I don't own Hellsing or Harry Potter, and I'm not making any money from this.

"Well," The woman from the Ministry said, rubbing her hands together. "I suppose we should begin, seeing as how we're all here now." She straightened her shoulders and addressed Alucard and Mihnea more formally. "My name is Cassandra Ellard and I'll be conducting the investigation today. This," She gestured to the dark-skinned man in colorful robes next to her. "Is Mr. Kingsley Shacklebolt. He normally serves as a liaison where muggle affairs are concerned, and I believe Professor Dumbledore requested that he be here." She glanced at the man in question. "Is that correct?"

The Headmaster smiled politely. "That is correct, Ms. Ellard."

"Very good." She replied. She gestured then to the short, scrawny looking man who looked like he'd rather be anywhere other than where he currently was. "And Mr. Herman Puggle here is one of my aides. He will be acting as stenographer to record the contents of our discussion." She waved a hand at him. "Herman? Make sure the record reflects that Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape are in attendance as witnesses for Hogwarts school."

The unfortunately named Mr. Puggle snapped to attention and awkwardly rifled through the stack of documents in his arms, searching for the correct one. When he finally located it, he plucked a quill from behind his ear and scribbled down a note. Mihnea quietly observed the sense of nervous energy about the man – as if he were used to fetching coffee and delivering mail rather than doing anything of real importance. It looked like Puggle wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.

"I've been informed that Professor Dumbledore met with your family last night to discuss the details of what would happen during this meeting." Ms. Ellard went on. "Do you have any questions before we begin?"

Mihnea shook his head to indicate that he didn't, but Alucard held out a hand out in front of him to interrupt.

"We were told this Lycanthropy test requires a blood sample." The vampire intoned smoothly. "What becomes of the remains afterward?"

Ms. Ellard blinked at him. She must never have encountered such a question before. "Once the result is recorded, we have no further use for the potion or anything remaining of the sample." She informed him. "They will be discarded accordingly."

"That isn't good enough." Alucard replied, giving her a sideways look. "I've heard tales of what your kind can do when you get your hands on pieces of someone's body. They should be destroyed."

From the corner of his eye, Mihnea noted Snape's brow arch with interest, while Ms. Ellard sputtered.

"I assure you, sir, such a thing has never happened before, and…"

"What has happened in the past is no guarantee of what may occur in the future." Mihnea's father interrupted. "Our blood is precious, Ms. Ellard. Destroy them."

The woman looked as though she wanted to argue point further; like she thought the request came from a place of muggle ignorance on how such things worked and she only needed to explain better. Shacklebolt, though, leaned over to speak quietly into her ear. He and Ellard whispered back and forth to each other before some sort of decision was made.

"Very well." She relented with a sigh. "If it would put your mind at ease, everything will be destroyed once we're finished."

Alucard looked generally unimpressed with her attitude, but satisfied with the result. He reached into his jacket to withdraw a small stack of papers that were stapled together and held them out. The woman peered at them curiously.

"What's this?" She asked.

"My son's written statement." The vampire replied smoothly. "For your records. We've kept a copy for ourselves, in case this one happens to be… misplaced."

From the look that passed over his face, Shacklebolt seemed to recognize the point being made, but it flew right over Ms. Ellard's head. She clapped her hands together in delight before taking the papers from him.

"Oh! I didn't realize you'd gone to all that trouble." She commented. "This will be very helpful. I'll look it over while the test is being performed."

With that out of the way, the proceedings began in earnest. An area had been set up near the Headmaster's desk with chairs and a small table where supplies and paperwork could be placed. Everyone congregated around the chairs to sit and get more comfortable. Puggle set out several stacks of documents, anxiously picking them up and setting them back down several times before finally getting around to retrieving the testing supplies as he was supposed to. How on earth did this man manage to keep his job? He must have a friend in a high-level position who took pity on him.

Once everything was set up and the potion passed over to Kingsley, the man cleared his throat and looked at Mihnea. "Only a small amount of blood is needed for the potion." He told him. "The method of retrieval is up to your preference. There is a spell…"

"I'd rather not, if you don't mind." Mihnea said quickly.

He had no idea if such a spell would work on him or not but even if it would, he wasn't too keen on the idea of having a wand pointed at him. Instead, he elected to slice his palm open with a pocket knife they had brought for this very purpose. At least if he was cutting himself, he'd have some degree of control over the situation. Shacklebolt held out the vial of potion as Mihnea moved to hold his hand over the top.

Shacklebolt looked at Alucard. "To confirm for our records – do we have your consent to continue?"

The vampire crossed one leg over the over and wordlessly inclined his head, waving a hand to motion for them to get on with it. At the table, Puggle scratched a note onto a roll of parchment. Mihnea took that as his signal to begin and pressed the knife into his right palm, slowly dragging it downward with evenly applied pressure to open a wound. He allowed his blood to drip down into the vial until Shacklebolt signaled that he'd given enough. The man gently swirled the potion, allowing the contents to mix. After a few moments, the color shifted to a bright shade of red.

"The results are negative." Shacklebolt announced with a pleased expression.

Puggle's quill scratched against the parchment furiously, recording the outcome while the other wizard rose and stepped over to the side to dispose of the potion. He placed the vial into the fireplace then leveled his wand at it, casting a spell that caused it to burst into flame. It burned until the vial and its contents were consumed entirely.

"Wonderful! Well, certainly makes the rest of this much easier." Ms. Ellard said. She looked up from the papers she was flipping through to give Mihnea a friendly smile. "Your statement appears to be quite thorough. I'll be referring back to it, but I do have some questions. This is simply to help us understand what happened. I know that this whole ordeal must have been very upsetting, but it is important that you be as detailed as possible. Anything you can remember will be extremely helpful."

She had slipped into that tone of voice that people tended to use when trying to be comforting whilst also working to get information out of someone. It was the sort of thing that people in positions like hers learned to do through experience. Mihnea had seen it often enough to recognize it for what it was. He didn't know enough about the woman to know if Ellard was putting on airs or not, but the style of speech was a bit annoying and grated on his nerves. He pressed his lips together in a thin line and nodded to show he understood.

"Herman, would you mind retrieving the Veritaserum?"

Mihnea stiffened in surprise. No one had mentioned Veritaserum being used for this. From the corner of his eye, he saw his father straightening in his chair, preparing for an argument. Dumbledore and the teachers looked just as shocked as he felt.

"You cannot be serious!" McGonagall protested, a note of reproach in her voice.

Snape scowled at the woman. "Veritaserum is for use in legal proceedings with an uncooperative witness." He said, voicing his agreement with the Transfiguration professor. "Mr. Bassarab has agreed to answer your questions. Its use is excessive under these circumstances."

Ms. Ellard exchanged a look with Shacklebolt, her lips turning downward into an understanding frown. "Normally, I would agree with you Professor Snape, but the Minister indicated that he wished for it to be used in this instance so that we would be able to use his testimony as evidence, should it become necessary to do so." She paused and shook her head. "It came across my desk at the last minute or I would have informed everyone beforehand."

