Chapter Twelve
A Nighttime Visitor and a Revelation
I wasn't really sure what had woken me up, but it had been enough to wake me from a dead sleep. Out of instinct, I only opened my eyes a sliver, quickly noting that it was pitch black. My eyes slid over to the window next to my cot, and took note of the moon's height, it was around three in the morning. My eyes easily looked around the Hospital Wing, still unsure of what had woken me. That was when I noticed a small flash of green light. I focused on where it had come from, and noted three figures wearing cloaks, hoods pulled low over their faces.
I could hear them whispering, and heard,
"No, she's still out. Come on, hurry, before someone comes." The voice was that of a boy in his early 'teens.
"Alright, but if either wakes up, it's your vane." whispered a second one, this one also had a male's voice, though it was deeper then his friend's, although I estimated that he was around the same age.
"Well if you two would shut up, and we just got this over with, then we wouldn't have to worry at all, would we?" asked a third, this one a girl, about their age. They started to walk toward me. I listened to their footsteps, and assessed that they were all of average weight, and were definitely in a hurry. Do they know about me? I thought, the idea sending a knife of fear though me. I thought that I vaguely recognized their voices, but my mind was still foggy from sleep.
The girl stepped toward me, and I realized that she had something under her cloak. My back stiffened slightly, before I forced myself to relax. She opened her cloak slightly, drawing out whatever she hid there. One of the boys walked over to Remus, who was still sleeping soundly, and slowly walked over to the small table next to his cot. He placed something there, but my sight was losing it's sharp focus as I became even more tired than I had been a few hours prior. The girl also placed something on my table, and they hurriedly stepped back, next to their friend.
"Get better soon, my friends," the first one said, sounding like the leader. They quickly walked out of the Hospital Wing, and I heard them break into a run as they entered the hallway. My eyes closed, realizing that now, for the time being, I was safe. I feel back into a deep dreamless sleep.
-xXx-
When I finally woke up, the warmth of the sun shining through the window told me it was near noon. Remus still seemed to be asleep, but his breathing told me that he hadn't been granted my dreamless sleep, it wasn't as smooth and even as it was when he slept deeply, it was coming in sharp intakes. He was obviously having a nightmare. If he didn't wake up soon, I would, I didn't want him to suffer anymore than he absolutely had to.
Five minutes later, he was still asleep. I stiffly stood from my bed, hissing softly as my side seemed to be set on fire again. I gingerly stepped on my left leg, and hissed slightly as my side stretched as I straightened my leg. I slowly made my way over to Remus and sat on the edge of his bed. His hair had fallen across his forehead, and I brushed it back. I started smoothing his hair, hoping to wake him gently. After a few moments, he stiffened slightly, noting that somebody was touching him. He sluggishly opened a golden eye, and relaxed quickly when he realized that it was me.
"Hey Moony, how'd you fare?" I asked quietly, not wanting to alert Poppy to our consciousness.
"Well Fangs, I was berated with images of me biting you repeatedly, your screams of agony only egging me on. After most of the blood had left your body, I left you there, and moved on to do the same to James, Sirius, Parker, and Peter." Remus said, somehow managing to make it sound like a joke. I, however, was horrified. I had honestly never expected anyone to have a dream like that. It was the kind of thing that would give me nightmares, and I rarely had any. It was also the kind of thing that made me wonder what he wasn't telling me about.
"But, thanks for waking me up, I didn't want to continue watching myself do that," Remus said sighing and staring at his hands, as if he were ashamed.
"It is not your fault," I said harshly, obviously catching him off guard. He looked up sharply, as if I had just slapped his mother, and said,
"Yes it is. I welcome these images, when I should be horrified by these thoughts. I hate what I am, and that I'm capable of doing." he said, sounding nothing short of furious. This was a side of Remus that one didn't normally see. He was the most level headed of the Marauders, always the calm, cool headed one, but to hear him talk like this, I had to remind myself that this wasn't him saying these things, it's the full moon's lasting effects on him, the wolf.
"Join the club, Moony." I said, ruffling his hair, wincing as I stood and stiffly walked back over to my bed.
"You haven't healed yet?" Remus asked, seeming to return to his normal attitude.
"No, and I won't for a while. Werewolf inflicted wounds don't heal like most. There is a certain venom in a werewolf's claws that will infect me to some degree. Not enough to turn me into a werewolf, but enough to make it take a while to fully heal. Now if I had been bitten, that would be another thing." I said, not realizing what I said until after I had said it.
"What would happen if I had bitten you?" he asked, sounding incredibly worried.
