(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I'm currently in PLP. I did work experience last week, and I've been super busy and tired, so I haven't been writing, so sorry!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

Leo

I waited until after she'd gotten back into the castle - rather a lengthy wait if you ask me, my God humans could be slow- before grabbing her arm gently, and directing her more than dragging her to the Room of Requirement. "Damsel..." She refused to look at me. "Elaine." Her eyes darted up to my face before she could stop them, and I caught the look in her eye. "Look, I know you don't like Brooke-" She cut me off with a shove against my shoulder. The actual impact didn't hurt, but it pained me inside.

"This isn't about Brooke!"

I stared at her for a second, taking a step back as I surveyed the anger in her eyes, almost swallowed up entirely by something else- pain, sorrow. "Then what is it about?" I asked quietly, and she gaped up at me, beautiful brown eyes swimming with tears. She seemed to choke for a second, before her gaze dropped to the ground and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"It doesn't matter," She spat bitterly, and I reached out, barely brushing her chin with my fingertips as I tilted her head up.

"Obviously, it does," I said, watching her closely. "And what matters to you, matters to me."

She remained perfectly still for a second, before she shook her head as if shaking herself out of a daze. "Who was that?" I stared at her, confused as to who she was talking about- curious, even though I knew it was just an attempt to change the subject.

"Who was who?" She shook her head quickly, a weak smile flitting on and away from her lips.

"Greygorry."

I paused for a second to wonder how she knew his name, then nodded slowly as I finally thought I understood. "I'm guessing you saw him before he came after me?" She frowned for a moment before looking up at me again, probably knowing by now that I was far more likely to give answers that way.

"So, who was he? And why did McGonagall think he could bring you back?" I chuckled quietly, though it was both weak, and somewhat forced.

"He's a vampire."

She rolled her eyes, and drawled, "Yeah, funnily enough, we figured that out already." I smiled at her indulgently, now- I couldn't have stopped it if I wanted to.

"Dumbledore and the other professors have employed him to... train me, kind of?" She gave me a skeptical look, and I raised both eyebrows at her, giving her the most open and honest expression I could manage. "I'm telling the truth this time, really." She waited a second before nodding, the corner of her lips curving upward slightly as if she, too, couldn't help it.

"I know, you didn't do the eye twitch-y thing. I just wanted to watch you squirm."

I stared at her, perplexed. "'Eye twitch-y thing'?" I asked, but she just shrugged, so I changed the subject- well, changed the subject back, technically. "So, if it's not Brooke, then why are you upset?" I knew it wasn't Brooke, I knew exactly what it actually was, and part of me couldn't believe that I hadn't seen it before now. That part also wanted her to admit it, but the other part of me- the part that told me she'd been lying when she said she liked me- also wanted her not to admit it, because I knew there was no way we could ever be together, in any sense of the word, due to my condition.

"I just... You're my best friend Leo, you know? I don't want you to get hurt." In theory, it made sense. Very little sense, mind you, but sense nonetheless. But, seeing as I had been hurt more times than anyone on the planet, dead or alive, could count, I knew it wasn't true.

"I've been hurt before Damsel, I can handle it. Besides, Brooke and I aren't dating." I paused for a second. "At least... I think we aren't. You know, I'm not actually entirely sure." She chuckled quietly, weakly, before she could help herself, and I smiled down at her even though I knew she wasn't looking- especially because she wasn't looking- and fitted my arm across her shoulders.

"How are you holding up Leo?" I frowned for a second, before she elaborated. "Your mother paid us a little visit today, remember?"

I nodded, dread suddenly filling me, again. "You do realise, now that she's seen us together- knows that we're friends- that you-" And the others, but Elaine in particular, since she'd been the one to face my mother directly. "-are in serious danger now, right?" She nodded, pursing her lips slightly- those soft, soft lips...

"I figured as much, yeah." I stared at the side of her head, more than a little perplexed by her nonchalance.

"You... don't really sound all that worried."

She smirked slightly, her eyes still puffy, and she looked so fragile that I just wanted to hug her as hard as I could- which kind of defeated the purpose, seeing as it would almost assuredly kill her if I did. "You know, that's because I'm not worried." I blinked heavily, too surprised to do much else. "Leo, we'll be fine- trust me. We can take care of ourselves, remember?" I rolled my eyes. "You're a half-vampire, part-veela animagus, Remus is a werewolf, I'm an animagus... we'll be fine. We can look after the others. Well, not so much Remus, he's practically useless unless it's a full moon, and even then he can't be around people." I glared at her, and she seemed taken aback by it.

"My mother is an extremely dangerous person, Elaine, I don't think we'll be much of a problem to her if she decides to go on a killing spree. Hell, she'll probably head straight for us first! Besides, she's a pureblood supremacist- what do you think she'd do to Lily if she got her hands on her?" Elaine winced, likely only just now being confronted with the nightmare scenario I'd been enduring watching play out in my brain on repeat for years by this point. "She's a cold-blooded killer, and she's not just here to get her jollies, she's here for revenge." Elaine's head snapped up.

"Revenge?"

I pushed past this, ignoring her- which was always difficult. "She'll get her jollies while getting revenge, but let's face it, there's not really anything we, a group of teenagers, can do no matter how skilled we are, because we're up against a woman who, probably quite literally, kills people and eats them for breakfast." Elaine stared at me like I'd suddenly grown two heads. "Oh wait, she only eats babies and virgins, that's right, how silly of me..." I muttered, spinning and pretending to busy myself with one of the books on the table.

"I'm not going to leave you alone with this Leo." There was a beat of silence. "We're not."

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

It's almost recess guys, so I gotta go, and I'm probably not going to get another chapter out today, I have drama next, probably no computers, and then Home ec, where I have to cook a pie.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

This chapter has had small edits made to it on 30/12/22 - Changed Elaine slapping Leo to her shoving Leo, because again- I didn't like the way I had Elaine slap Leo, so I made her shove him instead. Leo wouldn't have cared whether she slapped him or not, but I think considering how much I harp on about Elaine and Leo being each others safe haven, and Elaine knowing that Leo would never hit her, I thought it was a bit hypocritical of me to have her slap him here. She did however need a physical release for her anger, because just yelling at Leo wasn't going to get the message across to him that he had hurt her.

This chapter has had edits made to it on 6/3/24 - Formatting, and reconfiguring of sentences so they make sense. Added Leo telling Elaine, 'And what matters to you, matters to me.' Added Leo thinking that he couldn't have stopped his indulgent smile if he wanted to. Added Leo thinking 'especially because she wasn't looking' after thinking that he smiled at Elaine even though she wasn't looking. Added Leo getting somewhat distracted when Elaine purses her lips, thinking 'those soft, soft lips...' because let's face it, boy is DTS (down to snog). Added Leo's thought comment about his mother getting his hands on Lily being a 'nightmare scenario he's watched play out in his head on repeat for years by this point'. I also changed him saying that Cipicia will be 'getting her jollies off' to her 'getting her jollies' because apparently that's how it's actually said. I could've sworn I've heard 'jollies off', but it seems that isn't the case- or maybe it's just something I've heard a content creator say incorrectly, and assumed it was correct.