"And you couldn't have said something when you first arrived?" McGonagall challenged. "Honestly, Cassandra, I'm surprised at you!"

The woman's cheeks pinked at the rebuke. "It's… been a very trying morning, Professor McGonagall." She began. "There wasn't an opportunity…"

While the rest of them argued over the matter, Alucard leaned over slightly and gave Mihnea a look, questioning what he wanted to do. Mihnea had never taken Veritaserum before, so he was unsure if it would affect him or not. After a moment's consideration, he decided he was willing to take the risk. From what he understood, Veritaserum could be combatted with Occlumency – so even if he felt the effects of it, he should easily be able to fight it off. They had come too far to give up on the plan now. He silently nodded his assent and Alucard straightened and cleared his throat.

"He'll take your truth potion." He informed them, causing the minor argument that had broken out to come to a halt. "But if there's anything else you haven't told us, I suggest you let us know now." He paused to give Ellard a serious look. "I don't like being taken by surprise."

The woman swallowed. Something about the expression on Alucard's face made her nervous, and it looked like she realized she might not be able to push her limits much further.

"I… understand, sir." She said slowly. "I do apologize for this. It's only procedure and nothing is meant by it, I assure you."

The vampire narrowed his eyes. "So you say."

Ms. Ellard swallowed again and swiftly motioned for Puggle to bring over the vial of Veritaserum they had brought with them before he had an opportunity to change his mind. As the man went over to the table to retrieve it, Mihnea noticed several things happen within quick succession. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape all shared a meaningful glance amongst themselves that lasted no longer than a second. The moment passed so quickly that had he not been looking directly at them, he might have thought he imagined it. Professor McGonagall unclasped her hands, which she had been holding in her lap, and her right hand slid to the side where it was hidden by the folds of her skirt. When Puggle came around the table with the vial of potion in his hand, Snape let out a loud cough and scratched the side of his nose – the noise inspiring Shacklebolt and Ellard to glance in his direction. In the split second that their attention was diverted the aide faltered, tripping over his own feet in his haste to rejoin their little group. The potion slipped from his fingers and the vial shattered into pieces on the floor.

Ellard whirled around in her seat to gape at him with wide eyes. "Herman!" She exclaimed. "What in Merlin's name is wrong with you?! Do you have any idea how serious it is to mishandle a restricted potion like that? You could be fired or worse!"

Puggle stared down at the broken vial in shock, then worriedly looked back up. "I don't know what happened, Ma'am." He sputtered. "I suppose I wasn't paying attention to my feet…"

"Yes, and now we no longer have what we need." She sniped back. "There is only so much Veritaserum available for us to use, Herman! It will take Circe knows how long to secure more!"

Dumbledore put a thoughtful finger to his lips and hummed. "There is no need to be so harsh with him, Ms. Ellard. It was clearly an accident." He said calmly. He gestured idly toward Snape. "We just so happen to have a Potions Master here who I'm sure would be more than happy to provide a dose of Veritaserum for you. I would hate for anyone to get into trouble over an honest mistake."

Puggle deflated in relief, while Ms. Ellard gave him a thankful smile. "Yes, I would appreciate that Professor Dumbledore. Thank you." She told him. "I must apologize for Herman's behavior. He'll not be handling anything else of value today."

She turned to hiss at the man to go sit at the table with his quill and focus on taking notes, if he could manage to do that without destroying anything else. He looked humiliated at being disciplined in front of the entire room, but hung his head and trudged over to the table all the same. Professor Snape rose smoothly from his seat, announcing that it would take him only a moment to floo to his office to retrieve the potion. He disappeared through the fireplace in an instant, only to reappear a minute later with a small glass bottle in his hand. He rejoined the group and held the bottle out to Mihnea.

"Three drops, Mr. Bassarab." He told him.

Mihnea looked up at his Head of House as he reached to take the bottle. Snape's face appeared perfectly stoic and unreadable aside from his eyes. The dark orbs held an intent, meaningful glint that he recognized thanks to his many years of working in close quarters with the man. The subtle look was gone within a moment, and Snape withdrew from him to return to his seat. The boy didn't have to wonder at the meaning of that look for long. When he carefully unscrewed the lid of the potion, his nose was met with an unexpected scent.

Veritaserum was widely known for being odorless and tasteless, but that wasn't exactly true. Ordinary human senses weren't strong enough to pick out a flavor or smell, but his could. It was extremely faint, but enough to be detectable. Mihnea had gone to great lengths to become familiar with the subtle scent of Veritaserum to make sure he'd be able to identify it should anyone ever attempt to drug him with it. One never knew when such skills would be useful.

So he could say with absolute certainty that the bottle Snape had just given him did not contain the truth potion. Mihnea suspected that the man had done nothing more than pop into his office to fill up a spare vial with water from the tap. Without missing a beat, he drew up the liquid with the dropper attached to the lid, dispensed three drops under his tongue, then closed up the bottle and passed it back to the Potions Master. He allowed the liquid to roll about inside his mouth before swallowing.

Ms. Ellard cleared her throat. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Yes ma'am." He replied, and the questioning commenced.

First was a series of questions he supposed were used to establish the record. Mihnea had to give his full name, date of birth, House affiliation, and current school level before they ventured into more relevant subjects. Using the statement that Mihnea had written out the night before, Ms. Ellard asked him about what he had done that day – starting from the moment he woke up and moving on from there. At some points it seemed that her questions were tests to ensure that his verbal answers matched the written account, while at others she merely asked for clarification or extra details. It was a tedious process, and Mihnea had to fight back the urge to show too many outward signs of irritation. And, of course, the scratching of Puggle's quill in the background was an ever present reminder that everything he said was being recorded.

"I see here that you claim to have gone to Professor's Snape's office to work on a project after your exam." Ellard commented as she scanned over a particular section of the document in her lap. "Which was…" She blinked in surprise when she reached a particular passage. "The wolfsbane potion?" She looked over at Snape questioningly. "That is tightly regulated, if I'm not mistaken."

"It is." Snape agreed with a nod. "And I am a licensed Potions Master who happens to hold the patent for the particular variety of wolfsbane he was brewing. He was under my supervision during the entire process. I believe that falls well within Ministry guidelines."

If he was taken aback by Mihnea admitting to brewing the potion, he showed no outward sign of it. The woman's brows knit together in concern.

"That may be true, but it's still highly irregular to assign such a task to a student." She said. "Was there a reason why Mr. Bassarab was selected to assist with this?"

"I have been training Mr. Bassarab over the last few years to prepare him to begin working as my assistant when he comes of age." Snape explained with an idle shrug. "He works in my storeroom and assists with potions as his schedule allows. The preparation for OWLs and final exams left me with no time to tend to the potion myself, and it offered an opportunity for him to demonstrate his skills."

