The cloaked figure.
One cool, fine day in early autum, Harry Potter returned back home at the burrow, after another long day at work, he had advised another search party to find his friend, and finally bring her home. Yet they found nothing, like always.
If things couldn't get any more worse, Harry's also been asigned to investigate reports of missing witches and wizards all over the UK. Which all, he found to be dead. He hoped beyond hope that Hermione wouldn't be the next one he would find, but the chances of that grew more and more with each day, when he'd come home with nothing but loss of hope that he would never see his friend again. And if it wasn't for Harry's new bride, he might have lost all hope all together.
"Oh Harry, you're home", Ginny spoke suddenly from the doorway to the kitchen before rushing over to hug him. "Any luck?", she added hopefully as Harry sat down at the table before Ginny started the water for tea.
"We found another body today", Harry intoned as Ginny gasped with a look of horror on her face. "It wasn't her", Harry stated to reassure his wife. "but it could of been", He murmured in a grave voice.
Ginny sighed in relief. "Harry, you can't loose hope, she's got to be out there somewhere", Ginny declared optimistically.
"It's been a year Ginny!", Harry exclaimed, banging his hands on the table. "I mean, how can it be, that there's been no trace of her!, nothing!", Harry added before burying his face in his hands.
Ginny stood there stunned for a moment, when a thought hit her, and she decided to voice it aloud. "What if she doesn't want to be found", She said thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?, why wouldn't she want to be found?", Harry asked as he looked up at her in confusion, with furrowed eyebrows.
"I don't know", Ginny said as she shook her head. "I mean think about it, Hermione is a survivor, something, must of happened to her to make her erase all trace of herself", Ginny continued assertively as she turned to pour the tea into two cups.
"Then what could have happened to her, to make her do this", Harry retorted exasperatedly as he took his tea cup from Ginny.
"I don't know, but it's better then thinking that she's laying dead somewhere", She huffed as she sat down next to Harry. Taking a sip of her tea.
Harry sighed sadly as he sipped his tea. "I know you miss her, we all do, she was my best friend too", Ginny remarked with a sad smile. "And if it's true, that she's the one hiding, she'll show herself when she's ready", Ginny said reassuringly as she gently squeezed Harry's arm.
Harry turned and smiled at his wife. "Where would I be without you", He remarked eyeing her adoringly.
"You'd probably be like poor Kreacher", Ginny teased as Harry smirked as he leaned in to kiss his wife.
"S TVo, if you don't mind by me asking, how did all the victims die", Ginny asked slowly, tensing uneasily, as Harry turned back towards his tea with an odd look on his face.
"Well, it looked like, like all of their blood had been sucked out of their bodies", Harry responded, knitting his eyebrows together, as Ginny gasped. "All of them!?", she exclaimed in shock.
"Yes", Harry answered, nodding his head before adding, upon seeing the suspicious look on Ginny's face. "Ginny please, I know what you're thinking, just don't", He said, closing his eyes as he held his hand up and waved it dismissively.
"But Harry, all these people are being attacked by the same thing, tell me it's not a coincidense, that all these people turn up dead, right after Hermione disappears", Ginny exclaimed furiously in fear.
"Hermione is not a murderer, Ginny", Harry declared in a firm voice.
"Then where is she?", Ginny exclaimed as her voice shook.
"I dunno, but she's definitely not a murderous vampire", Harry stated in disbelief.
"Well, something happened to her", Ginny said as she bit down on her bottom lip with worry as Harry pulled her into a comforting hug.
Hermione Granger's disappearance didn't just affect everyone at the burrow, no, it effected everyone. Passerbyers on the streets of diagon alley, Hogsmeade, and students of Hogwarts who feel like they've lost one of their herions, even the teachers felt this horrible loss, their duty was to protect their students, and they feel that they failed.
On this night, one of the professors in speaking, was spotted at a pub in west london, drinking away his failers until the late midnight hour. This wasn't like him, He usually perfered to drink his sorrows hiden away in the dugeons where he could brood in peace. But, as it is, he found himself at the bar, slamming shot after shot, until he couldn't feel anything.
Which is how he later found himself being escorted out of the pub at almost three. He had been cut off 2 hours before but refused to leave. But as he stumbled away from the pub he happened to look up to see this rather smallish, petite, cloaked figure standing across the street just staring at him. He could only make out some of her face from the lamp post she was standing under.
