Thanks again to my betta this chap is now better.
Chapter 3 The Intruder
Ron slowly got up from his chair and headed for the bedroom, but suddenly something made him stop. He closed his eyes as the awful memory of the last time he saw Hermione flooded his mind once more
-It had taken a long time for Ginny and Harry to pry Hermione's body out of his arms. Their soft words of comfort and reasoning meant nothing to his numb brain. He had been told to stake her that night, but a part of him knew that this was still Hermione. Harry had offered to do it himself, but somehow Ron knew that he had to be the one for the terrible task. Ron had had the stake poised over Hermione's heart, trying to convince himself that she was no longer the Hermione he knew, when her eyes flew open. They had a misty, haunted quality about them now. They met the watery crystal blue of Ron's and she leapt to her feet with amazing agility, sprang towards the open window, stood there for a second and then jumped.
Ron yelled, and dashed to look out the fourth-floor window. The sight that met his eyes was not one of her crumpled body far below, but that of her running away down the street, seemingly airless. Ron, ignoring Harry and Ginny's protests, their attempts to pull him back, screamed out the window for her to come back, for her to come back to him. Apparently a neighbour had called the police, for a Muggle policeman subsequently came bursting into the room and was forced to calm Ron down. When he asked what happened, Ginny and Harry had to cover for him by saying that his girlfriend had just left him and was running away down the street right now. The officer seemed to accept this, and left, offering Ron his sympathy.
- From that horrible day on, Ron was full of questions. Why had Hermione been chosen? What had she become? Was she still alive? But most importantly, he wanted to know who did it. Thus, he spent hour upon hour in his office trying to find this out. He started at St. Mungos, and questioned everybody to which Hermione had a distant connection. He could barely sleep at night when he knew Hermione was out there somewhere, perhaps causing others the same pain he suffered daily Harry and Ginny were starting to worry for him. He never displayed any emotion or pain that Hermione's death had surely caused. They had not seen him shed a tear since the day of her death. Through the entire investigation he saw suspicious evidence about Lema from the hospital staff and patients. He began to gather information on vampires; where they lived, there habits and how they hunted .
He wanted to know everything there was to know about those awful creatures that had taken Hermione from him. When Ron checked the medical records, an address was listed under Lama name, but when he made haste to go there it was seemingly empty, he knocked several times with no reply. Ron didn't trust anything about the eerie house and stepped inside, floorboards creaking ominously beneath his feet. He felt the stake and small mirror that he had placed in his pocket. Something was wrong with the place. There was an empty frame hanging above a desk in the hall that had suspicious shards of glass scattered beneath it. Suddenly all his suspicions became truth Lema appeared around a corner. Ron whipped out his mirror and could not see Lema in it. He yelled,
"You!" as he dropped the mirror and let it smash, instead drawing out the stake and quickly pinning Lema to the wall with the stake pointed directly at the mans heart.
" Where's Hermione? "Ron shouted.
Lema looked surprised.
"How am I to know?" he queried, obviously trying to look like he didn't know who Hermione was.
Ron put more force on the stake. Lema eyes flashed and he bared his fangs, shoving Ron away violently. Ron stumbled into the opposite wall with a loud thump.
"This is her new home" Lema said silkily
"I think she likes it here very much and if I were you, I would leave us alone!"
" HOW DARE YOU!" Ron screamed, rushing back towards Lema, anger blazing in his eyes.
The vampires satisfied, malicious smile was twisted as Ron plunged the stake into his heart. He screeched, then crumpled to the floor in a pile of ash. Ron's eyes flew open again. So many bad memories He checked his watch.
"Damn! The meeting! I'm going to be late!"
He gathered his things together, twirled around hastily and vanished, reappearing moments later at the Ministry of Magic.
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Ron wasn't the only one who had been deeply affected by Hermione's death, of course.
Ginny Potter was sitting at home on the sofa, eyes fixed on the TV. She shifted and felt a tiny kick in her stomach. Placing a hand on her bulging belly, Ginny couldn't help but smile. No matter how fat she became, Ginny knew the backaches were going to be worth it in the end. She felt warm knowing that she was carrying a living thing, a tiny baby, a life created by her and Harry.
