” she said with a smile.

“Good night, Moni.”

That night Monicola did not sleep very well. Hawk kept turning up in her dreams, telling her to be careful. When she awoke the next morning, her head was swimming with the image of his face.

The rest of day went on well until History of Magic. Professor Binns, a very old wizard, kept a monotone voice throughout his entire class. Monicola always choose a seat as far away from him as she could get so she could fall asleep with out him seeing.

Unfortunately, she was unable to get this afternoon nap for Sirius Black continued to call her name.

“Moni. Moni.”

“What?” she hissed.

“Would you go out with me?”

“No,” she said flatly and pretended to listen to Professor Binns.

“Why not?”

James had to suppress a laugh when he heard this.

“I don’t want to.”

“Class dismissed,” Professor Binns said. Everyone started filing out. Monicola tried to get away from Sirius but he was very persistent.

“What about in the common room? I thought you liked me.”

She stopped very suddenly; several people had to swerve out of the way.

“Sirius,” she said loudly. “You are arrogant and conceited. Why the hell would I want to be your girlfriend?”

“Well, you’re not the most perfect person in the world, you know,” Sirius replied, slightly surprised by her reaction. “You can’t talk about anyone being arrogant!”

Monicola huffed loudly and stocked off. In her opinion, she had just rejected the greatest git in all existence.

“That went well,” James mumbled.

“Shut up!” Sirius spat. They started to walk toward the Great Hall. “Who does she think she is, calling me arrogant and conceited? Where does she get off calling me that?”

“Well, you are arrogant,” Lupin said, counting off on his fingers. “You are conceited, and, oh, she missed one! You’re also incredibly annoying. I don’t think she liked you disturbing her like that.”

Sirius glared at him. “Oh, so you think this is my fault?”

“Yeah, I do.”

Sirius stared after Monicola. It was quite clear that she hated him almost as much as Lily loathed James, but he would stay persistent. Padfoot would not give up.

A/N: Not my favorite chapter but it was needed to help with the plot. I was thinking about another fic, a humor fic. Maybe I'll submit it. This part is dedicated to my neice just because I love her so much.

“Are you ready?” Hawk asked, looking across the field toward a group of people.

“No,” Monicola murmured and sat on the grass with her knees brought to her chin.

Hawk sighed, grabbed her by the upper arms and lifted her to her feet again. “Don’t be a baby. You have to accept this.”

Monicola looked up at him. “What if I don’t want to?”

“Then you’ll go hungry, now come on.” He trudged toward the group, Monicola following reluctantly. They crouched behind a bush, watching their prey closely.

“You have to get as many as you can, alright?” Monicola nodded. She stood up and walked over to what looked like five sailors.

“Hello,” she said dreamily, tossing her hair back and smiling. The men immediately rose from their seats.

“Would you like to sit with us, lassie?” one man with clumped brown hair grunted, patting the log he had been sitting on.

She shook her head. “No, but I will give you advice.”

They all looked intently at her.

“Run.”

She distinctly heard Hawk slap his forehead.

“Why would we want to do that?” asked the only blond sailor.

Monicola smiled again. She opened her mouth wide, showing off her long canines, hissing like a cat.

They all ran. The slowest was a broad, toothless man. She pounced, sinking her teeth into him, draining him almost completely.

“I told you to get as many as you could,” Hawk mumbled, bending down and tilting his head interestedly.

Monicola surfaced, breathing hard, licking her lips hungrily. “You know how much I hate this. I hate killing people especially since I can’t join them in death.”

He pushed her hair out her face and rested his hand on her cheek. “I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not,” Monicola spat and stomped away…

The present day Monicola rolled over in her bed, cursing Hawk under her breath.

***

Lupin was very late. He hurtled down the hallway and burst through the classroom door.

“I’m sorry, Professor McGonagall,” he panted, taking a seat in the back. “Somebody forgot to wake me up.” He turned around and scowled at James who smiled innocently at him.

The whole class had paid for Lupin’s tardiness. For homework they were instructed to write a two foot essay on the properties of a Color Changing spell and why it would be useful in dangerous situations.

“Can I borrow your quill?” the girl next to him asked. He looked up and saw Monicola Hardcrow staring at him expectantly.

“Y-yes,” he stuttered, digging in his pocket and taking out his best quill.

“Thank you.” She took it from him and started writing down the assignment.

He saw something very interesting on her arm. A tattoo of feathery wings with a crescent moon hanging behind them was just above her right wrist. He had never seen anything like this, but he didn’t dwell on it. He took his quill back when she was done and watched her walk out.

“Need binoculars, Moony?” asked Sirius, waving his hand in front of his face. Lupin slapped it away.

The Marauders left the class together with Lupin several steps ahead. Sirius hurried to catch up.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” he whispered.

“No, she’s not.”

Sirius stopped momentarily but then caught up again. “I think you’ve gone mad!”

“Take a good look at her,” said Lupin, pointing to Monicola who was chatting with a friend a few feet ahead of them.

“Believe me, I have,” Sirius groaned.

“Look in her eyes.”

Sirius did. For a moment he saw nothing, but then he realized something was different.

“She looks like a normal girl!” he exclaimed, glaring at her more intently.

“Exactly. She’s not the one that’s beautiful,” Lupin explained. “Something else is making men attracted to her. A spell I suppose…”

***

Monicola sat in the library, flipping through her textbook and reading under her breath.

Someone sat down across from her. It was Remus Lupin, the really smart boy with all the scratches. She ignored him and continued her work.

“Where’d you get that tattoo?” he asked suddenly.

“Where’d you get all those scratches?” she asked as if she were expecting this. She didn’t even look up once. “Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer.”

Lupin raised his eyebrows. “You are extremely unapproachable, did you know that?”

“I know someone who has said that about a thousand times, it’s nothing new to me.” She made to leave but Lupin caught her arm.

“Can I at least see it?”

Monicola sighed and pulled back her sleeve. Lupin studied the marking for a minute and then let go.

“Would you like to do a cavity search as well,” she asked sarcastically.

“I wouldn’t mind one from you, Moni.” Sirius stepped out from behind one of the bookshelves. He had been waiting for Lupin.

Monicola left, not acknowledging his presence.

