A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters except my OC

—.—.—.—

1963

"This is all your fault Patty," the girl moaned, hiding her red face behind her hands. The girls' hurried footsteps could be heard echoing as they rounded the corner onto Swain's Lane.

The sun dipping ever lower in the horizon.

"My fault!? You are the one that couldn't stop talking to David. I had to pry you away!" was the immediate reply. The first few start were making their appearance in the darkening sky, evidence of winter gaining foothold in the calendar.

The girls pushed themselves harder. Intent on making it home before darkness took over completely.

"Well, what were you expecting. I was not prepared to see David, and I couldn't just ignore my future husband," Patty's voice held only amusement in it, teasing her best friend, who, any moment now, would replay sarcastically.

"Jeanne?" Patty questioned when her friend made no noise. Pausing and turning around, fully prepared to ask what was wrong, Patty was taken by surprise at the sight. Jeanne was not by her side. As a matter of fact she was several steps back, staring past the iron fencing of the cemetery.

Her expression was one of terrified shock; her complexion paled several shades, eyes wide and mouth open in a silent scream.

It was a chilling sight.

Patty wasn't sure at the time, didn't much care, but, when she made her way to Jeanne and stared in the same direction, she was certain that her expression mirrored that of her friend.

Because just past the North gate of the cemetery, the girls could make out several silhouettes in the distance.

They could clearly made out several figures in the distance, not that unusual, if one was to be completely honest.

However, that was not what scared them so, forcing them to flee when they regained enough sense, screaming for all they were worth.

It was because the people in the distance were emerging from the graves.

—.—.—.—

The following weeks, the police department received several reports, all from different people, who "witnessed" a similar scene. Forcing the local authorities to investigate.

Only to discover nothing out of the ordinary.

Although to appease the media, they stated that the incidents witness were likely do to grave robbers. Despite the fact, that the graves looked untouched, the soil above the graves were not unearthed, which, would have been the case, should their grave robbers theory be accurate.

1971

In all his years on the force, Leon Franklin had dealt with numerous cases of assault. Some, admittedly, more brutal than others.

However, never had one left him as befuddled as Ms. Ellen's case.

Nice girl.

Young, very polite, coherent as well, once the shock wore off.

She was brought at the police station, a couple hours ago, by a passing driver who witnessed the assault.

Ellen claimed that she was attacked by: "A tall man, with a deathly white face."

The driver also confirmed this:

"I pulled over when I saw her on the ground, with this massive man on top of her. Figured it was one of those blokes who believed that they can just do as they please. But… when I got out of the car…he vanished."

Franklin was one of the officers sent to the scene and looked for the man, but, no matter how long they searched, they could find no evidence of anyone having passed through the area recently.

Which was not unusual as it happened near Highgate cemetery. People rarely walk past it anymore, especially during the night.

The cemetery has built a reputation over the years.

While Franklin did not think himself a superstitious man, after hours of searching that turned up nothing, he couldn't help but wonder.

However, such thought would not help him, so after a final look at the iron fencing, separating the cemetery from the neighbourhood, Franklin returned to the station.

2015—December

'I'm such an idiot. A bona fide idiot. Why the hell did I decide that the angel statue was worth having a closer look? Huh? Why? Ah, right, because I thought it would make for an excellent photo, which it did. But that is besides the point.'

The female inspected her mobile once more, revealing that if she did not make it back to the entrance in fourteen minutes, she might find herself locked inside the cemetery. Not a very pleasant though; especially in this weather, and at night.

She enjoyed winter, —despite her friends belief she was crazy— but damn if it didn't annoy her that it darkened quicker.

As expected of December, the weather was freezing and the water from yesterday's rain has frozen over. Thus justifying, in her opinion, her snail's pace.

'I like my neck just the way it is thank you very much,' she narrated mentally as she squinted at the frozen ground.

Now, many others in her position would start panicking, try to rush and exit before closing time, maybe even scream in hopes that someone will hear them and come to the rescue, some would be fidgeting, looking around wildly, waiting for something to pounce on them and others might just start crying from the stress of it all.

Yet, despite that all the aforementioned reactions would be very natural responses to such a situation, the brunette simply trotted on, even taking her time to admire the architectural designs with more care. 'I'm already in trouble either way.'

After all, Highgate Cemetery is a historical site known for the various architectural designs present. From the tombs, to the headstones, and the statues, depending on the time period they originated from their style would vary.

