The Hybrid
Chapter 13
Dahlia Evans sighed and rubbed her temples. She'd been actively working on finishing her Holiday homework for almost 8 hours straight. All she had to do was finish her potions essay. Her mind, however, just wasn't on the task. Her thoughts had trailed off to the subject of her ever mind-boggling cousin. The last few weeks, Zack had been very cranky over the loss of his girlfriend, refusing to talk to almost everyone.
Then they had all disappeared. Luna, Zack, Mione, Seri, all of them. Dumbledore wasn't saying anything to anyone about any of it, and Dahlia was starting to get frustrated. Even Kitala, Zack's familiar, didn't know what was going on, and was more than a little annoyed at being left at the school. Then again, if something major enough had happened for Zack to leave Kitala at the school, it must be bad.
If her sister weren't so close to term, Dahlia wouldn't have had any problem in bugging Holly to dig up the information. After only knowing each other for half a term, the two had become very close, having grown up in similar situations. While Holly wasn't brought up in the ill nurturing environment of an orphanage, she was raised with abusive foster family until her 11th birthday, when she was sent to Hogwarts.
With her sister out of the question, Dahlia only had one real option left. Talk Kitala into taking her to Zack, and then question Zack directly. Of course, talking Kitala into anything was going to be close to impossible. Dahlia was willing to try.
Zack paced the corridor of the floor that he, Luna and Mione shared. His mother and sisters had thrown him out of his own room. If it were any other person in the room with them, he would not have cared, but this was his mate-to-be, who had been horribly abused, and needed him! After more than an hour of doing nothing more than pacing, Zack decided he had to do something, and left the house.
His mind completely blank, Zack didn't notice he was saddling his horse, Siren, until he huffed in annoyance when one of his straps was pulled too tight. "Sorry Siren," Zack apologized, producing a small carrot to feed the horse. The horse, a white and brown Mustang, stamped on of his shoed feet on the concrete of the barn, becoming impatient with his master.
Zack ignored the horse's distain, running the horse through a rather vicious workout, but one that both enjoyed. At almost 5 years old, Siren was a formidable horse, and Zack was more than confidant the horse could take whatever he dished out. After cooling down, Zack brushed, fed, and watered his horse, as well as cleaned out his stall. Siren seemed satisfied with the state of things, and returned to his stall with no trouble, just after the sun had gone down.
As Zack walked back to the house, covered in the filth from riding and cleaning out Siren's stall, he could feel the eyes of the house's guards watching him. While a little unnerving, Zack felt very safe within his home, as he should have. His mind clear of Luna, and the events of the last few weeks, Zack mechanically went through the motions of showering and dressing. In well-worn cowboy boots, snuggly fitting jeans, and a white t-shirt, he could have easily passes for a rancher, except for the fact that his midnight hair hung in wet locks in his face.
Pulling his hair into a ponytail Zack returned to his bedroom door, which was still locked. Sighing, Zack was suddenly glad at least half of his clothing was stored in his bathroom. Several hours went with Zack just sitting outside of his door. Eventually, he fell asleep.
When Zack woke, the sun had not yet broken the horizon. With his bedroom door still locked, Zack made quick work of returning to the horse stalls. The stalls had always given Zack a sense of piece, now more than ever. By the time the sun was fully in the air, around 10 in the morning, Zack had cleaned out, and was in the process of scrubbing the 12 stalls in barn while the horses grazed in the running field.
By dusk, there was absolutely nothing left for Zack to do for the horses. The stalls were sparking clean, and all of the horses had been run, brushed, and fed. As it was already very cold, Zack made sure each horse was covered, and the barn heaters were running. Dead tired, it was all Zack could do to shower and dress for a repeat of today's activities, nix the boots. Wandering to his bedroom door as he had the night before, Zack was very surprised to find his bedroom door open, but the room was empty.
Luna's scent covered every inch of Zack's room, but it was strongest on his bed. Collapsing onto the bed, Zack drifted into a deep sleep.
When Zack woke, he was face to face with Charles Dumbledore, his sleepy-time mentor. "I've seen that you have been keeping yourself busy," Charles commented.
"Tonight is not one of those nights, Charles," Zack growled. This was, to be honest, the last place he wanted to be today. All of the emotions and thoughts he suppressed through the day were sure to come out again, and Zack really didn't want that, not with his mind in the chaos it was.
"Calm down Zachary. You know that this is one of those nights, and you need to relax. You've been bottling up everything again, and it's going to pop. And of course you know, things always get worse before they get better, so all that rage might be best to dismiss now."
Zack sighed. Charles was right. The last thing Zack needed was an emotional blow out. Sitting down Indian style on the floor of the massive white room, Zack began to concentrate on every emotion that had passed through him in the past few days. Within seconds, Zack held a giant, black ball of every in his hands. Within his mind, this represented the build up of his negative emotions, something that he seemed to have in spades. After several more seconds, the ball seemed to grow as big as it would, and Charles removed it from Zack's hand.