One of her brows went up. "It's it a bit early for him to be training for a job like that, isn't it? Aren't teacher's assistants usually chosen from the sixth or seventh years?"

"That may be sufficient for other classes, but Potions is a complex subject with a great potential for danger." The Potions Master rebutted. "If I were to wait until sixth year to begin training one, it would be nearly graduation before they were prepared to do any work I could sign off on. The nature of the subject also requires frequent communication between parties, which is easiest with members of one's own house. Mr. Bassarab is currently the only student in Slytherin house with the skills and characteristics I require in an assistant."

Mihnea was fighting to keep his surprise from showing on his face. Is that what Snape had been doing all this time? He had always thought the man had just been giving him something to do. The topic of training as an assistant had never once come up between them.

"I see." Ellard said, then looked back down at the witness statement and the pad of notes she'd been taking as she went along. "I don't see this mentioned anywhere, but given the nature of the potion you were brewing, I have to ask: were you aware of Mr. Lupin's condition before this incident took place?"

"I was." Mihnea replied easily. No point in lying about that bit.

She peered at him curiously. "How did you come to learn this information?"

The boy lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. "He was always sick around the full moon and had behavioral changes that corresponded to the lunar cycle." He said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It wasn't that hard to figure out."

"And you never considered reporting your suspicions to anyone?"

"Why would I?" He asked. "Professor Lupin is the best Defense teacher I've had since I've been in school, and aside from him missing a class here and there, it didn't affect his ability to do his job. It really wasn't anyone's business and I didn't think it was important."

Ellard sat back in her chair, looking stunned. The vast majority of people wouldn't react that way to finding out one of their teachers was a werewolf, but Mihnea wasn't most people and he wasn't about to pretend otherwise. Besides, his mother had tipped him off that she suspected Cassandra Ellard of having a somewhat sympathetic personality and he hoped to use that to his advantage.

His story, from that point on, was carefully constructed to conceal what had actually happened. Upon delivering a dose of the potion to Lupin's empty office, he claimed to have to gone down to the Forbidden Forest to spend some time observing the herd of thestrals. Mihnea acknowledged that he'd probably be disciplined for being in a place he shouldn't have been, but he was willing to stick his neck out and take the hit. Hagrid was well aware of his and Luna's penchant for visiting the creatures and could verify that it wasn't out of the ordinary for him to do such a thing if anyone chose to look into the matter later. He reported that while in the forest, he hadn't paid much attention to the time and didn't realize how long he'd been there until it started growing dark. It was on his trek back to the castle that he claimed to have seen Lupin's transformation and the subsequent altercation from a distance.

Ms. Ellard leaned forward in her chair, quill poised over her notepad ready to take notes. "This sounds like what transpired just before Sirius Black was captured and brought to the castle." She said, her voice holding a clear note of interest. "What, exactly, did you see?"

"It was very dark by that point and I was at an odd angle, so I didn't have a good view." Mihnea replied. He motioned with his hands to give a basic demonstration of the layout he described. "But I remember seeing several people all standing near the Whomping Willow. I could pick out Potter, Granger, and Professor Lupin but there were shrubs in the way, so I couldn't make out who the others were. When Professor Lupin began to transform, I saw Professor Snape run out – I couldn't really tell from where – and put himself between him and everyone else."

"I see." She said as she scribbled down a note. "And what happened next?"

"Well, it all happened very fast, but I could see Professor Lupin advancing on them like he was going to attack and I didn't see how Professor Snape could fight off a werewolf and keep Potter and Granger out of the way at the same time." He explained. "I had the thought that if I did something to distract him, I could draw Professor Lupin's attention long enough for the others to get away. So I howled."

He received a blink in response. "You… howled?"

"It was the first thing that popped into my head." Mihnea offered.

The woman hummed in response and scratched down a note before asking him to continue his tale. He went on to explain that Lupin had turned and chased after him. He had thought that he was far enough away to make a run for it and climb a tree before the werewolf caught up to him, but hadn't taken into account just how dark it had gotten. He had somehow caught his foot on something as he ran and wound up falling down – and that was when Lupin attacked him. He got in a few swipes with his claws, but Mihnea managed to avoid being bitten.

"That sounds terrifying." Ms. Ellard said, giving him a wide-eyed look of sympathy. "How did you manage to get away?"

Mihnea paused on purpose, making it look like he was really thinking about it.

"I don't really know." He said at last. "One minute he was on top of me and the next he wasn't. I couldn't make out what it was that knocked him off of me, but it had to have been pretty big. All I could really see were vague shapes and shadows." He forced his mouth downward into a frown. "I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you more, but I can't."

As Ellard and Shacklebolt exchanged a look between themselves, Dumbledore chose that moment to clear his throat. "There may be no way to know for certain if this was the case, but it is worth noting that there is a herd of Hippogriffs that reside very close to where this altercation took place." He offered, making a sweeping gesture with his hand. "They can be very territorial and if one of them sensed a werewolf nearby, it is very likely that they would attempt to chase it off. They are certainly large enough to hold their own in a fight against one."

"Are they not kept in some sort of enclosure?" Ellard asked with a frown.

Shacklebolt cocked his head to the side. "Was there not a hippogriff due to be executed that escaped earlier that day?" He questioned. "What was its name? The one who attacked Malfoy's boy?"

"Buckbeak." Professor McGonagall offered sourly. "And that 'attack' was horribly overblown."

"But it was there all the same." The man went on. He gave Ellard a small shrug. "It lines up with what we already know happened. There was plenty of time between sightings for it to have been the same animal."

Ellard rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Yes, that does sound like the most likely explanation." She agreed. She turned back to Mihnea. "You're lucky it was close enough to intervene, if that is indeed what you saw."

When she asked how he managed to get back, Mihnea replied that he wasn't exactly sure. He was in a great deal of pain from his injuries and was so dizzy that he couldn't make much sense of his surroundings. All he could remember was telling himself over and over again that he had to get back to the castle for help. Though he had no clear memory of doing it, he must have stumbled and/or crawled all the way back before finally collapsing once he got inside. At that point, the Headmaster confirmed that one of the house elves had found him passed out from blood loss in one of the hallways. Upon seeing the state he was in, Dumbledore realized that the school's hospital wing didn't have the resources to properly tend to his wounds, and decided the best course of action was to send him home. Injuries inflicted by werewolves were notoriously difficult to treat even under the most ideal of circumstances, and there was no guarantee of being able to secure a room in St. Mungos in time. Mihnea's mother, he informed them, had a particular talent for healing and he thought she was the best equipped to handle his treatment and recovery.

All in all, it seemed that Ellard accepted the story at face value and wasn't going to press for further investigation. She looked over his statement and her notes one last time before setting them to the side to address him without distraction.

