Lux had never been good at picking up on social signals, but she was certain about one thing: that Remus bloke didn't like her one bit.

That was fine, she figured. She didn't much like him either. He was good looking, sure, she'd give him that, and his scars added a sort of bad boy aesthetic to him, which she'd always found appealing, but something about him told her to run, run far away. The more time she spent around him, the more intense the urge grew, until she had to physically restrain herself from getting up and fleeing the compartment.

She was an expert in the art of running away, but she knew she couldn't avoid Remus forever, and to do so would draw unneeded attention to herself, so she managed to keep herself restrained in her seat, making small talk with the four boys. Of course, she only spoke when spoken to, but Fulk was a natural at conversation, entertaining the four throughout the train ride with idle chatter, asking about their childhood and lives and time at Hogwarts.

Remus, Lux noticed, also didn't speak much, especially about his childhood. When asked, he shifted uncomfortably, and swiftly changed the subject to Quidditch, and how Sirius would be trying out for the team this year. He mentioned someone named Regulus being on the Slytherin team, causing Sirius to change the subject as well.

Lux kept that in mind for future reference. Whoever this Regulus person was, she figured he was important, and might be useful if Sirius ever attempted to get too close to her.

To her utter mortification, when the train pulled into Hogsmeade station, Lux was sent off with the crowd of eleven year olds, to sail on a boat and wind up sorted into her house. Of course, when she'd first been at Hogwarts, she'd been placed in Hufflepuff house, something she now deemed unlikely.

Human Lux was innocent, kind, caring, very much a Hufflepuff, but that side of her had died the same day she had, the day she'd gone up in flames, tied to a pyre—

She shook her head, chasing the thought out of her mind, banishing the memory. Yet, her skin tingled as she stepped into the Great Hall, knowing full well she stood out intensely in the mass of tiny children. She could feel eyes on her, so many eyes, as the sorting began. More of the students amongst the four tables found themselves looking at her, as opposed to the actual sorting taking place.

It didn't take long for the woman called McGonagall to call out her name from a scroll, calling her up for her turn on the hat. "Erzsebet, Lux!"

She wasn't nervous, not like she had been the first time she'd been sorted, where she'd just about passed out on the spot when walking up to her fate. It hadn't taken long for the sorting hat to place her into Hufflepuff, but now, she figured she'd wind up in Ravenclaw. Certainly not Slytherin, as she was muggleborn. Gryffindor was an option as well, she supposed, but Ravenclaw was most likely. She wasn't very brave, after all. She'd spent twenty years running, running from that blasted Coven, and she couldn't imagine ever stopping.

McGonagall gave her a funny look, but said nothing as she placed the hat atop her head. The moment she felt the fabric against her scalp, a voice entered her mind. She could feel it poking and prodding through her thoughts like some sort of lobotomy, and she shifted uncomfortably at the sensation.

Well, isn't this a surprise. Lux Erzsebet, I would say it is a pleasure to see you again, but you and I both know this deja vu isn't anything good. The hat hummed, and Lux shifted awkwardly on the too small stool. While she knew nobody could hear what the hat was whispering into her mind, she couldn't help the uncomfortable sensation that everybody in the Great Hall was about to discover what she was.

Hufflepuff was the house I gave you the first time, I remember that clearly. Oh, how naive you were, how innocent…it's a shame you've changed so much over the years. I quite liked the girl you used to be. But of course, you're not just a girl anymore. No matter, no matter. Merlin, your mind is guarded now, isn't it? You were so easy to read before…but I see, I see. You have a lot of fear in your heart, yet your fierce loyalty and stubborn nature stands out to me. Those are good qualities, even if you don't see yourself as good. No, I see clearly now, the best place for you is…

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Lux rose from the stool, back onto her legs, and swiftly made her way over to the cheering Gryffindor table, signified by the red and orange banners stretched overhead. While she didn't fancy sitting with the boys she'd met at the bookstore, and then again on the train, sitting with the first years would be even more humiliating, so she made her way towards the back of the elongated table, to sit nearest to the students who appeared to be about her age.

"I knew you'd get Gryffindor." Sirius said as she sat down across from him, a few people down. She'd been hoping he wouldn't notice her, but luck didn't seem to favor her. It never had.

"Did you, now?" She raised her eyebrows, avoiding the fierce gaze she could sense coming her way — not from Sirius, but from Remus. It wasn't a glare, she noticed when she dared glance his way, but not a pleasant look either. It was more…primal, almost. It was like he could see right through her.

She felt her skin burn.

"Of course. You're too cool to be in any other house."

Cool. That was a new one.

Unsure what to say, Lux turned back to watch the sorting, though her attention didn't last long, as she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.

"Hi." The person on her left said as she spun back around to face her. A girl, with the brightest red hair Lux had ever seen, and somehow, an even brighter smile. Bright enough to be the sun, to be a weapon. Lux knew not to trust people with those sort of smiles, as there was always something deeper lurking in them, just waiting to emerge and bite you when you least expected it. "I'm Lily. Are you new this year?"

