It had been a while since Anna had risen from the deepest layers of the edges. She could have done it much later to shorten the journey home, but honestly, she loved walking in the Asphodel expanse. The eternal twilight, the endless hills... it all has a terribly relaxing effect on her. And to relax, at the moment, she needs it badly. The timely completion of her latest order from Yaesh was a great source of stress. Especially since the said client tends to get far too involved in the creation of his orders. The jerk is completely contradictory. "Do as you please, I know you can do the best," he says. And just three days later he comes back with different demands. "Yes Anna, it's excellent, but I'd prefer you to favour flexibility over power..." after having said the opposite the first time. It's a good thing there's only one Yaesh in the universe, otherwise she would have resorted to mass murder long ago.

But this was at least expected. The curiosity and fickleness of the Fahri is famous after all. What was less so, however, was, that, the pleasant afternoon she had planned to spend at Kav-deb's house having tea after this physically and mentally gruelling week while enjoying the best tea of Langkor and the delicious pastries of Brussels. This pleasant chat with dear Kav-deb about light topics had quickly turned into a terribly long, exhausting and passionate monologue on his part about a new magecraft array he had newly developed. And worse, to bury her hopes of a pleasant afternoon for good, the bugger had also seen fit to invite his bloody 'friend' Sonya to the tea party. By Merlin, only he could think that inviting this... creature would possibly be a good idea. Yes she could be great conversationalist and at times good company, but by Vlad she is terrifying. Fortunately for the sake of what was left of her sanity Sonya had at least presented herself in decent form. Anna still remembered the first time she had met her. No, no, no, better not to think about it. What the hell kind of psychopath deliberately chooses to take on the appearance of a kid. God, she'll never understand her.

Now, thanks to dear Kav-deb in addition to her general exhaustion, a powerful headache was pounding behind her forehead. After all that, she will have earned the few days of peace she promised herself.

With a deep tired sigh she snapped out of her thoughts. Something about the atmosphere of the edges was strange. Not a single stranded in sight. Yet the creatures had a habit of following her like a shadow at the first opportunity. Or at least wander around the path.
An indefinable apprehension crept up her back, and a shiver ran down her spine. She ignored the sinister atmosphere that the lack of "life" around the path made her feel and continued on her way. She was now not far from the her stabilised exit of the edges, only a few kilometres, well whatever that means in these places. Even after all this time the edges experience was still confusing.

Hopefully the hunt she had planned for tonight would do her a world of good, and lift her spirits. It had been a while, after all, since she had really fed. She had long thought of finding a partner so she wouldn't have to, but her reputation would prevent her from forming that kind of relationship for a long time.

This was at least a reason to be happy, she thought. She stopped for a moment, took a deep breath and enjoyed the light breeze caressing her cheeks, letting her gaze drift gently over the horizon, admiring the spectacle of the Asphodel leaves dancing gently in the breeze, watching the orange glow of the setting sun colour the plumes of white flowers. What would become of her if kav-deb started inviting the thing to their little meetings on a regular basis? With luck she would eventually get used to the creature's presence, but she couldn't help dreading the idea of it becoming a habit. What an idea to let such a monster have tea in his living room as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Unfortunately Kav-deb seems to really enjoy the entity's company. Yes the man is not perfectly clear in his head but still. Hopefully their next meeting will be less hectic. And especially less academically taxing.

It was then that a scream drew her out of her thoughts. A shout? Someone? Here? In one of the less frequented parts of edges? How? She turned sharply in the direction of the voice. There, on the hillside opposite, about 200 metres away, a small form seemed to be staggering along the path. On either side of the path hordes of stranded were waiting feverishly. Ready to pounce on... the child. A child? Lost in the edges? Alone? Shit. A knot formed in her throat as she realised the situation. Without really thinking, Anna dashed towards the small form as fast as she could. She ran faster than the wind, her footsteps treading the ground without a trace, her movement fluid as air, she drew her dagger from its sheath ready to strike. As the figure drew nearer, her horror grew. The child, the little girl, was badly wounded, her complexion almost ghostly pale. She had wanted to never see this type of thing ever.