It would be crazy not admire the work put into carving the stone, 'even if you get separated from your tour group in the process.'

'Great, brilliant…it is now officially closing time. Way to go Athene…I swear…why do I keep getting myself into these situations? Well, at least I can laugh my ass off later, when I'm out of this mess,' she though dryly, noting that the stars were making an appearance in the sky.

Now, a more sensible person, would simply carry on the path they were on, hopping to reach the entrance and find an employee to help them. Sure it would involve a lot of apologising, but that is what a more sensible person would do in such a situation.

This was not a case of dealing with a sensible person.

A sensible person would ignore the semi open tomb they saw.

They would not go take a closer look, especially in the situation Athene found herself.

As a matter of fact, a sensible person would not even look at it.

End of story.

However, as mentioned previously, we are not dealing with a sensible person. At all.

'Why is it open? The tour lady specifically said that all the tombs had to remain closed to prevent vandalism… So why, for everything that is fluffy, is this one open.… Why the fuck am I even entering this place?' Athene questioned herself, unable to help her curiosity.

There was nothing interesting in the tomb. There was, oddly enough, no burial vault inside. Just an empty 'room,' filled with dust, much to the girl's disappointment —relief?—

A sudden sound, —rats were not interested in rules and regulations— caused Athene to yelp. Jumping backwards in fright, she edged towards the back wall. The girl looked wildly around, attempting to identify the source of the noise.

'Ok, stop. Think this through. Put your Sherlock hat on. Is it coming from the entrance? No. Could there be another entrance? Not that I can see. Are there likely to be critters roaming about? Well…rats certainly wouldn't be odd. Excellent deduction, moving on,' Athene though, relief coursing through her veins, causing her to unconsciously sag against the back wall.

—.—.—.—

Looking back on the events that transpired the past half an hour would have one think that this was all some bizarre, or cliché, coincidence.

One could even argue, that all the events that took place that night, were the of fate.

It would explain the sudden, canceled lesson. The spontaneous though of visiting the cemetery.

It would even explain why the tour guide never noticed that she was missing someone. How nobody in the grouped realised a teenage girl stayed behind to take a picture.

In fact, it would even explain the open tomb, despite the clear explanation given previously that all tombs must be kept close. Why the girl chose to ignore common sense, and social demands, and enter said tomb.

Really, curiosity could be a very costly thing. And the cat was not always brought back.

—.—.—.—

You know those dreams where you are falling. The ones where you wake up and you can still feel the echo of the sensation? And you really hate them because they make you uncomfortable?

Athene waited for the vertigo to wear off. Clinging desperately to the stone railing to her left.

It seemed that her weigh caused, a door, to open, —like in a bad movie— resulting in the girl falling backwards, hands flailing about, attempting to grab onto anything.

'Would it have killed the people working here to put a fucking sign. A waring, anything!' Athene angry though, trying to stifle her fright with anger and bad humour.

'Attention, all unauthorised personal, who was stupid enough to enter the tomb without permission. Please note that this wall is a secret panel and the stairs of doom lay ahed. Have a nice day!'

Yeah, it would have been too much to ask.

'Breath in four, hold in six, in four, keep six, in four, keep six,' the girl though, doing as she instructed herself till her racing heart calmed and adrenaline was no longer being secreted.

'Right, turning around now and heading back into the nice, dark, tomb. Then I will make my way to the-… Where is my phone? OMG! No. Nononono. No. Just No,' Athene though desperately, patting herself and checking all pockets for her mobile phone.

'Someone, is fucking with me. Someone, is really bored, and fucking with me. I'm crying. I'm becoming hysterical, this is not good. Hyperventilating now,' she though —in four, keep six, in four, keep six—

'… Think this through logically Athene, just like mom always says. Ok, I will hold onto the railing. I will feel my way down the stairs, praying to find my phone. Yeah, that is what I'm going to do. Then I will run back up. Get out, and never, return to this place…

Unless I come with a flashlight. Yeah, that's a good plan, a sound plan,' Athene though as she made her way down. One step at a time. Using one foot to try and feel for her phone.

No luck so far.

'Problem number one: I'm blind in this darkness. Problem number two: I'm scared shitless and— Oh! God. What if there are zombies or inferi or mummies or vampires or— I should shut up.'

