Chapter 66: A Birthday Bash Times Three

"So the Dracul family isn't the only Vampire coven out there?" Harry asked as he and Selene once again found themselves sitting out on the Veranda eating breakfast. As usual, Harry was eating six eggs, sunnyside up this time, with his Greek yogurt fruit bowl. Instead of orange juice, this time he had a cup of steaming Earl Grey tea. Meanwhile, Selene was having her usual fair right down to the foam covered cappuccino.

It had become something of a tradition between them to always have breakfast together before Nicolas pulled Harry away to begin teaching him. Harry in particular enjoyed these moments because it was a chance to pick Selene's brain about Vampires and Vampire Traditions. He often found himself captivated by the depth of knowledge this girl told him about her race.

"That's right," Selene nodded her head as she picked up her cappuccino and took a sip. When she pulled away there was a mild amount of foam on her upper lip, making it look like she had a light brown mustache. "The Dracul family is actually a newer coven. We've only been around for a little less than five hundred years. Some of the older covens have existed for well over two thousand years. I know of at least thirteen covens who are far older and more powerful than the House of Dracul."

"That means they were around before the time of the founders," Harry murmured to himself. Now that was interesting. The Four Founders who had built Hogwarts had been around since before the start of the new calender. If he recalled his information correctly, Hogwarts had originally be built during the late first century, and both Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin had been almost a century into their life before than.

It was interesting to note that witches and wizards back then lived much longer than they did now. By the time he had died, Godric Gryffindor was three hundred and twenty two years old. Dumbledore would be lucky if he lived to be two hundred.

Despite his mind registering and cataloging the information in the space of his brain where he stored all the knowledge he had acquired on vampires, his attention was elsewhere.

Namely, it was one the foam that was still on Selene's upper lip.

"Selene," Harry coughed into his hand to get her attention.

"Hmm?" Selene looked up at him, a small smile playing on her face.

"You have a little something on your..." Harry pointed to his upper lip, trying to indicate that she had foam on her lip without sounding rude. He was actually surprised she had not wiped it off yet. It was pretty thick foam. Had she truly not noticed it?

"Something on my what?" asked Selene, tilting her head to the side in what passed as general inquisitiveness. Harry grimaced. He was now sure she was doing it on purpose, not wiping it off because she knew it would bother him. She was trapping him because she knew he would not be able to talk with her while foam was covering her mouth like that.

And dammit if it didn't work. It was beginning to drive him to distraction!

"Here, let me get that for you."

Grabbing his napkin, Harry leaned over and gently wiped off the foam from Selene's upper lip. Judging from the smile on her face, he knew this was what she had wanted. Just why she had wanted it was something he still had yet to discover.

"Thank you," Selene grabbed his hand before he could take it away, her vampire speed and strength far exceeding his natural human strength. It bothered him tremendously that she was so much stronger than him physically simply because she was a pureblood Vampire while he was just human. He wouldn't take it out on her, because it wasn't her fault, but that did not stop it from annoying him.

She took the napkin from his hand, setting it on the table before allowing it to join her other hand in holding his. Slowly, she pressed her lush, red lips against his palm, kissing it. "You're always such a gentlemen."

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. For whatever reason, Selene always acted like this when he was around. He assumed it was just her personality, how she always acted regardless of most circumstances. By this point in time he had pretty much grown used to her antics. Desensitization, he believed it was called.

"You're welcome," Harry played along. It was easier to let her have her fun. Less embarrassing that way as well.

He had expected Selene to do what she usually did when he got caught in her trap; smile, say something to try and make him blush, then allow him to regroup. It was what she usually did.

When, after several seconds, Selene did not let go of his hand, Harry looked back at the young Vampire currently in his company.

His first, immediate observation of Selene was to note that her eyes were partially glazed over and half lidded. They were different from the usual half-lidded look she often gave him, the one that still managed to set his heart racing for some reason beyond his comprehension. That gaze looked like it was piercing him, stripping him, devouring him.

This gaze just looked hungry.

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