"You've been through quite a harrowing experience." She said, giving him that understanding look of sympathy that people tended to get when trying to comfort someone without really knowing how. "You're lucky to have come out of it in one piece."

Mihnea wasn't really sure how to respond to that, so he just nodded and remained silent. She continued to study him for a few moments before clearing her throat to speak again.

"I realize that reliving such a traumatic event must be very taxing, and I thank you for your cooperation today." She told him. "I'll be making a full report on everything we've discussed the moment I get back to my office." She paused then to turn her attention to Alucard, who had been perfectly content to let Mihnea do all the talking up to this point. "I brought some paperwork with me that will need to be filled out relating to pressing charges against Mr. Lupin. Given the extent of the injuries described..."

The vampire held up a hand to stop her. "That won't be necessary." He intoned silkily. "We are not interested in pressing charges."

Ms. Ellard blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?" She sputtered. "But…"

"I didn't stutter." Alucard snapped, cutting her off. He fixed her with an intent look. Without breaking eye contact with her, he addressed his son. "Mihnea."

The boy immediately straightened his posture. "Yes, sir?"

"Did you understand what could happen before you acted?" The vampire questioned.

Even though his father wasn't looking at him, he still nodded. "I did."

"Did you accomplish what you set out to do?"

"I did."

"And do you accept the consequences of your actions?"

"I do."

The corner of Alucard's mouth twitched upward into a smirk. "As you can see, Ms. Ellard, my son understands what he has done and takes full responsibility for the outcome." He said, making sure to enunciate each word clearly. "The werewolf has already resigned from his position. There is no need for further punishment."

Everyone in the room aside from Dumbledore blinked at them in astonishment. McGonagall and Snape both looked like they weren't quite sure what to make of the declaration. Ellard and Shacklebolt shared a quick look of consideration before the woman turned back to them.

"That's… very noble of you." She said carefully. "However, this is a very serious situation. Even if you don't want to press charges yourself, the Ministry cannot allow such things to go unpunished. With injuries as severe as the ones described here, the law requires us to bring criminal charges. We must consider the safety of…"

"I am aware of what you and your Ministry must take into consideration." Alucard said, his voice taking on a sickly sweet tone. "After all, you've managed to lose track of a convicted criminal three times in less than a year. The masses won't accept such gross displays of incompetence for long, so it is in your best interest to take a hard stance on any situation you can use to save face." He calmly clasped his hands in his lap and tilted his head slightly, giving her a smile that somehow managed to look both innocent and dangerous. "I am no wizard, but I know how this game is played."

Ms. Ellard's expression went blank at the accusation, and she fidgeted under the intensity of his gaze. "I… I'm afraid I don't know what you mean." She said, fumbling over her words.

Alucard's eyes glittered with mischief and a deep, resonant chuckle escaped his lips. "Of course you don't." He purred. He glanced at Dumbledore for half a second and his smile widened as he looked back at her. "Your government and Minister may be impotent, but you'll soon come to understand that I am not. We do not take kindly to challenges or threats no matter how nicely they're worded, and we are not pawns to be used in your petty games."

The woman's face went ashen. "I assure you, sir, this is no game…"

"I'm not finished." Alucard interrupted. A sudden flash of irritation in his eyes forced her mouth to snap shut. "We have played by your rules, Ms. Ellard, and now it is time for you to play by mine." He leaned back in his chair, looking every bit like a monarch lounging on his throne. "I declare No Confidence in your investigation and move for this case to be given to the Hellsing Organization for processing."

Over at his post, Puggle dropped his quill and accidentally knocked over the bottle of ink of he was using, splashing sepia toned liquid all over his notes, the table, and himself. Ms. Ellard was so shocked that she didn't even notice. Her mouth opened and closed several times before she managed to get any words out.

"Hellsing…" She breathed. "I… you don't know what you're asking."

"They are the muggle organization responsible for these matters." The vampire replied. He arched a brow at her. "Unless there's another no one knows about?"

"I know what they are, but you don't understand!" The woman said in a low, urgent tone. "Hellsing has… a reputation. Trying to avoid prosecution would be meaningless if they took this over. You would be better off allowing the Ministry to handle this."

"And see the man rot in jail on trumped up charges that the lone 'victim' doesn't wish to pursue?" Alucard challenged.

"He would be alive!"

Shacklebolt threw out his hand to grip her arm and gently pulled her sideways, whispering to urge her to calm down. The No Life King chuckled softly at her outburst.

"There are some fates far worse than death, my dear." He purred knowingly. "If he has done nothing wrong, he has nothing to fear. Can you say the same of your Ministry?"

A tense silence hung in the air as he and the two Ministry officials stared at each other intently. Finally, Shacklebolt broke up the quiet with a meaningful cough.

"I think it's time to take a break." He offered, looking over toward their clumsy stenographer. "We have everything we need for the record, Mr. Puggle. Please take your notes and the test results back to Ms. Ellard's office for filing."

Puggle nervously looked around at each of them then bobbed his head, quickly snatching up his many piles of papers. Looking like he was more than happy to extract himself from the situation, he practically tripped over his own feet as he scuttled toward the fireplace.

"And Mr. Puggle?" Shacklebolt called out.

The man froze mid-step.

"I'll remind you that you are bound by a magical vow to keep the contents of any conversation had in this room today strictly confidential." He said seriously. "Breaking such a vow, even unintentionally, would invite severe consequences."

Puggle didn't turn around, but Mihnea could see the beads of sweat breaking out on the back of his neck. His head bobbed again and he mumbled a quick 'yes, sir' before tossing a handful of floo powder into the fireplace and disappearing into the flames. Once he was gone, Shacklebolt pushed himself forward in his chair, gesturing for Ms. Ellard to follow. He offered a quick apology to the rest, saying that they needed to speak privately for a moment. The pair of them withdrew to a distant corner of the room to whisper quietly to each other. Though she looked rather put out about it, something he said must have convinced her that it was for the best to throw in the towel and let him take over trying to talk sense into them. She came back to their little group to give as little of a goodbye as she could get away with before disappearing into the fireplace herself.

When only Shacklebolt remained, the atmosphere in the room shifted. The seriousness was still ever present, but it became more relaxed somehow. The man came back to the collection of chairs where the rest of them were.

"Good show, you two." He commented with a wry grin as he reclaimed his seat. "I had forgotten how stealthy you can be with a wand, Minerva."

McGonagall patted the mass of dark hair pinned up at the nape of her neck, preening at the compliment in a way Mihnea had never seen from her before. "Well, one does need to keep up with a touch of practice every now and again." She said with the faintest hint of a smile. Her expression quickly shifted back to its usual stern visage. "Bumbling imbeciles like that have no business being included in something like this. He looked like he was going to faint at any moment." She sniffed. "Not an inch of those notes of his will be useable."

"Yes, well, unfortunately we've had to put protective enchantments on any parchment he uses to protect them from his 'accidents'." Shacklebolt said with a frown. "The transcript is recoverable."

