Chapter 10: Night of Tears
{A/N: So It Begins...}
My Thanks To All Of My Readers And Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.
One Year Later...
Diagon Alley, Wizarding World...
A chill had set in as Spells assistant Hermione Granger made her way through Diagon Alley in search of more spell tomes. It had been a late and oddly foggy night as she ventured, already running late for dinner back at Hogwarts. She had no doubt that everyone had filed into the dining hall by now. It had been eerily quiet and she had a lot of shopping to do. With the close of the wizarding war and her recent break-up with Ronald Weasley Hermione had kept herself rather busy with her studies. The chill had not been enough to deter the bushy haired witch as she browsed the stores and made her purchases. She lingered on a book about Potions and Ingredients. She made a mental not to come back and see what else they had to offer when her busy schedule had been clear enough.
All set with her tomes and ready to go Hermione made her way back out into the chilly night air. The young witch had been so busy with her shopping that she had not noticed four sets of glowing eyes that had been following her from the shadows. She had gotten half way to the apparation point before she felt the first set of teeth sink into her arm. Pain surged through her as she struggled against what ever it had been and grasped her wand. The witch put up a valiant fight but she was no match after a second set of teeth sank into her shoulder. Rapid heat seemed to pour into her blood stream and she screamed from the agony of it. A blood curling scream that no one seemed to take notice of.
As she found herself pulled toward the ground by these beast set on devouring her she could see two sets of glowing red eyes and pale faces twisted in grimaces of hunger. One of the fiends set upon her neck puncturing the flesh with it's sharp fangs. The chill of the night had been the least of the bushy haired witch's worries as she felt her self slipping away while the two fiends greedily lapped away at her heated blood.
In all this Hermione felt great anger at the prospect of what was happening. She had fought a wizarding war for most of her childhood and not even a year after the despot Voldemort is defeated she is attacked by blood thirsty vampires on a routine trip for tomes as part of her apprenticeship.
Peday's Potions and Ingredients Shop, Diagon Alley, Wizarding World.
Severus Snape had been browsing the ingredients section of the shop while the owner shuffled about nervously. He knew what he was and there was no sense in denying it. The dour wizard had no plans for consuming the overly cautious man but found that the fear one could inspire with such gifts made for an interesting bargaining chip. Ordinarily, Snape would have gotten the ingredients himself for his potions but it was a time consuming process and Poppy had expected her shelves to be stocked as they had been every time her supplies ran low. As much as Snape could have loved to go search for the various plants himself, he simply did not have the time. So purchasing them was his only choice at the moment. especially if he wanted to get back to his own private brewing at Selsmire Keep.
"Are these ingredients to your satisfaction sir?" asked the shopkeeper wearily showing him various plants and roots.
"They'll do for now." replied Snape in a bored tone. "Put them with the others."
"As you wish sir." replied the shopkeeper.
He put the new plants into the pouch with the others and Snape tossed a small coin purse onto the counter.
"Would that be all sir?" asked the shopkeeper.
"For now." replied Snape. "I have pressing business at the moment."
He smiled showing his fangs making the man shake even more as he headed out of the store. Snape couldn't resist a smirk as he left the store. He could hear the rustling of locks and chains behind him. The shopkeeper must not have known that a vampire such as Snape could easily bypass those feeble locks if he so desired. Still it was amusing to see the man's fear until he heard the tail end of a blood curling scream. The scent of blood had been heavy in the air as a breeze carried it in The Potions Master's direction.
He caught the familiar scent of jasmine lingering about the wind and froze. Though he had not been thirsty the scent of virgin blood had caught his attention. The scent of jasmine made him worry. It took only a moment before he realized who it was that would be out and about this time of night with virgin blood and the familiar scent of jasmine about them. Granger. She's here this late? NO!
Filled with a panic he had not known since his heart stopped after Nagini's attack Snape took off toward the source of the scents.
Diagon Alley, Wizarding World...
Snape arrived just in time to see Hermione being set upon by two low level grunt vampires. He had been enraged that they had the audacity to attack a veteran of the wizarding wars when not even they could stand against the dark lord's tyranny. Hermione had been near death with the heavy blood loss that the greedy grunts had caused. Without a word or a thought Snape stormed over to the grunts and viciously attacked one of them severing their head and ripping the body of one to shreds. The other looked up and tried to run but Snape was much too fast and tore out his throat before ripping apart as he did the other.
Hermione had been hovering near death when she witnessed the Potions Master's display of raw power and unprecedented speed. Despite her condition it hit her that Harry had been right all along when he said that Snape had not been dead. The Potions Master had simply become a vampire and retreated from the public eye.
"P-Professor?" she managed despite the blood loss and hole in her neck from the vicious attack.
The bushy haired witch could only lay there as her blood cooled from the night breeze and she slowly lost consciousness.
