A/N: Hello everyone! Welcome back to another update for this story. It's been a while, but there's nothing that could have been done about that. However, this is the most recent update that I could give anyone, so please enjoy.

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea rubbed at her face as she wandered into the Great Hall the next morning. Sleep still beckoned her towards her distant bed after the night that she had endured before. She had combed over every note that she had written during her study session with Carissa and tried to get down every fact that she knew was calling her towards her mate. Every small change and new sensation that she was dealing with, she had written down at the prompting of her best friend. The lists were long and painful to look at with just a few hours of sleep.

"Ugh," she muttered, sitting down at her House's table and pulling a steaming mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows towards her.

Her eyes turned up towards the Enchanted Ceiling as she sipped at her drink, watching the snow fall gently from the reflected gray sky. Christmas trees were lining the room, covered in enchanted lights that sparkled brightly and hurt her eyes to look at them. Avonlea looked around at the gathering of students, glad that they would soon be dwindling to a smaller, more manageable body of people after the Christmas Ball. Then she could breathe freely without worrying about pissing off too many people or putting them in danger.

Rissa won't let that happen, Avonlea thought, turning her attention back onto the food that lay before her. I mean, she's going to go home for the holiday, but she won't let me put anyone in danger. She won't let me be put in danger.

Avonlea stacked her plate full of scrambled eggs and breakfast sausage, feeling hungrier than she had in a very long time. She realized as she chewed on one of the sausage links that she didn't care what people thought about the amount of food she was consuming. She attributed it to the fact that her body was coming into its heritage and needed more fuel to run her body properly. That and she was trying to commit the taste of food to memory just in case she became a vampire at the end of the year.

Don't think about that. I have time. There's still some time to see if there's a chance that someone else could be my mate.

Avonlea looked up at the professor's table after devouring half of her first plate, feeling like someone was watching her. Her feelings were confirmed when she saw that Snape was looking at her with a peculiar look on his face. She swallowed her food nervously and pushed her hair back away from her face, heat flooding her cheeks. She blinked and Snape was talking with the professor to his right.

Stop that right now! Avonlea snapped herself mentally, looking back at her meal. Stop looking at him as if he's going to come tearing down the aisle and whisk you away from this castle. If anything, he's going to punish your for staring at him like a stupid git! Stop it, stop it, stop it!

She helped herself to a second plate of breakfast and downed one final mug of hot chocolate before rising to her feet. Avonlea gathered up her bag and started to move away from the Great Hall. Someone paused in passing and let out a low whistle.

"Damn, Raven," he said and she could feel him openly staring at her. "When did you get so hot?"

"I don't know. When did you get to be so pervy?" she shot back, sending a glare in his direction as she headed through the doors.

Avonlea adjusted the neckline of her black long-sleeved t-shirt as she climbed some stairs. The idea that anyone could find her hot was alarmingly new to her. She'd always been rather plain in her opinion, but maybe her Veela blood was starting to show itself more and more as she neared the time of her change.

"Nope, nope, nope." She shook her head and hurried down a hall. "I can't think about that right now," she muttered to herself. "Damn it!"

Her tongue had grazed her canines and cut itself upon them. The taste of her own coppery blood made her teeth ache. Avonlea closed her mouth tightly and hurried in the direction of her new dormitory, knowing that she had to get to that safe haven as quickly as she could. The thought of someone seeing her growing fangs terrified her, especially after the warning that McGonagall had given her those few nights ago.

She pulled out her wand and created her Patronus, sending it on ahead with a message for Carissa to get ready for the small feeding that she needed. Avonlea's heart pumped loudly in her ears and she was starting to see red again.

Fear flooded through her body as she dropped all pretext of caring. Grabbing her bag tightly, she pushed herself into an all-out sprint that carried her across the castle. If professors called out to her, she didn't pay attention. Some of the paintings called out to her, some egging her on faster and faster while others told her that she was being rude.

"Dragon Bogeys," she hissed at the painting that hid her dormitory.

