Hey my faithful readers, just wanted to say thank you for all the reviews, faves, and follows over the past week. I'm sorry this is so late - I just started college, so I've been trying to find time to work on it. It's been hard with everything going on. I'm glad that you are all still staying tuned despite my late-ness. Hope you enjoy this new chapter!

beta: harryfan160899

Last time on Bestiae Mortis:

Unfortunately, being alone left him with way too many thoughts in his head. Sleep would probably clear his mind of worry – he wouldn't be able to think about Harry and his mate, or Remus possibly having a mate, or him possibly being Remus's mate; he would simply be lost in the world of dreams, where it was not necessarily safe, but he could at least somewhat escape his problems.

Chapter 21: Novi Arbitrationes

It was a humid night; all around him were iridescent white moonflowers open to the sky overhead, which seemed to pulse with life in the darkness around it. Soft grass tickled his nape pleasantly, keeping him just awake enough to be aware of it. He sat up slowly and looked around him; he was lounging in the field behind his parents' house in his homeland. Two moons shone down overhead, reflecting off the lake in the center of the field. The night was peaceful; only the sounds of the insects could be heard communicating back and forth between one another in the pitch black. It was just like the nights he had had as a kid, sneaking out to gaze at the stars when his parents went to sleep.

The difference was that he was much older – he hadn't been back to his homeland in months, how had he ended up here?

He turned at the sound of a sigh to find his beloved Harry sleeping beside him, peaceful, smiling and serene, his black hair fanning out behind his head. For a moment, he was allowed to gaze at him without hindrances. The man's pale skin shone under the moonlight, looking soft as silk. He reached a hand out to touch him but the thought that he might wake the peaceful man made him draw back. He didn't want the chance to gaze at him like this to pass. He laid himself back down to join his mate in sleep, his hand sliding into Harry's. He smiled as he felt the larger hand gently squeeze his.

The next second, he suddenly had a feeling that something was terribly wrong.

It was the sudden loss of warmth in Harry's hand that alarmed him. He looked over to see his mate frozen in that state of sleep, his face pale and ashen as in death. His face was still smiling, but blue veins beneath his white skin had started to appear. Suddenly, the large hand turned as cold as ice. He looked down, horrified to find Harry's hand now made of gray stone, cracked and weathered with age. He looked up to see the rest of him was the same; the blue veins were now cracks in Harry's stone face, pouring dust onto the grass. He tried to pull his hand away, only find the stone fingers clenched around them.

There was a loud rumble and suddenly he heard a 'pop' – he looked up in horror to see a huge crack had suddenly sprouted on his mate, starting at his feet and working its way up to his neck. Suddenly the stone's eyes opened – they turned to him, gray and dull. All around them, too, the plants withered as the life was sucked out of them by some way or another; the blight which overtook them spread out from them if a wide circle as far as his eyes could see.

Harry's hand pulled away from his to reach out to him, cupping his cheek.

"Goodbye, Nar…" he rasped, his voice sounding like it hadn't been used in years. The arm suddenly dropped to the ground and crumbled, braking off from the main stone, and one by one all of his limbs followed suit. The statue that had been his mate turned to rubble at his side.

A scream tore from his throat.

"Harry, no!"

Nar jerked up, panting and sweating. He could feel something warm and wet on his face; he lifted a hand and realized that they were tears.

He had dreamt of Harry again.

He had been dreaming of Harry ever since they met, actually; some were like the one he had just had, others were much nicer and much sweeter. He didn't know what to think about them, what they meant. A human squib – Fred? Ford?...Freud! – had once said that dreams were the resolution of the mind's conflicts, so what did that say about his dreams? In some, Harry and he were together – in a beautiful peaceful place, or getting to know each other in every meanings of the word – and in others Harry abandoned him in some way – either by dying and leaving him alone or by simply walking away from him. However, in dreams like the ones he had just had, it didn't seem to be the resolution ofanything; more like one more way for his life to crumble to pieces.

Sighing heavily, he rose from his bed, slipping on the robe resting in the chair beside it. Sunlight streamed through the small window overhead, swathing the circular room in a soft, golden glow. All of the furnishings – the bed, the dresser, the chair, and the bedside and reading tables – were all made from the same wood as the boards lining the bottom of the wall and the door to his meager foyer; the sheets were the same emerald green as the walls. The coverlet was a soft off-white with golden leaves pattern scattered all over it.

It was a simple room, meant for one person.

Or two, if they shared a bed.

He sighed at the wistful thought and made his way to take a shower, stripping and getting under the hot water when he turned it on. He ran a hand through his wet hair, running over his face to wipe away the lingering touch of sleep. He started to bathe as his thoughts strayed to the dream he had only a few moments ago.

