Found this sitting around and brain has been bouncing all over trying to write things so enjoy!

Harry never expected that his summer was going to turn out like this. He and Dudley were attacked by dementors on the way home, he discovered one of his neighbors was actually a witch sent to keep an eye on him, and he was being taken to some building by Moody, Lupin, and a handful of others. He had so many questions he wanted answered, but he was silenced by Moody the second they landed. Then, when he entered the house that had been tucked away unnoticed, he was too busy taking in the dingy home to really say anything. Mrs. Weasley came hurrying over from a room at the end of the hall though, her own voice soft as she pulled him into a hug.

"Oh, Harry, it's lovely to see you! You're looking peaky. You need feeding up, but you'll have to wait a bit for dinner, I'm afraid." She looked to the others who'd come in with him. "He's just arrived, the meeting's started."

The adults murmured excitedly and filed through the door she'd come from, but Lupin paused.

"Any word from Sven?" He asked her, getting a shake of the head.

"Not yet."

"Sven's not here?" Harry questioned, worried for his friend who he'd expected to be staying with Lupin and Sirius by now.

Lupin shook his head. "He was supposed to be back over a week ago, but something happened and there was a loss of contact between us and his… teacher. Dumbledore said he would step in if there's no word by tomorrow. Don't worry."

Harry went to follow him as he too went to join the others, but Mrs. Weasley held him back.

"No, Harry. The meeting's only for members of the Order. Ron and Hermione are upstairs, you can wait with them until the meeting's over. Then, we'll have dinner. I'm supposed to be at the meeting, but I'll just show you where you're sleeping."

Harry followed her up the stairs, eyeing the wall where there were signs of mounts that had been removed, leaving the paint lighter in some areas. He wanted to question where they were, and whose house they were in, but she apologized.

"Ron and Hermione will explain everything, dear, I've really got to dash," she said, reaching the second landing and gesturing to the right. "You're the door on the right. I'll call you when it's ov—"

A heavy thud against the door cut her off and she went ramrod straight as she looked over her shoulder at it. Harry too tried to look but she pushed him behind her.

"Go to the room with Ron and the others, dear, quickly."

Harry hesitated but moved down the hall as she drew her wand and moved back down the stairs. She flicked it at the door where the meeting was as Harry peered around the corner, hesitant but curious about what put her on edge. Surely, people knocked, right? Mrs. Weasley didn't answer the door though, just standing at the ready as there were two more bangs, and Moody, Lupin, and Sirius hurried out with their own wands drawn.

"What is it, Molly?" Lupin asked, voice quiet.

"There was a bang and possible knocking. Everyone for the meeting is here and those who aren't, know the proper way to gain entrance."

"There's no way the location's been given away," Sirius argued. "We've taken all the precautions. It should be impossible to—"

There was another bang and what sounded like something sliding against the door. Harry saw something slip past Mrs. Weasley's ankle and was surprised to see Sorina—Sven's cat—slip to the front of the group. Moody attempted to shoo her off but she hissed at the man and stood in front of the door. She eyed it for a second before letting out a loud, ugly sort of yowl and scratching at the door once. Sirius went to try and move the cat now, but Lupin stopped him.

"Wait. Could it be…"

Sirius too hesitated. "He should've been here ages ago. We can't trust that it's him."

"We lost contact after they met with the elder vampires. Anything could've happened," Lupin argued. "And we have enough people here to incapacitate them if it's not him."

Sirius pulled at his hair with a growl of frustration. "Fine. Mrs. Weasley, if you would."

She nodded, moving over and grabbing the door with herself tucked behind it. The door was pulled open and everyone prepared to fire a spell only for a bloody, battered figure to nearly fall into the home.

"Sven!" Lupin exclaimed, tucking away his wand and grabbing the boy before he could fall to the ground. "Molly, we need—"

She closed the door with a nod, already hurrying away, as Harry ducked back around the corner with a hand over his mouth. While he'd only caught a brief look of Sven before the adults helped him into the meeting room, the boy did not look good. Blood drops led from the entryway to the back room and he hadn't been able to walk properly either with Sirius and Lupin having to help him along. Harry feared what may have happened but without being allowed in the meeting room he wouldn't know until someone came out to explain. Someone poked their head out of a room then.

