(A/N): We're back with Remus, Mia, Elaine, and Dahrya.

Trigger Warnings: Brief mentions of parental abuse, mostly just that Leo and Mia would do something to avoid punishment that could possibly end in worse punishment, if they weren't lucky. Of course, there's also a lot of discussion about how Cipicia and Sebastien were inclined to keep Leonides and Miasenna separated at all costs, since that's a major theme of this chapter, which is certainly unhealthy, if not quite outright abuse.

Remus

Somehow, it really didn't surprise me that Mia hadn't put much thought into how Leo pretty much single-handedly taking care of her at such a young age might have a profound effect on him- maybe it was the fact I already knew that they were both incredibly disinclined to look beyond the surface of most things, or maybe it was because I knew if she knew, then she certainly would've said something to him about about it, but clearly she hadn't. Either way, color me unshocked. "It would make sense that his desire to take care of you would transfer to others, rather than the opposite being true- considering that you've always been his primary concern." Oddly enough, this didn't seem to comfort her any, and Elaine shot me a sharp look that seemed almost reproachful.

"I could be reading too far into things- after all, none of us can truly try to predict what Leo might've been like if he hadn't... If such a thing hadn't been necessary. All we can do is accept that it was, and that he loves you, and beyond that-" Mia didn't even have to open her mouth to cut Elaine off, raising those blue-green eyes brimming with tears was enough to do the job for her.

"I think you're reading just far enough into things, Elaine- Merlin knows no one else is going to." I had the distinct feeling Dahrya also wasn't helping, so I dropped a hand down on her shoulder and shook my head at her. "What? Someone has to say it, and I'm sure Leo would appreciate it coming from Elaine more than anyone else." She said her name like the 'dear, sweet' that Leo undoubtedly would've added was implied.

I gave her my best, 'maybe you're right, but that doesn't mean you have to say it' look, and she appeared to be torn between chagrin and confusion... so, being Dahrya, she decided to throw both aside and turn to annoyance. She rolled her eyes at me, so I said, "We all know that Leo would prefer that- for the most part- I'm just trying to tell you to give Mia a few minutes to gather herself." Dahrya softened slightly, even as Mia waved off our concern.

"I'm good, I'm fine, I just- I hadn't thought about it that way. I hadn't thought about him that way. It's not every day you see someone you've known your whole life in a new light." I suppose that was true- and fair. "I thought he took care of me because he wanted to take care of everyone, but wasn't allowed- I never considered that he wanted to take care of everyone else because taking care of me... Well, he wasn't really 'allowed' to do that, either." From what I knew of Cipicia Joannis- and what I had heard about Sebastien Joannis- that wasn't surprising to me. "I don't know if it's... I couldn't tell you whether it's some innate desire of Leo's, or if it's... learned, but I don't think it really matters right now. I can- and will- interrogate him about it when he gets back, but for now, I think we should stop trying to guess why Leo does the things he does- is, the way he is- and focus on what we know for sure."

"Which is?" Of course Dahrya wasn't going to give her so much as room to breathe- I might have been inclined to chalk it up to vampire impatience, if Leo wasn't one of the most patient people I had ever met... at least when it came to not upsetting people.

Mia flashed her a look that was full of fond irritation. "We know that Leo is half vampire, same as you, and quarter veela same as me. The problem is, Leo didn't know he was part veela until Brooke told him, right?" Hard to say. That was certainly the impression he'd given us, but knowing Leo, that could be far from the truth. "Which means the Healers didn't tell him, when they told him he was half vampire- probably because mother told them not to. I suppose that's why they were so... insistent, on making sure I knew what I was when she had them check me over. I've only ever known a handful of people with veela blood- Leo, our mother, her mother, and Brooke. None of whom are willing- or capable- of talking to me about what that means."

My brow furrowed the same time Elaine's did. "Did you ask Brooke whether she'd be willing to talk to you about that?" I asked, and Mia hesitated.

