I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR DRACULA! PLEASE REVIEW!

LADY OF THE NIGHT: YEAR THREE:

CHAPTER ONE:

I dove off the rocks near the waterfall, landing with a splash in the pond below. Midnight watched me with a bemused sort of look, then went back to washing herself. Just as I broke the surface, Renny came into my garden room. "Miss Gabrielle, the Master wishes to see you in his study." I nodded. "Let me get changed, and I'll be right there."

Renny nodded, and waited outside as I grabbed my clothes and changed. I stepped outside, wringing out my hair, trying to get any excess water out as we made our way to Dracula's study, Midnight walking alongside me. "Do you know what he wants?" Renny shook his head. "He only said that it was important."

We entered Dracula's study, and he rose from behind his desk. "Renfield, take out your wand." Renny did so, and Dracula turned to me. "I have decided to make you and your pet immortal." I stared at him. "W-What?" Dracula ignored me, and grabbed a knife, cutting his right index finger. He then traced a circle with a square inside it on Midnight's forehead, and signaled to Renny, who pointed his wand at Midnight. Midnight emitted a soft glow, and then fell to the floor. "Midnight!"

"She will be fine. Hold still." Dracula grabbed my wrist, and traced a circle with a triangle inside it. Renny stared at Dracula for minute, then Renny pointed his wand at my wrist, and I felt dizzy, then passed out.

When I woke up, Dracula and Renny were sitting beside my bed, and Midnight lay on the floor, purring. "W-What happened?" Dracula stood up, looking at the night sky outside the small window in my bedroom. "When the immortality ritual occurs, the person receiving immortality often loses consciousness afterwards. No lasting damage has been done, however. Now, you will stop aging when you turn 25, and your panther will stop aging when she is fully grown."

When Dracula left the room, I turned to Renny. "Um, Renny, can I ask you something?"

"Certainly."

"I noticed that when he performed the ritual on me and Midnight, he drew a square inside of Midnight's circle, but he drew a triangle inside of my circle. Why did he do that?" Renny shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and didn't meet my eyes. "Well, Miss Gabrielle, the answer to that is...complicated." I frowned. "What do you mean, 'complicated?'" Renny took a deep breath. "You see, Miss Gabrielle...when a person is given immortality, the person giving it to them can make one of two choices for them: they can either make them a servant, which is my status; or make them their-well-their-"

"Their what?"

"You see, the square symbolizes servitude. And the triangle symbolizes...well...I believe you understand what I am trying to say." I stared at him in shock. "Are-are you saying that-that Dracula made me his-" Renny nodded. "I believe so."

"But-why would he do that? I never thought that he saw me that way!"

"Well, Miss Gabrielle, when you first arrived here, he took an interest in you. I believe that interest may have grown. He bonded with you."

A little while later, I was wandering around outside, when I heard a growl from behind me. I turned, and saw a werewolf standing right in front of me. My eyes widened, and I ran for the nearest tree, with the werewolf chasing me. I screamed as the werewolf tried to get at me, its teeth bared, snarling. "DRACULA!"

The Count came out of the darkness, and quickly snapped the werewolf's neck. Shaking, I crawled down from the tree. Dracula grabbed me by the wrist, dragging me back to the castle, his mouth in a firm line.

Once we entered the castle, he whirled on me. "What were you thinking!? I told you never to go outside the castle at night, particularly on a full moon!" His eyes were gold, and his face was twisted with rage.

I stared at him, then ran up to my room, crying. I buried my face in pillow, sobbing.

Half an hour later, Dracula entered my room, and sat down beside me on my bed. "Go away." I heard him take a few steadying breaths, and he spoke. "I do not believe you actually want me to do that." I kept my face hidden in my pillow. "You didn't have to get angry with me." I felt him push part of my hair out of my face. "I was simply concerned for your safety, and I let my anger get the better of me." I looked up at him, and was stunned to see that concern was actually written on his face. "Gabrielle, I am sorry I yelled at you."

