(A/N): Hey Guys! 200th CHAPTER, WOO! I have a treat for you...

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

Leo

I gaped at my friends as they stood before me, shocked into silence.

Almost.

"What the fuck?!" They jumped slightly at my curse. "Lily, you're a-" I lowered my voice in case anyone was within hearing range. "Muggleborn. If they find out you're here-" She cut me off with a reassuring look.

"We'll just have to do our best not to let them find out then, right?" I stared them down.

"This is, by far, the stupidest thing you've ever done." I told them, and Sirius shrugged.

"Lily is here as my date, Remus as Elaine's, and Peter came as James's guest. Unless someone tells them, we'll all be fine." I hesitated for a second, and Elaine rested a hand on my shoulder.

"We'll be fine Leo, but the longer we stay out here, the more suspicious it'll look." I nodded gingerly, and led them back into the ballroom.

There was only one problem though.

As we entered, I felt my mother's eyes land on me.

On us.

With quick thinking, I made my way through the crowd of pureblood's as she began to approach us and seized her arm, dragging her away from them.

"Are you really that eager for the pureblood's to find out your only son's a blood traitor?" She stopped struggling to be released as I hissed this into her ear, and I nodded smugly. "I didn't think so. Leave them alone, and I won't get you effectively tarred and feathered by the wizarding community." She considered it for a second, before nodding resignedly.

"Alright." She sighed. "Alright, you win." I frowned slightly, glancing back at my friends.

"For now."

Cipicia

I watched as he walked away from me, swiftly avoiding mingling strangers and dancing couples alike to return to his friends: A bunch of less-than-purebloods and blood traitors.

I wished better for him.

At least, I used to.

When Sebastien and I had been attempting to conceive a child, we eventually came to think it impossible because of our lack of success.

So, when Leonides was born, it seemed almost like a miracle.

Two years after that, Miasenna blessed our lives, and we were happy.

Until...

Until the day when the Healer's informed us that Leonides was, not only not Sebastien's, but also a half-vampire.

Queue my confusion.

Apparently, male vampires seducing women and impregnating them is not uncommon, and that the now pregnant woman's memory was wiped of the event afterwards.

Even though the Healer's tried to convince us that he was safe to have around the house, I had to do what was best for Miasenna, and my marriage.

So, I disowned him.

Why be associated with such a creature anyway?

I remember, he didn't want to leave when I confronted him, but with a few harsh words and a little blood spilt, he fled, and after that I didn't know where he had gone.

I did, however, know that Miasenna had asked for weeks after that where he had gone, and when she had learned not to do that, I knew that she was thinking about him. She still is.

They thought I didn't notice the little glances, the reassuring looks, or even the hugs while they were aboard the Hogwarts Express each year, but I did.

I didn't know where he was for a while after that, and then, I saw him in Diagon Alley with his father. His real father.

I hadn't seen him for almost three years at that point, and I was happy about that. When I got close enough, I shoved him down one of the side alley's and started taking out my hate and hurt.

"Stay away from my son!" I heard Nicholai Ellwood growl as he grabbed me, but I spun to face him.

"Your son? Your son?! Maybe I don't remember what happened that night Nicholai, but I know that, that- creature! Is mine, and will be until the day he dies!" Leonides was shrunk down against the wall now, pale face drained of all colour, his elegant features stained with blood.

"Over my dead body." I laughed at that.

"So, any time I want?" He shot me a glare, and took my son by the arm, and my harsh look faded somewhat as I saw him wince.

"Let's go Leo." I flinched at the nickname.

"His name is Leonides." Leonides looked at me over his shoulder, clearly still terrified, but his eyes held an open defiance I had never seen in him before.

"Not anymore it isn't."

What made everything worse though, was when I had to spend all evening with him at the Black family ball earlier this year.

That much time with him after so long, acting like the proper pureblood son he used to be... it made me nostalgic. I found myself almost missing him after he had left that night, and I forced myself not to show it.

He and his little friends were monsters, and he was slowly clawing his way back into my heart.

Or at least, he was trying to.

Thinking back, I remembered the days before we had found out exactly what Leo was.

The days where we were a perfect, or as close to, pureblood family. Sebastien, the provider, I the leader, taking care of my family, Leonides the obedient son, and Miasenna as the baby, never leaving her big brother's side as he taught her the ropes of life.

When I taught him proper table manners, it was at a very young age, and I remember the night we had some associates at our house for dinner.

Leonides was only five years old at this point, Miasenna three, and during the dinner meeting, one of our associates was hit with a flying pea.

Turning in the direction from where it came, I saw Miasenna and Leonides, Mia looking completely innocent while her brother looked simply terrified.

After the associates had left, I rounded on both of them.

"Which one of you did it?!" I growled, and they both jumped. I knew Miasenna had done it, but I wanted her to confess it, to teach her- but Leonides stepped forward.

"It was me, mère. It won't happen again." He was lying, rather obviously in fact, and he knew what he was doing, I could see the terror in his eyes, and the horror on Mia's face.

She had been the one to do it, but her big brother, her idol, was taking the blame with his smooth verses of apologetic prose.

I had to handle this as I would if he had actually done it. He wanted to take the blame, then he was taking the blame.

"Go to your room." I was looking directly at Leonides when I said this, but it was Miasenna who raced up the steps.

I could tell she had stopped on the landing though, so she could still see what was happening, because we hadn't heard her bedroom door close.

Leonides met my eyes, and I slipped my wand out of my sleeve, swiftly raising it.

"Consider this a lesson."

And obviously, he had.

No matter how painful, after that, he had always taken the blame for anything, any little thing, if it meant he could protect someone he cared about.

Perhaps he was a masochist.

Or maybe he was actually protecting himself.

I compared that frightened little child with the growing young man I saw across the room. The same features, though more defined, but he definitely held a more determined air about him. There was no way he was passing for a real pureblood, not for a second.

Not with the way he was laughing with the raven haired girl he was dating as they danced, not with the way that the cutesy little brunette girl was watching him, and certainly not with the way he wore scars all over his body as if he were proud of them.

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

Cipicia has her own P.O.V! That's uh... sort of good, right?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

This chapter has had minor edits made to it on 30/12/22 - changed how long Cipicia said it had been since she had seen Leo by the time she ran into them in Diagon Alley, because Leo said differently, and changed Leo's 'mother' to 'mère'.