"Mia, you can't just assume- Wow, you know, sometimes I forget that you and Leo are siblings, and then you go and pull some twin nonsense like this, and suddenly, I'm all too aware." It sounded harsh, especially coming from Elaine's mouth, but Mia just grinned at her. "Brooke's your brother's girlfriend- well, ex-girlfriend, now- not to mention a good friend of his, and a nice person. I'm sure she'd be happy to have someone to talk to about this sort of thing, since you know Leo's probably been avoiding the subject at all costs." Mia nodded.

"Yeah, probably." The way she said it was rather flat and final- as though she wasn't talking about Leo's avoidant tendencies, but something else entirely.

Elaine frowned, and folded her arms over her chest. "I think it could really help you, Mia- and while I'm not so sure I could physically drag you to talk to her, I can tell Brooke to seek you out, if worst comes to worst. You can either promise to talk to her of your own accord, or be hunted down- and considering that I know she's the one that always almost catches Leo whenever he tries to hide, I don't like your chances." Even as Mia scowled at Elaine, Dahrya smirked.

"I bet I wouldn't have much trouble dragging her," She said quietly, lowly, making it sound like the threat it was, even as she smiled. "Though you guys would have to let us into the Gryffindor Common Room, so- technically, that makes you complicit." Uh oh- when Dahrya started considering the consequences, I had the feeling that meant she was getting ready to commit. Mia must have thought so too, because she scowled at her and threw her hands up, before crossing her arms over her chest furiously.

"Alright, alright! Merlin, you lot are- I don't know how Leo manages to get anything past you, when you're so-" She cut herself off with a huff that I suspected hid expletives, or terms of endearment that felt similar.

Elaine shrugged. "Leo bolts, then hides somewhere most of us can't find him," She said, and Mia snorted.

"Under the bed, or in the attic?" Uh... what? By the look on Elaine's face, I knew she was just as confused- and apprehensive- as I was.

"What- What is that supposed to mean?" I asked tentatively, and Mia squinted up at me, echoing Elaine's shrug.

"When we were kids- little kids, I mean- Leo used to try to hide us, whenever our parents were in a particularly bad mood. Father- as long as we stayed out of his way, he'd leave us alone, for the most part. He wouldn't come into our rooms, and even if he did, he wouldn't think to look under the bed- because y'know... it's undignified." Right... I bet. "Mother... Mother was a different story. When she was at her worst, she absolutely would've dragged us out from under a bed- Leo's bed, it was always Leo's bed. It was higher, 'cause they weren't worried about him rolling out of it, so Leo- No one ever goes up to the attic. We were safe there- but the longer we stayed 'safe', the worse trouble we'd be in when we came back down." We were all silent for a moment, in the wake of that. "We slept up there, a few times. Well, I did- Leo always kept watch. As I said... he was my guardian, and he took that very seriously."

(A/N): Leonides mentions that the bed he was put on in St Mungo's after breaking his leg 'wasn't as comfortable as his bed at home, but beat falling asleep on the floor of the attic', so we know the fact that Mia says she was the only one that technically 'slept' up there is incorrect- it just means that Leo always managed to wake up before Mia did, so she never knew he fell asleep on watch... which as you can probably guess, he felt awful about.

There's also a part in chapter 584 (yes, I'm referencing a chapter that won't be out for like, eight months) where it's mentioned that he'd 'recently graduated into a low, railed bed' shortly after he turned 2, so I'm assuming the bed Mia is talking about them hiding under was his third bed, if he went from cot/crib, to what is basically a toddler bed, to a 'big boy bed'. Although I imagine the cot/crib may have been converted into the toddler bed... which had to be done, because as soon as he got old enough to stand, he started climbing out of it. As we learn in that chapter, little (really little) Leo was a bit of a Houdini. Which is probably to be expected, given, y'know... he's half vampire, part veela.

~A whole new light... A new vamptastic point of view~

(that would make so much more sense if it was from a vampire character's point of view, but it is ABOUT a half-vampire soooo...)