Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or Harry Potter. All the copyrights associated with both fandoms belong to their rightful owner. Only the ideas contained within this story are the property of the author. No profit is being earned by the writer of this story.
AN: I'm much happier with this chapter than the last. But I'm a little concerned with the pacing, is the story moving too slowly (getting boring)? Too much detail? Too less? If you find any typos, or spelling and grammar mistakes let me know and I'll fix them.
Hermione stood in the darkened hall of her new house with her heart pounding. Was this it? She remembered Quirrell's lecture on vampires back in her first year at Hogwarts.
"Vampires are among the darkest of creatures to walk the earth. So dark, in fact, that they cannot bear the touch of the sun. Vampires by their inherent nature are foul monsters. They steal the life of other purer beings to sustain their own - Yes, Mr. Finnigan?"
The sandy-haired Irish boy had been waving his hand in the air. "Professor, what do you mean they 'steal life'? They just drink blood, don't they? They don't actually have to kill the person."
"Blood is life, Finnigan. The rush of blood in your veins is what makes you alive. Blood is the most important thing to keep you healthy."
Although looking back, it was probably just Voldemort talking. Remus' lectures were much more sympathetic to the vampires plight. Perhaps his own condition had coloured his view on the beings as he always stressed that they were not just animals or creatures, they were human once. People who had befallen a terrible fate and were now doomed to stand in the shadow of Wizarding society, forever shunned and unable to feel the warmth of the sun again.
The werewolf didn't just teach them how to fight and kill vampires, either. He taught them the codes that vampires adhered to. Wizards didn't understand the magic or mechanics which allowed for a creature to retain its sense of self after death, and for that they feared them. Vampire hunting was rampant, during the Middle Ages in particular, and the Ministry was forced to create laws which punished the hunting of the creatures. However, vampires now feared magic greatly and created a code among their kind which forbade the attention of any sort of Wizarding authority. Any vampire who came close to breaking the Statute of Secrecy was quickly and quietly dispatched by its own kind before the Ministry was forced to intervene. No wizard had been turned into a vampire in the previous three centuries in fear of retribution.
For a vampire to act so carelessly and rashly as to allow a victim to live, without even disguising the wound, was unheard of. This must be a different breed of vampire, one unknown to her kind and her kind unknown to it. Ice flooded Hermione's veins. There was a vampire loose in the town who wouldn't hesitate to attack her and who she had no idea how to defend against.
In the morning she would head to Mystic Falls Public Library and start her research on the town's history of supernatural phenomena.
Hermione turned her face up toward the sun, glad she had packed all of her summer wardrobe. The day of the comet was just as warm as it had been the previous week. Out in the town square, surrounded by people, Hermione felt the hot rush of embarrassment as she remembered her brief flash of paranoia the previous night. It was much more difficult to be afraid of vampires in the bright light of day than the lonely gloom of her home.
Grimacing at the thought of her panic, Hermione looked around for a jewellery shop. She spotted a Tiffany's and Co. down a side street and made her way to the shop and inside. Hermione very rarely wore jewellery and owned only a few pieces: a silver locket in the shape of a book given to her by Harry and Ron for her sixteenth birthday, a simple sapphire pedant gifted to her in her grandmother's will when she was fourteen and a charm bracelet on which she recorded the most important events and people in her life. The last item was one she never took off, even during their year on the run. The bracelet was there to remind her of everything she was fighting for. During Bellatrix's torture she focused on the cold metal of the charms to keep herself sane. It was the bracelet that shielded her mind. If she thought of anything else her concentration would break and she would hear Ron's screams, feel Harry's desperation, and lose her own mind completely.
Now it was time to add to her collection. With vampires on the loose it would be stupid to leave anything to chance. Hermione didn't know what these vampires were vulnerable to so she wasn't going to leave anything to chance, except the garlic. She despised the smell and taste of garlic and onions more than the vampires did.
