A matter of force

by ContraBardus

Start with Harry Potter, change something, and Harry learns to rock. Irreverent, chaotic, and the more movies you've seen, the funnier you're likely to find it. Expect many cammeos.

14. Chapter 14

A matter of force.

Part 14

Triumph! Anna's big rescue!

OooOOooOO

Pansy was sitting back with her arms behind her head. A group of Slytherin girls was glaring and pouting inside the booth across from them. They looked disgusted and angry. Their young housemate had a group that crowded out the door and filled the hall outside her compartment. She was sitting next to the doorway, talking to those around her. "Anna is much cooler than she seemed at first. I have to admit." She had her new robe draped across her shoulders and tossed her hair a bit. She was wearing expensive looking clothes, all new and pressed. "I don't see why more people don't like her."

"She's...strange. I've heard stories about her and that lab at the top of the dorms. She's a first year, I heard a rumor she was brewing up mutants." A third year boy from Hufflepuff looked around a bit as he said it. Most of the crowd was in agreement. "I heard strange things happen around her all the time."

"Yes. The bunnies are awesome though. You haven't seen them? She took them out and showed them the school a while back." Pansy gave a small shrug. "I don't see how it matters. It should be obvious she's cool by now. Why wouldn't I like her? She's made us rich." Pansy was quite pleased. There was a considerable sum they couldn't touch, but a moderate percentage was available for their own personal use. Wizarding law was quite a bit different about parental and child property laws. Her mother was allowed a sum of whatever she made until she turned seventeen.

"What's Harry like?" The other most common question she'd been asked thus far popped up from a fourth year boy with a spiked haircut of blond hair.

Pansy was a bit annoyed for a brief moment, she had learned to expect these questions first in line from the wizarding crowd. "He's serious competition, just like you're afraid of. He'll probably catch the best of this lot I'm afraid. Lucky girl, whoever she is." Anna was right, it was fun to do things like that to them.

Most of the girls were blushing, looking pleased, or shifting about in an uncomfortable manner. The boys either brushed it off, looked wide eyed in horror, and a few seemed to realize she was giving them a straight line and seemed amused.

"Any more questions? We've got a bit of a ride to Hogwarts you know." No one ever asked what the Boggs were like first off either. She understood it, but she was getting tired of answering it. Given her current financial and social status, and the fact that Salazar's heir was her close personal friend, she wasn't about to complain. She wouldn't get invited to the big parties, she and her friends were the party.

Before anyone could ask Harry Potter rushed up to the back of the crowd. "Pansy, Anna took off. Something is going on."

"Huh?" The girl sat up and her pleased and somewhat smug expression vanished.

"My sister just left. Come on. I suppose we need to have a meeting. I think I know what she needs us to do." Harry didn't seem to notice or care about the other students as he leaned into the crowd a bit to catch her attention.

Pansy was pushing through the rather dazed looking students before he finished speaking. She was confused and it showed as she stumbled a bit as she followed him. "What do you mean 'left'?"

"Come on. We'll talk about it when we get with the others." He looked over his shoulder and noted he'd attracted a crowd of interested followers. He waved his hand and gave them a stern looking glare as the blond gave a small blink. She looked over her shoulder and noticed the students were drifting back to their seats at a lazy pace. "Did you um..."

"Its not time for them to know. I'd rather not get tied up or stunned before it gets here." The boy said it with a straight face and didn't look to be joking around.

"Are things always like this with you?" Pansy's eyes went a little wide as she hunched her shoulders and looked less pleased about following him. "Just when I was starting to feel really good about all this."

"Pretty much." The door opened itself and she walked in before him. It closed as he sat down next to her on a rather crowded bench. "Well. There's Vampires. I'm pretty sure, but I can't prove it. Anna had a vision that Vampires took over Hogwarts I think."

"Where is Anna?" Pansy grumbled as she seemed to pout a little with her arms folded over her chest.

The frazzled haired girl she sat down next to spoke up. "She flew off on her broom. If we're not in a lot of serious trouble, then she is for jumping off the train." Hermione looked frustrated. "Vampires? She said it was just a dream."

"She has a way of doing that. She's very protective about what she sees. Letting you in on something too soon can be dangerous, more than you might think...in theory. She's always been like that. It's her favorite excuse." Harry seemed serious and didn't look upset about the mess. He shrugged at her and seemed to think on it.

"Well, you know our part is survival first. Don't expect us to be very useful." Margaret and Melvin both nodded as the dark haired boy said this. They looked a bit worried and were giving each other nervous looking glances on occasion at that point.

Hermione's jaw dropped. "What? You're not going to do anything?"

"Well, we're not going to fight, if that's what you're asking. We'll help any way we can otherwise." Margaret shrugged and looked more interested in the boy pacing in between them.

"Don't worry about it." Harry didn't seem to care, and was trying to move Hermione off the subject.

"You're saying we're about to get attacked by Vampires then?" Pansy didn't look pleased to hear it. She was scowling and looking at the bottom of the door with her arms folded.

"When?" Hermione didn't want to look worried. She turned her head to look out the window. The sun had started to vanish below the horizon.

Harry looked like he was deep in thought but sure about what he was saying as well. "They've infested Hogwarts. Something big is going on. It could be as soon as night fall. We might not see any Vampires if we don't make it to the school. My sister will get the job done."

"What? You want us to stop the train?" Melvin looked shocked.

"Only if we can make it turn back. I doubt we can." The boy looked annoyed. "We need to be ready. If we try and warn anyone they won't believe us. There's nothing we can really do but stay alert and wait." As Harry Potter finished saying this the sun vanished below the horizon, their journey to Hogwarts was a bit more than halfway done. "If anything goes wrong, we need to get the word out to the older students as fast as we can. Any sixth or seventh year student you can find especially. I don't care what house. I'm pretty sure my wand will hurt a Vampire. I can't kill them either." Harry didn't bother to tell them that it wasn't because he thought his wand wasn't strong enough to do it. The boy seemed to dwell on that for a moment and looked at his sister's trunk case and then at his wand as he gripped in his fist in front of himself. "I suppose I should tell you."

Everyone turned towards him. Margaret and Melvin looked at each other and up in a bit of surprise.

"On the back cover of my sister's potion book. There are instructions for a cure for Vampirism. We have to get it to someone who can make sure the students of Hogwarts get cured instead of destroyed." Harry was looking at Pansy and Hermione as he said it.

The frazzle haired girl thought about it for a moment. "The Ministry of Magic. If you're right, they'll probably be the first wizards we see. Assuming you're right. I still don't think it's possible."

"Always what cannot be done." Harry gave a small sigh and looked at her for a moment with a smirk on his face.

She flushed and gave him an irate glare in response, it didn't last but a moment.

"This is starting to sound like something from the Quibbler." Melvin snorted in distaste. "Might have to start reading it more."

"If anyone can do it, I suppose it would be her." Margaret was also informed already.

"Harry. You know I was raised by Muggles. I want you to understand. I know how amazing magic might seem and all, but..." Hermione was looking irate. "It's obvious they're putting us on. I mean..."

"I'd rather be prepared than sorry, wouldn't you?" The boy didn't seem to be leaning one way or the other in the conversation. "I'm pretty sure it's true. I sort of saw it with my own eyes. The cure works. That seems to have upset them."

"Enough Vampires to do that couldn't even get into Hogwarts!" Hermione seemed stern. "Harry, your sister is in a lot of trouble!"

"No. Dracula could though. As strong as the enchantments are it's not a holy site. There is a chapel but it's small." For the first time in the conversation Margaret looked worried.

