Kiss From a Rose

Chapter 6

Odayaka arrived in time to her Potions class. She took a seat near the back next to a tall Hufflepuff boy. She took out a piece of parchment and quill as soon as the Potions Master entered the classroom. A thin man with sickly yellowish skin and a long hooked nose, long greasy black hair and a look on his face as if he'd just eaten a slug. He looked at the classroom in disgust as he marched up to the front of the room. The class quickly fell deadly silent.

"Well," the professor said impatiently, "what are you waiting for? Open your books to page one and begin." There was a ruffling of paper as people opened their books and emptied their cauldrons. Odayaka reached into her robes to remove some of her own potion ingredients. She quickly began throwing the potion together, her mind still on Fred. She had been awfully short-tempered with him. She chopped up ginger root carefully and added it to her potion.

The Potions Master began strolling up the isles, probably to make sure no one spills anything on his precious floor, Odayaka thought distastefully. He approached Odayaka's desk and peered into her cauldron. He looked at her with a sneer on his face.

"Don't think I'll go any easier on you because you are new, Miss Rose," he hissed. Odayaka didn't look at him, but started grinding up her beetle shells.

"I is not expect sensei go easy on me," she said calmly as she crushed the shells up with her mortal and pestle. The professor continued on, leaving her there to finish up her potion.

When she had finished, she allowed the potion to simmer and she took a break to think. I was awfully cold to him... after all; he was just worried about me. Maybe I should apologize. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the professor looming over her. She looked calmly at him and tilted her head to the side. "Yes?"

"You," he spat, "are already done? Your potion shall be the one I test if that is the case." Odayaka looked up at him confidently.

"I is study be potions master. You no believe I, test yourself," she challenged. The professor gave a slight smirk and gathered up her cauldron. He marched up to the front and motioned for Odayaka to follow. She calmly walked up to the front of the room as the professor set her cauldron on his desk.

"We shall see if your potion works. If it does, you should temporarily lose your voice. If not... well, we'll know if it doesn't work," he said with a cold smile. Odayaka took out a vial, dipped it into her cauldron and collected some of the now slime-green liquid. She looked at it distastefully for a moment.

Well, I drink blood, so this should be no problem... She held the vial to her lips and downed the entire contents. Everyone stared at her for a moment and the teacher turned to her.

"Well... speak, girl," he ordered. Odayaka opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a slight squeak. She strained herself to talk, but found herself unable. The professor looked at her, unamused. "Give me that vial." He took the vial from her and filled it himself. He quickly drank the liquid and set the vial back down. He waited a moment before he opened his mouth to speak. He mouthed words, but nothing came out.

Odayaka collected her cauldron and vial, and headed triumphantly back to her seat. The teacher stood up at the front of the room unamused and waited for his voice to come back.

"Five points from Ravenclaw, for your pompous behavior." Odayaka's jaw dropped. She felt rage bubbling up inside of her, but soon calmed down. It was not a smart thing to speak your mind to a teacher, especially when he's been shown up. She just quietly went to a nearby sink to wash her cauldron and vial.

~*~

At lunch, she told her sister all about the events of the day, including the incident with Fred and the Potions Master.

*Harry told me all about Snape-sensei. Apparently he's the head of Slytherin House and likes to play favorites. You're lucky he only took away five points. From what I've heard, he would've taken fifty if you'd said anything else.*

*I thought about saying something else, but I bit my tongue.* She looked distastefully at the High Table. *At least he's not sucking up to me like some of my other teachers.*

*I suppose you're lucky in that sense,* Emerald said, taking a bite of her sandwich. *You don't like to be favored in the least, do you?* she said, swallowing her bite. Odayaka nodded in agreement, but was preoccupied, watching the Weasley Twins talk in secretive whispers.

*What should I do about... him?* Odayaka asked, shoving her thumb toward the twins. Emerald looked at them, then back to her sister.

*Apologize,* she said, her mouth full of food.

