(A/N): Elaine returns to her dorm, and finds that she has a letter from her mother (the reply to the letter Audrey read in 349 - Good Judge Of Character). Not necessarily a 'mostly letter' chapter, but definitely a 'a large portion letter', chapter. There will be another special chapter tomorrow, so keep an eye out for it.

Elaine

When I returned to my dorm after being interrogated by the Marauders, the first thing I noticed was Cecil, sitting next to Lawrence, crowding him like only a big brother could get away with. The second thing I noticed, was the fact that the other girls were rather conspicuously keeping a close eye on Lily.

"Hey, Elaine. I think there might be a letter for you." Marlene told me, and I rolled my eyes at them.

"Guys. I appreciate the show of loyalty, but Lily said that she was sorry- you don't have to treat her like a thief." Mary looked like she wanted to correct me, and say that, technically, Lily was a thief, but I was tired, so I walked over to Lily, and took her hand in an attempt to comfort her.

"Hi." She said quite timidly, and I gave her the biggest smile I could manage- even if I thought it made me like a little crazy.

"Hey. You know I'm not mad at you, right?" She hesitated, and I felt my anger bubble up inside me. Clearly, the others, especially Mary, Alice and Marlene- well, let's face it, mostly Mary and Marlene- had done a number on her. Alice wasn't the type to get angry- but I knew from personal experience that her expressing her disappointment could almost feel worse.

"I know you say you're not mad at me, but... I don't know why you're not. I'm mad at me- furious, even. I didn't think I could be so thoughtless, and hurtful- especially not to my two best friends." I felt my face soften.

"Lily- as I said, everyone makes mistakes. I know I've made a few, myself." Lily looked skeptical.

"Elaine... I know you think that your mistakes are comparable, but they're not." I opened my mouth to argue, but Lily continued, cutting me off. "It's not like you intentionally tried to compromise your friends trusts, just for some- gossip. You did your best, and your body betrayed you." But my body had betrayed me, when everyone was relying on me. Lily's may have been intentional- but not thought out- but mine had had a lot higher stakes.

"And if I forgive you for your mistake, then it doesn't matter. No one else's opinion should matter." It was pointed, and the other girls tried to make themselves look busy- as if I wouldn't know they were still eavesdropping. Lily, however, winced.

"It... maybe this will sound bad, but... it's not your opinion I'm worried about." Oh. Right. Yeah, that was going to be a problem.

"Lily, he... he'll forgive you." She didn't look so sure- in fact, she looked like she was almost about to cry. "If he gives you trouble, just remind him of when he started that fight with you in first year, and made you feel awful for like, a week. He won't have a leg to stand on, after that." I knew he had started the fight because he was worried about losing control and hurting her- and even if he didn't feel bad about hurting her feelings at the time- which I doubted- it would hopefully remind him of how much he values her friendship.

In truth, I didn't know how Leo was going to react to what Lily had done. Probably poorly, considering how much he valued his privacy- well, let's be honest, his secrecy. It was why I had already decided not to tell him at least until he got back- and I could better manage his emotions in person.

"Do you really think he'll forgive me?" I shrugged.

"If nothing else reassures you- not your years of friendship, or my fail-safe- just remember that I forgave you." Lily's face screwed up in confusion. "And if I tell Leo to forgive you, he most likely will." Now, her face split into a grin.

"Well, at least you're aware of your power now." From across the room, where she was pretending to be extremely interested in the drapes of her bed, Mary snorted.

"I'd say he's pussy whipped, but I don't think that's applicable in this instance." Uh, no. No, it was not. "What's the term for that? Lip whipped? Snog Blind?" In love. The term for that was, 'in love'.

"If there's anyone that's whipped Leo in that way, it's Brooke." Mary immediately dropped the curtains, and whirled around to face me, her eyebrows raised high.

"Oh? And has Brooke got Leo lip whipped or... lip whipped?" Oh, Merlin. I was going to regret mentioning this, I could already tell.

"Mary." I warned, and her face lit up, clearly delighted.

"Oh, I'm going to need to have a chat with that girl- I have a lot of questions." Questions. Questions about Leo's sexual habits. Questions that, thankfully, I didn't think Brooke would answer.

"I'd say you should ask him directly, but I think he honestly might self combust." She smirked.

"A last resort, then." Oh no, what was I signing Leo up for? "That's not from him, is it?" She asked, gesturing to Cecil, and I shook my head.

"Nah- my mum." Mary's eyebrows furrowed.

"Does your mum know about Leo?" That was a loaded question.

"Depends what you're asking. If you're asking if she knows he exists, yes. If you're wondering whether she knows that I like him, also yes- as does Jay." Lily blinked, looking surprised.

"Your brother knows about your crush on Leo?" I shrugged.

"Since summer before third year. It... came up. He doesn't like Leo- or, well, he didn't." Lily frowned, probably at my use of the past tense. "My mother, however, is quite fond of him." Now, clearly, Lily was even more confused.

"When did your mum-?" I cut her off.

"It's a long story- I'll tell you later." Much later. As in, when Leo gets back. "I should- I should get to that letter. Wouldn't want to keep mum waiting, after all." Lily and Mary rolled their eyes at my awkward attempt to end the conversation, but allowed it- probably only because they felt bad about my boundaries already having being pushed today.

