"I do not like that man." Lars growled. Letting Thomas go now that they had made it to the upper layers of the castle. Even away from the dungeons, Thomas felt cold. "He can't take you away. My parents won't allow it. I won't allow it."
"What if there right?" Thomas said, looking around, confirming that it's an empty hall. "What if I could turn into a monster?" Thomas's mind wandered to the worse scenario. "Even your parents couldn't keep me. Sirens don't sound like kind creatures either." Vampires, and Sirens made up two out of three of Thomas's bloodlines — fate was not in his favour for him not to be a monster.
"Back up." Lars stopped his steps. "What do you mean there? Don't you mean he?"
"People do believe I'm a monster." Thomas' hand went to the necklace under his robe. Thomas usually forgotten about; tonight it felt heavy, like it was tied to his fate. Rubbing his thumb over the Celtic knot on the silver heart rubbed hard into his thumb.
"I can feel the truth in that." Thomas always thought that feeling lies — that stabbed or made him feel sick. Was the worst feeling ever. Leave it to school, to teach him, that the truth could feel much worse. Like a stab to his heart and a storm cloud over his feelings.
"The only truth is that they are fools — along with that Professor of yours." Lars grabbed Thomas by the shoulders. "You need control. Over that dark feeling that took you over when we fought the troll." Lars burned a hole Thomas's, he couldn't pull away from him even if he wanted too. "That I can understand. We don't need Professor Nocturne to solve that." Lars flashed a confident grin.
"You have a plan?" Thomas asked, not sure where this was heading.
"Always." Lars said, running Thomas through the halls. His robe flying behind him.
"What about curfew?" Thomas asked. Lars turned his head with a smile.
"We have an hour." Lars said, piling them into the Library ignoring the librarian stern glare. In quick strides they went to the back of the library to a table. Bernard and Pipa were surrounded by piles of books. Thomas and Lars slammed into their chairs, breathless.
"It didn't go well, did it?" Bernard said putting down a thin book down on the table.
"No." Thomas shook his head.
"We need your help." Lars said leaning forward and whispering.
"What do you need?" Pipa said, shutting the large book in front of her with a slamming of dust.
"I need to find my Animal to Call." Thomas said with a frown. "It is a tie to my soul and power."
"How do you do that?" Pipa asked frowning herself. Not asking for any details, or wondering what he meant. Only wanting to know, how she could help.
"The blighter wouldn't say." Lars slammed the table with his fist. Receiving a stern look from the older students in the nearby isles. "He did say if Thomas can't find it — he'll take him away."
"He can't do that!" Pipa shouted and stood up from her chair.
"This is a library!" The student from before said to Pipa.
"We're sorry." Bernard raised a hand in apology, and pulled Pipa back down with the other. The student pulled out several books and grumbled away.
"I'm going to contact my parents tomorrow morning, but this is tied to Thomas health as well." Lars said. "Regular vampires can't take care of themselves."
"By becoming a master vampire. I can stay." Thomas said, agreeing with Lars.
"Aren't you to young, your only eleven. We only eleven." Pipa said, her eyes wide as saucers.
"Vampires are old, going by that, it isn't that odd." Bernard said, tucking his hair behind one ear.
"How so?" Thomas asked, he couldn't go without asking. Unlike Pipa.
"Before, boys became men at the age of twelve." Bernard shrug. "Girls could even marry then." Pipa's mouth opened and shut, and wrapped her arms around herself with a shiver.
"When's your birthday?" Bernard asked, his hands coming up for he could rest his chin on them.
"December first." Thomas said, "I guess he's giving me some extra time." Thomas said trying to smile.
"An Animal to Call is the bound of the soul." Lars muttered to the table, his eyebrows bent in thought. "What can we do to help figure that out?"
"Expecto Patronum." Pipa whispered, coming back to life. She grabbed a book from the middle of the pile beside her. Making the whole tower wobble. "It was one of Harry Potter's more famous spells." Flicking through the book, Bernard sat up straight, dropping his hands to the table.