"Wonder what's happen—Harry!" Ron grinned, starting to step out but Harry hurried over and pushed him back into the room. "Whoa! What's going on?"

"They just brought Sven in," Harry explained. "He didn't look good. He was bleeding a-and Sirius and Lupin had to help him."

Hermione was in the room as well and covered her mouth in shock. "Oh, no! Is he—"

"I don't know. They took him into the meeting room. What's going on though? What is this place?"

"Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix," Ron replied as Hermione expanded a bit.

"It's a secret society. Dumbledore's in charge, he founded it. It's the people who fought against You-Know-Who last time."

"Is Sven in it?"

"We don't know. He's not been here at all," Ron said with a shrug. "Overheard something about them getting worried how things were going with the vampires but that's it."

"There are quite a few people in the Order though," Hermione added. "We've met probably twenty of them but think there's far more."

"And Voldemort?" He asked, making them wince. "They've found something out, right? Where he is? What he's doing?"

"The Order doesn't let us in on their meetings," Hermione explained, looking uneasy. "We wanted to tell you but Dumbledore made us swear not to. We only have a general idea what they're talking about."

"Fred and George have invented Extendable Ears, see," Ron chirped. "They're really useful."

They talked a bit more about what they heard, which wasn't much. Harry was a little frustrated about that but his mind kept drifting back to Sven in concern. Then, a sharp crack scared the group as Fred and George apparated into the room.

"Stop doing that!" Hermione scolded them as Harry spoke up.

"You two passed your apparition tests then?"

"With distinction," Fred replied, holding one of the Extendable ears.

"It would have taken you about thirty seconds longer to walk down the stairs," Ron complained.

"Time is Galleons, little brother. We're trying to hear what's going on downstairs though. Heard a commotion earlier."

"They brought in Sven who was hurt badly," Hermione informed them, making them exchange looks with frowns.

"How badly?"

All eyes went to Harry who shook his head.

"H-He needed help to walk and there was blood on the floor. They said they lost contact with him and that other vampire when they went to meet with the elders."

The twins hummed, concerned for Sven as well given they'd incidentally become friends with the young vampire.

"Yeah, that's tricky."

"Very tricky."

"Vampires sided with You-Know-Who the first time."

"Suppose Dumbledore admitted Sven to try and get them on our side this time."

"Sven didn't think it would happen," Harry added, remembering what Sven had said when talking with Voldemort back at the graveyard. "I don't know why."

"We'll just ask him," the twins shrugged.

"He might have information on this meeting too. It's a big one this time."

The door opened and Ginny poked her head back in, looking pale.

"There's a lot of blood on the floor, guys. What happened?"

"Sven was brought in injured," Ron explained again, making her suck in a breath.

"No! Not Sven!"

"Seems so," Fred said, draping a hand over her shoulders in a side hug. "How were the ears?"

She shook her head. "She's gone and put an Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen door."

"How do you know?" George asked.

"Tonks told me how to find out. You just chuck stuff at the door and if it can't make contact the door's been Imperturbed. I've been flicking Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs and they just soar away from it, so there's no way the Extendable Ears will be able to get under the gap."

Fred sighed heavily. "Shame. I really fancied finding out what old Snape's been up to."

"We'll just have to ask Sven later."

"Sven's really hurt though! We shouldn't be bothering him," Hermione argued, getting waved off as Harry spoke up.

"Snape is here too?"

"Yeah," George replied, sitting on one of the beds. "Giving a report. Top secret."

"Git."

"He's on our side now," Hermione countered, earning a snort from Ron.

"Doesn't stop him being a git. The way he looks at us when he sees us."

"Bill doesn't like him either," Ginny added and they talked a bit more about what had been happening that Harry had been left out on.

Fleur was now Bill's fiancee. The Daily Prophet was spreading more lies. Percy had a falling out with his family. Then, footsteps were heard on the stairs and the twins pulled back their Extendable Ears and vanished with a crack just in time for Mrs. Weasley to step into the room.

"The meeting's over, you can come down and have dinner now. Everyone's dying to see you, Harry. And who's left all those Dungbombs outside the kitchen door?"

