Sleepily, Elsbeth rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed. One of her lady's maids had just brought in her breakfast tray. She lounged back against her pillow and watched lazily as the woman busied herself around the room. As the curtains were pushed open, her gaze flicked back to the tray. The afternoon sunlight had illuminated the front page of The Daily Prophet that had been neatly set upon it. Lyra Potter's dead eyes stared up at the bed's canopy.

Elsbeth screeched, snatching the newspaper up in such haste that she knocked her morning glass of wine over. It seeped into her bedsheets as she scrambled to her knees, pouring over the newspaper article. Her lady's maid rushed over to clean up the mess but Elsbeth impatiently batted her away.

'...she reported to the Ministry last month in order to register herself as a vampire...' Elsbeth squeaked. As she read on, her face furrowed into a deep scowl. By the time she reached the last sentence - '...may explain the rash of vampire murders which have come to light since Bennet Potter's death in 1886.' - she was absolutely livid.

"GET ME DRESSED TO GO OUT. NOW!" Elsbeth crumpled the newspaper up and tossed it across the room. She leapt from the bed, stood before her wardrobe for a half-second and then rushed to the corner of the room where the paper had landed. She snatched it up and attempted to smooth it out against her bare legs. It wasn't the same as it had been - Lyra had a crease running across her forehead - but it was still readable.

An hour later, newspaper clutched tightly against her chest, Elsbeth marched across the street and nearly beat the front door down with her incessant knocking. The staff member that answered was not surprised to see her - they never were, really. She was met with the same disdain and barely disguised annoyance as always. She was advised that August wasn't home.

"I don't believe you!" She pushed herself bodily into the foyer. She ran up the stairs, one hand fisted in her skirts and the other waved the newspaper about high above her head, "I need to see him immediately! It's an emergency!"

Elsbeth carelessly flung doors open as she went straight to August's office, "August! August! Have you seen the Prophet this morning?! August?!"

The room was empty. Breathless, she stopped and leaned over his desk to catch her breath.

The staff member caught up to her then, "As you see Mrs. Lupin, your brother is not home."

"I see that."

"I'll be sure to tell him you stopped by. Let me show you out."

"I'll stay for a bit and wait, thank you."

"He'll likely be gone all day-"

"I'll stay."

"Very well."

As she was hesitantly left alone, she paced back and forth in his office. Had he known she was back all along? Had he been seeing her? Did he not know? Now that all of Hogsmeade knew, what was to become of him? Was he going to take her back? He couldn't! She was a vampire for Merlin's sake. Think of what that would do to the family! And his bastard son would surely be outed at that point. The child had Lyra's eyes. Charlotte's eyes? The vampire's eyes.

After another hour had passed, her anxiety left her needing to speak to August somehow. Unsure of where he went and unable to pry it out of the staff, she took it upon herself to write him a series of notes, left scattered around his desk half-haphazardly for whenever he did come home.

They read:

August she has returned! Did you read the Prophet?! You had to have seen it by now! That must be why you aren't home. I hope you aren't going to find her. You know what that would do to our family! Think of your son! He can't have people knowing she's his mother! They won't let him into Hogwarts (assuming that he has magic.)

I swear to Magic Jesus, August, if you are hunting that vampire down I will come after you myself and strangle you with my bare hands!

You're supposed to be getting married this year. I'll find you a nice, suitable, pureblood, HUMAN girl to settle down with. It'll be great. You'll see. Just please don't do anything brash!

Has she tried to contact you? I'm sure she has. The harlot.

I really hope you aren't meeting with her. You've been doing so well without her. Or have you been without her? Did you know she was running around murdering people?

When you get this, come see me.

You took so long to get over her when she disappeared the last time. Don't you think she's going to do it again? Seriously August! And don't you dare make another blood thirsty baby with her!

If I don't see you by tomorrow I'm going to hunt you down and force you to talk to me about this.

As your sister, I'm coming from a place of love and concern for your well-being. PLEASE PLEASE don't get involved with her again.

At least send an owl.

If you send an owl, I'll know it means you're avoiding me because you're guilty.

Her writing hand was too cramped to continue. With much less fanfare than she had originally appeared with, Elsbeth left to await a response of some kind from her brother.