While Anna was still about fifty metres away the child collapsed on the ground. Without waiting, the boldest stranded stepped onto the path and approached the girl, foaming at the mouth, his empty eyes shining with an unhealthy glow. Anna didn't waste a moment, and in one swift movement she threw her dagger at the creature, the weapon cleaving the air with a hissing sound before being embedded deep in the back of the creature's skull. The thing fell to the ground with a long, hoarse moan as its thick, whitish, viscous blood began to flow from the wound. The other standed all turned their ugly faces simultaneously towards Anna before fleeing in all directions with little plaintive and frightened yelps.

It was no wonder that no stranded had shown up if there was such a good, vulnerable and defenceless target within reach. No wonder none of them had shown up if there was such a prime target, vulnerable and defenceless, within the reach of their fangs.

A fraction of a second later to cover the last few dozen metres Anna knelt down beside the child. She was in a pitiful state. Her only clothing was a pair of worn-out shorts, far too big for her, tied to her waist with an old, yellowed string. What was left of what might have been a T-shirt was tied awkwardly and hastily around her utterly destroyed right arm, as if torn apart by a wild beast. Her body, covered in scars and bruises both old and new, heaved painfully with each breath, her ribs clearly visible on her thin, taut skin, some visibly broken, making his breathing all the more difficult. The worst was her face. The left side completely violated and fractured, the eye was not even visible anymore. What kind of battle or monster had the poor girl escaped from to find herself in such a state and in the bloody edges to boot.

Putting one hand on the child's forehead and the other on her wrist to take her louse Anna said, "Little one, can you hear me? If you can, squeeze my hand once", no answer, the poor girl had already lost consciousness. Her louse was getting weaker by the second, she had already lost too much blood.

Kav-deb's house was far too far away to reach, and she knew of no way to get her to a safe place quickly enough. At this rate the child's death was inevitable. She had nothing with her that could save her or even slow her death. But did she really have nothing? A small voice whispered in the back of her head. Didn't she have a way, right there at her disposal, that could save even the most serious cases? But the weight of this decision was too heavy, and to do so without the consent of the other, an unforgivable crime even among her fellows. Making her, her blood daughter was also a heavy responsibility that she was not sure she could handle. Yes, Yes, she always wanted to start a family, having a daughter, but with her past did she have the right to do so? But now here she was, kneeling in a pool of blood in the middle of the edges holding the dying body of a little girl who hadn't even had a chance at life yet.

She shook her head to rid herself of this futile internal debate as much as she didn't want to admit it to herself her decision was already made. She had a choice to make and she was going to make the right one. If only to begin to redeem herself. She retrieved the blade from the corpse of the stranded and quickly cleaned it against her clothes before opening the palm of her hand with a precise gesture. Then she began to intone the long litany of the ascent. Without interruption she traced the runes with her blood on the child's forehead and chest, before letting the crimson stream run along her hand to her fingertips to flow into the girl's mouth. The runes began to glow with a diaphanous gleam before embedding themselves in the flesh and disappearing into it, as the child's heart stopped forever.

Hogwart, Professor Snape's Ward
It was a winter's evening like any other, in this thrice-damned castle. Severus was comfortably seated in a large armchair in front of a crackling fire in the hearth. The dancing flames creating golden reflections on his face. Through the window one could see large snowflakes drifting peacefully towards the ground, their path disturbed only by a light breeze. Severus returned his gaze to the glowing embers hidden beneath the flames. With one hand he swirled the firewhisky sluggishly in his glass. With the other he held open in his lap the latest issue of Potion's monthly, again, nothing interesting in the paper he thought. Except perhaps for a new variant of the visual acuity potion which, unlike its counterpart, could not only improve vision but also control the potion's level of effectiveness by will, to the point where it could be used to replace a pair of binoculars. And this simply by multiplying the number of turns by two and adding 7 grams of hawk's brains in the middle of the preparation. An advance in the field of sight potions, but nothing very transcendent.

