Athena was pacing back and forth in her office, wondering what she would do for the next half of the year's lessons in dueling. She was thinking about maybe showing them some more offensive moves than last lessons, but she didn't quite know how to set them up. Last lesson, one of the students had managed to blow up three of the dummies by trying to use a protego charm, and that really wasn't a good thing. Though she chuckled lowly to herself thinking about it. And the dummies were easily repaired with a simple reparo charm, so she didn't know quite what she was worrying about.

Truth was that the knowledge of the headmaster being a vampire gnawed in her brain. She didn't want to do anything about it, honestly, but she didn't know if that was the right thing to do. Not to the staff anyways. They didn't seem to be oppressive when it came to blood and the like. And the rights of vampires had improved greatly the last few years. But on top of the war, it would most likely be too much to accept a headmaster as a vampire in the society as well. And it really wasn't for Athena to tell.

But she couldn't help but ponder about it. She leaned against her wall, looking out the window with a sigh. Maybe she'd go for a run in her panther form? Or go speak to some random snakes? She shook her head exasperatedly. She needed to stop joking about that. Even to only herself. She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear the footsteps outside her office, or the knock on her door.

It might have been a day or so since talking with the educators in the lounge, but he couldn't exactly be sure when it was. It wasn't often his thoughts were troubled, but this was an occasion in which they were. He was worried. He paced around in his office, thinking. The dueling educator had obviously not said anything yet, as no letter from the ministry came. Maybe she was just planning though. He needed to be sure, he couldn't spend every moment concerned over if she was going to let something slip or not.

Although things had become better for beings like his kind and werewolves, there were still many things which were a struggle. The beings of older generations still faced more judgement then those more recently born or turned. Many like him were still not allowed to possess wands, and many were still refused jobs, especially teaching. Luc felt right in he middle and he was unsure of it all. He didn't know what could happen if it got out. Some may not care, some may be bothered by his position and request he be taken out. He didn't want to chance it though. And he'd not let someone ruin this for him. Luc leaned over and picked up little Nap that was laying by his feet and he then set out from his office.

He made his way towards Athena's office. He'd need to settle and sort through a few things with her. She just didn't understand, he thought. And he'd need to make her understand. This was something he wanted to do so much, and he'd not let this get in the way of his dream. He'd spend so many years aimless with no direction, and now that he found his direction, there was now purpose in his life. He refused to have that challenged or taken away from him.

He yawned, it being around noon time, usually a time he was sleeping. But with this new life he'd need to change around his schedule. He strayed away from the open corridors or corridors with a lot of window. With light footsteps he then found himself at her office door. He knocked but there was no answer. He knew she was in there though. Was she avoiding him and foolish enough to think she could hide or something? He knocked again, a bit more firmly this time though. "Educator Gaunt-"

Athena spun around when she heard a strong knock come to the door, followed by a 'educator Gaunt'. She held her chest for a second, having jumped at the sudden sound. Then she shook her head. She walked to the door, knowing who she'd find on the other side. She was pretty sure she knew what he wanted, so she put her hand on the doorknob, twisted and opened the door.

Luc was standing there, as she had expected, with Nap under his arm. He was the same as always, looking tired, but he also looked troubled. Of course he'd look troubled. Athena was threatening his career just by thinking. She didn't want to do that, but she needed to be sure he wouldn't do anything rash, though she was pretty sure he wouldn't. She was slightly glad that he was there. He would make up her mind for her.

Athena gave a nod. "Headmaster Laval," she said dryly and stepped aside, letting him come into the room.

She closed the door behind him and walked to her desk, sitting down, suddenly feeling extremely tired. She gestured to the chair and looked on as she wondered how he'd begin to explain the situation.

Luc's eyes were drawn down a moment, his eyebrows knit. He let out a slow breath, but at the sounds of footsteps and the a hand to the doorknob, he looked back up as it opened. There seemed to be a conflict behind her eyes. But of course there would be. Any human would be conflicted. There were time he even doubted himself, worried over his own actions, disliked his curse bestowed on him as a child so much he didn't know what to do with himself.

