Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 1

Hermione sat at a table, sipping at the glass of whisky she had ordered while she observed the inhabitants. She had been travelling to California when she had felt the presence of a large group so she had stopped. After four months she had yet to find any that were worthy of the gift of her people and it was rather aggravating. At least she had purchased a property that would become her home. Twenty acres of land with a large, sprawling home set amongst almost English styled gardens it was perfect. The first thing she had done was ward it to keep humans far away, muggle or magical it didn't matter. The 'palace' had wards even better than the famed wards of Hogwarts and Gringotts.

So far she had yet to see any of the mongrels but Manning did seem the sort of town they would frequent. If her parents could see her in such a place they would ground her for a century. She glance up as an aging man walked into the bar and claimed the nearby table, pulling out an old journal. Something about him made her wary and then she realised as she smelt a lot of salt and even gunpowder, he was a hunter. Best to retreat before she ended up ripping the man's throat out in front of all these witnesses. She downed the rest of her drink and walked out of the bar, easily blending into the night. If she had stayed a few minutes more she would have found some of those she was looking for but it was time to go to work.

She walked into the building and slipped her white coat on. One way to get an idea about those she was looking for was to get a good look at their victims and how better to do that than in the morgue? A little bit of magic and natural charm and she had easily gotten the job, once doing that would have felt like cheating but not anymore. These days she did whatever it took to get the job done. Sure enough there was a new body waiting on her on the cold metal table, young, female and attractive which was a bit odd. Usually they were turned unless this group was led by a female who didn't want contenders? She did the basic exam, filled out the paperwork and put her in a drawer. A photographic memory was a wonderful thing otherwise she'd have had to train for years for the job. But in such a small town no one cared that her work wasn't to the standards of a big city morgue.

She was surprised the next night to find the hunter on her table. The mongrels had obviously gotten to him and had a lot of fun killing him. Her stomach actually turned a bit at the damage and smell. At least if she killed she was neat and respectful! This was just so wrong. But at least there was no chance of him ending up one of them, even if some blood had gotten into one of his wounds the damage was far too severe. That was the last body she needed to see to make her decision, this group was not suitable to be part of her new family. But a contact had gotten word to her about some likely humans, an ex-army intelligence team who had gone into the private sector. Ex-military meant they knew how to fight to some degree and intelligence meant they would be able to watch for signs they were going to be attacked. Maybe such a team could have saved her family. So she quickly filed to take some holiday days before going home to sleep and then feed.


Hermione watched the men leave the bar where they had been celebrating a job well done. They were all fit and relatively good looking though the military hair cut did nothing to flatter most of them. And there were only five of them which was good, she didn't want too large of a group all being turned at once, they would be too hard to handle alone. She slipped from the shadows and walked towards them confidently, getting their attention and several appraising looks.

Alex looked at the young woman walking towards them. She was gorgeous with long silky chestnut curls and very nice long legs and curves. It'd been a few weeks since he'd enjoyed the company of a woman and it seemed like she might be interested. "Hello gorgeous." He called and she smiled, walking straight towards him.

"Hello boys. Celebrating?"

"Oh yeah, wanna join in?" Nick called out, slurring slightly. She flashed him a smile even as the kid swayed drunkenly before passing out. The kid never could handle alcohol. Michael and Grant moved to haul him up. Leonard just grinned and shook his head, eyes a little glassy.

"Sounds fun." She smiled and teasingly ran a hand over Alex's chest. He shivered and stared down into dark chocolate eyes. His breathing sped up as brown bled to vibrant red and he felt strange. "It's alright, just relax." She soothed and Alex found his breathing slowing to normal even as tensed muscles relaxed. He stayed where he was as she moved away to stand in front of Leonard and then Michael and Grant. The street was silent as they all stood there, just breathing slowly as they all stared at her. "Follow me." She ordered and they all began to move, walking behind her.