The alcohol was starting to take a toll on him as he started to feel faint. But he managed to spit out four words before his mind went black. "Granger?, is that you?".
Not too long after, Severus slowly stirred before his eyes fluttered open groggily, noticing that he's back home, in his own bed, but with no memory how he got here. Then he notices the same cloaked figure he saw outside the pub, standing in the shadows, watching him.
"Granger?", Severus mumbles as his eyes slowly came into focus. Upon seeing her, he quickly scoots away in horror when she steps forward, into the light of the fire that she had obviously started in his fireplace. Enlightening her features.
"No, don't be afraid", Hermione finally speaks, her voice soft, yet divergent in an imperious way, as Severus studied her abnormal features.
Her pale, yet perfectly clear complexion, her bloodstained red lips, and her brown frizzy curls had turned into beautiful tamed golden bronze curls that grew in legnth down to her forearm, and she had long lashes that layered the top and bottom of her eyes, eyes, that were red as blood.
"Granger?", Severus asked again, still in shock, thinking he must be hallucinating.
"Yes", came her soft reply as she took another step forward into the light.
"So, you're the cause, of the all the death", Severus murmured still in slight shock. He couldn't tear his eyes away from hers.
Hermione tensed, but remained silent.
Severus squinted his dark eyes at her. "Where have you been?", He grumbled at her. "Do you know, how many people have been out there, searching for you?", He continued angrily through gritted teeth.
Hermione inhaled a shaky breath before looking down at her hands in shame. "I know", she answered as she looked back up at him with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I, I just couldn't", she added as her lips quivered with guilt.
Severus sighed with a frown as he sat himself up in bed, to rest against his headboard. His eyes fixated on her as he watched her curiously.
"What happened to you?", Severus asked cautiously out of curiosity, as Hermione wiped away her tears.
"I, I was fighting Grayback, near the edge of the forbidden forest, when something jumped me from behind, I couldn't get it off me, I remember that, it was the first time I had to use the killing curse", Hermione replied hauntingly, deep in thought.
Severus closed his eyes with a pained look on his face. He knew all too well how she felt. Killing tears the soul. He slowly opened his eyes as she continued.
"I believe I blacked out, but when I woke up, it was like everything I looked at was enhanced, popping out at me, everything was so dark, yet so bright", Hermione stated keenly, as Severus watched her eyes light up with wonder.
"When did you figure it out?", Severus intoned as Hermione let out a soft sigh.
"While my thirst for human blood was a dead giveaway, I transfigured a branch into a mirror, and saw this", Hermione responded tugging lightly on her long hair. "And these", She added quietly, gently placing her fingertips under her eye before trailing them slowly down her cheek absentmindedly. Emphasizing her skin color, as Severus watched her intently.
"I couldn't bare to let anyone see me like this", Hermione suddenly blurt out, shaking her head, "So I ran, and I reached Paris by dawn", Hermione added sticking her lip between her teeth, as Severus's eyes widened.
"Par, Paris?", Severus spluttered in disbelief to make sure he'd heard right.
Hermione nodded. "And there I fed on a poor barmaid, while she was outside on her break, smoking a cigarette", she exclaimed as her voice cracked.
Severus raised his chin in recognition, and sighed heavily. "The first reported victim", He declared as he brushed his hair tiredly out of his face, as Hermione nodded again, while her face scrunched up with remorse.
"Yes", Hermione choked out as she burried her face into her hands, and fell down to her knees, sobbing.
"Well, at least you can still cry, proves you still have some soul left", Severus remarked coolly as he raised his eyebrow at her as she looked up at him with tears streaming down her colorless cheeks.
"Professor, please help me, I don't want to hurt anyone else, I promise I won't hurt you", Hermione pleaded in a shaky voice.
Severus narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "All your victims were middle aged, how do I know I'm not next?", Severus retorted, scowling down at her.
"You'll just have to trust me", Hermione beseeched pleadingly, as Severus furrowed his eyesbrows at her.
"I don't trust anyone, how do I know this isn't a trap?, to get back at me", Severus sneered, as Hermione put her head down in thought.
"Because if it was, I would have killed you by now", Hermione stated in all seriousness as she looked back up at him with fierce eyes. Making him utterly speechless.
"Enough said", Severus finally said, nodding his head as he got out of bed, happy to be fully clothed as he had been when he left hours before. He reached down to retrieve a headache reliever potion out of his nightstand, and swigged it before turning back to Hermione.