Ginny got up and shuffled to the kitchen to get some milk, flicking on the light as she went. She often found it boring being at home by herself since she no longer worked. She loved being a teacher but the doctor had insisted she stay at home until she felt ready. She opened the fridge, squinting slightly through the bright electric light, and took a carton off of the shelf. As she poured the milk into a glass, she glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was quite late and Harry wasn't home yet the meeting was obviously taking longer than he had thought. Ginny knew that when Harry did come home, he would bring the same news as ever: Ron had not shown up for work again. Every time Ginny saw him nowadays there was a hollow, haunted expression on his face. The combination of Hermione's death and how she didn't even know her brother anymore had hit Ginny hard. There was an aching void in Ginny's heart that she knew would never be filled. Hermione had been her best friend and she missed her everyday. It killed her knowing that Hermione was still out there somewhere, a creature of the night. Something that was no longer her. She reminded herself of this fact as she drained the glass and headed back into the living room.
Suddenly, as she re-seated herself on the couch, a flood of memories washed over her and she burst into tears. The display of emotion showed how much she truly missed her friend.
- Hermione stood in the shadows of the Potters apartment. She wanted to see her old friend again, even if they could never spend time together. She also felt lonely since Lema had been killed Hermione knew that his murderer had been Ron from the moment she arrived home with a nice meal and discovering the pile of ashes on the ground. She didn't hate him for it. There was still a part of her that loved Ron, a part that, even in death, would never leave her. She watched Ginny cry, knowing that she would not be seen or heard even if Ginny was listening. Vampires learned to blend in with the darkness and become virtually invisible.
She knew that her death had touched her loved ones, and for a fleeting second she glanced around the apartment and wanted her old life back But it only lasted a second. I'm stronger this way, she told herself. Yes. This was the way things should be. Goodbye, Hermione, the know-it-all bookworm. Her eyes, bright yellow with no trace of their former warm chocolate brown, were drawn to a photograph sitting on a shelf. Harry and Ginny. Hermione felt a twang of hatred; she knew that Harry was supposed to be hunting her, but if her plan went accordingly there would be nothing to worry about.
Without thinking which was what Hermione did a lot these days she swept out a hand and knocked the picture off the shelf. It fell to the floor and smashed. Ginny stiffened and sniffled, drying her tears quickly.
" Who's there?" she called nervously, bending in an awkward way to take her wand from a cupboard.
Hermione, feeling triumphant, knew it was time to show herself. She stepped from the shadows and grinned menacingly, displaying her sharp teeth. Ginny gasped. -
" Stay back" Ginny warned shakily, readying her wand.
She hadn't actually seen Hermione since the night of her death. Her skin was now deathly pale, her formerly bushy hair limp and her eyes gleaming yellow. She literally looked like a living corpse. Its not her. Hermione's gone, Ginny told herself. This method was apparently not effective; Ginny believed her eyes, not her mind.
Hermione edged closer and Ginny backed away.
"Hello, Ginny. Oh, don't worry I'm not going to hurt you. Not yet, anyway." Hermione smiled slyly.
"Why did you come? You are not my friend anymore"
" Is that what you really think, Gin?" Hermione asked.
Ginny said nothing; instead, she looked at her belly. When her eyes darted back up to Hermione, however, she had vanished. Where is she? Ginny wondered nervously. Her question was answered as a cold breath touched her ear. Ginny jumped, stumbled and fell backwards.
"You see, since Ron killed Lema oh, yes, I know it was Ron I've been lonely. I cant spend an eternity all by myself, now can I? "Hermione said softly, not even extending a finger to help Ginny up.
Ginny struggled, but was unable to move from her uncomfortable position on the floor.
Damn pregnancy, she cursed inside her head.
Her hand made to grip her wand, but her fingers closed on an empty space. Ginny's wand was gone.
"Looking for this?" Hermione said wickedly, twirling Ginny's wand between her long fingers, far out of reach.
"Lets get back to business, shall we? The straight and narrow is, I want you, Ron and Harry to join me. Living like this is great! There are no rules and no work. Think about it, Gin you will live for ever, never grow old just like your child. It will grow up, then remain young. Ill leave that for you to consider. If you don't take me up on my offer, Ill just have to kill you anyway. Oh, and do me a favour tell Harry to stop hunting me." Hermione dropped the wand, eyes glowing yellow, and kicked it over to Ginny.
"See you around" she whispered, before vanishing.
Ginny lay there, unmoving. Hermione was not her friend anymore, and this was when she finally knew that Hermione was truly dead. The lights went out and darkness consumed the house, just as it did Ginny's heart.