"What's he's..." Harry's fellow Griffindor looked like she'd been insulted.

"Where do you think Vampires come from?" Melvin spoke up without looking at them he was chewing on the end of his thumb as he kept his eyes locked on the window and the darkness outside.

"What's he doing in England?" Hermione seemed miffed but went silent after she said it.

"The bigger question is how did he find out?" Harry stood up and paced in the middle of the car for a moment. "I don't think its something she's been talking about. Melvin was as surprised as I was when we found out."

Pansy hadn't said anything and seemed to be at the bottom of her bad mood. "It's bad enough with the Death Eaters! Vampires now? Great."

"We're going to need the older students to help. I'll probably go off on my own after that. Don't follow me. It will make my job harder if I have to keep you safe along the way." Harry was looking out into the night sky through the window.

"Stop talking like that!" The young brunette jumped to her feet to force him to stop pacing around. Pansy seemed relieved the girl had said it when Hermione jumped up and poked him in the chest. "You trust that girl too much." She sat back down with her arms crossed glaring at the floor.

The boy shrugged "We'll see."

OooOOooOO

Anna stood in front of the Lord of Vampires with a frown on her face as she held her blade in front of her. The rain was still falling around them in a deluge, the sky rumbled and flashed angrily above. There were four large torch wells in each side of the low walls on the bridge that led to the tower. They lit up the area around the pair as they looked at each other about ten feet apart.

Dracula frowned at her, his flaming blade pointed at her in a calm battle ready stance. The smoking gash across his chest was closing, and even his clothes repaired themselves around it. "Ah. You must be the young Potter girl. Quite an impressive entrance. I do hope you're interesting."

"You have no idea." The girl's broom was resting on the end of the bridge behind her, propped up next to the entrance to the tower. "I'm guessing you're the man in charge."

"Forgive me. I am Vlad, more commonly known as Count Dracula. I have come to make you suffer for what you have done. I take it you enjoy the improvements to the school? It's only been a few days. Give me a century more and I'll really make something out of it." He seemed pleased to meet her and bowed deep almost touching his long dark hair to the ground as he did so.

She did much the same with an angry looking grin of her own. "Lady Anna Potter, Heir of Slytherin, and Lady of the Sith. I doubt it will be a pleasure considering our business."

Vlad looked impressed and readied himself for a fight again. "I am afraid, my good Lady, it is true. Interesting indeed, I shall be sure to show my gratitude for that. Sith?"

Her blade hissed and popped as the rain struck it, a bolt of lighting struck, sending an almost blinding flash across the scene. The girl's eyes were narrowed into thin slits. "Yes." She was holding her weapon with one hand in a fencing stance. Her free hand had a black bag hanging around her wrist, it was unzipped but it's contents were unknown.

The Vampire rushed forward slashing at her. He was expecting her to block his strike, but seemed surprised as she countered with a skill far too great for her age. He was forced to step back as she slashed at him twice, spinning her own weapon around his own in an attempt to strike his head and forcing the monster to duck.

The girl hopped back and swiped the arm the bag was hooked onto.

The vampire took four shots to his chest. Four small needles were plunged deep into his chest and their contents injected upon impact. He growled and fell to his knees keeping his sword gripped in his hand as he raised his blade up to block as the girl tried to cut him in half in a diving hack.

She growled at him as she tried to push his arm down. He was looking her dead in the eye with a grin on his face. His clothes were smoking and the skin around his neck looked like it was boiling. "Painful, but nothing of me can destroy me. A dose of your cure I take it?" She jumped back as he gave a small chuckle and regained his feet. She'd figured out that she wasn't going to use his pain to help overpower him just yet. She didn't look worried or afraid of him. The child was giving him a stern and fierce glare as she stood her ground four feet in front of him awaiting the next attack.

"Maybe it needs a bit of work." The redhead was cursing up a storm in her head. She wasn't expecting it to kill him, but she had been hoping it would be a bit more effective than it was.

The vampire smirked as he readied himself and held his free hand behind his back. "Well, shall we continue?"

"I'm waiting." The girl's eyes were on where his free arm was. She could feel something going on in the energies surrounding them, as if something was being pulled from the air to the space behind his back.

The vampire thrust his hidden hand forward and a ball of orange flame blasted from his hand. The bridge rocked with the explosion as his spell exploded sending pieces of bridge clattering about in its wake. The structure remained intact though and the damage was little more than a dent in the stone. The vampire followed the girl's arc over his head, her eyes never left him as she jumped over him with her weapon pointed at him the whole way over. He was grinning at her at the peak of her jump. He waved his hand again and sent another ball of fire at her. She surprised him yet again. Instead of twisting to avoid it as expected she took a swipe at it with the blade of light in her hand. The ball of flame slammed back into him and she seemed to ride the pressure wave of the explosion back a few feet before landing in a soft manner on the battered stone walkway.

The vampire could see her from within the wall of fire that surrounded him. "Impressive." It was almost a gasp as instead of waiting for him to recover she charged at him as soon as she landed. It was obvious she was not expecting him to be destroyed.

Anna screamed in a rage as she hacked down into the still burning pyre of the explosion. She met the monster's sword and snarled as he pushed her back and stepped out of the flames as they started to die around him. He was looking at her and seemed pleased again. "Your anger makes you strong."

The girl gave a short laugh at that, keeping her weapon against his. "Yes, I know."

The monster was battered by a few large stones knocked loose from the battle so far. Vlad took three shots in his back and either side of him at once. He grunted and staggered a bit as her sword came close to his face. She unhooked her lightsaber from the edge of his enchanted blade and spun around, cutting a large section of stone out of the bridge in the process. He snarled in anger as the piece she'd cut loose slammed into his face and he took a slash to the torso. He'd almost been cut in half by the strike and jumped ten feet back sending another ball of flames at her as he did so.

The girl responded by jumping back onto the roof on top of the school over the entrance to the bridge. The vampire was impressed by her unexpected reaction yet again and gave a feral looking grin. His attack had never neared her. She sent another blast just like his to intercept it. The energy collided in mid air sending a blast wave that almost knocked the vampire back. He shielded himself with his arms as she called down to him from her perch above. "You're not playing fair. When I come up with something new, you should be defeated. That's how it works you jerk!" She was taking the opportunity to catch her breath and didn't look upset or worried. The vampire had never encountered a child like her. The little redhead was actually taunting him.

Anna was standing on the apex of the roof on a narrow and slippery section of tile. She was looking down at him with a frown on his face. She'd figured out he was pulling the heat energy off of his own sword and the torches still lit along the bridge. They'd destroyed two of the torch wells so far in their battle.

The vampire was laughing as he landed in front of her. The sky roared in rage around them as bolts of lighting flashed around them like cameras in the distance. "You have impressed me. To think that someone so young would have such control of their own fear and rage. You will no doubt excel at the dark arts as none of my servants before you."

They remained in the middle of the roof and charged at each other with their blades clashing as they collided and fenced as they spoke. "You'll find I'm full of surprises."

Vlad's eyes looked at her with a sort of hunger in them as he smirked at her. "Yes. I've decided I'm not going to destroy you. I've decided to keep you. You shall be my bride."

"Eew. I'm not even thirteen!" The redhead's face scrunched up as she deflected a few shots meant more to keep her occupied than to wound her. "That's going to be a hard sale." She didn't seem any more worried than before, but she wasn't smiling anymore.

"I can do this all night." He seemed a bit miffed at her reaction and grew more serious.