These dreams of his were thankfully not as frequent as they could be, but they interfered with his sleep when he did have them, waking him up feeling either horrified, alone, or empty and not allowing him to go back to sleep. It had only been a week since he had met Harry and he already had it bad – he was getting to the point where he couldn't go a minute without thinking about the beautiful man. It was tiring to say the least, but he would deal with it for now. He loved Harry already and he didn't even know anything about him. He didn't know if Harry wanted to be with him, even though the bond would force him, and he didn't know how Harry would react when he found out. He knew that his mate was a goodman; he could see the light in his heart, in his aura, but he could also see a hidden pain beneath his outwardly friendly appearance.

He had been through a lot before he had come here and Nar hoped that one day his mate would trust him enough to tell him.

However, every journey began with the first step. He would to tell Harry about their connection eventually, he just didn't know when would be the best time. Of course, he would have to ask Talnus first if he could be with Harry; he didn't know the ins and outs of the school's bylaws by heart – he had learned them at the beginning of his career as a teacher, and that had been over a century ago – but maybe there was indeed a loophole that they could use to at least have a relationship; whether it was physical or not, he didn't care as long as his bond was reciprocated.

He washed the remnants of the soap out of his hair and from his body as his shower came to an end. He turned off the water and stepped out, pulling on his robe once more.

He walked to his small foyer with a pensive expression. The only time he had to talk to Talnus was the upcoming Saturday, as he was booked completely for the week. He planned on taking the class to their first trip out to the menagerie soon, and he needed to plan out the worksheets for them to take notes with when they went to see the first set of animals – they were small ones that wouldn't get any bigger than a human's shins – as well as the upcoming test after their menagerie trip. The rest of the week was booked with class work until Monday. There was also a big project coming up soon…If he got permission from Talnus, he would breach topic with Harry on Monday – he planned on teaching Harry how to feed the animals then, and the two of them would be alone with a large allotment of time to talk it over. It would be the perfect time.

He nodded with finality and rose to get ready, steeling himself for the day to come.

The moment Harry and Hermione walked into their first period class they were overcome with a sense of dread. It was eerily quiet except for some whispers, and all of the desks had been pushed to the side. The students that had arrived were all huddled in a huge group near them, whispering. He could see De la Sombras at his desk getting his things together – a stack of white boxes rested on his desk beside him. He was dressed down for the day, his sleeves rolled up to his elbow and he was wearing knee-length, sturdy-looking boots, fastened together with a row of buckles that crisscrossed in various places. He was wearing black again, but this time, he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt – despite the heat – to go with his usual black pants (which had been tucked into his boots). His hair was in a ponytail this time.

The two students joined the crowd where they were, waiting for the professor to start. He didn't move from fiddling around on his desk until the bell rang and when he turned – his expression twisted in annoyance – he had one of the boxes open in his hand. There were white sticks inside.

"Everyone come here and get one of these," he barked, holding up one of the sticks, and the class immediately lined up at his word. He passed a stick to each of them and Harry and Hermione were shocked to realize that he was passing out chalk; excess white dust covered their hands when he gave it to them. The class moved back to their previous places after they had all gotten one and the teacher moved to the front of the room.

"Today, we are going to learn some very simple sigils. You will not be summoning anything, so I would appreciate it if anyone who finds themselves unable to prevent themselves from trying to do something got the hell out of my classroom." There were a few gasps at his word choice, but no one protested; no one dared to move either, not wanting his attention to be focused on them.

"With that, let's continue. This chalk, though it may not seem so, holds magic in it; it was created from rocks in the ocean not far from where we are, and infused with the necessary magic needed to draw forth a creature. Extensive damage to this chalk could be costly – monetarily and otherwise. Therefore, every day that you use it, before we leave class, you will place your chalk neatly back into their boxes so that you will not lose it and that they will not be damaged. I know the number of sticks that I have, so do not think I won't know that one is missing, and if I find that one of your scents is missing when I count them, I will know which one of you has taken it, understand?" He can discern our scents, despite so many of us here? Harry thought, perplexed, what kind of creature is he?

The class nodded at the vaguely veiled threat, some of the students around him eliciting whimpers of fear.

"Now, take your chalk and find an area, separate from one another, where you will each have enough room to stretch your arms fully no matter which way you're facing." The students complied, friends staying together and scattered around the room in staggered spots, checking the size of their space with their arms outstretched and turning a complete circle – after placing their familiars down beside them of course. De la Sombras moved to stand in front of his desk where a space of just the right size was located. He waited for everyone to have a spot before continuing.

"Take out your textbooks and turn to page 151; there you will see the sigil to summon a common pixie." The sound of flipping pages filled the room.

