A/N: Hello, my lovelies! It's me again with a new update. I know it's been a while since I last updated and that some of you have been patiently waiting, but life always interferes with some good writing time. Thank you for the support and for the people that have stuck around. You guys are awesome! Short update, but it's an update. Please enjoy.

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea watched Carissa move around the common room, chasing down the last things that she wanted to take to the whorehouse that they lived in for the holiday. She hid her hands in the long sleeves of her sweater, feeling the chill of the winter touch her bare shoulders and tried to hide the shaking of her hands. It hurt to hear her friend make plans for what she and her two lovers were going to do while they were away from the strict rules of Hogwarts. It hurt even more to hear the plans that Carissa was making for when Avonlea would join them with her love at her side.

"That's it," Carissa declared, stowing a dirty Muggle book in her bag. "I can go to the train now." She smiled and swept her dark hair out of her face as she looked at Avonlea. "Mum is going to meet us at the station. I know she'll ask about you, but I'll keep your secret love out of the conversation. It's not my business to reveal it to my mum or yours. I'll leave it to you."

"Thanks," Avonlea said, forcing a small smile onto her face. "That means a lot to me, Rissa."

"I know." Carissa swept across the room and placed her hands on Avonlea's shoulders, squeezing them. "Lea, please don't take too long. In coming home to your family or becoming paired with my father. I can't be without you for long and I can't stand the thought of you being taken away from all of us because you were one minute too late. Promise me that you'll do whatever it takes to keep us together as best friends for the rest of our natural lives. Can you do that?"

No. Avonlea nodded. "I promise."

"Good." Carissa bounced up onto her toes and pressed a kiss to Avonlea's forehead. "Cassius and Katia are probably waiting down at the front of the school. Will you walk down with me?"

Again, Avonlea nodded and watched Carissa shrink down her luggage so that it could fit easily in her pocket. Carissa hooked her arm around Avonlea's and bounded over to the entrance to their private common room. The two girls hurried down the staircase, jumping over the trick steps and joined the milling crowd at the entrance to the castle. They quickly found Cassius and Katia standing just inside the doors.

"It's about time you two got down here," Cassius complained, pulling on his dragon skin gloves. "We've only aged about ten years in the time it took for you to get your sorry little butts down here."

"Aw, but you love my butt," Carissa teased, releasing Avonlea to embrace her male lover and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "And when you've aged ten more years, I'm gonna have to dump you for a newer model. Someone younger and exotic."

Avonlea looked away from the three of them as they playfully continued to flirt. Her stomach clenched as she saw the public displays of affection of couples that surrounded her. She knew that there would be no chance for her to ever experience what they had. It wasn't in her future for her to have any form of affection from the one person that could love her as much as he truly hated her.

Maybe there will be a miracle in my future, Avonlea thought, crossing her arms over her chest. I could probably find a decent vampire lover in case I do become a vampire myself. God, Carissa would hate me if I did. But…

The Veela Halfling shook her head and looked up at the ceiling. Carissa pounced on her unexpectedly, almost knocking the girl down.

"Rissa?"
"Please do what you need to do and come home to us," Carissa whispered against Avonlea's hair. "I can't lose you, Lea. Please don't make me."

Avonlea wrapped her arms around her best friend and squeezed her in a tight hug. She took a deep breath and tried to shove away the urge to bite her friend when she could smell the fresh blood pumping so close to her. She closed her eyes, willing away her sharp vampire teeth so that no one could see what she was becoming when she parted from her friend.

"Everything is going to be fine, Rissa," Avonlea whispered, hugging her friend tighter. "I promise that. You just go enjoy the holiday with your lovers and our family back at the whorehouse. I'll – I'll be there soon."

Carissa squeezed her one more time before stepping back. Cassius and Katia moved forward and hugged Avonlea tightly and muttered their own goodbyes. The three of them linked hands once they had said everything that they wanted to say and headed out into the cold. Avonlea hugged herself and watched her best friends move in the direction that would take them to the Hogwarts Express with dozens of other students.

"I'm sorry, Rissa," Avonlea whispered, feeling tears smart her eyes.

The Veela Halfling wiped at her eyes, praying that no one could see her crying. She felt hard eyes on her and looked across the hall at the source. Her heart fluttered and her stomach clenched painfully as she met the dark gaze of Snape. Avonlea hugged herself tighter and looked away, pretending to be interested in the snow outside.