His thoughts drifted again, this time to the Dunderhead hordes he was supposed to save from their own idiocy, their suicidal tendencies, one or the other or both, depending on how you look at it. And on top of that he was supposed to teach them the art of potion making? Preposterous. Just today, young Leander Kama had almost sent herself to the cemetery by transforming a potion that was supposed to cure nausea into a hellish mixture that melted through the cauldron, the table and even dug a hole a metre deep in the ground, all the while releasing a thick cloud of highly toxic smoke that sent half of the class straight to the hospital. How could she have achieved such a feat? No one could say. Especially with a neutral potion, with no added ingredients and roughly following the recipe. Severus was forced to admit that he was impressed by the sheer incompetence of this student. The case had finally ended late in the afternoon with the cancellation of all his other classes for the day and the sending of a sample of the liquid abomination to the Department of Mysteries.

Ah, if only some of her students were at least half as competent as Lily. His brows furrowed at the thought, a bitter taste settling in her mouth. What had happened to young Aster anyway? Dumbeldore had never told him where and with whom she lived. Knowing the man, he had surely found her a loving family somewhere far from the chaos of magical Brittany in those post-war years. All those years ago Lily had asked him behind Potter's back to become her daughter's second godfather, in case anything happened to the mutt. How Lily had come to forgive him for joining the Deatheaters and rejecting her because of her blood simply out of conformity, along with Lucius and the other Slytherins, was still a mystery to him today. But how good it had made him feel, without it, he wouldn't dare imagine what he might look like today if he'd had to go on living until today without Lily's forgiveness, or even if he'd be alive at all. The temptation to end his life had been so close at that time.

Sometimes he wondered if he had been right to listen to Albus and let him choose a family for young Aster. To not just let her live with him during the summer and at Hogwart's during the school months. But deep down he knows Albus is right. He has to keep up his image has a spie. He has to keep up a good front with the other deatheaters still at large, in order to continue his mission of espionage. Moreover, it would have been easy for Lucius to ask for custody of Aster and to obtain it by virtue of the blood link between Aster and the Black family. After all, Sirius had conducted a proper blood adoption, making the child a Black. With Lily's consent and behind Potter's back Severus had also performed the ritual. If Potter knew, he would be rolling over in his grave continuously for the next three centuries, Severus thought with a smirk, before he sighed painfully and finished his drink.

At that moment the flames in his fireplace took on a greenish tinge and grew in intensity. Dumbeldore's voice rose in the room in a tone he had not heard since the darkest hours of the war against Voldemort. "Severus, this is an emergency of the utmost importance! Meet me in my office immediately by the fireplace! Be quick. This concerns Aster! Take anything you can think of that might be useful in a rescue and combat mission." The hair on his back stood up and a shiver ran through his spine. Without missing a beat he rose to his feet, dropping his empty glass and magazine on the chair before literally throwing himself on his shelves, grabbing his first aid kit, his wand and putting on his duelling outfit and dragon hide armour before slipping on a light robe. He ran to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of floo powder, and threw it in, saying "headmaster's office". He then ran into the flames without hesitation, but with a growing knot in his stomach.

When Severus entered Dumbeldore's office it was to find the old man slumped against his desk, his back bent, his face buried in his hands. The room was plunged into an unnerving silence, disturbed only by the clatter of the many devices the man seemed to collect. Fawks, the cursed bloody flaming chicken, seemed to be watching the scene sorrowfuly, head bent, eyes closed, motionless on his perch. Severus's sense of dread only increased as he observed this unusual behaviour in the Headmaster.

After a few long seconds of silence that seemed like an eternity. Severus spoke up. "Albus. What's the matter? I've never seen you like this. You said it was about Aster. What's going on with the child?