“As cold as a glacier, she is,” Sirius said, sitting down and dropping a large book on the table. “Did you get a good look at it?”

“Yeah, I did.” Lupin pulled the book toward him and started riffling through it. It was entitled The Many Symbols of the Wizarding World.

Half an hour later he found what he was looking for. He turned the book around for Sirius to have a look. “‘The Mark of the Waning Wings’,” he read. “‘Although the meaning is unknown, this symbol has been seen on all sorts of things such as doorposts, goblets, clothing, and, though very rare, human skin. In the 1400s, it was said to be the mark of a cursed being left to walk the earth neither alive nor dead.’”

“What does that have to do with Moni?” asked Sirius in a bored tone.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” Lupin proclaimed. “Care to help me?”

“No,” he replied flatly and left for the common room.

Lupin spent the rest of the day searching for information on The Mark of the Waning Wings. He gave up when he saw that the sun had sunk below the horizon and went back to the common room.

Sirius and Peter were playing a game of Wizard’s Chess while James watched them. Lupin saw Monicola transfixed in her Transfigurations essay at a desk in the corner.

“I didn’t find anything else,” he told Sirius as he sat down next to James.

“There’s no point in trying to figure her out,” Sirius said, pushing his knight forward. Peter’s bishop pulled the knight off of his horse and proceeded to drag him off the board by the hair.

James asked, “What were you doing?”

Lupin explained what he saw on Monicola’s arm and instructed him to stare at her in the eye.

“Wait a minute!” he exclaimed. “She’s not beautiful at all!” A few first years stared at him nervous and shifted away.

“Exactly. I’m trying to figure out what kind of spell is on her.”

Lupin and James watched Peter beat Sirius three times. After it was clear Sirius was going to lose again, Lupin stood up, stretched, and walked toward the door that lead to the boys’ dormitory. He glanced toward Monicola and his heart skipped a beat. She had just yawned and he thought he saw very long teeth, but when he blinked they were not there. Breathing deeply, he ignored it and went to bed.

***

Lupin sat in the library, leaning over a book, staring at its pages, but not taking any of it in. He was researching The Mark of the Waning Wings, but he had not gotten very far. The subject was incredibly hard to find and when it did turn up, only small bits of information were given.

Remus thought back to the time when he witnessed very sharp teeth jutting out of Monicola’s mouth. This made him think of vampires, but that couldn’t possibly be true. Vampires were extremely dangerous; not even Dumbledore would let one in the school for an extended period of time. Still, his curiosity took hold of him and searched for a book on vampires.

At first he did not find anything in The Great Blood Suckers of the World. He flipped through the pages showing graphic illustrations. He stopped when he saw feathery wings with a crescent moon behind them.


The Clan of the Waning Wings has walked the earth since 1282. Created by a Greek vampire, the clan started out as an experiment. Biting only those born under a waning crescent moon, few vampires were created until Hawk Livingston, the very third vampire created from the experiment, started biting humans that simply endeared him, branding them with the mark of the Waning Wings. The clan has since been very diverse, making new member from the entire world. Residing in Britain, Germany, and some parts of France, the clan consists of over three thousand vampires. The Clan of the Waning Wings is remembered specifically for their ability to put life-long curses on others; only one other clan can do that.

Lupin’s eyes bulged amazedly. This was incredible. This proved that Monicola Hardcrow was a vampire.

Suddenly his excitement fell. He couldn’t tell anyone. Monicola surely wanted to keep such a thing a secret. He knew exactly how she felt. Being a werewolf was difficult but he was only dangerous during a full moon; Monicola was dangerous all the time!

Returning the book to its rightful place, Lupin walked out of the library, feeling sorry for Monicola. He had to tell her what he knew; otherwise it would be a very dirty secret.

***

“What are you staring at?”

“Oh, sorry,” Remus muttered.

They were in Potions, attempting to make a Drought of Euphoria. Monicola, to her great annoyance, was paired with Remus Lupin who glared at her apologetically every few seconds.

As she poured in a few ingredients, Remus leaned toward her and whispered, “I know what your secret is.”

“Oh, really,” Monicola said. “And what would that be?”

“You’re a vampire.”

There was a loud clatter as Monicola dropped the mixing spoon on the floor.

“How…why…That’s nonsense!” she hissed. “Where did you come up with a thing like that?”

Lupin pushed back her sleeve and pointed at the brand. “That’s The Mark of the Waning Wings, isn’t it?”

Monicola shoved the sleeve back into place, whispering furiously, “How did you find out?”

“I looked it up.”

Her eyes bulged. She had no idea it was that easy to figure things out. Hawk probably had something to do with it.

The class ended. Everyone packed their things and left. Monicola and Lupin hung back.

“You can’t tell anyone!” she said shrilly, wringing her hands. “Swear to me that you won’t say a word!”

Lupin nodded. “I swear.”

They walked toward the Great Hall together. Monicola stopped at the end of the Gryffindor table.

“I guess now I can be a bit nicer to you,” she murmured, “if you promise to be less annoying.”

“I will. What about Sirius, will you be nicer to him?”

She snorted. “Don’t push your luck. Sirius has to prove he isn’t the four year old he pretends to be before I even look at him properly.”

Harry woke up in Ron’s bedroom earlier than he intended. He dressed and went downstairs where Mrs. Weasley and Charlie were talking in the kitchen.

“…put it in my drink, Mum,” said Charlie, looking harassed. “Now I’m doing and saying random things every five seconds! Purple and orange teacups and snot!” he added with the expression of being forced to do something he did not want to do.

“Well, dear, knowing Fred and George, the effects will wear off soon,” Mrs. Weasley said reassuringly. “Harry, good morning!”

Harry walked in and sat at the large table. Mrs. Weasley dropped twelve sausages and a towering heap of scrambled eggs on to a plate in front of him. Charlie mumbled something about retractable fingernails and sat down as well.

Moments later, Monicola came in, yawning widely. “Good morning, Molly, Harry.” She turned to Charlie. “I’m sorry; I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Monicola.”

Charlie stood right up and grabbed Monicola by the waist. He swung her low and kissed her on the lips.

Harry laughed openly, seeing the bemused expression on Monicola’s face

“Charlie, and I am very sorry,” he said hastily, going red around the ears. He let her up and sat back down, covering his face with his hands.