I stared at him. "You apologized to me. You never apologize." He nodded at this. "It is a first time for me as well. Do you forgive me?" I hesitated, and then nodded, curling up into his arms.

One week before the end of summer holiday, Renny and I headed for Diagon Alley to pick up my school things. I heard the various witches and wizards discussing the fact that Sirius Black escaped from Hogwarts ("Personally, I won't let any of the children out alone until he's back in Azkaban").

Once we'd refilled my money bag with money from Dracula's vault, we headed for the Apothecary first to restock my Potions supplies. Next, we went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and bought new school robes, seeing as my old ones were too short. Then we headed for Flourish and Blotts, Diagon Alley's bookstore to buy my books, including the ones for my new subjects, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and Muggle History. I'd also decided to take on Muggle Music but that was just an extracurricular subject.

When I looked in the window of Flourish and Blotts, I saw a large cage holding about a hundred copies of The Monster Book of Monsters. Torn pages were scattered everywhere as the books fought with each other. I looked down at my booklist and saw that The Monster Book of Monsters was the required book for Care of Magical Creatures.

As we entered, the manager strode over. "Hogwarts? Come to get your new books?"

"Yeah. I need-"

"Move aside." The manager put on a pair of thick gloves and grabbed a walking stick, heading towards the cage containing The Monster Book of Monsters copies. After about three minutes of fighting with the books, he finally got a copy out of the cage. "Anything else?"

"Um...yeah," I said, eyeing The Monster Book of Monsters warily. "I need...Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky."

"Starting Divination, hm?" He took off his gloves and led me into the back of the shop, and handed me a thick, black-bound book. "Unfogging the Future. Anything else?"

"Yes, I need...Intermediate Transfiguration, The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three, and A History of Muggles." Five minutes later, Renny and I left Flourish and Blotts, Renny carrying my books, while I carried my other things.

The week passed by in a blur, and the end of summer holiday came far too fast for my liking. For some strange reason, the thought of leaving Dracula behind made me feel utterly depressed, and I couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was that bonding ritual thing that Renny had been talking about.

When I stepped onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters clutching a smaller Midnight in my arms, with Renny pushing my cart behind me, I spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Guys! Guys!" I ran over to them, hugging each of them in turn. Renny came up behind me, smiling down at them. "Hello, you three."

"Hello, Mr. Field."

Renny turned to me, and I hugged him. "I'm gonna miss you, Uncle Renny."

"I shall miss you as well, young one. Have a good year, and remember, you are expected back home for the...holidays." I nodded, grinning. "Got it."

Harry, Ron, Hermione and I stepped onto the train, and they told me what had happened over the summer. Ron showed me his new wand, and told us that his family had won the Grand Prize Galleon Draw, which they'd used to spend the summer in Egypt, visiting Bill, Ron's oldest brother. Hermione had gotten a cat, Crookshanks, that seemed hell-bent on killing Scabbers. Midnight eyed Crookshanks for a few minutes, and seemed to have decided that Crookshanks seemed decent.

There was only one compartment left, with only one person inside. He was fast asleep, and he wore extremely shabby robes that seemed to have been patched up in many places. "Who do you reckon he is?"

"Professor R.J. Lupin."

"How do you know that?"

"It's on his suitcase," Hermione whispered, pointing at the man's shabby suitcase.

"Wonder what he teaches?"

"Well, that's obvious, isn't it? There's only one spot open. Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Ron looked doubtfully at him. "Well, I hope he's up to it. Looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn't he? Anyway..." he turned to Harry. "What were you going to tell us?" Harry told us all about overhearing Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's argument, and the warning Mr. Weasley had given him. Hermione clapped her hands over her mouth. "Sirius Black escaped to come after you?! Harry, you'll have to be really careful. Don't go looking for trouble, Harry-"

"I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me."

