alishauna

[alishauna]

it was moony, WORMTAIL, padfoot and prongs, and i'm sick of people pretending it wasn't.

They wouldn't have put peter's name second in the list if he wasn't as much a part of the group as the other three. peter wasn't an afterthought, the marauders weren't a trio. yes, he betrayed them, but not until years later. years after the map had been made and years after they'd shared a dorm. they were just four best friends against the world - moony, WORMTAIL, padfoot and prongs.

[alishauna]

“First and foremost I’m writing for myself,” I hiss through my teeth, resisting the urge to refresh my email for an Ao3 message for the 100th time.

[alishauna]

Elle Fanning as Catherine the Great THE GREAT — Season 1 (2020)

[alishauna]

[alishauna]

THE NEON DEMON (2016) dir. Nicolas Winding Refn

[alishauna]

Wes Bentley in The Time Being (2012)

[alishauna]

"10-56." "I can't… I can't… I can't say it. I can't say it out loud. For some reason, I can't get the fucking words to form." "My father..." "I said it. I didn't… And then… and then we never discussed it again."

↳ Wes Bentley as Jamie Dutton in Yellowstone 5.09: "Desire Is All You Need"

[alishauna]

don’t know who needs to hear this but AO3 comments section is not Letterboxd. giving unsolicited criticism to a fanfic writer does not make you a “fanfic critic” because there’s no. such. thing.

giving unsolicited criticism to a fanfic writer just makes you a spoiled, rude, entitled asshole at best, makes the author stop posting their works altogether at worst.

a reminder that it’s always okay to just stop reading and quietly click away from a fic if at any point you feel like you don’t like it for whatever reasons. unless specifically asked, there’s no need to tell the author, whose work you read for free, how you dislike something they wrote for themself for fun.

[alishauna]

"this thing is rare and only affects 1% of the population" dude that's 80 million people can you shut up

[alishauna]

WILD & WICKED 𖤓 iii, deja vu

wolfstar x vampire oc wc: 4k summary: in the run from a dangerous vampire coven, lux erzsebet is offered a deal from albus dumbledore: protection, in exchange for aid in the war against lord voldemort.

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WARNINGS: blood, death, references to past sexual abuse and recovering from sexual abuse, war, internalized homophobia, torture, abuse, cults, strong language, blood drinking and other vampire-esque things, depiction of undiagnosed & unspecified mental illnesses, suicidal ideation, and sexual situations including potential smut. all smut will occur when characters are over the age of 18.

September 1st, 1977 ✦ Kings Cross

Lux could remember her first time going onto the Hogwarts Express like it was yesterday. Trains had not existed yet in the muggle world, but somehow the wizarding world had discovered the technology and built an elaborate means of transportation to get to Hogwarts. 

Eleven year old Lux had been wide eyed, naive, but she had also been bursting at the seams with happiness. A world she had no idea existed was thrust at her, and she was expecting to spend the next seven years away from her basic muggle village, and instead nestled in the arms of all things magical.

Now, the stars in Lux’s eyes had burst, and instead of a childish eagerness, it was dread building in her stomach and digging about in her mind. Even if she had no desire to betray Dumbledore for the variety of consequences that could have, she itched to run off of the train and disappear within the wilderness. Without a sun threatening to burn her alive, she could make it this time around.

Her gaze flickered towards Fulk, who was flipping through the pages of a book, so engrossed in it he didn’t seem to notice how severe her apprehension was growing to be. Or perhaps he didn’t care enough to inquire on it, despite his usual attitude to any negative emotion he could sense off of her being to address it.

“Found you!”

Lux nearly jumped out of her skin as the compartment door swung open, and in sauntered Sirius, a bright grin plastered on his face. Behind him hovered Peter, and then Remus, whose eyes were shifting back and forth and his hands wringing together in a nervous sort of tick. For a moment, as the three boys stepped into the compartment, his gaze settled on Lux. But before she could react, it was elsewhere again.

“You don’t mind if we sit here, do you?” Sirius urged, nudging towards the plenty of space the pair had. 

“Go ahead,” Fulk said, not looking up from his book.

Sirius wasted no time before jumping to sit down next to Lux. 

“Lord of the Flies,” Remus read out the title of Fulk’s book as he took a hesitant seat next to Sirius. “It’s a good book.”

Fulk’s eyes flickered upwards, settling on Remus. “It is, isn’t it? I’ve read it about twenty times in the past few years. Lux won’t touch it, no matter how hard I try to get her to.”

Remus turned to her, eyebrows raised in a silent question

“Doesn’t seem like something I’d enjoy,” she shrugged.

“I hate reading,” Peter, who was on Fulk’s right, proclaimed. “Remus is always trying to get me to start his favorite books, but I’ve got no interest.”

Remus rolled his eyes. “If you would just try one chapter, you might like it.”

Peter shook his head. “You said the same about cigarettes, and I can still taste that shit in my mouth.”

Lux’s stomach jolted at the same time as the train lurched.

“I like the talk of human versus beast, and the true nature of mankind,” Fulk continued, licking his finger before turning the page of his book.

This time, it was Remus’s turn to grow pale. “Yeah…”

“Where’s Lily?” Lux interjected, though she wasn’t quite sure why. “And James.”

“They’re Head Boy and Head Girl,” Sirius explained with a sigh, waving a dismissive hand. “Too good for us now, they seem to think.”

“They’re required to sit somewhere else, Padfoot,” Remus rolled his eyes, and while Lux wanted to inquire on the bizarre nicknames they were once again using, she managed to restrain herself. “It’s not anything against us.”

Sirius reached over and patted him on the shoulder, with an expression that had Lux biting down on her lip to hold back a laugh. “You keep telling yourself that.”

“Do you like Quidditch?” Peter asked Lux, leaning in and digging his elbows into his knees as he rested his chin in his hands. “It’s all Sirius and James talk about. They’re both on the team. James is captain this year, actually.”

She shook her head, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Of course all these boys cared about was sports. “No. I have no interest in it.”

“Well…you should come watch practices anyways,” Sirius insisted, though there was a sudden wariness in his tone. “It’ll be loads of fun, trust me.”

“Perhaps.”

No one could argue with that, not without seeming like a complete pushover, anyways, so she figured she was off the hook. Well, from the topic of Quidditch. Certainly not from the odd glances Remus shot in her direction, something akin to flames in his eyes.

Her skin burned. 

Lux Erzsebet was an expert in the art of running away, but she knew she couldn’t avoid Remus forever, and to do so would draw unneeded attention to herself, so she managed to keep herself restrained in her seat, making small talk with the boys. Of course, she only spoke when spoken to, but Fulk was a natural at conversation, entertaining the three boys throughout the train ride with idle chatter, asking about their childhood and lives and time at Hogwarts. He was clever enough to dodge any questions thrown back at them, and their egos were large enough not to notice when he spun anything back around into flattery upon them. 

To her utter mortification, when the train pulled into Hogsmeade station, she was sent off with the crowd of eleven year olds, to sail on a boat and wind up sorted into her house. When she’d first been at Hogwarts, she’d been placed in Hufflepuff house, something she now deemed unlikely.

Human Lux was innocent, kind, caring, a Hufflepuff through and through, but that version of her had been burned and buried on the same day she had, the day she’d gone up in flames, tied to a pyre—

She shook her head, chasing the thought out of her mind, banishing the memory. Yet, her skin tingled as she stepped into the Great Hall, knowing full well she stood out intensely in the mass of tiny children. She could feel eyes on her, so many eyes, and decided perhaps it would’ve been worth the risk to betray Dumbledore, as opposed to this horrific display. More of the students amongst the four tables found themselves looking at her, as opposed to the actual sorting taking place.

It didn’t take long for the woman called McGonagall to call out her name from a scroll, calling her up for her turn on the hat. “Erzsebet, Lux!”

She wasn’t nervous, not like she had been the first time she’d been sorted, where she’d just about passed out on the spot when walking up to her fate. Then, she hadn’t a clue where she’d wind up, and what path her future would take. It was all so new. Now, she found she cared very little.