“This is beginning to be a very nice morning,” said Monicola and she sat down next to Harry.

“Have you thought about working as the Defense professor at all?” asked Harry.

She nodded. “I have, which just gave me a better reason not to take the job.”

“Why?”

“There’s a teacher there that would not be pleased with my presence.”

***

“Ms. Hardcrow, please wake up!” Professor Benton cried. Monicola’s head popped up.

“Wassamatter?” she said, rubbing her puffy eyes.

Lupin leaned closer to her. “You fell asleep!”

“Ms. Hardcrow, if I hear you snoring one more time, I will deduct points from Gryffindor and give you a week’s detention!”

“Sorry, Professor,” Monicola mumbled, suppressing a yawn.

“Are you okay?” asked Lupin once Arithmancy was over.

She shook her head. “I have a lot of work to do. I’m not getting much sleep lately.”

“Would you like some help?” he asked.

Monicola smiled. “Actually I would. How about tonight in the common room?”

“Fine, I’ll see you then.”

Monicola went to sit with Lily on the far end of the Gryffindor table, while Lupin sat with his fellow Marauders.

“You two looked very cozy,” said Sirius, glaring at him suspiciously. “What are you up to?”

“She needs a bit of help with schoolwork so I offered to assist her,” said Lupin, shrugging and piling a mound of mashed potatoes on his plate.

Sirius still looked unsure.

“Look,” Lupin said, getting annoyed, “nothing is going on between us, alright?”

Sirius nodded and started on his own meal.

The thought of dating Monicola had crossed Remus’ mind but it swiftly was replaced by his knowledge of the feud between vampires and werewolves. They couldn’t survive together; they were exact opposites. Being with Monicola would not be an option.

Later that night, Lupin and Monicola sat in front of the fire, trying to figure out an Arithmancy problem.

“It’s really hot in here,” she said, fanning herself with her hand. She took off her sweater she normally wore in this sort of weather and placed it on and empty chair.

Lupin did think that it was quite warm in the common room but thought better of taking off his own sweater as he had nothing under it.

“Can we finish this tomorrow? My brain is beginning to hurt…”

Monicola laughed. “Sure,” she said and closed her textbook.

“Can I ask you something?” said Lupin, looking down at his hands.

“Okay.”

“Have you ever…bitten anyone?”

Monicola took a moment to reply. She had expected him to ask this sometime. “I have but I stopped about twenty years ago.”

Lupin frowned. “Twenty? You’re only sixteen.”

She smiled gently at him. “I was sixteen when I was bitten. When someone is bitten by a vampire and then turned into one, they basically die and if you’re dead, you can’t age, can you?”

“How is a person turned into a vampire?” he asked interestedly.

She thought for a moment then said, “Well, the way it happened with me, I was bitten and then I had to drink the blood of my creator, the one that bit me that is. After about two days of incredible pain in which my body adjusted to the new need of blood and having my soul ripped out of me, I became a vampire.”

Lupin frowned. “You don’t have a soul?”

“Oh, I have one it’s just not in me. I think it’s somewhere in Greece…”

“Greece?”

“Yes, with the All Father, the creator of the Clan of the Waning Wings,” she said. “I’ve never met him but I hear he’s very nice. I trust him with my soul.”

Lupin was incredibly interested. He never thought he would have the opportunity to ask Monicola such personal questions, but here he was, chatting it up like there was no problem at all.

“Why are you telling me all of this?” he asked.

Monicola shrugged. “Because I know I can trust you.”

***

Monicola rushed to the staff room, a role of parchment in her right hand. She had to get her homework to Professor Binns before it was too late to turn it in.

She knocked softly on the door. The gargoyles on either side of the door stared down at her. “What do you want?” one asked in a high-pitched tone.

“None, of your business,” she said icily and walked in. It was very dark in the room, the only light coming from the fireplace. Professor Binns was sitting in an armchair in front of it.

“Professor, I have that essay you assigned last week.” Monicola crept closer to him. He didn’t reply.

“Professor?” She tapped him on the arm; he didn’t move. She pushed his head a little and it fell on his shoulder. He was dead.

At that precise moment, Sirius and James came into the room holding several round objects. They saw Monicola standing over Professor Binns, ashen-faced.

“He’s…he’s…”

“Moni, what is it?” asked Sirius coming closer. James stepped forward as well.

“Professor Binns is dead!”

The boys’ eyes widened. James’ jaw dropped; Sirius went very white.

“C’mon,” Sirius said, taking Monicola by the hand. “We have to go tell McGonagall.”

Monicola nodded, letting Sirius lead her out of the room.

Professor McGonagall was sitting in her office, pouring over a pile of parchment. Sirius cleared his throat loudly.

“Can I help you?” she asked, looking up.

“We, um, have bad news, Professor,” Sirius mumbled.

“And what would that be, Mr. Black?” asked McGonagall, sitting up straighter.

“Professor Binns has died, ma’am, he’s in the staff room now.”

McGonagall’s cheeks lost their color. “How could this happen….”

“We don’t know.”

She came toward them, wringing her hands. “Who found him?”

James spoke up, “Monicola was there when we found the two of them.”

Suddenly, the professor’s eyes bulged and she turned toward Monicola rather quickly. “You found him?”

“I did, ma’am,” said Monicola awkwardly. She did not know why McGonagall was looking at her this way.

“Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, you may go back to your common room. Ms. Hardcrow will come with me.”

Sirius looked weary for a moment but left with James without complaint.

“Follow me, Ms. Hardcrow.”

Monicola followed her superior up many flights of stairs until they reached a stone gargoyle. “Every Flavored Beans,” McGonagall said and the gargoyle sprang to life and moved out the way, revealing a spiraling stair case. Monicola stepped on a moving step just behind the professor and they moved upward until they came to a door. McGonagall knocked twice and a calm voice said, “Enter.” They both walked in.

Dumbledore was seated behind his desk, fingertips touching.

“Ah, Professor McGonagall, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Professor Binns has died, Albus,” she said. Dumbledore frowned.

“When did this happen?”

McGonagall shook her head. “I do not know, but Ms. Hardcrow found with him at the time.” She pushed Monicola forward.

Dumbledore looked a little more aggrieved. “You could not possibly think that she….”

