An Interesting Q&A

Alexander checked his watch. Two minutes to go. His little sister Aurora had requested a meeting with him at exactly 2pm. And knowing Aurora that was exactly when she'd arrive. He pondered on the phrase "little sister" she wasn't exactly little anymore, in fact she was edging on 600 years old now but considering that Alexander hadn't seen her for most of those years she was still 18 in his mind. But even at 18 Aurora was a fully grown woman, a somewhat fearsome woman with a razor sharp intellect and a calculating mind. He had to admit to himself that he was a little bit nervous about their meeting, Aurora hadn't exactly welcomed him to Hogwarts with open arms, she'd pretty much told him to stay out of her way. He wondered if she wanted to use him for one of her schemes and he knew in his heart he could never resist her charms. He might have been long since a vampire with super-human strength physically but Aurora could break him instantly.

Edolie Holcombe made her way silently through the corridors of Hogwarts until she reached Professor Lawson's office. She had to assume that he was related to the Lawson that she found much more familiar and also thought that he probably knew about her being a vampire. She had told Lugaid and Cerdwin after all. They asked her to be a professor at the school, but she thought that her brother might show up and she didn't want the oddness of her teaching him. "Next year perhaps," she had told them.

A letter from Roslin had been what brought Edolie to Lawson's office in the first place. He had requested that she meet him there at two. The fact that it was in a safe location made it an easy choice to make, so she had sent him a letter in return saying that she would be there. Edolie stood before the door and looked around to see if Roslin was walking along one of the corridors. She didn't see him, so she knocked softly on the door with Roslin's letter grasped in her other hand.

Alexander checked his watch and smiled. 2pm exactly. Aurora would never change. He stood up from his desk and walked to the door. He opened it with a huge grin "Hello......" he stopped suddenly when he saw that it wasn't Aurora on the other side. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry" he said composing himself. "I was expecting someone else. What can I do for you Miss.......?" Alexander felt like he should know the girl standing in front of him but he just couldn't find her name in his mental Rolodex.

Aurora's heels clicked on the floor as she made her way to Alexander's office. Her stomach lurched a bit as she wondered how much longer she'd be able to wear heels. She couldn't imagine walking around in sensible shoes but she supposed it was just another thing she'd have to live with until the thing was born. Her emotions were all over the place as she swung from hating the child with a passion to loving it so much she thought her heart would break. It annoyed her no end that it was getting to her like this and it also annoyed her that no one else she knew would understand what she was going through emotionally.

She stopped outside the door to Alexander's office and checked her watch. 30 seconds late already. She could feel immense anger rising inside of her. She hated to be late and all of a sudden she hated Roslin for making her late. Suddenly she burst out laughing. Was she actually getting angry at Roslin for not being there exactly on time? This hormone thing really was insane, Roslin was always late and although it sort of annoyed her, it had never made her angry before, she usually just accepted Roslin as he was. Composing herself she looked down the corridor to see if there was any sign of him.

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Hello......I'm sorry, I was expecting someone else. What can I do for you Miss.......?

"Holcombe," she said softly and then handed over the note that she had received from Roslin. "My brother requested that I meet him here in your office." She glanced around again, seeing no sign of him, and then stepped in past Lawson and closed the door. The cool energy from him had told her what she expected when she heard of him. "Were you not informed? I had expected that he had your consent or that you would know about it and be here to mediate since it is your office." Edolie suddenly wondered if this wasn't all a joke. A bad one and not funny in the least bit, but Roslin had had some stinkers in his time.

A sudden burst of laughter from outside the door caused Edolie to look at the hardwood. "Your sister?" she asked, recognizing the laugh. It wasn't a noise one would soon forget.

Alexander took the note from Edolie and read it. Now he was really confused. Typical of Aurora to be vague really. This was beyond vague though, all she had said was she wanted to talk to him not that she was bringing the Holcombe twins along. Roslin maybe wouldn't have been that much of a surprise but Alexander was certainly surprised to see Edolie. He of course had no idea of the twins history but he had an idea that they weren't exactly friendly since they were in different houses and he had never seen them speaking with each other. "Well Miss Holcombe, I must admit to being rather confused about all this I had no idea you or your brother were due to be here." He stopped remembering something Edolie had said. "Mediate what?....." he began when Aurora's laughter rang out.

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Your sister?

Alexander shrugged at Edolie. "I would presume so" he told her. "What she's laughing about though I'd like to know, I don't know about you but I don't find any of this funny." Alexander hated being out of a loop and he hated feeling like Aurora had tricked him into something. Again. Rolling his eyes he went to the door to let Aurora in.