He gave a small nod back to her, but when she stepped aside to let him in the room he didn't take his eyes off her. A non-verbal invitation was not enough to ease the discomfort he felt upon entering a room not of his domain. He cleared his throat a bit as she went over to her desk and he sighed, sounding tired himself.

There was no use trying to keep up any walls with her. He needed to be honest and open with her so he could earn her trust.

Athena noticed how his eyes didn't leave her as she went to sit down. The aura of the room was not a very comfortable one. She pulled out her wand at pointed it at the door.

"Muffilato," she said softly, the spell making sure no one but the two in the room could hear what they were saying.

She looked at him and then at Nap. He was pretty dependent of that dog it seemed. She looked back up at him when he sighed. He sounded as exhausted as she was. No wonder really. He was probably worse off than her. She watched his face closely. Normally, she'd know the difference between a vampire and a human, but it wasn't the case with Luc. If she hadn't know, there was no way she would ever have guessed.

"So, you're a vampire and headmaster," she said, not knowing what to say.

She really wanted to know everything. How he became one. Why he became one. What he did as one. How he had lived as one. How he had ended up as headmaster. And last, but certainly not least, how he had managed to conceal his identity from the staff and ministry.

Luc visibly tensed, clenching his jaw, when she drew her wand, but he relaxed a moment later when she just muffled the sounds of the room. He held back a groan as he took a few steps into the room, still holding Nap securely in his arms for his source of comfort. That little dog seemed to be the only constant in his life before the school.

He waited a moment before taking the few more steps to reach the chair and he finally took a set, but he still didn't stop staring at her. It almost seemed like he wasn't even blinking. He noticed the way she looked back at him, seeming to study him.

He simply nodded when she spoke. "Observant." was all he said at first.

He breathed out, leaning back a little in the chair. "I'm going to be observant too and say you've not told anyone, seeing as I've not been removed from my position. Is that right?" He asked her, not so careful with his words, though he should have been. She held everything in her hands at the moment.

He furrowed his eyebrows slightly, taking his eyes off her a brief moment to look down at the dog in his arms. When he looked back up at her he said firmly, "I need your trust..."

Athena watched, not quite able to hide her amusement, when he slowly walked over to the chair and finally decided to sit down. She then shrugged. "You weren't really trying to hide it in the Apothecary," she said calmly, "It wasn't that hard to guess."

She looked at his face, trying to read it as he said she hadn't said anything. She wondered what kind of vampire he was, especially thinking about the fact that he said it in such a harsh way, almost threatening. She didn't think too much about it. He was a vampire, yes, but even for daywalker, vampires were extremely touchy around the sun. She could fend for herself. Or she tried to convince herself of it. She really wasn't sure.

"Should I have?" she asked coolly.

When he said that he needed her trust, she rose an eyebrow. She wondered what was going on in his head at that moment. 'I need your trust' was not as easy as just that. To trust him, she needed to know the answers to her questions.

"Well, you know what they say; trust is earned," she said stoicly.

Well, that was true. He'd not tried to hide it. Why try when in an area like that full of people he would never see again, and if he did it would be in a hungered state, looking for a fix. It was hard to always keep up an appearance, be something that you're not. "I suppose, but why even try to hide it there? People there aren't typically ones that would be a threat to my position... And considering what I was getting, even if I was trying to hide it better, you'd have been able to guess."

He raised his eyebrows a bit, impressed by how well she seemed to be able to manage her emotional response and her world. "I don't think that would be necessary. I wouldn't be here if I thought I was a threat to anyone." Though if she was going to be closed minded and difficult, there may be issues with that. He could always just excuse her from her position. But from that first encounter, she didn't seem so closed minded...merely curious. "How much do you know of...my kind?" he seemed to struggle that out when he said it.