"I can do this for days." Anna retorted. She needed to figure something out fast. She doubted she could go all night like she was.

OooOOooOO

Ron Weasley was gasping for breath. His legs burned, he was covered in sweat, and all he could see ahead of him was more stone steps. He was only half aware of the girl's hand in his because he could feel her struggling to keep up as her grip tugged on his own. He was moving as fast as his legs could carry him.

He slid to a halt as the doorway came into view and almost didn't notice himself walk out onto it. His feet skidded across wet marble and he almost lost his feet. Parvati ran into his back and kept him upright as he gasped for breath. The wind was carrying the rain and the familiar sensation of being soaked shook him out of his blind stupor.

"Ron!" Parvati screamed into his ear from behind.

Fred had rushed out just ahead of them. He was struggling with George just beside the pair, pushing on his twin brother's shoulders to keep him from trying to push him down and knock the magical toilet seat that was protecting his neck off.

The young boy reacted without thinking, taking a swipe at the pair with the coiled whip and sending George staggering away with the side of his face smoking. Parvati was screaming in alarm, giving his ears an unpleasant ringing. Cho Chang, Lavender, and Padma were circling around the large stone well in the center of the tower. A soaking wet stack of wood filled the center of the platform on top of the tower. A stone ceiling held up by six stone pillars was the only, and rather ineffective, protection against the deluge. The wind ripped through the open air around them making it just as uncomfortable as it had been on the bridge.

Ron didn't notice any of this, and it was a good thing because he would have frozen up. As it was, he was having a bit of trouble keeping his attention off the four Vampires moving up on either side of the stack of wood towards them.

Fred was now keeping Cho and George at bay with his toilet seat by holding it in front of himself as the magical sunlight within shined. The two vampires were hissing at him and not moving forward. "Ron! I can't get my wand, light the beacon!"

The young boy had his eyes locked on Padma and Lavender. The pair was smiling at him in what was supposed to be an inviting way. He found it disturbing and held his whip over his shoulder with his arm cocked back while standing between them and Parvati. "What? I don't know that kind of spell!" He didn't take his eyes of the two young female vampires as they stalked towards him.

"Come with us..." Lavender had lost the vague and nervous tone. She seemed like she wanted something from him.

"Parvati, it's not so bad, really... You could enjoy it." Padma was looking at her sister. The terrified girl was gripping his shoulders behind him, her eyes locked in horror on her twin sister.

"Do something!" She screamed at the boy in front of her.

Ron reacted as he had from the start, by sending his weapon curving towards the two girls. Both hopped out of the way in a nimble manner while hissing in anger at the boy as they did so.

The children and monsters were both blown back all at once. Ron's strike came in contact with the wood and a blue flame erupted from it. Everyone standing in the tower onto their backs as it consumed all the wood at once, going full bore from the start in an almost explosive way. The vampires all started screaming as if in pain and vanished over the edge of the tower.

Ron was staggering to his feet, Parvati was pulling herself up with him and they made their way onto their feet by leaning on each other.

"We did it!" Fred was grinning as he collected his toilet seat from where it had landed after he had been knocked off his feet and hooked it back around his neck.

"Now what?" Ron seemed to realize where he was standing and was edging his way back towards the stairs. He jumped as lighting crashed nearby and almost shoved Parvati towards them. "We can go now right?"

Everyone fell to their knees as a series of explosions rocked the tower and shook the foundation enough to throw them off balance.

Fred was leaning against one of the pillars just to their right. "Potter is still fighting him! Look!" He pointed his finger and seemed to go a little slack jawed as the girl hopped off the bridge below and onto the roof in an almost casual looking jump. At the apex of her leap she sent a ball of orange light into a similar projectile from the monster. They impacted and exploded. "Are you seeing this?"

Ron and Parvati were holding each other's shoulders and shaking as they moved up beside him and gripped the pillar to keep their balance in the wake of the explosion.

"Potter?" The girl's eyes were wide as she let go of Ron a little and moved towards the fight a little more.

"Is that her wand?" Ron was impressed enough to forget how scared he was for a moment.

"Looks like it." Fred seemed pleased with what he was seeing. "She's giving him a good fight. Maybe she can drive him off? We might make it out of here if she can."

OooOOooOO

Anna gave the tower a glance as she noticed the light in the tower. Vlad was looking at it as well and stepped back. "A distraction then? No matter. If the students will not come here, I'll just send my friends to retrieve them." He flew back onto the top of a spire twenty feet away leaving the redhead on the ledge alone.

"No!" She jumped at him with anger on her face, intent on stopping him. He slammed his blade into hers, sending her sprawled on her back into a rather painful landing on the bridge. He gave her a cold smirk and spread his arms. "Hear me my children. Go! Go and bring the children into our family!"

Anna had made her way to her feet and held her sword ready behind her. "Damn."

OooOOooOO

Hermione was standing in the compartment with Harry. The group had gone quiet and seemed to sit and wait and all of them looked irate and nervous. All but the Potter boy he looked calm and serious. The lights had gone out and a familiar screeching sound seemed to fill the train. Cries of confusion and surprise could be heard down the hall as all the lights went dark and the train stopped cold as the brakes were engaged.

"It's time." Harry unhooked his weapon and waved the children.

The rest of the students around him looked up at him as he moved towards the door. Hermione was glad no one else could see how pale she had gone. It felt like her face had just emptied itself of blood.

There was another cry of surprise as the train finished stopping. After a moment it started to move backwards. The engine working in the distance could be heard from the passenger cars.

Harry poked his head out of the door and found himself looking at a Prefect who was moving up and down the isles with a few others patrolling the doors along the length of the train.

"Back in your car. We don't know what's going on. It's best if we stay put until we know. The train will take us back to King's Cross." He was about two feet taller than the boy with short cut brown hair and a stern look on his face. The patch on his shoulder identified him as a Prefect in Ravenclaw. "We'll be fine."

Harry grinned at him as the boy was jerked off his feet and landed on his chest on the carpet of the hall. He was looking down at the older boy and squatted. The train had jerked to a stop in a much more violent manner than before. There was a high pitched whine from outside the train, a few banging sounds as the cars jerked about a bit, and then silence. The entire locomotive had come to a dead stop. The Potter boy gave a small sigh. "I'm guessing that's not supposed to happen."

The older student frowned up at him and spoke up. "Stay in your cars. We..."

"Sorry. We've got to plan for when the Vampires get here." Harry grabbed his hand and helped him to his feet. "We're about to get attacked I'd say."

"Great." Melvin stood up and dusted off his pants. Everyone in the compartment had managed to keep their seat despite the rough jostling of the train car.

"What?" The prefect looked annoyed.

"Harry, I'm not sure if we should..." Hermione looked worried as she glanced between the boy and the prefect.

"What's this about Vampires?" The prefect cut her off and put his hands on his hips.

"Well, I'm afraid there's a bunch of them heading right for us." Pansy didn't sound like she was pleased to be saying it. She was on the verge of tears. "Bugger that."

"Right." Harry looked at Hermione for help.

"Something stopped the train. If something goes wrong at Hogwarts it should take us back to the station. It..." Hermione cut herself off. "I read about it. If it's stopped, that means someone deliberately..."

"Vampires. Look, I'm not being paranoid." Harry cut himself off and shoved the older boy into the wall. A wave of screams had started a few cars down. He rushed to the door that lead to the link between cars and looked over his shoulder at the older boy. "Get the students who can fight together to defend the younger students! I'll hold you responsible if something happens to my friends!" His wand ignited as he stepped between cars and hacked the protective walkway's ceiling out with two swipes. He looked up at the opening for a moment and jumped outside onto the roof.

