Hermione stepped out of her front door onto the frosty London street. The pavement glistened with silver glints of ice and the fog was close all around her. She locked the door and pulled on her leather gloves, her breath freezing in the air adding to the bad visibility. She walked down the steps and turned right heading towards the leaky cauldron. Usually she would have apparated but this weather was all too tempting to miss. To Hermione it was almost magical on its own. The frost turned everything into something beautiful and it was wonderful to feel so warm amidst the cold.
Pulled her cloak round her and carried on her way. As kept walking she became aware of footsteps behind her, although she could see no one, and she felt uneasy. She quickened her pace as to find some place that was well lit. She gripped her wand inside her cloak. She sped up more and suddenly the foot steps stopped. Still she didn't slow down she carried on pounding the pavement, as she turned the corner she could see the light of the leaky cauldron ahead of her. The sound of wings could be heard above her, in the dark sky. Hermione felt chilled, birds didn't fly at this time. By now her pace was that of a jog and she was within feet of the leaky cauldron door.
As she reached it she threw herself inside, panting and cheeks burning.
"Evening Professor!" tom called jovially from the bar, "you look flustered miss!" he declared as she took a seat near the fireplace.
"Thanks Tom just got a bit of a shock." She removed her outside apparel and sat down, mentally scolding herself for her paranoia.
Soon a glass of warm mulled wine was in front of her. She could feel it rushing to every bit of her warming her as it went.
She looked around. She didn't make it a habit to sit in pubs on her own but she had felt that if she had to stare at the walls of her house or Hogwarts chambers anymore she would scream.
Thankfully Dumbledore had given her the weekend off to return home and sort some personal problems out. Which meant she wouldn't be hassled but ignorant students or staff mithering for this that and the other. But it also meant she was sat alone at home doing nothing but feeling sorry for herself.
Never mind she thought to herself, life isn't perfect is it now?
The door of the leaky cauldron opened, a young man with dark hair entered. His cloaked steamed from the sudden transition from freezing to toasty. He shook himself and ordered a drink.
"May I join you?" he asked Hermione.
"Of course, I apologise for hogging the fire!" she said and moved over to allow the stranger to warm himself.
He had deep dark eyes and very pale skin. The way he sank into his chair gave away his exhaustion, in short he looked drained. Tired, underfed and overworked, although he still looked very young, no more than about 20. He had dark hair that contrasted brilliantly with his pale skin.
For the next few hours Hermione's drinking companion offered good conversation and cynical wit, not unlike a certain disdainful potions master she had to work with. In a way it was calming to sit there with a stranger and talk about unimportant things.
Before Hermione had realised the time, the bell sounded, telling them it was last orders at the bar.
"Oh I am sorry, I have to go I didn't realise the time."
"No problem, delighted to have met you." The man took her hand and kissed it.
"Oh dear this is going to sound terrible, but I don't know your name."
"Victor, Victor Delacroix. But I already know your name, Professor Granger." Victor smiled and released her hand.
Hermione gathered her clothes and smiled before leaving the bar.
Her walk home was less eventful. She still felt the same beauty around her but none of the fear. She knew it was stupid to walk alone through London at this time of night, but she felt like the walk home would uncloud her brain.
For some reason she couldn't remember large parts of this evening and she knew that was attributed to alcohol. Soon she arrived home and when she got in she collapsed on the couch.
Hermione sat bolt upright. Crookshanks flew off her lap and she listened around for the noise that might have woken her up. She heard nothing. She got up and walked into the hall. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
Tentatively Hermione opened it a crack.
"Good evening again, miss granger, sorry to bother you so late."
"Oh Victor its you, how did you know were I lived?"
"You left this in the leaky cauldron." He held up her bag. "Your address book was inside it, I checked to find were you lived, so I could return it."
"Well thank you very much, you are quite the gentleman."
They stood there for a few moments in silence, then Hermione felt the urge to invite him in. for a hot drink, she reasoned with herself. Not because his eyes intrigued her and that it had been so long that a man had actually called at her house it felt stupid to deny fate.
"Would you like to come in and get warm? Sorry I mean for a coffee or something?"
The young man smiled and nodded slightly. Hermione felt awed as he strode into her home. He seemed to command everything he surveyed.
Hermione made some coffee and brought it into the living room. Victor was sat on the couch looking round the room. He seemed to melt into the darkness of it.