Hermione looked around as she entered the shop. It was tiny in size and had a very old fashioned look to it. The dark, battered counter and small panes in the window gave it an antique feel. Hermione felt as though she had stepped into one of the shops in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley.
A distinctly American voice broke the spell. "May I help you with anything?"
"Oh," Startled, Hermione looked around at a grey haired woman who had entered the shop from the back room. "Yes, I'm wondering if you sell plain silver crosses?" Despite her deep-rooted Gryffindor loyalty Hermione had always loved the look of silver far more than she had gold.
The silver specification was due to more than just personal preference though. Silver has been tied with the supernatural and the occult for as long as both have existed. In Hogwarts, Hermione had researched the truth behind most magical myths and the stories about silver proved to be true. It is the best conduit of all energies, including magic. The energies and vibrations of silver are known for reflecting and absorbing negative or dark energies, such as those in vampires, werewolves and all manner of dark creatures.
When the woman came back with a selection of silver crosses, Hermione quickly chose a simple one made of two crossed square bars and bought a link chain to go with it. She wanted to spend as much time in the library as possible before meeting up with Meredith.
The Public Library of Mystic Falls was a modern building, not at all like Hermione's beloved Hogwarts Library, but it held as much a wealth of information if you just looked in the right place. The history section was devoid of any sort of supernatural speculation. Which practically screamed 'censorship' when you took into account what events they were trying to pass off as normal. It was all there: mysterious deaths, strange series of animal attacks, missing medical reports. After combing through the books for several hours, Hermione found that she learned more from what the books didn't say than what they did. Keeping this in mind, she headed toward the supernatural and mythological section.
After feeling the weight of her bag, filled with the books she had checked out of the library, Hermione had Apparated home to leave them there before Apparating back into town to meet with Meredith.
The town square was packed with people waiting to see the comet and the Grill even more so. Hermione checked her newly bought mobile phone for messages – she was a few minutes late and couldn't see Meredith anywhere. Glancing around, she smiled as she spotted the girl from the hospital with what could only be her brother.
"Hermione, hey!"
Hermione turned around at the sound of the exclamation and smiled in relief as she saw Meredith coming towards her.
"Meredith, thank God. I was wondering how I was going to find you in this chaos."
"I know. It's crazy, isn't it? Let's head to the bar, I'll buy you a drink."
Ignoring her protests, Meredith dragged Hermione over to the bar and signalled the bartender.
"Between you and Damon, the bartender's here are going to start thinking I'm too cheap to buy my own drinks."
Meredith laughed and started to respond before pausing. "Damon?"
"Yes, Damon Salvatore. I met him my first night in town, do you know him?" Hermione's eyes sharpened as she caught something flash across Meredith's face, but was too slow to see what it was.
"The only Salvatore I know of is called Zach. It's a little strange that I didn't know he had any other family." At Hermione's bewildered expression she elaborated, "The Salvatore's are a very old family around here. One of the Founding Families, along with the Lockwoods, the Gilberts and, of course, the Fells. Oh!" Meredith's face lit up as she thought of something. "Would you come with me to the Founder's Party? Please? I really should bring someone and I really don't want to go to the effort of bringing a date."
Hermione was bemused at Meredith's sudden change in attitude, "The Founder's Party?"
"Mhm, it's on the 24th. It's a gathering to celebrate the heritage and to display the heirlooms of the Founding Families or something like that. It happens every year at the end of September and because I'm part of the Town Council I am obliged to go."
Hermione hesitated, "I don't know..."
"It will be fun, I promise. Besides, you're new to town. You need some way to meet people and any party thrown for the Founding Families is one of the best ways to do that."
Hermione relented. "Alright, I'll go."
Meredith smiled triumphantly. Hermione was just darkly amused at the thought of her being invited to an exclusive party where only certain families were allowed. No matter what, the universe had a way of paying you back ... for good or ill.
