"When I fall, I fall hard.

I guess that's what I get for standin' so tall."

-Socratic

They were lying on top of each other, panting, their clothes forming a tangled heap somewhere nearby.

Draco moaned as Caius kissed a wet trail down his chest to his aching member.

He closed his eyes and let Caius continue his pleasuring ministrations. It didn't take long for him to come, his back arching, causing the autumn leaves beneath them to crackle, his moan carrying through the forest that was a part of the expansive Malfoy property.

"Shh," Caius soothed, hugging Draco to his bare chest, "you're fine."

Draco rested his leg across Caius' naked form and shivered. "I should get back," he whispered, staring at the Manor's twinkling lights in the distance. "If Father catches me I'm-"

Caius silenced him with a lingering kiss.

"No one's going to catch us, Draco," he murmured against his lips. "As long as you're with me, you're safe, I promise you that."

And Draco believed him.

"I'm glad you could all make it to this crucial staff meeting," Dumbledore smiled, standing up at the head of the long table. "I have a few…" he cast a glance at the brooding bunch in the corner, "-er, issues to discuss. I'm sure this meeting will, however, be over in no time, Professor Flitwick."

Said Professor shifted uncomfortably in his seat, embarrassed to have been caught by the Headmaster staring at the enchanted clock that hung on the far wall.

"As you are all well aware, Hogwarts is a home and place of refuge to any who seek it. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I have allowed these young (the clan in the corner burst into unceremonious coughing that disappeared at a glance from Dumbledore) vampires into the school."

The silence in the staff room was deafening and then, all at once, everyone began to mutter.

"What-" Professor Flitwick squeaked. "Albus, surely you're – joking…?"

"Filius, I assure you, I am not." Dumbledore silenced the room with a raise of his hand. "These vampires will remain at Hogwarts, unknowingly to all except the staff, so that they are able to protect our students here from Lord Voldemort and his followers. Whereas it takes a wizard or witch many spells to fight a Death Eater, with their speed, powers and strength, these young ones can dispose of them in mere seconds."

"But Dumbledore," Snape's face was contorted with rage, "I urge you to reconsider."

"My decision is final," Dumbledore stated. "Now allow me to introduce to you the Cullens." He pointed at each of them in turn as he said their names: "Alice, Jasper, Edward, and Rosalie. I trust that they will be treated with the utmost respect," he added, looking sternly at each member of the staff.

"The Cullens will stay in a dormitory reserved specifically for them and, as a safety precaution; the location of their whereabouts shall remain unknown to all, even the staff." He smiled apologetically.

"Each Professor will, once a week, meet the Cullens, as pre-arranged with Hagrid, in the Forbidden Forest in order to teach those ways in which our guests may defend themselves from the magic of our kind."

Professor Snape looked ready to burst a vessel but he remained quiet with glares from the rest of the staff.

"And," Dumbledore announced happily, "that will be all! Any questions?"

"No," the staff chorused together, grumpily.

"Wonderful!" Dumbledore said, oblivious to the deathly glares being tossed at him one after the other from Snape. "The teaching schedule for the Cullens shall be sent out soon and, until then, happy teaching!"

He exited the room with the Cullens in tow, leaving behind his bewildered staff to deal with a very furious Professor Snape.

The next day at 10:30 A.M., Harry watched the Dursleys make their way through King's Cross station after having dropped him off at Platform 9¾ (a feat they had not performed during Harry's previous five years at Hogwarts), huddled together, as if they were going to be attacked by one of "his kind" at any time.

Harry rolled his eyes at their wariness and breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be rid of the Dursleys and returning to Hogwarts for his sixth year.

He focused on the wall in front of him and pushed his trolley towards it, determined to make it through in one try as he had in all previous years –and he did.

The Hogwarts Express stood there in all its glory, sunlight glinting off of it in an almost blinding fashion.

"Harry!" He turned towards the source of the sound to see Ron and Hermione hurrying towards him.

"How are you, Harry?" Hermione beamed, tossing her arms around his neck in a strangling hug.

"Hermione – get- off-"

"Oh, sorry," she blushed, "didn't mean to choke you…"

Ron grinned. "Come on, we've already found a compartment for ourselves."

"Where's Mrs. Weasley?" Harry scanned the heads in the crowd as they made their way onto the train.

"Oh, right," Ron said thoughtfully, pulling Harry's trunk onto the train. "She left early, some meeting she had to attend, or so she was saying – I wasn't really paying attention."

Harry felt disappointed – surely Mrs. Weasley's meeting could've waited for at least a few more minutes? But he dispelled any thoughts of the kind as they seated themselves in a compartment.

-0-

It was well into the night by now and Harry had to force himself to keep his eyes open. He watched the countryside whip by outside the window, stifling a yawn.

Suddenly the compartment door slid open.

"Well, well," drawled the infamous voice of Draco Malfoy," what do we have here: The Bookworm, Weasel, and Potty."

Crabbe and Goyle guffawed stupidly on either side of him.

"Get lost, Malfoy," Ron growled, clearly not pleased that his sleep was being disturbed.

Malfoy smirked. "What's that, Weasel? Can't stand to be in the presence of perfection?"

"I didn't know perfection came with the heavy price of an ugly hickey on your neck," Hermione retaliated.

Draco slapped his hand onto said body part, eyes widening in shock. He quickly rearranged his face back into a wall of impassive coolness, but the damage had been dealt.

"No need to be jealous, Granger, I'm sure someone with no eyesight wouldn't mind giving you one either." And with that, he swept out of their compartment and back down the corridor to his own.

After a brief moment of silence, Ron opened his mouth in outrage but Hermione cut him off:

"No, Ronald, we are not going to discuss Malfoy's hickey." She paused for a second, and then, "Or anything, rather, that is related to his love life or lack thereof."

Ron flushed, embarrassed. "I wasn't even thinking of…"

"Yeah, and I'm dating the Giant Squid."

Ron scowled and turned away from her in order to stop himself from retaliating.

Harry sighed.

This is going to be a long night, he thought, turning, once again, to gaze wistfully out the window.

Writer: Sidra aka MisuzSirius

A/N: There are just a few things I'd like to make clear to everyone:

1) As stated on our profile, this story is going to be written between two people. The idea is that we want to write one chapter each, so as to throw each other off course and make ourselves think fast to keep up with what the other is writing. It's a fun way we've come up with to challenge ourselves :) The end of each chapter will be signed off with whoever wrote it along with their username (as I've already done so for this chapter!). Links to individual account's can be found on our profile.

2) There is no Emmett Cullen in this story, sorry to disappoint. He just didn't fit in with the storyline, and so we… well, kicked him out, I suppose. Sorry once again!