The painting swung open and she toppled into the room, dropping her bag unceremoniously on the floor. Carissa was already sitting on the overstuffed chair by the fire, her sleeve pulled back to lay bare the snowy flesh that revealed the soft blue lines of her veins. The thought of what was in those veins both sickened and drew Avonlea to her.

Tears welled up in Avonlea's eyes as she lowered herself onto her knees before her best friend. Every time that she had to feed on her friend's blood, she cried.

She cried because she knew that Carissa wouldn't cry. Because she knew that taking the blood from her friend – or anyone really – meant that she was starting to become more a blood thirsty monster than she cared to admit. She cried because she knew that she could lose control at any moment and destroy whatever chance of happiness that she had.

Carissa's eyes were soft and she patted Avonlea on the head, offering her arm to the other girl. "Time to eat," she commented softly.

Avonlea took hold of her friend's proffered arm and ran her tongue over her lips. "I'm sorry, Rissa."

"Don't be."

Taking in a deep breath, Avonlea plunged her fangs into her friends arm and was rewarded with the warm coppery taste of blood.

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea hurried into the library at one o'clock, bowing her head at Snape when he turned his gaze upon her. He could tell that she had fed on someone – the bright flush that spread across her face couldn't have just been from her running to the library. His eyes narrowed as he wondered what demented soul would want to feed the bloodthirst that the girl was getting more and more involved with. The girl muttered an incoherent apology and adjusted the strap of her bag so that it no longer lay twisted upon her shoulder.

Snape turned and led the way towards the Restricted Section, noting that no other student was visibly in the library that afternoon. With grades like the ones that he handed out, he knew that most of the students should have been studying their asses off in order to become competent witches and wizards. But the absence of students also meant that he could talk with the Veela Halfling without worrying about the spread of her secret.

"Are you going to tell me who you have been feeding on now?" he demanded, watching her set her bag down.

The flushed color of her cheeks deepened. "I don't think you really want to know the answer to that question, Professor."

"If I didn't want to know the answer, I would not have asked the question," Snape pointed out, glaring down his nose at the witch. "Now, who have you been feeding on?"

Avonlea bit her bottom lip and looked at him warily. "Carissa."

Snape stared at her in quiet alarm. He had known that his daughter and this creature had become close over the years. He had rarely seen them apart from each other for more than an hour – they had been almost like one creature, always drawn back to one another. But to think that his daughter was feeding the bloodlust that Avonlea was growing into, it was foreign and unexpected.

How could I have not noticed? Snape wondered, turning his back on the girl. How could I not have guessed that they would be sneaking around in this bloodbath? Minerva put them in a private room together. Carissa knows about the Veela to Vampire situation, I've seen it in her eyes. How could I have been so blind?

The Veela Halfling sat down on her chair and he could feel her watching him. "I told you that you wouldn't like what you heard, Professor."

"Has she been your only source of blood?" Snape demanded, plucking up a book at random.

"Besides that one moment where I attacked another student…yes. It's always been Carissa."

"How long have you been feeding on her?"

"Three and a half months." Snape turned to see her tapping her quill against a fresh sheet of parchment. "I didn't force her to give me her blood, Professor. I never asked for her to do that for me. I know there are other venues that I could go to in order to find the blood that I need to quench this worsening bloodlust, but she didn't want me to go to some stranger for help. She wanted it to come from someone that I knew, someone that I could trust." Her eyes met his for a heartbeat. "I would never hurt her on purpose, sir."

Snape snapped the book shut and placed it back on the shelf. "It would be impossible for you to hurt her. That girl has a high threshold for pain." He picked up another book. "Did your mother provide any more information pertinent to your case?"

"No, sir. She is as clueless as she ever is."

That woman never really did have brains for anything beyond herself, Snape thought, scanning the pages of the book for any information that he could glean from it. It is rather surprising that this girl has any brains at all…It must come from her father's side.

His eyes wandered back onto the girl as he started speaking facts about the Veela race, though he didn't understand why he had to look at her so often. She was quickly scribbling down what he said, twisting a long tendril of hair around her finger as she did so. The dim lights of the Restricted Section glinted in her golden hair, causing a slight glowing effect and he watched as she captured her plump bottom lip between her teeth.