Hermione learned a lot about Meredith while they were talking by the bar, but at the same time the woman seemed surrounded by secrets. Meredith did not seem to have any family aside from her cousin Logan, who she talked about at great length. Or complained about, rather. Logan and Meredith being members of the Founding Families, were part of the Town Council and were forced to spend more time together than Meredith seemed happy with. When Hermione asked what sort of work the Town Council did, Meredith explained that her position on it was mostly just traditional. Meredith had little enough interest in the actions of the Council that she didn't do much and was just kept informed on what they were doing. Meredith evaded her questions on what the Council did to fill all the time they spent on Council activities, though, and Hermione's curiosity was peaked.
Hermione enjoyed Meredith's company a lot. She was quite a serious woman but she had a sharp wit and a dry sense of humour that Hermione found refreshing. After Hermione commentated on it, Meredith laughed. "One thing I've noticed while working in the hospital is that all doctor's have a sense of humour, and more often than not it's a strange one."
The two brunettes had been hanging out by the bar for nearly two hours before Meredith's pager beeped.
"I'm so sorry, Hermione, but I'm going to have to go back to the hospital. I suppose I should have anticipated an accident or something, especially when there's something going on in town. I feel terrible that I dragged you out, only to abandon you."
"Meredith, relax. It's fine. I'm fine. I'll probably head home soon anyway. I'm not really one for late nights." More like she wasn't one for being outside with a mysterious vampire on the loose.
Meredith thanked her and hurried from the bar. Hermione went to drain her glass but stopped as she heard a familiar voice.
"I'm starting to get the impression you're either stalking me or a raging alcoholic."
Hermione smiled and without turning toward the voice responded, "Well, the same could be said for you, you know. Which are you leaning toward?"
"Well, I doubt either of us are alcoholics. I'm too clever and you're too pretty."
"I am pretty," Hermione agreed, grinning.
"So that leaves the other option."
"Oh, but we still have to question which of us is the stalker and which is the innocent victim, doomed by fate."
Hermione had been teasing, but something flashed through Damon's eyes when she said 'innocent victim' that unnerved her. Something akin to temptation. Had it been desire? Or hunger? Whatever it was, it caused her heart to beat a little erratically in her chest. To cover for her shaking hands she sipped from the drink in front of her.
"So, what have you been up to in the day since I've seen you?"
Thankful he changed the subject, Hermione answered him. "Well, I've had work but mostly I've been wandering around town, exploring, seeing the sights. You know, stuff people do when they moved to a town they've never even seen before." Hermione paused, remembering their last conversation. "Well, you would know, wouldn't you?"
Damon smirked and lifted his drink in salute.
The pair turned as they heard a voice address one of them.
"I know you."
It was the girl from the hospital and she was staring at Damon. The dark haired man looked nonplussed but responded, "Well, that's unfortunate."
Hermione laughed slightly but the girl wouldn't take her eyes from him. "I ... I don't know how but. Your face." Hermione felt the stirrings of concern in her stomach and looked closer at the girl. She was fairly pale and her looks were not improved by the bandage fixed to her neck. But what caught Hermione's attention were her eyes. Her pupils to be exact, wide, dilated, black holes. She was high.
The girl blinked and finally seemed to come to her senses. "Excuse me. S-sorry." She walked away. Hermione, already a little worried about her, grew even more concerned as she stumbled and tripped on her way to the bathrooms.
"Damon, I'm going to be back in a moment or two, okay?"
Without waiting for an answer, Hermione followed the girl. She didn't want to seem too interfering, but the girl clearly couldn't look after herself at the moment and she had been attacked by the vampire already. Hermione planned on just getting her to her brother and letting him take her home. Hopefully she'd be safe there.
Hermione felt a faint breeze as if something passed by her and then heard a faint shriek come from the ladies. Growing even more alarmed, Hermione pushed open the door and found … nothing. There was no one inside, the stall doors were open. The tap was running, could that be what she heard?
Bewildered and not the least bit spooked, Hermione turned and scanned the Grill for the girl, noticing as she did so that Damon had also vanished.
What the hell is going on?
Review, please.