Zack, suddenly grateful that weeks worth of anger, pain, frustration, loneliness, etc were gone, fell back on the floor with an audible thump. "I see you're feeling better," Charles observed as the ball dissipated in his hands. "This is why you shouldn't block me for weeks at a time. I'm only trying to help."
"Sorry Charles. Blocking you out isn't a conscious thought, most of the time. I'm guessing it's because I was more stressed out than usual. Any suggestions for that?" Zack asked sarcastically, still lying on the floor, his arms over his eyes.
"Yes, actually. Why don't you try showing your emotions every once in a while? If you're angry, punch things, but not people if you can help it. If you're sad, cry. It's not really that hard of a concept. If you don't want people to see you loose control a little bit, well, you're a wizard. Barricade yourself in a room, and have at it," Charles suggested.
Zack rolled his eyes as he started to fade away into wakefulness. "It was a rhetorical question, you know?" Zack said right before he woke up.
Looking around, Zack found himself in his room, under the sheets of his bed. He was comfortably warm, and was feeling better than he had in weeks. So absorbed in his comfort, he didn't notice when Seri entered to room, until she pounced on him. "Good morning brother," said Seri, lying across Zack's legs, and allowing him to sit up.
Zack opened his mouth to start a line of questioning, but Seri beat him to it. "Yes, Luna is alright. She's very up set about the loss of her father on top of everything else, but she is functioning. Mum finally got her to eat something last night, and moved her into her own room. Dumbledore also flooed this morning, and found that all of Luna's belongings had gone missing so mum has taken Luna shopping with Hermione.
"Now, if you'll get up and follow me, I'm sure you'll find that you're starving, as you haven't eat since we left Hogwarts," said Seri, pulling Zack quite forcefully out of the bed, completely ignoring that fact that he wore only boxers and a t-shirt. Not missing a step, Seri dragged Zack clear down to the kitchens, where breakfast was waiting. "Sit, eat," Seri ordered.
Glaring at his younger sister, Zack complied and dug into the plate set out for him, even if he really wasn't feeling hungry. By the time he finished eating, at was passed 10 min the morning, and Zack had every intention of going back out to the barn to maintain the horses. Seri voiced no objections, and let Zack change, and then leave the house.
Even with a little bit of a later start, Zack was able to more or less repeat the previous day, this time taking Siren out on another ride. About halfway through the 10-mile ride, Zack reined Siren into a slow canter. "Siren, I don't know what I'm going to do! I love Luna so much, but it's so confusing!" Zack vented. "I want to mate her as soon I can, but she is not ready for it." Zack then shouted a very impolite word, making the birds above flutter around nervously.
When Zack returned to the stables, she found Seri waiting for him. "What do you need sis?" Zack asked as calmly as possible.
"I don't need anything. You do. Come with me. We're going to sit down and fix this," said Seri, the most determined look on her face that Zack had ever seen. With no room to argue, Zack was dragged into the house, and into a small conference room of his father's.
"Okay Zack, are ridiculous as this seems, we are going to use a small skill called PACA. More or less, it stand for Problem, Alternative, Consequence, and Action. Now, your problem is Luna, and how you feel, right?" Zack nodded. "Okay." Producing a sheet of plain white paper, Luna drew a P at the top, listing the aforementioned problem next to it.
"So, what are some alternatives solutions?" Luna asked.
Zack thought. "I could drop it all together, and tell my Lycan side to take a hike," he responded.
"Consequences?"
"Luna will never talk to me, and I'll be miserable," responded Zack, his voice void of all emotion.
"Another alternative is, that you could talk this all out with Luna," suggested Seri.
Zack nodded. "I could, but that I doubt she will accept my proposal, and we end up back where we started," Zack countered. However, as doubtful as he was, the fact that Luna was very reasonable kept popping back into his head.
"True," Seri agreed. "But it's worth a shot if it works, right?" Zack nodded. "So, what's your plan of Action?"
Zack thought once again. "Send her a note, asking her to meet me? I know she won't want to be cornered into talking to me, but she won't want to be overly formal about this either. Out in the stables, maybe?" Zack suggested. Luna nodded her head tentatively, tossing the idea around in her head.
"That sounds like it will work. Here is a sheet of paper. You write the note, and I will send it off with Arty," said Seri, cheery as ever. "What do you say dearest older brother of mine?"
Zack scribbled out a quick note to the object of his desires, specifying only the place and time, as well as a heartfelt plea for her to come. After finishing the letter, Zack folded it up, handing it to Seri, and then pulling the small girl into a hug. "Thank you for helping me solve my dilemma dearest younger sister of mine. If you hadn't intervened I'd have just let it go until I exploded," said Zack, feeling quite truthful about his statement.
Seri rolled her eyes, pushing her brother away. "Yes, because we all know how stubborn and thick-headed you are," she teased.
"You forgot charming and handsome," Zack reminded as Seri left the room. Her teasingly mocking laugh was his only answer.
At 8 o'clock Zack stood out in the stables. It had been dark for a long time, and most of the horses were quiet, either sleeping or trying to sleep. The only active horse was Siren, whom was eating a carrot out of Zack's hands, occasionally nipping his fingers.