The old man sat up slowly and leaned back in his chair. His features were tense and tired, as if he had aged several centuries in the past few hours. His shoulders drooped as if crushed under an immeasurable weight. He sighed shakily and said, folding his hands and looking down at his desk. "Severus. I'm sorry."

Severus felt his patience waning with every passing second, he pressed the old man. "Speak, Albus! If it's serious there's no time to lose!"

"I never told you where I placed Aster after her parents died, and for good reasons, you know of them. I... I entrusted her to her aunt Petunia née Eva…"

Severus cut him off abruptly. "WHAT?" Severus began to feel faint. All the feeling had suddenly left his face, his complexion turning from pale to corpse-like. "You, you placed her with, this... this, woman?"

"Yes, I..."

Severus' voice began to tremble. "HOW DARE YOU?"

Albus had slumped back in his seat, his eyes wide with incomprehension on his face.

Severus continued in an icy tone. "Albus, this woman hated magic, she liked her sister, but what little affection, or even care, there was for the child would be gone the second the first sign of magic showed itself in Aster!

Albus, completely lost what little remained of his composure and stood up abruptly. "THIS IS NOT THE SUBJECT SEVERUS!"

at these words Severus' voice died in his throat leaving the words he was about to say to die in his chest. Never Dumbledore had raised his voice in that manner. Not even on the worst of occasions.

Dumbeldore, usually such a calm man, took a few long breaths to regain a strand of calm before resuming. "I will not again go into the reasons why I made this choice now, but know, Severus, that with the information I had at the time, it made perfect sense to do so.

Severus sat in the chair opposite Dumbledore's desk and rubbed his eyes in concern and exasperation. "Good. Albus. Let's get down to business. What's going on?"

Albus continued, "You have to know that I have several devices in my office that are supposed to warn me if anything happens to Aster, as well as one that monitors the state of the blood wards protecting her house. Tonight on my way back from the Wizengamot I checked my monitoring devices and..." He paused briefly, his voice having become hoarse as he explained. "The device monitoring the blood wards indicated that they had completely fallen while the one monitoring her life prognosis indicated that Aster is... that she is... she appears she is dead.
Severus' blood froze in his veins. He felt as if his heart had stopped for at least several seconds before his throat cleared enough for him to speak. "H- ... how?"

Albus looked down. "I don't know, Severus. Maybe an accident, maybe Tom's servants got to her while she was out of the blood wards. I called you immediately to go and investigate."

Severus stood up in a flash before grabbing a handful of floo powder. "Albus, destination?"

"No. 7 Privet Drive."

Severus repeated the address and disappeared in a flurry of green flames, before he felt himself being pulled vigorously like in and he was promptly expelled down another chimney into an ordinary looking living room except for the shear number of kneazles filling the room. Sitting on a sofa in front of a lit television was a middle-aged woman he recognised as Arabella Figg, looking at him with eyes wide with surprise. He was drawn from his observation of the scene by the arrival of Dumbeldore behind him from the fireplace.

Albus turned to Figg and said in a firm tone. "Arabella, I asked you to tell me if anything happened to Aster, do you have anything to report?

Figg snapped out of her stupor and stammered, "I, I. No, nothing unusual. I hardly ever see the girl anyway. The last time I saw her on the street was months ago. Most of the neighbours don't even know she exists, except for the rumours of the local childrens.

Severus grumbled, "And it never struck you as suspicious?"

Figg looked completely lost. "I, I..."

Albus immediately started walking towards the exit of the house, saying. "Another mistake on my part..."

Severus just followed in silence. He left the house and found himself in a small, soulless street lit by the orange lights of street lamps. Albus walked briskly towards a house named number four before stopping with a chocked expression.

Severus approached and followed Albus' gaze. His eyes were stricken with horror as he stared at a large 'For Sale' sign hanging on the front of the house.

