I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters in that universe with the exception of Angela Jade Frost. Not that I have the money if someone decided to sue me, being a poor college student.
Note, this takes place after Order of the Phoenix but it ignores The Half Blood Prince, in other words, this is Harry's 6th year.
After a few brief seconds Angela let Hermione's limp body fall to the floor as Snape stood there in shock. Taking mere moments to compose himself he rushed forward and picked up Hermione, taking her back into his study attached to the office and onto a small sitting couch. Leaving her he rushed back into his main office where Angela sat in a daze staring at the wall.
"What have you done?! Do you have any idea what could have happened??" he fumed at her, eyes darting around to make sure they were alone.
"I'm sorry sir… I couldn't help it; I didn't even realize what happened till she hit the floor." Looking away ashamed she hid her face under a curtain of red hair, sighing to herself.
"I guess this means that I'll need to move on to another school again…"blood red tears beginning to trail down her cheeks, "the students won't tolerate me if they find out about this and most of the teachers won't either."
"Hush… her friends should be here soon and we need to wake her and wipe her memory of this. I will inform Pr. Dumbledore about this and he will keep an eye on the girl for any signs." With that Snape handed her a tissue before dashed back to where Hermione was unconscious. Pulling a potion from his amply stocked shelves he forced two drops into her mouth and waited. A few moments later Hermione coughed and opened her eyes, looking around dazed.
"Professor… what happened… my head hurts…"Before she could say another thing Snape muttered a quick charm and with a wave of his wand erased the memory of the attack from her mind. While still dazed and unaware he guided her out into his main office and sat her next to Angela who had finished drying her face. Snape just shot her a quick look and gestured to the plated of food. Angela nodded and pulled the plate into her lap just as Hermione came around.
"What was it you were saying Hermione, about the different teachers?" Angela prompted as she ate a quick little bite of food.
With a shake of her head Hermione went into a detailed explanation of who the different teachers were and what they taught along with interesting facts about them. Snape lurked in the background and kept a close eye on the two girls before he interrupted the flow of conversation.
"Miss. Granger, I think it's time you return to your dormitory so that I can take Miss. Frost to the hospital wing." With a slight blush Hermione stood and wished them both good night before ducking out of the room.
"Alright, I need to take you to the hospital wing anyway so that I might inform Madam Pomfrey about your… condition." Letting out a reluctant sigh Angela stood and went with Snape up to the hospital wing and let Madam Pomfrey fuss over her before she was taken aside for a quick chat. Several minutes later both adults came back with to Angela though more cautions in their actions.
"Pr. Snape has informed me of your situation. You will need to come to me for regular…check ups. If you feel you are going to have a problem you will excuse yourself from class or any activities and report here immediately. The other teachers will be informed so that this will be possible. Now, I need to speak with the headmaster to make allowances." As she turned to leave, Snape stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
"There will be no need for that; I will speak with the headmaster directly. There is another matter I need to discuss anyway." Before she could protest Snape turned on his heel and left the hospital wing.
*
The following day at breakfast a crowd of Gryffindor ran up to meet an exhausted looking Angela just as Ron, Harry, and Hermione came down into the great hall. Most people had heard what happened the previous night from Ron and Harry but were anxious to find out her condition. Even students from other houses were listening in though not crowding her for answers.
"Does it hurt a lot?" cried Collin Crevey. Angela simply shook her head 'no' before pushing past the other students in order to get to the table for breakfast before morning lessons started. Many owls came swooping in with the morning post including Angela's eagle Icewing with a letter for her. She looked it over, frowning slightly before pocketing it and putting a red lollypop into her mouth.
In what seemed like too short a time the bell rang for everyone to run to morning classes and the tables cleared of food as usual. The students all looked down at their class lists and hurried off towards their first class of the day, Gryffindor hurrying down towards the dungeons for their first Defense class of the year.
Upon arrival they found Pr. Lupin already at the front of the room behind the desk putting a large file on top of it. Looking just as shabby as they remembered he smiled at all the familiar faces.