It hadn’t taken long for the sorting hat to place eleven year old Lux into Hufflepuff, but now, she figured she’d more than likely wind up in Ravenclaw. Certainly not Slytherin, as she was muggleborn. Gryffindor was an option as well, she supposed, but Ravenclaw was most likely. She wasn’t very brave, after all. She’d spent twenty years running, running from that blasted Coven, and she couldn’t imagine ever stopping.

McGonagall gave her a funny look, but said nothing as she placed the hat atop her head. The moment she felt the fabric against her scalp, a voice entered her mind, and she nearly flinched. Lux could feel it poking and prodding through her thoughts like some sort of lobotomy, and she shifted at the sensation, fighting the urge to toss the hat off entirely.

Well, isn’t this a surprise. Lux Erzsebet, I would say it is a pleasure to see you again, but you and I both know this deja vu isn’t anything good. The hat hummed, and Lux shifted on the too small stool, suddenly feeling far too large for her skin, and too small for the world, in one fail swoop. While she knew nobody could hear what the hat was whispering into her mind, she couldn’t help the uncomfortable sensation that everybody in the Great Hall was about to discover what she was.

Hufflepuff was the house I gave you the first time, I remember that clearly. Oh, how naive you were, how innocent…it’s a shame you’ve changed so much over the years. I quite liked the girl you used to be. But of course, you’re not just a girl anymore. No matter, no matter. Merlin, your mind is guarded now, isn’t it? You were so easy to read before…but I see, I see. You have a lot of fear in your heart, yet your fierce loyalty and stubborn nature stands out to me. Those are good qualities, even if you don’t see yourself as good. No, I see clearly now, the best place for you is…

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Lux rose from the stool, back onto her legs, and swiftly made her way over to the cheering Gryffindor table, which was signified by the red and orange banners stretched overhead. While she didn’t fancy joining the small group of boys from earlier, sitting with the swarm of first years would be even more humiliating, so she made her way towards the back of the elongated table, to sit nearest to the students who appeared to be about her age.

“I knew you’d get Gryffindor,” Sirius said matter-of-factly as she sat down across from him, a few people down. She’d been hoping he wouldn’t notice her, but luck didn’t seem to favor her. It never had.

“I thought you said I’d be in Hufflepuff?” She raised her eyebrows, avoiding the fierce gaze she could sense coming her way — not from Sirius, but from Remus. It wasn’t a glare, she observed when she dared glance his way, but not a pleasant look either. It was more…primal. It was like he could see right through her.

She felt her skin burn.

“Well, I considered it,” Sirius admitted with a casual shrug. “But I decided that you’re too cool to be in any other house but Gryffindor.”

Cool. That was a new one.

“Lux!” 

She pivoted her head, eyes flickering down the table and landing on a waving redhead with a bright smile. Something deep within her tightened as her gaze made contact with Lily’s, melting into her green eyes.

“I’m so glad you’re in Gryffindor!” She exclaimed, though her enthusiasm was not only shown by her kind words, but by how she rose onto her feet and took a seat next to Lux. “We’ll be sharing a room, you know?”

She nodded, head suddenly light. 

“Well, not just us, of course,” she laughed, and though Lux wasn’t sure what was funny, she forced herself to laugh too. It came out weird, high pitched and awkward, and she shut her mouth right after as heat rose onto her cheeks. 

“Mary, Dorcas and Marlene are in our dorm too. They’re right down there, see.” Lily pointed a slender finger down the table at three girls, none of which seemed to notice that they were being spoken about, as they watched the sorting with eagerness in their eyes. “Dorcas’s brother should be sorted soon, so I guess they’re pretty enthralled with that. I’ll introduce you later, yeah?”

“Right. Sounds good.”

Lily grinned from ear to ear.

“So you must have your mother’s last name,” the girl pressed. 

Lux blinked.

“Since your last name was called as Erzsebet, but your father is Ingelger. Right?”

“Oh. Yeah. Right. My mother’s last name.”

The sorting concluded minutes later, after which Dumbledore gave a speech that Lux paid little attention to, instead finding herself fixed on the hue of Lily’s hair, and the way it made her heart skip a beat. There was something so familiar about it…

When it hit her, it hit her like a punch to the gut.

It was the same shade of red as Elias’s wild mane had been. 

Her skin burned as she rose from the table.

“Where are you going?” Sirius looked up at her with wide eyes, as though he was concerned. Maybe she wasn’t doing as good of a job at hiding the fear she felt as she assumed she was.

“Loo.” She said simply. When she left the Great Hall, she could still feel Remus’s eyes on her back, burning into her skin, just like an inferno.

*

Lux was a hunter. A beast of the night, a lurker, a stalker, a killer. It had been years since she’d last tasted a drop of human blood, but that didn’t make her feasting on other creatures of the night any less disturbing to the mind of a typical human.

Luckily, she’d lost sense of what was and wasn’t gross long ago. Now, all she craved was blood, and lots of it. The blood that kept her body going, kept her from deteriorating, which was a slow, painful process. She could go a week, maybe two, without blood, before her body began to shut down.

Philip had informed her of this, long before she was able to distinguish which words of his were threats disguised in care, and which were genuine concern. Even now, when she thought back onto her time in the Coven, in the arms and in the bed of that man, her mind cut the thread connecting her to logic and reason. Instead, it was fight or flight.

Lux was a hunter, but she was also hunted, and the reminder made her skin crawl and flesh burn.

It didn’t take long to find a raccoon in the forest. She feasted on the creature, before setting it free. It would likely die, if another animal scented the blood dripping from its neck and attacked, but she figured she owed the thing a decent chance at life. After all, it was the raccoon’s blood that kept her alive, so she might as well help it out in return.

The feast was just ending when she returned to the Great Hall, wiping her mouth over and over again with the sleeves of her robes, to confirm she had no blood staining her lips.

“Lux!” Sirius cried out, rushing over to her, and to her utter surprise, he swung an arm over her shoulder, as though they were some sort of couple. “What took you so long? Were you constipated?”

“Was I—what?” She sputtered, shaking herself out of his embrace, and swatting his hand when he attempted to touch her again. He recoiled, and didn’t make another attempt to grab her, but still wore his weird, cheeky grin. “I was exploring the castle, that’s all. I thought I ought to learn my surroundings.”

“I see, I see,” he nodded, grin expanding. “Come on, let’s head to the common room. Oi, Evans, you ought to show Lux to your room.”

Lily peaked her head out from the crowd of students, a smile sliding onto her lips when she made eye contact with Lux. “Right, of course! Girls, c’mon!”

She motioned at the three girls lingered behind her — one with blonde hair, a shade darker than Lux’s, and the other with beautiful dark skin, and the curliest hair Lux had ever seen. A third girl, with dark skin and braids that met her waist was conversing with Peter, and didn’t seem to notice Lux. The blonde was absentmindedly messing with her nails, while the other gave her a bright grin, just as Lily had when they first met.

“Hello, I’m Mary,” she gave her a cheerful wave. “You’re new, yeah?”

“Yes,” Lux’s stomach churned at the name, at the same name as her mother. It was a common name, and despite the fact that she’d met dozens of Mary’s over the years, it still never failed to send a dagger to the heart every time she heard it.

“This is Dorcas,” Lily jerked her chin towards the girl with the braids, who waved in her direction without looking up.

“And that’s Marlene.” Mary nudged the blonde with her elbow. She glanced upwards, blinking.

“Oh. Hey.” She gave Lux a small nod, as they continued walking through the halls. It had been so long since she’d last been inside the castle, but Merlin, it had hardly changed a bit. Even the portrait of Anne Boleyn remained the same, which had stood out to Lux, even in her youth.

They entered the Gryffindor common room through a portrait of a rather large woman, with Lily giving her the password. 

The room was impressive, to say the least, with red decor on just about everything. Cozy, was the only word Lux could think of to describe it, with a swarm of students already inside, conversing on the large couches or doing overdue homework from the prior summer on the desks. 

Howver, the girls didn’t waste much time inside the common room, Lux already finding herself anxious the moment her eyes settled atop a half burning fireplace near the corner. Though it was dying, that didn’t make it any less threatening, didn’t make the flames any less scorching. In fact, she would’ve been the perfect bit of kindling to bring the fire back to its former glory. 