Without thinking Severus strode through the garden gate towards the innocent white door, unlocking it with a quick Alohomora. He entered to find himself facing the interior of a house completely emptied of everything it had once contained. Desperate to find a sign of Aster's presence he concentrated on trying to feel the traces of magic in the house. It was full of it, but one place in particular was litteraly overflowing. He walked slowly towards the cupboard under the stairs with an unspeakable feeling of fear and apprehension settling in the pit of his stomach. He knelt down in front of the cupboard and unlocked the strange lock on the door. He opened it and poked his head inside. A quick Lumos later and he was looking at a normal cupboard, emptied of all its contents.

Then his eyes lifted to the back of the tiny room and rested on a few words carved into the wood from a child's hand, "Aster's Room".

Severus' mind went blank as his occlumency shields collapsed, a single word escaping his lips, "Merlin".

Somewhere in Romania.

Aster had never felt better in a long time. In fact, as long as she could remember., ever since she'd arrived at the Dursleys', and there were only snatches of memory from the first few months, she'd always experienced some form of pain or discomfort in one way or another. But now she just feels kind of sleepy, numb, in peace. She is lying on what feels like a mattress. She had only experienced this wonderful invention once in her life so far. One evening when the Dusleys had left her alone at home and she had managed to sneak into Dudley's secondary bedroom. It was a shame, because she ad been caught and after that was locked in the cupboard for a week and could only go to the loo occasionally with little to no food. And it hadn't even been worth it. The mattress had been hard and full of springs, some of which had broken through the fabric. But now she was lying on the softest, most comfortable thing in the world. The room was warm and filled with the faint smell of tea, the silence disturbed only by faint rattling in the distance maybe from another room to her right.

She slowly opened her right eyelid, the other sending no signals to indicate its existence, and was first dazzled by the light. Once her vision was accustomed she stared at the dark wooden ceiling for a moment before turning her head towards the source of the light to her left. Apparently the bed she was resting on looked directly out on a large window on the floor she was on, offering a view on a large mown grass garden with a large vegetable patch and many shrubs and bushes. On the other side of the fence that encloses the part of the garden she can see from the window is a forest. And in the distance, beyond the treetops, in the mists of the distance, were great mountains with snowy peaks. This view of peaceful nature in the golden light of a late afternoon was particularly relaxing.

Aster tried to sit up, leaning on her arms, but lost her balance and fell back heavily on the bed because of the unexpected absence of said right arm. Panic began to grow in her because of the unfamiliar surroundings and the suspicious disappearance of her left eye and right arm. Her breathing was quickening, her heart was beating... Her heart was not beating at all! She was beginning to feel really feverish when a soft voice pulled her out of her growing state of terror.
"Ah, you're awake!"

Aster turned her head in the direction of the voice. At her right, pulling a chair towards her to sit at the bedside, was a young woman with fair skin and beautiful blue eyes. Her long, dark brown hair falling in loose curls to her waist. Her aristocratic-looking face exuded a certain softness as the woman smiled at her with a disguised sadness. She was dressed in a green shirt with rolled up sleeves, black canvas trousers and a simple leather apron.

She finished settling in, took a few seconds to stare at her before speaking. "How are you feeling?"

Aster winked and hesitated for a moment before answering. "I, I feel pretty... good. But, who, who are you madam?"

The woman's gaze softened, as if reassured by Aster's answer. "My name is Anna Karrasinqi. But you can call me Anna. And what is your name?

Aster didn't really know if she could trust this stranger, but the fact that she was alive at least assured her that she meant no harm. At least as long as Aster was able to hide her little demon. "My name is Aster. I don't know my last name though. What, what happened to me? My arm? My eye? Have I been unconscious for a long ti…" her voice her voice went off the rails as she recalled herself that it wasn't good to ask questions to Vernon or Petunia. But she's not them, is she?