"Here you go," Hermione said as she handed him the cup. "There is whiskey here too if you feel you need something a little stronger. I know I would if I had to walk home again in this freezing cold weather."
"You know miss granger, you look awfully young to be a professor at Hogwarts."
Hermione smiled and her cheeks flushed.
"I don't suppose you remember me do you?"
Hermione studied the mans face and shook her head. "I'm sorry to say I don't Victor."
"I left the year after you started. Although I have to say I am sorry, as foolish as it was I had a teenage crush on you."
He moved closer to her, Hermione felt her heart flutter. His hand brushed her arm and he looked at her. She turned to look into his eyes. As if in a trance she leaned towards him to kiss him. His eyes lit up and his nostrils twitched and instead of kissing her he ran his fingers gently down her throat.
He leaned in closer, avoiding her mouth and suddenly Hermione's eyed snapped open as she felt him grab her neck and draw her throat to his mouth, her breath quickening. And she began to panic until she felt 2 sharp pains at her throat. Then it was like sweet release, all worries and feelings seemed to be ebbing, the pain felt like pleasure and she relaxed into his embrace.
Victor withdrew his head from her neck, blood staining his lips and gleaming white fangs catching the moonlight shining through the window. He smiled at the expression of contentment on his victims face. He loved that, the feeling they got before the nightmare of what had happened set in.
It had been a good night for him; his target had been so willing to adhere to him. Although for years now he had no difficulty feeding, his prey was young lonely women who were more than happy to let him in to their homes, believing him to be something wonderful.
Luckily for him few of them ever came through the vampiric coma. After being bitten they fell into a coma, only the very strong survived it and went on to be come vampires. Luckily young, lonely, emotion women were not strong at all, they barley lived for more than 6 hours of the coma. Only 2 of his victims had survived it. Although had done no harm to him, being new to the game they were hunted down by another vampire gang and destroyed. With all the evil hunting going on in the wizarding world right now vampires couldn't afford to let novices run around and give away their locations. But Victor had other plans for this one, he needed company.
He lifted his wrist to his mouth, fangs protruding, glistening with Hermione's blood. He bit into the vein and held it over Hermione's mouth, he watched fascinated as his own black life dripped onto her lips, trickling into her mouth. She choked and thrashed for a moment as the evil infection rushed through her veins. Finally her heart slowed and stopped. She was mortally dead, yet she looked more alive than ever before.
"You will love this death my dear, I promise." Victor said and kissed her lips.
Hermione awoke groggily, she found herself sprawled on the floor of her living room. She thought she must have fallen off the couch. Looking at the clock, 7.30pm.
"That's odd." She said to herself, the clock seemed to have gone backwards.
She walked over and took a closer look, 7.30pm on Sunday. She had missed a whole day. She tried to think back to what had happened. She felt strange. Although she knew it was pitch black in her house Hermione could see everything as clearly as if it was daylight.
Her lips felt dry and she wiped her mouth, looking down at her hand show could see a dark smudge across it. She rushed to the mirror and reeled with the sight. Her eyes were cat like and pale, there was dried blood on her lips. Her skin was ethereally pale as if she was no longer living. And then she saw it, the marks. Her neck was marked, teeth marks, there was dried blood on the punctures too.
"Dear god no!" she cried.
"What's wrong Hermione? Do you not like it?"
Hermione flew round faster than she had ever been able to before.
Victor was stood leaning against the doorway. He was smirking at her.
"That was terrible Hermione Granger! A Dark Arts professor not being able to identify a vampire."
Hermione stood there mouth open in horror. She was a vampire! She had been so lonely and full of desire to feel a mans touch she hadn't noticed the signs of a vampire. His intense grey eyes, unnaturally pale skin and of course his allure. An overwhelming allure that would make any woman succumb to his wishes.
"But why? You hunt to kill! Why not kill me? You made me drink you blood? But why?"
"I was lonely my dear, I needed a companion, a lover. Even Dracula had a bride did he not? Don't worry you will get used to it. There are advantages, you can't face sunlight so you will never suffer from skin diseases, food is plentiful, you will stay young forever, and you will live for ever!"
"I don't want to live for ever! I want to grow old and die! I don't want to kill! I want a normal life."