"Is he mad?!" The Prefect was aghast and looked to the rest of the group. "He can't just..."

"No. We should listen to him." Melvin and Margaret were already pushing him along with Pansy and Hermione just behind them.

OooOOooOO

Anna snarled as she ran along a wall as the vampire destroyed the walkway beneath her with another blast. She'd stayed ahead of it and landed back on the remains of a long patio along one of the outside walls of the school.

The vampire landed behind the redhead as she jumped ten feet of open air to land back on the bridge once again. His hand reached out and snagged another needle out of the air. He crushed the plastic and glared at her as the contents oozed out of his hand onto the ground. "No, no more cures. It's time to end this I'm afraid. Though, it has been fun."

The girl kept her blade in front of her and seemed angrier than she had been before. "Shit." The vampire didn't know it, but the last shot hadn't been one of her cures. She'd sent one of the syringes of Werewolf venom at him.

The Vampire put his sword away and grinned at her as his body began to swell.

Anna staggered back and looked up as the man changed from a human looking monster into a ten foot tall demon bat. It had gray skin, yellow eyes, and a wrinkled face with a permanent frown. Fangs hung over it's lips as it gripped both sides of the bridge with it's front claws and a huge thick tail waved behind it as the monster spread its wings into a fifteen foot span.

"Now you're just a bigger target!" The girl rushed forward with her sword.

The Vampire took the shot in the palm and closed it's claws around her hand.

Anna was sent to her knees screaming in pain as she heard the sound of her bones snapping inside the monster's fist. It jerked her forward and pulled her up to it's face by her arm.

"I'm afraid that toy isn't as useful as I've been letting on." The creature no longer spoke in a cultured tone, but with a thick graveled voice dripping with anger. It plucked her bag from her other hand and tossed it back between its wings. It landed by the door to the school behind him.

Anna was struggling in his grip and snarled as it opened its mouth and tried to snap its jaws around her neck. She thrust her palm into the open maw and screamed. "Eat this then!" A ball of orange light blasted into the monster's jaws forcing it to drop her as it staggered back clutching it's face in pain.

The girl landed on her back and rolled onto her stomach to crawl away a bit more.

"No! You'll not escape so easily!" The beast slammed one of its hind claws onto her legs. The girl screamed again as she felt the bones in her legs snap as she struggled to crawl away. She was in pain and rolled over to glare at it again on her back, pushing herself away with her elbows only to find herself just under it's face as it bent down over her. "Nowhere to run."

"I don't need to run!" She screamed in rage and pain. She waved her arm as if slapping him across his face.

The giant monster's eyes went wide as it looked up to find a huge seven foot section of the balcony they had once been fighting on slam into it's face. It raked with it's claws trying to keep itself upright as the stone shattered across the monster's jaw, sending a cloud of dust.

Anna was trying to roll away, but felt a sharp pain on the left side of her face. She grunted in pain and felt her world shift.

The thing had managed to grab her around her waist, its claw was more than large enough to make a fist around her torso. Vlad was on his back and halfway hanging off the edge of the bridge waving his claws about to keep his balance. He squeezed her in his grip causing quite a few more stones to plummet to the ground as she lost control. He staggered back to his feet and continued to crush her in his grip. She felt her ribs snap under the crushing pressure of his claws. "No more daring escapes! You're mine now!" He opened his jaws and pulled her up to bite.

She was trying to push herself away with her good arm but there was no way to avoid it. She could see an even more intense hunger in his eyes that wasn't there before and realized that the left side of her face was covered in blood. "Damn..."

"Potter!" Fred's voice chimed out across the courtyard causing her to look back. She saw the boy pointing his wand at them and heard the high pitched scream of an injured Vampire.

Vlad had a toilet seat around his neck and his face was smoking as he dropped her like a hot potato onto the ground. He almost tossed her over the edge just behind him but she ended up bouncing off the low wall and rolling for several feet in a rather painful tumble.

"That got him!" Fred pumped his arm with a firm looking frown on his face. "We've got to do something!"

Ron looked up at him with wide eyes. "Are you crazy? He'll be after us now!" Parvati seemed to be of a similar mindset as they both held on to each other.

"Not if I get you first!" The trio of surviving students both looked back. George Weasley had made his way back to the tower. He was standing between them and the stairs and shielding his face against the blue flame with his arm. He had a crazed looking grin on his face as he dove forward and took Ron in the center of his chest, both of them tumbled off the edge.

"Ron!" Parvati and Fred cried at the same time. They watched him fall while pushing George off with his free hand, and lashing out towards one of the pillars with the whip with the other.

The weapon went tight and both of them curved along the wall back towards the bridge. Ron squeezed his eyes shut as he felt George slide down to his legs as even he struggled to keep hanging.

He felt his legs jerk forward and found himself lying face down in a puddle with the whip falling onto his back. He pushed himself up after taking a mouthful of water and coughed in a violent fit for a moment. Somehow, he managed to look at the ledge and saw the bottom of his legs hanging off the edge of the bridge in one of the places where the low wall had been destroyed from the battle. George was gone and he realized that his brother turned vampire probably hit the side of the bridge face first. A flash of lighting revealed that he was standing right in front of the vampire and the girl from Slytherin. "Oh, nuts."

The vampire had noticed his entrance and had just managed to claw the toilet seat off it's neck. "You've become bothersome. Best deal with you before we continue then." He started to stalk forward with a malicious glare on his monstrous features.

OooOOooOO

Harry Potter frowned at what he saw as he jumped onto the roof of the train. He had about three feet of walking space on either side, and he could see the angry storm in the sky overhead in the distance. About a car length and a half away, a student was struggling with what looked almost like a gargoyle. It had two huge bat like wings flapping slowly behind its back. It was gripping at a young student with clawed hands and feet and dragging him from the train by force. "Come along, the master has special plans for you!" The thing was pulling on the robes of Draco Malfoy.

"You can't do this! My father..." The boy was terrified and was on his belly gripping the train roof as much as he could. His hands and fingers slipped away, and he was struggling to hold on in a desperate way.

The beast spoke up. "Your father? Ha! We remember those who betray others to us! They are a feast reserved for the master!" It seemed to enjoy watching the boy struggle. Draco was in tears, snot was running from his nose, and his face had gone red.

"Malfoy!" a voice from the window below bellowed out. Harry looked down to see a few older students hanging from the windows trying to see where the younger student had gone. Each holding his wand and pointing it to the world outside in a defensive manner.

Both victim and tormentor froze as Harry Potter strolled up to within three feet of the scene and ignited his wand again. "You'll let him go right now. That's what I think."

The creature laughed as he noticed the boy. It shoved Draco down and stood on his back with clawed feet to keep him in place. "Why should I? What are you going to do? Levitate me?"

Harry responded by jumping forward and slashing at the thing. It hissed in rage and pain as its severed arm hit the roof. The Potter boy found himself standing on the roof between the monster and its prey. "Get below. I'll hold him off."

Draco was already stumbling away. He slid off the edge of the train and managed to catch himself on the edge in front of the windows. No more than three sixth and seventh years pulled him back inside the train. The Slytherin boy almost struggled against them but relaxed at the last moment as his panic calmed a little.

"What's going on? What happened?" A stern looking boy with a Hufflepuff patch grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at him once he'd been pulled inside.