“I don’t know what to think.”

Realization dawned on Monicola and she was immediately hurt.

“I didn’t kill him!” she yelled, looking from Dumbledore to McGonagall. “I went in there to give him this….” She pulled her homework out of her pocket; it was quite crumpled.

“We are not accusing you, Monicola,” Dumbledore said softly.

“It’s just that, considering the circumstances―” McGonagall began.

“Oh, just because I’m a vampire you automatically think I did him in?” she shouted. “Did it occur to you that he might have died of old age? The man was extremely ―”

“That will do Ms. Hardcrow,” interrupted Dumbledore without raising his voice. “I am sure that you did not kill him.”

Suddenly, something walked right through the closed door. It was Professor Binns, transparent and shining in the light.

“I’m dead,” he croaked nervously.

“Yes, I know, Professor,” said Dumbledore. “Ms. Hardcrow was the one that found your body.”

Professor Binns rounded on Monicola. “You killed me, didn’t you?”

“Oh, dear Merlin, not again!” Monicola exclaimed and ran from the office.

Lupin was waiting for her in the common room. He brought her aside, away from the other students.

“I just heard what happened,” he said, touching her arm. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, sort of,” she replied, leaning her head on the wall.

“Sort of?”

Monicola took a deep breath. “Professor Binns thinks I killed him.”

“He ― what? That’s crazy!” Lupin exclaimed.

“I know, but Dumbledore believes I didn’t do it. Even so, Binns might hold this against me…”

Lupin looked into her eyes; tears were welling up along her eyelids. She was experiencing the pain of an accusation that had happened to her before.

“This isn’t the first time this has happened, is it?” he asked quietly.

Monicola shook her head, wiping a tear away. Lupin reached out and hugged her.

Despite the fact that she was going through a bit of a heartache, Monicola couldn’t help but realize how strong Lupin’s arms were. Lupin’s body was very skinny but his arms were quite muscular. His hands moved up and down her back; she laughed softly.

“What is it?” he asked, letting her go.

“You were tickling me,” she said, still sniggering.

Lupin snorted. “I barely touched you.”

Monicola shrugged. “C’mon, we have to work on that Arithmancy homework.”

Monicola’s face remained straight. She would not look at Lupin. She could not look at Lupin or she would risk getting a detention.

“Ms. Hardcrow, what is wrong with your face?” asked Professor Benton with a tone that clearly stated he did not really want to know.

Monicola shook her head. “Nothing, sir, it’s just a bit of a stomach ache.” Okay, so her face wasn’t completely straight but at least no one could tell she was bursting to laugh as hard as she could.

“Lupin, I hate you right now!” she hissed as soon as Benton’s back was turned.

He shrugged. “All the better reason for me to do this…” and he blew out his cheeks and stuck his tongue out, resembling a roasted pig. Monicola snorted so hard she had to cover her nose to make sure nothing was blown out.

The moment class ended, Monicola ran from the room, and a shriek of laughter burst from her lips as soon as she reached the corridor. She got many worried looks from passing students and ghosts.

“Why were you doing that?” she asked Lupin when he joined her, laughing just as hard.

He shrugged. “You’ve been looking tense lately so I wanted to loosen you up.”

“It’s Binns,” she groaned irritably. “All class long he’s staring at me like I destroyed Christmas!”

“Would you like me to deal with it?”

“What are you going to do,” she said, raising an eyebrow, “kill him?”

“No, this…” and he started poking her gently in the sides.

Monicola shrieked again. “This is not helping the problem!” she gasped, trying to get away.

“No, but it’s making a hell of a new one,” and he continued to tickle her all the way down to the Great Hall.

“Oh, dear lord!” Sirius cried when he saw Lupin and Monicola running into the Great Hall, laughing uncontrollably. “Look at them!”

“Padfoot would you give it rest?” James said exasperatedly. “If you don’t like it, why don’t you trying chumming up to her? You’re doing no good just sitting hear and fuming!”

Peter mumbled, “I don’t think he should.”

“Why not?”

“Sirius, you don’t hold a card to Lupin when it comes to charm.”

This, needless to say this did not improve Sirius’ mood. They watched Lupin ask Monicola something, seeing her nod approvingly. He then came toward them, looking pleased about something.

“What’s got you all smirking?” asked James.

“Nothing,” Lupin said hurriedly, wiping the grin from his face. He started piling food on his plate but Peter pulled it away.

“What did you ask her?”

“It was nothing serious, really,” he said quietly. “I just asked her to go to Hogsmeade with me.”

Sirius suddenly stopped chewing. “Why the hell would you do something like that?”

“She’s never seen it before so I offered to give her a tour.”

“You sure do offer a lot of things, Moony. Assisting her with homework, giving her a shoulder to cry on…”

Lupin frowned. “When did I ―”

“I saw you, cuddling in the corner when Binns thought she killed him,” Sirius spat, standing up now. “It seems to me that you’re acting a lot more than friends.”

“So what if we are?” said Lupin, standing up as well. “It’s none of your business what we do together!”

Sirius’ eyes squinted. “What have you done together?”

“Do you not get the meaning of ‘None of your business’?”

“Is there a problem?” asked a crisp voice. Professor McGonagall was standing just behind Lupin, looking ready to distribute detentions.

“No, ma’am,” Lupin and Sirius said together and they sat down, not looking at one another the entire lunch.

***

“What was the argument about yesterday?” asked Monicola as she and Lupin trudged in the snow toward Hogsmeade.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” he said aggressively.

Monicola rolled her eyes. “If it had anything to do with me, just say it!”

“Look, don’t try to ―”

She took his chin in her thumb and index finger, making it almost impossible for him to speak.

“Listen to me,” she said slowly. “Just tell Sirius there is nothing between us, and there will never be anything between me and him besides a yard or two. Alright?”

Lupin nodded, pushing her hand away. This didn’t make him feel any better. He had feelings for her and wanted something other than a few laughs with her. It was quite clear that she wanted to stay friends.

Monicola dragged him to almost every store, pressing her face in the windows and buying at least one thing from each of shop. One of their last stops was the Three Broomsticks. They went inside the warm inn and sat at a table in the back.

“What can I get you?” asked a young woman in sparkling blue heels.