"I heard he was the youngest to pull off a full Patronus — a male white tail deer. I think." Bernard nodded.
"The Patronus represents that which is hidden, unknown but necessary within the personality." Pipa read off from the book.
"Sounds like the soul to me." Bernard said, Thomas leaned forward. Personality had to be a part of the soul, right?
"When a human confronted with inhuman evil, such as the Dementor. They must draw upon resources he or she may never have needed, and the Patronus is the awakened secret self. That lies dormant until needed, but which must now be brought to light." Pipa read further.
"Am I wizard enough to summon one through?" Thomas said his shoulders slumping. Only one part of him was wizard, the other two...
"By inhuman, they mean evil, and you are not evil." Lars said reaching out and taking Thomas's hand. Dragging him back to the library table, and out of his own thoughts. "Unless you think because I'm different." Lars gave his hand a hard squeeze, letting Thomas know what he meant by different. "That I am evil."
"The Malfoy's have a long history — none of it good." Bernard said, his eyes looking down for a breath before looking back up. The moment wasn't enough to stop the layer of sadness from showing in his honey eyes. "Ask anyone, and they'll think I'm dark wizard ... evil wizard."
"My parents are blood sucking lawyers." Pipa shrugged, "but I don't have any issues, but you don't look evil to me." Pipa raised her hand, waving it about. "You are ... like... a friendly vampire." Pipa said with a smile.
"Thomas the friendly vampire." Bernard nodded, "Has a nice ring to it." and Pipa reached over and grabbed both Thomas's and Lars's hand.
"Even if you begin to need blood one day. We'll always be friends." Lars said, "I promised."
"We'll do this together. This weekend." Pipa said, squeezing their hands.
"Patronuses take forms that their casters might not expect. For which they have never felt a particular affinity, or (in rare cases) even recognize." Bernard pulled the book over to him to read. "Every Patronus is as unique as its creator. Even identical twins have been known to produce very different Patronuses." Bernard closed the book, and brought to his lap. "I'll sign this out. We'll use it over the weekend." Bernard put his hand over top of Pipa's."We'll get this Thomas. Believe in us."
"We won't let you go. You are our friend Thomas." Pipa said giving Thomas a soft smile.
"Believing in yourself wouldn't hurt either." Lars said, before a shadow casting over of them cut them off.
"It is time you get to your dorms." Looking down her hook nose at them. Her steely eyes showed no withering. "Separate dorms." Giving Lars a single shot glare. Lars lifted one pale brow.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Lars smiled sweetly at the librarian. Thomas swore he saw the older women blush.
"Just hurry." She scurried off, her feet not making a sound on the hardwood floors.
"Let's go." Pipa said, standing up and slipping her hands out. "We actually learned a lot about Harry Potter. We'll tell you about it on the way to the dorm."
"I'm going to sign a few of these out." Bernard said picking up a few books from his side of the table. "I'm interested in learning a bit more of the details. Hermione Weasley, a trusted friend of Harry's wrote several books about that time. It's very informative."
"You liked Neville Longbottom's book I found for you." Pipa said, sharing a smile with Bernard.
"Did you know he was a great Herbologist? And that our Head Master is his descendant?" Bernard's eyes sparkled in a way that Thomas saw only when plants were involved.
"You should hurry, if you want to sign them out." Lars said nodding his head to the librarian tapping her foot.
"Come with me?" Bernard said, snagging another book off the table.
"Scared of her?" Lars said taking two of the books of his arm filled pile.
"Not if you're there, to sweet talk her were your Irish accent." Bernard said with a laugh.
"Then I'll lead the way." Lars said shaking his head.
"Thomas." Pipa said holding Thomas back with a tug on his sleeve. Thomas stopped and looked at Pipa. It was the first time he ever was alone with her. He knew that Lars and Bernard were only a few feet away, but a private conversation? Without someone around? It never happened.