Reaching the bottom of the staircase, Athene gently bent down, using her hands as well, —'please don't let there be bug, please don't let there be bugs,'— to try and find her phone.

'It just had to be at the bottom of the blood staircase. It. Just. Had. To… And~ its cracked, naturally,' the girl though impassively, resigned to her fate.

'I'm dead, so, so dead. How the hell do I explain this to my mom? Hey, I know you just got me a new phone not so long ago, but… Yeah that will go down splendidly. Never mind vampires or zombies, or another otherworldly creature, my mom is scarier,' Athene though, sighing outwardly in exasperation.

She was doing a good job at reigning in the hysterics for now.

But, as Athene was standing there, deliberating the ridiculousness of her situation, a new mystery was presented.

One, that after events which just transpired, people would expect she would have just ignored.

Only she didn't; naturally.

'There is blue light coming from down the corridor. Light installations? Makes sense I guess…where am I anyway? Underground. I know that much. Is this some crypt? Some old vault hidden underneath the cemetery?' Athene questioned.

'Well, whatever it is I can't be the first one to have discovered it, maybe there is some way to alert the staff that I'm here…or I just accidentally stumbled into a gang's secret hide out…it would fit among the wreck my evening has turned out to be,' she thought dryly, deliberating her options for a few moments.

Again, a logical person would be expected to just go back up the way they came, and ignore anymore surprises that pop up along the way.

But the feeling that got her in this hole mess? The one that made her enter the tomb, and landed her in this place? It wanted her to explore further.

There was only one solution Athene could think of at the time:

'An tan te, dize mane pe, dize mane compane, an tan TE! … Right blue light it is,' she though, her index finger pointing down the corridor rather than up the stairs.

And that feeling? Curiosity.

'One of these days, I'll end up like the proverbial cat,' Athene joked, carefully making her way towards the source of the light.

She followed the light into an enormous room, with a high dome-shaped ceiling, and supportive pillars doted across the place.

Nevertheless, it took her breath away.

'How can something this huge be underneath the cemetery? How deep underground am I?' she though stunned, as she looked around the room.

It was then, that the alarm bells finally had enough of being ignored, and blared loudly in her mind. Because the blue light was not coming from any source of electrical energy.

As a matter of fact, at this point, Athene was pretty sure that no one knew what was under Highgate Cemetery. It was just a hunch, but she was willing to bet a lot on that hunch.

Across every inch of the walls, all the way to the ceiling, a soft blue light was emitted from various symbols carved in the stone.

Symbols.

'R-rune? Wha—?' She though, before it made its appearance.

'Aaaak.' The sound was akin to the one made by the girl from the movie "grudge," a horrid soun. Like someone, or something, hasn't used their voice in a very long time, and they had no water to help their throats either.

(Decades have passed. Forgotten, alone…and angry)

It made her freeze in place, to frightened to turn around; didn't want to turn around either, in all honesty. For a moment Athene attempted to come up with any logical reason for what caused that sound. That, raspy, cracking, painful, sound.

She came out empty handed.

Then Athene's mind registered the distinctive sound of, something, being dragged across the floor.

(It wasn't enough that he was thrown in here. No. They chained him like an animal, keeping his from attempting to rip out their filthy throats)

There was someone inside the chamber.

With her.

The thought alone made Athene's heart beat painfully against her ribcage.

Her baths were coming out more rapidly, adrenaline surging through her body, despite the fact that her muscles were locked tight.

She didn't want to see. Didn't want to look. Couldn't. Athene was too terrified.

'H-hhh-hhu' A whimper. A pathetic little thing, but it was all that could escape past her lips. Her brain was on pause. Raw, primal fear taking over, clouding her though process.

(He broke free from the chain. Desperately clawing at the wall keeping him from his freedom. They were keeping him here, preventing escape)

The sound of feet dragging themselves across the stone floor became more distinguishable.

'Please, please, please,' she though desperately, praying with all her might to wake up in her bead.

(Days, weeks, months, years. What did it matter. Time no longer mattered. Not to him. Not when time was robbed away from him)

Athene's brain kick-started into action.

She finally whirled around to see who was behind her … and her mind paused once again.

(It hurt, oh it hurt so much. The pain was agonising. No matter how much time passed the pain never went away, only got worse. Forcing him to claw at his own throat in a desperate attempt to stop the pain)

And not for the first time that evening, when Athene locked eyes with the source of the sound, her mind went blank.