"It's good to see all of you again and I'm grateful to be able to teach you once more with the headmasters blessing. If anyone has any objections I'd be glad to talk with them after class. Now," he glanced down at the large stack of papers on his desk, "I thought we'd take the time to review since I know this class isn't that consistent in its teaching practices and you are all going into your O.W.L.S. this year. I need to see where everyone is so that I can get you up to speed accordingly."
All the students nodded and looked up at the board expectantly. Pr. Lupin touched the blackboard with his wand as questions began racing across it. With another wave he sent all the papers flying across the room to each student. With a smile he sat down behind his desk and gestured for them to begin.
"Just so everyone is aware, I will change the questions every 15 minutes so we can move along and your papers have been bewitched with anti-cheating charms. Even though this won't be graded as normal I don't want people copying answers from others. If you don't know something, that's ok since I will make sure you know it before your exams."
A few people gave good natured groans but quickly went to work. The scrabbling of quills could be heard non-stop with only the tapping of Pr. Lupin's wand on the board interrupting the sound. Finally he tapped the board a final time to clear it completely.
"Alright, everyone quills down and bring your papers up to my desk. We well start normal lessons next class and I will go over a semester long project I would like you're to work on as O.W.L.S. preparation." His statement was quickly followed by the scrapping of chairs and rustle of bags as they complied with his directions. Lupin gave Harry a quick smile as he dropped off his paper before turning to the others coming up behind him. Harry waited by the door for Hermione and Ron, looking back towards Lupin's desk so he was the only one that noticed the strange interplay going on. Upon reaching his desk Angela gave a small, frightened shudder and quickly walked away without looking at anyone, seeming desperate to get out of the class. Lupin's eyes followed her looking tense and slightly alarmed.
"C'mon 'arry, it's time for lunch," Ron commented as they joined him the corridor. Angela had already fled from their sights towards the great hall, Harry leaning his head towards the others to mention what he saw just then with Lupin.
"I think you're seeing things Harry," shrugged Hermione, "I mean, why would Lupin have that reaction to any student? I was probably a trick of the light or something and she was hurrying to get lunch before afternoon classes."
"Yea, maybe you're right Hermione," he said absently, not really believing what he was saying. He privately made up his mind to find out why everyone was having a strange reaction to the new student.
*
Harry and Ron split from Hermione after lunch to head for Divination while she headed for Muggle Studies. Climbing the long staircase they spotted Angela already at the top landing talking quietly to her dragon Red. Their conversation stopped as soon as the boys came into view and the little dragon slipped back under her robes. Glancing at them past her red hair and bandages she nodded slightly before opening her text book and looking over it.
The guys looked at each other, Ron shrugging, and did the same as the others came up for class and waited for the ladder to drop. Too soon for most people, the silvery ladder came down and the sickly sweet perfume wafted down from the classroom. Lavender Brown made sure she was the first one up the ladder, followed closely by Parvati Patel so that they could get the table closest to Pr. Trelawney's desk. Harry and Ron looked for their usual table away from her desk and close to the window to get away from the sickly perfume coming from the fireplace.
"Good afternoon," sounded her misty voice from the shadows as she came into view, her shawls having changed from bright green to an even brighter yellow so the image of a glittering dragonfly turned to that of a buzzing bee.
"Today we shall begin with the reading of cards to tell one's future since the all Seeing Eye has informed me it will be part of your O.W.L.S. though a test cannot gauge your ability to see into the future."
Ron and Harry glanced at each other and rolled their eyes, knowing Trelawney's usual speeches and prepared for another boring lesson they would most likely put them to sleep again.
"Everyone will pair off and read each others cards with help from the small books I will provide as your text doesn't adequately cover Tarot cards so this will supplement your readings. Your partner will shuffle your deck and you will deal the cards out face down in the following order," tapping the blackboard with her wand so dealing orders and formations appeared, "and will turn them over one by one referencing the book to see the cards meaning in that particular location. Take notes on your readings since that will be part of your homework for the next month, which will be explained at the end of class."
She quickly went around handing out tattered decks of cards and old books to each person in the class before settling back behind her desk. Ron and Harry quickly pulled out some parchment and began shuffling cards and laying them out so they could start the exercise.