"After I'm bitten, I would heal, as if all was normal, but my body would reject the healing. Werewolf venom isn't something that my body can heal. The healing would actually cause my body more harm than good. The venom would slowly eat at my system. After a few hours, the wound would reopen. I would slowly start to loose my sanity, my mind torturing me of past mistakes. It would be agony. The wound would make me feel unthinkable pain. I would cough up blood, and as I lay dieing, I would be clawing at anything with blood in it, trying desperately to get to it. My last thoughts would be those of blood lust and hunger." I explained, not able to meet his gaze. I was expecting what came next.
"How can you put yourself in such danger? I could have killed you two nights ago! I can't believe that you never told me! How could you not have told me?" Remus asked, sounding angry, scared, and hurt. I still couldn't meet his gaze as I said,
"Because I knew that this would happen. I knew that you would question why I was friends with you, why I came to visit you while some of the moon's effects still harbored, why I-" but I was cut off as I felt arms encircle me, hugging me gently, carefully avoiding my bandages. My head snapped up in surprise, meeting golden eyes.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I can't believe that you would put yourself in such danger, however foolish it was. It means a lot that you would risk your life, just to be my friend, and I wanted to thank you for all the times you've come and kept me company when I was here-" he said, but I cut him off as I shushed him.
"People are coming." I warned.
"Who?"
"Parker, James, and Sirius." I said instantly, recognizing the voices as soon as I heard them. Then I realized something.
"James, Parker, and Sirius were here last night. They gave both of us something." I whispered. He nodded, and climbed back onto his own bed. As soon as he had pulled the blankets up to his chest, the three of them entered, though they seemed to be in the midst of an argument.
"But, I'm telling you, it's true! Kathy Longbottom did snog me in a broom closet! I'm telling the truth!" Sirius said, sounding exasperated. Obviously, they had been having this conversation for a while, judging from the red flush that rose from the collar of his shirt. Normally, one would attribute this to lying, but I could hear his heartbeat, and it didn't quicken.
"He's telling the truth!" I said, hopefully loud enough for them to hear me. Three heads turned to me in shock and I shrugged and said,
"It's the truth. Kathy Longbottom apparently did snog him in a broom closet. Isn't she that seventh year Hufflepuff?" I asked, eying him, knowing that I looked amused. I heard a heartbeat pick up it's speed, and was surprised to find it was Parker's. Her face also held the faintest trace of a blush. Judging by the way I could hear her blood rush, I attributed it to anger or jealousy. Probably the latter. A small smirk spread across my lips, and I shook my head lightly. I had always suspected that Parker had a crush on Sirius, whether it was the way they often bickered, the way that she fussed with her clothes whenever he was around, or the way that she would act prickly whenever anyone mentioned Sirius and James' "fan club". Most of the Marauders had one. Sirius had the largest, with around hundred in it, ranging in age from first through seventh years. James came next with around seventy five or so, ranging second through sixth years. Remus came next, with around fifty or so, ranging from third through fifth years. Even Parker and I had our own, even though they didn't actually know who we were, though ours consisted of boys (the school had found out that Fangs and Raven were girls), ranging from every year. In membership, she had a few more than I did, but mine seemed more dedicated, to the point that it frightened me slightly. It was odd that they were so dedicated, even though they didn't have a clue who I was.
"So Asana, how's your back?" James asked, looking concerned.
"Well, my back is fine, it's the stitches I'm worried about." I said, assuming that someone had told them about my new injury.
"Stitches?" Parker exclaimed, rushing to my side.
"Yeah, didn't anyone tell you?" I asked.
"No!" Sirius exclaimed, looking concerned.
"What the hell happened?" Parker asked.
"Um..." I said, looking at Remus, unsure how to explain what had happened. He looked back at me, shrugging and looking worried.
"Well... um..." I continued. Thank sweet holy Merlin that Poppy chose that moment to come over and check on us.
"What is going on over here. This is a hospital, not a party. All of you, out!" she said, shooing at them.
"No, not until you tell us why she needed stitches." James said, crossing his arms and sitting down in a chair next to my bed.
"Well, um..." she started.
"Yeah, that's what we heard," Sirius snapped. Poppy turned to me, and then to Remus, as if asking permission. I nodded, as did Remus, looking sullen.
"You might want to sit down." Poppy warned. Parker walked over to my bed and sat down. Sirius walked over to Remus' bed, and sat down near his feet.
"Two days ago, Miss Russet was injured in a Quidditch game. Her spine was completely shattered, her ribs were cracked in multiple places, and her skull was badly cracked. If she hadn't been a vampire, she would be paralyzed for the rest of her life, and mentally retarded. I gave her a large bottle of blood, and she passed out. She stayed that way for all of Sunday. Sunday night, you brought Mr. Lupin here, and I prepared him for his transformation. I took him down to the Shrieking Shack, and he transformed. When I came back here, I found Miss Russet missing.
