(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I'm currently in History... yes, I'm supposed to be doing work, but I'm copying down notes at the same time as writing this, so I'm good until I finish that, then I have to start on my powerpoint on the Holocaust.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

Remus

We walked slowly towards Leo's house, him walking alongside us with a smile, but I could tell something was bothering him- probably the fight he had just had with Shari in front of us. On top of that, he smelled; he really, really smelled. "So, why do you smell worse than you usually do?"

He faced me, eyes slightly wider in confusion and surprise for a second before he realised what I was talking about. "Oh. The newer a vampire is, the stronger the smell." I frowned for a second.

"How new are these vampires?" Leo paused for a second, shrugging.

"Only a few days, at the most." Sirius's eyes widened.

"That would mean that they aren't really like... I want to say potty-trained, but the vampire equivalent- right?" The corner of Leo's lips twitched up.

"They're not quite adapted to being around humans yet, no; that's why we sent them away when we caught your scent." Sirius's eyebrows creased.

"'Caught our scent'?" He questioned, and Leo shrugged.

"You're quite easy to recognise."

Sirius turned to look back at me, one eyebrow quirked as if to say, 'that wasn't the part I was asking about'. Another vampire, one I didn't recognise, met us in the front hall of the house. "Elaine. Good to see you again," She said, flashing our friend a smile composed entirely of sharp teeth, and Elaine nodded hesitantly as Leo rolled his eyes.

"You never actually met Elaine, Lisbet." Elaine made a sound of recognition, and Lisbet shrugged.

"I've heard enough about her for me to have," She teased, ruffling Leo's hair playfully.

"What?" Elaine asked, and Leo shrugged weakly.

"Lisbet. She likes to joke," He said pointedly, glaring at Lisbet, and I grinned.

"Ah. Yes. Joke," Lisbet muttered, poking out her tongue at him. "Just like I'm joking about Shari and your father." Leo waved a hand at her.

"Not a good time, that bear is already ready to hunt." Lisbet nodded, smirking.

"Oh, I heard. What'd you do?"

"How'd you hear that, but not the other thing?" She shrugged.

"I was out hunting- a woman has needs, Leo." He rolled his eyes at her, and James cleared his throat. "Oh. Right. The other humans." She gave the rest of us a hand gesture that might have passed as the distant cousin of a wave before she paused, reaching me. "And werewolf." With this, she gave a short, sharp bow before disappearing into the bowels of the house.

"What was that about?" I asked quietly, and Leo's lips quirked up into a smile.

"Lisbet likes werewolves." He paused for a second. "Apparently."

We continued through the house for a minute, silent before Elaine piped up. "So, what did you do to make Shari go off at you?" Leo winced.

"Nothing, technically." I could practically feel Shari's rage, knowing she was somewhere in the house and could almost definitely hear him. "I just withheld some information." Elaine rolled her eyes.

"So, the usual thing you do to us?" He nodded, holding up a finger.

"Precisely," He said with a small smile. "Except that withheld information caused her to lose to me in a fight." Sirius's eyebrows shot up.

"Wait, wait, wait, so- you beat her in a fight?" Leo shrugged.

"Sometimes, I do; I can usually beat them with technique and speed, if I work hard, but this time... This time I beat her in strength- and that seems to have pissed her off royally." I thought back to what Shari had said.

"I think she was less angry about you winning than she was about what it represents." Leo glanced back at me.

"What does it represent?" I rolled my eyes at his obliviousness.

"Shari doesn't want you to grow up."

He stared at me, eyes narrowed in confusion. "What?" I shook my head.

"Shari sees you as a kid- almost her kid; you've heard of parents not being able to deal with their children growing up... I think Shari's going through the same thing." Leo stared at me for another second.

"Am not!" Shari yelled from somewhere in the house, startling us all.

"Are too!" I called back, which was probably a bad idea considering she was already wholly pissed off, and much, much stronger than me. Thankfully, only silence followed, rather than any sort of attack, physical or otherwise.