The picture on page 151 was of a larger circle with a smaller circle inside. Two symbols alternated around the expanse the two circles created – one was a symbol which looked like an X which had been tilted slightly to the left and the other one simply looked like the letter 'I.' In the very center of the circles was a string of symbols evenly spaced at vertices of a five-pointed star, another symbol shaped like a seesaw from a playground placed on top of a triangle acting as the center. The symbol at the top point looked like an image of a sitting stick figure turned on its head. The next symbol was like a horseshoe with a bent left end. The next was like the image of a thick scooper with a handle cut off about half an inch from the spoon part. The second symbol was repeated again in the sequence, and the last one was like the letter T with an open hole attached to the downward line.

The caption at the bottom said that when drawn the radius of the smallest circle was to be the length of the summoner's foot, and the radius of the largest circle was to be at least two inches larger than the smaller one. The X symbol was called a Nauthiz and the 'I' was called an Isa – meaning constraint and stasis respectively. The letters forming the star in the center spelled 'pixie' an alphabet formed from Runes called the Andamic Script, and the one in the very center was the symbol for 'air,' which labeled this pixie as an airborne one. This sigil was one of simplest ones, the simplest of all being the one to summon a Dugbog (1).

"All of you draw this symbol on the floor with your chalk – exactly as you see it. When finished, I will come around to check your work. You will work on this symbol until the end of class; if you do not draw it correctly before then, you will meet me during lunch to continue working on drawing it." Protests immediately arose, though the first ones were still unsure.

"But, professor, I have a test today!"

"Professor, you can't do that to us! We have to have lunch!"

More and more protests of the like came, and Harry and Hermione watched as the professor's fists clenched and his eyes squeezed shut. A snarl came across his face, and the air around them seemed to get very thick. The air around the teacher seemed to have suddenly become charged with energy – in fact, the chalk boxes and bottles rattled on his desk.

Eventually, one of the bottles snapped, and so did he.

"Silence!"

The class turned as still as death; the students finally realizing the atmosphere. Every eye turned to the teacher, their shock evident as they took in his appearance. Black horns protruded from his forehead, blacker than night and lethal looking as he bared two rows of fanged teeth at them. A black tail that ended in a spade whipped back and forth behind him, like it was slicing the air itself. His eyes were glowing red, the pupils slitting until they looked like a thin line of black in the center, and he looked positively murderous. Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stick straight up, and he shot a worried look to Hermione, who looked like she too was feeling the dangerous vibes of their professor.

"If I say you will come during lunch, you will come, without protests and without excuses! If you don't want to learn on my terms, then leave! No one will miss you!" his fury-fueled words echoed off the walls in the silence. The students cowed further back from him; the thick feeling in the air had not dissipated, and it looked like the charged atmosphere was coming from him.

His eyes swiped over them, and seemingly satisfied at their fear, he calmed down. The horns, tail, and fangs stayed, but the air lightened up substantially, and Harry let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding.

"As anyone with sense can see, I am not in the mood to deal with blubbering, selfish teenagers, and I would advise all of you to be seen and not heard." he narrowed his eyes at some of the ones who had protested, all of whom flinched back from the angry professor. "Start on your drawings. And no talking." Harry gave him a slight glare of his own; it wasn't in his nature to take tyranny such as this lying down. However, he wasn't certain whether or not the teacher would feel any remorse if he killed one of his students for speaking out against him – another difference that separated America from Britain. And not one he would be happy to deal with.

Despite his reservations, he started to draw the image he had seen. Hermione followed suit, peering down at the book intently. It took him and Hermione multiple tries to complete it – either the circles weren't the right size, or the runes had been smudged while they were drawing the other ones, or they had completely drawn the rune wrong.

In fact, it took the entire class period – and Harry had a feeling it was because the professor was simply in a picky mood and had torn their drawings apart piece by piece with his gaze just so he could wreak havoc on them. He kept his new appendages as a reminder of his mini-tantrum from earlier; his tail whipped around behind him and every once in a while Harry was certain he saw a near sadistic grin on his face whenever one of the other human students quailed in fear whenever he came to check their work. All of these aspects of him he noticed with a careful – albeit annoyed – eye, and all of his findings led to him right back to the same question as before:

What the hell was he?

He waited until they were out of the class, after De la Sombras had made sure to angrily remind them all that they needed to read chapter two and have a summary on his desk the next day, before voicing his question to Hermione for the answers.

"The horns and tail are indicative of a demon, but the fact that he can hide his demonic characteristics without the use of a spell means that he isn't a full one."

"So we have a psychotic part-demon as our first period teacher? Lovely." Hermione sighed.

"Are you shocked? I mean, this school as so many types of creatures – some that we've never even heard of. I was thinking about looking into the school's statistics in the library to see what types they do and did have, just to be sure."