"How thick would Harry have to be, to want to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill him?" Ron said, his voice shaking slightly. I sighed. "Nobody knows how he got out of Azkaban. No one's ever done it before. He was a top-security prisoner, too."

"But they'll catch him, won't they?" Hermione said. "I mean, they've got all the Muggles out looking for him too."

Ron looked around suddenly. "What's that noise?" A tinny whistling noise was coming from somewhere in the compartment. "It's coming from your trunk, Harry." A moment later, he'd pulled a Pocket Sneakoscope out from between Harry's robes. Hermione looked at it with interest. "Is that a Sneakoscope?"

"Yeah...mind you, it's a really cheap one. It was going haywire while I was tying it to Errol's leg to send it to Harry."

"Were you doing anything untrustworthy at the time?"

"No! Well-I wasn't supposed to be using Errol. You know how he's not really up to long journeys-but how else was I supposed to get Harry's present to him?"

"Stick it back in the trunk, or it'll wake him," Harry said. Ron stuffed the Sneakoscope into a pair of hideous yellow socks, which deadened the sound, and put it back in the trunk. "We could get it checked in Hogsmeade," Ron said. "They sell that sort of thing in Dervish and Banges, magical instruments and stuff. Fred and George told me."

"Do you know much about Hogsmeade? I've read it's the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain-" Ron shrugged. "Yeah, I think it is, but that's not why I want to go. I just want to get inside Honeydukes!"

"What's that?" Hermione asked. Ron grinned. "It's this sweetshop where they've got everything...Pepper Imps-they make you smoke at the mouth-and great fat Chocoballs full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream, and really excellent sugar quills, which you can suck in class and just look like you're thinking about what to write next-"

"But Hogsmeade's a very interesting place, isn't it? In Sites of Historical Sorcery it says the inn was the headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion, and the Shrieking Shack's supposed to be the most severely haunted building in Britain-"

"-and massive sherbet balls that make you levitate a few inches off the ground while you're sucking them," Ron said, obviously not listening to Hermione. I looked over at Harry. "Won't it be nice to get out of school and explore the village a bit?"

"I expect it will. You'll have to tell me when you've found out." Ron stopped listing all the stuff they had at Honeydukes, and looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I can't go. The Dursleys wouldn't sign my permission form, and Fudge wouldn't either." We stared at him in shock. "You're not allowed to come?! But-no way-McGonagall or someone will give you permission-or we can ask Fred and George, they know every secret passage out of the castle-"

"Ron! I don't think Harry should be sneaking out of the castle with Black on the loose!" Harry snorted. "Yeah, I expect that's what McGonagall will say when I ask her for permission."

"But if we're with him, Black wouldn't dare-"

"Honestly, Ronald, don't be stupid. Black's already murdered a bunch of people in the middle of a crowded street. Do you really think he's going to worry about attacking Harry just because we're there?"

She began messing with the straps on Crookshanks's basket, trying to get it open. "Don't let that thing out!" Too late. Crookshanks lept onto Ron's knees, and the lump in Ron's pocket that was Scabbers began shaking. Ron shoved Crookshanks angrily off of his knee. "Get out of here!"

"Ron, don't!" Ron was about to respond when Professor Lupin stirred. We held our breath, watching him for a few seconds, but he just turned his head the other way and kept sleeping. Crookshanks curled up in an empty seat, keeping his eyes on Ron's pocket, while Midnight simply slept on, unconcerned by all the chaos going on around her.

At one o'clock, the witch with the food cart arrived. "D'you think we should wake him? He looks like he could do with some food."
Hermione moved cautiously toward him. "Er-Professor? Professor Lupin?"
He didn't move.

"Don't worry, dear," the food cart woman said as she handed Harry some Cauldron Cakes. "If he's hungry when he wakes up, I'll be up front with the driver."

"I suppose he is asleep?" Ron said quietly as she slid the compartment door shut. "I mean-he hasn't died, has he?"