"Crookshanks," Ginny lied easily. "He loves playing with them. Harry said Sven was brought in. Is he okay?"

Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a glance—not having known he hadn't gone to the room like she asked but it was a small incident and the group was all concerned.

"He's hurt but we've done what we could. He'll be at dinner, though I suggested he rest, he remains stubborn on that." She spotted Ginny's hands then, scolding her on the dirt they were covered in—from the dungbombs—and hauling her away to wash up while the others hurried out to head for the kitchen as Mrs. Weasley met them at the base of the stairs.

"Thank goodness Sirius managed to get that screeching woman out of the hall," she sighed in relief after Tonks tripped over an umbrella stand. "He had a portrait of his mother there before. Would scream if you spoke above a whisper according to Remus."

"Burned the thing actually," Sirius said as he stepped out of the kitchen and offered Harry a crooked smile. "Hello, Harry."

Harry felt a hint of relief at seeing his Godfather again and offered a small smile himself before questioning him. "Why did you have a portrait of your mother here?"

"Hasn't anyone told you? This was my parents' house but I'm the last Black left, so it's mine now. Well, mine and Sven's. I offered it to Dumbledore for Headquarters and a place for Sven who had nowhere else to go. Come on. I'm sure you want to see him."

The group followed after him into the kitchen where chairs were crammed together and Sven sat in one looking exhausted and half asleep, bandages covering parts of him and dried blood sticking to bits of his clothes. He was too out of it to notice their arrival and it was only when Mr. Weasley went rushing for Harry with a shout that he seemed to come out of his daze a bit. Sven offered a small wave of greeting, a tell-tale twitch letting them know that even that action hurt.

"Sven!" Ginny shouted, being the first to hurry over to him as Harry dealt with Mr. Weasley's enthusiastic greeting and Tonks nearly setting Bill's parchments aflame.

Harry had only caught a glimpse of building plans before Mrs. Weasley hastened for them to put things away from the meeting. He met another member of the Order as well; an exhausted Mundungus who was soon scolded for his smoking pipe. Mrs. Weasley asked for help setting the table then and Harry was allowed to sit and wait with Sirius, Mundungus, and Sven who leaned against Lupin slightly.

"Had a good summer so far?" Sirius asked as Crookshanks hopped into his lap.

"No, it's been lousy," Harry complained, knowing it had been very frustrating to not get the answers he felt he deserved.

"The dementors, right? I could do with a bit of something exciting like that. I might have my name cleared but there's not much I can do for the Order other than a few small tasks. Have to keep out of sight of You-Know-Who in case Wormtail told him about my Animagus."

"At least you've known what's been going on," Harry grumbled, making him scoff.

"Oh, yeah. Listening to Snape's reports, having to take all his snide hints that he's out there risking his life while I'm sat on my backside here having a nice comfortable time."

"Fred! George! No, just carry them!" Mrs. Weasley shouted then and they looked to see a large cauldron of stew, a flagon of Butterbeer, and a breadboard with a knife fly through the air toward them.

The cauldron skid to the end of the table, leaving a black burn on the wood. The Butterbeer fell and spilled everywhere and the knife on the cutting board slipped and nearly took off Sirius's hand if Sven hadn't been quick and brought up a shield spell.

"For heaven's sake! There was no need—I've had enough of this! Just because you're allowed to use magic now, you don't have to whip your wands out for every tiny little thing!" Mrs. Weasley bellowed as Sven cringed and sank back into his seat, dropping the shield spell while Fred apologized to Sirius and took the knife out of the table.

"We were just trying to save a bit of time!" Fred had called back to his mother before smiling at Sirius. "Sorry, Sirius, mate. Didn't mean to. Nice reflexes though, Sven. Even if you are all mummified."

Harry and Sirius were both laughing at the absurdity of it all and Sven bobbed his head in a small nod. Then, Mrs. Weasley cleaned up the mess that was made and everyone joined together for dinner. Things were quiet for a moment as people got their first bites of food until Mrs. Weasley spoke up once more.

