open Written on the walls… Closed

Simon got into his bag and rifled through it a moment before pulling out a notebook. He wrote down Ben Coletti and under it he began to also draw out a rendition of the marking upon the wall. After all, if he was going to help his new friend with his search, he wanted to remember the marking well. "Okay, so we'll keep our eye out for this. First stop is Library. We can even check books on Ancient Ruins." That would be a class that they would take in their later years, but it wouldn't hurt to do a little research ahead of time.

"It could mean something like that," he paused, thinking about it. Simon looked over to the Gryffindor and glanced over his features. "Although...I think if you were a werewolf, or part werewolf, you'd know it by now. Like, a strong sense of smell. I've done a bit of research about different magical creatures last year. Even if just half or quarter breed, you'll get the traits transfered onto you." The same went for dhampirs, but he didn't mention that. No need to scare off a new friend by stating his half vampire status.

Simon looked at the drawing he made and tried to think if he had seen it before. "You know that grove of trees on the grounds? Loads of people have carved out markings on the bark there too. Maybe that could be a place to look."

Ben was happy to have a friend working with him now. They would be like Sherlock and Holmes. Mulder and Skulley. Scooby Doo and… Scooby? Anyway, the point was made. He hoped they could figure out this mystery together, and maybe find some information out about Simon’s parents as well. He didn’t want it to be all about him, of course. He wanted to help out his friend too.

“Oh, Ancient Runes. I hadn’t even thought about that… It is not a subject I’m an expert in, that’s for sure. Maybe it’s a symbol from way back in the day…” He tilted his head and looked over at the other kid. “But… does Lycanthropy have to be transferred genetically? I mean… if my father or mother or someone was one… does it guarantee I would become one? Or is that only when I get bitten by one? Cause to be honest it would be kind of cool to be one, don’t you think? Imagine how many people you could protect from harm if you were… You could sneak in all sorts of places and never be caught because you’re a wolf and you’re faster than them…”

Ben thought about it, looking around the bathroom. “Maybe we could find a better meeting place to discuss this stuff? Have you ever been to the Shrieking Shack? It might be cool if we would do our separate research and then come back there to talk about what we found, instead of this cold bathroom. Plus it’s kind of fitting considering that Lupin used it as a hideout when he was a werewolf, right?”

"I don't know, I think it gets passed on, but then again, I really don't know 100 percent," he said and tried to think about what he read concerning werewolves early in his First Year. That research was quickly replaced with vampires as that carried more importance to him.

Ben mentioned it might be neat to be a werewolf, to protect others, sneak into places, the quicker speeds. "But a werewolf can't just change when he wants to...only at the full moon. So for most of the time you'd just be an average human, you know? It's not like if you or a family member was a vampire. That would bring you more strength, faster reflexes. That would be in your life every day to day. Now that, that might not be so bad, do you think?" he looked to Ben, curious to know his thoughts on it - especially as it was rather important to know the boy's view on the subject.

But he didn't need to make this all about himself. No, Ben was exploring the idea that maybe there was a connection between his father and werewolves and he really needed to help him explore that topic, not go off on tangents. "Sorry. I suppose both are magical creatures and whatnot." Halfbreeds. That's what the school referred to it as.

"I don't know," he whispered. This was something that bothered him.

This was one thing that Simon would disagree on when it came to Ben. Ben had stated that he thought being a vampire would be way better than a werewolf, and that they had freedom. He didn't have any freedom at all. He was what he was, he was bound to get the terrible presence whether he liked it or not, and so forth.

"Werewolves only have to worry about becoming a monster one night of the month," Simon muttered, "those with vampire in them have to live with it every single day, every...waking...moment," he said. And that was a long time. Granted, Simon here was only half so he did sleep and whatnot, but it didn't compare at all to the hours or nights that his peers slept.

"Plus, a werewolf has things like wolfsbane potion to help be normal even when transformed, and they apparently eat normal human things in their diet. I'm not saying that one night isn't really trying for them because from what I've read - it's awful. I just think it would be better than a lifetime of everything else, plus the vampires and dhampirs are walking around with their 'nonhuman' existence, as some call it, all the time. A werewolf can't transform willingly, and is only a werewolf with the night of a full moon." Hell, he'd trade what he had for one right night a month.

But really, he spoke as if he knew of the subject. He didn't know much. Yes, he lived with it every day but there wasn't too much research on vampires, not even in the school library in one of the most prestigious of wizarding schools. Not even elsewhere because he had gone to Flourish and Blotts and asked them if they could order some on the subject. Vampires didn't like to be researched and they often made it so that one couldn't do such a thing. It was unfortunate for him but he learned all he could. At one point, Simon thought about trying to set up a dhampir club at the school but with the Hogwarts Headliner, the school newspaper, still throwing out how awful and dangerous they were - admitting you were a dhampir wasn't the smartest of ideas. "You're not a werewolf, are you?"