I gave Lily's hand one last squeeze, and made my way over to Cecil, who perked up a bit when he saw that my attention was on him. I gave him one of the owl treats from my supply, and freed the letter from his leg. Moving over to my bed, I sat on the edge of the mattress, and peeled the letter open.

Elaine,

If you're going to go outside at night, you NEED to tell one of us. Hopefully with this attack, you understand the danger of it more, but I couldn't imagine waking up to find you missing- or worse. Vampires aren't the only threat out there- and even if you have to wake one of us up, we would rather that, than the alternative.

I didn't go outside at night anymore- often. The fact that Leo's family members were on watch for a while had made me feel a lot safer, but it was a lot harder to sit outside, alone, at night, when you knew there was almost always a vampire hanging around, watching over you like a fanged guardian angel.

Well, I'm glad you don't think I might had offended him.

Nah, Leo would see the funny side of it, I'm sure.

The new wards I set up should keep out anyone with ill intent, at least temporarily- vampire or Hunter. It was one of the reasons I allowed Leo and Lisbet into the house in the first place.

I hadn't thought about that very deeply- the fact that she had recognised that they were vampires, and had let them in anyway. Into the house where her son was, unaware of the vampires right in front of him. Leo had said in his letter that she had told him she wouldn't have let them in if she had thought they were a threat, but I hadn't looked into that statement as hard as I maybe should have.

I assume you'll tell me if you find out, how he knew you were in trouble.

...That entirely depended on what the answer was. If Leo had done something way too unusual for a half-vampire, I would have to censor it- or omit it entirely.

You say Leo is unique. You don't just mean because he's half vampire, do you?

Uh oh.

Tarea mentioned to me once, in passing, about the existence of children who were the offspring of a human woman, and a male vampire- which means that Leo can't be the only half-vampire out there, and that isn't why he's 'unique'.

WHAT? My father had told her about half-vampires? He knew about half-vampires? That was so, so bad.

I can see why you and Leo get along so well- you're both exceptionally strong people, who feel like they can't let anyone else be strong FOR them, who have learnt to lean on each other.

Wow.

I did notice that she was exuding more of a parental sort of energy when she was here- I assume he doesn't get along with his birth mother?

'Birth mother'... Hmm, yes, that was all Cipicia deserved to be referred to as.

I'm glad he has people who care about him- and that he clearly cares very much about, in return. You met Danniel? When? And why?

Oh, that... That was going to be hard to explain, without worrying her unnecessarily.

I'm sure they're all lovely- clearly, if he picked you, Leo has good taste.

...'Picked' is a strong word, but yeah, I guess.

They're just... SO YOUNG, and... I feel like someone so young shouldn't have to protect people who are older than them. Especially someone as much older as I am.

Oh. This wasn't just about the Twins, was it? As it was, the Twins were younger than Jay by a couple of years, and Leo was... well, even if we didn't feel like it, we were kids.

Does Leo get along well with his father?

What an odd question- and one I couldn't really answer.

Clearly his father respects his opinions, if he's letting him take charge, but I would think he would mention him at least occasionally.

Sometimes, he did- but even when he did, it was strained. I knew they got along alright, most of the time, but they had their differences- and Leo considered him less of a parental figure, and more of an ally. He had said that his father was busy, so maybe he hadn't been seeing a lot of him lately, and thus didn't have much to mention in the first place.

Two boys, Elaine? Jay's going to throw a fit if he finds out!

Ah... yes. Yes, he would.

Do I have to remind you that your father was a Prefect?

...Shit. I had completely forgotten that she had told me that little tidbit- Anyway, Remus wasn't my father.

He sounds nice, and I'm glad you trust your friends- and it warms my heart that you have no fear of Leo hurting you. I sincerely hope you're a better judge of character than I was.

Love,

Audrey (Mum)

I knew, when it came to those two, that I had judged them correctly.

Quickly, I pointed my wand at the letter, and cast the word obscuring charm on the parchment. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lily's face sink, and I moved over to drop onto the bed next to her, pushing the letter her way.

"What- What's this?" She asked, and I nodded towards it.

"Read it." Hesitantly, she lowered her gaze, and read the exposed passage- 'I can see why you and Leo get along so well- you're both exceptionally strong people, who feel like they can't let anyone else be strong FOR them, who have learnt to lean on each other.' She blinked, surprised.

"Wow... your mother really seems to understand Leo." I shrugged, and as she handed the letter back to me, I cast the spell again, obscuring that passage as well- which she clearly took notice of, but chose not to mention.

"I've told her a lot about him. Honestly, so far, she seems to like Remus less than she likes Leo." Lily smirked at me.

"Considering the way he kissed you in the Great Hall, I'm not surprised. Leo would never snog you like that." I shrugged at her, trying not to smirk in return, knowing that I was about blow her teasing out of the water.

"Not in public, anyway."

(A/N): Lily: 'Leo would never snog you like that.'

Elaine: 'That's probably a good thing, because if he did, I would absolutely MELT. Into a puddle. A puddle of Elaine. Where did Elaine go? Oh, she's a puddle now.'

Leo: 'And I would still be in love with puddle Elaine, I promise.'

Also, I looked it up, and the term 'pussy whipped' has been around since at least the 1960's. It's probably way more common in the US than the UK, but I couldn't find any comparable term that would fit. In this usage, it's just meant to mean that Leo is so in love with Elaine, that he'll likely agree to whatever she wants, because he wants to see her happy.