Not seeing any sign of Roslin yet and hearing the door to Alexander's office open, Aurora turned to face her brother. Again, her hormones changed rapidly and as she beheld his face, she felt overwhelmingly lucky that he was there. He had always been the one member of her family she could totally rely on and now here he was when she really needed him. She could feel tears roll down her face as she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight.

If Alexander's heart had still been beating, it probably would have stopped in shock. Aurora had never been the touchy feely type, she showed her love by honouring and respecting. His stomach lurched as he realised something must be drastically wrong for her to behave like this. Nonetheless, he hugged her back warmly and when he'd finally managed to untangle himself from her embrace he smiled reassuringly at her. "It's always nice to see you sis but I think we should probably go inside. I also think you need to sit down, you're very pale. Maybe a stiff drink is in order before we get down to business?" Alexander gestured to his office in a "ladies first" sort of way.

Shocked at her own actions, Aurora could only nod at Alexander before taking up his offer of a seat in his office. She went through the doorway and saw that Edolie had arrived but still no sign of Roslin. She took a seat in front of Alexander's desk and sighed. "Still no Roslin" she stated. "But then why am I surprised? Glad to see you're here on time though Edolie, thank you for coming, both Roslin and I greatly appreciate your presence in this matter." It almost made Aurora want to be sick for being so nice to Edolie, but she really really needed her knowledge now and Aurora was well up on using any means necessary to get what she wanted. Even if it meant she had to lower her standards.

Edolie nodded in agreement at wanting to know what the hell was going on and moved to the side as the professor opened the door. When Aurora flung her arms around Alexander, Edolie felt slight discomfort at seeing something that likely should have been private.

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Still no Roslin. But then why am I surprised? Glad to see you're here on time though Edolie, thank you for coming, both Roslin and I greatly appreciate your presence in this matter.

There was a slight moment in which Edolie couldn't speak. She didn't let her face change in the slightest, but was a bit put off by the way Aurora was speaking to her. "And what matter might that be?" Ed asked with a stone face of indifference.

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And what matter might that be?

Edolie's stone face of indifference brought comfort to Aurora. This was how it was meant to be so maybe she could drop the nice act and just get the information she came for without losing too much face. She wasn't about to bet on it just yet though. She looked at her watch. 5 minutes past and still no Roslin. Annoying as that was, it wasn't anything to get worried about either. "I wonder if we should wait for Roslin?" she asked no one in particular. "Knowing him though he might not get here for a while yet and I don't want to keep either of you longer than is necessary. All the same we should give him a few more minutes." Aurora turned to Alexander. "Did you say something about a drink?" The fact that it wasn't a good idea to drink when pregnant hadn't yet occurred to Aurora.

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Did you say something about a drink?

Alexander could sense the tension between Aurora and Edolie and had a feeling that they weren't exactly bosom buddies. He supposed they were just too different, Edolie being the paradigm of virtue and Aurora being.........well, Aurora. He was quite happy to oblige in providing the drinks, feeling like he could do with one himself even if it wasn't all that effective for him anymore. A good feed would have served him better but he had no choice but to work with what he had. Pouring some strong brandy into a glass he turned to Edolie. "Would you like to partake Miss Holcombe? I'm afraid I don't have anything to suit our own particular tastes in my office at the moment" he said referring to the fact they were both vampires. "Although I really shouldn't be serving alcohol to students!" he joked lamely. "But I guess you are both well over the drinking age." He put the glass he had just poured in front of Aurora.

Edolie watched Aurora with care, taking in ever detail she could. Something seemed different about the fiery haired girl, but Edolie couldn't put her finger on what it was. She nodded in agreement at giving Roslin a few more moments, though she didn't know that it would make any bit of difference.

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Would you like to partake Miss Holcombe? I'm afraid I don't have anything to suit our own particular tastes in my office at the moment. Although I really shouldn't be serving alcohol to students! But I guess you are both well over the drinking age.

She took her attention off of Aurora for a minute and smiled. "I'm fine, thank you. More of a butterbeer sort of girl myself. It still manages to give me that warm feeling, though I no longer know where to get it," it was small talk and something Edolie had never been good at, but she felt it better than the strange silence that would likely be there instead. "Are Cerdwin, Weatherby, and Lugaid still trying to make Hogsmeade bud again?"

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I'm fine, thank you. More of a butterbeer sort of girl myself. It still manages to give me that warm feeling, though I no longer know where to get it, Are Cerdwin, Weatherby, and Lugaid still trying to make Hogsmeade bud again?