The woman pursed her lips. "Pity."

"Indeed." Snape agreed with his usual scowl. "Is Ellard going to be a problem?"

"Cassandra? No." The other man replied resolutely. "She thought this was as big a farce as I did. She's just been… stressed lately. This surge in activity has been causing all kinds of trouble in her department and Fudge has been doing what he does best."

McGonagall frowned. "Applying pressure, I presume?"

"Exactly." Shacklebolt agreed. He paused to shoot a look toward Alucard and Mihnea. "I apologize for the Veritaserum earlier. We truly didn't know it was going to be required until this morning. We were just walking out of her office to come here when the memo arrived." He turned back to Dumbledore. "I suppose this Hellsing business was your idea?"

The Headmaster's eyes twinkled. "Not exactly, but when Alucard here proposed his plan of action, I found myself agreeing with him." He told him.

"Ah." The man glanced at Alucard. "Well, it's certainly a good bluff. I should tell you that I'm not terribly familiar with Hellsing's day to day operations so I can't make any promises." His attention turned to Mihnea. "I don't know if they would consider something like this worth their time, but if they do - and that is a big 'if'- they'll likely want to speak to you themselves. Is that something you're willing to do?"

"That won't be an issue." Alucard said before Mihnea had a chance to respond himself. "He's already given them his statement. If they require further information…" He paused with a knowing smirk. "They know where to find us."

Silence hung in the air as Shacklebolt blinked in surprise. A veil of caution seemed to fall over him as he spoke again. "I didn't realize that." He said slowly. He looked back and forth between the pair. "When did this happen, if you don't mind my asking?"

Alucard gave a nonchalant shrug and when he made no indication that he was going to respond, Mihnea cleared his throat.

"Tuesday morning." He told him.

The other man blinked again. "That… would have been only hours after the attack happened."

"So it was." The No Life King said. He tilted his head slightly with a mysterious smile. "Funny how that worked out."

Mihnea felt the weight of everyone's eyes as they darted back and forth between the two of them. Seemingly unaffected by the new wave of tension in the room, Dumbledore sat up a bit straighter in his chair and clasped his hands in his lap.

"Mr. Bassarab." He smiled kindly when Mihnea met his gaze. "I believe we've covered everything your presence was required for. Why don't you go pay Remus a visit? He'll be leaving us today, but he still had a few things in his office to pack up. I'm sure he'd appreciate a chance to speak to you before he goes."

The boy stared wordlessly. The feeling of anxiousness from last night came back in a wave. He hated this feeling. The uncertainty of what lay ahead and what it might mean if everything went to hell. Even if he could push those thoughts aside, he was still left with the idea of Alucard being left alone in a room with three people who had no idea who he was or what he was capable of. That alone was more than enough to trigger a serious case of nerves.

"Dad…" He began slowly.

Alucard stopped him with a look. "We have known from the beginning that we couldn't hide forever." He said.

Mihnea knew that, but it didn't make things any easier. He took a moment to look around, absorbing the inquisitive and cautious expressions that surrounded them. He swallowed.

"Please don't kill anyone." It sounded like a joke, but he was mostly serious.

The vampire smiled knowingly. "Not today." He told him, then reached over to swat at his knee. "Go speak to your werewolf, Mihnea." He said, switching back to English. "I promise to behave myself."

It wasn't much, but it would have to do. Taking a deep breath, Mihnea inclined his head in acceptance and rose to leave. He shot a final glance back over his shoulder before slipping through the door and allowing it to close behind him.

The click of the latch catching resounded through the room, the silence making it sound much louder than it actually was. Alucard interlaced his gloved fingers together and leaned back comfortably in his chair, bringing his hands up to rest on top of his knee.

"I hope for your sake that your faith in your associates isn't misplaced, Albus." He said as he gave the Headmaster a sideways look. "It would be a shame to make a mess of this lovely office of yours."

Constance was quite certain that if she had to solve any more Arithmancy equations, she was going to vomit.

Her weekends were usually reserved for rest and relaxation. Had it been any other time of year, she probably would have stayed in bed until at least ten o'clock. But even with all the recent drama flying about the castle, the school schedule marched on undeterred. Final exams would be held soon. She didn't anticipate any problems with most of her courses, but Arithmancy was her weak point. Just like its simpler muggle cousin, Arithmancy was a subject founded on pure logic. It was the sort of thing that you couldn't just sit down and figure out if you didn't have the mind for it. It had to be explained to you. And if the explanation didn't make sense… well, that was the crux of Connie's issue. It was possible for her to understand the concepts if she had someone around who was willing to break things down into smaller, more manageable pieces – but Professor Vector's time and patience only stretched so far.

Hermione had offered to help during their study sessions, but the girl's idea of 'helping' consisted of re-reading the textbook at her over and over again. Constance had snippily told her – on more than one occasion – that she could read the textbook for herself, thank you very much. Repeating the same words over and over again like a magic chant wasn't going to make her suddenly understand what they meant. Beating her head against a wall would probably yield better results. When their study session last night ended on a rather sour note between them, Connie had just about come to the conclusion that she was hopeless at the subject and should probably be thankful for whatever grade she got.

Hermione had chosen to leave ahead of her to meet up with the boys for supper. Constance told her that she'd like to do a spot of research for one of her other classes before going down. Her nerves were worn ragged and she wanted to take a moment to re-center her mind in more comfortable territory before having to deal with any large groups of people.

So she had been sitting alone at one of the tables in the library, browsing through a tome on the magical properties of extrusive igneous rock formations when a lone Slytherin approached her.

"Do you need help with Arithmancy?" Verity asked politely as she took a seat across from her.

Connie looked up from the book. Her brows furrowed. "I thought you said you weren't stalking me."

The blonde arched an eyebrow. "Am I not allowed to use the library?" She questioned, then gestured to parchment left over from her previous study session. "I noticed your notes as I was walking by. You're forgetting to round your squares. That's what's giving you trouble."

She blinked at her in confusion and glanced down at the paper. It took a moment to figure out what she was referring to, but she finally saw it. Damn. She thought. She was right.

"Oh." She said, feeling some of her anxiousness melt away. "Thank you. I… hadn't thought to do that."

The girl shrugged. "Those problems are never explained well and the solution isn't intuitive. It's an easy thing to miss." She told her. Her head cocked slightly to the side. "I could tutor you if you're interested."

Again, Constance blinked. "It's a little late in the year for tutoring, isn't it?"

"Maybe if you needed help with the subject as a whole, but you seem to have the basics down." Verity commented. She briefly scanned the room then lowered her voice, looking at her slyly. "Professor Vector has a standard format she uses for each year's exams. The questions are different, but they're always the same type of problems. If you know what you have trouble with, there's plenty of time left to improve."

So she knew what would and would not be on the exam? That was… promising. "What's in it for you?" She asked, studying her carefully.