"I've been meaning to tell you, Sirius, there's something trapped in that writing desk in the drawing-room, it keeps rattling and shaking. Of course, it could just be a boggart, but I thought we ought to ask Alastor to have a look at it before we let it out."

"Whatever you like," Sirius shrugged.

"The curtains in there are full of doxies, too. I thought we might try and tackle them tomorrow."

"I look forward to it," Sirius drawled, rolling his eyes a little as others began to relax.

Tonks was entertaining Ginny, Hermione, and Sven by changing her appearance into various shapes. Her nose was the favorite to alter at the moment, going from a bird's beak to a pig snout easily. Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Lupin were having a serious talk about goblins further down the table. Mundungus, Ron, and the twins were drowning everything out though, when they burst into laughter at a funny story Mundungus told them. Mrs. Weasley obviously didn't approve and scolded him a bit before shooting Sirius a glare and retreating to get a rhubarb crumble for pudding.

"Molly doesn't approve of Mundungus," Sirius informed Harry once she was gone.

"Why's he in the Order then?"

"He's useful. Knows all the crooks. Well, he would, seeing as he's one himself. But he's also very loyal to Dumbledore, who helped him out of a tight spot once. It pays to have someone like Dung around, he hears things we don't. But Molly thinks inviting him to stay for dinner is going too far. She hasn't forgiven him for slipping off duty when he was supposed to be tailing you."

The conversation drifted as dessert was passed out and a few servings later left the table feeling full and tired. Harry was almost certain Sven was actually asleep as he leaned against Lupin and Mrs. Weasley announced that it was probably bedtime for everyone.

"Not yet, Molly," Sirius said, looking at Harry. "You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort."

The atmosphere at the table shifted quickly at the mention of Voldemort's name with the only one not reacting being Sven.

"I did," Harry answered Sirius, glancing at Ron and Hermione who looked away awkwardly. "I asked Ron and Hermione but they said we're not allowed in the Order so—"

"And they're quite right," Mrs. Weasley piped up. "You're too young."

Sirius fought her on this though. "Since when did someone have to be in the Order of the Phoenix to ask questions? Harry's been trapped in that Muggle house for a month. He's got the right to know what's been happen—"

"Hang on!" George cut in.

"How come Harry gets his questions answered?" Fred added.

"We've been trying to get stuff out of you for a month and you haven't told us a single stinking thing!"

"'You're too young. You're not in the Order,'" Fred mocked in a high-pitched voice reminiscent of his mother's. "Harry's not even of age!"

"It's not my fault you haven't been told what the Order's doing," Sirius told them calmly. "That's your parents' decision. Harry, on the other hand—"

"It's not down to you to decide what's good for Harry!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. "You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?"

"Which bit?" Sirius asked, though looking ready to fight her on this decision.

"The bit about not telling Harry more than he needs to know."

Everyone else at the table was wide awake now, watching the two argue about this. Even Sven had blinked wearily awake at the shouting, moving off Lupin and rubbing at his eyes as he leaned his elbows onto the table.

"I don't intend to tell him more than he needs to know, Molly," Sirius said. "But as he was the one who saw Voldemort come back. He has more right than most to—"

"He's not a member of the Order of the Phoenix! He's only fifteen and—"

"And he's dealt with as much as most in the Order. More than some—"

"No one's denying what he's done. But he's still—"

"He's not a child!" Sirius snapped. "Even Sven was sent out!"

"He's not an adult either!" She countered. "He's not James, Sirius, and Sven is a vampire!"

"I'm perfectly clear who he is, thanks, Molly, and what Sven is has no part in this."

"Sven being a vampire has everything to do with this! And sometimes, the way you talk about Harry, it's as though you think you've got your best friend back!"

"What's wrong with that?" Harry countered, frustrated at how he was being treated now as Mrs. Weasley continued to try and keep him out of things.

Mrs. Weasley didn't turn her gaze away from Sirius. "What's wrong, Harry, is that you are not your father, however much you might look like him! You are still at school and adults responsible for you should not forget it!"

"Meaning I'm an irresponsible godfather?" Sirius challenged, voice rising.

"Meaning you have been known to act rashly, Sirius! Arthur, back me up!"