"No, he's breathing."

He might not be good company, but Professor Lupin's presence had its uses. Just as it started to rain, our three least-favorite people showed up: Draco Malfoy, along with his lackeys, Crabbe and Goyle. "Well, look who it is. Potty and the Weasel." Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.

"I heard your father finally got hold of some gold this summer, Weasley. Did your mother die of shock?" Ron stood up so fast he knocked Crookshanks's cage to the floor, and Professor Lupin stirred. Malfoy looked over at him warily. "Who's that?"

"New teacher. What were you were saying, Malfoy?" Malfoy's eyes narrowed. He wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight right under a teacher's nose. "Come on," he muttered to Crabbe and Goyle, and stalked off with them on his heels.

Ron and Harry sat down again, Ron glaring at the compartment door. "I'm not going to take any more crap from Malfoy this year. I mean it. If he makes one more crack about my family, I'm going to get hold of him and-"

"Ron," Hermione hissed, pointing at Professor Lupin. "Be careful..." But Professor Lupin still seemed to be fast asleep.

"We must be nearly there," Ron said, peering out the completely black window. He'd barely stopped talking when the train began to slow down. "Great. I'm starving. I can't wait to get to the feast-"

Hermione checked her watch, frowning. "We can't be there yet." I looked over at her. "Then why are we stopping?" The train suddenly came to a stop, and we looked out of the compartment, and saw people peering up and down the carriage, all wearing the same look of confusion on their face. Distant thuds and bangs signaled that luggage had fallen out of racks. Without warning, all the lamps went out, and we were plunged into darkness.

"What's going on?" Ron's voice said somewhere to my left.

"Ouch! Ron, that was my foot!" Hermione whispered.

"Do you think we've broken down?" Harry asked.

"Dunno..." There was a squeaking sound, and we saw the outline of Ron, who'd wiped a patch clean on the window, trying to see outside. "There's something moving out there. I think people are coming aboard..."

The compartment door opened, and someone tripped over me. "Sorry-d'you know what's going on?-ouch-sorry-" I heard someone rustling around in the darkness. "Hello, Neville."

"Harry, is that you? What's happening?"

"No idea. Sit down-" There was a loud hissing and a yelp from Neville; he'd almost sat on Crookshanks. "I'm going to ask the driver what's going on," Hermione's voice said. The door slid open, and I heard squeals of pain.

"Who's that?"

"Who's that?"

"Ginny?"

"Hermione?"

"What are you doing?"

"I was looking for Ron-"

"Come in and sit down-"

"Not here! I'm here!" Harry's voice said.

"Ouch!"

"Quiet!" Professor Lupin seemed to have finally woken up. There was a soft, crackling noise, and light filled the compartment. He appeared to be holding a bunch of flames in his left hand. "Stay where you are," he said, and got to his feet, still clutching the fistful of flames. Before he could reach the door, it slid open.

Standing in the doorway was a cloaked figure. Its face was completely hidden by its hood. The thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, shuddering breath, and I felt as though I'd been thrown into ice-cold water. I heard a thud beside me. Someone had fainted.

"Harry! Harry!" I slapped Harry's face, trying to get him to wake up. Harry slowly opened his eyes, looking up at all of us. Hermione and I lifted him back onto his seat. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. What happened? Where's that thing? Who screamed?" We looked at him, puzzled. "Nobody screamed, Harry."

"But I heard screaming..." Professor Lupin broke an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces. He handed a large piece to Harry. "Eat it. It'll help." Harry took the chocolate, but didn't eat it. "What was that thing?" Lupin sighed. "That was a dementor. One of the dementors of Azkaban." He crumpled up the empty chocolate wrapper and stood up. "Eat. It'll help. If you'll excuse me, I need to have a word with the driver."

He strode out into the corridor, and we began talking in hushed tones. "Are you sure you're okay, Harry?" Hermione said, watching him nervously.