Verity smiled. "You said yourself that we don't know each other well enough to tell if we're enemies. This will give us both a chance to decide." She swept a thick lock of golden hair back over her shoulder. "But if you'd rather stick with what you've been doing, that's your business. I won't take it personally."

She moved to stand and Constance pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. There was nothing inherently nefarious about the offer, and if it would improve her grade…

"Wait." She said, causing the girl to halt in the middle of rising from her seat. "When would be a good time for you?"

The blonde grinned widely, as if she had known that's how she would respond. Early mornings would be best, she said, since they wouldn't interfere with her Prefect duties later in the day. Constance warned her that she wasn't a morning person, but Verity just laughed and said that Professor Snape was her Head of House. She was more than accustomed to dealing with grumpiness.

So that was how Constance found herself in the Great Hall at such an ungodly hour on a Saturday morning. While she had been irritable at the loss of sleeping in, a bit of food in her belly brought the bad attitude to heel and the pair set to work on their task. Verity quickly proved herself to be quite an adept tutor. She was both knowledgeable in the subject and remarkably patient. She easily answered Connie's questions and when they encountered something she didn't understand, the girl would pause everything and take the time to explain it in a way that made sense. The problems and equations were still challenging, but after an hour or so of instruction, Constance found herself feeling less overwhelmed.

"You're good at this." She said as she looked over the work they'd done so far. "You should be a teacher."

Verity's nose wrinkled in distaste. "Not bloody likely." She said. "I don't mind helping people who are willing to put forth an effort, but I have no patience for the ones that won't try." She shook her head. "I'd be a horrible teacher."

"I don't think so." Connie insisted. When the girl didn't look impressed by the sentiment, she went on. "What do you want to do then, if not teaching?"

Verity went still and blinked at her. "I don't know, to be honest." She replied after pause. A faraway look passed over her eyes before it was quickly shrugged away. "I have other obligations to think about. What I want isn't terribly important."

It was spoken nonchalantly and the girl went back to looking over her work as if it were nothing, but Constance found herself frowning. Obligations clashing with personal desires, she could understand, but to think that her wants weren't important at all? That was rather sad. When she didn't say anything, Verity looked up and noticed her expression.

"There's no need to look so glum." She told her. "I forget that you're a halfblood. The old pureblood families have a different way of doing things than most. We have… legacies to live up to."

Connie pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Is it a legacy you agree with?"

The girl across from her met her eyes with a flash of warning. "That's a dangerous question to be asking."

"Why?" She pressed. "You aren't allowed to have your own opinion?"

Verity studied her quietly before finally giving her a resigned looking smile. "I envy people like you, you know." She said, surprising her. "You get to choose which world you want to be a part of, and move back and forth between them so easily. Some of us have to be more careful."

There were only so many ways the statement could be taken. Connie understood what she meant, having lived her life with a similar weight on her shoulders. "It can be hard to tell who can be trusted." She said.

The girl nodded. "Exactly." She agreed. "It's good that we understand each other." She glanced around at the increasing number of people showing up for breakfast and drew her wand to cast a tempus charm. "I'm afraid that's going to be all for today. I have rounds soon." She returned her wand to an interior pocket of her robe. "Would you like to meet at the same time tomorrow?"

The question made Connie wince internally. Of course she wouldn't 'like' meeting early in the morning again, but she knew better than to complain. The Slytherin girl had offered her time when she didn't have to, and she should be appreciative. Besides, if their progress continued on as it had today, she might be able to manage an Exceeds Expectations on her final exam. That alone would be worth it. She agreed to another session first thing in the morning, and Verity began gathering up the few books and notes she had brought with her. Constance watched as she rose from the table.

"Verity?" She asked. The blonde paused and she cleared her throat. "For what it's worth, I don't think you're an enemy."

The girl studied her for a short moment before her lips twitched upward into a kind smile. "I'm glad." She replied. "I don't think you are either."

With that, she instructed her to practice on the problems they had covered so she could look them over in the morning, then excused herself to see to her rounds. Constance decided to go ahead and pack up her things as well. She was too awake now to try to go back to sleep, but she could see if her friends were up and about yet. She wasn't sure of Ron and Hermione's plans, but Harry, she knew, wanted to go see Professor Lupin before he left. After an exhausting week of OWL's, Fred and George would probably sleep until noon. Maybe Ginny would be free? It was always hard to tell with her, since she had her own circle of friends that she did things with. If nothing else, perhaps she could visit the owlery to see if Archimedes had brought anything from home. Goodness knows she could do with some news.

Planning to go drop off her bag in her room before doing anything else, Connie headed for the nearest exit. She walked through the doorway leading into the hall and froze mid-step. Seras Victoria was casually leaned up against the wall across from the doorway, as if she'd been waiting for her. What was she doing here?

The draculina straightened and came forward. "Hey! I saw you were busy and didn't want to interrupt." She pulled Connie into a hug and put her lips next to her ear. "Everything is fine. Act normal." She whispered, then withdrew from her with a wide smile. "Studying for finals?"

Constance fought back her anxiousness and confusion to return the friendly expression. "It was tutoring for Arithmancy." At the blonde's blank expression, she went on. "It's like magical math."

Seras wrinkled her nose. "Ugh. That sounds awful."

"It is." She agreed.

The draculina hummed in sympathy. "Well, if you're done, how about we take a walk?" She offered. "You can give me a tour of this place you two are always talking about!"

The girl took a deep breath to calm herself and nodded. There were far too many people milling around this part of the castle, and they needed to get to a place with fewer witnesses. She smiled and extended a hand.

"Sure." She said, gesturing down the hallway.

There were a couple of odd looks thrown in their direction as they made their way through the many halls and corridors, but Constance ignored them and tried to focus on engaging in idle chit chat. It took several minutes to finally reach an area devoid of people. The moment she confirmed that they were alone, Connie glanced sideways at Seras.

"What's going on?" She asked. "Is Mihnea back?"

Seras dropped the bubbly, innocent muggle act and slowed her pace, turning to regard her seriously. Being as concise as possible, she gave her a quick rundown of what had happened the night before and the meeting that was currently being held in the Headmaster's office upstairs. Connie absorbed the information with wide eyes. She swallowed as she tried to process it.

"Is... this is an extraction?" She said slowly, her voice low.

The draculina frowned at her change in mood. "Not exactly." She told her. "Not yet, at least." She shook her head. "This got too close to home, Connie. We can't risk problems like this happening whenever there's a misunderstanding. Dumbledore picked the people he trusts the most, and Master is reading them to decide how safe they are. I'm only supposed to pull you out if things… go sideways."

Constance blinked at her. Contingency plans to extract her and Mihnea from school in the event of a security breech had been in place since the very beginning. She had been trained in what to do if the necessity ever arose. But now that the very real possibility was staring her in the face, she felt… numb. Could she walk away from all of this so easily? What about her friends? Would she have a chance to say goodbye? Or say anything at all, for that matter? With Seras already right next her, it was for the best to stay away from any large groups to lessen the chance of interference if they had to make a run for it.