"Alright", Severus said as Hermione rushed to her feet. "But you do exactly as I say, and if I catch you, sniffing anywhere around my neck, we're done", Severus added with a sneer as he pointed his finger at her.
Hermione nodded quickly, flashing him a grateful smile. "Thank you", She said softly before they both fell into a knowing silence.
"You know I won't be able to make you human again", Severus finally spoke, in a grave tone as he watched her lower her head in full awareness.
"But at least, I might be able to restore some humanity", Severus asserted to appease her.
Hermione nodded. "That's all I want", she stated optimistically, as Severus nodded.
They stood there for a few moments in silence, occasionally glancing at each other, till Hermione broke the silence.
"If you have questions, just ask them", Hermione commanded as she could still feel Severus's eyes on her.
Severus cleared his throat, as Hermione turned her head to rest her red gaze on him expectantly.
"How'd you get to paris so fast?", Severus asked curiously as Hermione chortled.
"A thing I call speed, it's actually quite useful, almost as quick as apparation", Hermione explained as Severus nodded in understanding while Hermione raised her eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.
"Can you go out in sunlight?", He asked as he sat down on the edge of his bed with his hands on his knees.
"Yes, but not for long, or it starts to burn, and sting, then I disintegrate, into ash", Hermione answered as she swallowed an uneasy gulp, then remained silent in case he continued.
Severus winced at her confession, feeling pity for Hermione as she just stood there answering all his questions.
"How often do you feed?", Severus asked next, as Hermione tensed uneasily. He hated asking her that, but he wanted to know for future purposes. She seemed to understood.
"I feed once a month, then I don't eat again til I can't take it no more", Hermione said, looking at the floor as she twisted her finger around one of her long golden curls.
"You starve yourself", Severus accused scornfully, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Well what am I suppose to do?", Hermione retorted, angrily crossing her arms, as Severus sighed.
"do your eyes happen to change color when you don't eat?", He inquired next.
"Yes, they turn black", Hermione answered as she swiftly met his dark gaze. Severus smirked. "I have one more question, after this one", He informed her as she huffed.
"Why are you dressed like that?", He asked eyeing her midnight blue floor length cotton dress, with ruffled sleeves, and a clasp at the neck that connected to the hooded black cloak she wore over it, and the black laced up boots that peeked out from under her dress.
Hermione scoffed. "This was the only thing I thought would make myself more unrecognizable, plus I think my Vampire instincts have certain fashion advise", She said smiling sheepishly as she pulled her hood off her head to glanced down at her dress. Then sticking one of her feet out to examine her boot.
"Clearly", Severus remarked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow, as he finally noticed that half her hair had been braided, and pinned up to the back of her head.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "What's your last question?", she uttered with an irritated sigh, as she crossed her arms again.
"Do you sleep?", Severus asked, knitting his eyebrows together in a slight frown.
"Yes, I do, but I sleep when I choose", Hermione replied in a firm voice as she nodded her head, and shrugged her shoulders. Arms still crossed.
"Alright then", Severus said as he nodded, as Hermione unfolded her arms and took another step closer. "Now it's my turn", she declared as he gazed curiously up at her with his eyebrow raised.
"Why did you agree to help me?", Hermione asked slowly with a dubious tone in her voice.
Severus sighed in reluctance as he stood up from the bed and strode passed her to stare out his window, at the empty dark streets, lit only by moonlight. "Because, first and foremost, you were my student, and it was my job to protect my students, and I failed you", He intoned, his voice dripping with guilt as their backs were still turned to each other.
Hermione stood there in shock for a moment before turning around slowly to stare intently at his back. "It wasn't anyones fault but my own, I was at the wrong place at the wrong time", Hermione stated dismissively, shaking her head.
"No, there is no such thing as bad timing, or accidents, things happen because fate takes over, this was meant to happen", Severus grumbled through gritted teeth as he glared out the window.
"So you're saying I was meant to be like this?", Hermione exclaimed in confusion as Severus finally turned around to face her.
"Yes, or otherwise it wouldn't of happened", Severus asserted in a matter of fact as he stood there staring solemnly into her eyes.
"But why?", Hermione murmured, furrowing her eyebrows in dismay and confusion.
"I don't know", Severus replied, deep in thought as he shook his head.
(A/N Hey ya'll, I hope you liked this first chapter of my new story! I had the idea, and once I started I couldn't stop lol I hope it's not cheesy! But it was fun to write! Thank you for any POSITIVE reveiws!)