Lux was up the stairs and inside the dorm as quick as her feet would take her.

“I wasn’t sure how they’d manage to fit an extra bed inside here,” Lily said to no one in particular as she eyed the room, and the five wooden beds that lined the circular walls. “I’m in that one.” She pointed towards the one furthest to the left. “You can be in the one next to me, if you want.”

Lux gulped, a desperate attempt to bring moisture into her suddenly dry mouth. “I need to shower.”

“Oh, right.” Lily blinked, before aiming a finger towards a door near a massive wardrobe. “The shower’s in there.”

She forced a smile as she stepped into the bathroom and locked the door behind her, hesitating for a second before stripping out of her robes. When her gaze fell upon the mirror, something in her stomach shifted as she stared at everything the glass reflected — all the aspects of her surroundings, every crack in the wall and color in the lights.

Everything but her.

She yanked a balled up sock up from the tile ground and threw it at the mirror.

Lux hadn’t showered in years. The pipes in the cabin she and Fulk resided in had long since gone out, resulting in their only way to clean themselves being gathering water from the lake and heating it up in the tub, in the same fashion she lived in during her life as a presumed muggle, as a human. 

She turned the shower on, spinning the faucet to the coldest temperature, and nearly let out a yelp as the ice cold water slammed into her skin. Even so, she didn’t move the lever to create warmer water as she allowed herself to be absorbed within the ice.

Her hair felt disgusting, when she lathered it with shampoo. She washed it as sparingly as she could when living with Fulk, as they couldn’t afford leaving the cabin to get shampoo on a whim. Now, she figured, she had a new luxury, and didn’t show any restraint as she dig her nails into her scalp and scrubbed as vigorously as she could.

She scrubbed her body next, over and over again, gritting her teeth at the sensation, like she couldn’t get clean no matter how much soap she coated on. It was something she was accustomed to, the sheer, utter dirtiness that seemed to cling to her skin, to her soul. She’d felt it on the night of her debuting kill as a vampire (or maybe it was later in the day, when Philip had bedded her for the first time), and its touch had not left since. That dirty, blood stained feeling had made a home within her, caught somewhere between her flesh and her bones.

Lux scrubbed and scrubbed until her skin was red and raw from the sensation, and yet, it did not go away. 

An hour went by before a tapping was on the door, loud enough that Lux could overhear it from the rushing water.

“Is everything okay?” Lily called out from behind the wood, voice high and laced with an attempt to sound casual.

“Fine,” Lux answered as loud as she dared. Though dread was eating at her insides, she moved to turn off the faucet moments after. Maybe it had been long enough, even if she wasn’t yet clean.

She dried off with a fluffy white towel and redressed into her pajamas, before stepping back out into the dorms. Marlene and Mary were mid conversation atop one of their beds, Dorcas was already asleep in her own bed, and Lily was wiping off her makeup with a wipe as she gazed into the mirror.

Lux flinched when her bright green eyes slid from her reflection to look at the vampire. “I was beginning to worry about you.”

“Nothing to worry about,” Lux insisted dully. “Just showering.”

“My mum would kill me if I showered for that long,” Marlene commented from her position atop the bed, pale legs spread out in an odd sort of position.

Lux bit down on her lip, remaining silent and instead pushing through the room and  settling on her own bed. It was nothing like the luxurious blankets she was adorned with in the Coven, but certainly better than the scratchy, ripped up ones Fulk owned. 

When she reached up, finding the curtains that hung above her bed, and swung them to conceal her body, she finally felt comfort. No eyes could scrutinize her now. 

“What is her problem?” She heard Mary whisper, loud enough that it echoed throughout the room and earning a frantic shush from Lily in response.

“She can probably hear you!” Lily scolded, before continuing in a lower tone, “I met her and her father a few days ago, at Diagon Alley. They’re both kind people, I can tell. She’s just…shy.”

Shy. That was certainly new.

“Give her a chance,” Lily was almost begging, a hint of desperation in her tone. 

Lux rolled her eyes, turning over onto her side on the bed, burying herself within the fluffy blankets. But even as exhaustion began to creep up to her, she waited, listening for the sounds of the other four girls she was currently sharing a room with.

Only when she could hear all of them snoring off beat from each other, did she close her eyes and allow herself to drift off as well. 

[alishauna]

Local Writer Shocked As She Realises Planned 'Short Fanfic' Is Turning Into Multi Chapters Plot Oriented Slow Burn Fanfic

[alishauna]

THE BEGUILED (2017) dir. Sofia Coppola

[alishauna]

This is a picture for those who think being a writer is easy: WE FEELING STRESSED ALL THE TIME!!!!!

[alishauna]

"If my book is not perfect then-"

Then what? People will actually discuss it? fill your plotholes with fanfiction and headcanons?

People dont care about perfection. perfection is boring. if your story is perfect people will forget about it. its how we are wired. we remember the strange, the weird and all things left open.

Perfection isnt the goal, interesting is

[alishauna]

WILD & WICKED 𖤓 ii, battle scars

wolfstar x vampire oc wc: 5k summary: in the run from a dangerous vampire coven, lux erzsebet is offered a deal from albus dumbledore: protection, in exchange for aid in the war against lord voldemort.

previous | next | masterlist

WARNINGS: blood, death, references to past sexual abuse and recovering from sexual abuse, war, internalized homophobia, torture, abuse, cults, strong language, blood drinking and other vampire-esque things, depiction of undiagnosed & unspecified mental illnesses, suicidal ideation, and sexual situations including potential smut (have not decided yet). all smut will occur when characters are over the age of 18.

August 29th, 1977 ✦ Diagon Alley

The sun had been Lux's jailer for over three hundred years, holding the keys to a cell she was never meant to escape from.

Even as a free woman, she resented it. Resented the rays of light that cascaded down her body, that previously would've set her alight like a matchstick to parchment. She resented her peers, the humans surrounding her, who had never experienced ten lifetimes worth of darkness, of isolation. She even found herself resenting Fulk, who was too busy basking in his newfound freedom to hold anger like she did.

But above anger, Lux felt relief.

She was no longer a slave to the light.

Instead of burning, as she had done once before, she walked among the humans in Diagon Alley while radiating an aura of sophistication, as though she belonged among them. No, above them. It was arrogance that she hoped to display, but one that was not undeserved. Anyone who looked upon her should be able to tell that she was not one to be messed with.

Fulk hovered on her left, his hand on the small of her back, and while she could not see herself, the sheer confidence he possessed was what she hoped to give off. No one would dare cross Fulk Ingelger, not with the icy look he gave everyone who met his gaze, like he could kill someone without so much as a second thought.

He could, Lux supposed, as they silently entered the wand shop, shutting the door behind them. Perhaps she needed the protection of an ambiance to keep attackers at bay, but Fulk did not. At nearly one thousand years old, the elder vampire was sheer, unrelenting power.

It was a wonder he'd deigned take her in, when she had been at her weakest and he at his strongest. It was a wonder that Fulk had seen something in her, and deemed her worthy of risking his immortal life for. The moment Lux was taken under his wing, his relationship with the Coven went from a tentative mutual understanding, to sworn enemies.

"This is ridiculous," Fulk mumbled under his breath as his eyes scanned the wall of wands, nose scrunched up in distaste. "We shouldn't be forced to use these things."

Vampires could use magic, they were still originally witches and wizards after all, but it was a rare occasion indeed when they did. Many years ago, only days after her transition from human to beast, Philip had told Lux that there was no need for wands, for magic. They were more powerful than any wizard could ever be. There was no need for those pathetic instruments.

It was a mindset Fulk evidentially held as well, despite not being in the Coven. He must have gone over a thousand years without a wand. Would he even remember how to use it, she wondered to herself. She wasn't sure she'd be able to recall any magic she'd learned back before her death, but perhaps it would come back to her.