Snape forced himself to turn away from the girl and tried to concentrate harder on the task at hand. If he was going to have any chance of helping the girl find her soulmate before she turned into a vampire, he couldn't let himself get distracted by her unknowing Veela charm. And if he wanted to have peace coming from his child, he would have to guarantee that Avonlea would not become a bloodsucking creature of the night.

Keep your head in the game, Snape thought bitterly, turning a page. You can't lose your head because of some girl that has been a thorn in your side for years. Once this bloody deed is over with, she won't be a problem to you anymore and you will never have to think about her again.

Oh, what a happy thought was that one, Snape realized, but something in his chest thudded painful. To be rid of the girl that followed his daughter around like a helpless puppy and who sat meekly in the midst of other students, sitting silently when all the answers were already on her tongue – that was something that he had long desired. He would finally be able to relax and return to his habits without thinking about the shenanigans that his offspring and her best friend were getting into while his back was turned away from them.

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea squeezed her thighs together as hard as she could as Snape dictated notes from the book in his hand, trying very hard not to let her mind wander into daydreams. She had been sitting there for two hours with him, in silence as she took her notes like a good student would. Though she kept her eyes focused on the notes that were before her, she could tell when Snape's eyes fell upon her with an unnatural heat. She squeezed her legs together tighter and chewed on her bottom lip to keep herself from making any sound that he would misinterpret as her being weak or highly bored.

He smells like old books and warm potions, Avonlea thought, remembering what she had told Carissa when they had had their own impromptu study session. I never noticed it before. It's not a bad smell, actually, considering how bad at Potions I am…Is it bad that I want to smell more of it?

Carissa had laughed at her and threw a pillow in her direction. "It's not bad, unless you want to admit something. You and my dad are meant to be together, Lea. The nose knows more than you want to admit."

The Veela Halfling stiffened slightly when Snape approached her side of the table and bent over at the waist to look at the notes that she had scribbled down. She caught a whiff of his strange scent and stopped herself from leaning in towards him. Realizing that his scent was making her dizzy, she held her breath and turned her head slightly away from him. If she passed out now, she knew that she might as well die of embarrassment.

"It appears we have accumulated enough information about Veelas and their mating practices to begin the process of finding your mate," Snape decided, straightening once again, but taking one of the sheets of parchment with him. "Do you agree, Miss Raven?"

Avonlea nodded and let her breath out quietly when he moved away from her. "Yes, sir."

"A Veela will begin to change in appearance slightly as her bloodline kicks in," Snape said, reading the notes. "It is the starting sign that shows that she is reaching sexual maturity and must become appealing to her possible mates."
Avonlea shifted slightly in her seat and clasped her hands together. That would explain all of the unwanted attention I've been getting these days. But I don't see any difference when I look in the mirror…

"A Veela will be alerted of the presence of her mate through her sense of smell," Snape continued, moving around the desk. "She will be drawn to the scent of her mate and excrete her own unique scent that will lead the mate towards her."

Oh God! Avonlea's teeth bit harder down on her lip. I can't let that happen! I know that I already recognize his scent, but he can't recognize mine! There's no way that that can happen! There are dozens of males here. One of them could have a more powerful effect on me and my overly sensitive nose. Yes? Snape can't be the one. He would have begun to realize it if he was the one that I needed to be with. He's not the one. He can't be.

Avonlea's stomach made a small growling noise and she pressed a hand against it, heat flooding her face. Her eyes looked up at Snape for a split second, but he didn't seem to hear the sound. He was too focused on looking over the notes.

"Miss Raven," he said, turning to look at her once more. "Have you noticed the scent of someone close to you becoming more appealing?"

Yeah, yours, Avonlea thought, but she shook her head. "No, sir. Maybe he's not at this school?"