"Of course you are," Harry sighed.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Hermione turned to him with an innocent expression.

"Oh, no; of course not." Hermione snorted.

"Didn't think so." They made their way to the courtyard, pulling a little ways away from the crowd to say their good byes.

"Well, I'm off. Have fun in second, 'Mione." She huffed in annoyance.

"Oh really? And how do you expect me to do that? What that little blood-sucking prat I have to deal with every day," she grumbled. Beside her, Athena hissed. The witch pointed to her. "See? Not even Athena likes him."

"She doesn't really particularly like many people at all, Hermione."

"Your point?" Harry laughed.

"Stop being so resistant. He's hot, he likes you; I'm not really seeing a reason why you shouldn't flirt back with him – besides your pride anyway. Hubris will bite you in the ass, I can guarantee it." Harry, however, had a feeling it was something other than pride that was holding her back, but he wanted her to admit it first.

"He probably only wants me for my blood."

"Well, that's not something you hear every day." Harry shook his head. "Listen, 'Mione, if he tries something just Bombarda Maxima his ass away."

"Harry, I really don't think Talnus would be too happy about that and besides…I'm just not ready to flirt – with anyone. I wasn't so good at it in the first place." Ah, the truth comes out. Harry smiled.

"I understand. Well, if we don't hurry, we'll be late. Hurry along to your leech!" He teased as he walked away, Hermione's flustered shout of 'Harry!' echoing behind him.

He walked to his class quickly, and soon found himself in the familiar tower. This time, Michelle awaited him, a huge grin splitting his face when Harry entered.

"Good morning, Harry! Are you ready to begin?" Harry placed Hedwig where he had the day before, and turned to answer.

"Of course." The redhead clapped in delight, and Harry couldn't help but think that he seemed all the more excitable than he had yesterday – and then he was reminded of what he had seen at lunch yesterday. Was his happiness the headmaster's doing? He blushed at the thought of what exactly Talnus could have to done to…lighten the professor's mood, and quickly pushed that thought aside. Thinking about his teachers, together, was just a new way to scar him mentally. He forcibly turned his attention to the professor.

"Today we are going to lengthen the difference for you to apparate. Yesterday you were quite successful so I feel like you will be again today."

"Alright; let's do this."

Hermione walked cautiously into her second period, her earlier conversation with Harry on her mind. She hadn't meant to bring up the past, but the past came back every time Kieran entered her mind. It would be him and then Ron, and then the cycle would continue until she wanted nothing more than to lose herself in work. It seemed to be the only repast she had at the moment, aside from enjoying herself with her family.

To her surprise, the vampire had not come up to her like she had expected; his desk was currently empty. With a quick glance around, she found he was actually conversing with their professor. He looked nervous, almost like he was trying to persuade the professor to do something, but she seemed unconvinced. Eventually, she waved him back to his seat, to which he reluctantly complied. His face was twisted into a scowl when he turned, and then suddenly his eyes were on her. They snapped to her immediately, and she saw his pupils dilate. For a split second, his eyes raked over, but then he ripped his gaze away again with another scowl, finally plopping down in his seat.

Confused at the unusual reaction, Hermione made her way to her seat with a frown. What was his problem? Just yesterday he had been more than happy to be in her presence, and now he looked like he didn't want her around. Well, fine then, she refused to react to his rather rude reaction.

Even if it did sting.

She pulled out her Runes book as the bell rang, which was just as the teacher entered – this time by the door. She swung it shut hastily behind her and walked to the front of the room. She was once again wearing a very colorful get up;

"Alright, everyone, today we are going to get into groups of four. I have the groups set up." She pulled out a long piece of paper. "I have appointed group leaders for the groups; when I call your names, leaders, please stay seated and raise your hands so your other group members can know where you are. For everyone else, when I call your name, please join your group leaders at their desks. Group one…" She started to name them all; slowly the students grouped themselves in different parts of the room. There were seven groups; Hermione vaguely heard her name called as one of the group leaders.

Two other girls came toward her; she noticed with mixed feelings that Kieran was not one of her group partners. Part of her was sad, part of her was happy. She shook her head and turned her attention to the other three.

The first girl to reach her was a girl with unusual hair that was ice-white. It laid flat against her back as a long, shiny, and straight cascade; her bangs had been pushed back by a gray head band. Two strands seemed to have escaped the headpiece, however. A small scattering of freckles fell on the bridge of her nose.

She was wearing a blue hooded jacket on which was the word 'Caliber's' in navy blue, blocky letters. She also had on tan cargo shorts and was wearing small brown flip-flops on her feet. Her eyes were a pretty sky blue, and she was currently wearing no make up. However, she didn't need to, as her skin seemed to be clear and unblemished even without it.