Anna's smile froze for a moment and her eyebrows furrowed as if she was taking time to think about how to handle the situation. "I was coming back from a friend's house when I found you, badly wounded in the first level of the edges, surrounded by some stranded ready to jump on you. I managed to disperse the creatures and save you. Unfortunately your arm was too badly damaged to be healed, as was your left eye. And about your last question, you've been unconscious for a week. I was really starting to worry". Aster paled at the mention of her injuries, so Anna hastened to continue, "Don't worry about your arm. I can do something about that. For your eye I can't do anything personally but I have a friend who is used to this kind of thing. You'll be in good hands with him.

A multitude of questions raced through Aster's mind, but the most important one quickly overwhelmed the others. "What are you going to do with me? And most importantly! My heart isn't beating! I, I should be dead!"

Anna seemed to hesitate for a moment, her smile disappearing, her face becoming much more serious, before she said. "Well, you see, I have a very special condition. I am what people here call a Vampire. An immortal human-looking creature who needs to drink the blood of humans or magical creatures on a regular basis to live." Seeing Aster start to tremble slightly she added, "You don't have to worry, I won't hurt you. I'm telling you this because it has to do with your situation. When I found you you were at death's door. And the only way I could save you was to start a vampiric ascension ritual, sorry, about making you a vampire. Which is why your heart isn't beating. You're not dead, no. But you're not really alive in a purely biological sense either.

Anna let out a long, pained sigh before continuing, "And I'm sorry about that. But it was the only way. Turning someone into a vampire without their consent is something that normally isn't done. But it was the only way to keep you alive."

Anna ran a hand through her hair, a gentle smile returning to her face, and then added, "Which brings us to what's going to happen to you. Well, you see, when someone turns another person into a vampire, they sort of become parent and child by blood. So you're kind of like my adopted daughter now. I know this must be sudden, let me get you something to drink and in the meantime think about what I just said dear." Anna gathered up some pillows and placed them behind Aster's back to put her in a sitting position before leaving the room.

Aster stared at Anna's back as she walked away, completely distraught. Anna had just offered to join her, her family? And being a vampire. How freakish is that? So maybe she wouldn't mind her little demon ? Aster felt something entirely new growing inside her, hope her brain offered. But so many questions remained unanswered. Aster looked around the room, she hadn't had a chance to really observe where she was with Anna present. The room was about the size of Dudley's room and was rather sparsely furnished - a bedside table, a simple wooden desk, a few shelves filled with books leaning against the hewn stone walls and a soft looking green carpet covering most of the floor. The chair that Anna had occupied apparently belonged to the desk. The room had a calm and welcoming atmosphere. Without really knowing why Aster felt comfortable here. A few minutes later Anna appeared in the doorway again, this time without her apron and carrying a tray holding a teapot, two cups and a bowl of biscuits.

Anna sat back down and placed the tray on the bedside table before filling the cups and handing one to Aster. The tea smelled delicious and Aster's dry throat urged her to take a sip.

After a moment of silence as they both sipped their tea and watched each other, Anna said with a mischievous smile, "I'm sure you've had time to ask yourself lots of questions and I happen to have the time to answer them. So don't hesitate."

Aster gathered her courage, she could hide her demon from Anna and pretend nothing happened, but this solution, although easier, could only work in the short term. And who knows how Anna would react if Aster started lying to her, even if only by omission. Besides, Anna is a vampire... whatever that really means. So she shouldn't be bothered by something a little freakish like her little demon, right? Anyway, Aster was just tired. Terribly tired of hiding, of lying, of acting as if Vernon's spectre was constantly breathing down her neck, judging her every action. Yes, just to defy him, to defy herself, Aster was going to say it.

The silence stretched for a minute or two before Aster said in a small voice, "Anna. You say you want to keep me. You won't change your mind? Even with my demon?"

Anna frowned. "No. Of course not. Of course not. Just what do you mean by your demon?"

