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

Elaine

"Grandfather?" I asked almost nervously, worried by the prospect of learning too much about Leo's extended family, lest I find something out that would make me hate them even more- or need to hug him with a desperation that I couldn't manage on my own. "Which one? Joannis, or-" I paused, realising that I wasn't entirely sure I'd ever heard Leo mention his mother's family- her maiden name. Mia had mentioned it though, hadn't she? Just earlier? It was strange that it had slipped my mind so quickly.

"Meliflua," Mia said quietly, before quickly shaking her head. "Not- Not him-" Well, that certainly wasn't promising, to say the least. "-the other one. My father's father, Daimen Joannis. Y'know... Isolde's husband." She seemed unnaturally amused by describing him as such. "Although, I know Anth- the other one- was a constant worry for my parents, as well. No, it was Daimen who pushed for Leo's disownment- though I don't suppose I can blame him, considering the whole 'illegitimacy', thing. No, he threatened to oust father as heir and install Aunt Markaisa in his place- despite the fact that he'd obviously far prefer keeping a male heir, not to mention one that already had at least one legitimate child- and of course, father caved. As long as they keep Leo's disownment a secret, it doesn't really affect father in any way- doesn't affect the Joannis line, only the Meliflua one... which of course, he's ecstatic about."

Remus shook his head, apparently mystified. "Purebloods- you're an odd bunch." Mia shrugged.

"Can't say I disagree with that. I will say that my family is a bit stranger than most- both sides and all combinations- and that has very little to do with the whole... y'know, illegitimate, possibly 'impure', vampire, veela... thing." Right. Yes. That. "But that's not... You want to know about Leo, more than anything, right?" I hesitated, and she shot me a dry look. "You don't need to pretend with me, Elaine, I know you're primarily here for my brother, and honestly, it's one of the things I like most about you two. Leo needs- deserves- that kind of loyalty, and I'm extra glad that he's lucky enough to get it from people like you."

I couldn't help but soften at that, both incredibly touched and flattered at the combined compliment and praise. "It only seems fair, considering the loyalty he shows us." She inclined her head slightly, as if acknowledging this. "Has he always been like that? Not to you- we all know he'd do anything for you, and probably always has-" She nodded. "-but what about other people? I know he didn't really have the choice to be- who he wanted to be, but- do you think he-?" She nodded again.

"Leo's always been Leo," She said simply, not to mention incredibly fondly. "Even when he had to act like the perfect pureblood son, he was never... Mother said he was a bit too obedient at times- he cared too much about what people thought of him, when someone of our status-" She rolled her eyes as she put on a tone of affected superiority. "-is supposed to be above all that. Father used to say- Well... it doesn't matter, what father used to say." I had the feeling that it very much did, but let her get away with not elaborating anyway.

"Subtle," Dahrya remarked dryly, and Mia shrugged.

"Subtlety has never been my strong suit- I suppose I get that from my father." And hopefully not much else. "I don't think Leo ever thought he was better than anyone," She said, frowning slightly. "I won't lie and say I've always felt quite the same way, but- certain individuals- have done their best to teach me otherwise." 'Certain individuals'... what was that supposed to mean? "Through Amelia, I got to know some very nice people that I probably never would have thought- or dared- to talk to in any real capacity. Primarily Nolan, who is Amelia's... er, beau." 'Beau'? "He was one of our gardeners, so it wasn't exactly permitted for them to be... involved, but Nolan's- Well, let's just say I can see why Amelia picked him over anyone else. He and the others were uncommonly kind to me, and it made me see that... if these people who were supposed to be 'lesser' than me were so good, and the people who were supposed to be on my level or better than me- like my parents- were so awful, then... maybe everything I'd been taught was wrong, and I wasn't actually intrinsically worth any more than anyone else. Of course, that's on top of Leo being... well, them considering him 'less than'. Not just less than us, but also, less than human."

At least he hadn't been around to witness the vast majority of that, I suppose, but it hurt to think about the fact that Leo had undoubtedly taken his family's opinion of him to heart- much like he did most things. "So, your governess's boyfriend was nice to you, and you learned that blood doesn't determine your value as a human being?" Dahrya snarked, and Mia rolled her eyes at the younger girl.

"To drastically oversimplify things- yes, sort of. Obviously, the whole thing with Leo was a huge factor, but... that's Leo. One person, that I already care about more than anything else, is different to a bunch of people who used to be strangers to me, coming together to do their best to do right by me. They didn't have to, but they did, and I... It's only right for me to pay them back by doing the same." Hm, a Joannis sibling feeling like they owed someone for being nice to them- what else was new?

"...and do you have a plan for doing so?" Remus asked cautiously, almost as though he was apprehensive about what said plan might be- I couldn't blame him, considering Mia's typical level of recklessness.

She shrugged tightly, then shook her head. "Not exactly. I mean, not without talking to Leo first-" Remus and I both relaxed a little, at that. "-which, of course, means waiting until he gets back from Christmas break. And even then, it couldn't be... immediate. I think he'll be on the same page, though- and if he's not... well, I know he'll do his best to help me anyway, because he likes making me happy." Dahrya rolled her eyes fondly, not bothering to hide her snort.

"As I said: People. Pleaser." Mia shot her a look that was equal parts amused, and... disappointed?

"Again, wanting to make the people you care about happy doesn't make you a people pleaser, Dahrya," she said. "And doing what other people want you to do doesn't automatically make you a pushover." Ah, I saw where she was going with this- unfortunately, so did Dahrya.

She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at Mia with a typical Dahrya level of anger. "Don't try to lecture me into being 'softer'- Merlin, you're as bad as Leo!" This exclamation didn't have nearly the impact she wanted it to, given that Mia idolised her big brother and we all knew it- except Leo himself, maybe.

"Dahrya, I'm not trying to-" Mia paused, then sighed. "Maybe that's fair." Dahrya nodded firmly. "But did you ever consider that Leo and I are speaking from experience?" Huh? "That we've both spent far too much time around people that don't care about anything but themselves, and don't want you to end up like that, just because-" Mia shook her head, likely knowing that whatever she'd been about to say wouldn't go over well. "Being independent and self-reliant isn't a bad thing, but neither is being kind and helpful. You can't make fun of Leo for wanting to make others happy, and then turn around and do what makes you happy- the only difference is who's happy in that situation. And honestly... Leo likes making others happy, so why does it matter-"

"Does he?"

Mia blinked heavily, and all three of us stared at Dahrya blankly. "What?" Mia asked, and Dahrya shrugged tersely.

"Does helping people actually make Leo happy, or does he just not know how to do the selfish, self-preservative thing? Does he do it because he wants to, or because he's never known anything else?"

(A/N): Elaine forgetting the name Meliflua was a result of me forgetting that Mia had just said it, since obviously there's a period of time between me writing each chapter (especially since I cycle through arcs), but the in-story reason for it isn't anything suspicious, it's just because she's tired/stressed. She only thinks it's strange because she doesn't usually forget things like that... particularly when Leo is involved.