resident vampire

He sighed, turning to press a kiss against her head. “I know, Lor. I do too.” Andrew had spent his time trying not to think about Jennifer, or the fact that he would have a child somewhere in the world that he might not even be able to meet. “I wish this wasn’t our life, but we can do the most with what we’ve go, right?”

Of course he did... Loraly almost felt guilty for bringing Jennifer up, though she knew she shouldn’t. The girl was special to her, beyond special. But Andrew had also lost a child. Not for good, she reminded herself, because they would see Jenny again, once this all was sorted. “That’s all we can do. There’s no point being al... around if we’re not going to take advantage of it.” Not alive, around... she hoped he wouldn’t notice the stumble, but she couldn’t commit to using that word. 

“You know pick up lines like that make me wish I was still quarantined back at home.” Rose said running a hand through her hair before looking up from the Prophet to see who it was that had taken the seat opposite her.

“Piss off.” It had been far too long since Loraly had last seen Rose, and the last thing she wanted was to watch her friend be forced into an uncomfortable situation. As soon as the man left, the brunette moved to take the previously occupied seat and offered Rose a small smile. “I’m sorry people suck. I’m happy to see you, though.” 

She took a step back, sucking in a sharp breath in reaction to Loraly stepping closer. Despite them talking, despite them airing out their issues, there was still a part of her that shuddered at the thought of being close to her. “He’s done this for as long as I can remember. It just became a normal part of our childhood.” Atalia shook her head and forced her emotions back down to the knot in her stomach. “You don’t get the luxury of killing him–this isn’t your fight.” The question shouldn’t have come as a shock, but she tried to keep her demeanor solid. She couldn’t betray the Puceys, she couldn’t betray Xander or Avery. They’d never forgive her. “I don’t know who’s in charge!”

As quickly as the sympathy and shock she had felt for Atalia had appeared, it disappeared with her choice of words. “Luxury. Killing is a luxury to you? I shouldn’t really be surprised-” Loraly huffed, a look of disgust on her face before her eyes narrowed again. “This isn’t my fight? This became my fight the minute your lot took away Simon. So the next time I see your father, he’s dead. You’re just lucky you’re not. Get out of there before I have no choice but to kill you.” She wanted to believe that Atalia was actually doubting the Death Eaters, but there was no proof. “You’re lying. You say you’re confused about what you believe, but you won’t give me the name of the person who isn’t confused? You’re just going to let them keep killing innocent people? As long as you’re safe it’s fine, right? Who cares about the thousands - millions they’re plotting against. Who is in charge, Atalia?”

He stepped around a few of the boxes and draped and arm over her shoulders, his smile fading a bit. “I don’t think it matters how long you’ve been here…You still have memories tied here.” Andrew didn’t want to think about Jennifer leaving, but it felt like a weight still on his shoulders. He tried to make the conversation a little bit more light-hearted, chuckling as he looked over at her. “But I’m sure you’ll love the new place–I’ll even come visit you all the time.”

Loraly lifted her hand to gently take the one that was hanging over her shoulders. She didn’t know what she would do if Andrew wasn’t here with her. She had a strong feeling that he didn’t really want to discuss Jennifer, but she couldn’t help it. “I miss her.” A sigh left her lips before he tried to lighten the mood and she nodded. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. And you’d better. You can crash whenever you’d like.” He’d get the bed, of course, seeing as sleep wasn’t really a requirement for her. 

“N-No…” She shook her head quickly, trying to swallow the lump in her throat and failing. Atalia didn’t want to lay out her whole tragic past for her old roommate, but she felt like she needed to justify it all. She felt like she needed her approval. How fucked up is that, she thought to herself. “I-I either hurt them or…or m-my father hurt me.” Atalia’s voice sounded small, like she was a child cowering in fear once again, and she hated it. Forcing herself to look up at Loraly, she shook her head again. “I guess we both had things we didn’t notice about each other…”

“What?” Loraly’s voice suddenly took on a different harsh tone as she moved a step closer to the blonde, her eyes widening for a moment. “Your father hurts you? For how long? Since you were a kid?” How had she missed that? Through the years of them sharing a room, being best friends, she had never figured out Atalia was abused by her father. No, it didn’t excuse all the things Atalia has done, but suddenly the vampire’s rage was directed at someone completely different. “I’m gonna kill him. If I ever meet your father, he’s dead.” If he was so evil that he’d abuse his own children into obeying him, Loraly didn’t want to think what he’d do to someone who was against him. Or even, to innocent people who were born into the ‘wrong’ families with the ‘wrong’ blood. “Is he who’s in charge? Tell me, Atalia.” 

