They barely managed to get into the tiny lift in her building. Faith cursed a lot, and Neville felt like running away and hiding. This was not how things were supposed to happen.

He was finally invited home with somebody. Or actually he hadn't been invited home with her, just for a ride. And then his arms hadn't cooperated. But he was finally going home with somebody. And she was cursing like a sailor with 30 years of experience under his belt.

"I'm sorry, yo. It's just that I prefer the stairs," she twisted around to look at him. "The more I get to use my body, the better.

Neville blinked, and tried to take in all the implications of what she'd just said.

"Uhm… No problem?" he managed to croak out. "I'm really sorry for all of this.

"Psh, don't worry about it. I know you didn't mean to.

The elevator stopped, and Faith tried to barge out, only to be stopped by the extra appendage she had.

"Sorry, I forgot. Are you ready?

"Y-yes. I think so.

"Great, let's go into the warmth of my place, then.

She strode ahead, and Neville stumbled after.

"Oh, fuck!" Faith exclaimed when she opened the door. Neville, who was partially hidden behind her couldn't quite see what she was swearing at, but he discovered that seconds later. "Xan, what the hell are you doing here?

A bloke with dark hair was sitting in a sofa, drinking from what Neville believed to be a coffee mug.

"I was" he noticed Neville. "In the neighbourhood and thought I'd stop by for a word with my favourite gal.

"Fine. There were three. One of them was going after Neville here," she gestured behind her in Neville's direction. "When he decided to run into my bike.

"Ouch, you alright man?" The bloke looked concerned at him.

"Yeah," Neville tried not to wince as he thought back to the vampire. "She was a vampire, wasn't she?

He finally managed to get his arms loose, and stretched his fingers. Defence Against the Dark Arts had told him little on how to defend himself against the Dark Creatures. Though his seven years at Hogwarts had given him one valid rule on how to deal with situations like these: Always be in the presence of Harry, Ron or Hermione.

Most of what he knew was self-taught from experiences when he'd been around either one of those three. Of course the risk for dying young also increased in those cases.

"Yeah," Faith went over to the kitchen area and got two mugs from one of the cabinets. "She was.

"It certainly explains her funny face," he commented calmly, already having deducted it back at the club. "And the pointy teeth.

"Why isn't he more freaked out about this?" The guy on the sofa asked. "The first time I… well. Let's not go there and say we did.

"I kind of know about vampires already," Neville offered.

"Let me tell you something, Squirt," Faith said. "You take cream or sugar?

"Coffee? I prefer it straight.

"Okay, here.

She handed him one of the mugs and he drank the hot liquid. It tasted like sewage, but at least it was hot. So hot that he burned his tongue, actually.

"Whatever Anne Rice book you've read, or if you've gone straight to the original itself, I'm here to tell you that real vampires are nothing like that," Faith drank hungrily from her mug. "Real vampires are nasty creatures, most of whom never sleep in coffins.

"Faith?" The other bloke got up from the sofa. "While you're in an educationary mood, I think I'm going to head home.

"Okay," Faith didn't move her eyes from Neville. "I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Neville looked right back at her, and neither of them noticed the other man leaving.

"Where was I?" she asked.

"You were informing me of vampires," he said calmly and took a sip of the mug.

"Right," Faith seemed to zoom in on him, and before he knew it she was kissing him.

Kissing him quite a bit, actually.

And at that precise moment Neville Longbottom lost the coffee mug he was holding.