Underneath It All

A/N: I own nothing expect Therese and Madison. Lestat belongs to Anne Rice, and he's only in this chapter..so ha! Please go watch the trailer for this fic, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcikFFg2Bro

I am flesh and blood that much is true. But human, I have not been human in over two hundred years. 1791 was the year that it happened. I was sixteen younger than some of the children I will be teaching, but times were different then I was a woman at that age. I was betrothed to one of my father’s business associates, but my parents perished in an accident suddenly. I became the mistress of a plantation just south of New Orleans, but I longed to crawl in their grave with them. I could not bear the pain of their loss, and I wanted to be released from it. I wanted to lose it all, my wealth, my estate…my sanity. My invitation was open to anyone, but it was a vampire that accepted it.

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Therese Wallace made her way up to the huge castle know as Hogwarts. It was strange for her to be using her birth name again, even after a hundred years of using her maiden name ‘Wallace’; she had called herself ‘Therese de Lioncourt’ for over a hundred years as well. She was never married, no. But Lestat, her sire, had been her very common law ‘husband’ for a hundred years. The Brat Prince was the vampire who embraced her. He taught her the ways of kindred and how to survive. He soon after became her lover.

That had been long over now though. All the other professors were already at Hogwarts, Dumbledore made arrangements for her to travel at night, to avoid the risk of her burning up in the sunlight. Apprehension and a mix of hunger swirled in her stomach. Kindred were not smiled upon in the wizarding community; in fact they were not accepted. They were called ‘dirty blood’s’ and ‘demon children’. She wondered if Dumbledore even told the other professors what she was.

These were dark times, even for the vampire community. It was rumored that the Dark Lord was returning. With his return he would slaughter all kindred, for their ‘dirty blood’. She loved the irony of it all. She was once a pure-blood witch, she still was in fact she carried her wand but she was also ‘undead’, which suddenly made her a second class citizen. They didn’t realize they could be embraced as easily as she was.

Lestat used to tell her to damn them all, to go on the hunt and drain them all dry. But she never did, she killed only once in her very long life. She had never drained a person to the point of death, and unlike Lestat she only feed when she had to, for her own survival. Around 1801, she refused to feed, feeling shunned by the wizarding community she tried to deny what she was, and she went into what the vampire community called ‘the frenzy’, the beast inside her took over as she staved her self and she lost control. She didn’t even remember how many she killed, but she drained a few people dry, she knew it, she could feel it in her heart. Unlike Lestat, Lestat killed two, sometimes three a night. A fresh young girl that was his favorite for the first of the evening. For seconds, he preferred a gilded beautiful youth. But the snob in him loved to hunt in society, and the blood of the aristocrat thrilled him best of all.

“Whining coward of a vampire that prowls the night killing rats and poodles; you could have finished us both.” She could still hear Lestat scolding her, when she was first embraced because she could not feed off a human.

“Forgive me if I have a lingering respect for life!” was always her response.

“You have condemned me to hell.” She mumbled under her breath. As she pushed open the large castle doors with all of her might.

As she entered the Great Hall, she saw Dumbledore flanked other witches and wizards at a long table with one seat open. Her stomach churned as she twisted her hands nervously. Albus Dumbledore looked up for his conversation with McGonagall to see a hooded dark cloak; it could only be one person. Minerva stood grabbing her wand and pointing it at the figure.

“Minerva, it is fine. Therese de Lioncourt!” He smiled warmly opening his arms to her. Slowly the figure slid its’ pale white hands up the hood and sliding it off. She revealed her face and all the staff stared at her, she was pretty that was true. But her dark gift, was seduction, it made it easier to feed. Anyone who laid eyes upon her thought she was goddess, the most beautiful woman to walk the Earth. After a while they would see her for what she really was, it didn’t take that long of being a around a vampire with the gift of seduction for it’s’ effect to wear off, and the y be able to see her for what she truly looked like.

“Albus,” she gave him a tight lipped smile, hiding her fangs. Albus Dumbledore was the only man whoever treated her like she was still a human being.