There was a yellow collar around her neck with a 'Y' chain hanging down to her collarbone. For a moment, Hermione thought it was merely a fashion statement, but then she noticed with a start that small white ears were poking up from her head in excitation, and a fluffy white tail wagged behind her as she bounded over to Hermione.

The second girl was a pretty black haired girl. She was the exact opposite of the first – she was shy and seemed to be trailing behind the first girl almost obediently, her face calm. Her hair was cut choppily, her bangs swept to the side to curve around her heart shaped cheek and into her right eye; her eyes were like a cat's, yellow green with a slit of a pupil, and almond shaped.

In contrast to the first girl, she had black cat ears that lay flat against her head as she approached and a black, fluffy tail swinging behind her. Her right cat ear had a silver hoop through it and she had a silver lip-ring through her bottom lip. A small metal ball also pierced her right nostril. Her make up was heavy around the eyes; the black eye-liner contrasted the light color and made them seem to shine.

She was wearing a black and red striped shirt which hung off one shoulder over a red tank-top and a short skirt with black leggings beneath it. Black, studded belts crossed over her slim hips and black combat boots covered her feet.

Hermione also noticed curiously that she also had a yellow collar around her neck; the difference was that hers had an 'S' hanging down.

Her skin was a dark caramel, like she had been in the sun all of her life, and there was a small, light pink scar on the underside of her chin, which stood out glaringly from her darker skin tone.

The whitenette pulled a chair from the table in front of Hermione and sat down straddling it.

"Hermione Granger, huh? Nice ta meetcha," She held out a hand with sharp nails, which Hermione tentatively took. Her handshake was incredibly strong despite her slim build. She shook Hermione's hand eagerly. "The name's Sarah, Sarah Gibbons," she all but chirped.

"Nice to meet you, Sarah," Hermione said awkwardly, unsure how to react to her. The young girl reminded Hermione of a puppy; hyper and eager to meet new people – the wagging tail and collar did nothing to help the image.

The other girl grabbed a chair as well and sat down, however much more calmly than the first girl.

"This is Yvette Marx." She pointed to the girl beside her, who had grabbed a chair from somewhere else and had sat down before Hermione as well, though much calmer than her counterpart. The black haired girl nodded to Hermione after her introduction but did not speak.

"Nice to meet you, Yvette." Yvette nodded again, her eyes sliding to Athena. She smiled slightly and reached out to pet the cat. To Hermione's surprise, the cat nudged up into her hand without protest, purring happily. Hermione figured it had something to do with the fact that she seemed to be some sort of cat creature herself.

Hermione looked around and noticed that their last member had not arrived yet. Almost as if on cue, another person came to their table.

"Hello, ladies; I am Adrian Theriault," A deep voice said smoothly. The three girls looked up as a shadow fell over the table.

Their last member was a guy. He was the epitome of an American pretty boy; he had blonde hair, tanned skin, a well-developed body that could be seen clearly through the white polo he was wearing – the only thing that ruined it were his red eyes. They were more than a little unsettling in his otherwise normal face, and for some reason Hermione felt wary of him. Something felt…off about this guy.

He was just…too perfect.

"Nice to meet you…Adrian," Hermione answered hesitantly.

"Yeah, same here." Sarah seemed just as wary of him as Hermione was; Yvette ignored him and continued to pet Athena – but if Hermione wasn't mistaken, it looked like Yvette's tail was flicking behind her agitatedly, like she was nervous about something.

"I know you are Hermione," He said, casting a smile at the witch, "Which one of you is Sarah, and which one of you is Yvette?" He asked the remaining two. It was incredibly obvious that his interest in the two was less than platonic.

"I'm Sarah, this is Yvette," Sarah, who had been hyper before, said tightly, her eyes narrowing. Both of the animal-like girls' ears flattened against their heads.

"Ah…" He murmured, smirking slightly. On one side of his mouth, hung a fang; All his tone served to do was make the three of them tense.

Before anymore words could be said, the teacher spoke again.

"Alright," Mrs. Cinders said, clapping her hands to gather everyone's attention, "Today we are going to start a project on Amulets. Each group will first choose a category from the ones on the board." She waved her hand in a flourish toward a board behind her. the chalk rose and scrawled out the choices in a loopy cursive on the board. The choices were offensive and defensive. The teacher quickly explained.

"Amulets can be used in two ways: offensively, for attacking someone who tries to harm the wearer, or defensively, for protecting the wearer. Each group will have to choose the type they want. When that is done, you will also have to use an element. It doesn't matter the element, as all of them can be used for both types. You will be required to do research on the different types and their attributes, and the right materials to create your amulet before you can begin on the project itself, which will be making an amulet and testing it out before the class. It will be due next week, on the day of your test.