"So they'll know everything." She said quietly.

"Not everything." Seras corrected gently. "For now, they'll know that you and Mihnea have a family connection to us. If they prove they can be trusted with that much, Sir Integra might clear them to know more later on." Her brows knitted together. "If it comes to that."

Even that little bit of information was lot, considering that they weren't sure what the reaction would be. While one could never be absolutely certain of a person's views until they were expressed, Constance felt that Professor McGonagall would be reasonable. Her Head of House could be stern, yes, but she was also fiercely protective of the students under her care. She had been a teacher when Professor Lupin was in school, hadn't she? If she was willing to keep his lycanthropy secret for him, perhaps she would see this in a similar light. Professor
Snape, though, was more of a wild card. His attitude and general unpleasant disposition made it harder to anticipate what he would do. Snape was a young teacher – one of the youngest on staff, in fact – and yet had somehow managed to quickly work his way up to become the head of Slytherin House and the Headmaster's unofficial third in command. That was an impressive, but unusual accomplishment for a man in his thirties. Connie had to believe that Dumbledore had put him in that position for a reason. The man's contradictory actions made him hard to figure out though. The more she thought about it, the more her head hurt. She just couldn't come to a conclusion either way.

She shook herself out of her musings when Seras touched her shoulder. "Hey, try not to get too worked up over it." The draculina told her. She rubbed her arm reassuringly. "It's going to be okay. No matter what happens." She paused for a moment, a distant look in her eyes as if she were turning inward. "Master hasn't killed anyone yet, if that makes you feel better."

Connie let out a small laugh at the ridiculousness of her statement. Considering what Alucard was doing up there, she supposed that was good news. She shook her head, forcing herself to take another deep breath. Why did all of these stressful situations have to happen all at once? She would be able to maintain a clearer head if they had been more spaced out.

She watched as Seras' head cocked slightly to the left. "There are people heading this way. We should move." She turned to look down the opposite end of the hallway. "Mihnea left the meeting earlier to go see that Professor while he's still here. Is there a way to get to them if we keep going this way? I hate to interrupt, but it would be easier to have you both in the same place. You know, just in case."

Constance winced at the reminder of the draculina's purpose for being there, but reasoned that she was right. If everything went to hell in a handbasket, it would be best to not have to hunt anyone down. After making a mental note of their location, the girl informed her that the DADA classroom wasn't that far, and it actually would be a good direction to go anyway. Since the story of Lupin attacking Mihnea started making the rounds, most of the student body had taken to avoiding the area. They managed to bypass running into anyone along the way and when they arrived at the classroom, Mihnea was leaning in the doorframe waiting for them.

"I sensed you coming." He said once they were within earshot. He focused on Connie. "How has it been here?"

The girl made a face. "Aside from all the crazy stories going around? Tolerable." She announced. She gave him a quick look over. "Are you okay? Harry and Hermione told me what happened."

Mihnea pushed himself away from the doorframe and rolled his shoulders. "Better than I was." He told her. "I still have some staples to come out and they itch like the devil." He jerked his head toward the classroom. "Potter was here when I first came down. He filled me in on a few things." His eyes narrowed a hair. "Some of the Slytherins have been giving you trouble?"

Constance pursed her lips. "I wouldn't go that far, but some have been acting a little… strange." She replied. It was too complicated to get into at the moment though. "We'll talk later."

He nodded, accepting her answer, then stepped back and to the side. "There are wards up in here. Best get out of the hallway." He glanced at Seras. "I've explained everything, so you don't have to watch what you say."

Connie blinked in surprise. "Everything?"

"As much as I could get into the condensed version." He replied with a shrug. "He's going to find out anyway if everything works out." He paused to draw in a breath. "After what happened, I… wanted it to come from me."

The girl pressed her lips together and nodded, understanding what he meant. She supposed she couldn't begrudge him that. Without another word, the pair of them slipped inside and Mihnea pushed the door closed. The classroom itself remained unchanged, but the same could not be said for the Professor's office and living space. It was shocking to see the space so blank and devoid of the personality he had given it. The only things left in the room were a set of barren bookshelves and an empty desk, which Lupin himself was perched on the edge of. He immediately sprang to his feet when they filed into the room.

"Miss Stryker?" He asked as he came forward. "I wasn't expecting a visit from you." He paused a few feet away and slid his hands into his pockets. "Or would it be more appropriate to call you 'Miss Hellsing' now?"

The playful lilt in his tone caused her cheeks to flush in embarrassment. At least he took it well. "I use my father's name when I'm at school." She told him, then hesitated. "I'm sorry I haven't come to see you before now, Professor. I probably should have but with everything going on, I was trying not to draw too much attention to myself."

Lupin stopped her with a brief wave of his hand. "There's no need to apologize, Constance. You have a good reason for keeping a low profile, and did exactly as you should have." He smiled kindly. "And as I was just explaining to your cousin here, I am not your Professor anymore. It's just Remus now."

The girl's brows furrowed slightly. After addressing him as 'Professor' for so long, the idea of calling him by his first name was strange. It would take some getting used to. From the look on his face, Mihnea appeared to agree.

It was then that the man's eyes drifted over her shoulder and his whole body went eerily still. Seras had entered last and stayed back to allow them to talk. Connie had no idea if she had deliberately made herself less noticeable or not, but she wouldn't have been surprised if she had. Lupin's eyes were locked on her, unmoving as his nostrils flared – though he looked more cautious and surprised than truly afraid.

Mihnea noticed the reaction and stepped over. "Profess…" he began, then winced. "Sorry. Remus." He shook his head and went on. "This is my sister."

When the man stared at her, dumbfounded, the draculina's eyes glinted with amusement and she planted her hands on her hips. "Not what you were expecting, huh?"

Lupin blinked. "Not… exactly, no." His eyes flicked toward the windows allowing sunlight to flood into the room.

"The sun is a bother, but it doesn't hurt us." She said, noticing what he was looking at. When his attention snapped back to her, she looked him up and down in appraisal. "So you're the werewolf we've heard so much about."

The man seemed to suddenly realize how oddly he was behaving and shook himself out of whatever stupor he'd fallen under.

"Yes." He confirmed, thrusting out his hand. "Forgive me, I've forgotten my manners. It's nice to meet you, Miss…?"

"Seras Victoria." She replied as she accepted the handshake.

The greeting was brief, but friendly, and Lupin took a step back when their hands parted, still looking apologetic. "You must think me horribly rude." He began. "I do apologize, I've just never…"

"Seen a vampire up and about during the day?" Seras offered.

"Ah… yes." He admitted. He motioned toward Mihnea with his head. "He's told me bits and pieces, of course, but it's a bit different, seeing it for yourself."