We could never do what's needed to save me. So why bother?

Avonlea shook her head and turned her back on the winter scene and the retreating backs of the students that were lucky enough to have somewhere to go for the holidays. She could feel Snape's unwavering gaze on her back as she moved back towards the staircase.

Why bother?

OOOOOOOOO

Avonlea was sitting on the sofa by the fire with a stack of parchment resting next to her a few hours later, writing letters to the people that mattered most in her life. She fought to find the words that she wanted to use to express what she was feeling and the message that she wanted to convey. And she constantly had to blink away tears that came to her eyes unwantedly. An empty cup of hot chocolate sat on the floor next to the sofa and the Veela found that she couldn't stand to look or think about it anymore.

Blood…blood…blood…

The girl sighed heavily when she saw that she had written down the word "blood" several times. She poked her wand at the parchment and watched the words disappear into nothingness. Avonlea let the wand fall against the couch cushions at her side and picked up her quill once more. Words flowed as she scrawled down a message that she knew would break the hearts of the people that believed in her the most.

"Go away," she muttered when she heard the door to the common room open behind her. "I don't want any more cocoa or food or company. If I do, I'll go down to the Great Hall to get it. So, go away."

"This is where cowards come to hide," a voice said from across the room, making Avonlea's back stiffen and her quill fall onto the parchment, leaving a large ink stain on the stark whiteness.

The witch turned on the sofa and looked at Severus Snape with wide eyes. The man was standing across the room and lacked that famous black cloak that he usually wore. Avonlea noticed the fit form that the professor had under his black slacks and black long-sleeve shirt and hated herself for it.

"What – what are you doing here?" Avonlea demanded, finding her voice after a moment of trying to.

"I believe that you already know why," Snape said, moving farther into the room. "If you don't, you truly are a stupid girl." When Avonlea climbed to her feet and stepped back, the professor gave her a dark look before looking down at the papers on the couch. "What are you writing?"

"Letters," Avonlea told him, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I can see that. But what are you writing?"

"Don't!" Avonlea exclaimed, jumping forward when Snape snatched up some of the finished ones from the pile.

She saw his already dark eyes darken even more as he glanced over the words that she had written. His hand shook and the other formed a fist. Avonlea's mouth suddenly felt dry as she felt the man's anger fill the small room.

"You are giving up so easily," Snape hissed at her, but he never looked at her. "Stupid girl, are you really such a coward that you are willing to give up your life instead of solving the problem that you are now facing? That we are facing?"

"Nothing is going to change, Snape!" Avonlea growled back, feeling her canines sharpening once more that day. "You and I could never get close enough to fall in love before I become a vampire. So why should I waste anymore of your time or that of my friends?"
"Because there is always a way." Snape moved around the couch, holding the letters that Avonlea had written and Avonlea backed up another step. "I refuse to let you give up. You're a Slytherin, damn it!"

The professor stepped past Avonlea and threw the letters into the fire. A scream of protest poured from Avonlea's chest as she stared at the papers as they were consumed and then she turned towards Snape. She stepped close to him and wrapped her fingers in his shirt, pulling him close to her.

"Why did you do that?" she demanded, knowing that her fangs were growing sharper. "Why did you have to burn them up?"

Snape smirked down at her. "Because I'm not going to let you make all the time that I gave you worth nothing by giving up. You are going to continue to fight until the last moment that your normal life passes." He pressed a hand against the hand that she had on him, startling her. "Who knows? Miracles can happen…"

Avonlea blinked and untangled her fingers from his shirt. "You're willing to try, even though it might all be for nothing? Why?"

The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor smirked again and smoothed down the front of his shirt. "Come to my office. We will talk over dinner and see if there truly is anything redeemable about you."

Avonlea tilted her head to the side, but couldn't think of any words that wouldn't sound stupid or squeaky. She hid her hands in the sleeves of her sweater again and followed the dark professor out of the common room.

What the hell is happening?

OOOOOOOOO

A/N: What do you think about this chapter update? I think some more stuff is going to go down soon, but I don't know if I'll be able to find the right way to get the ideas down. Please leave a message in the little review box and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you all! –Scarlet