For now, we will go to the library for you to do some research and deliberate amongst yourselves on your choice before you start in the amulet's creation. Your decision will need to be written out, with each group member's name on it by tomorrow morning. Now, everyone, let us go." She made her way toward the door, waiting for them all to grab their belongings and making their way toward her.

Sarah and Hermione glanced at one another and shrugged, the former getting up - pulling Yvette along with her - to go gather her things. Adrian followed suit, leaving Hermione thankfully alone.

The four of them gathered with the other students with their teacher when they were done, and then as one they all followed her out. Sarah and Yvette came up beside her as they made it to the door to the courtyard.

"So, Hermione, what do you think about Blondie over there?" Sarah muttered, glancing at Adrian behind them for a moment. He was watching them - well, Hermione - with interest that bordered on unnerving. Hermione was surprised to note that he was standing next to Kieran, who was talking to him with a less than friendly expression.

"He creeps me out to be honest; did you see those teeth? I think he's a vampire," Hermione muttered, glancing at him as well. "Not that I have anything against vampires," she added quickly, "but it doesn't make me feel any better about it."

"Me too; most vampires try to be suave to shack up with human girls, but he's just trying too damn hard." Most vampires? Did that include Kieran?

"So, you're saying most of the vampires in this school are just prats who like to shag girls?" Sarah glanced at her for a second and then promptly burst out laughing. Hermione blushed darkly when she saw that other people start to look at them weirdly. Neither of the animal-like girls seemed to notice or care.

"If you mean that they all just want to sleep with girls then, yes, I do believe that," she said with a laugh. Realizing that the whitenette was laughing because of her slang, Hermione rolled her eyes. However, she couldn't ignore the slight pressure she felt when she realized that she was probably right; Kieran did just want her for blood or her body.

"Yes, that's what I mean." She and Sarah chuckled slightly.

"I don't like him," a soft voice piped up and both of them turned to Yvette, "Adrian, I mean." She simply gazed back at them with calm eyes. Hermione nodded and offered a smile.

"Me neither; and if he tries to make a move on you, Yvy, then I'm going to kick his ass," Sarah growled and bared her teeth, grabbing Yvette's arm and pulling her closer, sending a pointed look at Adrian. Hermione chuckled.

"So are you two...?" Hermione asked, glancing back and forth between the two of them pointedly.

"Yes, we're together. Mates, actually." There was that word again: 'mates.' Now that Harry may have one, it was like that word was suddenly everywhere.

"So this 'mates' thing...what's it like?"

Sarah smiled softly and sent a glance to her mate before looking back at the witch.

"It's amazing really; it's the most profound happiness in the world - like you've found a certain peace in your soul."

"That sounds amazing; I just can't believe that there is something like that in the world - is there any reason why witches and wizards aren't guaranteed that sort of happiness?"

"No one knows; some say it's because they are so prejudiced towards other creatures. There are legends that say that the magic for mates ran out before it could get to the humans, as they were the last creatures on earth. But that's just one of the theories. All anyone has every agreed on is that humans have either proved themselves unworthy or they just got the short straw," Yvette broke in this time, her voice so soft only the two of them could hear her.

"Interesting..." Another thing I'll have to look into, she said to herself.

"Yeah, it is." Sarah smiled at her.

The conversation died out, leaving them each to their thoughts. Hermione herself was very intrigued at the idea of having a mate. To be able to have such happiness in any lifetime seemed like a farfetched dream. For someone like her, who had had her first love betray her and her family, it seemed too good to be true. To be honest, she couldn't quite wrap her head around it.

Her confusion must have shown on her face, because Sarah startled her out of her reverie with a comforting hand placed on her shoulder.

"Don't think too hard on it - you would have to live it to get it. Until then, you will never understand it." Hermione nodded after a pause, glad to get some sort of insight on the situation. She wished it wasn't nearly so hard to get, for the simple fact that she wished she could help her adopted brother with the strange situation he had suddenly found himself thrown into.

They had finally made into the hallway before the library, which rested just behind the door that came from the courtyard. The hallway was a very simple brown wood, with no other furnishings but the wooden boards lining the top and bottom of the walls on both side.

When everyone had gathered into the hallway, Mrs. Cinders turned to them all.

"Everyone, I want you to get in your groups in different places of the library. Please keep your voices at a low level so as not to disturb other students or Ms. Kim while you debate on your topic. If you are done early, then choose a book to read or talk quietly amongst yourselves. For now, you will not be able to check out any books, as you do not have a library card. We will be getting those today, as I am sure most classes will be doing soon."

After her speech, she proceeded through the wooden door to the library. The group followed.