Alexander poured himself a good measure of brandy, it had always been his favourite drink as a mortal as it had been his father's. It was the drink of the business man in their opinion. Although now all it held for him were nostalgic sentiments. He sat at his desk and regarded Edolie as he sipped. "Butterbeer! Now there's something I had forgotten about. I did enjoy it during my time as a student here. I wonder if anyone still knows the recipe?" He took another sip of his brandy as he pondered. "I do believe the subject of the rejuvenation of Hogsmeade was raised in the last staff meeting, as far as I'm aware Mavis has plans to try to get it going as a wizarding village once more but I don't think anything has yet been put in place. Given time though I'm sure they will bring it back to its former glory much as they have done with the school."

Aurora began to feel queasy. She couldn't decide whether it was the morning sickness or the small talk between Edolie and her brother that were making her feel that way. Considering it was now the afternoon and the morning sickness had passed, she realised the sickening banter was the culprit. She reached for her drink deciding it might make her feel a bit better to have some alcohol inside her but stopped sharply just before the glass reached her mouth. She realised that one shouldn't drink while pregnant as it was harmful to the baby and a whole new conflict began in her mind. Did she actually care that much about the thing? Was she willing to sacrifice a well needed drink in its interests? Deciding that she shouldn't leave anything to chance until she got some more information on the thing, she put the glass back down on the table without drinking.

Roslin finally made his way to Alexanders office and stood before the door. He could hear voices behind the door and wasn't surprised. All three of them were likely always on time. He didn't see why time was so important.

After taking a moment to sigh and gather himself, Roslin finally knocked on the door to announce his arrival and decided to let someone open for him just to hold the conversation off for a tiny bit longer.

As Alexander downed the last of his brandy a knock came to the office door. He placed the glass on the table, glancing at Aurora's untouched glass with suspicion. She really was acting strange today. Not that he had much time to ponder it, it was obvious as to who was at the door and Alexander supposed it was his duty to let Roslin in, seeing as it was his office. He stood up and nodded at the girls "excuse me ladies" he said politely and went to the door. "Mr Holcombe" he greeted Roslin with a hint of contempt. He wasn't at all sure the other vampire was good enough for his only sister. "How nice of you to grace us with your presence. Won't you come in?" Alexander gestured into his office with mock politeness.

Roslin walked in past Alexander without saying anything to him and avoided looking at his sister. He raised his brows at Aurora in question, but felt the confusion in the air as to why they were all there. He had hoped that she would have gone ahead and told them so that he would be saved from the reaction. "Sorry I'm late," he said without really meaning it. He simply needed something to say.

Aurora knew Roslin wasn't a bit sorry that he was late but she was just so glad he'd turned up at all that she let it slide. Maybe now the sickening small talk would stop and they could get down to business. I haven't had a chance to tell them yet, they've been chatting amongst themselves, its been torture! she thought at him. I presume you want me to break the news then? Aurora knew it was a bit of a stupid question but she wanted to be sure he was ready for it before she opened her mouth.

"Yeah, let's get it over with," he thought in response and leaned against a wall. He wasn't at all sure of how the two would respond and figured that it might be interesting. His eyes roamed around the room, landing on Edolie every once in a while and only for half a second at a time. She was a strange sight to see after all of that time.

Aurora cleared her throat loudly. "Right." she said firmly. "We asked you to meet us today for a specific reason. We need information and we think maybe one of you two might have some. Something has happened that we didn't think possible and we need to know how to handle it. Basically, I'm pregnant and it is definitely Roslin's child. So have either of you ever heard of a human/vampire baby and if so, what can we expect?" Aurora's face was very serious now, she couldn't care less what they thought about the situation, she just wanted to know what they knew so she could get on with things.

Edolie looked from Aurora to Roslin and back again before looking over at Alexander for a moment. She was at a loss for words at first. "I didn't know what to expect, but this wouldn't have even been on the list..." she said.

Roslin Holcombe being a father was inconceivable. The fact that he hadn't run the moment he heard about it said a lot about how he felt about Aurora. She sighed and hated to say what she had to say. "In the past, I have come across a few half vampire children, but I have known none to survive. It is hard to really know what vampire genes they end up with. The parent or, parents, usually do not know how to properly care for them. Some die from exposure to sunlight. Some are given the wrong diet. Others just might not be born healthy because they were not able to get the right nutrients from the mother."

She looked back at Alexander again, hoping that he might have something better to tell them.

Alexander glared at Roslin. It was a big brother thing, his gut reaction was to rip Roslin's throat out for getting his sister pregnant. He counted to 10 in his head and steadied himself. He knew there was no point in putting all the blame on Roslin, Aurora was just as much at fault. He also knew that neither of them had planned this and that whatever the outcome Aurora was strong enough to handle it. He looked at Edolie in sympathy as they both seemed to have equally as stupid siblings.