*Close your mouth when you eat, Em-chan,* Odayaka said, making a face. *You're right. I should apologize. Maybe after dinner tonight?*

*Yeah! Take him to a really romantic spot and apologize, then declare your undying love for him!* Emerald said, moving her arms about as if reciting poetry. Odayaka dug her knuckles into her sister's head, making her yelp and giggle. *I was only kidding,* she said.

*You're just lucky that no one can understand us.* She took out her quill and a piece of parchment. *Will you help me write him a note? You're better at writing in Romanji than I am.*

*Sure!* Emerald exclaimed, taking the quill from her sister and scrawling a note out on the parchment.

Fred,

Meet me by the entrance of the Great Hall after dinner.

Come alone.

~Odayaka

Odayaka looked over the letter. *That sounds like I wanna tell him I love him or something!* she said, her face touched with pink. Emerald snatched the letter back and stuck it in her pocket.

*So?* she giggled. Odayaka started to protest, but just sighed and walked back to the Ravenclaw table to finish what was left of lunch. She watched as Emerald handed Fred the note. She looked away quickly when he began scanning the Ravenclaw table for her. There was no way she'd be able to look him in the eye until tonight... tonight... what's happening tonight? Then it hit her, the full moon was that night. She stood up and ran over to her sister.

"Em-chan, must talk," she said, standing her sister up and dragging her away. Fred and George just watched them go to a corner of the Great Hall to talk. *I can't talk to him tonight!* she said urgently.

*Sure you can, just be calm--*

*That's not what I'm talking about! It's a full moon tonight!*

*Oh... dear.* Emerald said. Odayaka looked back at the twins, Fred still clutching the letter in his hands. *You shouldn't go. I'll tell him that you gotta call it off!* Emerald turned around to head back toward the twins, but Odayaka stopped her.

*I have to go. I can't just... let him down like that... I'll go. Besides, it's a little before moonrise anyway! What's the worst that could happen?*

*You could.. turn into a vampire in front of him and suck his blood, then you'd get expelled from school and--*

*That was a rhetorical question, Em-chan.* Odayaka sighed heavily. She couldn't let him down, not after Em had already given him the letter. She would have to go, and make sure she went up to Madam Pomfrey's immediately afterwards.

~*~

That evening came all too fast for Odayaka. She ate her dinner rather slowly, picking at it, piece by piece. After everyone had finished, she waited for Fred to leave the Great Hall.

"I've gotta meet someone," Fred explained to his brother. George snorted indignantly.

"Is it her again? You know, you've been so busy paying attention to her, we haven't pulled a single prank since we got here!" Fred put his hand on his forehead.

"George, I'm not in the mood for this--"

"Well when will you be in the mood for this Fred? It seems to me like you're spending more time with her than me. I'm your twin for crying out loud!" George crossed his arms. "If you gotta go, then go," he muttered, looking less than thrilled.

"I'm glad you see it my way." Fred headed out the Great Hall and waited by the doors. Odayaka appeared soon after and walked over to him. "You wanted to talk to me?" Fred asked, then realized it was a dumb question. Odayaka nodded and looked down at the ground.

"Way Em-chan word letter, all wrong. I want say... I is sorry. Sorry for be mean to Fred-kun." She looked up at him. "I was no feel good."

"It's alright, I understand," Fred said quietly. The doors of the Great Hall opened and a few other people exited. "Maybe we should go somewhere a bit more private."

"Ahh--" Odayaka started to protest, but then realized she owed it to him. She obediently followed him out the doors and down toward the Quidditch field, her head pounding. The blood rushing through her ears sounded like she was standing next to a waterfall. A sickening feeling welled up inside her again. That little bit of medical blood was not enough to suffice her slowly growing hunger. She could even hear Fred's heartbeat speeding up inside his chest. She wondered what the taste of his warm blood on her lips--NO! I can't think about that! I would never hurt Fred! At least, I don't think I would.

He stopped and turned around when they'd gotten onto the pitch. He motioned for her to look up, and she did. It was beautiful, millions of stars stretched across the black sky.