Draco was pale and shaken and it took him a moment to find his voice. He looked up at the boy with wide eyed fear. "Vampires!"

OooOOooOO

Harry had a scowl on his face as he stared the monster in front of him down. The thing was backing away cradling its arm and growling at him in an inhuman way. It stopped and glared at him with a cruel smile on it's lips. "Fool. You think I've come alone? Our wings will blot out the moon!"

When he looked up a cloud of bat like wings could be seen approaching. The moon above seemed to lose its luster as they grew in size and took up more and more of it's place in the sky. "Then we shall fight in the shade." He rushed forward passing the monster and hacking up with his blade to cut off its wings. He pushed his hand back and shoved without touching it and sent it falling off the edge of the car onto the ground.

A volley of cries as several students cursed the unfortunate monster as soon as it had become visible. The train was becoming a mess of panic below him. Screams and cries of terror as others noticed the approaching swarm in the sky. He slid onto his belly and hung over the edge of the train to peer into the glass at those inside while using the bottom of his palms to keep himself from sliding off.

He was pleased to see the older students were taking control of the panic. He could see another Prefect and a few fifth and sixth years herding the younger students towards the center of each car. Oliver Wood noticed him first and called out to him. "Potter! Get back in here! We're..."

"No. I'm going to try and find out what stopped the train. We need to get moving and there are a lot of them coming." He hefted himself back up without waiting for an answer and started running along the roof towards the engine.

It didn't take but a moment to near the front of the train and he slid on his rear off the edge of the roof. He landed in a light manner on his hands and knees and rushed towards the engine past the coal cart. He slid to a stop and frowned as he looked up at the moon. The vampires were still visible and had now almost blocked out the light with their wingspans. The cloud was getting bigger and more distinct and they were no more than a few minutes out.

He looked at the engine and found the source of the problem was easy to find. Thick gnarled looking roots had twisted up into the wheels from the ground around the tracks. Without a word he started hacking them away with his lightsaber, rushing about quickly and making precise slashes to clear them away. It took about a minute and a half to get both sides of the engine. As the metal giant began to grind to a start and move back in a slow manner. He kept up pace beside it while hacking away the still growing roots to keep them from growing fast enough to lock up the train again. After about ten feet they stopped trying to latch on and he grabbed the front of the train while jogging to keep up and haul himself onto the engine.

He was hanging off the side of the boiler and looking over his shoulder as the Vampires drew nearer. "Not going to outrun them." He seemed to realize it at once and hurried himself along.

After a few moments of struggling to make it onto the back of the coal car he found hanging on to be a bit more perilous as the train picked up speed. He rushed over the car, noticing the shovel working itself to keep the engine fires raging as the locomotive rushed faster and faster backwards. He shook off staring at it and hopped down towards the door to the first car.

He was a bit surprised to find Wood standing with a group of about five older students. He wasn't sure who most of them were as they were wearing Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw badges on their robes. They looked pleased to see him though.

"Great job Potter! We're moving again. I thought you were gone for sure!" Oliver was pleased with the young boy and rushed up by pushing the others aside to grab the younger student's shoulders.

Harry nodded at him. "I'm going back on the roof. You need to get anyone who can cast a spell to keep them off the train from the windows. We aren't going to outrun them. Get ready for a fight." He accepted Wood's extended hand and shook it with a firm look on his face. Before anyone could argue with him he went back out the door and jumped onto the roof of the train again.

"Strange one." One of the older Ravenclaw students nodded at Oliver's stunned expression and slapped his shoulder.

"Here they come!" A pudgy looking female sixth year with a Ravenclaw patch and red hair cried over her shoulder as she pointed out the window towards the sky.

OooOOooOO

Harry Potter looked on as the creatures began to swoop in on the train. He was standing on the front most passenger car as they began to swoop in. None of them looked human, but quite a few of them were smaller than the one he'd seen earlier.

The first few came in pairs, moving up to try and smash into the cars through the windows. Flashes of light and bolts of magic from the wands of the students knocked the first six or so out of the sky as they came in low and to the sides.

Two landed in front of and behind the Potter boy as he stood with his sword waiting. The creatures blinked as they looked at him and began to close in without speaking. They were roaring and spreading their wings while flexing their claws trying to scare him.

"There is only peace." Harry sprang to life when the things moved in close around him. He took out the first two across their shins sending them tumbling off the edge behind them. They ended up bouncing in a painful looking way off the railings and platforms on their way to the ground. The two behind him were trying to catch him before he recovered he took an arm off of one and shoved his palm towards it. The thing flew off the roof snarling in rage.

The remaining vampire narrowed its eyes at the boy as he faced it with his weapon held ready. It stepped back and looked a bit confused as the boy jumped over its head. It turned around and tried to put its hands up in defense as the railroad sign hanging over the tracks slammed into it and bounced it off the car. It landed on the coal cart and staggered to its feet, only to have a shovel hit it in the face and send it tumbling off the side.

Harry glanced over his shoulder for a moment and saw seven more were swooping in. The students below were doing an excellent job of picking them off as they tried to come in low and to the sides to get inside the cars. No less than a dozen had been knocked from the sky that way. He looked back again and saw the back end of the train entering a tunnel that would stretch for miles.

The boy steeled himself as he rushed forward and jumped ten feet into the air. He hacked through three of the creature's wings and claws as they tried to snag him from his jump and came down on the coal car. He landed and rolled, it was less than comfortable to do so on the loose and hard surface. As he caught himself and pulled himself to his feet to make his way into the engine car the shovel slammed into the face of one of the monster's as it tried to attack him from the side. He glanced at it and smiled. "Thanks."

He moved into the engine compartment and crawled through the front window as the train finally moved all the way into the tunnel. The boy who lived crawled up to the smoke stack ignoring the uncomfortable heat and keeping his head below the smoke as he pulled himself around the main stack and onto the front of the train.

He could see the vampires swooping into the tunnel ahead of him and grinned as he shined his light forward and let the blade of light dissipate.

The creature's screamed in agony and backed away as he shined the light at them all, filling the tunnel with UV light and sending them away smoking and angry. After about ten minutes he turned back around and started crawling back towards the cars. They were growing near to the end of the tunnel and the Vampires had given up chasing them.

He hopped down and looked at the stone wall as he made his way back to the entrance to the passenger area and opened it to let himself in. "We're all right. They've stopped chasing us." He looked at the rather dazed faces in the train around him. "We should make it back from here with no more trouble."

"How do you know?" One of the Prefects from Ravenclaw spoke up just before Oliver Wood could open his mouth to ask the same question. The tunnel ended and moonlight filled the cabin from the windows again.

"Because there's people waiting for us at the end of the tunnel. At least ten broom riders I'd say, moving up on the right. They'll make sure we get back to the station safely." The boy who lived seemed a bit surprised as he said it himself and turned himself towards the windows to have a look. As if in answer to that a cheer was making it's way towards them from the back end.

"He's right! Aurors!" A student near the end of their car pointed out the window and everyone seemed to rush to that side to catch a glimpse of the two robed wizards riding broomsticks along side the train in the air.

OooOOooOO

Ron was terrified, his knees were shaking and he couldn't do anything but look up at the monster that was stalking towards him. He started to move back towards the door to the tower but seemed uncertain and hesitated.

"Oh, don't bother running. You can't move fast enough." The creature seemed pleased as it could sense terror coming off the boy in waves. It had appeared behind the redhead between himself and the door. The young boy rushed away for a moment, moving back another eight feet towards the middle of the bridge before slowing to a stagger again. The whip in his hand was dragging on the ground partially coiled in his grip. The rain was pouring down on them from above, cracks of lighting flashed nearby in the sky, making the soaked preteen jump as he backed across the bridge to the tower in a slow and deliberate manner.