Lupin turned to Monicola. “What do you want?” Monicola shrugged.

“Surprise us!” she said excitedly.

“A surprise you shall get,” said the woman and she went back to the counter. A few minutes later she brought back two tall glasses of a foamy, amber liquid.

“What is it?” asked Lupin nervously.

“It’s a surprise.” She winked and walked away.

“Cheers,” Monicola said, holding up her glass.

“Here, here,” replied Lupin and they both drank deeply.

They finished their drinks and asked for another round and then another when they were done with the second. After her fourth glass, Monicola’s speech got worse and was hiccupping occasionally.

“We can’ ― hic! ― go back to the castle drunk like this,” she said, attempting to stand up but falling right back in her seat.

“We? I’m not drunk.” Lupin stood up and found that the room was spinning. “Okay, so maybe I am, but I can’t let anyone see me like this. I’m a prefect, did you know?”

“Fine.” Monicola stood up, balanced herself and took his hand. “We’ll have ― hic! ― to w-walk it off.”

They wobbled to the door and outside where most of the students were heading back to Hogwarts.

“This way,” said Lupin, pointing down the rode. “I want to show you something.”

They reached the Shrieking Shack and sat in the cold snow, Monicola still hiccupping.

“Why d’you ― hic! ― bring us here?”

“Promise to keep a secret?” asked Lupin, leaning closer to her. Monicola nodded. “I’m a werewolf.”

“Wow!” Monicola cried. “That’s ― hic! ― amazing!”

Lupin sighed. “Yes I know. This is where I come every full moon, so I don’t hurt anyone.” He pointed to the rickety building with pride.

“Cool…hic!”
“That’s why we can’t be together,” he continued, gaining a sad tone. “Werewolves and vampires, they don’t mix.”

“Who says we have to ― hic! ― mix?” she said worriedly.

“We just can’t be together.”

“Oh.”

He sighed again. “We better get going.” He took her hand and lifted her to her feet. They walked back to the castle and collapsed in the squashy chairs in front of the fire in the common room.

“That was fun, Lupin, thank you,” said Monicola sincerely.

“You’re quite welcome.”

She leaded over and kissed him on the cheek and then fell asleep on his shoulder, snoring loudly.



Something very hard hit Lupin across the face.

“What happened!” he cried, jumping up. The room spun again but the spinning came with a throbbing, incredible pain in his temples. “Ow! What the hell happened to me?”

Someone laughed so hard they started choking. “You were pissed beyond all recognition, mate!” they gasped. “You look terrible!”

“Thank you, Prongs,” Lupin mumbled, sitting back down, massaging his head. “That makes me feel so much better.” He looked around. Monicola was gone.

“She’s in bed,” said Sirius, answering his question before he could ask it. “I think she sleepwalked all the way up the stairs.”

“Yeah, she was mumbling about the Shrieking Shack as well,” offered Peter.

“Oh, damn it!” said Lupin, suddenly realizing what he told Monicola.

“Watch your damn mouth; there’re first years around,” snapped James, still sniggering.

“I told her about my ‘furry little problem’!”

They all went silent. Peter was the first to speak.

“Why the hell would you do that?” he asked incredulously.

“I was drunk, idiot, I wasn’t entirely aware of my actions you know!”

***

The next day, Lupin’s head was still pounding but he ignored it and searched for Monicola. She was in the library, using an open book as a pillow at one of the tables. He touched her lightly on the arm. She lifted her head but a page was stuck to her face.

“Can I talk to you?” he asked hurriedly, sitting down across from her.

“Shh!” she hissed, pulling the page off her face. “My head is killing me; please speak softer!”

“Sorry, I just have to talk to you about what I said at the Shrieking Shack.”

“The who?”

“The Shrieking Shack. Remember? We were sitting on the ground…you kept hiccupping…”

“Oh, yea!” she said. “Okay, go on.”

“Do you remember what I told you?”

She nodded. “I do, and I swear I won’t tell anyone. You keep my secret, I’ll keep yours.”

“Good.”

“Lupin, what about the other thing you said?” she asked slowly.

“Huh?”

“You said that we could never be together because we we’re a werewolf and a vampire. That gave me the idea that you wanted to be together…”

“Oh, I �“ I �“ I didn’t mean anything ― it was just the ―”

“Lupin, you’re not making any sense.”

“I was drunk Monicola…I―I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Oh, alright,” she said expressionlessly.

Lupin swallowed and said, “So you won’t say a word?”

“No, Lupin! Who would I tell?”

“I thought you said you and Sirius were close…” said Harry as Monicola finished. “Usually that means you ―”

“I was being sarcastic!” Monicola exclaimed, moving from the kitchen to the door leading to the back yard where the Weasleys, Hermione, Lupin, and Tonks were lounging around the large table. In two days Harry, Ron, and Hermione were leaving on the journey to Godric Hollow. Ginny was returning to Hogwarts the very next day for her sixth year. They were having a celebration for both departures.

“But you did say that he found out you were a vampire, right?” asked Harry, sitting down at the table next to George. Monicola sat on his other side next to Charlie who promptly kissed her. No one paid attention to this; the potion Fred and George had put in his drink had not warn off and Charlie’s frequent outbursts of strange things did not bother anyone anymore.

“Sorry,” Charlie said automatically. “Green, cheese-tailed gorillas.” he added.

“Please stop saying that, Charlie,” pleaded Monicola. “You make it seem like it’s killing me. I don’t hate it at all.”

Charlie, apparently unable to respond to this, proceeded to squeeze his mouth closed so nothing outrageous could come out.

“How did he find out you were a vampire?” asked Harry, ignoring the interruption.

“Lupin let it slip while the both of us were in the extra classroom on the fifth floor.”

Hardly believing what he was hearing, Harry asked, “In a classroom, the both of you? Doing what?”

Across the table Lupin snorted the pumpkin juice he had been drinking through his nose. Ginny, who was next to him, handed him a napkin, smirking.

“Nothing, I swear! Lupin, tell him!” exclaimed Monicola.

“Well, we weren’t doing anything you were thinking about, Harry. Although, I was sort of…well at sixteen I…I can’t say I wasn’t thinking―”

“I think you should let me continue, Lupin,” offered Monicola. Lupin nodded.

