(A/N): Hey Guys! So, this chapter didn't really have a reason behind it to begin with, but I'm starting to try to force myself into writing, so I don't just have to wait for my muse to rock up to work three weeks too late, like the bum she is.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke and Mia.

Leo

Late the next night, Shari and I started another type of training. Training to become an animagus, that is.

"Okay, the first step is..." She bit her lip, scanning one of the books we had laid out on the animagi transformation. "Merlin, it was such a long time ago that I did this..." She muttered, shaking her head slightly, and I watched her patiently.

"How long?" I asked in a whisper, even though my father was currently out hunting. She glanced up at me, and smiled lightly, obviously remembering.

"A few decades, I think." I blinked, committing this to memory. We never really spoke about how old the members of the household who didn't visually age were, so I never really had any clue to Shari, or my fathers, real age. I was guessing that Shari was at least one hundred, and my father at least twice that, but I had never really actually thought about it. I mean, she looked like she could be my older sibling, not the same age as a grandmother! Or great-grandmother, even.

"Anyway, we need chalk." She glanced around for a few seconds before turning to me. "I don't suppose you have some chalk on you?" I rolled my eyes, and opened the small bag made of sheer blue material, fishing out the piece of chalk I had found in preparation of this.

"Alright. Now, we won't get this done tonight," She examined my face for signs of frustration, or impatience, but I had my emotionless mask on again. "Or within the week, either, but we will finish before the end of the summer holidays." I nodded, doing my best to keep my cool, watching her steadily with an aged gaze.

"I know." She stared at me for a second before nodding slowly, accepting it.

"How long have you been working on the animagus transformation?" She questioned, and I though back for a few seconds.

"Uh...since just after the second week of first year." She blinked, and her head snapped back up to stare at me instead of the cold wooden floor upon which we sat.

"That long? You must be pretty set on doing this for your friend." I nodded, biting my lip lightly as if to appear saddened.

"Well, he's a good guy. It's not his fault, just like it's not mine. I want to help him- I need to help him." I rephrased, and she smiled, looking somewhat proud before nodding.

"And you will. By the time you go back to Hogwarts for third year, you'll be able to accompany him during the full moon." Elaine, Remus and I had never really discussed the plan, seeing as Remus was pretty much fully against the idea of us doing something illegal, and dangerous, just to help him, even after giving up on trying to stop us. This was always the idea I, and apparently, Shari, had in our minds though.

"He deserves a break. I mean, every full moon, he goes through terrible pain and turns into a beast that would attack his closest friends if they got anywhere near him. And the thing is...he deserves the exact opposite of that." I looked up to make eye contact with Shari. "He deserves to live a long, easy life, with no more pain, and no bad experiences. He deserves to fall in love, to have someone love him in return. He deserves freedom." Shari stared at me, her gaze softer than before.

"So do you." I raised an eyebrow, and she held up a hand to stop me from interrupting before continuing. "The only difference between you and your little werewolf pal is the fact that he gets it once a month. You are constantly in pain, and you could hurt anyone, or anything, at any moment." I winced silently, but then she grinned. "You deserve all those things Leo, because despite having one of the most horrible lives so far, you stay positive, you act confident, for others, not yourself, and you favour others above yourself. If there's anyone that deserves to live a long, happy life, it's you." I lowered my gaze to the floor, biting my lip again, almost hard enough to draw blood as I felt tears threatening to well up behind my eyes.

I would not cry, I would not cry, I wouldn't cry...I was stronger than that.

"Right, uh...what next?" I asked, referring to the transformation ritual we were trying to set up.

"We need the holly leaf flakes." She replied, a small, somewhat smug, smile on her lips as I removed the small bag of dried and crushed holly leaves from the blue bag. The bag of holly leaf flakes was small enough to fit in my hand, and in a small, clear plastic bag.

"Here you go." I stated quietly, placing the holly flakes down next to her.

"Most of the transformation technique is preparation. The actual transformation, per say, can only happen when you're ready, and it doesn't make you change, it allows you to slip into your true other form." I raised an eyebrows slightly. It had said the same things in the theory books on animagi I had read, just phrased differently, but I still listened respectfully.

"So, your father told me a Professor sent him a letter a few months back." I paused for a second before continuing with what I had been doing, trying to ease her suspicions, even though I knew she had seen my faltering movement.

"Yeah, so?" She smirked slightly, and I knew I wouldn't like where this conversation was headed. Yeah, because that's not a common theme of things whenever you talk to Shari for more than five seconds!

"She said you helped her with something earlier in the year, and I was wondering what, exactly, that was." I rolled my eyes, even though I knew she'd see it, even with my head down like it was.

"Remus and I helped her brew a potion to snap the entire school, including the headmaster, out of a trance placed on him by the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who, oh, just so happened to be friends with my mother." I told her bluntly, and she raised an eyebrow, smirk completely gone now as she rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Leo-" I cut her off, shrugging her hand from my shoulder and rising to my feet.

"I'm going for some fresh air." I could feel the worry in her eyes as her stare pierced the back of my head, and softened slightly. "I'll be back before dawn."

And with that, I was gone.

Sure, Shari could have caught me if she wanted, she was half more vampire than me, but she sensed that I both wanted, and needed, to be alone for the time being.

I raced through the house and out into the great expanse of our lawn, taking off into the trees at my top speed. I didn't know where I was headed, my feet had a mind of their own, but I didn't really care to be honest. Just so long as I was running, alone and free, I didn't particularly care about anything else.

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Of course, when I write something without really having an idea for it, it always turns into angst.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!