"We have to fit in. Albus commanded as much," she reminded him with a flash of her new ring in his direction, though she wasn't very keen on the idea either. Lux kept finding herself fidgeting with the hem of her top as she attempted to banish her anxiety. It was not long ago, in the grand scheme of things, that wielding such an instrument had gotten her killed.

She only stilled her relentless tugging at the threads of her shirt when Fulk placed a hand atop hers, stopping her movements.

"Sorry," she muttered. She'd been on edge all day, despite the confidence she'd been trying to project. Being in Diagon Alley, and back inside the wandshop she had been to over three hundred years ago at the youthful age of eleven had her stomach twisted up.

They don't burn witches anymore, she told herself over and over, whenever she felt that festering anxiety growing to be too large. Nothing can happen to you, not this time.

Fulk didn't say a word in response, instead his gaze flashed towards the front of the otherwise empty wand shop, just as a man stepped out from the back of the store and made himself known to him. He appeared to be as old as Lux, with skin wrinkled beyond any ties of youth and eyes that seemed to be able to see straight into one's soul. Atop his draping red robes, he wore a pin that read Garrick Ollivander is small, swirly writing.

"What can I do for you two?" Ollivander practically croaked, a strange look on his face. Those eyes, eyes Lux decided she hated, seemed to dig through her skin and into her mind.

"We're here for wands," Fulk answered, taking a step towards the desk. Lux swiftly followed, forcing herself to hold the wandmaker's gaze even as it sent her body to an ice cold temperature.

His eyebrows raised. "Both of you? Do you not already have wands?"

"Ours broke," Lux answered, though her words sounded more like a question than a statement, and Fulk gave her a funny look. Clearing her throat, she repeated, this time with more certainty, "Ours both broke, so we require new ones."

"I remember every wand I've ever sold," Ollivander began without prompting, gaze darting between the two. "And I do not recall selling a wand to either of you."

"We got ours elsewhere," Fulk explained with much more of a calm ambiance than Lux had presented. "But we've heard such good things about your shop, we figured we ought to try it out this time around. Take the opportunity, one may say."

"You flatter me," Ollivander said, though his voice was dull. With an outstretched finger, he jammed it in Lux's direction, and it took everything in her not to flinch. "We will start with you. Ladies first."

Frowning in Fulk's direction, she turned her head and watched as Ollivander muddled around through his massive wall of wands, eventually settling on a box. When he pulled out the wand from its slender container, he was murmuring under his breath the details of it — unicorn hair, eleven inches, flexible.

"This one's adaptable," he explained, handing over the wand.

The moment it landed in her fingers, the edge of Ollivander's robes, which were just visible from the side of the desk, caught fire.

"Shit!" Lux cried out, dropping the wand just as the man let out an scream of his own. With his own wand, he put out the fire before it could spread beyond the few inches it had claimed of his robes, but it didn't extinguish the rapid beat of her heart or the jolt of fear that had every one of her nerves on edge. For a moment, Lux was no longer in a wand shop, but being dragged to a pyre, crying and begging for her mother—

She shook her head, forcing the memory away and bending down to retrieve the wand from the floor.

"I've got it," Fulk insisted, grabbing it out from under her before her fingers could so much as graze the wood. A good thing too, perhaps. She was still trembling.

"My apologies on behalf of my daughter," Fulk bowed his head as he handed a pale looking Ollivander his wand back.

"No worries," he wheezed, and only when Lux noticed him too shaking, did she retain the self control to stop her own body's tremors. She was not pathetic, she was not human. "Wands are a fickle thing. Let's try another."

The next one — cherry wood with a dragon heartstring core, didn't cause any fires, but it did rip Ollivander's tie down the middle. The next one shattered his glasses.

"I'll have to buy a whole new wardrobe soon enough, if this keeps up," he said as he handed her her fourth wand — a phoenix tail core, made with rowan wood. "I suspect this one might be a good companion to you, Miss...?"

"Erzsebet," she answered as her fingers wrapped around the base of the wand. This time, there was no assault to Ollivander's clothing. Instead, a bright beam of light began at the tip of the wood, glowing outward so intensely, she had to squint through it to see what the wandmaker's reaction was.

"Perfect!" He cried, clapping his hands together eagerly. "Perfect! This is the one!"

Lux turned her head to look at Fulk, searching his expression for a reaction. She cared little for what Ollivander thought, it was her companion's approval that she sought out.

All he did was nod, an amused smirk on his lips. Likely still reveling in the humor of what had happened to Ollivander, she presumed.

Fulk reached into his pocket, pulling out a collection of galleons and placed them atop the counter. "For hers," he said as Ollivander began to count the coins, turning back to Lux. "Go find your books with the list you were given. I'll catch up to you after I get my wand."

She nodded, her hand tightening around the wand, then loosening it again, familiarizing herself with the sensation.

Leaving Fulk's side, Lux paused for a moment just as she stepped towards the door, before pressing her hands against the wood and shoving it open.

The light, the sun, the warmth, it was not on her skin for long before she was emerged inside the bookstore just a few shops down, though she found she was already longing for the feeling of the heat on the bits of skin she had showing.

Like the wandshop, the bookstore had a similar atmosphere, quaint, cozy, inviting. Something Lux would've certainly enjoyed in her years as a human. Something her time in the Coven turned her to despise, until she was reminded once again of what truly mattered in life.

Not riches, or gold, or fancy dresses that she could not even see how she looked in, but blood, and survival, and having half decent company to pass the endless time with.

And Fulk was that; half decent company. Nothing more.

Even as she had the thought, even as she told herself something she'd been trying ages to drill into her head, her throat bobbed at the idea that he may view her as the same.

Lux stepped through the rows of bookshelves, examining the titles as she thoroughly scanned them for the books on the list Dumbledore had given her. By the time she had reached the back of the expansive bookshop, she had a pile of textbooks balancing in her arms, when her eyes settled on a specific title — Remedies to Magical Scars.

She didn't often think about her back, and the array of scars that lined her skin. She couldn't even see them, after all, unless she twisted her neck just so, and even then, she didn't spot all of them. But if she was going to Hogwarts, it would be a matter of time before someone noticed and asked. What answer could she possibly give to their existence, if questioned about it? No, this was a book she certainly needed.

It was a difficult task indeed, balancing all the book she currently held in one hand, while reaching with the other for the book, and just as her fingers brushed against the leather spine, the neat balance she had broke, and her stack of books went tumbling to the ground.

Her dead heart seized in her chest as she felt the eyes of all those around them move to look at her, some of them laughing, some of them giving her pitying glances, but looking at her all the same.

It had been so long since she'd been noticed, since she'd been the center of attention, and Lux decided that she hated it.

Scrambling to pick up her books, she bumped into the shelf as she moved to kneel to the ground, sending more books plummeting downwards, one even falling atop her head and causing her to flinch, pain shooting through her skull and down to her neck.

"Are you alright?" A voice echoed from behind her as she frantically compiled her books together, stacking them and once again attempting to lift them.

Just as she stood up, she turned around, hoping the embarrassment that was currently consuming her wasn't visible, and faced the man who had addressed her. "Fine."

"Do you need any help?" He continued, looking her up and down through light brown eyes. However, it wasn't his eyes she was focused on for long, but instead, the long, pale scar drawn across his face. It began just under his left eye, stretching across the bridge of his nose and down to the corner of his mouth. The white, jagged scar was almost wild, as though slashed by an animal. A bear, maybe?

"I'm fine," she murmured, moving to turn around.

"Are you sure?" The scarred boy pressed, stopping her in her movements, and she directed her attention back to him. He wasn't much taller than her, Lux noticed as she observed him closer, and his eyes shown with a familiar look. A look she knew all too well — because she was witness to it every time she looked at Fulk. It was the look of someone older than their body, wise beyond their physical years.

This boy wasn't a vampire, was he?

Her eyes darted towards his hands, searching for a ring like hers, though he wore none. Nor a necklace, when she examined his chest. No, this boy wasn't a creature of the night, but a simple human, with a scar just like hers. Did he have any others, she wondered, hidden beneath his clothes like hers were? How would he have acquired them? A bear had been her initial thought, but perhaps there was something more sinister behind them. Abuse, or fights, or maybe they were self inflicted.