Mr. Weasley didn't speak immediately, taking his glasses off and cleaning them on his robes. He didn't speak until he calmly replaced them.

"Dumbledore knows the position has changed, Molly. He accepts that Harry will have to be filled in, to a certain extent, now that he is staying at headquarters—"

"Yes, but there's a difference between that and inviting him to ask whatever he likes!"

"Personally," Lupin jumped in, making Molly whip to him in the hopes of having someone back her up. "I think it better that Harry gets the facts—not all the facts, Molly, but the general picture—from us, rather than a garbled version from… others." He placed a hand on Sven then, drawing Mrs. Weasley's gaze to the other boy who'd gotten dragged into the argument and making her wince. "Treating Sven any differently than Harry isn't right either. Whether because of him being a vampire or otherwise. He is younger than Harry and his troubles are no less important. I take care to remind you of that, Molly."

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips but turned away with a breath, seeing that she wouldn't get any support on this matter from anyone at the table. "Well… I can see I'm going to be overruled. I'll just say this: Dumbledore must have had his reasons for not wanting Harry to know too much, and speaking as someone who has Harry's best interests at heart—"

"He's not your son," Sirius muttered, making her bristle.

"He's as good as. Who else has he got?"

"He's got me!"

"Yes," she bit out. "The thing is, it's been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?"

Sirius started to get up in his anger, but Lupin was quick to step in.

"Molly, you're not the only person at this table who cares about Harry. Sirius, sit down."

Sirius slowly sat as Mrs. Weasley's lower lip trembled while Lupin went on.

"I think Harry ought to be allowed a say in this. He's old enough to decide for himself."

"I want to know what's been going on," Harry declared, refusing to look at Mrs. Weasley because as touched as he was that she felt he was like a son to her, he needed to know about this.

"Very well," Mrs. Weasley said begrudgingly, before starting up another argument. "Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George. I want you out of this kitchen, now."

"We're of age!"

"If Harry's allowed, why can't I!"

"Mum, I want to hear!"

"No!" Mrs. Weasley bellowed, standing. "I absolutely forbid—"

"Molly, you can't stop Fred and George," Mr. Weasley said wearily. "They are of age—"

"They're still at school—"

"But they're legally adults now."

She was red in the face but gave in. "Oh, all right then. Fred and George can stay but Ron—"

"Harry'll tell me and Hermione everything you say anyway!" Ron bit back. "W-Won't you?"

Harry considered the revenge of not telling him but he felt a hint of guilt well up in him at the thought.

"Course I will."

"Fine!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. "Fine! Ginny—"

"Sven will tell me!" She said quickly, her desperate eyes turning to the tired vampire at the table.

"Absolutely no—"

"I will," Sven cut her off, turning the full fire of Mrs. Weasley onto him as he pushed himself upright with a grimace of pain. "Being forced to remain ignorant to danger is more deadly than the danger itself."

The room was quiet as Mrs. Weasley was forced to absorb this—the fact that even this child was so firmly against her motherly instincts. Finally, she stormed out, furious with every one of them and Mr. Weasley sighed, knowing he would undoubtedly not be allowed in the room they were sharing that night. As silence settled over them once more, Sirius too, took a breath to calm down and turned to Harry.

"Okay, Harry. What do you want to know?"

"Sorry," Sven said then, stopping Harry before he could speak. "Would y-you mind if I explained my part first?"

Lupin winced, seeing how he quivered slightly as the pain was getting to him again. "I'll grab you another potion for the pain," he said softly, looking to Sirius who nodded and slipped closer to Sven for him to lean on.

Lupin stepped out to get him the potion he needed and Sirius gave the young vampire a crooked smile, though worry was still evident.

"Molly won't be pleased if you coerced her into letting Ginny stay only to leave first."

"I will stay… if I must for her to know."

Mr. Weasley sighed. "There's no need for that, Sven. I'll let her stay so you can rest."

Sven nodded slightly, leaning against Sirius with a heavy sigh until Lupin returned and handed him the potion to drink. Once that was gone, Sven looked at the group seated at the table and began to explain.

"Cain and I were sent to speak to the elder vampires in the coven about siding with the wizards, but my condition wasn't good enough to go for the first month or so."

