(A/N): Hey Guys! Sorry for not updating in so long, I've been having trouble with my writing as you all know, but I'm really trying to work on that.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Leo, Elaine, Shari, Nicholai, Brooke, Mia and Jonothan.
Shari
After the attack on Elaine and her family, Leo asked- practically pleaded- with me and his father to take watches, and keep them safe until the threat was over. I secretly agreed that, after such an attack on an innocent party, it was only right for us to get involved, and while Nicholai was mostly worried about his son, that streak of moral justice struck through him to the core, and he made me promise- though my mind was already made up in favor of doing so- to help. To protect the family of the human girl Leo seemed to rely on so heavily.
I had, of course, spoken to her before- at Christmas, or at Leo's birthday party, we had spoken briefly each time- but this night was the first time where I really got to talk to her- to get to know her. And I realised exactly why Leo couldn't leave her alone- he needed her. He needed that human touch that she provided him; that sweet and moral dilemma that made him come running back to her no matter what had happened, no matter the situation, because he loved her. Hell, I loved her as well, but it was more the idea of her that I loved.
She was... well, human. After being a vampire for decades on end, things get a little bit... stale, and it becomes hard to remember exactly what it's like to be human- to have to stay with the same people, day after day, and to have to please them instead of just being a loner and killing them or leaving them behind. As a vampire, you never really have to please anyone. If another vampire doesn't like you, it doesn't really matter- why should it matter, anyway? Not everyone is going to like you, this is a fact that's true even among humans... so why not just let it go? Let them hate you if they want to.
The biggest problem I find, with being a vampire, is how easy it is to lose track of your moral code. You kill others so you can survive, and no person's soul is going to remain intact after all of that- Leo though... he didn't have to kill to survive. Well, he didn't have to kill humans, anyway... and I guess that's why he's still just this... this beacon of light, in a way. Like a lighthouse in a harbor is to a ship, he is to me- he keeps me on track, steers me away from the jagged rocks- which are, in this scenario, evil doings- and to safety. He makes sure I don't lose myself along the way.
Nicholai... he has always worried constantly and consistently about how Leo is going to turn out for as long as he's been aware of his existence, and I guess I could see his point... y'know, if it wasn't obvious that Leo wasn't going to fall into the hands of evil, what with his strong beliefs. Nicholai doesn't see how Leo could be good in any way, having him as a father, but I saw right from the start that Leo was going to be a good person, and you want to know why? Because of Nicholai.
Nicholai, even though a vampire without an anchor for almost two hundred and fifty years, has remained intact- he's never swayed into the path of, 'drink, kill, destroy'. If there ever was a vampire as pure as the driven snow, it's Nicholai. Of course, he kills just like the rest of us- for survival- but never for fun, or sport. He has no need to entertain himself with violence and cruelty, he occupies himself with various studies and more academic pursuits.
I remember when I met him, seventy something years ago, and I was stunned at how human he appeared- I knew what he was, of course, I could smell him from a mile away- but Nicholai, while he's no Slytherin, he's no Gryffindor either. He's loyal, too, but he's no Hufflepuff; his thirst for knowledge, and his natural born creativity, are what made the hat sort him into Ravenclaw- the same house I had been sorted into just over one hundred years later. I doubt he would have fit in properly in any other house, and it really was a shame that he was turned.
I believe, wholeheartedly, that if Nicholai hadn't been turned, things would not only be different, but he would have changed history. As it is though... I'm glad I got to meet him, since I obviously wouldn't have if he hadn't been turned. And I was especially glad he was around to raise Leo- but being a vampire has its downsides if you're wanting to change the world in any way. We're looked down upon, as filth or as dangerous beasts- but as Leo said, we all have souls... some of us just don't know when to use them. And I think, overall, that's the reason I liked Elaine so much.
She had suffered through much, and yet she was still optimistic; she could kick butt, yet she was compassionate. She was everything I had wanted to be, at her age, but never had the chance to be. And on top of all of that, I saw why Leo liked her so much. She cared about him, deeply- and I knew, when it came right down to it, that he would give his life for hers. Because, as a vampire, and an immortal being in general, she just gives off this aura that screams, 'protect me!'...I doubt I'd be getting that same signal, if I were human. In fact, I'd like to bet that I'd be getting the same feeling most humans experience around vampires- 'run, danger!'- because this girl was not to be messed with by humans... and now, with two full vampires and a very strong half-vampire on her side, she wasn't to be messed with by anything else, either.
(A/N): So, what did you think?
Thanks for all the reviews guys, I love you all!
This chapter has had small edits made to it on 29/12/22 - Because in the past I flip flopped back and forth between whether Shari had magic or not, so I had to adjust it to make it clear that she does have magic. Obviously, considering she's literally an animagus. Yes, Nicholai and Shari were both sorted into Ravenclaw.
This chapter has had edits made to it on 16/2/24 - formatting stuff, plus some reconfiguring of sentences to make them make more sense/be slightly less purple prose-y and slightly easier to read (both contextually, and cringe-ally)