"I searched the whole castle, but I couldn't find her anywhere. The next morning, Mr. Lupin came back to the Hospital Wing, carrying Miss Russet. The left side of her abdomen was covered in blood, and she had five long scratches on her side. She explained that she seemed to have sleepwalked out to the Shrieking Shack, and watched Mr. Lupin transform. After he had transformed, he, or the wolf rather, proceeded to attack her, giving her these injuries. She will not be fully healed, for perhaps two months, and she will not be permitted to leave the Hospital Wing for the next week." Poppy explained to some very shocked friends of mine. They stayed rooted in their spots for five minutes, nobody saying a word.
During that time, Remus and I shared many glances, both hoping that someone would say something to break the silence. I was glad that I had told Poppy that they knew about me being a vampire, it would just make everything easier in explaining things. Finally, James spoke up.
"But, she's going to be okay, right?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.
"Oh, yes dear, she'll be completely okay, in two months." Poppy said, reassuringly, patting his shoulder.
"Are you sure?" Sirius asked.
"Yes honey, she'll be fine. Now would you please leave, these poor dears need rest." Poppy said, shooing them again.
"Bye guys," Remus and I said in unison, earning us a few odd looks.
"Bye, we'll be back later," they promised.
-xXx-
-James' P.O.V.-
The three of us walked away from the Hospital Wing, heading for the Great Hall. That was when I spotted a head of fiery red hair, walking into the Great Hall.
"I'll see you later, guys." I said as I hurried to catch up with her.
"Evans!" I called out, hoping that she would turn around. She didn't. She picked up her pace until she was almost sprinting. She hurried over to a group of girls that I recognized as being in my house, and year. Alice Hinton, Mary MacDonald, and Marlene McKinnon sat there, eating lunch. She sat down next to Alice, and pulled a plate and some food toward her. I sighed and walked over to Sirius and Parker.
"Struck out again, huh?" Sirius asked, a smirk on his face.
"Didn't even get to ask." I mumbled, looking into the bowl of mashed potatoes.
"Aw, poor Jamsie-poo." Parker said, in a mock baby voice.
"You're lucky I let you call me that," I mumbled. Both Parker and Asana called me that. I didn't bother trying to get Asana to stop, there was no hope there, she was stubborn. Parker, however, I had hoped that there was some hope there, obviously not.
"Oh please, I would call you that even if you didn't let me." Parker said, taking a big bite out of a sandwich. I sighed in defeat. Yeah, she probably would.
After lunch, we went up to our dorm, and found Peter still asleep.
"PETER PETTIGREW! FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN'S BAGGY SHORTS, IT IS ONE THIRTY IN THE AFTERNOON! WAKE THE HELL UP!" Parker screamed when we found him. Peter sat bolt upright, and his eyes widened in fear, looking around the room wildly. After he realized what was going on he slumped back down and closed his eyes.
"OH HELL NO. SIT UP, STAND UP, TAKE A SHOWER, AND FOR MERLIN'S SAKE BRUSH YOUR TEETH!" Parker yelled again. Peter sat bolt upright again, and glared at her.
"Will you please stop yelling? I'm awake already!" Peter yelled in aggravation.
"If you get up and take a shower and brush your teeth, then I'll stop yelling!" Parker yelled again. I had always known that she could be loud, but this seemed louder than usual. Peter mumbled something about crazy girls, and why did we bother with them, before going into the bathroom. Parker waved her wand, and Peter's bed made itself. Sirius and I sat on our beds, and she jumped onto Remus' bed.
"Okay, so what new prank do you guys have in mind?" Parker asked, making herself comfortable.
"Slytherin common room, red and gold confetti, and a permanent sticking charm." Sirius said with a sly grin. Parker beamed, and yelled,
"That's bloody perfect! And I assume that Raven and Fangs will be helping, right?"
"Of course, how could we do this without your guys' seal of approval? And we don't know how to get into their common room. We were hoping that you guys either already know or could help us," Sirius said.
"Of course. If only Asana was out of the hospital, then she could compel them to do whatever we wanted them to do." Parker said, sighing.
"Wait, what do you mean, compel?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Um, from how she explained it, if she looks into your eyes, she can expand her will onto you, and get you to do whatever she wants you too. But, the only way to stop it, is if you either ingest, or wear vervain. You know, that plant that we learned about in our first Herbology lesson. Her words, I swear, not mine." Parker said, saying the last sentence at our confused looks.
"Wait, she can do that?" Sirius asked, looking scared.
"Yeah, but she swore left and right that she has never done it to anyone." Parker said immediately, trying to calm him down. I didn't need to be reassured, she had never given me a reason to fear for my life or will, and I didn't think that she would start now. Sirius still looked doubtful, but Parker didn't seem to notice. The shower stopped running, and Peter came out, a fluffy towel wrapped around his midsection.
"PETER PETTIGREW! PUT ON A SHIRT!" Parker yelled.