"Harry said you said they wouldn't side with us anyway," Fred mentioned, getting a nod.

"Elders are… prideful. They rule over the coven but not in the way the Minister here does. They simply own the best places, the best people, the best food. They don't have to fight for their next meal like the rest. I was an offering to Dumbledore from Cain, that's all. My presence at Hogwarts only made them worse, if anything."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked. "Bringing a vampire in to learn wizardry sounds a bit crazy, but wouldn't that help relations?"

"I'm not related to the elders," Sven explained. "The elders pick the best vampires that have been changed and raise them as their own. Being changed by a high-ranking vampire means you have powers other vampires don't. Their pride is based on the power they have. The elders are old vampires who have been around for a long time with those abilities. They take in the powerful and make the powerful. I wasn't one of those. I was a kid picked up by Cain who was interested in me and saw potential. I was…" Sven frowned lightly. "A whim, that's all."

"What a git," Fred scoffed.

"Yeah, I mean, you're pretty cool for a vampire," George agreed. "Anyone who can't see that is daft."

"It's why Sven was picked," Lupin explained. "The elder vampires are always out for power, which is why they sided with You-Know-Who in the last war. In order for a vampire to come into Hogwarts, Dumbledore had to be very specific with whom he chose. They had to be a vampire who didn't crave power and who had excellent self-control."

All eyes went to Sven who blinked before understanding dawned on him.

"Oh. You're talking about me."

A few chuckles rang out from the group before Fred threw up a hand.

"How does it work though? The whole vampire thing."

"Perhaps he can explain that later," Lupin said, reminding them that Sven was still needing to recover from his injuries. "Keep going, Sven, then I'll help you to your room."

Sven nodded. "The first month was Cain helping me deal with the change. I couldn't control myself at all and needed to be able to remain calm in front of the elders, given I was the… bait? The… the tool?" His brows furrowed, trying to think of the right word.

"Proof," Lupin offered, looking at the others. "He was the proof that vampires and wizards could work together."

Sven nodded slightly, leaning into him with a hum. "Elders weren't convinced there was much magic vampires could do, but I learned and excelled in it. I had to show them what I could do while Cain also explained that teaming up with wizards would be beneficial."

"Making powerful beings more powerful sounds dangerous," Mr. Weasley mentioned, earning a nod from Lupin.

"It is, but it was a risk Dumbledore was willing to take. If there are more children like Sven—Vampires who can control their urges, are eager to learn for the sake of learning, honest children…"

Sirius nodded, gesturing to Sven. "Even he was born from two wizards."

"What!" The younger kids gasped.

"Lupin tracked down my parents," Sven replied tiredly. "Wizards, though muggle-born. My getting bit just meant I wasn't going to be allowed to learn magic at Hogwarts unless this happened."

"That's terrible," Hermione breathed. "Isn't there a better way for the Ministry to do this? How many people like Sven were already…"

Sirius shook his head. "There's already prejudice against vampires. True vampires were the cause of that but it applies to those changed as well."

"If you're not taught, not fed properly, it doesn't matter what sort of vampire you are," Sven explained. "All vampires struggle with the hunger."

"Even you," Ron muttered, getting a nod.

"I was taught how to deal with the hunger by Cain, but it still wasn't easy with the limited food provided in the coven. Most die if they're young. Older victims have a chance but still fight with everyone else for any blood available. You steal, fight, hunt, or hope you're picked up by the elders. They're the only ones with a steady supply of blood, but they also turn to drinking human blood early on."

"What happened though?" Fred asked as George nodded.

"Take it the vampire elders didn't agree with the offer, since you're here all beat up."

Sven hummed, eyes slipping closed in exhaustion. "They refused the offer and attacked us instead. I'm not as strong as they are because I'm new to this change. Cain held off the worst but told me to run. So, I did."

"And Cain?"

Sven shook his head slightly. "I don't know. He might be fine but I ran and was chased for a few days. I couldn't risk staying to wait for him. We agreed to wait in a certain area away from the coven if things went poorly. I waited there for a while and when he didn't appear, I came here. Had to go wrong directions for a bit… in case they followed."