"I can see you will need some time to get used to this. I will come back when you grow too hungry to fight it any more."
He left and Hermione was stood alone in the middle of the room. If she had thought she was lonely before she was sadly mistaken. This was true solitude.
Hermione managed to make it back to her rooms at Hogwarts without anyone seeing her. She felt drained, starved and every room held prospective victims for her. Her new heightened sense of smell could sense the blood pumping through the veins of the students behind the doors.
Exhausted she fell onto her bed. She was exhausted from fear and from hunger. She couldn't sleep though, she was a creature of the night and she would feel Morpheus' sweet embrace when morning came. But this posed a problem, she was a teacher. She had classes to teach when morning arrived.
Food was the first thing on her mind, how to get some. Her nostrils were twitching with the smell of fresh blood pulsing through the castle. But she couldn't do it, she couldn't kill for her own sustenance, she was beginning to see the arguments that vegetarians posed about animal meat.
She got up and paced round her room wondering what to do. Animal blood would sate her but it would be like eating dry bread, filling but never nutritious enough. At this point she felt she had no option.
Gathering her cloak she almost flew through the castle to the staff room, and then through the door leading to the grounds, she didn't want to be spotted in the entrance hall just yet, not with how pale she looked.
She was heading swiftly to the forbidden forest and she could feel the pulses and smell the blood of the animals within it. Each one smelt different, the thestrals smelt putrid, for their blood was stagnant and had been for years. And as every vampire knows, never drink dead blood. She could smell were wolf blood and ran in the opposite direction to it, no vampire wants to meet a werewolf unless they are prepared to fight to the death.
Then she found it, a blood that didn't smell disgusting, it wasn't the most appetizing smell but it didn't make Hermione wretch.
She swiped at the ground and caught it, a niffler, a scrawny thing but needs must. Hermione bit into it and the creature struggled and squeaked until it fell limp in Hermione's hand. Hermione felt the blood pouring down her throat and she felt a little better.
After a few more of these creatures had been bled dry at Hermione's unforgiving fangs she felt stronger and began the walk back to the castle.
This time she looked around, now the desire for blood had ebbed she took an almost leisurely stroll back to her chambers. Her eye sight now more acute and she could see everything as if it was daylight. Although her nose was still picking up scents of blood, all of which were animal.
The round the greenhouse when the most entrancing and delicious smell hit her. Human blood, it smelt like it would be a sumptuous feast. It smelt more mature than a student, like when a trained nose smells a fine wine, they know it isn't newly bottled.
She saw movement in greenhouse 4 and crept up to inspect it further.
It was Severus Snape, no doubt picking potions ingredients. His aroma was intoxicating, Hermione almost felt drunk from it. Silently Hermione opened the glass door and entered the plant filled shed. The smell was stronger in here and Hermione felt her fangs lengthen and her gums ached to bite into the soft pale flesh he was exposing while he worked.
She took another step forward and felt a slap across her face and she squeaked with pain.
Severus head snapped up and he looked around, the venomous tentacula was flailing about and he saw a figure on the floor.
"Who are you?" Severus demanded.
"It's me you overgrown bat!" Hermione snapped, then saw the irony and smiled to herself.
"Oh miss granger. What are you doing up at this hour? And around the greenhouses no less?"
"I am no longer your student Severus; I may wander were I please without having to answer to you."
They glared at each other.
"I couldn't sleep and so I came out for a walk." Hermione said so as to break the silence.
His heat and smell had not left her and she was battling with her newly acquired vampiric tendencies. She wanted to pounce and bite him.
He looked at her suspiciously; there was something odd about her. Well odder than usual, she had never been the most normal of women. Her eyes were too intense and her demeanour unsettled.
"Is there something wrong Miss Granger you seem different."
She looked at him searching to see if he knew her secret yet.
"I am fine…. Help me!" she whimpered before she couldn't stop herself anymore, her fangs grew her nostrils flared and she flew at him. Aiming for the softest spot on his neck promising such splendour and delight.
Quicker than lightening they were tumbling across the earthen floor, Severus hands were on her shoulders pushing her back as her neck lashed back and to trying to find anyway to sink her gleaming fangs into his flesh.
He mustered all his strength and threw her backwards. She hit the green house glass and shattered the pain, she stopped and shook herself, taking stock of what had happened before lunging for him again.
