Newt smiled slightly, amused. "A vegetarian vampire? That's unusual."
Shalltear realized Newt had more knowledge about vampires than she'd expected, and seeing Alex’s skeptical stare, she knew it was pointless to lie now. Her eyes widened pitifully as she looked between them, silently begging for sympathy.
"Vegetarian vampires?" Alex repeated skeptically, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, it's a bit complicated," Shalltear clarified quickly, sensing Alex’s suspicion. "Some vampires, the reasonable ones, jokingly call themselves vegetarians. They don’t drink fresh blood directly from humans or animals because doing so too often can make us lose control. Instead, we usually buy animal blood and heat it up. Cooking blood makes it safer, easier to digest, and helps prevent us from going mad with bloodlust."
She paused, choosing her words carefully. "Our diets aren’t that different from humans'. In fact, a lot of vampires eat normal human food as well. The ones who regularly drink fresh blood, either from humans or animals, are called blood drinkers. They're divided into two groups: those who stick to safe methods, like buying blood from Muggles discreetly, and those who hunt more recklessly. The ones who hunt recklessly can become dangerous, and that's why wizards tend to fear vampires. But believe me, I'm not one of them! I'm entirely safe!"
As Shalltear finished, she stared at them pleadingly with wide, watery eyes, trying her best to evoke sympathy from both Alex and Newt.
Alex rubbed his forehead, feeling slightly annoyed by her theatrics. He gave her a sharp look. "That's enough. Stop with the act, I already understand your situation.I’ll talk to the Ministry. But remember this: if you cause even the smallest bit of trouble, you’ll regret ever meeting me."
Shalltear nodded vigorously, delighted she'd convinced him. "Thank you, my prince!" She tried to transform back into her human shape as Alex had requested, but after a few embarrassing attempts, she gave him a miserable look. "I’m sorry, my prince, I’ve been starved by those smugglers for days, and now I don't have enough strength left."
Alex sighed, reached into his robe, and pulled out a vial of restorative potion. After forcing her to drink it and waiting patiently, Shalltear finally managed to return to her human form just as they approached the crime scene near the shore.
As soon as she was human again, she quickly moved close to Alex, looking up at him sweetly, doing her best to appear as innocent and obedient as possible. "Here, wear this," Alex said flatly, ignoring her exaggerated smile and handing her a strange-looking metal bracelet.
"What’s this supposed to be?" Shalltear asked curiously, then made a face as she studied it closely. "My prince, this thing is hideous! It looks like an unfinished piece of junk."
"Stop complaining!" Alex snapped impatiently at Shalltear, though he couldn’t help glancing doubtfully at the bracelet he’d handed her. Was the charm he made really that ugly?
Shalltear pouted and stared at the bracelet unhappily, but as soon as she slipped it onto her wrist, it reshaped itself instantly, fitting snugly around her arm. Startled, she turned toward Alex with a questioning look.
"That bracelet will help me find you wherever you go," Alex explained firmly. "If you really want to stay with me, you’ll have to follow my rules. After all, I still can't be sure if you're completely innocent or not."
Shalltear’s face fell instantly, clearly unhappy. She glared gloomily at the ugly piece of metal around her wrist. Great, now she was being tracked like some kind of criminal, and by such an ugly thing! But she had no choice. Beggars couldn’t be choosers, and this young wizard clearly wasn’t the type to negotiate.
While Shalltear was still sulking, she suddenly saw someone familiar approaching, causing her heart to skip a beat.
"There you are, vampire! You're coming with me!" Medea stormed toward her, wand raised and face furious. She was the Auror Shalltear had previously tricked and escaped from. Panic filled Shalltear’s expression as she quickly hid behind Alex, trembling nervously.
"W-wait! Let me explain!" Shalltear stammered awkwardly, peeking around Alex for protection.
"Explain what? You lied to an Auror, tricked me, and escaped. That's reason enough to put you straight into Azkaban!" Medea snapped angrily.
"My prince, save me! You promised you'd look after me!" Shalltear cried desperately, tugging at Alex’s sleeve and trying to hide behind him. "Please, don't let her take me away, please!"
Alex gave Shalltear a deadpan stare, clearly unimpressed by her antics. Was this the vampire who confidently told him she'd managed to escape entirely on her own? He briefly considered letting Medea teach her a lesson, but he'd already given his word, so he had no choice but to intervene.
He sighed, turning calmly to Medea. "Let her go for now. I've agreed to take responsibility for her. She won’t be causing any more trouble."
Medea stared at him skeptically, clearly annoyed. "Are you sure about that? This little vampire is tricky. She managed to fool me once, she might be trying to fool you, too."
"Trust me," Alex assured her confidently. "She won't cause trouble again. And even if she tries, I'll personally ensure she doesn't become a threat. As for her previous offenses, she’ll make it up to you eventually."
Shalltear, overhearing this, felt a chill run down her spine. The emotionless expression on Alex’s face suddenly made her question if leaving the smugglers had been the right decision. Perhaps she had jumped out of one frying pan and straight into another.
Seeing Alex’s serious attitude, Medea finally decided to trust him. After all, he'd already proven himself reliable during the fight earlier. Grudgingly, she stepped back and let Shalltear go, though she still glared at her in irritation.
Alex leaned in slightly and lowered his voice. "By the way," he whispered to Medea, "about my involvement and my use of lightning magic earlier, has anyone else heard about it?"
Medea understood his concerns immediately and shook her head reassuringly. "Don't worry. The Aurors on-site know how sensitive this is. Moody instructed us to keep quiet until we submit our official report. We haven't even had time to discuss your magic with anyone else yet."
Alex nodded gratefully, relieved to hear that. Medea hesitated for a moment, then added thoughtfully, "Actually, speaking of your lightning magic, do you want us to keep that secret too?"
"Yes," Alex confirmed quietly. "I trust you enough to let you in on it, but I'm cautious about potential spies within the Ministry. Just keep it to yourself for now, all right?"
Medea nodded firmly. She trusted Alex implicitly after their recent battle. "Understood. You can count on me."
Satisfied, Alex finally relaxed a little. Trusting Medea was a good choice, she was reliable and had proven herself repeatedly.