He let out a sigh and they waited for more but the boy was quiet. Lupin leaned down and checked on him before smiling fondly and looking at the others.

"He's asleep."

Sirius snorted. "Course he is. Brat was holding on for too long."

"I'll take him to his room," Lupin offered, giving the table a glance. "You can ask him more questions later, though do try to wait until he's awake and healthier. He needs his rest to recover."

The group nodded and even Fred and George were content as all eyes then turned to Sirius as he glanced at Harry.

"Well, Harry? What do you want to know?"

When I woke up, I was back in my room in Grimmauld Place with no memory of how I got there after my brief discussion with the others after dinner. I stank from sweat, so I got up and used the restroom nearby to get cleaned up. I was still sore and my injuries needed treating—many of which I wouldn't be able to reach on my own—so I put on a loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirt, grabbed bandages and healing salves from my room, and wandered my way tiredly downstairs.

It was light out, which was mildly surprising given I rarely woke up during the day unless I forced myself to, but with my injuries and the amount of time I spent running from vampires without sleep, it wasn't too shocking. What was shocking was the reaction I got when I stepped into the kitchen where the most heartbeats were to ask for help treating my injuries.

"Sven!"

"You're awake!"

"How are you feeling?"

I blinked, confused and a little overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of questions and concerns. Lupin wasn't around, but Sirius was and saw my uneasy expression and explained.

"You've been asleep for a few days. Your fever only broke yesterday evening, so we didn't expect you up until later. You doing okay?"

I nodded, holding up the bandages idly. "I need help dressing some of my injuries. I got the ones I could reach."

He nodded and headed over, giving the others a quick "We'll be back" as he took me back up to my room.

"You feeling okay blood-wise?"

I nodded. "For the moment. I'll need some by the end of the week though… or, well, I can last a few more days. I'm not sure what day it is."

Sirius chuckled as we stepped into my room and I removed my shirt for him to get to the injuries on my back. "That's fine. You didn't miss much, just cleaning the house."

I hummed, looking over my shoulder as he spread the salve on a particularly nasty bite on my shoulder. "Did they get the bogart?"

"We're having Alastor look at it soon as he shows up. With everyone on edge, we feel it'd be best that way."

"I could—"

"No. Even you're not allowed to deal with it. Remus's orders."

I frowned a little but let it go as he finished bandaging me up and I replaced my shirt.

"I'll ask Dumbledore for some blood for you. How often do you need it now?"

"Only twice a month, less once I'm more used to it."

"That's it?"

I nodded, still not thrilled about having to drink human blood but glad that after the first month of near-constant hunger, it was less of an issue. "Yes. Though, if I don't get it, things can get a bit…"

"Complicated?" He offered with a grimace of a smile, earning a nod from me.

"Cain said it was the… backlash of drinking human blood. I don't have to have it as often but without it, it's hard to control myself. Far worse than with animal blood. There is no restraining it and I am not aware of myself until the hunger is satisfied."

Sirius hummed in understanding as we headed back downstairs toward the kitchen. "Hm, and if someone's hurt?"

"I can restrain myself appropriately, so long as it's not close to when I need to drink. It becomes harder the closer it occurs to that time."

A hand landed on my head, ruffling my hair as Sirius grinned.

"Good on you then, kid! Sounds like you've got a good hold of it now. No more of that panic, eh?"

I nodded, feeling sheepish, but also concerned. While my control was far better than before, the fact that I had to drink human blood at all was a large blow. Having done it because I was powerless to do anything else, only added to that feeling. I need to become stronger so I won't have to rely on that again. When we got back to the kitchen though, there appeared to be some sort of celebration happening.

"He got off! He got off!" The twins were cheering with Ginny as we walked in and Sirius left my side with an eager grin.

"I take it they cleared you of everything, Harry?"

Harry nodded, spotting me as I gave him a little wave. "Glad you're feeling better, Sven."

I hummed as Mr. Weasley shouted for the twins to quiet down—which they didn't—and I moved over to sit beside Hermione. "What happened?"

"Oh, I forgot you weren't awake to hear. Harry was attacked by dementors over the summer and had to go to the Ministry to be on trial. They had no case, really, but he did magic in front of a muggle, so I guess they were just trying to cause trouble."