He sighed, resting his arm that was petting Nap on the arm of the chair. "I understand that. But what must I do? Tell you my story? I hardly think much of my past would be too reassuring, to be honest." He needed to be honest though, he knew that. He would have to force himself to answer whatever she requested of him so they could be done with this and move on from it.

Athena knew he was right. There was no point in hiding who you were in that alley. It was filled with all sorts of creatures and people. She wouldn't be surprised if she happened to run into a werewolf there. Especially considering how many werewolves had to go there to by Wolfsbane. She wondered what it was like for Luc, though. "One of the reasons I haven't rattled. You seemed to be looking for some kind of substitution," she said, knowing he would understand that she was talking about blood.

Athena nodded. She didn't think he was imposing as a threat either. Another one of the reasons. He seemed too ... gallant? Something like that. She then frowned lightly. The way that he stopped before saying 'my kind'. Athena bit her bottom lip. "I know a lot about your kind, but I also know that a vampire's life is ruled by decisions as much as a human's life is, though probably the notch tougher to decide on," she said calmly.

Athena's frown deepened. "I'm not gonna ask you how many people you've killed. I'm not gonna condemn you for being what you are. I'm not that feeble. I don't have the right to judge you. I have no idea what it's like to be a vampire. But I want to know what happened that changed your mind, so I can decide if it's a good enough reason to stop being what your nature says you are," she said. Then she sighed. "If that was even understandable," she added.

She then looked at him. He didn't look too pleased with the situation. Of course he wasn't. It was his job at stake, but still... He looked ... hateful. Not to her, but himself. She bit her bottom lip again. "Also; do you hate being what you are? Do you hate yourself?" she asked quietly.

He nodded when she said that he seemed to be looking for a substitution, he found that he was a bit thankful for their meeting now in the alley.. "Yes, that I am... You may be surprised how many of us actually are looking for it..." As least from what he had heard, it seemed to be a substantial amount. He could't be sure how many though, he never was too social with others like him. The occasions he had met with others he felt so distant to them that they felt like a different sort. And no matter how kind they were, he was filled with a deep rooted hatred for all of their kind because of the group that had killed his father and turned him. Even after all these years there was still something human left in him....as least in a sense. He sighed, looking at her with tired eyes. "There are a lot of things I wish I didn't have to make decisions over, but now with a purpose in life...things have become easier, you could say."

He narrowed his eyes at her a bit, curious and interested in what she had to say. "Thank you, and I think I understand..." he murmured. He adjusted himself in the chair, moving Nap more onto his lap. He looked at Athena again, now sitting up a bit straighter. He seemed to be thinking, trying to put together what he needed to say in the best way he could. "I was so....so resentful of what happened to me...of what made me like this." there seemed to be an undertone of contempt in those last few words. "I was still just a child, I had no direction and I suppose I felt that I could do anything. As I grew older, I realized my wrongs and my real desires. I slowly began to formulate what I planned to do with my life. I needed to plan something...otherwise nothing would change. When I learned enough to realize I could teach...that was it. I realized that was what I wanted to do. Especially history, I had already lived through so much of it, who better to teach it? At that point, I had already been living as a day walker, as a human for years...."

He trailed off, and drew his eyes away from her at her question. "I suppose...I know I'm still not used to it, despite all the years. I hate never knowing how much time has passed, or not having friends because they all pass away... I still hate the taste, the tiredness, so yes, I do." He could hardly bring himself to look at her. On the inside he felt like he was choking, but the words slid out as if they were effortless. The most strange sort of feeling.

Athena smiled a bit. She thought she'd be surprised too. She honestly didn't mind vampires as long as they didn't try to suck her blood out, so she hadn't thought about a substitute for blood at all before now. It was weird to think about. She figured it was so much in their nature that they wouldn't try to defy it. She was obviously mistaken. She had no idea how many vampires wanted to change their way of living. She nodded when Luc said the thing about decisions. She couldn't imagine how hard it must've been to adapt to such a change.