"No." Snape said, shaking his head. "If you would remember what we learned yesterday, you would recall that a Veela's mate is always in the same place as the Veela herself is. It's an odd fact that is only true in the case of Veela." His eyes darkened as he looked at her. "Now, I will only ask this question once more. Have you noticed an appealing scent coming from any male that you have encountered here at Hogwarts?"

Avonlea straightened her spine and tried to hold his gaze. "Sir, I told you that I haven't noticed the change of any male's scent that would appeal to me."

Snape held her gaze for a moment longer and she could feel the faint buzz of him trying to get into her head. She focused on keeping him out, while attempting to make her reaction seem innocent. There was no way in hell that she was going to let him get into her head and see what she didn't want to see herself.

OOOOOOOOO

Snape tore his gaze away from the Veela girl across from him when he couldn't get into her head. He mentally cursed his daughter for teaching her friend how to keep people out of the inner thoughts of her mind. If there was a secret hidden in the girl's mind, anything that could help him find her mate, he needed to know it and know it soon. Yet, there seemed to be nothing to learn from the girl – her clueless answers told him that she probably didn't know anything was changing around her, except for her thirst for blood.

Moving back to her side of the table, he placed the parchment covered in her notes back on top of the other pieces of parchment. She brushed her hair over her shoulder, not looking at him, but the action stirred the scent of her hair up into the air.

Snape smelled the scent of lavender and rain in the girl's hair. The scent was familiar, but strange at the same time. Like he hadn't noticed it before, even though he knew that he had.

She washes her hair too much in that stinking stuff, Snape told himself, putting more distance between him and the girl.

"Your assignment is to review the notes," Snape said, glaring down his nose at her. "And to move about the castle, using your heightening senses to see if you can locate your mate. That means you cannot hide in your room with Carissa for hours on end. If you want to remain human, then you will do what it takes to find the unfortunate soul and change your fate. Do

I make myself clear, Miss Raven?"

The Veela nodded and started to gather up her notes. "I understand, Professor."

"You will report to me your findings after class tomorrow," Snape told her, his voice waspish.

"Yes, sir." Avonlea stuffed the notes into her bag and stood up. "Am I free to go?"

"Yes."

Avonlea moved around the table and smiled softly. "Good day to you."

Snape waited one moment before clearing his throat. "And you will be more careful when you feed from Carissa's veins, won't you? You have so few friends, I would hate for you to kill one of them."

Avonlea's eyes turned towards him and they narrowed slightly. "I will be careful, sir. Goodbye."

The girl hurried away from him like she couldn't get away fast enough. Snape watched her walk away, his eyes following the slight shift of her hips as she walked. Shaking his head, he left the Restricted Section and closed the door behind him. Part of him felt empty as he moved through the library, scaring students that looked at him like he was the Devil himself.

That girl is nothing but trouble, he thought, not for the first time that week.

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea didn't stop walking until she was standing on the steps in front of the castle, her breath coming out in little clouds. She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned back against the cold stones, staring out at the world. Crystalline tears filled her eyes, but only one fell down the curve of her face.

He's starting to recognize that there's something different about me, Avonlea thought, remembering the way that Snape had acted around her. I saw it in his eyes. I felt him breathe next to me…He doesn't recognize the signs that he could be the mate of a Veela Halfling. And I don't want him to. I don't want him to be the one. I'd rather become a vampire.

The lying thoughts filled her head with bitterness and her tongue felt the bitter lies that hadn't been spoken directly.

She didn't want to become a vampire. She didn't want to live alone or lose her friends. She didn't want to lose her humanity and feed on the blood of others in order to survive for the rest of time.

There's got to be someone else, Avonlea decided, wiping at the stray tear that fell down the curve of her cheek. There has to be someone other than him. I just have to look like he told me to. Her eyes scanned the snowy world outside the castle. I will find someone else. I know that I will.

OOOOOOOOO

A/N: So what do you think? It's slightly longer than some of the other updates I've made on this site. Did you enjoy this? I know that Snape's scent is mentioned differently here than it was in J.K. Rowling's statement on his scent, but I found this scent more pleasing and more likely. Please leave a review in the little box and I will get back to all of you as soon as I can. Alright? –Scarlet