"Yes."

"Lux, is it? Lux Erzsebet?" Lily pressed, tilting her head to the side.

She nodded.

"That's a beautiful name."

"Thank you."

"Hold up," James interrupted their conversation, leaning in from where he sat across from Lily, resting his arms atop the table. "I thought your father was called Ingelger. Why is your last name Erzsebet?"

"I took my mother's last name." She answered sharply, the lie slipping off her tongue with ease.

"You met her father?" Lily turned to James with raised eyebrows.

"He's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." James explained, nudging towards the Professors table, where Fulk was seated, chatting with a rather short professor whom Lux didn't know the name of. Was he part goblin, she wondered to herself? Maybe her and Fulk weren't the only non-humans at Hogwarts.

"You look like him." Lily commented as she observed the new professor from afar. "Your father, I mean."

Did she? Lux couldn't remember. All she knew was they had the same pale skin, from the centuries spent out of the sun's harsh rays. Of course, the similarities between the two vampires ended there, as far as Lux knew, anyways. They weren't actually related, of course.

"Okay." Was all she could think to say in response.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Remus frowning, while his attention was still fixed on her. Lux couldn't help it — a shudder ran down her spine before she could stop it.

Run, her mind told her, nagging and tugging at all of her nerves. Run, and never look back. Leave Hogwarts with the ring. Run.

But she couldn't. Not without Fulk. And most certainly not without Dumbledore's permission. The man would go to the ends of the earth to find them if they pulled one over on him, she was certain of it. Just like Remus, Albus Dumbledore was not to be trusted, she knew that for sure.

So, instead of running, she turned to look at Remus, eyebrows arched up and her head tilted to the side, feigning confidence, when in reality, all Lux wanted to do was shrink. "Why are you looking at me?"

Remus blinked. "Oh, er, sorry. I didn't mean to."

Lux simply raised her eyebrows even higher.

"Yeah, Moons, why are you looking at Luxie?" Sirius jested, elbowing his friend in the side.

"Luxie?" Lux frowned, sensing where this was going, and not liking it one bit. Luxie, she'd been called that once before, and the ringing of the name in her ears made her stomach churn. She dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands, hard enough that if she could bleed, blood would indeed be flowing out of the half moon indents she was making.

"Yeah. It has a nice ring to it, wouldn't you say?" He continued.

"No, I don't think I would."

"Oh." Sirius's smile faltered, though it was replaced by an even brighter grin after a second of momentary shock. "Well, I'll call you it anyways."

"Don't. My name is Lux. Call me Lux or do not refer to me."

"Damn, someone's feisty." Sirius mused, not all at phased by her refusal.

You haven't the faintest clue. Lux thought to herself, allowing a gentle smirk to slide onto her lips.

Though, she didn't say a word. Instead, she simply tucked her a strand of her hair behind her ear, and turned to the feast, which had materialized onto the table. The sorting must've ended, and good Merlin, was she hungry.

Not that she could eat any of the food stretched out before her, however. Human food made her ill, and she'd prefer not to spend the entirety of the night before classes began hovering over the toilet, ejecting the contents of her stomach.

Dumbledore had given Lux and Fulk permission to feed from animals that resided in the Forbidden Forest — non magical animals, anyways. Apparently, things like Acromantulas and Centaurs were off limits. Not that she minded, of course. A rabbit or a deer's blood were as good as any.

"Are you going to eat anything?" Lily eyed Lux up and down, as she poured a spoonful of mashed some sort of creamy white food onto her plate. She'd seen the side dish before, on the television Fulk and her owned in their trailer, but she'd never actually figured out what the name for it was.

"I'm not hungry." Lux lied, staring down at the food, at the meat and cheeses and fruits. What did human food taste like, again? She'd learned the hard way, only days after becoming a vampire and joining the Coven, not to eat human food. But Merlin above, was it tempting, especially as she searched her mind, desperate to remember.

But she couldn't. All she could remember was she loved it, loved her mother's cooking, the meat from their chicken coop and the eggs they would lay. In the harsh winters, her mother always made sure her and her siblings' bellies were full, even if that meant she and their father went hungry.

Oh, Mary Erzsebet, Lux thought to herself, pressing her lips together. What happened to you, after you left? Where did you go?

"Are you sure?" Lily pressed, green eyes wide with concern and snapping Lux out of her thoughts. It was fake concern that Lily wore, of course. Why would a girl who was essentially a stranger care for Lux's wellbeing? "Here, have some grapes. They're really good, trust me." She reached over, grabbing a pile of green grapes and placing them on Lux's empty plate.

She eyed the grapes suspiciously. What had Lily done to them? Had they been poisoned? Could the redhead girl have dipped them into something without Lux noticing?