The vampire was flapping his wings and looking at the boy with a hungry stare. He kept his wings spread a little and grabbed the inner sides of the bridge with his claws as he crawled forward on all fours. It was making itself look bigger and waiting for him to freeze up.

The boy stopped walking about ten feet from the door into the school. He was shaking and looking up at the monster with wide eyes. The thing rushed forward jumping at him almost. He squeezed his eyes shut and a familiar crack sounded, though he hadn't felt himself do it at all.

The vampire was clutching it's face and snarling with rage as the blue flames boiled blisters into the gray skin where it had struck him. "Brat! I'll destroy you." The redheaded boy managed to catch the other side of his face just before the back of a big meaty fist slammed into his chest. He felt the rush of the wind as he became disoriented and flew through the air for a few yards, and then a rough impact on a stone walkway. He rolled a few feet before stopping as his back hit the low wall along the edge of the bridge. His whip was draped across his chest with the handle stretched back behind him on the stones.

Anna struggled to pull herself along the ground. She couldn't crawl with anything more than her left arm and growled with a hateful glare as she looked at the whip. Another thick syringe full of purple fluid in her hand gripped in a white knuckled fist as she used her elbow to pull herself a bit towards the fallen boy's weapon. She stopped moving meaning more to turn towards it than try to reach it. It slid across the ground towards her. The red haired girl gripped it in her hand and spoke. "Release contents." The whip became dry as the water inside flooded the bridge a bit more in an instant. The Potter girl stabbed the needle into it and tossed it aside after she emptied it.

The Vampire Lord was still howling as the boy staggered to his feet with a painful looking expression on his face. "Ouch. That hurt." He had a few scrapes but his robes had kept his body from getting too scratched up. He wobbled on his feet and waved his arms to keep his balance.

"Weasley, catch!" The redhead rolled flat on her back and tossed the whip to him with her remaining good arm. The boy had ended up about six feet away after his landing. "Use it! Quickly! It won't last long!"

"Me?" His eyes were wide as he fumbled and caught the weapon. "Are you joking? We need to run away! He's real mad!"

"If you don't we both die!" She was glaring at him with a frown on her face. It was quite a horrible sight. She was bleeding from her nose and mouth with small bruises all over her face. Her arms and legs were beaten and covered in small cuts.

The flames around the monster's face started to die away as it managed to smother them with it's hands. The thing's head snapped towards the boy standing between it and the girl. "I'm going to destroy you boy. I will torment you for a thousand years before I finish."

Ron was glad it was raining in a way as he'd just wet himself again. He was soaked enough no one would notice. He jumped and almost dropped the whip as the ten foot tall demon stomped its way towards him.

It loomed over him coming to within ten feet. Ron seemed frozen in terror. The rain was dripping down around his face from the brim of his hat. He put his foot back with the same look of abject fear on his face as he reared his arm back and pulled his weapon to life. It cracked and a dark line appeared on the monster's face. The vampire's wound started to drip and ooze black as the thing staggered back snarling in pain and rage.

The boy screamed in horror as he ducked under a massive claw before pulling back the other way and striking it across the belly. Another open wound appeared and Ron was snarling with tears streaming down his face. He yelled in a rage as he stepped forward and continued his attack. "You! This is for my brother!"

A line crossed the monster's neck and it gasped and gurgled as it continued to stagger back. One of it's wings fell away as if cut off by a blade after another crack of the boy's weapon. "I'm not afraid of you! You hurt my friends!" He pulled the whip across the chest of the monster as if throwing a fast ball pitch.

"How?" The creature looked up at the full moon with black ooze running from its mouth as the top half of its body fell back and onto the walkway. The rain puddles splashed with his impact, the rain had lessened, and the angry rumbles faded as holes appeared in the inky black clouds above. The rain became light and the moon faded from his view. "I cannot be destroyed." His lips moved but no sound escaped. His skin was melting away as if he'd been covered in a very strong acid and he was becoming a rather disgusting puddle.

Ron looked on in horror at the mess. "Eeeeewww!" It was the grossest thing he'd ever seen.

Anna had pushed herself up against the wall. She was sitting upright and cradling her right arm. She was smiling as the boy walked up with the whip dragging behind him. He had a somewhat lost look on his face as he staggered forward. "I'm...not going to end up a vampire am I?"

"No. You did great." She was grinning at him and held out her good hand. "Let me see your whip for a moment. It's more dangerous than you realize right now."

He took a moment, but handed it off. "What is it anyway? What's so special about this whip?"

She shrugged at him. "I made an excess of pocket space paint and got a little creative with it for another project I'm working on. I made this you know. It's got a length of silver in it as well. It will take up the properties of any liquid you soak or inject it with. Just leave it sitting in something for a while or inject it and it will stay soaked with it for days. Release contents." She handed it back to him and he was surprised to find it was dry despite the rain. "You have to clear it out if you want to fill it with something else though." She smiled in a delirious way and was a bit glad to think of something besides the intense pain she was in. "It's a prototype weapon. I'm going to make a cure for werewolves, and I was looking for a way to administer the antidote without being nearby. It would take too much to use that method. I'm thinking I'll use a dart gun of some sort. Seems to be the most efficient way. Haven't gotten around to that yet."

"You made this?" He seemed amazed as he stared at it.

"It wasn't as difficult as you think. I just had to cure the leather in a mixture and used a bit of pocket space paint as a supply storage." She didn't look like she was going to move on her own. "There's a few strings of silver woven into the braids as well."

"Are you all right?" It was about that point that Ron realized the shape she was in.

"Congratulations, Weasley. You have now earned the title of 'legendary vampire hunter'. You've just killed Count Dracula. I'd say if that doesn't make you famous nothing will." She looked back at Parvati, and Fred with a weak and dazed expression as the pair moved towards them from the other end of the bridge. They had just come out of the tower together.

The boy sat down across from her and started sniffing a bit. "Are you joking? That was horrible! It was the worst thing that's ever happened to me! Two of my brothers are vampires! Maybe we can leave now, but we've still got to get past all those other..."

The girl was chuckling in a wheezing way and pointing at the bag. There were about ten needles poking out of the inside. "No worries, Weasley. This is kind of my fault. I made a cure. It works, but I've only got a small supply. I'm sure we can find ways of persuading them to donate. The instructions are on the inside of the back cover of my potions book. My brother has it. Help will be here before the day is out. Don't try and kill any of them. Even if you get turned now it won't last long."

"You what?" Ron's eyes turned up. The rest of the group had rushed up to them just in time to hear it. They had gone from looking at Ron in a joyful manner to wide eyed slack jawed shock at what they were hearing.

"My brother is keeping the other students safe. There will be help soon. I expect the next time I open my eyes will suck a bit. Heh." The girl's head fell and her eyes closed.

OooOOooOO

When she did open her eyes again she saw what she had expected. A dull white ceiling. She was lying in a hospital bed and opening her eyes took quite a bit of effort. The air was cold and sterile, but the sheets that covered her were warm enough. She managed to shake a little bit off by moving her head a little, but sitting up was going to take some time. She gave a small sigh and slapped herself on the face. She had been intending to rub at the bridge of her nose but only made things worse for herself. "This sucks." She could feel something off about her skin where her hand was. She wanted to see it, but had decided it less important than not moving much.