Either way, something about him was off, in a way that made her stomach churn.

"I'm fine," she repeated once again, stiffening her posture and tightening the grip she held on the stack of books in her arms.

The scarred boy opened his mouth to say something, but all that same out was "What—", before someone called out a strange phrase, and causing both of their heads to turn.

"Moony!"

A black haired boy appearing to be the same age as the scarred boy emerged from behind the many shelves, clutching a thick textbook in one hand, and used the other to eagerly wave. "There you are! Bloody hell, I've been looking everywhere for you. The others have gone off to meet Evans for ice cream, but I told them I'd wait for you to finish up. Reckon good old Prongs about to ask her out. Again. Wormy told him not to, but we both know how little sway he's got."

Lux frowned at the strange names the boy was spewing as casually as one hugged their mother. Moony? Prongs? Wormy? Surely no one had actually cursed their child to be named Wormy. Perhaps he was referring to a pet?

"Thanks, Pads," the scarred boy nodded, shifting his weight from foot to foot, and Lux's frown increased.

Pads eyes flickered towards her, then lit up within seconds. "Oh, have you made a friend?"

"Er..." the boy called Moony scratched the back of his neck, brown eyes awkwardly shifting between Lux and the other boy. "No. We just bumped into each other."

"Are you going to Hogwarts, then?" Pads asked her, nudging towards the stack she held.

Lux nodded, trying to push away any remaining thoughts how there was something about the boy with the scars that had her stomach jolting the moment their eyes made contact with each other. She'd never felt such a desire before, such a need. A need to run, run far away.

"Why haven't I seen you around?" Pads pressed. "You look about our age. Surely you're not a first year. And those are all Year 7 textbooks."

"I'm not a first year," she confirmed, offering up nothing else as she practically scrambled, finding a way to get away from the boy called Moony, before he could hurt her. She never felt this way, never felt like anything but the predator she was. Not in twenty years, anyways. But now...now, a human had her feeling uneasy, and she couldn't pinpoint why.

"What are you, then?"

She opened her mouth, unsure what she was going to say, but before anything could slip out from her lips, she felt the sensation of a palm on her shoulder, soft yet firm, stable and commanding in one all too familiar touch.

"Lux," Fulk greeted, his blue eyes sliding between her and the boys, and she practically sighed in relief. Moony couldn't do a thing, he couldn't act on whatever it was that caused her such distrust of him with another vampire at her side. "Are you making friends?"

"Yes, Sir," Pads answered for her, grinning ear to ear.

"He wasn't asking you," Moony elbowed him, irritation thick in his tone, before revering his attention to Lux, and then Fulk. "We were just talking. She, er, dropped her books."

Her face went red.

"I see," Fulk tutted. "It'll be good for her to make some friends. We're new this year, you see."

"We?" The scarred boy frowned.

"I'm coming to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts," he explained with a gentle nod. "And my daughter here is attending with me. I homeschooled her before."

Her lips gave an involuntary twitch upwards before she was able to stop it.

"Homeschooled?" Moony's brow furrowed together. "I didn't know wizarding families did homeschooling."

"Of course they do," Pads rolled his eyes. "Plenty of pureblood families homeschool. Reckon my parents would've hired a private teacher for me, if they weren't so desperate to get rid of me."

Lux glanced over at Fulk, to find his lips were curled up in amusement. "What are your names?" He inquired, to her surprise — since when did Fulk care about such things? They were humans, after all, something he had no interest in.

"Sirius," the boy called Pads, with the long black hair, answered, before nudging towards the scarred boy. "And this is my best mate Remus."

Remus nodded, though once again, Lux noticed something strange in his eyes. A gleam, that seemed to be fixed directly on her.

"Lovely names," Fulk acknowledged, causing Lux to frown once again. What was his plan, attempting to suck up to those boys? "I presume we will see you both at Hogwarts, then?"

"I hope so," Sirius flashed a grin in Lux's direction, one she did not return, but instead kept her expression cold. Even so, he was not dissuaded as he pressed on, "We're off to get some ice cream with our mates, do you two fancy joining?"

Lux opened her mouth to deny the invitation, but she was too slow.

"We would love to." Fulk's voice was an eerie calm that had all the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She cocked her head to look at him, brow furrowed together as she struggled to understand what he was intending.

As per usual, Fulk Ingelger gave no indication of what he desired from his outward appearance, simply a sly smirk as he motioned at the boys. "We must go buy our books, then I'll have you young men lead the way."

Lux was silent throughout the process of buying the stack of books, allowing Fulk to pay through the massive stash of galleons he hoarded. When and how he had gotten such a large amount of money, she hadn't a clue, but decided not to question. Remus and Sirius purchased their books as well, and when they were all finished, the group hauled their books outside and directed themselves towards the ice cream shop where their friends would apparently be.

"You'll love them," Sirius was saying, though it wasn't quite clear if his words were directed at Lux or Fulk. "It's just James and Peter and Lily. They're all great, even if James acts like a lovesick puppy whenever he's around Lily."

"Are they together, then?" Fulk asked, making polite conversation. Lux would've tried to do the same, but she was too distracted by the sunlight, the beating of her dead heart as she reminded herself she was not in danger.

Well, not from the sun, anyways. The same could not be said for the boy at her left, shooting her odd glances through his murky hazel eyes. It wasn't quite hostile, but it was in no way passive either. For a moment, they made eye contact, before Remus's gaze swiftly fixed itself on Sirius. He had just let out a barking laugh, as though Fulk's question was the most amusing thing he'd ever heard

"He wishes. Nah, James has been pining after Lily since first year, but she won't give him the time of day. It's a lost cause. Everyone knows that but him."

Remus shifted slightly, his shoulders caving in just enough that Lux noticed, though she doubted anyone else had. "He might, still. They're Head Boy and Girl together now. They'll have to spend a lot of time together."

Sirius rolled his eyes, but before he could get a word out, someone was shouting their names.

"Moony! Padfoot!"

A boy with dark skin and curly black hair was seated at a table with two other teenagers, his hand shot in the air as he waved for them as though his life depended on it. Though from the distance he was somewhat of a blur, she could see his eyebrows lift from above his silver glasses as his gaze made contact with the two vampires.

"Who are they?" He nudged towards the two, smiling politely as they approached him.

"Fulk Ingelger," Fulk greeted with a smile, though Lux could see the mischief festering beneath the seemingly basic kindness he emitted. With his chin, he jerked a motion towards her. "And my daughter Lux. We met your friends inside the bookstore just over there, and they were kind enough to offer that we join you. I hope it's no trouble."

"Don't be silly, it's no trouble at all," a girl spoke, catching Lux's attention for the first time. This must have been Lily, she presumed, with flowing red hair and the most perfect smile she'd ever seen. "It's nice to meet you two."

Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, the world was at a standstill.

"You too," Lux forced a smile that she could tell didn't meet her eyes. She wanted to say something else, to add onto her response, but no matter how hard she searched her brain, she came up with nothing. Why oh why did words have to be so damn difficult?

Typically, she'd never had a problem with how to please people with the words she let slip, but suddenly, it was like someone was holding onto her tongue.

"You guys should go get your ice cream before all the good flavors are gone," the other boy said in between licks of his ice cream cone. Peter, she assumed, since he wasn't the boy staring at Lily like he wanted to swallow her whole. That boy, the one with the dark hair and glasses, must've been James.

"Yeah, c'mon, I'll show you two the good flavors," Sirius said, though he wasn't looking at them as he began to stalk towards the window, where orders were being taken by a middle aged man. He had a bushy beard with hints of grey that had Lux thinking of her father.

"I'm not hungry," she responded a bit too swiftly, hands folded in her lap.

A lie, of course it was a lie. But vampires couldn't digest human food, they'd simply throw it all up.

What did human food taste like, again? She'd learned the hard way, only days after becoming a vampire and joining the Coven, not to eat human food. The heaving that followed, the emptying of her stomach, was nothing pleasant. But Merlin above, was it tempting, especially as she searched her mind, desperate to remember.