"O...kay..." Leo murmured, not looking like he believed me exactly, but like he knew I was right.

"What was that Lisbet was saying about Shari and your father?" Elaine asked, and Leo smirked, happy for the change in subject.

"Lisbet and I think Shari and my father bicker like an old married couple, and thus treat them as such." I pursed my lips, shrugging.

"Fair enough."

Sirius perked up. "Does that mean we should do that to James and Lily?" Leo rolled his eyes.

"Not if you want to keep all your limbs." I frowned for a second before moving to stand next to Leo- right next to him, which was difficult considering the stench.

"So, what information were you withholding from Shari?"

Leo hesitated for a second before crossing his arms over his chest. "It was that I had been training with... certain individuals." It seemed he didn't want to name drop Greygorry for whatever reason, and Elaine seemed to understand because she nodded slowly.

"That makes sense- Shari didn't know you'd been training, developing your strength; therefore, she wasn't prepared." Leo shrugged.

"That, and I'm almost a year older than I was the last time we fought, and just naturally a lot stronger." Sirius pouted.

"But why were you at the ball with your mother?" We were all waiting for the answer to that question, and when I saw the look in Leo's eyes- the look that meant he was going to lie to us- I nudged Elaine forward; if there was anyone who could get the truth out of him, it was her.

"Leo, we're concerned. If that bitch is around, it can't be good news."

He hesitated for a second longer before caving in with an incredibly deep sigh. "We made a deal." James's eyebrows drew together.

"What kind of deal?" He sounded suspicious, and I didn't blame him- any sort of deal made with Cipicia Joannis as part of it couldn't be anything good.

"I was sick. People had been talking about my disappearance from the pureblood world. She would help me, if I attended a few balls- pretended I was still part of the family." Elaine frowned.

"Vampires can get sick?" By the look on Leo's face, I knew they couldn't.

"Not without help."

He nodded in agreement. "She poisoned me; I attended the Black gala, and she gave me the antidote." James smiled hesitantly.

"So, you're free, right?" Leo shook his head.

"Not quite." I stared at him.

"Leo..." He sighed. "What's keeping you from double-crossing her, just not attending the balls? Or even telling the purebloods what you are?" He rolled his eyes, scoffing weakly.

"One, that would result in my very public beheading, and two..." His gaze dropped to floor. "She said if I double-crossed her..." He glanced up again, eyes on Elaine.

"That she'd kill one of us- or more. Am I right?" Leo nodded in agreement, dragging his forefinger across his throat, only to have it flung away from him as Elaine gripped him tight to her. "Thank you, Leo," She whispered in his ear, and I watched as his arms slowly wound their way around her as if he couldn't help himself.

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

Yay, over a thousand words!

So, I'm currently in PLP. I'm supposed to be printing things out, but I don't trust the printers here, so I'm just going to do it when I get home.

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

This chapter has had minor edits made to it on 30/12/22

This chapter has had edits made to it on 5/2/25 - formatting and reconfiguring of sentences. Originally I just said Lisbet waved at the others, then I was like, '...Lisbet doesn't feel like the sort of person that waves very often', so I tried to reflect that in Remus saying that it 'might have passes as the distant cousin of a wave'. Added Remus saying 'thankfully only silence followed, rather than an attack, physical or otherwise' after he yelled back at Shari. I think I originally forgot whose pov it was and headjumped into Leo for a second when I said he didn't want to namedrop Greygorry, but have now changed it to that being Remus's interpretation of Leo not using Greygorry's name. James's suspiciousness about the deal was originally phrased in such a way that seemed to imply that he was suspicious of LEO for being involved with Cipicia, so I changed that to have Remus say he didn't blame James for being suspicious of the deal, since any deal made with Cipicia Joannis couldn't be good. Added Remus saying that Leo's arms wound around Elaine slowly 'as if he couldn't help himself'.