Finishing the first carrot Zack tried to offer him another one, only to be refused as he lowered himself onto his belly, ready for sleep. After returning the carrot to the small refrigerator kept in the stables, Zack washed his hands, making a comment about horse spit. When he was finished, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Luna standing right next to him.
She was beautiful. The dimly lit stable lights turned her hair into a golden blond, and made her slightly bloodshot eyes glow with an unreal serenity. She wore a simple cotton dress, and a leather overcoat to keep her safe from the cool winter air. "You wanted to seem me?" she asked, her voice horse from hours spent crying.
Zack nodded slightly, still over taken by her beauty. He only moved when he saw the single tear roll down her cheek. Stepping foreword cautiously, Zack pulled his love into a soft, caring hug. "I'm so sorry Luna. I should have known something was wrong. I was just too selfish in my own emotions to recognize your distress," Zack apologized, hugging her a little tighter.
Luna, who had moved her arms around Zack's waist, cried harder, slipping to the floor with Zack. "Please Luna, don't cry," Zack asked, holding her tightly and rocking her back and forth.
"Your not mad at me?" Luna whispered.
Zack was confused. "Why would I be mad at you?" Zack asked, rubbing her back in soothing circles.
Luna sniffed, clutching Zack's shirt tightly. "I-I let them u-use me like that. I-I did terrible things for them, things that I shouldn't have done, but I wanted to save him so much, that I gave myself up to do it, and they'd already killed him! I-I shouldn't have done it, or let them do it. It should have been you." Luna said the last part in such a low whisper that without his ultra-sensitive hearing he wouldn't have heard.
Something in Zack's mind clicked. While he knew Luna had been abused by the band of people, he hadn't known the extent, or why. She let them rape her in an effort to save her father. Zack just pulled Luna closer, and let her cry to her heart's content.
After a long period of time, Luna's sobs slowed and Zack loosened his grip on her. She sat up, away from his chest, her eyes glued to the floor. With his index finger, Zack titled her head so that she was facing him, eye to eye. "Luna, what they did, it wasn't you fault. Yes, it might have been prevented, but you didn't know that at the time. No one blames you. I could never be mad at you for doing something so noble."
Luna's eyes were locked on Zack's, bleeding with hurt, confusion, and fear. "Luna, I know this is going to be hard for you, and I want to help you. I want you to allow me to bind us, to make you part of my race and my family. It's like a Vycan form of marriage, but it never has to be anything more than you want it to be, and it can be undone if it ever need be. Just remember, before you answer, that I love you no matter what," said Zack, wearing his emotions out on his sleeve for the first time in a long time.
Luna's arms moved from his waist to his neck, hugging him tightly. "I love you too, Zack," she whispered. "If you would have me, I'd really like to be bound to you," she whispered.
Zack hugged the girl in his arms tightly once more. He'd never felt such strong positive emotions before. It was like a floodgate was opened, the good drowning out the bad. Nuzzling her neck, Zack found the spot that all people with the potential to bind to magical beings had. It was a small notch in the left side of the collarbone, which allowed protection to the bondee from the poisonous bite of the bonder. After all, not everyone was meant to be turned, but Luna was one of the few that was meant to be changed. Lightly nipping the spot first, Zack allowed his canines to extend, and with no warning to the intended bondee Zack allowed his instincts for the change to take over.
Luna whimpered slightly as the vampiric fangs were buried around her collar bone. She hissed sharply when the virus that would actually work the change, was released. She stiffened, and then went limp, the virus taking out her nervous system first. With the virus released, Zack removed his fangs, allowing them to return to normal length, but his eyes would be silver for hours yet.
With Luna's arms still wrapped around his neck, Zack stood, cradling her as if she were a small child. With every intention of going to sleep, Zack walked to his house, unaware of the eyes of his family watching him as he entered his house.
"This girl has obviously never heard of 'hard-to-get'. You have to make them chase you for at least a little while!" Selene objected, watching her son disappear into the house.
"Honey, I hate to tell you this, but you didn't exactly play hard-to-get either," said Michael, smiling goofily at his memories of he and Selene getting together, which had conveniently resulted in Zachary.
Seri cringed. "TMI. Good-bye!" That said Seri too, disappeared.
"They were trying to kill you Michael, it was a now or never situation," Selene huffed. Michael just laughed, holding his wife closely as they watched the star twinkle in the sky.
(A/N: It's been a long time! I know that chapter is short, but I'm rather busy. As it is, I'm taking time out of my day where I could be sleeping! Incase you didn't know, I completed wrestling season, taking 4th in the state of Florida. I lost once by pin, to the girl that ended up taking first, and once by points to the girl who took third. I wrestled up a weight class. Now, I'm in training to be a Lifeguard. Whatever part of my life that school didn't take up, Lifeguard class does. After that I have a child safety class that I must take in order to teach swimming lessons. Gods help those poor children. I'm working at the YMCA, so you know it's bad. I still don't have the Honest, Caring, Respectful, and Responsible thing down. The Aquatic Director said that we could lack one of the qualities, but how would he feel if he knew I function on responsible only? Well, I'm going to bed. It's been a long day, and it's only Monday!)