"Well Harry, looks like your first card says you're a well developed person with a strong will, as if we didn't know that already," Ron sniggered as Harry's quill scratched at the parchment. Angela, who was paired with Neville, glanced over at their table before swiftly dealing his cards and beginning his reading without even glancing at the board, much to his amazement.
"Come now class, look deeply into the hidden meanings in each card you see. Look out across the web of time and space to predict the future of your fellows," came her voice as Pr. Trelawney moved from table to table. Glancing down at Ron's spread for Harry she looked at his notes and sniffed slightly.
"Really now, this card can be interpreted as him developing this trait rather than already having it. Go ahead and flip over the next one dear," as Ron turned the next card over she glanced at it and in a predictable fashion, gasped dramatically. "Oh child, this card predicts the death of a close friend and ally of yours. Your cards seem to be turning dark already dear boy." She simpered over the rest of his cards as Ron turned them over, the rest of the class listening with rapt attention. Turning over the last one she gave a small cry and drifted back over towards her desk.
"Dear boy, your cards are full of doom and death. Your short life is full of sorrow and…"
"Yea, I know, I'm gonna die soon and there is nothing I can do about it. That's the same thing you've been telling me for years but I'm still here, Thank you very much," Harry snapped, much to everyone's surprise save a few. Pr. Trelawney looked scandalized but Angela just glanced at the cards and shrugged. Regaining her composure she quickly began looking over everyone else's spreads before glancing at Neville's one for Angela and she nearly fainted.
"Dear girl, I have never seen a set so desolate and full of misadventures. These cards reek of death that seems to follow you. There will be misfortune coming for you shortly." And with that declaration she collapsed into her chair. Lavender and Parvati both rushed forward to check on her while the rest of the class just stared open mouthed at her. She had never said anything like that for another student aside from Harry and they looked right at Angela who just shrugged it off like Trelawney had just told her the weather forecast.
"Students," she practically whispered, "you will take these readings with all of their details and keep a log of your days throughout the next month to see if anything seen in your cards come true. We will do regular readings from your journals to point out things to the rest of the class," and with a wave of her hand dismissed them from the room. Everyone quickly put away their cards and books and raced down the ladder to head off for dinner, the buzz of conversation flooding the small staircase.
"Well that was a first, at least we know she won't always pick on you now Harry. Most likely she's trying to get in five years of missed time with Angela since she's a new student."
"I guess Ron, since we know she's only ever made 2 real predictions it's most likely another show stopper to keep her classes interesting. This journal's going to be a real bother through," he commented as they went back to the common room to drop their bags for dinner.
"It can't be as bad as that ruddy dream journal she made us keep last year. I mean, that had us looking at star charts and making things up all the time. At least this one is just our day to day things with a little prediction thrown in to make it realistic."
"C'mon, I'm starving. Plus, we can tell Hermione what happened. This just doesn't seem to be Angela's week now does it."
Both of the boys headed down to the great hall and were just coming down the grand staircase when they spotted Pr. Dumbledore talking with a tall figure dressed all in black. The headmaster seemed to be insisting on something and the man's shoulders drooped slightly with acquiescence before they turned towards the great hall. Harry got the impression that the man didn't want to eat with the rest of the school but Dumbledore had politely pushed the issue so he couldn't refuse.
With a glance at each other they headed inside for dinner and to look for Hermione to fill her in on what she missed. Harry noticed that the tone in the great hall seemed strained and full of terrified interest since most people were talking in whispers and kept looking up at the head table. Finding Hermione and sitting down Harry had just opened his mouth to tell her about the day when she held up a hand to silence him, her eyes fixed on the head table.
"Hermione, what's the deal," Ron asked, his back to the table. But Harry could see what she was looking at. The man they had seen talking to Dumbledore in the hall was now seated next to him at the head table in Pr. Lupin's chair. He looked out over the hall and Harry saw his eyes were blood red in a paper pale face framed by hair so dark it seemed to drink in the light from the candles like a shadow. Looking quickly back at Hermione he barely heard her voice but froze at her words.
"He's a vampire…"