"Yes?" Thomas asked, wondering if he should be feeling weird or worry about this.
"You worry about a lot of things, huh?" Pipa said pulling on her pigtails with her hands. "You worry about what people think about you. How it can affect others, my mom says worrying is how she cares, and you care about others." Thomas looked away and Lars laughing at the stern looking Bernard.
"Thomas." Pipa pulled on his robe again. "Thomas, you are also brave." Pipa held onto the front of his robe. Her brown eyes looking into his eyes unblinking. "You ran to save Squeakers — when I couldn't even move." Her eyes filled with tears, "I was so afraid, and when that troll had Lars and Victoria." Pipa's hand shook on Thomas's robe. Pulling on his shoulders until it started to dig in. Thomas didn't pull away, couldn't pull away. Pipa's words were washing over him. Thomas could only stand there and let it wash away the fears that clung to him.
"You jumped right in then too. Even yelling at Lars." Pipa let go, and Thomas stumbled a step back. "What I'm trying to say. Is that you are a great guy Thomas. I'm sure you'll make a great vampire — if you let yourself be one." Pipa wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Don't let the past with that Professor ruin your future with us." Pipa gave him a wobbling smile. "Please."
Without letting Thomas say another word she ran to be with the Bernard and Lars. Thomas looked, just looked. Bernard stern, adult like tendencies that he had with everyone. Stopped with Pipa, like it did with both him and Lars. His flat, unreadable features, softened into a smile that made his bob-cut hair look like any other boy. Instead, of his usual sharp edges and cool appearance. Lars offered Pipa a handkerchief from his ring. She waved him off, but of course he was sweet-talking her into it. Thomas didn't need to hear what he said to know that. It was easy to figure out — it was Lars.
He had been at school only a few months, and besides Lars, he had managed to make some amazing friends- hadn't he? Thomas didn't want to lose this. Had Professor Nocturne had come to him has Old Man, if he had been the one to explain all this too him. He would have left without a word, and done what he said without thought.
Now — he had something he held dear. Something more important to him. He meant something to others now. They wanted him. They wanted to help him. Why would he ruin that? Taking in a shaking breath, Thomas took both his palms and smacked his face. The stinging help with the lingering doubt that fluttered in his mind. The sound made this friends and the librarian turn and look at him. Walking up to them. Thomas felt his earlier, but weak will return.
Letting go of the past wasn't easy. Their voices not so easy to silence. Tonight they were gone — thanks to Pipa, of course. She was right. Thomas didn't need to his truth detecting abilities to know that. This morning he was all about changes, and rolling with what's happening. Instead, he was crumbling like wet wood, at the first poke.
"Why did you smack your face for?" Pipa asked when Thomas caught up with them.
"I'll tell you tomorrow." Thomas said with a laugh. He couldn't shake of his ill feeling, but with friends like Pipa. He stood a fair chance of fighting them back enough to keep on trying.
"Now I'm curious too." Lars said, giving the librarian a small wave as they walked away.
"If he's not telling me, he's not telling you either." Pipa said, her earlier seriousness but a dream. With the return of her cheerful, and playful self. Thomas wouldn't have that any other way either, he made a metal note to tell her that too.
Returning to their dorms. Lars gave them each a hug. Thomas took the chance to whisper thanks to Lars. Who pulled him in tighter. Bernard and Pipa talk to Thomas about their finds. They felt like they had a could grasp of things, if anything were to pop up.
Pipa made Thomas vow not to worry himself throughout the night when she parted to his own dorm. Only after swearing with his pinky did she head to his own dorm with Bernard. Where, after making a similar promise to Bernard. Did he get to settle down to whittle some mouse furniture for Squeakers. Something that would make both the mouse, and it's owner happy. Occasionally he would stop and look at his pinky. A silly, but helpful reminder. That he wasn't alone, and he had help. He had friends. Like Pipa.