But she couldn't. All she could remember was she loved it, loved her mother's cooking, the meat from their chicken coop and the eggs they would lay. In the harsh winters, her mother always made sure her and her siblings' bellies were full, even if that meant she and their father went hungry.

Oh, Mary Erzsebet, Lux thought to herself, pressing her lips together. What happened to you, after you left? Where did you go?

"Not hungry?" Sirius stopped in his tracks and turned to her with a frown etched onto his brow. "Are you sure? The stuff here is awful good."

"Awful good makes no sense, Sirius," Remus lectured. He had already retrieved a bowl of chocolate ice cream, and was digging at it with a spoon. "That's an oxymoron."

"You're an oxymoron."

"That also makes no sense."

"Oh, shut up, you two," James, who had finally taken his eyes off of Lily, was now approaching the group, swinging an arm over Remus's shoulder. Lux watched as something glimmered in Sirius's eye, something she was certainly only she had noticed, as it vanished a moment after, right when James spoke again. "Lux, really, it's my treat. Both of you, actually."

"Your treat?!" Sirius let out an outraged cry, sending a glare at his friend. "You didn't buy me my ice cream, or Moony's, but you're buying it for a total stranger? No offense to you two, of course," he added in a much calmer voice, eyes shifting between Lux, Fulk, and James.

"None taken," Fulk let out a casual laugh, and even Lux bit down on her lip to prevent any amusement from showing. "But there's no need to pay for us, as kind as your offer was. I'm also not hungry. Perhaps it would be best if Lux and I simply visited with you all."

"If you insist," James sighed.

Lux tentatively took a seat across from Lily, as Fulk grabbed a chair from a separate table and brought it over, placing it down next to hers.

"Do you two attend Hogwarts, then?" Lily inquired, though her green eyes were shooting daggers at James as he obnoxiously licked at his ice cream bar, letting out bizarre, borderline pornographic moans at the taste.

"They're homeschooled," Sirius answered for them, all the way from where he was in line. "Well, until now, anyways."

Lily's eyebrows jumped up in intrigue, her elbows digging into the table as she leaned against it to meet Lux's eyes. "I didn't know wizarding families did homeschooling."

"That's what I said," Remus said as he took a seat, which Lux noticed just so happened to be furthest away from hers. "But apparently it's quite common."

Fulk nodded, tutting. "It seems that it is. But Albus Dumbledore requested I teach for a year as Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, and I couldn't turn down such an amazing opportunity. And Lux has always wanted to see Hogwarts, so I supposed it wouldn't hurt to have her come with, and do her final year of studies at the castle."

Lux blinked, then nodded, hoping her lie came off. "Yes, I'm very excited."

"You sure sounds excited," Sirius said sarcastically as he approached with his ice cream — a massive bowl that had to have every single flavor scooped into it.

"You're really going to eat all that?" Remus eyed him up and down as he sat in between Lily and Remus on the picnic table, and thus horizontal to Lux. She stiffened her posture, reverting her gaze to her nails.

He nodded, his mouth already stuffed with the sugary substance.

"He's a bit of a pig," James explained to no one in particular.

"More like a dog," Peter said, and the four boys burst into a fit of laughter.

"Again with the bloody dog jokes!" Lily exclaimed. "What do they even mean?"

"That's for us to know, and you to never find out, Evans," James shot her a wink, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Are you sure you two don't want anything?" Lily asked, reverting her attention towards the pair. Her green eyes were so welcoming, so unlike anything Lux had ever seen before. Like grass, almost, a large, empty field of it that shone in the sun.

"We aren't hungry, thanks." Fulk flashed her a smile with all his teeth. While it may have come off as kind, charming, even, Lux knew what lingered beneath it. It was a show of power, even if she could not possibly know what he truly was. What they both were.

"If you're certain," Lily pressed her lips together. "Lux, do you suppose you'll be in Gryffindor? Or have you not put any thought into your house?"

"She's awful quiet," Sirius pointed out before she could get a word in. "Hufflepuff would do her good."

Her nose twitched as something like bile built in her throat, stinging her esophagus. "We should get going."

Lux didn't mean to speak, nor did she realize she had until all heads had pivoted towards her, Fulk's included.

"What?" Sirius gaped, his tongue now stained blue from the ice cream. "Why?"

Because I am terrified. Remus is terrifying, Hogwarts is terrifying, and being reminded of my life as a human is fucking terrifying. 

She forced a delicate smile, though she could feel it wavering on her lips. "We have other matters that need tending to."

"Lux is right, we have plenty of other errands to get to before we head to the castle tomorrow," Fulk admitted as he rose onto his feet. "Thank you all, it was a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to seeing you all in class."

"You too!" Lily said with an eager grin, though her eyes were fixed not on Fulk, but on Lux. "It was so lovely meeting you."

Lux's lips parted as she grabbed onto the massive pile of books she had, but before she could speak, Fulk's hand was atop her shoulder.

Fulk knew how to apparate, a skill that had come in handy many times. Most vampires didn't have the ability. The older ones, anyways, ones that were turned before apparation was commonly taught at various magic schools, if they even existed at all when they were human. Despite her age being more youthful compared to other vampires she knew, Lux couldn't apparate. She hadn't taken the elective back when she went to Hogwarts, claiming she would the following year.

Of course, that never came, snatched away from her by the flames that nearly took her.

So when the world began spinning around her, Fulk's hand remained gripped onto her as they dissolved, reappearing back in their cabin. Her books once again nearly went tumbling out of her arms, only just managing to steady them.

"What's this?" Fulk's eyes flickered towards the book on the top of the stack — the book on scars, that she'd picked up just as her books had fallen for the first time.

"It's nothing," she bit down on her lip, but she knew her words wouldn't qualm his curiosity.

"You're looking to curse away scars?" He flipped through the book, eyeing the pages that he scanned, before closing it once again, and setting it atop the counter of the kitchen they were crammed inside. "As much as I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I doubt any of these spells will work. If they did, I imagine that Remus kid wouldn't have that thing across his face, either."

"You don't know that," she argued, though the small nature of her voice proved to be in his favor. It had little to do with the reminder of her scars, and thus, the events that had led to her receiving them. For some reason, it was Remus who had her stomach filled with nervous jitters.

"I do." It wasn't a smile that he wore, but something akin to one. Fulk rarely smiled, only smirked, but this was different. This time, she could sense the pity radiating off of him, and she nearly squirmed. "Even if this did work on the average witch or wizard, these certainly won't do any good for vampires."

"I want to try them," she insisted. "There's no harm in trying."

"If you're certain," Fulk shrugged, his lips returning to a thin line, though she couldn't tell what it was he was thinking. "I'll do it. It'll be easier for me to, instead of you."

"Are you—" she began, but was cut off.

"Turn around."

Keeping quiet, she did as he requested, slowly spinning around so her back was to him.

The sound of pages fluttering echoed through the tiny trailer, and when she felt a hand atop her shirt, slowly lifting it to reveal her back, it took everything in her to maintain her composure. She'd never seen what resided on her skin in its entirety, only the bits she could spot when she twisted her neck just so. But she knew it was ghastly, disfigured and off-putting in a way that had shame bursting in her at the mere idea of anyone else laying eyes on them.

This is Fulk, she reminded herself with a deep breath. You can trust him.

And she could. Fulk was never the type to judge, and she knew exactly why that was the case. In his millennium as a creature of the night, he'd certainly seen much more hideous things than a few distorted scars. Not to mention, he'd made contact with them before. This wouldn't be his first time seeing them.

A spell slipped from his lips, with the wave of his wand. A jolt ran up her spine, a strange wet sensation scaling her back, her skin, her scars.

"Did it work?" The moment he dropped the hem of her shirt, she strained her neck to look at him and meet his icy blue eyes, her own wide and pleading.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry."

She exhaled a breath, turning back around to avoid looking at him, redness creeping up her neck, settling on her cheeks.

"Lux," she felt a hand fall atop her shoulder, and any discomfort she felt evaporated at his touch, the one person who could physically soothe her. Lux figured if anyone dared touch her at all, she'd jump out of her skin entirely. "Come on. Let's get something to eat, alright? I saw a deer out the window, and it's calling my name."

