Chapter 56

Harry stiffened as he felt his arm become encased between two globes of flesh. He knew what they were. He had studied anatomy. But for some reason, knowing what they were did not make dealing with the fact that there were two nicely developing breasts being pressed against his arm.

"You are the one who rescued me," Selene continued as if she did not know what her actions caused. "The one who took responsibility for me and looked after me. Perennelle told me what you did. It was very heroic of you. You my hero. My amore."

The words that Harry wanted to say were there, they were on the tip of his tongue. Yet for some reason, he could not say them. It was like they had gotten lodged in the back of his throat.

When he finally did gain the ability to speak, it had nothing to do with her use of that strange petname.

"Selene, where are we going?" he asked, recognizing the hallway they were walking down. "This doesn't lead anywhere near the dining room." He had not had breakfast yet. With how difficult his workload was now, Harry had no desire to cook his own food. At the very least, he enjoyed having his breakfasts made for him by someone else.

"I thought we could use a change of venue," Selene answered him with her usual smirk.

Harry said nothing more, mainly because he did not know what to say. A few seconds later, he was led out onto a veranda overlooking one of several gardens surrounding the Flamel's home. It was, like the rest of the estate, built in a Renaissance style. The wall blocking off the area was made from stone and carved with vine shaped reliefs. The tables and chairs were very extravagant, with beautifully crafted inlays and made from a combination of crystal, polished steel and varnished wood.

There was food already on the table, showing that Selene had been preparing for his arrival before he had even come, maybe even before he had woken up.

Selene guided Harry over to the table, sitting him down on the chair situated in front of what Harry recognized as the food he normally ate at the Flamel's; six scrambled eggs, two pieces of turkey bacon, a bowl of assorted fruits with greek yogurt and a glass of orange juice. The young vampire sat on the opposite side in front of what Harry knew was the traditional Italian colazionel; a cappuccino with a lot of foam, and assorted bread rolls with butter and jam.

For a moment, all was silent except for the sounds of utensils clinking against plates as the two ate their meals in silence. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry would look over at Selene every so often. The vampire girl did not seem bothered by this, or even to notice his constant looks. She just ate with the grace and dignity one would expect from some kind of noble.

"You have questions for me."

Ok, so she did notice.

"I do," Harry frowned. How had she managed to figure that out? Was he that transparent?

"Yes."

Harry's eye twitched, but he did his best to remain relatively calm. It would not do to let himself be bothered by this girl's words.

"You're going to have to teach me how you do that."

"It's not that hard," Selene shrugged, her eyes dancing with mischief and a smirk on her face. "It just takes practice. And you're very easy to read right now. Most people are when they're completely out of their element. They just don't do well when surprised or frustrated by something, and it's easy to guess what they're thinking because whatever poker face they have drops."

Another frown plastered itself on his face. He did not like to think his calm facade was so easily destroyed in the face of the unexpected. How could he be expected to thrive when meant with a surprise?

"You may ask your questions, if you wish. I won't bite." Selene smiled, her eyes going half lidded as she stared at him. Harry felt his heart beat quickening and blood begin rushing to his cheeks. "At least, not unless you want me to."

Harry tried to ignore the way his face felt flush at her words. He didn't know why they got to him so much. They shouldn't, so he did his best to ignore them.

"I noticed that you, well, that you don't seem affected by sunlight," Harry started, only to stop when Selene interrupted him.

"And you wish to know why I am not burning to dust and ashes right now?"

"Yes."

"Hmm..." Selene hummed to herself before taking a sip of her cappuccino. "In order to understand why I am not dying an agonizing death via sunlight, you must first understand us vampires."

She paused, her eyes growing a tad distant before focusing on him.

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