The world began to blur around him as his focus narrowed until she was all he was aware of. He was unaware of his body or of time passing. When Alex finally came back to awareness he was lying on something soft, his head pillowed in her lap even as he drank something. He blinked sluggishly, fighting to focus. Brown eyes and curly hair gradually came into focus and she smiled at him. Alex felt his heart race as he realised what he was drinking. Her wrist was firmly held against his mouth and the taste….he was drinking blood. He tried to struggle but his body wouldn't respond, it felt heavy, too heavy to move. "It's alright, it's almost over. You'll sleep soon and when you wake up you'll understand." She whispered, other hand moving to gently brush through his hair. He was terrified and confused but she was right about sleeping. It was getting harder and harder to keep his eyes open. "That's it, just go to sleep. You and your team are safe." She leant down to kiss his forehead and Alex felt himself sinking into the darkness.

Hermione withdrew her wrist from his mouth and stared down at the sleeping man. Alexander, what a perfectly apt name for her first guardsman. Although it wasn't exactly mankind he would be protecting. She gently lowered his head to the pillow and moved from the bed. She needed to feed and then she would see to Leonard next.


Hermione opened the door to Alex's room and found him lying exactly where she had left him two days before. Once military short dull brown hair had lengthened slightly and there were some soft blonde highlights visible. His muscle tone had improved and the slight bend from a previously broken nose had straightened out. She smiled and sat on the bed, pulling him into her arms. A small whimper escaped him at the movement and his eyelids fluttered but he didn't wake. "It will all be over soon Alex." She murmured before gently sinking sharp fangs into the vein in his neck, one hand gently stroking overheated skin. She hadn't fed since seeing young Nick to ensure she would be hungry enough. After a while she could hear his heartbeat slowing, his breathing becoming laboured as his body struggled to keep going. Finally one last gasping breath left his lips even as his heart stilled, his skin a bloodless white. She pulled back and licked her lips, he had been very tasty. She gently covered him with a quilt after settling him comfortably on the bed before leaving him to complete his transformation.

Over the next several days she did the same to Alex's teammates before coming to young Nick. He looked barely eighteen but she knew from his memories that he was actually twenty three, the youngest of his team. He'd filled out a bit and his blonde hair was now almost the same shade as a Malfoy. To her surprise unfocused blue eyes opened as she settled him in her arms even as he whimpered pitifully. Something about him had her feeling maternal towards him even as his eyes rolled in their sockets. One hand flopped on the bed and she gently grasped it. "It's alright Nick,I'm here." She whispered to him and the words seemed to settle him. "I'm going to make you better, just go back to sleep." She waited several seconds after his eyes closed before sinking her fangs in to drain him. It was harder to leave him but she did, they would all need to feed upon waking after all.


Hunger. Red eyes snapped open and snarls filled the air even as he lept up and forward, sharp fangs sinking into warm flesh. Hot, filling liquid filled his mouth and he drank greedily. Once done the body dropped to the ground and red eyes faded to hazel as fangs retracted. Alex looked down at the body and felt no guilt for what he had done; he needed to feed to survive. The door opened and he looked up before dropping to his knees and offering his throat. He knew instinctively that this was his Queen and he would do anything she asked of him. A gently hand carded through his hair and he shivered in pleasure at her touch.

"How do you feel Alex?"

"Ready to serve you my Queen." He answered and she chuckled, gently tipping his face up so he had to look at her. As far as he was concerned she was the most beautiful woman in the world and Hermione could see that in his expression. It would fade in time, especially if he found love. It only happened to turned vampires, born vampires while loyal to the throne weren't so ruled by those feelings.

"Good. So follow me." She led him into the hallway, walking slowly so he could look around. They came to another door and found Grant just finishing his first meal. Soon all five of them were awake and fed. Nick knelt at her feet, leaning against her and she smiled, gently running her fingers through his hair, able to feel the beginning of soft curls in his still military short hair. "This is your home now, you can decorate your rooms as you wish and wander the grounds freely." She gave them the tour and then the laws, smiling as they took everything in. Things would be different this time.

TBC…

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