"I have a demon inside me, a creature that helps me in life, it protects me when I'm in danger, brings me items when I need them, it also helps heal my most serious wounds. It often acts in silly ways and that gets me into trouble because people don't like my demon and don't like to see it act, but when it does act it is always in my interest in some way or another. Most of the time it does as it pleases but if I concentrate hard and ask politely it will sometimes obey me." Aster said the words pouring out of her mouth as if a dam had broken and all her words and feelings locked deep inside her had been released all at once. Just saying that made Aster feel good. But soon fear and anxiety took over again as she waited for Anna's response. Would she scream. Get angry? Hit her? Leave her in the middle of the woods?

"I see, if you don't mind, I'd like to see your demon. Can you ask him to do something?" Anna asked in a soft voice with a smile on her lips. As if she was deeply amused by Aster's description.

"Um, yes ma'am," said Aster. And she concentrated on her demon. It seemed far away, buried deep inside her. As if it were hidden under several feet of water. Hard to reach. Aster did not give up, however, and called out more and more. After a few minutes her demon rose again and she could feel it slowly settling back inside her. But the feeling was strange. It was as if her demon was moving into a whole new home. It moved slowly through her veins, her muscles, under her skin, it seemed to explore Aster as one would explore a whole new environment. A dense forest where no path is yet marked. Once Aster could feel it just beneath her skin she concentrated harder and asked. "Please little demon, I lost an arm and would like to take a biscuit. Can you hold my cup for me?" Nothing happened at first, but after a few seconds, her cup began to weigh nothing at all and levitate in front of her, freeing her hand. Aster took the opportunity to grab a ginger biscuit and start savouring it before turning to Anna and waiting for her reaction with concern.

Anna crossed her arms and her smile widened, "You know you were speaking to your little demon out loud?"

Aster blushed, embarrassed. "I, I didn't think that..."

"Nothing to be ashamed of." Anna's face turned serious, "Aster, I don't know what the people you used to live with told you, but you should know that you are a mage. And that your power is not a demon. I knew that, but I preferred to have a demonstration. It is not uncommon for mages to lose their magic when they are turned into vampires." At these words Aster blanched, "Don't worry, your 'little demon' is still with you. I wanted to tell you that after you checked so you wouldn't be too scared to call him because of your doubts and panic." Anna glanced at the cup still hanging in the air and then back to Aster. "So, Aster. It's not a demon, no matter what your relatives tell you, you're not possessed by a demon. It's just your magic. A force that flows through you and some lucky human that allows them to do this kind of thing," she said, pointing to the cup.

Aster frowned. "I see, but it's strange. How is it that my 'magic' responds when I ask it to and acts so consciously?"

Anna sighed and tilted her head thoughtfully for a few seconds. "Kav-deb th friend I was speaking about, might be able to answer that kind of question better than I can, but from what I know when it comes to free magic the question of visualizing intent and emotion is very important. In your case... it's just a theory, don't take my word for it. But I would say that thinking about your magic in a certain way shapes it to fit what you expect it to be."
Aster blinked, not really understanding what Anna was getting at.

"In other words, imagining your magic as a 'little demon', a being in its own right I suppose?"

Aster nodded.

"Well, by representing your magic to you in this way for years, it has endeavoured to match what you imagined it to be." Aster still felt lost, "So by imagining it as a conscious being, it might have become a conscious being in some way."

This was starting to make sense to Aster. She nodded. "So, Madam Anna. You said you made me a vampire. What exactly does that mean."

Anna looked resigned and concerned before saying, "Call me just Anna, darling and... yes. I'd better explain that now. The other things can wait. Being a vampire means, first of all, that you won't die a natural death. But more importantly, to live, you'll need to drink human or magical creature blood to live. Every month or so. At least every year, but that would be really bad for you. By being a vampire you'll be stronger, faster and more agile than a normal human. What will be the most difficult for you I think is that, by having been transformed so young you won't grow up normally. You will still grow, but much slower than normal and your growth will stop when you reach the physique of a 14 year old girl, maybe a little older depending on how well you eat. I'm really sorry about that but nobody is really supposed to become a vampire that young.