"Is beautiful! I no could see so many stars in Tokyo. Too bright." She gazed up at the stars, fascinated. Fred just looked at her with a soft smile on his face. Odayaka soon felt his gaze upon her and she looked at him. "What? I has something on face?"

"No," he laughed. "I was just admiring something more beautiful than the stars," he said, and realized a bit too late how corny it sounded. "Well, that was pretty cheesy, wasn't it?" he laughed nervously.

Odayaka blinked visibly. "Cheesy?" she repeated. Even in such pale light, she could see his face was more red than his hair. She smiled briefly at this. She looked over to the east where the moon was coming up, full and blood-red.

"Well, that doesn't happen very often, a blood-red moon," he said, quietly. Odayaka looked down and away from the moon.

"Is beautiful," she muttered. She soon found it harder and harder to breath, as if someone was cutting off her air supply. I have to get to Madam Pomfrey's office, quickly! She took a step backwards, but her legs gave way underneath her and she sank to her knees. Too late, she thought grimly. Fred saw her sink to the ground and he kneeled next to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked urgently. She put her hand to her throat and shook her head.

"No. There is something... Fred-kun no know about me," she panted. She swallowed hard and shuddered involuntarily, clutching the grass with one hand. Fred moved to put a hand on her back and she lashed out and hit his hand away. "G-gomen ne."

"Do you want me to go and get Madam Pomfrey?" he asked desperately. She grabbed his robes with a weak hand and her shoulders shook like she was crying. Her voice came out in a pitiful squeak.

"Fred-kun... please stay..." She suddenly doubled over in pain and she held back a scream that was rising in her throat. She coughed hard and red blood splattered across the wet grass. Her whole body sagged against Fred for a moment and she stopped shuddering. Fred put a hand on her back, he realized she wasn't breathing.

"Odie? Odie!" He grabbed her by her shoulders and forced her into a sitting position. Her eyes were open and she was looking at the ground, except they were no longer the sky blue they had once been. Now they were a dark red, like the moon, like blood. She looked at him sadly and drew in a raspy breath.

"Wh..." he started. She put a finger on his lips to silence him, then let her hand fall down and rest on the ground.

"What Fred-kun no know, is I is banpia." Her now red eyes searched his face. Tears just as red as her eyes began falling down her cheeks, leaving long red streaks down her face. Do it. Get up and run away. Run away just like anyone else I've ever cared about, she thought morosely.

"You're a vampire? Is that why you got sick today in Professor Lupin's class?" Odayaka nodded sadly, and more tears of blood ran down her cheeks. She wiped them off on her sleeve.

"I go to Hospital Wing... I must--"

"You need blood," he finished. Odayaka's eyes traveled back to the ground. She ran her finger across the grass where she had coughed up the blood before her transformation. She put her finger to her lips and licked the blood from her finger. Fred grimaced, "it's a long way to the Hospital Wing," he said quickly.. "Are you sure you can make it?" She looked at him.

"You is no scared of me?" Fred smiled and shook his head.

"No," he said. "Answer my question."

"I... no know."

"Well, how about I give you--"

"No," she said sternly before he even finished his sentence. He reached up and began untying his tie.

"But you don't have any choice. You need to get up there, don't you? I know I'm not gunna try and carry you all that way. No offense." He unbuttoned the top button on his shirt so his neck was exposed. Odayaka licked her lips hungrily, but then gave herself a mental slap for even thinking such a thing. She shook her head.

"No," she repeated.

"Nothing you say is gunna change my mind on this subject," he said, determined.. "I'll tell ya when to stop. Just enough to get you up to the Hospital Wing, right?" Odayaka nodded and continued to look at the ground. He crossed his arms. "So what... you got fangs or something?" She gently grabbed his arm and pulled his hand toward her. She pierced the skin on the tip of his finger with her fingernail (which were now glassy and razor sharp) and he winced a bit. She opened her mouth, full of regular human teeth, but when she licked the blood off the tip of his finger, two pearly white fangs unsheathed themselves from her normal teeth.

"I's no know how, but blood do that." Fred nodded and brought her face closer to his neck.

He drew in a few shuddering breaths. "Go ahead."