“Frosted bogies!” shouted Charlie.

***

“Could you knock it off?” said Sirius, keeping his gaze away from Monicola and Lupin, bringing the book he was pretending to read closer to his face.

“Sorry, are we disturbing the hard worker?” said Monicola, her wand still pointing at Lupin who was now several feet in the air.

“Yes, you are.”

Monicola let Lupin down with a thud. “Fine. We’ll go somewhere else.” They left through the portrait hole, Monicola screaming as Lupin shot water at her.

“Can you believe them?” asked Sirius to no one in particular. “Making a racket while others are trying to study!”

“Why won’t you just except the fact Monicola will never choose you over Lupin and you can’t do anything to change that?” asked James who was attempting to beat Peter at Wizard’s Chess.

Sirius ignored him. Peter and James laughed when Sirius huffed and walked out the portrait hole.

Two floors down in an empty classroom, Lupin and Monicola were “practicing” for their exams in Charms.

“We’ve been at this for quite a few hours. Aren’t you tired?” she asked, sitting down at a desk.

Lupin shook his head and sat down next to her. “Are you?”

“No, but I am all wet!”

“You’re the one who can’t remember the drying spell.” Lupin waved his wand and Monicola’s robes were dry.

“Thanks.” She looked down at Lupin’s hands, seeing the scratches all over them. “I missed you last week….How did it go?”

“Fine as usual, I guess,” Lupin muttered, shrugging.

“I want to come see you next time.”

“You can’t, you know that!” yelled Lupin hurriedly. “What if I bit you? You would die, did you know that? You wouldn’t become a werewolf, you’d be dead, Monicola. I am not taking that risk!”

Monicola held her hands up in defense saying, “Alright, alright! I understand!”

“Some times I think you forget you’re a vampire.”

“It’s easier now with the Sun Protecting Charm, being around normal humans, having…well not a completely normal friend.” They both laughed. “Before coming back here it was hard to forget, especially without any other human contact. I’m glad I came back,” she added happily. Lupin smiled.

“So am I. Are you hungry?”

Monicola nodded. They walked toward the door and when Lupin opened it, Sirius was standing straight as a board, looking down the hallway, a stunned expression on his face.

Monicola knew what happened immediately. She dragged him into the classroom and pinned him to the wall with her arm. “What have you heard?” she shouted, fear shivering through her body.

“Vampire,” Sirius murmured.

Lupin swore loudly. Monicola wiped her sweaty forehead with her sleeve and breathed deeply. “What were you doing coming this way, spying on us?”

Sirius seemed to snap out of his stupor and gave her a nasty look. “I was going for an early dinner! I have better things to do than to listen to you two sucking each others’ faces! It’s not my fault Moony has a big mouth!”

“I was under the impression we couldn’t be heard,” said Lupin, rapidly advancing on Sirius. “You would have to be pretty close and standing still for quite some time to hear me…And who said we were sucking each others faces?!”

“What do you want me to do about you making bad judgments?” shouted Sirius, ignoring his last question.

Monicola pressed harder on his chest. “Don’t tell a soul, dead or living, what you heard. My privacy and comfort is at stake.”

“Oh, yes,” said Sirius, sarcastically. “I really care about those things!”

“Not a word,” she whispered dangerously and let him off the wall. She turned on her heel and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

“I suppose she won’t be wanting to talk to me right now,” said Lupin, sighing.

“Sorry, mate, I really didn’t mean to.”

“Just don’t tell anyone, not even James or Peter, alright?”

Sirius nodded. They left the room, going toward the common room.

“Wasn’t it you that told me she had a personality like poison?” asked Sirius. Lupin nodded. “Don’t listen to your own advice, do you?”

***

Sirius couldn’t sleep. All week long he had been thinking about Monicola. A vampire at Hogwarts…Dumbledore must have been losing his mind.

He rolled over in his bed and saw Lupin sitting up, staring fixedly into the night.

“What’s the matter?” Sirius asked, sitting up in bed as well.

“Tomorrow,” said Lupin, “is her birthday. I completely forgot.” He smacked himself in the forehead.

Sirius knew he should have felt sorry for Lupin and should have said something comforting, but he was thinking of his own gain.

“I have to go,” he said hurriedly, pulling on a pair of jeans. He rummaged through his truck and withdrew a sack of coins, a quill, parchment, and a jar of ink. “I’ll be back soon.”

Before Lupin could say anything, Sirius sprinted from the room.

His heart jumped around in his chest as ran through the halls to the Owlery. There weren’t many owls sitting on their posts; most of them were out hunting. He chose a large barn owl and then started to write his letter. He finished it, attacked several Galleons to the parchment and attached the whole thing to the owl’s leg. It immediately took off into the sky. Sirius watched it disappear; he smiled smugly as he walked back to bed.

***

“Oh, wow, Lupin! It’s really beautiful!”

“Is it? The woman at the shop said you would hate it!”

“We vampires have very strange tastes.” She held up the silver cross necklace and let it spin in the morning light. “Incredibly ironic, I know but we tend to prefer the stranger things in life. Just as long as it wasn’t wood, then I would have to kill you.”

“I’m very glad they don’t make wooden necklaces then.”

They were sitting in the common room. Everyone had gone out to enjoy the fresh air on a beautiful Saturday morning.

Monicola couldn’t believe Lupin had spent Galleons on her, especially on something this beautiful.

“How much was it?” she asked interestedly.

Lupin laughed. “You’re not supposed to ask someone that!”

“I don’t care what I’m not supposed to do! How much?”

He sighed and mumbled, “Ten.”

Monicola’s eyes brightened. “Ten? As in ten Galleons?” Lupin nodded. “Why on Earth would you spend that much money on me?”

“Because…I wanted to.”

Monicola could feel her cheeks get warmer, something they hardly ever did. Breath, she thought. This is no time to get all fluttery especially not with a werewolf.

To break the long silence, Lupin asked, “So how old are you?”

“Now, I know you’re not supposed to ask a lady that,” said Monicola, putting on the necklace.

“I’ll keep that in mind when I see a lady…”

Monicola threw a couch pillow at him. Lupin threw it back, softer though, and stood up.

“I have to go. I have to meet James.”

“What for?”