And Hermione abruptly found herself in her own personal heaven.

She drank in the huge library, spelled to be bigger on the inside so it would fit into the same space as smaller areas, with wide, excited eyes. The walls on all sides were lined in bookcases, and what looked like dozens of isles of books covering the whole floor. The bookcases held books on everything she could think of - and for almost every wizarding section there was a Muggle counterpart, meaning that this library had just about everything she could ask for to learn about.

There were small, light wood tables with chairs for them to recline and enjoy books or for them to do work, which they would be needing for the project. There were four chairs to each table, all of which were cushioned for comfort, meaning this would be a comfortable place for learning.

She noticed also that there were a set of spiral stairs that led to a second floor - but not to the top floor of the entire wing - that had even more books. They lined the wall in an uninterrupted maze of knowledge that made her practically flush with excitement.

Realizing that she probably looked strange to the younger students, she cast a furtive glance around the room to make sure none of them had noticed her small moment of discomposure. Thankfully, no one seemed to be looking at her, so she reign in her excitement for the time being - she could gush to Harry later about the library, when there were not as many spectators for her to worry about.

Their teacher took them all to the front desk where a serious looking woman sat. She was a small, lightly-tanned woman who looked to be in about her mid-fifties. Her silky black hair was pulled tightly away from her face, leaving only a thick strand of bangs - with one gray streak in the very front - to fall onto her cheek.

Her almond shaped brown eyes gazed sternly at them, though not unkindly, quite reminiscent, Hermione thought, of Minerva McGonagall. Firm but gentle, caring but resolute about what she thought was right. Hermione liked her already, if only or the fact that she seemed like a good, intelligent woman through and through.

"Ladies and gentleman, this is Ms. Anna Kim. She is the librarian here in the Caliber's Library." At the simple introduction, the small woman rose to speak herself.

"As Ms. Cinders as mentioned, my name is Anna Kim. Please, call me Ms. Kim. While in this library, you will be expected to adhere three rules, which are the following," She turned and pointed to a sign on her desk. The title at the top screamed 'LIBRARY RULES' in big, bold, black letters, contrasting with the light tan background. She continued,

"Number one: use your inside voices unless you put up a silencing charm around yourselves. If you disturb any of your fellow students while they study, I will personality escort you out of the library. Number two: this is a library, not a mall. If you are caught doing anything that does not involve my books, you will be sent out. Do not come here thinking that this will be a place for you to enjoy time with your friends, goof around, or mess around with your significant others, understood?" The entire group nodded.

"Very good. Now, last but certainly not least: if you bring food into this building you must clean after yourselves. If not, there will be mice and insects roaming around that I'm sure none of you want to deal with." As expected, most of the girls shuddered in disgust at the thought, while some of the boys - ones who looked decidedly younger - seemed excited about the idea of seeing the insects.

"Alright; so, I have been told that you will be researching amulets. Now, do not believe that because your teacher is not around that you are free to do what you want. There is nothing that goes on in this room that I do not know about, including the top floor." She gazed around at the whole group sternly and it was clear that there were some who didn't believe her. She gave a slightly smug smile, as if she knew something that they didn't, and kept going as if she hadn't noticed.

"Now, most of you already have library cards, although I know there are a few of you who are new arrivals. Those of you do you not have a card, please raise your hand." Hermione and a few others did so. "Alright, I ask for those few of you to stay behind once your groups are dismissed. Don't worry, it won't take long." She nodded at the blonde teacher who nodded back in acknowledgement before addressing the class again.

"Everyone, you may now pick a place in the library to choose your projects' subject. For those who finish and or have any questions for me, you can come see me at the table in the back," She pointed behind her to a table resting in front of the back-most bookcase.

"Alright, off you go."

Sarah and Yvette - and later Adrian when he came up beside them - waited for the rest of the class to dissipate.

"We'll be going to a table over behind that bookcase over there," She motioned toward a section that jutted out from the rest of the bookcases to hide a line of tables whose proof of existence was the corner peeking out from the edge of the bookcase, "Come look for us when you're done." She lot a glance at Adrian, looking like she was going to tell him not follow, but eventually decided against it, waving to Hermione as she and her mate walked to the area she said they would be.

Hermione turned to the librarian, who had them line up. When they reached her, she asked them basic information about themselves - name, birthdate, gender, year, etc. - and the computer keys moved according to what she told when she waved her hand. While the computer was typing the information in, she pulled out a large black camera and took a pic of them while they were in line. The picture came out almost immediately and she placed it into a whirring machine beside her computer (and was also connected to the computer via a black cord). In five minutes, a card with the school's name, crest and a small picture of the owner was on the front, with a black bar on the back, was done and distributed to each student waiting.

