Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, the story, the characters, the brilliance...sighs whistfully But Rose and Paine are my OCs.

Wow! This is the first chapter I've typed out since the HBP came out. It's kinda made some of my earlier points about subjects a bit off so I'll be updating the first two chapters sometime soon hopefully. Thoroughly enjoyed the HBP, but Harry has it so hard! Poor dear. pets him Anyway, thanks goes to those that have reviewed so far and my sister for putting up with me thrusting the draft copies on her to read. Enjoy! -

Harry Potter and Shadow's daughter
The Niece

As Draco saw Harry, Ron and Hermione, he tried to put up his usual evil facade. He tried to summon the hate he kept stored away to use against the 'dream team'. Unfortunately, all he could manage was mild dislike, that was until Harry spat 'Malfoy,' in greeting. Then all the times Potter and his friends had belittled and mocked him, and his father's destroying words of rage snapped sharply into focus. His face formed a dark glare

' Potter,' he hissed, intending to begin a string of insults and threats.

' Ah! Good, you're here. Come in. You too Mr Malfoy, if you feel the need,' Lupin called preventing Draco from giving voice to his thoughts.

The occupants of Lupin's office had been expecting them it appeared. Professor Lupin was sitting at his desk, his hands before him with his fingers interlaced. Rose was sitting cross legged next to the desk, in a cushy armchair her uncle had conjured up for her. Paine and Luna were sitting on a couch against the neighboring wall behind a long coffee table, It had stacks of books both under it and on top. A space had been cleared in the middle so that a tray with cups, milk, sugar and a pot of tea, could fit. There was an end-table next to the couch and closest to the door, with a creamy golden hooded lamp casting warm light. The room projected a cozy atmosphere.

When the group filed into the office, Luna shuffled until she was sitting right next to Paine, giving him a dreamy smile. Ron and Hermione sat on the couch beside her and Harry was left standing. Draco had chosen to compromise by standing leaning against the door frame instead of actually entering the room.

' If I may Professor, How did you know we were coming?' Hermione asked first.

' Simple. I've known you long enough that I knew you'd want answers,' Lupin replied, unusually grave. He looked to Rose and she nodded. ' I didn't tell you as soon as I knew I would be teaching my niece at Hogwarts this year because she asked me not to.'

' How does she do that!' Ron muttered looking at Hermione who was smiling in satisfaction. Harry stayed silent, still disgruntled.

' So you are related to Professor Lupin through your...?' Hermione asked looking at Rose. The girl seemed remarkably blank. Rose drew a breathe and chewed her bottom lip briefly with pointy canine teeth. She locked eyes with Paine and he mentally sent her reassurance.

' My mother,' she began. ' I have no father, he raped my mother and was never seen again by us.' For which, it sounded from the venom in her voice, she was glad.

' Oh...' Hermione gasped softly, radiating sympathy.

'When my mother became seriously ill and died a short time later, Uncle took me in. He told me about ...you...,' she said, her gaze cold from her tale as it swept the room, ' and...'

Rose looked down into her lap, uncomfortable with continuing as she didn't trust that she wouldn't break down.

'We met with Dumbledore to arrange things,' Lupin finished for her.

'Great man Dumbledore,' Rose muttered, reminding Harry distinctly of Hagrid who had on more than one occation told him the exact same thing.

'I have two questions,' Harry said carefully.

'What, only two?' Draco, who had kept unusually quiet up until now, teased him.

'Shut up Malfoy,' Paine, Ron, Hermione and Harry all said at once. Draco glared at the floor sulkily.

He had only been trying to lighten the mood. He thought they needn't have snapped.

'That was not appropriate Mr Malfoy. You will be silent or you will leave,' Lupin glowered. 'Ask away Harry,' he motioned,' and have some tea.'

Luna, thinking that this was a very good idea, made herself busy making people cups. Often with liberal amounts of sugar, whether intentional or not.

'Well, I thought you lived at the place we celebrated Christmas together last year, and the other thing was why is he here?' Harry asked, carefully phrasing his question so that Lupin, Ron and Hermione would know he mean Grimmauld Place and nodded towards Paine.

' Before your Godfather reopened that house Harry I had been living in a small house on the edge of London. I decided that was the best place for Rose since it is cozy and has a lot of books,' he smiled. Rose smiled too, now fiddling with her sleeves.