"I'm not hungry." She repeated, staring down at the poisoned grapes.

"If you're sure…" Lily said uncertainly, going back to eating her own food.

However, it wasn't long into the meal before Lux noticed Remus's eyes on her, once again. Those bloody eyes, the eyes of a hunter, of a predator.

She was supposed to be the predator. She was supposed to be the feared one, the one people cowered from the sight of. The one people ran from. But now, she was the one about to do the running.

Her skin burned as she rose from the table.

"Where are you going?" Sirius looked up at her with wide eyes, as though he was concerned, concerned for her. Maybe she wasn't doing as good of a job at hiding the fear she felt as she assumed she was.

"Loo." She said simply. When she left the Great Hall, she could still feel Remus's eyes on her back, burning into her skin, just like an inferno.

Lux was a hunter. A beast of the night, a lurker, a stalker, a killer. It had been years since she'd last tasted a drop of human blood, but that didn't make her feasting on other creatures of the night any less disturbing to the mind of a typical human.

Luckily, she'd lost sense of what was and wasn't gross long ago. Now, all she craved was blood, and lots of it. The blood that kept her body going, kept her from deteriorating, which was a slow, painful process. She could go a week, maybe two, without blood, before her body began to shut down.

The worst part — she couldn't starve to death. She'd simply spend an eternity awake, feeling her insides struggle to work, struggle to keep her alive. A year would pass before she'd loose consciousness, according to what Philip had once told her, but she'd still be alive, for an eternity. She hadn't realized at the time that Philip sharing his knowledge of vampirism wasn't out of the will to inform her, but a threat. A threat of what he would to do her if she disobeyed him.

Lux was a hunter, but she was also hunted, and the reminder made her skin crawl and flesh burn.

It didn't take long to find a raccoon in the forest. She feasted on the creature, before setting it free. It would likely die, if another animal scented the blood dripping from its neck and attacked, but she figured she owed the thing a decent chance at life. After all, it was the raccoon's blood that kept her alive, so she might as well help it out in return.

The feast was just ending when she returned to the Great Hall, wiping her mouth over and over again with the sleeves of her robes, to confirm she had no blood staining her lips.

"Luxie!" Sirius cried out, rushing over to her, and to her utter surprise, he swung an arm over her shoulder, as though they were some sort of couple. "What took you so long? Were you constipated?"

"Was I—what the fuck?" She sputtered, shaking herself out of his embrace, and swatting his hand when he attempted to touch her again. He recoiled, and didn't make another attempt to grab her, but still wore his weird, cheeky grin. "I was exploring the castle, that's all. I thought I ought to learn my surroundings."

"I see, I see." He nodded. "Come on, let's head to the common room. Oi, Evans, you ought to show Lux to your room."

Lily, apparently also known as Evans, peaked her head out from the crowd of students, a smile sliding onto her lips when she made eye contact with Lux. "Right, of course. I didn't know you were in our year!"

"Sixth, right?"

"Mhm." She nodded as she approached them. Two girls lingered behind her — one with blonde hair, a shade darker than Lux's, and the other with beautiful dark skin, and the curliest hair Lux had ever seen. The blonde was absentmindedly messing with her nails, while the other gave Lux a bright grin, just as Lily had when they first met.

"Hello, I'm Mary." She waved. "You're new, yeah?"

"Yes." Lux's stomach churned at the name, at the same name as her mother. It was a common name, and despite the fact that she'd met dozens of Mary's over the years, it still never failed to send a dagger to the heart every time she heard it.

"This is Marlene." Mary nudged the blonde with her elbow. She looked up, blinking.

"Oh. Hey." She gave Lux a small nod, as they continued walking through the halls. It had been so long since she'd last been inside the castle, but Merlin, it had hardly changed a bit. Even the portrait of Anne Boleyn remained the same, which had stood out to Lux, even in her youth.

They entered the Gryffindor common room through a portrait of a rather large woman, with Lily giving her the password, and the moment Lux stepped through the portrait hole, she froze in her tracks.

The inferno, it was back, in the form of a fireplace, surrounded by cozy red couches and bookshelves. All easily flammable, all ready to go up into flames and smoke at any given moment, and consume her once again.

"Lux?" Someone said her name from next to her, their voice distant yet close at the same time, blurred and distorted as though they were underwater. "Lux, are you alright?"

Only when the sensation of a hand fell upon her shoulder was she able to jolt entirely out of her trance, and back into a state of reality. Lily, of course it was Lily, was staring at her through wide, concerned green eyes, her hand resting on her shoulder.

"I'm fine." Lux stepped away from redhead, inhaling a sharp breath through her nose, and out again.

"Come on, I'll show you to our rooms." Mary said, reaching over and grabbing Lux's hands, tugging her towards a staircase that must've led to the dorms.

But even as she trailed after the three girls, she could still hear the fire crackling, and calling out her name.