He threw it out rather fast and hoped he didn't seem insensitive, but maybe it's why Ben had the viewpoint he had. Maybe it was why he was leaning toward the L in the emblem drawn by his father to mean something with them. Then again, the two boys were just throwing out any idea - big or small. Brainstorming.

Ben listened to the boy, rocking on the back of his heels a bit as he sat on the hard bathroom floor. They would have to find somewhere else to sit and talk soon, he figured. Besides, they would probably get interrupted at any minute, he was sure. He listened as Simon talked about the life of a vampire… almost like he… knew what it was like… from first-hand experience. Ben tilted his head a little, resting his chin against his knees and studying the boy.

“No… no, I’m not a werewolf or anything. At least I’m pretty sure I’m not.” He cleared his throat and then hesitated before asking, “What about you? I mean… you asked me so… are you a vampire or something? Or your family? I won’t judge you if you are. I’m actually really curious to learn more about them. It sounds like it would be a nightmare to live it all the time…”

He suddenly felt sorry for the boy… sympathy, but not like pity. “It is true, isn't it…? You’re a vampire…?” he asked, looking closer at the boy. “It’s okay if you are,” he said softly. “I promise you I won’t tell anyone.”

Simon had done it. He had said too much. He knew that if someone had looked at the amount of books he tried to look through on vampires, or the notes that he was keeping, that they might put it together. And here he had talked too much about it, had let his emotions get in the way and spouted out too much. He had given himself away.

It wasn't because of his pale skin - which he had. It wasn't his coldness, which someone could feel through a handshake. It wasn't that he hardly EVER went outside but the occasional time or two and even then stayed outside only a short while. It wasn't his pupils that enlarged larger when in low lighting, or how often he had to keep his nails trimmed. It wasn't his increased speed or increased strength.

No, it was his own damned ignorance that had given himself away. Simon felt rather foolish but he did feel as though his new Gryffndor friend didn't carry a prejudice towards vampires and dhampirs, so that was a major plus.

Besides, Simon wasn't the type to lie. It didn't matter if Ben Coletti was going to learn his biggest secret - one that some of his other friends didn't even know. He wouldn't lie. He had been asked directly so he would give a direct answer. Lying always only complicated things and truth was always the path to take.

"Uh," he paused. While truth was always the path to take, that didn't mean it was an easy path to go down. "Earlier I said I didn't know much about my father and that's true. I don't know his name, although...I think perhaps he might have been a man to show up at my door over summer holiday break. If so, then I now know what he looks like but I'm not entirely certain it was him. I think so though. Anyway, I know he wasn't a wizard. He wasn't of magic. But...I'm a dhampir, which is someone who is part vampire. With my mum being a witch and not a vampire then the only way that I'm a dhampir is if he's a vampire."

"...Sorry for getting so defensive there, mate. It's all just rather crazy strange to try and sort out. I don't even think my mum knew he was one and then my aunt was totally ignorant to the magical world. As a baby I hated the sun and I'd cry and cry and cry. When I got a little older my aunt and mum took me to the beach and thought that'd be fun but I ended up getting burnt really bad - and I wasn't even out that long. A doctor had suggested it was some genetic disorder called Xeroderma Pigmentosum. By that point in time my mum had already gotten sick from her cancer and was tired of tests and treatments and procedures herself and didn't want to put me through it so she just stuck with it that it was fact. I thought that's what it was until I came here and found out that unicorns and mermaids, trolls and goblins, werewolves and vampires...all truly exist."

"Yeah," he agreed, liking the way Ben Coletti viewed things. "And hey, just for the record...I've never drank blood. Nor do I intend to," he laughed. Oh, how wrong he'd be someday. But for now, the naive Second Year could be.

"I don't even like to eat," he said and knew that sounded probably a little weird. He was always hungry, this weird hunger that never really went away (...probably because he wasn't nourishing himself with blood). "I absolutely hate sweets despite my aunt working at this five star bakery and bookstore in London. I don't like fruit much either. I'll tolerate some vegetables but not a fan of fruit, unless lemon. Guess my food of preference would be steak."

Bacon wasn't bad either, but then again, who didn't like bacon? Weirdos.

"Alright, so now that we got that out of the way and you're still agreeing to allow me to be your partner in crime with research...shall we meet tomorrow after class in the library and see if we can't track down this L emblem thing?" Or at least try to. Simon was going to hope to be optimistic and if the Library would bring them no answers, then they would try again - somewhere else, some other way. True detectives didn't give up.

OOC: If you want, you can always do your reply to this in a new thread in the Library.