Ravenclaw's Shadow

Chapter 63

"Fred, it wasn't your fault."

"She did it to save me!"

"Where's George? Someone has to tell him."

"Don't let him see her before he knows."

"Mum, you tell him."

"Fred, what's wrong?"

"George, I'm so sorry!"

"NO!"

I feel someone grab me and pain shoots through me again. I groan softly.

"Aurelia?" George is holding my face. I keep my eyes closed. Thirst is building in me, worse than I've ever had before.

"Arthur! Molly! Help!"

I hear feet rushing away from us and slowly open my eyes. George is staring down at me, completely white.

"I thought you were dead," he gasps.

"George," I say croakily, "I hate to ask... But I need blood..."

George stares at me for a second, then pulls aside the collar of his shirt.

"Sorry," I say quickly, before biting into him. After years of avoiding this, it's a relief to just do it. Mainly because I was dying of thirst. I drink thirstily, but then have to remind myself not to kill George.

"Thanks," I say, wiping my mouth.

"No problem," he says, rubbing his shoulder. I sit up slowly and look around. I'm in the Great Hall, people lying around me. I can smell by their blood that they're dead. The Weasleys are returning and I can tell we're about to have an awkward conversation. Fred sees me first and stops dead.

"No way," he breathes. Everyone else follows suit.

"This is impossible," Percy says.

"She... She took a killing curse," Fred says, "right to the chest. You... You were dead."

"Maybe it was a different spell," George says lamely.

"I think it's time to come clean," I tell him, "help me up?"

George helps me to my feet and I turn to face his family. I notice Tilly is with them and it makes me feel a little better.

"I'm a vampire," I say, putting aside the sugar coating, "magic just doesn't hurt me like it would a human. I mean, don't get me wrong, that hurt. A lot. But you can't kill us with magic."

"A vampire," Fred repeats, "as in... Fangs?"

"Yeah," I nod, "fangs, blood, turning into a bat."

"Have you ever fed off our son?" Mrs Weasley asks in a horrified tone. I could kick myself. I could say no up until thirty seconds ago!

"Not until she through herself in front of one of your other sons," George says.

"You knew about this?" Mr Weasley asks George.

"Yeah, for a while now," he says, "it's part of what I love about her."

"She kills people," Percy says.

"Hey, that's racist," Tilly says, "most vampires do not kill their prey, they just feed off them! As long as the venom is sucked out there's no harm to the human. Actually, quite the opposite, most humans quite enjoy the feeling."

"You knew too?" Charlie asks, looking at Tilly.

"Yeah, lucky guess," she says.

"Look, I'm thinking considering she saved Fred, we could overlook this one thing," Ginny says, "plus, she hasn't killed any of us and she's had plenty of chances."