“We’ve both gone through shit…” Her voice felt like it was broken, like it wasn’t her own, but still the words fell from her mouth. Her mind raced with memories she wanted to forget. There was a time she would have loved to feel Loraly’s mouth on her neck, but now all she thought of was the fangs sinking into her veins. Shuddering at the thought, Atalia kept her gaze locked on anything but the other girl. “I did believe in it…I hadn’t known anything other than that belief, but I-I…I don’t k-know anymore.” It was the first time she’d really said it out loud, admitted that she doubted what had been ingrained in her mind for years. “What justifies it?” She finally looked Loraly in the eyes, and it took every muscle in her body not to flinch. “I was scared…I-I was selfish, Lor–” Atalia choked on the nickname, looking down again. “It was either them or me…”

For a brief moment, Loraly’s look of anger and disgust softened as she watched what had once been her best friend stumble through her explanation. The nickname tugged at her still heart. As much as she tried to pretend she was, the brunette wasn’t completely heartless. But that was exactly why the anger hit her again not a moment later. “You really expect me to believe that you hurt people - murdered people - because they were going to do the same to you? Are you telling me Jennifer was trying to kill you when you took her eye out? Because I’m more inclined to believe that you are so fucked up that you liked seeing people be frightened of you, weaker than you.”  

“Yes what a life it is.” Sometimes it hardly felt like living, more like dragging through the day. “Well I think I’m handsome, it’s everybody else who doesn’t. I just have great self esteem.” Teddy chuckled to himself, never actually thinking much on his looks or level of attractiveness. “Maybe characters in very dull stories.” The Hufflepuff countered with a nod of his head, not considering himself very interesting, nor wanting others to think the same. There was no need to be digging around and asking questions. “Well a statement like that needs more than a lifetime to validate.” Meaning to imply that it was not the job of one person to make that decision. “Learning to live with what?” Teddy countered curiously, taking a bite into the food he remembered was there.

“Who says everyone else doesn’t? I think you’re handsome.” The girl wasn’t going to make a big deal of it, but she did genuinely find him attractive and wondered if he really believed no one else did. She doubted it, but figured she’d say it anyways. It was odd; he didn’t seem to want her to think of him as anything interesting, however he had no trouble pressing her with his curiosity. Perhaps he was trying to put all the attention on her to keep it off of him, but she couldn’t even begin to imagine why. Loraly perked her eyebrow and gave him a challenging look. “None of your business.” Her secret was one she kept from even her closest friends, what made him think she’d tell him - someone she’d just met? 

“Part of me hopes that they’ll realize how stupid they’re being, but that seems like almost too much to ask at this point.” Talia played with the bracelet around her wrist. “Well, if something big goes down, I’m not sure that your job will care all that much if you don’t just hang around for the remainder of your shift. Unless they’re assholes, I suppose.” 

“They won’t. All they see is people like us and figure we’re in the wrong.” The girl sighed as she rolled her eyes, fully fed up with everyone here. She just couldn’t understand why they didn’t understand. “Dunno, I doubt it but in all honesty I only see my boss when I need to and only really talk about work.” Loraly shrugged, but her boss had never said anything out of line, or really anything that could warrant the term ‘asshole’. “Don’t care either way. Like I said, if anything happens and you send out a signal, I’ll be there.”

She opened her mouth to argue, to say she wouldn’t have killed Jennifer, but these days? Atalia wasn’t so sure about her past self. Her current self felt like it was crumbling and she didn’t know how to keep every broken piece together. Keeping her eyes adverted, she shook her head. Of course she’d noticed, but she’d been so self involved that she never brought it up. Part of her wanted to bring it up and comfort her, but the rest of her shuddered at the thought of being anywhere near Loraly. “I noticed,” she said quietly. Her mind flashed with the memories of Hogsmeade. “The same could be said for you, Loraly.”