Upon seeing the injured witch Snape kneeled down beside her. His obsidian eyes filled with fear and apprehension. She was pale and her body had taken on too much venom from the night stalkers. If he could manage to get her to safety she would most certainly turn and have to spend the rest of her life stalking in the dark and living in fear of the sun. Unlike those of Pureblood status within Selsmire Keep, Hermione would be reduced to a shadow of her former self .
"Miss Granger." said Snape looking into her eyes. "There isn't much time...I can purify your blood but you must give me permission...there is no way to give you, your life back...and after tonight you will become a vampire assuming you survive the transformation."
Hermione couldn't do much to reply feeling the burning in her blood. Pain filled her and she was losing consciousness.
"Miss Granger." said Snape. "If you want me to try and purify your blood tell me now."
Hermione managed to move her right index finger as the burning pain continued to set in. She pointed at Snape in a bid to tell him that she wanted him to do what he needed. Snape nodded and lifted the young witch into his lap.
"I apologize for the pain that this will cause you." he said.
In seconds Hermione's world faded to black as Snape sank his fangs into the side of her neck that had not taken any damage. Her blood was filled with venom but he did his best to neutralize it. When it appeared that she was stable he bit into his own wrist and took care to drip his blood into her mouth. It was his hope that he could effectively turn the young witch before the poison of the grunts venom took her life. It had been a long shot but with him pouring his blood into her wounds and biting her neck to inject more of his venom it was all he could do.
Snape's obsidian eyes grew wide and dark as a result of the feeding. Flashes of her memories through her blood filled his mind. He could taste her fear and her relief at seeing him. He saw her huddled in bed with his journals as she read page after page of his life's story. He saw the tears that filled her eyes that day in the shrieking shack and her those that she shed when she looked at the words he had written.
When he took all he could from the witch he pulled back. Still reeling from her memories.
"Let's get you home." said Snape.
He lifted Hermione off the ground and into his arms carrying the young bushy haired witch as if she had been his bride. The remains of the vampires who had attacked her would be ash come morning and he did not need eye witnesses swearing that he had attacked the young witch when in fact he had come to her rescue.
Snape took flight and headed back to Hogwarts.
The Grounds, Hogwarts...
Snape landed a safe distance on the grounds and looked down at the ailing witch. It was evident that her blood was beginning to change. He could hear the venom working its way through her bloodstream. He held her close to him the scent of jasmine radiating off her heavily. The urge to protect her had been new to him despite what he had done for her and her friends during the wizarding war. He felt a pull toward the young witch that he had never felt before. She closed her eyes looking as if to be drifting off into a peaceful sleep.
"Miss Granger, in three days your heart will stop and on the third day I will come for you." he said. "To everyone else you will have succumbed to the attack and died peacefully in your sleep but if you survive the transformation, I will take you and you will have to leave this world behind."
Hermione did not reply as she lost consciousness.
The Infirmary, Hogwarts...
The last thing she recalled was hearing the faint voices of Filch and Headmistress McGonagall. They both seemed agree that she needed to be taken to the infirmary as soon as possible. When she awoke again she had been there with Madam Pomfrey administering blood replenishing potion to her and trying desperately to heal her wounds.
She could feel the presence of her Professor Snape as they fussed over her. Harry and Ron came to visit telling her how sorry they were that she had been attacked and that they wished they could get payback on the bastard creatures that had attacked her. She wished she could tell them that Snape had already done that but she had been unable to talk.
The first two days passed and Hermione had been worse off. Madam Pomfrey did not hold out much hope for her. When the third day set in her heart had stopped just as Snape said it would. Everyone had believed her dead and mourned her loss in sorrowful tears. Harry and Ron had taken her "death" the hardest followed by her parents.
She was buried next to Dumbledore along side the statue commemorating the heroes of the wizarding war. The bushy haired witch had been unable to tell her friends that she had not been dead and was utterly terrified at the prospect of being buried alive. She had little to worry about as true to his word, Snape came for her. She had still been unable to talk or move when he pushed open her coffin and pulled her from inside. A sense of comfort filled her as he took her into his arms and carried her back to his quarters.
Snape's Quarters, Slytherin Dungeons, Wizarding Worlds...
Snape carried Hermione toward his bedroom. She had been as cold as the grave but he knew how to deal with this. Once he got her into bed he bit his wrist and let the scent of blood bring the witch back to life. Hermione's amber eyes opened and she took to suckling him as if she had been a newborn babe. Snape watched her feed with a strange sense of admiration. Her sharp fangs had been of no consequence to him the feel of her bite sent waves of absolute pleasure coursing through him.
After an hour of her feeding he pulled away and lay down in the large bed beside her. Hermione had not known how much time had passed after that but his presence had been comforting. She layed there as rapid flashed of his life passed through her mind from the memories in his blood. It wasn't long before she became so unable to resist the need to sleep that swept over her. She closed her eyes and everything faded except the comfort of the dour wizard's presence.