"When you come to the library, I will scan your card when you check out books," She explained to those who looked confused, "But don't worry; if you forget your card, I will be able to type it into the computer's database. However, if I am not there, just say 'Commentum Fulminis' in hearing range of the computer and then your name. It will look you up itself and check the books out, however, make sure you hear a voice say 'Effio' before you move on. Once it has said that last sentence, the transaction will be complete and the book will be marked as checked out and put on your record. Everybody understand?" The group nodded, though some looked slightly bewildered.

"Then what are you still standing here for? Go do your projects." She waved them all away from her desk.

The group dissipated and Hermione begrudgingly made her way to her table, turning around the protruding case toward her group. She could spot them all from a mile away - they're unusual features made them stand out even in this crowd.

"Hi, you guys. So, let's get started on this then, shall we?" She sighed, sitting Athena down beside her, where the cat immediately curled up near her feet. They brought up a few good topics, though Adrian chose to simply gaze at the three of them like he was sizing them up. He didn't seem put off about the fact that the two animal-like girls were obviously together - in fact, when he realized it, it almost seemed like the wheels in his head turned even faster than before.

However, aside from that, the idea they chose came from Yvette, of all people.

"I was thinking we should choose fire for our element and defensive as our base type," She piped up finally, though very quiet and the seemed to be speaking to the table, "Not many people realize it, but fire can actually be a good defense in the right situation. I think it would be a lot more challenging than the obvious ones, like water or ice for defense."

Hermione nodded eagerly, always one to take on a challenge.

"And if we do it right, I think ours will be a really good one." She turned to the other two. "Any objections?" They shook their heads.

"Good, now we just need to write it down on paper..." She trailed off, searching around in her pockets for a piece, frowning when her search kept coming up empty.

"Here," Adrian cut in, handing his paper. When Hermione took it, their hands brushed; Adrian immediately smirked - nearly predatorily at her - and she merely gave a weak smile in return, sort of rattled by his reaction. They pulled away once again and with shaky hands she wrote down their project type. Sarah and Yvette gave her a worried look, clearly ready to cut in if it got more creepy, but she gave them what she thought was a reassuring smile in return before getting up and hurrying to give Mrs. Cinders their proposal. She tried her best not to bolt from the table to make it obvious she making her escape. She only hoped no one else had noticed.

However, luck was not on her side.

Kieran watched the blonde - slimy, disgusting little leech - flirt with Hermione. His Hermione. He thought he had made it very clear before they had arrived at the library that she was off limits, but apparently Adrian had not gotten the message. He had pulled him aside as they had been walking and had plainly stated that she was his prospect - in a sense, she was his to go after and Adrian as another vampire who was vying for her was not allowed to have any contact with her out of school work. Sure, he hadn't had much interaction with the witch to enforce the fact, read: none at all (but that was beside the point) that day, but he had made his claim, and the blonde had damn well adhere to it. It was an unwritten law that no vampire would encroach on another vampire's territory, for lack of a better word (if the witch found out that was what he had called her, she would likely have his fangs for it).

He felt drawn to her; he thought about her constantly; about her blood, her body, her attitude, her everything - it was deeper than the draws he had felt toward other women, human or otherwise. He didn't understand it much, but he had every intention of exploring it. And, if continuing to be her rival helped him interact with her, then so be it. Right now, he found himself strongly inclined to be whatever she wanted him to be. She tried to hide it, but she clearly had trouble with men flirting with her. It made her uncomfortable, almost defensive, although his way of doing it probably was the best - making her think he was merely trying to rattle her a little to get an advantage in their little competition. There would be time to win her over later. For now, he would merely test the waters, ease their rivalry into friendship and then further into romance when and if it got to that stage.

However, if the little nuisance kept getting in the way he would have to do something about it.

The hardest part was figuring our how to do it without Hermione finding out.

No. 1: A dugbog seemed to me to be one of the smallest animals I could think of that was relatively harmless, so I figured it would also be easy to summon. If anyone doesn't know what a dugbog is, the HP wiki says that a dugbog is 'a marsh-dwelling magical creature found in Europe and North and South America. It resembles a piece of dead wood while stationary. It has finned paws and sharp teeth, and glides through marshland, feeding on small animals, and occassionally attacking the ankles of humans who venture into its habitat. Its favourite food is the Mandrake, and due to this, Mandrake-growers have found their plants nothing more than a bloody mess when they pull them out of the ground.'

That was taken word for word and is not of my own creation or thoughts. The dugbog itself belongs to J.K. Rowling and I am in no way making any monetary profit off of releasing this information to the general public.

A/N: The chapter title means 'New Decisions' :)

Well, here it is! Hope you like it and please, Read and Review!