When with Rome {Sirius Black}

7. Magic and Biology

It was a big day for Barbara, and excitement was radiating off of her like heat from the sun. She couldn't wait to learn about Vampire magic and was fully prepared for any spell Angel asked her to preform.

After Barbara ate her breakfast consisting of an apple and pancakes, Angel walked into her room. "Are you ready, Barbara?"

The little girl nodded her head vigorously. "I'm ready!"

Angel chuckled. "Alright, then. We'll start off with the simpler spells and then work our way to the more complicated ones."

Right when Angel handed Barbara yet another book on spells— however this time with the actual incantation written in it— she yanked it open to the first page as quickly as possible and read. Angel was amused by the little girl's determination to learn about the magic Vampires possessed. She knew the Queen would be very pleased.

When the first day of learning about the magic had come to a close, Barbara had successfully memorized, learned, and preformed the spells within two books. She was very pleased with herself for expanding her knowledge to the capacity most kids her age did not possess.

Angel had congratulated her profusely, happy with the fact that she was able to teach the young heir so much in such a short period of time. She knew Barbara was very excited for tomorrow when she would be able to meet the Queen who had bit her, not at all mad that she was no longer considered a "pure blood," as people in the magical community had called those who claimed to be a "higher status" than others. She left before Barbara had her dinner, once more congratulating her before she headed back to her home for the night.

Once Barbara received her plate of food, which consisted of what the Muggles considered a "steak dinner," she opened yet another book her newfound friend and family memberhad given her before she left and began to read. As she bit into one of the pieces of potatoes, she felt her fangs slightly retract from the starch. Curious as to why they were out in the first place, she decided to search in the open book, The Mysteries Behind the Vampire: Biology, for the "Fang" chapter. She successfully found the chapter on page 439, and began to read the section within the chapter titled, "Appearing and Retracting":

"It is commonly referred to, within the Vampire community, as the art of "Appearing and Retracting," when the fangs of the Vampire are exposed to others and when they are hidden from view.

The Vampire's fangs only appear when called upon by the Vampire ( it is commonly seen when the Vampire feels threatened; much like a dog, their fangs will appear while their eyes flash the Pigment), when blood of an animal or human will be consumed, or when they are called upon by the Royals when they flash their Pigment.

When consuming an animal, even if it is cooked– i.e. a steak or chop– the fangs will appear due to the fact that the animal was once alive. It can magically detect when its owner is about to consume a once-alive animal; and the remains of the blood that had not been removed entirely from the animal will be separated from the regular tastebuds every being possesses to the special tastebuds, the smaak van bloed, which appears on the tip of the tongue of a Vampire. Once it senses the blood, the fangs "appear," consume the blood through the course of the meal, and then "retract" once the special tastebuds detect that there is no more blood or the Vampire decides to consume other food that had not belonged to an animal."

Barbara, now feeling more at ease with what she had read, returned to her place in the book, 349, and began to read about the infamous "Pigment":

A "Pigment," or color, is seen differently by every single being and animal on the planet. However both parties may be able to realize that a plant is "green," they are both seeing a different shade of green, whether it is a barely noticeable difference or not.

The "Pigment" Vampires are concerned with does relate to color (hence its name); but it refers to the shade of color of the eyes in which the Vampire has when it is in its natural, Vampire state. It varies based on the individual Vampire (excluding the Royals), except one common factor is that the color can be considered "neon," or an extremely bright color. Contrary to the Muggles' "neon," the Vampires just consider any color that shines exceptionally bright "neon."

With the Royal Vampire Family, or "Royals," all of their eyes tend to stand out differently than the "Commoners," or Common Vampire Society, due to the fact that their eyes are always a shade of exceptionally bright blue or an almost "lilac" color (for it depends on who is the Ruler; for their eyes, along with their family's, will be blue) that emit a peculiar glow about them(however do not be fooled; for Commoners can have bright blue eyes as well, however they're just not as bright). Those who have seen their eyes tend to be mesmerized by the eerie, beautiful glow they have.

Another thing the Royals' eyes can do is determine what beings are by using a technique their eyes posses called "Flash." On command, the Royal's eyes can suddenly brighten two times as bright as they are originally to determine what a being truly is; but the Royals refuse to have it pictured due to the extreme secrecy of the little-known tool. They use it mainly to determine who they're talking to so they can attack in the proper form against the said "undetermined" being. Some who have claimed to have witnessed the "Flash" talk about it as a "sudden bright, practically blinding, white light."

Barbara decided that she had read far enough after another hour of reading when she had finished her dinner and happily went under the covers of her temporary bed. She couldn't wait to meet the Queen tomorrow and receive the answers to the many questions she had scrawled on a piece of parchment paper.