Athena tilted her head slightly to the side, paying close attention to the next things he said. She grew curious about how he had been changed now, but she realized that the humanity in him had never truly left him, so she felt herself relax more. She put her elbows on her desk and leaned her head on them, watching him closely as he kept telling his story. "It pretty much sounds like a very strong reason to keep yourself. It's more than I've seen before," she said with a slight smile.

She then frowned. The words he spoke came out so fluently that they sounded monotone and rehearsed, and if it hadn't been for the way his eyes flickered, she wouldn't have believed him in the slightest. But it seemed as if he had a hard time saying it, even after all the years he'd been alive. She supposed it was long as well, as he had obviously lost some of his friends already. She actually felt so bad for him, that she, for a second, wished she could stay the same age as she was so he'd be happy. Athena really had to work on the way she always had to help people. "I don't think you should hate yourself. It clearly wasn't a deliberate change, and if it wasn't, then it means you do want to be the way you always were. That makes you a good guy," she added lightly, her smile widening.

Her mind was tilting to the side of just trusting him. He seemed very truthful, and she couldn't imagine why he'd want to lie. If he was a psychopath, he wouldn't be loving that dog of his as much as he did, so that wasn't it either. She knew he was what he said he was. She knew he was speaking the truth, but still, trusting people weren't as easy as snapping one's fingers.

"People sometimes think of us as too much of 'beasts' to be able to control ourselves and fight instincts. Humans do much the same actually. Though with them it's a lot easier to overcome since their urges aren't as strong. How many people do you know that abstain from meat, sex, drinking, and many other things? There's a lot that people do that is beyond human nature. A lot of things that should be natural that time and culture has changed and altered to unrealistic expectations." He looked around. "Sometimes what I've seen humans do has had me questions who the real 'monsters' are..." He said solumnly. He'd seen plenty ugliness of both muggle and magical kinds, it sometimes made him so sick of the world at the mere idea that certain people existed and were allowed to go through with terrible things.

He stared back at her as she watched him curiously, questions swimming behind he He furrowed his eye brows a bit and nodded.

His frowned deepened. He realized how bad it sounded. But it was very strange to actually have it come out like that. He'd not even told fellow being about these sorts of feelings. "People can't help what they feel. It's more a hatred to the ones that did it...but seeing as I am no better then them..." he trailed off and looked down to Nap, patting his head, the pup's eyes drifting closed. He didn't look up as she spoke, saying he was a good guy. "That's what I'm working towards I suppose..." a frown was still settled on his face. He felt terribly exposed and vulnerable. His extra senses felt on high alert as well, and he shifted in his seat, feeling uncomfortable.

He'd had to deal with this feeling long enough to know that he needed to go. And soon. That last attempt as substitution didn't work either and he had been in a constant state of hunger the past week. All the raw steaks from the kitchens or raiding the potion ingredients for Dragon's blood wasn't helping with the urges in the slightest. He looked to be in a bit of pain and he placed his hand on his abdomen below his ribs and pressed a bit. "I'm so sorry...but, I need to go." he took in a breath, holding onto Nap with his other hand as he rose from his seat slowly. "I hope soon we can talk again soon...."

Athena knew exactly what he was talking about. Out of all the animals on earth, humans were the worst sort. The other animals based themselves on instinct, on survival of the fittest. Humans... They wanted power, and more power, and it was never enough. But she didn't say anything to him, just nodded in silent agreement. She wasn't here to say her meanings, she just wanted to hear his.

She didn't know what to say to his next words, but she couldn't help but feel that he was wrong. And she knew she could trust him with the students, knowing that he wouldn't hurt them, but she needed to know more. When he rose, she was about to stop him, but something held her back. Maybe it was the look in his eyes. He was in control, she could see that, but he also knew he had to leave as long as he was in control.

Before he left, she rose as well, hopefully drawing his attention. "I hope you find a cure soon, Luc. But if you don't, I'll try my best to help," she said solemnly.