“Come up here, dear. We are having supper and deciding on lesson plans.” He smiled waving her up. She shrugged out of her cloak revealing herself. She only stood about five feet tall that was mostly because once she was embraced she would never change. She would never grow any taller, she would never gain weight, and if she cut her hair it would grow back in seconds. She had long dark brown almost black hair that hung down to about her mid thighs, that was always Lestat’s favorite feature about her, her hair. She had high chiseled cheekbones, and full pouty lips. Her eyes where the thing that caught most people’s attention though, they changed after she was turned into a vampire. They turned from a light dull blue, to a fierce Azure color, and her pupils had become like a cats.

Albus to her small frail hand in his and lead her to sit in the seat between him and a very miserable dark haired man. She took she seat and crossed her legs at the ankles like she had always been taught.

“Albus, I have been Therese Wallace for over a hundred years now, please do not connect with that awful……man.” She said choosing her words wisely; it was now obvious to her Albus was the only one who knew of her…..condition. The dark haired man shot her a quizzical glance when she said ‘over a hundred years.’

“Right, dear. I was sorry to hear of Lestat’s passing…you could not have lost all emotion for the ……………man.” Albus smiled, following Therese’s lead by calling Lestat a man.

“Oh, but I have. He manipulated me in more ways than anyone should be. I am full regret for spending the time that I did with him,” Therese said her eyes fixed on the plate in front of her.

“Oh, dear! You must be famished.” Albus cocked an eyebrow asking her his silent question.

“Animals’ is fine.” Therese smiled, again tight lipped. Albus snapped his fingers and a small house elf appeared at his side. Albus whispered softly in the elf’s ear, so the others could not hear. The elf disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

Albus softly clinked his spoon against his glass, as the staff stopped their conversations and looked at him expectantly.

“This is Therese Wallace, she will be teaching defense against the dark arts this year.” Albus smiled. The staff all spoke their greetings and smiled at her. Except the dark haired man he threw her the most hate filled look she ever received in her very long life.

“Albus, she’s a mere babe.” McGonagall spoke. “No offense, dear.” McGonagall smiled warmly. Therese chuckled under her breath, at the irony. “If you only knew dear woman.” She thought, just flashing McGonagall a tight lipped smile.

“Actually, Therese is older than myself.” He flashed Therese a heart warming smile.

“What?!” McGonagall asked, obviously confused. Albus flashed Therese a look that told her it was time to let the cat out of the bag.

“I am a Kindred.” Therese said softly, almost ashamed she flashed her fangs. There was a collective gasp. But the dark haired man looked at her; she read his look as a look of disgust. She could feel his gaze burning holes into her. A small elf behind her placed a clear crystal glass in front of her, filled with blood. As she took a small sip she realized it was pigs’ blood.

“Albus, she cannot teach the children.” Therese heard someone speak. She kept her gaze fixated on her dinner.

“Are you questioning my judgment?” He spoke softly but at the same time firmly. Therese smiled to herself; he was sticking up for her. Not many Wizards would do that for a vampire.

“Not at all…but.”

“If anyone is qualified, Therese is.” He flashed another smile.

“Thank you.” She mumbled under her breath.

“Do crucifixes really work?” A HUGE man asked her, she sensed no fear off him, more curiosity. She liked that. She hoped that maybe he would become an ally in this place.

“Crucifixes?” Therese asked looking down the table at him.

“Yeah, can you look at ‘em?” He asked, looking in her eyes.

“Actually I am quite fond of looking at crucifixes.” She smiled at him, taking a long sip of her blood. His mouth formed an “Oh” and he nodded.

“I’m Therese, and you are?” She asked even though he already knew her name…they all did.

“Hagrid.” He smiled.

“It’s a pleasure.” She smiled as warmly, her fangs tended to take the warmness from her smile.

“Same ‘ere.”


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Albus actually led her to her chambers, which shocked her. She thought he would have more pressing matters, with the children arriving tomorrow, but he led her all the same... Maybe it was because he didn’t trust his staff not to try and stake her right there in the hallways, her mind wandered al sorts of places.

He showed he her classroom, he had dark thick curtains hanging from the windows to keep the sunlight out. Which she thanked him for, of course.