Her lips curved up in the rarest of smiles, and for a brief moment in time, everything was okay.

[alishauna]

WILD & WICKED 𖤓 i, a deal with the devil

wolfstar x vampire oc wc: 3k summary: in the run from a dangerous vampire coven, lux erzsebet is offered a deal from albus dumbledore: protection, in exchange for aid in the war against lord voldemort.

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WARNINGS: blood, death, references to past sexual abuse and recovering from sexual abuse, war, internalized homophobia, torture, abuse, cults, strong language, blood drinking and other vampire-esque things, depiction of undiagnosed & unspecified mental illnesses, suicidal ideation, and sexual situations including smut. all smut will occur when characters are over the age of 18.

♬ who's afraid of little old me ♬

August 26th, 1977 ✦ Forest of Dean

Fulk Ingelger & Lux Erzsebet,

I hope this letter finds you two well. I will spare you any more false pleasantries, and get straight to the point, as I know I appreciate as well.

I know what you are, and where you reside. I've been researching the pair of you for a while now, the legends that surround the almighty vampire Fulk, and his new trusty sidekick. Many would kill for the information I possess about your location. The Coven, for example.

I am not writing this letter to threaten you. No, I am writing to inform you of what will occur if you do not heed my bidding. It is not much that I request of you two, in fact, it is just a simple meeting I desire.

Knockturn Alley seems to be the perfect place for two deadly vampires, wouldn't you say? Under the cloud of darkness, you will fit right in.

I have a proposition for you, one I wish to speak to you about in person. Letters can be misinterpreted. Manipulated. The last thing I want is a misunderstanding between us.

Meet me at The Devil's Horn pub in Knockturn Alley on the 29th of August, under cover of the night sky. If you refuse, if you do not show up, I will tell the Coven exactly where you reside. Please consider this. You may be able to run from them for a while longer, but sooner or later they will catch up to you.

Do not misunderstand me, I do not desire to do this. I wish for nothing but an alliance between the three of us.

Kindest regards,

A.P.W.B. Dumbledore

Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

"Fuck," Lux muttered a curse as she read the letter over and over, paper creasing as her long nails dug into the letters, leaving indents in the fragile parchment. "Fuck," she repeated, a bit louder this time, causing Fulk to snort from his position next to her, his head peering over her shoulder to read it himself.

"I take it you are not happy with this...invitation?"

"Are you?" She responded with the cock of her eyebrow, and though her outer demeanor radiated arrogance, deep inside her, anxiety was pooling in her stomach.

He shook his head, a smirk still on his lips, as though amused by the threat the headmaster of Hogwarts had just presented to them. "I haven't a single desire to speak to Albus Dumbledore. Never have. He's as contrived as they come."

"Nor do I," she scoffed, handing him the letter, which he accepted with a swipe, eyeing it himself as though expecting to see something different than the first time he'd poured over it. "Though it doesn't seem like we have a choice."

"We always have a choice, Lux," Fulk tutted, turning his back to her and towards the window. Though the sun had long since set, the curtains remained drawn, concealing them from the view of the forest they resided in. "It's up to you."

"Up to me?" She frowned, taking a step so she was positioned next to him. "Since when do you let me make the decisions around here?"

The corners of his lips perked up ever so slightly. "After all these years, do you really doubt the trust I have for you? Besides, it's your neck on the line, not my own. The Coven might spare me."

"Only if you agreed to join them," she spat bitterly, folding her arms over her chest.

Though the moment he scoffed, shaking his head, she felt all the anger that had begun to grow melt away. "They wish."

Their eyes met, a mutual understanding flickering between them, as it so often did.

Then, Lux barked a laugh, cold and dry and brittle, but a laugh nonetheless. "Albus Dumbledore hasn't got a clue who he's dealing with, does he?"

Fulk's eyebrows jumped up. "Oh?"

"We'll go to this meeting," she concluded, stretching her arms out in front of her until she felt her joints crack. "See what he wants. And if it isn't worth our while, well..." her shoulders lifted in an apathetic shrug. "It'll be the last mistake he ever makes."

"You truly think we can best Dumbledore?" He asked, voice thick with amusement, entertained by what he must have presumed was her naivety.

Silly, she thought to herself, shaking her head. That was the last thing she was, and Fulk should have known as much. Naive was the girl who spent three hundred years in the arms of a monster, praying to a God that was not there to listen for a death she could never meet. Naive was gone, burned and buried and replaced by something so vile, so rotten, no one would stand a chance against it. Even Death itself would take one look at the festering beneath Lux's skin and run in the other direction.

"No," Lux answered simply. "I know we can."

ㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .*:☆ﾟ. ───

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

August 27th, 1977 ✦ Knockturn Alley

It was a rare occasion indeed when Lux and Fulk left the forest their trailer was buried in. They never had a need to, everything they required to survive resided in the trees - animals for blood, water in the nearby stream for bathing. The water pipes had long since gone out, rusted away with time, so they used buckets and fire to fill their bath. Fulk would occasionally leave to get necessities in the local town - soap, clothes, the occasional book, but she never went with.

"I knew you'd come," he said in greeting as they approached him, hoods hiked up and covering their faces from anyone who might recognize them.

The Coven knew better than to show their faces in Knockturn Alley, but Lux supposed that under Adelais's authority, perhaps things had changed.

"Please, have a seat," Dumbledore continued when the pair said nothing. "Fulk, how long has it been?"

"Not long enough," he answered, though did as the headmaster requested, pulling out a chair and taking a seat. Lux hesitated, before doing the same, biting on her lip as she adjusted her hood, making sure it cast a perfect shadow upon her face.

Dumbledore didn't take offense to this - Lux doubted he was the kind of man who was hurt by measly words, as he grinned, turning his attention towards her. "And Lux Erzsebet. A pleasure to meet you, truly. I've heard so much about you." She said nothing, simply stiffened her posture.

"Get on with it, old man," Fulk urged, never one for patience.

His eyebrows jumped up ever so slightly, amusement dancing in his blue eyes. "That is the pot calling the kettle black, I fear. Both of you are far older than I. Do tell, what are your exact ages again? It seems to have slipped my mind."

"It's rude to inquire on a woman's age, Albus," Fulk chided when Lux remained silent.

"Of course, of course, you'll forgive me. I'm simply curious," his eyes shifted between the two, as though not quite sure which of them to focus on. Of the two, Fulk was older, wiser, held more authority, but Lux was the one who seemed to draw Dumbledore's attention more, as he eventually settled on her. "I suppose I must get on with it."

"Please," Fulk's icy blue eyes rolled.

"There is a war on the horizon," Dumbledore said simply. "Though, I'm sure you're aware of that."

"Refresh our memories," Though it came off cocky, Lux could tell Fulk was confused as he spoke. She, too, hadn't a clue what he was speaking about, but attempted to feign indifference, picking at her nails.

"A man, who calls himself Lord Voldemort, is gathering followers at an alarming rate. His goal is eliminate the muggle race, and establish a solely pureblood society."

"Funny name," Lux spoke for the first time, amusement tugging at the sides of her lips. The Headmaster seemed surprised at her words, eyes widening ever so slightly, as she continued, "But I've never heard of this Voldemort person. If you're here to question our involvement with him, I can assure you, we have nothing to do with him. Not to mention, if he's a blood supremacist, my lineage would not please him."

"You're muggleborn, then?"

She cocked her head to the side, the hood cloaking her face shifting slightly. "Did you not do your research on us beforehand?"

"The information on you is limited at best," Dumbledore admitted. "Both of you, actually. I suppose Hogwarts did not keep as thorough records at the time of your attendance as we do now. That, or they were lost to time."

"I never went to your school," Fulk's nose twitched. "Nor do I have any connection with...what was his name again?"

"Voldemort."

"Yes, him. Never heard the name, actually. So, I'm afraid you've wasted both of our times with this...gathering."

"I did not mean to suggest you had ties to him, Fulk," Dumbledore said. "But the same cannot be said for the Coven Lux hails from."

She felt her throat go dry.