"Parker, what's with the yelling today?" Sirius asked, rubbing the back of his head. I raised an eyebrow at him. A small blush formed on his cheeks, and I smirked. So he has a crush on Parker, I thought, smiling. He saw my smirk, and his eyes widened slightly, slowly shaking his head. I chuckled and thought, Now if only Asana and Remus would get together. It was obvious the two had feelings for each other, even if they didn't seem to realize it, it was only a matter of time before they started dating.
-xXx-
Sirius and Parker walked at my sides as we walked to the Hospital Wing to see Remus and Asana the next day. When we walked in, I was surprised to see six older boys surrounding their beds. There was something familiar about all of them, I had seen them somewhere before. They all looked like they were related, they all had caramel hair, and they all had the same basic body type as Asana, tall and slim. One turned, and I recognized him as the Prefect. Cyrus Russet. I knew that she came from a big family and all, but I didn't know that it was that big.
He walked over to us, and said,
"I take it you're James Potter, I'm Cyrus."
"Yeah, and this is Sirius and Parker," I said. Said people stepped forward and nodded.
"Well, I'm glad to finally make your acquaintance," Cyrus said.
"Why do you two talk like that?" Sirius asked bluntly.
"I'm sorry?" he asked, looking confused.
"He meant to say, you both talk very properly. He was just wondering why." Parker translated. She seemed to know the answer to our question.
"Um, how much do you know about our family?" Cyrus asked, shifting his feet uneasily.
"We all know about your family being vampire." Sirius said, looking around to make sure that nobody else would be able to hear him.
"Okay, well, what else has she told you about our family?" he asked.
"Not much, just that you guys are well known, and that you guys live in a large clan of vampires." Sirius said, looking confused. Parker looked at the ground, I heard her mutter,
"Understatement of the century."
"Yeah Parker, you're right, that is a big understatement." Cyrus said, a small grin on his face.
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.
"Well, the Russet family, well... do you remember what you read about in March, in your second year?" Cyrus asked.
"Yeah, that they're the oldest vampire family, and that they controlled the biggest, most powerful vampire clan in the world. They were looked upon in fear by everyone that they met, and they were revered as the best. The throne was passed down through the females in the family, so they were thought of as ahead of their time. But, that was written almost five hundred years ago. You can't be the same Russet family." I said, surprised that I remembered it so well.
"Well, the D.A.D.A. book didn't finish, or really even scratch the surface. My family still exists, and we're still in power. Right now, Asana is next in line to the throne, hence why there are so many of us. My parents were starting to get worried when the couldn't produce a female heir. If they hadn't been able to, our family would've been kicked out of the Russet clan, the clan would have been renamed after the new people that took over, and we would loose any position that we had once had." Cyrus explained, looking at his shoes. Sirius and I wore equal expressions of shock, but Parker just looked like she was expecting this.
"Parker, you don't look nearly as surprised as you should." Cyrus said, looking at her oddly.
"I figured it out shortly after we learned about it. I asked her about it, and she confirmed my suspicions, and explained more in depth, and answered some of my other questions." Parker said, shrugging. I almost smacked myself for not realizing it sooner. Cyrus smirked, and walked back over to Asana's bedside. We followed him over, and heard what sounded like an argument between her and one of her brothers.
"But Ryan, she's such a-" she started, but was interrupted by Cyrus.
"Ryan, forget about Queen Angelica. Our baby sister is hurt, and she obviously needs chocolate. Asana, on our next Hogsmead trip, we are bringing you and your friends a cache of candy." he said, starting off glaring at someone who only looked to be two years older, but ended looking at his sister with a kind, gentle expression. She wasn't kidding about her brothers being overprotective.
"Now, we better let you and your friends talk, we'll be back tomorrow." Cyrus said, turning and walking out into the hall. The rest of them followed him, and we were left with a worn looking Asana, an amused Remus, and a grinning Sirius. Parker walked over, and started rubbing Asana'a shoulder and back.
"How long were they here?" Parker asked, her voice like a whisper. Asana rubbed her eyes and laid against her pillow.
"Three hours," she groaned.
"Aw, poor dear." Parker said sympathetically. Sirius and I glanced at each other for a moment, before turning to her, our eyebrows raised.
"She has ten older brothers, and they rarely leave her alone. Well, whenever you guys aren't around. They don't trust that she can protect herself, and they trust you guys to protect her when they can't. But you've met her, does she seem like she needs it? She then argues with them, and ends up exhausted." Parker said, looking at Asana with concern. Yeesh...
A/N
Sorry that it's been so long, but I'm not going to give you a long list of excuses, I have now updated. Thanks to all of you telling me to update, it really means a lot. You guys are the reason that I do this, and I doubt that I would have continued writing if it wasn't for you guys... :)
