1

Harry sighed exasperatedly as he scrubbed bobotuber puss off the desks in Snape's dungeon. The rest of the school was in Hogmeade having the time of their lives. Even the first and second-years were allowed this time, it was some sort of vacation for the professors. A bunch of parents were supervising the students and Dumbledore was off on some island in the Bahamas.

How could I have been so stupid, Harry thought bitterly, scrubbing ever harder, spraying himself with bubbles. I just had to lose that paper, I just had to lose that paper that Sirius signed. Now I'm stuck with my least favorite adult and the only person in the entire castle…

"Potter," a cold voice breathed down his neck.

Harry jumped. D*** it, why did Snape always have to sneak up on him like that?

"What?" he muttered irritably, staring at the foamy table. He couldn't bring himself to look him in the eye, but he could feel Snape's black ones burning into his.

"I've waited…so long," Snape said in a raspy voice. "So long…"

Harry looked up. What was Snape talking about?

Their eyes locked. Harry gulped.

"Fifteen years," Snape whispered.

Harry felt his face get hot. A trickle of sweat ran between his eyes.

Snape didn't blink.

"So long…" he repeated. "So thirsty…"

Harry looked at him in shock. Had the guy finally snapped? He began to back away nervously.

Snape snapped to attention.

"Where do you think you're going, Potter?" Snape said, a hint of amusement in his voice. His wand was out and aimed straight at Harry's scar.

"Sit," Snape ordered.

Harry sat.

"You're not going to get away now," Snape said, his lip curling. "Not after I've waited so…"

"Long, yeah, I know," Harry burst. "What are--?"

Snape kneeled down in front of Harry, their faces just a few inches apart.

"Hasn't Ms. Granger figured it out for you yet?" Snape breathed. "I am…a vampire."

Harry blinked, but as the sentence sank in he wondered how he couldn't have noticed it before. The pieces slowly fell into place…

In his first year the Dark Arts teacher Professor Quirrel's turban had the strange smell of garlic about it—perhaps to ward off that troublesome vampire that was on to him? Snape made the class do a werewolf essay so that they would discover Lupin was a werewolf. Lupin made them do a vampire essay and discussed it with Ron and Harry in Snape's presence. Was Lupin trying to prove something, too? And why was Snape always the first teacher on the scene when there was trouble? Perhaps he resumed his bat form and flew…that would certainly be faster than running…Of course, Snape was unusually pale and vampires can't stand sunlight. He always wore black—what kind of vampire doesn't? And Snape was always flexing his fingers—to put them around Harry's neck and--?

Harry gulped. Uh oh.

Snape's eyes glittered maliciously. Harry could have sworn they flashed red.

"After all these years…I finally I have you where I want you," Snape whispered. He snickered. "No good-old Dumbledore to save famous Harry Potter now."

He grinned malevolently. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, but Snape's teeth slowly seemed to be lengthening…

Snape suddenly grabbed Harry's neck with both hands. Harry was too surprised to do anything except let out a little gasp. Snape cocked his head to one side and whispered as he bit him, "Ta ta."

Harry's eyes rolled up into his head and as he felt the blood drain from his body he watched the world fade into darkness…