By this time Severus had managed to get his wand from his robes but he was still lying on the floor.
"Lumos!" he shouted, his wand lit up and Hermione screeched in pain and fled to a corner.
"Hermione! You're a vampire?" his eyes were wide with horror.
He could hear her sobbing in the shadows.
"Yes! I tried to hide it but you were here and I could smell your blood and I am so very hungry!"
"But when did it happen? Have you always been like this?"
"Yesterday, while I was at home."
Severus almost felt sorry for her even though she had just attacked him. She had asked for help.
"Help me Severus." She begged.
"How do I know I can trust you?"
"You don't but I need you to! The werewolves have the wolfsbane potions, help me find something to make my suffering less!" she begged into the dark.
Severus turned off the light on his wand. Hermione gingerly stepped out from the shadows. He saw that even her vampire eyes couldn't lie about how much she needed his help.
"Forgive me for this Hermione." He said as he hit her with a curse that knocked her into a deep sleep.
He picked her up and took her back to the castle. If anyone questioned him on his way he would simply say he found her like this at the edge of the forest.
Once back in his rooms Severus laid Hermione on the couch and considered his next plan of action.
A potion that could ease a vampire victims suffering? He would be thought of as the greatest mind in the wizarding world today. He would be up there with the greats, like the man who invented the wolfsbane potion. But for now he would have to find something to keep her from killing someone, a substance similar to human blood.
"Well Severus," he said aloud to himself, "better brew some coffee too this is going to be a long night."
Hermione stirred, and opened her eyes, she looked around and found herself in unfamiliar surroundings, the smell of dampness and musty books filled her nose.
The dungeons, she surmised as she rose from the couch. Curious as to what Severus kept in his inner sanctum she had a look around. The ornate clock on the mantle told her that it was 3.50 am and soon dawn would be breaking and she would have to find a way to get through the day.
Severus smell was all around but not as intoxicating and overpowering as it had been when she had met him in the green house.
"He must be in the potions lab," Hermione thought and her body was taking her there before her mind could stop her.
"Severus?" she called out into the mist filled room.
She knew he was there, her vampire eyes could see his movement through the mists.
"I am over here I think I maybe have found something."
Hermione drew closer and she felt the urges come over her again, her fangs grew again and the same animal instinct within her reared its ugly mutilated head.
She drew closer and Severus thrust something in her path. A piece of broken net. Suddenly Hermione was overcome with the desire to tie every broken hole back together. She forgot Severus and his fresh blood, her hunger was the last thing on her mind and she just became almost obsessed with tying these knots.
Just as suddenly as it appeared the net disappeared and instead she found she had a beaker in her hand. It was hot and it smelt terrible.
"Drink it now!" Severus commanded from the haze.
She did as he said.
It felt like every part of her body was being warmed from the inside, her hunger disappeared and she no longer felt the urge to slaughter Severus for a feast that promised to be extravagant. It felt like she had eaten a very stodgy meal and wouldn't be able to look at food for a long time without feeling sick.
"Well?" Severus asked the mist ebbing as the fire under the cauldron smouldered into ashes.
"I feel full, it wasn't nice but at least I feel full." Hermione said and smiled, a pure smile, that of her former self not that evil leer of a vampire.
"Well that was the easy part! I can't believe no one has ever thought of it before, a potion to substitute human blood! I know there are blood flavoured lollipops that you can buy but they hardly fill you up do they?"
Severus whistled a high pitched whistle meant for owls and dogs, unfortunately for Hermione's now finely tuned ears it felt like a strike to the head.
A huge barn owl appeared and Severus attached a note to its leg.
"Were that going?' Hermione questioned suspiciously.
"The patent pending office. I don't want you selling my idea now do I?"
Hermione relaxed, he hadn't reported her yet, his triumph and promise of greatness had stopped him from remembering that an unregistered vampire was running about. Like animagi: vampires had to be reported so the ministry could keep track on body counts and also that they weren't becoming too powerful.
By law the vampire that had cursed her was supposed to be in prison, but by reporting him, Hermione was reporting her own kind, something vampires never did. And also she was letting the wizarding world know that Hermione Granger, the greatest Hogwarts student this decade hadn't be able to spot a vampire at close quarters. And she would have rather been burned by the sun than admit it was because she just wanted a little bit of male attention.