"Oh, no worries!" She told him reassuringly. "Believe me, I know how weird this is." She twirled a finger around to indicate the room they were standing in. "I'm still getting used to all this magic stuff myself."

Lupin looked intrigued. "So you were a muggle then?"

"Born and bred." The draculina replied, her face lighting up. "Not a magical bone in my body."

"Indeed?" The man asked, still looking like he found it all fascinating. He shot a sideways glance at Constance and Mihnea. "Their parents use magic, don't they? Surely you've seen something before?"

"Well, yeah, they do, but it's a bit different." She explained. "I've seen a few things here and there, but they're not nearly as in your face about it as you lot are." Her blue eyes widened and she clamped a hand over her mouth as she realized what she'd just said. "Sorry! That came out wrong! I meant…"

Rather than acting offended, Lupin looked rather bemused by her behavior. "No offense taken, Ms. Seras. I understand what you mean." He said with a chuckle. "My mother was muggle and she used to say the same thing. We wizards do have a habit of showing off."

Relieved that he hadn't taken her statement the wrong way, Seras laughed at the joke and commented that at least he was honest about it. The words had scarcely left her lips when the draculina suddenly blinked, a faraway look passing over her eyes.

Connie and Mihnea exchanged a look, both going ramrod straight when they saw it.

"Have they finished?" Her cousin prodded.

Seras nodded. "You're staying." She announced, shaking her head to bring herself back to attention. "Master's just left so I need to get back for the debriefing, but it sounds like everyone's on the same page now."

The transition happened so fast that none of them had much time to react to the news. Seras gave Constance a quick hug, then thrust her finger into her brother's face, warning him to stay out of trouble and to try not to scare everyone again. She then turned to Lupin.

"It was nice to meet you." She told him with a sincere smile. "We'll be in touch."

And without another word, the draculina vanished in a swirl of shadow.

Lupin stared at the spot where she'd been standing in astonishment. "Did she just… disapperate inside Hogwarts?"

"It's a vampire thing." Mihnea offered, keeping a close eye on him as if to gauge his reaction. "It's something mated pairs can do. It's not the same as apparition."

The man's eyes flicked toward him. It was clear from the expression on his face that he had numerous questions he wanted to ask. Unfortunately, it seemed that his curiosity would have to wait. The fireplace off to the side roared to life with green flames, and Professor McGonagall's voice spilled forth from the opening.

"Remus? May I come through for a moment?"

Connie and Mihnea were standing at an odd angle, so they couldn't see the woman's head floating within the flames but it was an easy thing to picture. Lupin blinked at the fireplace for a moment before shooting a questioning glance over at the pair of them, silently giving them the choice of making themselves scarce or remaining where they were. Since they'd already been informed of the outcome of the meeting, neither of them saw the point in trying to hide that they were there. They would have to face their Professors down eventually, so they might as well begin now.

"I know they're with you." Professor McGonagall's voice rang out, as if she could sense what they all were thinking. "I need to have a word with Mr. Bassarab and Miss Stryker as well."

The man blew a long, slow stream of air past his lips and straightened his shoulders. "Of course, Minerva." He said. "Do come in."

The green flames flickered brightly and a moment later the woman herself stepped out of the fireplace. Her eyes landed on Lupin first, but they quickly scanned across the room until they found the two students standing closer to the door. Her lips pressed together in a thin line and she turned back to Lupin.

"The Headmaster would like to have a word with you." She told him. "About some… logistical matters before your departure today. He will see you in his office."

The man studied her carefully. "Would he like me to come now?"

McGonagall inclined her head. "If you don't mind." She said, making a sweeping gesture toward the fireplace. She paused to give him a small smile and reached out to touch his shoulder. "And do let me know when you finish. I'd like to be there to see you off."

Lupin returned the restrained smile and assured her that he would. Not wanting to say anything more now that they had an audience, he gave Constance and Mihnea an encouragin looking nod, then grabbed a handful of floo powder to transport himself to Dumbledore's office.

Once they were alone, Professor McGonagall took two steps forward and clasped her hands in front of her. Her expression was calm, yet serious, giving Constance the distinct impression that she was about to be on the receiving end of one of her famous lectures. She fixed her gaze onto the girl for several seconds – which seemed to take much longer to pass than they should have – before slowly turning onto Mihnea to rest for an equally uncomfortable amount of time.

"Professor Snape has gone with Mr. Shacklebolt to the Education Department at the Ministry to arrange a time for you to make up your OWL exams over the summer." She informed him. "Your father informed him of when you would be available, so they shouldn't interfere with any plans you already have."

Mihnea blinked at her in surprise. "Oh." He said slowly. "Um… Thank you, Professor."

McGonagall responded with a sniff. "There is no need to thank anyone, Mr. Bassarab. You've worked hard in your classes and deserve the same opportunity to sit the exams as anyone else." She lifted her chin to look down her nose at him. "I expect high marks from you. I will be most disappointed if I find out otherwise."

"Yes, ma'am." He replied instantly. "That won't be a problem."

"Good." She said, then looked back and forth between them. "Now, would it be too much to ask for the two of you to try to stay out of trouble for the rest of term? I believe our quota for excitement has been filled for the time being."

The rebuke was firm but not unkind and Mihnea looked down at the floor in contrition, his cheeks faintly pink. Constance, however, gaped at the woman in disbelief.

"But I didn't do anything!" She protested before she had the sense to stop herself.

One of McGonagall's brows arched upward. "Perhaps not this time, but you and I both know that you would have been in the thick of this mess had you not been taking your Potions OWL." She said. Her nose wrinkled up as if she found something distasteful. "I should tell you that I am not at all pleased with this, Miss Stryker. Professor Snape and I have a running debate over whether you were placed in the correct house, and he's argued for nearly three years now that you should have been in Slytherin. I've never had any reason to doubt that you belonged with me. Now, though, I'm beginning to wonder if he might have a point. Do you have any idea how insufferable he's going to be now?"

In her nervousness, Constance only registered the first part of her statement. Hearing that her Head of House wasn't pleased caused a deep heaviness to settle within her chest. But as her mind caught up with her overactive feelings, realization hit her.

"You… you're not upset?" She questioned slowly.

The older woman's expression softened and she reached out to touch her arm. "Of course not. I'm very aware of some of the attitudes in our world and I understand the need for secrecy." She gave her a small smile. "It does not matter who you are or where you come from. Hogwarts has accepted you, so it is here that you belong." She turned to give Mihnea an intent look. "Both of you. Do you understand? You belong here. Never doubt that."

Connie suddenly realized just how intense some of the fears and worries she'd been holding in check really were. Being left in limbo with little information to work with had forced her to lock them away. Keeping them held fast in distant corner of her mind was the only way for her to function at a normal level. Now, the promise of safety inspired each of them to come forth long enough to acknowledge their presence before fading away to a wave of something she'd not felt all week.

Relief.

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