A Cold, Cold Winter

Jacquelyn Tyler Werther Quelyn wrote on a piece of paper as she sat at the bottom of the Grand Staircase. She sighed and began to hum an old hymn her mother had once taught her. Tears formed in her eyes that had been glazed over with sadness. In her name she could find both her fathers and her mother’s names and in her she could only find her mother. She scribbled our the first three letters in her name and rewrote it so that it said Quelyn, the name she had chosen to go buy when she first game to Hogwarts not so long ago.

The duties of a Prefect are never done.

Ryo laughed at the thought of that. The little third year in his house telling him that, after he had gotten a few slytherin boys away from her. He really didn't get what the big deal was, and why Slytherins were so intent on bothering Hufflepuffs. He thought it was all stupid, and unecessary. Everyone was equal, even if some didn't see it that way.

Ryo was one of those kids who used to get teased, until he stood up for himself and made it known that he was a Vampire that is. Now most people were afraid of him, even some other Vampires, which was just stupid. He thought a lot of things that went on in the castle were stupid, one of the biggest ones was him being chosen to be a Prefect.

Suddenly, he smelled another Vampire, a very fiant scent and he followed it, to find a little first year at the entrance hall near the Grand Staircase. He wasn't familiar with names of the first years yet, most of them, though he knew this girl's because he had found something peculiar in her, which he now knew was that she was a Vampire like him, though obviously not a full one. "Jacqueline." he said, trying not to startle the young girl. "What are you doing here alone?" he asked, trying not to sound or be intimidating.

“It’s Quelyn,” the young girl corrected the familiar voice of the Hufflepuff Prefect who had addressed her with a question. “And I sit here alone because I don’t like being around people that much.” She answered him. “Plus I prefer to do my thinking in the quiet. Not many people like to hang around here, or me.” She spoke quietly as she carefully folded the paper she had been writing on with a muggles pen like the one her mother used to use. She stuck the paper in the pocket of her cloak with her wand and sighed playing with the ends of her hair nervously.

Ryo nodded and said, "Alright Quelyn." to show he understood that was what she wanted to be called. He raised an eyebrow at her explanation of why she was there all alone and he sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. "Oh? And why wouldn't anyone want to be near you?" he asked her. "You seem like a nice little girl." he added.

Of course he wouldn't know anything about the girl, considering she was a first year and he was a seventh year. He didn't know anything about most of the younger students. But he always tried to at least be nice to them, considering they were going to be at the school longer than he was and he wanted to end his time at Hogwarts on a good note with the younger students.

"They say I'm weird," She replied scribbling on the back of the folded up paper that contained her handwritten name. "Not even my father wants to be around me though. I think its because i look to much like my mother that he hates me." she looked away from the paper, away from Ryo, and into herself seeing nothing but the day her mother had passed on. the girl pulled her knees to her, hugging them and resting her chin between them. Tears forming in her eyes as she remembered such a horrible day in her life.

Ryo winced a bit when he saw that she was starting to cry. He was never good at comforting people in these kinds of situations, or in any kind of situation for that matter. He swallowed hard and took a few steps toward the girl. "D- don't cry. I'm sure he doesn't hate you." he said, a bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face. She said something about her reminding him too much of her mother and he blinked. "Does he have a problem with your mum or something?" he asked, obviously not knowing that the girl didn't have a mum anymore.

"But I highly doubt that you're weird as they say. You're probably just different, mor calm or smarter than they are." he smiled at her, trying to keep her from crying.

"Yes, for leaving him, us, before she could give him a son." Quelyn whispered, she never believed her father ever even wanted a daughter to begin with and when her mother had died when giving birth and the baby boy didn't make it he lost it, he lost himself. "Very different in deed," she murmured, "But i'm more like you." she could tell he was a vampire, a stronger one than herself, even stronger than her father was. she sighed her head tilting to the side a little.

Ryo lowered his head when she explained why her dad had a problem with her mum. Now he understood why she thought her father must hate her. And he knew that her mum was dead too. He suddenly felt very bad for the young girl, he understood what it was like to not have a mum, or a dad in his case, but at least there was a slight possibility that his mum was still alive. He doubted she had that possibility.

He laughed softly at what she said next. "I can tell that you are." he replied to her words. "Although you probably like it better than I do." he said. Ryo honestly couldn't stand being a Vampire. It was like a curse to him. Not being able to be out in the sun like he could before, having to drink blood to stay alive. And ... having to watch his human friends and family die while he lived on forever, until he was killed by something. To him it honestly wasn't fair at all.

"I was born this way," Quelyn nodded, "My father's father was turned then they both married muggles and now I'm here. But there is no changing the past no matter how much i wish i could. I must live with what I am." she looked up at Ryo giving him a half heated smile obviously backed by sadness and pain. She saw no use in hiding her vampire side or hating it. And, the only ones who could help who they were were people like her father who drank away their problems caused by choices they made in their life. she sighed and went back to scribleing.