Not with fear. Not…with anything truthfully. Athene's mind was just, blank. There was nothing going on, no wayward though, no instinctual observation…no, anything.

Until, it moved closer.

'AAAAAAH!' her scream echoed through the chamber.

There, a couple of feet away, was the most grotesque and terrifying thing Athene has ever witnessed in her entire life.

Its skin was sunken in and it took upon a greyish colour, as illuminated by the glowing symbols on the walls. Its clothes were thorn, their colours faded, nonexistent. Barefoot, it had long claws and, its face. 'God.'The skin around the eyes looked torn and its eyes were large, round, red, balls. Completely red. —Red, red, red—There were no pupils to be seen, no whiteness around the iris, just a sea of red.

Athene cried, the impossibility of what stood before her too much for her to take.

She was going to die here. Nobody will ever find her body and it will take who knows how long for it to kill her.

It was, only enough, a very sure statement. Athene had no doubts that her fate was to happen just so.

The creature itself was rather slow, which would suggest that it was weakened, wounded maybe. —or plain ancient— Athene could have made a run for the exit. It wouldn't have kept up with her speed. But she was too frightened and that made her muscles lock in place. Watching as it approached.

It was the stereotypical horror movie idiot move.

It was at an arm length away. Athene felt faint. It stopped, looked her in the eyes.

Then it lunged.

Whatever energy it had left was put in that lunge. Its jaw clamped around her neck, teeth piercing her skin. They crashed to the ground.

In that barren chamber, with glowing runes, the only sound that could be heard was the squelching sound caused by fervent sucking.

A minute, an hour, a day, maybe longer could have passed. Athene wouldn't know.

What she did know, is that at some point its drinking became faster, more desperate, like a man scared that he will never drink again.

It was funny, in her opinion; death, that is. It was a natural phenomena. Sad for most without doubt. Having a constant suddenly not exist anymore…Athene was all too aware that it could be should crushing.

But, there was no point in hating death. Death came after everyone at some point. So no reason to waste energy worrying about it.

Except if you haven't finished everything you wanted to do. Everyone was likely to have heard the phrase: "life's too short," at some point throughout their lives. It was so accurate, yet so impossible to imagine. Till it came slapping you in the face and you realised that it was true.

Going through life not working about your time, till you realised that you were running out of it and you haven't even lived.

That, in Athene's opinion was the only reason one should oppose death if they could.

And Athene couldn't accept dying right now. She hasn't even lived yet. She would die with too many regrets, and damn it all to hell if that was what she wanted.

Athene had a reason to struggle.

And struggle she will.

Thus, when the vampire —for what else could it fucking be?— unclamped his jaw from her neck. Athene used the momentary opening he created to pushed him as far away from her as she could.

Which wasn't really all that far. But it was something, and gave her enough room to get back on her feet.

Bad decision unfortunately.

The sudden movement, coupled with the heavy blood loss she just experienced, resulted in dizziness. Athene's confusion was enough, to give a far more determined vampire time to pin her to the stone wall.

'Right, so my vision is kinda fuzzy and my head hurts, a lot. I really should be more panicked. …Is this thing…? It's purring? And… nuzzling my neck?' Athene though puzzled.

She took a chance and looked at her attacker again. Studying it,—'him, it looks like a him,'— with a far clearer mind, than when she first laid eyes on him.

As if he could sense her stare her looked at her too. He had fangs.

'Vampire.'

She could see them clearly through his partially open mouth, and the blood. Her blood, dripping from them. The droplets fell on his lips, down his chin…

Athene struggled. He tightened his hold on her. Neither realising that in his efforts to re-capture her, he slammed her against the wall a bit too hard. So they also didn't realised the amount of blood that was being smeared across the wall during the struggle, or that it seemed to be absorbed by the weird glowing runes on the wall.

All Athene could remembered afterwards, was the world fading away.

And the scream.

That terrible, terrible, scream that would haunted her nightmares for a long time.

—.—.—.—

Later, the girl woke up in a room void of colour, all white walls and furniture.

Simply thankful that she was no longer in that dark tomb.

.—.—.—

A/N: This story has been published previously. However I felt compelled to edit it and as I feel that my writing style changed, find it better to simply start from the beginning.

I apologise to everyone that previously read the story and waited so long for an update. I bow in apology before you.

Please let me know what you think so far and if you have any suggestions!