“Sure you did.” Loraly didn’t believe her for a minute. “You don’t think I know that?” Of course she was a shitty friend. She pushed her friends away because she was scared she would end up hurting them somehow. But she couldn’t tell Atalia that. There was no way she was going to give the blonde anything that could be used against her. “But me being a shitty friend has nothing to do wtih this. What I want to know is why you did it? You’re one of them, I take it. You believe in that blood purity bullshit? You think you’re far superior to anyone who isn’t pureblood? You think that gives you the right to murder people?” Loraly clenched her fists, willing herself to not get too worked up, even as she spat her words at the other like venom. “Explain to me what you think justifies murder.” 

Andrew knew he should’ve made more of an effort to see his cousin, but everything had happened all at once and he wasn’t sure how to handle it. Helping Loraly move out of her old apartment seemed like the best way to start back up. He looked around the room at all the boxes they’d accumulated and took a deep breath. “Damn, Lor, how much stuff do you have?”

{ @loralyxdavies }

Loraly looked around the living room that was now full of boxes. Compared to most, she imagined she had half the stuff other did. But in the small space it looked like she had plenty. “Please, this is nothing. It’s mostly clothes and books, anyways. Not like I need much else.” While packing up her things, it had become abundantly clear that she had no hobbies aside from reading and hiking. So aside from her clothes, books, and a few extra bits here and there, she really didn’t have much at all. “It’ll be weird leaving this place... even if I was only here for a few months.”

He gaped at her, feigning shock. “Loraly, I’m shocked. I thought what we had was something special.” It was definitely the alcohol giving him a loose tongue but Frank didn’t mind. He’d finally found someone he genuinely wanted to talk to and trying to make Loraly smile was always fun. He leaned back with a laugh. “Oh, I know you’re tough. I wouldn’t dream of crossing you.”

“Merlin, Frank, have you always been this clingy?” Loraly smirked and shook her head at her friend. “I’m glad you realise that that would be a terrible idea.” It was pretty obvious that she would never actually get ‘tough’ with Frank. At least not physically. Maybe he’d been joking when he’d said he thought they had something special, but really any friendship was special to her, seeing as she didn’t have many. A thought came to mind then and she smiled, “I got my own place, by the way. I’ll be moving in soon.”

“Oh, it is very obvious. And also very depressing.” Talia shrugged at the mention of the party. “I saw flyers around. But I’m not really the house party type. But it seems incredibly foolish to think that just because one party went fine, the rest will. No wonder everyone keeps getting caught of guard.” Leaning back in her chair, she turned her attention back to Loraly. “If something happens, I’ll send up a signal. And I’m sure everyone will be able to hear it.” 

“Exactly my thinking. But apparently that seems to be their logic, otherwise they wouldn’t be doing something like this so soon after.” Loraly had once believed she was an optimistic person, but that had changed when she had. Now optimism seemed to be a death sentence, and though she did appreciate that people could still find happiness in times like this, it frustrated her to no end when they seemed to forget the danger that surrounded them at all times. “Good. I’ll take unemployment over missing something big going down.” Especially if it happened when she knew her friends - and everyone - were completely intoxicated. 

Happy coincidence. Atalia wanted to puke. There wasn’t a week where she didn’t have at least one nightmare about that attack, about Loraly’s teeth sinking into her neck. She shook the thought from her head and tried to focus on where she was, not what she was feeling. “Why?” Atalia couldn’t stop herself from asking. “I know what I did was wrong, but why did you…when did you…”

“You’re seriously asking me why? Atalia, you took her eye out. You would have killed her if I hadn’t stopped you. For all I know, you’ve killed plenty before. Because what did she do to you? Look at you wrong? Be born to the wrong people?” Loraly scoffed, completely disgusted by the things Atalia surely believed. She was sure they’d be gaining attention soon, attention she didn’t really want, but she wasn’t going to just walk away. “When? Didn’t even notice when your dear friend stopped going outside? Stopped being able to sleep? Stopped wanting to hang out or party or any of that shite? Not surprised, though, am I? A shitty person is sure to be a shitty friend.”