"Awake are we?" A woman in her mid thirties dressed in robes walked in and shined the girl in the eyes with a small light from the tip of her wand. "That's an unusual pair of eyes you've got."

The experience was less painful than she'd been expecting. She wasn't sure if it was magic in the light itself or her eyes. "How long have I been out?" She smiled a bit as the woman pushed her head back and peered into the slits a bit more.

"Two days. We've had quite a load from Hogwarts as you'd imagine. I heard you helped that Weasley boy kill the Vampire Lord." The woman gave her a firm looking smile. "I've also heard a rumor that the mysterious 'cure' Professor Snape whipped up..."

She was a bit groggy and had to stop and swallow midway through speaking. "It's the other way around actually. He got the last blow in, but I was the one who did most of the fighting. I also made the weapon Ron Weasley used to destroy him. I've taken to Potions." There was a bit of pride in the girl's voice as she said it but it was hard to make out as she was still weak and disoriented from waking up.

"That would also make you the reason for his intrusion." The woman frowned a bit.

"Didn't take much with him I've heard. I do wish someone had said something. I was really just using it to research a cure for Werewolfism. My theory is that they're a bit similar, so when I happened to acquire a bit of test material..." The girl was becoming more alert and was only having a bit of trouble speaking at a normal speed. She was looking around the room without moving her neck. "Thing is, I had to use my supply of werewolf venom to kill that jerk. It was his weakness. I got a bit banged up fighting him so Weasley had to get that last shot in."

The woman gave a small sigh. Anna seemed to realize that she was annoyed with her and stopped talking. "It will take a few weeks before you're running about like you did before. You've had quite a tussle. You were fortunate enough to be out through the regrowth of your bones. You very nearly died, and you almost took Hogwarts with you."

The girl smirked but it fell away as she shifted a bit in her bed. She'd reflexively tried to sit up and it hadn't gone well. She was gasping in an uncomfortable way as she settled back in and spoke. "Yes. I'm aware of that. Is there such a thing as a Werewolf Lord? I'm thinking I might need to put that off until I've gone and graduated. I'd have done it with this if anyone had bothered to tell me."

The woman narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Who did you tell?"

Anna's eyes went wide and she relaxed in her bed as if she'd passed out suddenly. Her breathing slowed and she twitched a little as her head settled into the pillow all the way.

"Damn. The brat passed out." The woman walked over and touched her cheek. "Smart girl. Pretty, it's a shame really." She brushed her finger across the scar that ran across the bridge of the girl's nose. Another larger scar went from the right side of her forehead down to her eyebrow, with a small scar on her lower cheek just above her jawline. The vampire had clawed her in the face and they hadn't been able to heal the wounds completely. They had closed up and the scabs were gone, but nothing would erase the marks on her face completely.

The woman frowned as she turned away and tucked her arms into her robes. She had been expecting a reaction to her comment. "Guess she really is out." Either that or she was cold as ice. She didn't seem the type and seemed to enjoy talking. On the other hand she was a very smart girl. "Who are you protecting?" She turned to look at the bed to find the girl unmoving and seeming to not notice anything around her any longer. "The brother perhaps?"

Anna didn't open her eyes again. She didn't want to be bothered as she had things on her mind. "What was that Auror doing here? Shit. I should have known better." The woman's line of questioning, the way she'd been unable to catch a glimpse of her mind, and the fact she'd tried to get into her mind near the end gave her away. She'd caught everything the woman had said as she left.

She wasn't expecting the first person she'd see when she woke up to be an Auror. She felt like she'd left something dangling for them and that wasn't good. "Shit. They know I know something. I'm sure it wasn't Snape though. I'll bet someone else was listening in to that conversation. Still, the jerk should have said something. I don't think he thought I could get the venom in the first place." She was frustrated with him and it was obvious he liked her more than her brother. It was difficult to tell the difference between the two levels of strict dislike but it was there. She was certain the man wouldn't do something to harm her or her brother though.

"I think I might be in some kind of trouble." She grunted in distaste at the thought of it. "Wonder if I've managed to get myself expelled?" She wasn't as upset with the idea as she should have been. It was a guilty pleasure, but the opportunity to start wreaking havoc with the Death Eaters was tempting. She wouldn't even need extra bait to lure them into trying to kill her. She was a Sith after all.

OooOOooOO

"Anna..." Harry was glaring at her from the end of the bed with his arms crossed. Sirius Black was mirroring him behind the boy.

"You jumped off the Hogwarts Express on a broomstick, upset the Lord of Vampires, destroyed half of the castle, and then, flew into a fight with a first class demon." The older man sounded more like he was tired of dealing with it than angry.

The girl shrugged. She was feeling well enough to sit up and had started using her arms with a bit more success. "I cured Vampirism, won the fight, and made the world a better place." She could tell Sirius wasn't angry about it, he seemed a bit proud in fact. For some reason he didn't think he should show it though.

"Ron Weasley won the fight." Harry narrowed his eyes at the girl a bit more and leaned in.

"He would have died if not for me. I banged the stupid vampire up quite a bit, gave him the means to destroy him, and did most of the fighting. He helped me kill him, not the other way around. I'm not worried about how wonderful he is now and I think he deserves the credit he's getting for what he did, but I want to make sure I get credit for making the cure, and discovering that butt hole's weakness, kicking his ass to soften him up enough that Ron could finish him off...Oh, and Ron's whip. I made that too." She was ticking the things off on her fingers. "Didn't expect the whip to be quite so useful. I was thinking I might use it the way Ron did. To get my antivenom in without getting too close. It wasn't practical and I'd need too much to keep it going for long. I'd end up wasting most of the antivenom that way. I'm thinking a dart gun of some type would work best now. I doubt I'll be able to keep more than a bit around." She was looking back and fourth between them and they were both gaping at her.

"You almost died!" Harry almost shouted at her as he gripped the end of her bed.

"Those wounds will never heal fully." Sirius had a solemn look to his face as he turned his face away from her. "You'll likely have those scars the rest of your life."

"Are you kidding? It's awesome!" Anna pulled a mirror down to peer into her face. Her hair covered the one on her forehead which was the ugliest of the bunch. "I've earned them I'd say." She moved off for a moment and frowned at her own reflection. The doctor had given her a hand mirror and a gentle warning earlier that day. She wasn't sure how she felt about it yet and poked at the one on her nose with her finger. Sirius had been a little worried about how she might take the scars and she noticed his relief about how she seemed to look at it. Once again he was a little proud of her.

Her brother looked a bit put off by her reaction to it all. She seemed to be enjoying it a bit.

She pulled her eyes away from her reflection and looked up at them both again. "What? Don't look at me like that. A scar like this is a badge of honor! It's not like he ripped off half my face."

"He came close." Sirius didn't look pleased with her. He was having a hard time scolding her and it seemed more like he was doing it because he thought he should.

"Why is everyone acting like we lost?" The girl hung her head and gave a heavy sigh. "I got a scratch but I killed him for doing it. Jeeze, you'd think I'd started a curse that would last thousands of years instead of ending one." She looked up at her guardian and smirked.

"It was dangerous and stupid." Sirius looked frustrated and paced around behind her brother. "You shouldn't have gone off on your own that way."

"And it's my fault then? That guy was a jerk and he needed killing anyway." She looked at her brother's face and snorted. "He's been here for thousands of years Harry. He's had plenty of opportunity to change. Don't go thinking this is like killing a person. You didn't see that thing. Besides, the ministry would have given him what he wanted and killed the students rather than fight him. You give them too much credit. I had what I needed to destroy him and going for help would have prevented it. If I hadn't gone and taken care of him myself no one would have, and the ministry would have destroyed the students rather than anger him. I had no choice by that point."