But it was not her who spoke, but Fulk, as he barked a laugh. "The Coven is involved with a blood supremacist? How would that even work? Not a single one of those bastards are anything close to pureblood, last I checked."

His eyes flickered towards Lux for confirmation, who nodded, swallowing as she frantically worked to revive her aura of confidence. Even so, when she spoke, she could feel the edge in her voice, and the array of scars on her back burn.

"The majority of them are halfbloods at best. If there are any purebloods among them, they don't care enough to flaunt it. Blood status means nothing to vampires."

"Perhaps that's the one virtue of the Coven," Dumbledore shook his head, sighing. "I fear Voldemort does not care about the blood status of vampires, as long as he has them on his side. He's allying with all sorts of magical creatures - vampires, werewolves, trolls, goblins, it matters not if they have muggle or magical blood. As long as they can serve him."

"And why would they join him? What does this Voldemort man offer them in return for their service?" Fulk pressed.

"I cannot say for certain," he admitted. "I don't even know if they've accepted his offer. But I am positive he is pursuing them."

"They wouldn't accept," Lux let out a breath, mentally relaxing the moment she felt Fulk's hand press against the small of her back. It took everything in her to maintain her hardened exterior, to keep herself from melting into his touch, the one thing that could soothe her.

"With all due respect, Lux, what makes you so certain of that?"

She allowed herself a second to glance at Fulk, to meet his gaze and watch as he nodded, urging her to continue.

"Adelais is not the type to submit to any authority. Now that she has control, she won't yield it."

"She submitted to Philip for long enough," Dumbledore pointed out, the mention of his name causing Lux to recoil into Fulk's touch. "Was she not his second in command before he was killed?"

"Lux resided with the Coven for three hundred years. Do not deign to think your knowledge of them runs deeper than hers."

She expected Dumbledore to argue with this, but he did not, instead bowing his head. "You're right. My apologies, Lux."

"Now, are we here to discuss the inner workings of the Coven, or is there something you want from us?" Fulk snapped. "The sun will rise in only hours. If you have something to say, spit it out before we need to leave."

"Of course, of course," he folded his hands together once again. "I have a deal I wish to propose to you both, if you're willing to hear me out."

"Albus Dumbledore, wheeling and dealing with a pair of vampires," the size of Fulk's smirk increased, as the hand he had atop Lux's back returned to his side.

"It is funny, how these things turn out," Dumbledore said. "I wish for you pair to attend Hogwarts in this coming term. Lux, as a student, and Fulk, as a professor. There is once again a vacancy in the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, which I believe would suit you perfectly."

"You wish for me to teach?" Fulk didn't bother attempting to mask his surprise, the typical vein he wore to conceal his emotions falling with the gust of wind that was Dumbledore's strange request. "You wish for two vampires to invade your castle, a place with walking blood bags? Are you mad?"

"Perhaps," he admitted with a casual shrug. "But I know you, Fulk. You wouldn't hurt a child. You may be a vampire, but a fragment of your human morals still remain. Otherwise, I doubt your dear Lux would still be alive."

The moment his eyes traveled to meet hers, she shifted in her position, shoulders caving in as she hunched over ever so slightly, once again adjusting her hood. "Why would I agree? I've already attended Hogwarts once."

"Alas, our curriculum has been drastically altered since...when was it that you attended?"

"Sixteen twenty eight."

"Right, right," he nodded slowly. "You never completed your final year. The remaining records we have of of you disappear at the end of your sixth year."

"Something came up," she practically snarled, heat rising in her cheeks.

"Why do you wish for us to attend your school, Albus?" Fulk redirected the conversation, giving Lux a warning glance in the process. "And what does this have to do with Voldemort?"

"You have been on the run from the Coven for two decades now, and sooner or later, you will no longer be able to outrun them. If you attend Hogwarts for the year, you will be safe under my protection. All I ask in that in return, when Voldemort comes knocking on your door, and trust me, he will, you turn him down. No matter what he offers you, fame or glory or riches, you refuse. You fight with us instead."

Something like fire slid across Lux's expression, followed by desperation as she swiftly confirmed, "You can protect us from the Coven?"

His lips curled upwards in an unsettling sort of smile, the kind many mistake for kind, but after everything she had seen, had been through, she knew it meant something else entirely. "As long as you are under Hogwarts' roof, you will be safe from them. Vampires cannot enter the castle without being invited in by the owner - me. All I ask in return is your loyalty, when push comes to shove."

Lux was inclined to accept without another word, but when she turned to look at Fulk for his reaction, she found his expression alight with amusement.

"And you expect us to interact with the school, how? Or do you plan on banishing the sun?"

It was Dumbledore's turn to laugh, ever so softly shaking his head as he reached into his pocket. "Clever boy, always on top of everything. Don't you worry, Fulk, I have just the thing for your little...predicament," he began to dig into the pocket of his purple robe, pulling out two identical rings and setting them atop the wooden table separating him from the vampires. Each ring had a small red gemstone that seemed to shine under the glimpse of moonlight that slipped through the window of the pub.

"Have you come to propose to he, Headmaster?" Fulk raised his eyebrows. "Or is it my dear Lux you desire the hand of?"

Her shoulders caved in, eyes fixed on the jewelry.

Once again, Dumbledore chuckled. "Truly a joy, Fulk. No, I have not come to ask for your hand in marriage. I prefer my partners diets to be solid foods, as opposed to blood."

Lux bared her teeth.

"These rings," he continued, either not noticing the anger that shot through her, or ignoring it, "will allow you to walk in the daylight."

Not even Fulk could mask his surprise, eyes growing wide as Lux nearly gasped.

"A daylight ring," she breathed, and he nodded. "How?"

"Magic is a beautiful thing, Lux," he moved his hand to slide the rings across the table. "Would you like to try them on?"

The younger vampire was many things, but stupid was not one of them. It so easily could've been a trap. For all she knew, the moment the ring slid onto her finger, she could burst into a fall of flames and collapse into a pile of ash. For all she knew, Albus Dumbledore's motives were not to get them on his side in the so called upcoming war, but to eliminate vampires.

"I'll do it," Fulk interjected, his shoulder brushing against hers as he moved to grab one of the rings from off the table. Lux watched, anxiety bubbling in her stomach, as he hesitantly slid the ring onto his middle finger, as if suspecting the same outcome she had imagined.

She braced herself, preparing for an attack. Preparing for the worst. If something happened to Fulk, she was more than ready to take Dumbledore down on her own, dig her fangs into his neck and bleed him out.

But she didn't have to.

The moment the ring was secured atop his finger, Fulk paused, allowing several seconds of silence to pass.

"Is it-" Lux began, breath hitching as she observed him.

"It's safe," he confirmed, the rarest of smiles sliding onto his lips as their gazes met, only to melt away the moment his eyes flickered back to the passively observing Dumbledore.

The moment Fulk's expression returned to stone cold apathy, did Lux reach across the table for her own ring, and gently pushed it onto her middle finger.

"If you're lying to us, Albus, I needn't warn you what you'll face in vengeance," Fulk mused as he observed his ring, twisting it around his finger with his thumb.

"Of course. Don't you worry, I wouldn't dare cross you," Dumbledore was not looking at Fulk, but at Lux as he spoke, something sparkling in his eye. "I know all about you vampires and your revenge."

[alishauna]

wild & wicked masterlist

wolfstar x vampire oc + a few other love interests sprinkled in there :)

(i am currently in the process of uploading all the chapters i have written here! i'm spreading them out once per day, but if you want the full fic now, you can find it HERE)

summary: in the run from a dangerous vampire coven, lux erzsebet is offered a deal from albus dumbledore: protection, in exchange for aid in the war against lord voldemort.

warnings: blood, death, references to past sexual abuse and recovering from sexual abuse, war, internalized homophobia, torture, abuse, cults, strong language, blood drinking and other vampire-esque things, depiction of undiagnosed & unspecified mental illnesses, suicidal ideation, and sexual situations including potential smut (have not decided yet). all smut will occur when characters are over the age of 18.

prelude. the illusion of power ACT ONE chapter one. a deal with the devil chapter two. battle scars chapter three. deja vu