Lupin shrugged. “Sirius said he wanted me for something.”

A few minutes after Lupin, Monicola left as well for lunch. On her way down she saw Sirius hurrying toward her with a whicker basket.

“Happy birthday, Moni,” he said, holding the basket to her.

“What is ―?”

“Just open it.”

Monicola took it reluctantly. Slowly, she opened one end. Bright red eyes were staring back out at her.

“What the ― ARRGH!”

A huge black object came flying out of the basket on to Monicola’s head, hissing and spitting as it scratched at her face.

Sirius swore loudly, grabbing his present, and helping Monicola up.

“I’m sorry!” he cried, holding the cat out away from his body.

Monicola waited for her skin to heal before she said anything. “You are so lucky I’m a vampire, Black. Otherwise those scratches would have been permanent and I would have had to kill you…slowly.”

Lupin and James came running toward them.

“We heard screaming. What happened?” asked James, glaring at the cat questioningly.

“That,” Monicola said, pointing at it, “is my gift, from Sirius.”

James laughed loudly. “It’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen!” He reached a hand out to touch it and came back with a bloody finger. “Son of a ―”

Lupin was glaring at Sirius angrily. “This is what you ran off for last night, wasn’t it? You tried to make your present better than mine.”

“I don’t see your gift anywhere, Remus!” Sirius shouted back.

“It’s right here!” Monicola dug into her shirt and pulled out the silver cross on its chain. Sirius eyed it jealously. “Lupin had sense enough not to buy me something living! If you even tried to know me, maybe you’d know I don’t like animals.”

“You never gave me a chance! Every time I tried to get to know you, you wouldn’t give me the time of day.”

Monicola snorted. “Get to know me? As I recall you always talked about yourself!”

“Would you two stop bickering!” shouted James, who was still trying to touch the dangerous cat. “Your voices are really starting to hurt my ears!”

“SHUT UP!” Monicola and Sirius said together.

“Oy! Monicola!” someone called from down the hall. A blond man came running toward them with a glass sphere in his arms. He was dressed in Muggle clothing.

“Here you are, love,” Hawk said, bending down to kiss Monicola on the cheek. “Happy birthday!” He handed her the glass orb. It looked a lot like a crystal ball only the cloudy shape within didn’t fill it completely.

Monicola’s eyes grew wide as she said, or tried to say, “I-Is t-this my…”

“Sure is and I have another surprise. You’re getting out of here! I just spoke to your Headmaster. The All Father wants you in Greece.”

Remus stared back and forth between Monicola and the blond man. Who was this man and why on earth did he kiss Monicola!? Sirius was thinking along the same lines. He handed the cat to James who had gotten it to like him a little. “Excuse me,” Sirius said, his lips very tightly pursed. “Who the hell are you?”

“Hawk Livingston,” said Hawk cheerfully, putting out his hand. Sirius didn’t except it. “Are you coming?” he added to Monicola. She had been silent for quite some time.

The reason for her silence was that she did not want to leave Hogwarts for two reasons: She truly loved it there and…Remus. How could she leave Remus now? Why should she have to? Slowly, she turned to Hawk and said, “What for?”

He seemed shocked for a second but recovered. “Because I have to bring you. If I don’t, Father will kill me…literally.”

“What if I don’t want to go?”

“Then I’ll just have to take you myself,” and Hawk took Monicola in his arms, threw he haphazardly over his shoulder and started walking down the hall. She screamed and pounded on his back but he was not going to let go.

As one, Remus and Sirius ran after them, James taking his time with cat in hand. They all came to the gate of the schools outside where the clouds had started to cover the sun. Remus and Sirius had their wands out.

“Put her down!” they both cried.

“Or you’ll do what?” asked Hawk amusedly. “I can’t be killed by magic…”

“Stupefy!” howled Sirius and Hawk went flying. Monicola fell a few yards away from him. Hawk wasn’t moving. He had hit his head on a rock and blood was starting to pour out. His wound was not healing.

“What have you done to him!” screamed Monicola, running toward Hawk who was groaning quietly.

“I was only trying to ―” Sirius started but she interrupted him.

“Vampires can’t heal when they’re stupefied you twit!”

“I didn’t know ―”

“You best pray that you never see the Veil, Sirius Black!” she shrieked but then she stopped abruptly. She swore loudly but didn’t explain herself. She stood, holding on to one of Hawk’s limp arms.

“Wait!” Remus called, knowing what she was about to do.

“I’ll come and see you again, I promise,” she replied. She took a step and then stopped. “James, can I have that cat?”

James stared confusedly at her but handed it to her anyway. She spun and she, Hawk, and the evil cat were gone.

The three boys walked back to the castle as it started to rain. Remus remained silent, his face expressionless. He had heard about Hawk from Monicola. She complained about him constantly. From what he heard, he knew he would never let Monicola see him again.

“What do you think she meant by a ‘Veil’,” Sirius asked no one in particular. Both boys shrugged and James replied, “Maybe it’s a death wish.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from Monicola.”

“Have a good year Ginny,” said Monicola, hugging her tightly. “Keep your guard up, alright?”

Ginny nodded, smiling fondly. She moved on to say good bye to her brothers, Hermione, and Harry. Everyone waved as Ginny and her parents walked through the barrier leading to platform 9¾. They all waited for Arthur and Molly by a bench not too far away.

“So, it is still a ‘no’ to the teaching job, am I right?” asked Lupin, standing next to Monicola. She stared at her boots, smiling, showing off her fangs.

“You would go bothering me about that,” she mumbled. Instead of answer his question, Monicola looked around at their group. “Where’s your girlfriend?”

Lupin scratched his head nervously. He had completely forgotten Tonks wasn’t there. “She, um, had to work.”

Monicola touched his arm gently. “I’m happy you’ve found love, Lupin.”

“So am I,” he replied, smiling.

“And I’m also happy that you haven’t let my spell affect you. In fact, I don’t think you ever did.”

Lupin shrugged. “Well at first I was a bit like Sirius only I could control myself a bit better. But then I realized what a nasty attitude you could have especially when you got annoyed and I saw you for who you really were. Back then it had nothing to do with the spell within. You were just really mean.”

“Thanks, Lupin, you make me feel good about myself all the time,” she said sarcastically.