"What Miss Holcombe said is largely correct." he started in a teachery voice. "However, I have known one that survived, is still surviving in fact. He was raised by his vampire parent though which is extremely rare if not quite unheard of. Usually, the vampire parent, which incidentally is always the father, runs away from the situation or else never knew about it as he'd ran before it became an issue. The mothers, should they survive the birth, don't know how to raise a child with vampire genes and raising it as human is fatal. As Miss Holcombe said, a lot aren't born healthy and don't generally survive the first week. My advice to you two is this, Aurora you must feed on blood while you are pregnant so as to insure the baby gets the nutrients it needs and when it's born you should feed it blood until it's old enough to hunt for itself. Roslin, you'll have to do the hunting tuition, the child will be born with certain instincts but they will need to be practised and improved upon if this child is to survive. Even at that I can't guarantee a favourable outcome but its the best chance the child will have."

Aurora looked at Edolie in horror. None survived? So this kid had 0% chance? There was no way she was letting that happen, her mothering instincts kicking in once again. She'd happily die if it meant her baby lived. Research, that's what it'll take, she decided. Researching things had always had a good result in her experience and she just knew in her heart there was something she could do to keep her baby safe. When Edolie finished speaking Aurora looked earnestly at Alexander, hoping against hope that he had better news.

When Alexander finished saying his piece, Aurora took a few seconds to absorb it all. "Let me get this straight" she said. "It is possible for a vampire/human child to survive but its rare? And it's rare because the mothers don't know how to feed it and the fathers usually are out of the picture? Right well there's the two main problems eliminated, I can feed on blood until its born and then feed blood to it and since it has a vampire dad, Ros can do all the training and stuff so it will be able to fend for itself eventually." Aurora looked smug, most of it was just common sense really substitute blood for milk and raise it vampire.

"Wait a minute." Aurora said sharply. "Edolie, what you said about not knowing what vampire genes it had, is it then possible for it to be mostly human and therefore feeding it blood would be damaging?" She paused and then something else occured to her. "And Alexander, what did you mean by should the mother survive the birth? Is it more dangerous to the mother than normal childbirth?"

Edolie shook her head, "You can eat normal food and blood. Food isn't damaging to a vampire as long as they get the blood that they need and the blood would just be an extra nutrient for the child if they don't need blood. We'll likely be able to tell when the child is born what it needs..." Edolie gazed at Aurora's flat stomach for a while and then looked at Roslin and added, "Roslin, you might be able to find out before the child is born since you will be connected. You might know as soon as three month is...maybe even sooner."

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And Alexander, what did you mean by should the mother survive the birth? Is it more dangerous to the mother than normal childbirth?

Alexander let Edolie say her piece, it was information he already knew but he couldn't help an anger rise in him at the thought of Roslin communicating with his unborn niece or nephew. He looked at Roslin trying desperately to figure out what Aurora saw in him. When Edolie was done he added in his own response. "Well yes it is a lot more dangerous to the mother, vampire children are very strong and generally when they want out they don't hesitate. But then again Aurora, I can only presume you are no ordinary human so you'll no doubt be able to cope." Alexander sighed. "Only time will tell"

Aurora considered everything Edolie and Alexander had said. Again she felt fairly confident that things would work out well. She was actually beginning to feel excited at the prospect now that she knew the thing probably wouldn't kill her. She could now look forward to finding out what a human vampire child would turn out like, what abilities would it have and would it look like her or Roslin. She smiled to herself, she was going to make the absolute most of this and it was going to be brilliant. "Well this little meeting certainly has been informative and I must admit rather reassuring." she paused steeling herself to say what she was going to say next. "Thank you both very much" she said with just about as much humility as she could muster.

Edolie smiled softly and simply bowed her head a little bit. She looked at Roslin for a long moment and the fact that she would be an aunt washed over her. It was something she had never expected and she was a little jealous of the fact that he could still have children while she could not. Her thoughts went to Jake and an old anger arose in her, but she swallowed it. "Alright then, since we are done here..." she said before heading for the door. "Have a pleasant evening," she said to all three before opening the door, crossing the threshold and closing the door behind her.

She walked down the empty corridor, the sound of her footsteps seeming impossibly loud and making her feel completely and utterly alone.

The way Edolie stared at Roslin made him feel extremely uncomfortable and he could have sworn that he saw a flash of anger in her eyes before she spoke again. He silently watched her leave and then ran a hand through his hair. Although Roslin wanted to get out of there, he didn't want to run into Edolie so soon after that meeting, so he decided to stall leaving for a bit. "So, you think everything might be alright then?" he asked, directing the question at no one in particular.