I hummed as Mrs. Weasley shushed the chanting trio once more and Mr. Weasley left to go back to work. Lunch was prepared and I relaxed instantly. One of the plus sides to having drank human blood was that I didn't have to overly spice my meals anymore and after living off the bare minimum while with Cain, it was nice to have an actual meal again. Even if I don't technically need to eat it. Having my sense of taste back is nice.

The few days after that were rather peaceful. Sirius was a bit moody given our time to return to Hogwarts was coming up, but other than that, things were quiet and calm. The only mildly interesting thing that occurred before our book lists came in was the locket I'd found while cleaning out my room. Sirius told me it wasn't anything important, just something that Kreacher carried around sometimes after his brother Regulus died. He didn't like seeing it because of that, so I never wore it, just kept it in my room.

The strange thing was, I got a sort of… feeling from it. I couldn't explain it to the others who just shrugged it off as something I didn't understand and they didn't feel the same thing either. I considered asking other adults but only felt comfortable with a few of the Order members. With them coming and going so often, I never found time to ask them about it and simply settled for hanging onto the necklace until I could. It could just be something I as a vampire felt and they didn't so I kept it to myself for now.

Things got a bit rowdy again though when book lists arrived. It had slipped my mind that Harry and the others were in the year where Prefects would get chosen and while Hermione was an obvious choice, no one had expected Ron to get picked as well. I had found this out upon joining the others at the dinner table that evening. I was still recovering and slept more often than not. With Remus and Sirius giving stern instructions to not do anything that could aggravate my injuries, I had little choice to do anything else.

My books were picked up by Mrs. Weasley—whose cheery mood should have informed me something had happened—and coming down to the dinner table to see the scarlet banner congratulating Hermione and Ron was a mild surprise. Because of this, dinner became more of a party than usual but there was something off with the mood. Or, well, one person in particular.

I'd never been good at reading people. Vampires never bothered with hiding their disgust or anger towards others, so I never needed to understand people until I went to Hogwarts. I'd improved but it didn't mean I understood why someone might feel a certain way. I didn't understand why we were celebrating, for one thing. Prefects were just students with more responsibilities, more work, and—I suppose—more power. Still, I congratulated Ron and Hermione anyway since everyone else was and the two were obviously pleased about it.

The adults at the table were impressed as well. Tonks saying she'd never gotten the position due to her misbehavior and Sirius being much the same. Lupin had gotten it but he made a sort of half grimace that told me it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience and I'd turned to the food as everyone split off to chat with each other. I rarely minded not being involved in the conversations and enjoyed eating in silence. It was something I'd grown to enjoy now that I was on human blood. The hunger was finally silent and my mind at peace which had never happened until now. Still, it didn't stop me from hearing the slight uptick in the pace of someone's heart, drawing my gaze to Harry as I listened to what he'd heard.

"Do you know why Dumbledore didn't make Potter a Prefect?" Kingsley asked Lupin as I slowly lowered my fork to listen.

"He'll have had his reasons."

"But it would have shown confidence in him. It's what I'd have done. Especially with the Daily Prophet having a go at him every few days."

I realized what it was I'd noticed then. Jealousy. Luna had warned me of it before when I'd grown overprotective of her during the tournament. It was seeing others receive something you felt was yours and being angry that it wasn't. Harry felt this way about Ron getting Prefect and I had just stumbled upon that by accident when I'd noticed his heart rush with anger at the celebration and questioning of why he hadn't received the apparent honor.

I wasn't sure what to do with this information now though. Luna had also warned me about sharing private information I learned about others in public—yet another mistake I made by revealing how protective I was of her. This meant that I couldn't ask Harry about the jealousy, not that I would have had much chance since he left the meal early and rushed out of the room.

I considered following but wasn't sure what I would do or say if I did. Lupin had noticed though and gave my shoulder a squeeze before getting up with Sirius to go after him. I was soon dragged into dinner conversation with the twins though, who had eagerly waited for me to feel well enough to get answers about being a vampire. So, I answered them as best I could until we were sent off to bed, setting aside my thoughts on Harry and Prefects and jealousy for another time.