He showed her threw the dungeons where they had her room, there was sunlight at all which made Therese’s heart skip a beat.

She sat in a plush arm chair in front of the fireplace in her chambers. Albus had really out done himself, he had gotten her the most beautiful coffin, she had ever seen, and her rooms still had a bed since there was no sun, incase she preferred to try and sleep in a bed again.

She sat in front of the fire, sipping her blood and just thinking. She expected a letter from Madison soon.
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1798:

Therese watched the sweet young child wake from her slumber. Lestat and Therese had found her crying in an alleyway over her mother’s dead body. Her mother obviously died from sickness. Therese’s heart or what she had left of it ached for the girl. Lestat had told her, if they didn’t embrace her she would surely die. So now Therese and Lestat waited for the sweet girl, who said her name was Madison to wake.

“Where's mama?” the poor girl moaned, as she sat up rubbing her eyes.

“Mama... mama has gone to heaven, Chérie, like that sweet lady right there. They all go to heaven.” Lestat said wrapping an arm around the girl pulling her in to his embrace. Therese gaze traveled to the corpse Lestat hadn’t gotten rid of yet…oh his feeding habits made her sick.

“All but us.” Therese mumbled under her breath.

“Shh. Do you want to frighten our little daughter?” Lestat smiled wickedly at Therese. She should have known, he manipulated her. He didn’t care about Madison. Her had Therese feed on her and embrace her, so that know Therese could never leave him, or she would leave Madison ‘motherless’.

“I'm not your daughter.”

“Oh, yes, you are. You're mine and Therese's daughter now. You see, Therese was going to leave us, she was going to go away, but now she's not. Now, she's going to stay and make you happy.” Lestat smiled wickedly over Madison’s shoulder.

“Therese.” The sweet girl looked at Therese with her big blue eyes, and she could feel her resolve crumbling. Madison launched herself at Therese, wrapping her in a big hug. Therese hugged Madison back, burring her face in Madison’s long, black curly hair.

“You fiend!” Therese hissed as she looked up to make eye contact with Lestat.

“One big, happy family.” He smiled sickenly sweetly at her.

1836:

As the years past Madison was getting more and more angry that she would never grow up. Therese understood the poor girl’s frustrations and if she could take back what she and Lestat had done, she would. Therese had also become Madison mother, more than Lestat her father. Madison had realized year ago, that she was just Lestat’s trickery to keep Therese with him. Therese came to Madison’s room to check on her. She blinked shocked by what she saw: a naked, rotting woman’s corpse in Madison’s bed, surrounded by dolls. As Madison’s Indian-style staring at it.


”Madison… Madison! What have you done?!” Therese screamed shocked. Lestat ran in Madison’s room a look of disgust on his face.


”What you told me to do!” She fired back at Lestat.

“Leave a corpse here to rot!?” Therese screamed hysterical

“I wanted her!!! I wanted to be her!” Madison grabbed a knife off her dresser and grabbed a handful of her dark curly locks, sliding the knife threw them. She screamed in frustration when her hair grew back seconds later.

“Which one of you did it? One of you did it! Which on of you made me the way I am?!” She screamed.

“What you are? A vampire gone insane that pollutes its own bed?” Lestat hissed disgusted.

“And if I cut my hair again?” Madison challenged.

“It will grow back again.” Lestat said calmly.

“But it wasn't always so. I had a mother once, and Therese, she had a family. She was mortal the same as them and so was I.” Madison hissed angrily.

“ Madison.” Therese warned.

“You made us what we are, didn't you?!” She screeched.

“Stop her, Therese.” Lestat hissed.

“Did you do it to me?” Madison lunged forward slashing Lestat’s face with the knife I her hand. She jumped back shocked when his face healed almost instantly. “How did you do it?” Madison screeched.

“Why should I tell you? It's in my power. Why should I tell you? It's in my power.” Lestat said smugly.

“Why yours alone? Tell me how it was done.”

“Be glad I made you what you are. You'd be dead now if I hadn't, just like that damned corpse. Now, get rid of it!” Lestat yelled.

“You get rid of it.” Madison hissed, her face inches from Lestat’s.