' I flooed to the places I needed to be, leaving her alone for a day or so sometimes, under protest of course. Rose convinced me that she didn't mind and could take care of herself, but her friend from Durmstrung, Mr Haze, kept her company sometimes. Closer to school starting she stayed in the Leaky Cauldron,' Professor Lupin explained, stopping to sip the tea that Luna had given him, so Rose took up where he left off.

' Paine is the only close friend I have had over the years and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I prefer quality over quantity.'

Paine smiled at the compliment.

' Like all good friends he tends to be stubborn concerning his friends' well being, and when he heard about...Mother.. and me shifting, he absolutely refused to let me go alone. Fortunately I'm well known to his family and with all the dark activities and their reluctance to get involved in that sort of thing, they agreed to move here with me. Which, I have to say, I'm still amazed that they did..' she said, smiling properly now.

Paine dismissed it by saying, 'It's what anyone in their right mind would've done.'

'Well...' Hermione said, ' Well..it's very nice to meet you both and I hope you'll accept us as friends.'

'I'd be careful Rose Red Lupin! They're troublemakers these ones,' Professor Lupin teased her, a twinkle in his golden eyes. He was very relieved at how this particular confrontation had gone.

'With pleasure,' Rose said grinning.

There was a general 'how-do-you-do' and shaking of hands. When Harry stood in front of Rose he wasn't sure how he felt. Here was someone closer to Lupin than him. Someone who would come first. He felt a wave of loneliness and longing wash over him and he thought once more of Sirius. This girl was like him in a way, her parents gone, one of whom had been close to her. He looked into her eyes and saw understanding. Before he could say anything, she swept forward to hug him. Surprised, he didn't know how to react. He saw Hermione over her shoulder making patting motions. He hesitantly patted her back enjoying the comfort that the embrace conveyed and he was almost sorry when it ended and she stepped back.

'Thank you for letting me do it my own way,' she said both to Harry and Lupin. The latter nodded. Ron gave Harry a 'well done mate!' look and then shifted to look at Draco, who had his face screwed up like he'd just sucked a lemon, and had mumbled something softly under his breath.

'Sorry, didn't catch that Ferret. What'd you say?'

' I said if you're finished being sappy we might leave, Weasel.'

Not in fact what Draco had said, but Ron wasn't to know that.

Before Ron could do anything stupid, Hermione had pushed him out of the door and past Draco, calling over her shoulder to Rose;

'I hope you sleep well and I'll see you tomorrow.'

'Right, now Mr Malfoy, we need some privacy. Paine will be with you in a moment.' And with that Professor Lupin shut the door in Draco's face and Draco heard a silencing charm and then no more. Cursing at being unable to eavesdrop, he slumped down and sat against the wall to wait.

'So, are you alright?' Paine had crossed the room when the door was closed and had given Rose a hug which she melted into for a minute before pushing him away.

'That was very well handled love. I hope it didn't take too much out of you,' Remus said, concerned for his niece. It had been hard on him as well, bringing to the fore memories of Claire, the wound was still fresh.

'No...' Rose said quietly. ' I don't like lying to them, but it's best for now I think. What are we doing about room arrangements?'

' Ahh...Well in each of the dormitories, including Ravenclaw, there are not only guest rooms, but slightly separate rooms for if there is an odd number of students or pupils that need to be away from others for any reason.'

'I read that in Hogwarts, A history,' Luna said brightly, still sitting on the couch.

'Dumbledore, being the all-knowing man that he is,' Remus said smiling, 'knew, or at least hoped, that you would meet up with Rose, Luna. Would you mind sharing a room with her?'

'We should warn her of what she would be accepting...' Rose said swiftly before Luna could say yes. Remus frowned slightly, but if she had decided that Luna could be told then she must trust her, he thought, so he plowed ahead.

'You know that I'm a werewolf?' he queried.

' Of course,' Luna replied seriously.

' Well, Rose is in a similar situation as I am. She is half Nosferatu, more commonly known as Vampires.'

'Oooo...that's really rare isn't it?' Luna said, her eyes like saucers. Paine was standing next to Rose, ready to offer support if she needed it. He didn't react to this revelation, having being told by Rose herself the second year of their friendship. He had suspected something of the sort and had surprised her by being open minded and accepting. They hadn't been parted since.

'Is it fun?'

'No,' Rose said, looking at her hands.

' Not fun...' Luna said puzzled.

This was a very interesting girl. They'll compliment each other, Remus thought, smiling now that it appeared Luna was not going to run shreeking or shy away.

'So you know the dangers of staying with her?'