"I don't get it-what happened?"

"Well-that thing-the dementor-stood there and looked around (I mean, I think it did, I couldn't see its face)-and you-you-"

"You went sort of rigid and fell out of your seat-"

"And Professor Lupin stepped over you, walked towards the dementor, and pulled his wand out. He said, 'None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go.' When it didn't move, he muttered something, and a silvery thing shot out of his wand, and the dementor turned around and glided away."

"It was horrible. Did you feel how cold it got when it came in?"

"I felt weird," Ron said quietly. "Like I'd never be cheerful again..." Ginny let out a sob, and Hermione put an arm around her.

"But-didn't any of you fall out of your seats?"

"No. Ginny was shaking like crazy, though."

Professor Lupin had come back, and he smiled at us. "I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know." I took a bite, and felt a great warmth spread through my body. "We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes. Are you all right, Harry?"

"Fine."

We didn't talk much for the remainder of the train ride. Finally, the train stopped at Hogsmeade Station, and everyone scrambled to get out. It was freezing on the small platform, and rain was coming down in icy sheets.

"Firs' years this way!" I turned and saw Hagrid waving the first years over to him. "All righ', you four?" We waved at him, but didn't have a chance to say anything as the crowd of people around us shunted us along the platform.

As we stepped down from the carriages, Draco's voice spoke. "You fainted, Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth? You actually fainted?" Malfoy elbowed his way towards us, his eyes glittering maliciously. "Shove off, Malfoy," Ron snarled.

"Did you faint too, Weasley? Did the scary old dementor frighten you too?"

"Is there a problem here?" We looked up to see Professor Lupin standing there, an eyebrow raised. Malfoy looked him up and down, and then smirked. "Oh, no, Professor."

As we made our way into the castle, we headed for the Great Hall, when McGonagall's voice called out, "Potter! Granger! I want to see you both!" Ron and I waved at them as they walked off with McGonagall.

A little while later, Harry and Hermione joined us in the Great Hall, sitting down beside us. "What was that all about?" Harry opened his mouth to explain, but Professor Dumbledore had just stood up. "Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast. As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business." Dumbledore frowned, and continued.

"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises-or even Invisibility Cloaks. It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and to our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no students runs afoul of the dementors."

Dumbledore paused again, and then spoke. "On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." There was scattered, somewhat unenthusiastic applause. Only those of us who'd been in the compartment with him clapped hard.

"As to our second new appointment, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to announce that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

Loud applause broke out, from the Gryffindor table in particular. "We should've known! Who else would assign us a biting book!"

Once the applause had ended, Dumbledore smiled around at us all. "Well, I believe that's everything of importance. Let the feast begin!" The golden plates and goblets before us filled with food and drink. Suddenly starving, I began eating immediately. The hall rang with talking, laughter, and the sound of knives and forks clattering against plates.

When the last of the pumpkin tart vanished from the plates, Dumbledore gave the signal for us to go to bed. We ran up to the teacher's table to congratulate Hagrid. "Congratulations, Hagrid!"

"All down ter you three," Hagrid said, wiping his face on his napkin as he grinned up at us. "Can' believe it...great man, Dumbledore...came straight down to me hut after Professor Kettleburn said he'd had enough...It's what I always wanted..." He buried his face in his napkin and McGonagall shooed us away.

We joined the other Gryffindors climbing the marble stairs, along more corridors, up more stairs, and finally stopped in front of the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. The Fat Lady looked down at us, and said, "Password?"

"Coming through, coming through!" Percy's voice called through the crowd. "The new password's 'Fortuna Major!'"

"Oh, no," Neville groaned as the door to the common room swung open. He always had had trouble with the passwords. We went through the door, and Hermione and I climbed the stairs to our dormitory, while Ron and Harry left for their dormitory. As I laid down on the bed, Midnight lept up next to me, purring. I stroked her, falling asleep, with Dracula's face in my mind.