“No problem.”

***

Monicola stood at the Weasley’s front door, smiling and giving hugs and saying that she would write when she could. Hermione said that since she, Harry, and Ron would be roaming about so much, she would send Monicola letters instead of giving her a permanent address.

Charlie was the last to say good bye. He took her by the waist, dipped her low and kissed her on the lips.

“Charlie, I thought the jinx wore off,” she said breathlessly as they straightened up.

“It did,” said Charlie, smirking. He kissed her on the cheek gently. “I’ll write.”

George and Fred started laughing immediately. Monicola smiled sheepishly at Charlie. She Apparated quickly to avoid embarrassing herself more by blushing so furiously.

At home, she breathed in the lonely smell of her neighborhood, the dementors’ fog still quite thick. It was dark in the house and very hot as she had left the black curtains closed while she was gone. She walked to her bedroom, reminding herself to do something about the way the hardwood floors creaked. When she turned on the light she saw a face she was not happy to see but her heart jumped excitedly anyway.

“What on earth have you done to your hair?” Hawk asked, stepping toward her and running his cold fingers through the red streaks.

“How the hell did you get in?” she asked, purposely dropping one of her bags on his foot. She hadn’t seen him in a year and a half years but the sight of him still got her angry and thrilled at the same time.

“You always avoid the questions I ask with one of your own.”

“And you never answer mine.”

Hawk sighed and sat on the bed. “I was trying to get you comfortable around me, you know. Every time I see you I have to give you news that you end up not liking.”

“So it’s more news from Greece then?” she asked, going to her wardrobe to hang up her cloak and to put away the clothes in her luggage.

“Of course,” remarked Hawk. “What other news would I bring? And I’ll tell you this much, you won’t like it, as I’ve said.”

“Just tell me.”

“Alright fine, you asked for it.” He took a deep breath and then went on tentatively. “Father and I were talking one day, about you. He was saying how much he loved taking care of your soul back in the day. It always had something smart to say and it often argued with mine…”

Monicola’s eyes moved to the cloudy orb resting on the floor in the back of her wardrobe haphazardly covered by books and an old T-shirt.

“He liked that electricity between our souls and he thought that our personalities would be amazing if they were put together,” he went on, squeezing his hands together, waiting for the angry screaming. “Well, as you can imagine, this was very…odd to hear so I asked him what he meant and he declared that we should have a child.”

Hawk waited his ears perked, ready for what came next.

“IS HE MAD!?” hollered Monicola, shaking with rage. “HAS HE LOST HIS MIND IN HIS OLD AGE? DOES HE HONESTLY THINK THAT I OF ALL PEOPLE WOULD BE PERFECTLY ALRIGHT WITH GETTING PREGANT?”

“I knew you’d take it this way,” he conceded, standing up to be in front of her. “I swear, I tried to talk him out of it but you know how he gets. Sometimes he abuses his power and no one confronts him about it.”

Monicola was biting her tongue, trying to keep down the level of her voice. She did not want to give her neighbors another reason to call that damn Muggle contractor to tear down her house. “So you tried to talk him out of it, did you? I doubt it. All you want to do is�””

“I swear! It wasn’t like that! He kept on pushing the fact that the Clan of the Waning Wings is one of the only clans that can produce offspring. I tried as hard as I could without getting killed and he’s still angry with me for trying to disobey him.”

“So you think since you don’t want to die at the hand of an old vampire, you can break into my home and seduce me into bearing a child for you? You’re about as insane as Father is!”

Hawk attempted to put his hands on her shoulders but she shrugged him off. “Tell me what I’m supposed to do instead?”

“Tell him that we tried and found out that you shot blanks!”

“I’m not telling him that!” he exclaimed, completely appalled by what he just heard.

“Oh don’t go worrying about your reputation,” she contended. “Father will probably sympathize with you; tell you it happens to the best of vampires.”

“But you know first-hand that I don’t.”

“Unfortunately,” Monicola mumbled.

Hawk snapped his fingers as if to say “Eureka!” “I know what’s bothering you. You’re worried about that curse you put on that boy decades ago.”

“You heard me?” inquired Monicola, incredulous. “I thought you were…”

“I wasn’t unconscious, I was concussed. I heard everything.”

“What does the curse have to do with anything anyway?”

Hawk sighed, sad that his little student had ignored so much of what he taught her. “Don’t you remember that when woman of the Clan of the Waning Wings put a curse on someone, they run the risk of having the curse backfire on their children?”

“I know how it goes, thanks,” she retorted. “That boy died not too long ago. There is no risk of anything backfiring as the curse worked on him. You cannot imagine how responsible I feel…it just came out, like you said it would.”

“It’s a natural reflex our clan has when we’re angry or in distress. I really wouldn’t go about blaming yourself…”

“Oh then I should blame you for teaching it to me?”

“No, you can’t blame it on me either. I wasn’t under the impression that whoever was unfortunate enough to have that curse thrown would see the Veil at all.”

Monicola wasn’t listening. It just dawned on her completely how very responsible she was for Sirius’ death. Sure he could have fallen in without her help but she gave it that extra boost, gave Lestrange’s wand that extra push.

“Oh, don’t start crying, love!” Hawk exclaimed, pulling her into an embrace. “Will it make you feel better if I say, ‘yes it was my fault that boy died’?”

“He had a name,” she snapped, pushing him away again. “It was Sirius Black.”

***

Monicola had been forced to go to Greece. The All-Father demanded that he talk to her in person. Hawk went with her.

They both were scolded like children only instead of being sent to their rooms they were threatened with immediate and painful death if they did not obey his wishes. Monicola left his presence fighting back tears. It had been quite a while since she had seen him but she had never been frightened by him like this since the day she met him.

Hawk handed her a handkerchief which she blew her nose in and handed back all the while giving him a blood-chilling glare.

“I want to think you planned this but after that it’s very difficult to do so,” she told him.

Hawk, who was looking incredibly miserable, replied, “If I had, I think I’d be more excited about this but I’m truly not. I know you’ll never forgive me for this even though I had nothing to do with it…I’m not even sure I have the emotional energy to do the task…”

“Oh, shut up!” Monicola snapped. “I know you better than anyone and I’m sure you will have no trouble rising to the occasion.”