He hated asking, but it had to be done.

'Yes yes, I've read all about Nosferatu,' Luna confirmed, looking as though Rose was a dream come true.

'Well then it's settled. Your room has a secret corridor that serves as another entrance, so that if need be you will be able to slip in and out unnoticed. The password is nightshade and the password for your common room is infinite paradox. I'll escort you there and show you where the secret entrance is. Who else you tell is up to you. Make sure to visit the infirmary each four day to get your blood Rose. DON'T forget! I know how much you despise it, but you must to keep the hunger in check. Remember, I hate taking my potion too, and it tastes terrible! At least you don't mind yours.'

'No, it's just the thought of it that makes me sick,' Rose gulped.

'Come on, Mr Malfoy will be getting inpatient,' Lupin said, lifting the silencing charm on the room and guiding Luna out (she seemed to be lost in thought).

'So I'll see you tomorrow then. It's a bit stink that we didn't get sorted into the same house. Thanks Paine...' Rose said.

'For what?' he asked surprised.

'For being there,' she said smiling.

Draco Malfoy had just about fallen asleep when Professor Lupin and the others exited. He stood up immediately and then regretted sitting down in the first place. He was very stiff. Cold hard stone doesn't make the best pillow. 'What in the blazes too you so long Haze?' he almost yelled.

'Good night Mr Malfoy,' Professor Lupin said sternly and started walking away with Luna.

'Night Draco! Look after my guy alright?' Rose said teasingly, as she too left.

'Who said I was your friend?' he called after her, feeling it was a little hopeless to protest. He had a feeling that once that girl had pegged you as 'familiar and on friendly terms', there wasn't much you could do about it. He turned to Paine, who was staring after Rose.

'Are we going or what?'

'Yeah...lead the way,' Paine said, coming to earth.

HpHpHp

On the way to the Slytherin common room Draco pointed out landmarks and Paine talked little.

'If I didn't know better,' Draco said suddenly after a while of silence,' I'd think that you liked that girl as more than just a friend.'

'She has a name. It's Rose. Use it,' Paine growled. 'And that's ridiculous. We've been friends for five years!'

'Fine then. Touchie!' Draco let it slide, but filed it away as an interesting piece of information. And possible blackmail, he thought smiling evilly.

When they reached the bare stone wall concealing the entrance to the common room, Draco hissed 'loyalty to one's own' and the hidden stone door slid open. Paine stepped through after Draco, noticing how empty the room was. It was a long, low roofed room, with round greenish lamps hanging from chains above. The fire under the elaborately carved mantelpiece was dying down to glowing coals. It smelt slightly dank and dark, along with a musk scent, presumably from the carve chairs and black leather couches, as well as the smell of the fire. Long dark wood coffee tables sat in front of three seater couches.

'It's a bit dark, isn't it,' Draco said watching Paine take it in.

'Yes, but I like dark,' Paine said.

Draco decided (against the voice in his head that was screaming, 'he's friends with a friend of Potter's!' ) that he liked Paine. It was refreshing to have someone intelligent to talk with who wasn't eventually going to be a deatheater. At least, he didn't think Haze was that sort, but he could be wrong. Blaise was good too. The closest person to Draco actually, but at the moment he was also having family problems.

As Draco showed Paine where he would sleep, ( in their dorm no less, as he was the same year and they had an extra bed) he started undressing, trying not to wake Blaise. Paine found his stuff where the house elves had deposited it, at the end of his dark green duveted four poster, and did the same. Draco crawled under the covers of his bed and noticed that Paine was now just sitting cross-legged on his bed, his eyes closed, in his black, star patterned boxers. Draco's breath caught as he admired the boys toned body and then he mentally slapped himself. Brief moment of insanity, he told himself, noting that his heartbeat had quickened slightly.

'Go to sleep Paine,' Draco groaned in a sleepy whisper. Paine nodded and crawled into his own bed. The last thing that Draco heard before he slipped into oblivion was a voice saying 'Good night Malfoy.'

HpHpHp

-Also the point must be made that I didn't come up with the idea of a daywalker (half vamp), I will be playing around with it a bit, but also trying not to make the idea too unrealistic. Inter Sol Solis et Luna 1953090 by Wihstrumis a wonderful wonderful H/Dr fic that is also using the daywalker idea, much better than I will I think I can safely say, and she helped clarify some things for me. So do pay her fics a visit. They rock!

Thanks for reading and please, pretty please press the purple button and make me happy by reviewing.