After this explanation Aster's head was spinning slightly, she felt weak. "Drinking blood?"

Anna ran her hand through her hair, sighed and said. "Yes, it's necessary, the explanation is too complicated and it would take hours or days to explain, but all you need to know is that without it you might get sick and then lose your mind and start attacking everyone indiscriminately. I know it may sound upsetting but once you get used to it it's not so bad you'll see."

Aster swallowed, "Okay, Anna."

A smile appeared on Anna's face. "Now that the hard talk is over, do you feel strong enough to stand up?"

Aster nodded and with Anna's help sat down on the edge of the bed before slowly getting up and holding on to her.

"Come with me. I have a welcome gift for you. If you have trouble walking it's okay. Lean on me and we'll get there," Anna said in a soft voice.

Aster nodded, Anna reached out her hand to help Aster up, but she couldn't help but flinch at the approach of a touch. But recognising her inability to move without help she finally clung to Anna's side. They moved slowly forward and out of the room. In a hallway lit by small lanterns with small orange flames floating inside. They crossed the corridor and entered the room opposite the room where Anna had woken up. It was a room of similar size except that it was filled with tools and materials of all kinds with a large workbench in the centre. Anna led her to it and showed her.

"I made this for you this week while you were unconscious."

On the workbench, in the middle of the extensive fabric, lay a finely articulated and detailed arm covered in a strange black, skin-like material and streaked with a network of strange, intricate silver symbols and lines.

Anna indicated a seat in which Aster sat comfortably with her eyes still fixed on the artificial limb. Anna approached her with the arm in hand, smiled at Aster and rolled up the sleeve of her nightgown to reach her mutilated shoulder before carefully applying the base of the artificial arm on it.

"Try to feel your magic, your 'little demon'," Anna added with a laugh. "Guide it to your new arm and try to feel it as if it were your own."

Aster complied and as soon as her magic reached the artificial arm it began to flow inside, a host of sensations she hadn't realised were missing flowed in as the border between her new arm and her shoulder seemed to liquefy and weld together in a strangely natural and fascinating way. Aster watched the limb and felt it. Her magic flowing inside as if it had always been a part of her. But when she tried to clench her fist and move her new arm nothing happened. Her concern must have shown on her face because Anna reacted immediately. She turned back to the workbench and rummaged for a moment in one of its many drawers, pulling out a smooth, glassy black pebble. "Aster turn slightly and show me your shoulder," she said.

Anna placed her hand on the artificial arm before tracing one of the symbols with her fingers. A small cavity in the arm opened up and Anna placed the stone inside it before closing the hollow in the same way. Then a flow of energy engulfed Aster for a few seconds as if liquid fire was flowing through her veins, then everything returned to normal. The difference was that she could raise her arm and move it in a completely normal way. "You'll have to change the stone in about twenty years, but until then, the prosthesis shouldn't be a problem. Let me know if you feel any discomfort or abnormal pain, okay?"

Aster stared into Anna's eyes for a moment, dumbfounded. Then she recovered her wits enough to speak again. "Thank you, thank you very much. I..."

She couldn't finish her sentence before Anna picked her up, lifted her up in her arms and carried her back into the room before settling her back into the bed. "Rest for now and don't hesitate to call me if you need anything. I'm going to make some food and I'll check on you later. Try to get some sleep." With these words Anna left the room leaving Aster alone with her thoughts. She then turned her head towards the garden visible through the window and observed the undergrowth, enjoying the quiet. She knew it would take time to come to terms with all this. But right now. She doesn't really know if she's in a dream. Or if she can really hope, for the first time in her life, to be more than a burden, more than a danger, more than an unwanted and harmful creature. Anna has made it clear that she is not a monster, not a demon. She is a mage. And ... a vampire it seems. (She has a feeling it will take her a long time to accept this detail). For the first time in her life, perhaps, she'll have a real place to call home.