How is it Sunday already? By heck that came about quick! Longish chapter again but mostly dialogue.

The four new friendly fiends stayed in Mildred's room for the rest of evening. They decided against risking going back outside yet; bar a very important run to their own rooms for pillows and sweets; as well as more candles to light up the room. They made the little bedroom very cosy.

Ruby ended up sprawled one end of Mildred's bed, Maud at the other. Mildred sat on the floor against the bed on multiplied cushions and blankets the others had made with very basic magic. Jadu was next to her, alternating between laying on the floor, and sitting like a girl and somewhere in-between the two. They chatted and laughed, each pooling a ration of their tuck together while playing cards with the minor of a tarot set. Mildred was just about to tell Maud to go fish, when something Screeched and squawked making them all jump.

It was the bats. Now it was dark outside, the three larger ones seemed to be getting ready to get up. Except the smaller one, (with grey fur and larger ears) pulled a wing over its head, clearly wanting more sleep.

"Wow, you got bats in your room?" Ruby asked.

"Lucky!" Jadu said. "All I got was a damp patch that looks like Italy."

"Yeah they're really cute!" Mildred said, ever the animal lover. She clambered on to the bed and standing up on the mattress, began to gently stroke the nearest awake one. It sniffed her finger and shied away at first but then wriggled into the touch chirping happily. "And I think those second years were teasing me, I don't think they bite at all. Bats sleep all day and hunt at night, like cats you know."

"They're beautiful. I bet it'll be busy in here at night though." Maud agreed. "Do they have names?"

"Not yet. I thought Winky, Blinky, and Nod." Mildred said, pointing them out. "But there's four of them now. That grey one wasn't here earlier. I don't know what to call that one."

"Actually, my name is already Davina." Yawned the grey bat, making them all girls and bats alike jump in surprise again. 'Davina' stretched yawned again and flapped a wing vaguely at the other bats. "But Winkey, Blinky, and Nod seem a good choice for these three."

"Oh. Thanks?" Mildred said looking at the others for help. But the other looked as confused as she felt.

"You're welcome." The grey bat opened her eyes and blinked at them. Then realized where she was and nearly dropped off her perch.

"Woops-a-daisy! Do excuse me I thought I was in my cupboard. I must have taken the wrong turn at the other tower. Goodness is it night time already?" She flustered and flapped. Mildred realized the bat was also wearing tiny little glasses on its snout. "Oh, but look at you all! New first years, aren't you?" They all nodded. "How lovely. And making friends already too, isn't that nice! Now, would of you mind opening the shutters? I best get off to the staffroom."

Maud scrambled off the bed to do so. The bat dropped off her hangings properly this time. She flew about the room once, getting her bearings.

"Thank you dear." she said. And with that shot of out the window. "See you first lesson girls!"

The four crowded the slit window watching her fly off into the dark. They saw the bat bank and circle the small tower. But then even Maud and Jadu lost sight of it after that.

"What… just happened?" Ruby asked after a pause.

"First lesson…I think…" Mildred said, realisation dawning. "I think that was Miss-."

But it dawned on Maud much faster.

"Miss Batty Bat! She's a vampire. She's been here ages! She taught mum, and my aunties, AND granny." She squeaked happily. "But wow I didn't know she was a Bat like a real bat!"

The reason they'd lost sight of her in the dark, was that Miss Bat had circled round the tower into a dive.

By coincidence, just as Miss Cackle and the others were speculating her where-abouts and whether Lavina would need to cover her already she flew through the (thankfully open) staff room window as fast as she'd flown out of Mildred's. And landed with rather spectacular fashion into a (thankfully empty) teacup; Before transforming back into a more upright form, with baton at the ready.

"Have I Missed anything?" Miss Bat asked, as if she hadn't missed the entire arrival of the girls or was currently sat in the middle of the table.

"You mean that bat was Miss Baton? Our chanting teacher?" Jada. Mildred nodded.

"It is Baton but she goes by Miss Bat. And she's vegetarian mostly. Fenella told me that bit. Or was it Gris?" Mildred said. "but 'Batty by name, fruit bat by nature' they said."

"So, does that mean Bat is quite batty?" Jadu pondered. Maud groaned.

"Some school! More like The Castle of Doctor Doom!" Ruby crunched a few Smarties thoughtfully. "I thought rival vampires were territorial?"

"Are they?" Mildred asked.

"Normally." Maud said. "Then again, normally vampires, they don't mix with wolves. But they don't seem to mind teaching us here. How do you think that work with two on the staff then? Her and HB?"

"Maybe they're friends?" Mildred shrugged; at the same time as Miss Bat shut her herself in the cupboard. All because HB complained about the noise in the first-year corridor, caused the first staff room argument of the year and said how none of it would have happened if Bat had woken up and bitten it in the bud. The other teachers gave them both a wide berth after that.

"Or family?" Mildred added unaware of the drama.

"Vampires normally don't really have families Mildred. Not in the same sense most monsters and people do." Jadu said.

"Unless they turn their own family after they've been bitten." Ruby pointed out.

"Vampires have 'houses'. Sort of like bloodlines of who bit who. Or like the clans like we- well like werewolves do, where it's a family or a group of linked families." Maud supplied. "But Vamps don't tend to live together in a castle or a school. Or even stay near other vampires after they've been around for a while."

"Especially not near other vampires from a different set."

"Don't they get lonely then?" Mildred said. Oh poor things.

"Maybe. But it's still odd to see two vampires about together." Jadu said.

"I suppose even by monster standards, Cackles is a bit odd." Maud giggled.

"Is it?" Mildred asked.

"Yeah it is." Ruby said. Then with not much if any tact at all asked, "Speaking of odd. What are you then, Mildred?"

Thanks for reading! Whose everyones fave monster so far btw? Mine's Maud i think