Sirius glared at her. "This is serious Anna. I'm not certain you'll come out of this unpunished. I don't think it will be harsh, but still. There are a lot of people upset about what happened at Hogwarts because of it."

"What would you have done?" She looked up at him and smiled a bit.

He tugged on his coat and put his head back glaring at her still. "I would have helped James." He turned on his heels and left for the waiting room and left her alone with her brother.

The boy sat down at the edge of the bed. "Nevill was telling me how much his Gran hates you." He didn't seem upset and looked up expecting a response. "She's trying to get you expelled, there are a few families backing her. Most people think it was a good thing though. You're just lucky it ended well." Harry had noticed that Sirius would have been praising her and giving her a high five for the whole awesome mess if he wasn't obligated to fuss at her because he was their current legal guardian.

"I'm not sure how upset I'd be. I'd almost like the chance to get at them out here. You'll do well enough at Hogwarts without me." She looked at him and settled back into her pillow again.

"I'm not sure running off on your own was the best idea." He seemed to be accepting her explanation.

She turned her eyes away from him. "It was my mess."

"Well. You've gone and made it worse again. I'm an even bigger hero now. There was a bit of a tussle on the train. It stopped on the way to Hogwarts, but they flew out to get us. We managed to get it moving again and lost them. We met the Ministry at King's Cross, a few dozen Aurors met us halfway and led us back. They sort of took over. I'm glad you told me about that cure. Everyone is alive and we'll be heading back to Hogwarts next week. The term has been extended a week thanks to this mess. Most of the students who stayed behind went home yesterday missing teeth." The boy opened his mouth and pointed at his eye teeth after he said it.

"How's Ron doing?" Anna seemed pleased.

"I wouldn't worry too much about getting expelled. Most everyone thinks you did good. Still, you've made quite a few people at school mad. Snape will be insufferable. You'd better watch out. Most people seem to think of you as some sort of hero. No one died. So I don't think anything will come of it."

"How's Ron doing?" the girl repeated herself.

"He's a bit cross with you for making him famous." Harry smirked at her. "He's not used to being so popular. Says it feels like he's lying when he tells the story because it sounds cooler than it was. He won't talk about it much but everyone else is talking about it."

She cocked his head. "Really? I haven't heard much about it yet."

"What? You don't know?" The boy looked surprised in a teasing sort of manner.

"I know how it ended." The girl shrugged. "I told you before I'm not omnipotent."

"I'll tell you later. It's fun to hear him tell it though. He just keeps talking about how awful it was and how glad he was he'd had his towel." Harry seemed pleased.

"It figures. I want to hear about on the train too. I'm afraid you're the first people to speak to me about it. I've also got the Ministry's attention. I had a visitor, though I'm not sure she knows I realize it." She looked a bit irate about being out of the loop at all. She had no idea how people would react to what she'd done. She was thinking the act of killing the Vampire Lord combined with handing over the cure would be enough to get her off even if she did go a little over the line that time.

"The Ministry? Well, you did give them a cure for vampirism in your first year at school. I handed it over right away. You may need to get another potions book." Harry seemed a bit surprised she hadn't seemed to have thought about the ministry taking an interest in her. "I'm to understand that's near impossible. Not to mention that mess on the train. A lot of people saw what I was doing back there."

"I've a feeling this will turn out well." Anna frowned at the thought of it. "Though, it could be one of those things we don't feel until later."

"I'm not that mad about it. You should have been more careful though. I had to save Draco Malfoy. Do you have any idea how disgusting that was?" He seemed annoyed at her again for a moment. "I managed to drive them away from the train. The older students kept them from getting inside."

"That doesn't sound so bad." The girl shrugged. "I don't want to say get used to it...but..."

"Yeah. I remember." He put his hand on her shoulder and stood up. "They want to keep you another night. We'll be by in the morning to pick you up. They would only let two of us in tonight. Margaret and Melvin said to say 'hi' to you. Pansy said to says to send her love as well."

"Harry. Just so you know. If I'd known about all this. I would have waited until after I'd graduated at least." She was lying on her side watching him walk out as he glanced over his shoulder.

"Right." The boy shook his head and smiled despite himself. "Anna, everyone knows now. The whole mess is all over the papers."

"There's nothing to be done. It was going to happen regardless. Tell the others I said thank you." She rolled onto her back and closed her eyes as he closed the door.

OooOOooOO

It was early in the morning, Sirius and Harry had not yet arrived to collect Anna. She was on her feet enough to move about the room easily. Her hospital gown hung off her shoulders as she frowned at the woman standing before her. She had thick ridged curls of blond hair, large hands, and a cheap pair of jeweled glasses. In her hands was a large crocodile skin handbag. She walked into the room and leaned in towards the girl.

The redhead was looking at the woman with her head cocked to the side. "You're Rita Skeeter?" She didn't look surprised and simply watched her walk up in a rather vacant way.

"Yes." The woman seemed pleased to meet her and lit up as she realized she'd been recognized.

"I don't like you. You seem dishonest." The girl's irises narrowed into slits as the redhead put a tiny frown on her lips.

The woman's smile fell away as her mouth turned into an 'o' shape. "I assure you, anything you might have read..."

"I was raised by muggles. I've never read your column or anything about you. You seem...enchantingly nasty."

"So, how did you hear of me?" The woman arched her eyebrows as she seemed to realize the girl was trying to be a hard case.

"Hear of you?" The little girl was grinning. "Who says I have?"

"You obviously know my name." The woman seemed haughty and was loosing patience with the rude little girl in front of her.

The girl gave a nod and put her finger up to her lips as if she was thinking about that. "Yeah. I do. I think you're an evil, self serving, over opinionated, blow hard, and that's just from when you walked into the room until now. Could you leave now? I'd rather not talk to you."

Rita puffed her chest out a little. "What about my readers? Surely you have something to say to the wizarding world? I'm sure..."

The girl shrugged at her. "Well, I haven't met them have I? I don't trust you to deliver a message in a coherent manner. You'll pick the parts that seem the meanest, put them completely out of context, and make me look as bad as you can. It's the only way you can make up a story interesting enough that anyone will read it."

Skeeter was getting frustrated. She'd never had anyone so young act towards her in such a way. "You are a very rude young girl."

Anna could tell and it visibly helped her mood. "No one will punish me for not being nice to you. I'm aware that you shouldn't be here and you know it as well. You're just lucky I'd rather insult you than call security to remove you."

The woman stood tall and swallowed as she gripped her bag.

"Do you really think I don't know you've got that quill working behind your back? You're standing in front of a mirror." The girl was beaming with cheer as she taunted the woman.

Rita's faked smile was cracking as her eyes went hard. "I'm going to get my story. I will find the truth..."

Anna gave a nod as she interrupted her. "...and twist it into something that satisfies your personal ambitions. I'm afraid you'll find any attempt at speaking to me to be one long insult to your poor reporting skills."

The angry woman leaned towards her. "You've got a big mouth for a first year."

Anna leaned back with a wide smirk on her face. "And you have a small brain for an adult. You also have no authority to punish me. "

"I'll be speaking with your guardian...I've written down everything you said." The woman turned up her nose and waited for the little girl.

"Go ahead. He'll find it amusing." Anna seemed pleased with herself. "I'd suggest going over it yourself but I'd doubt you'd get the point anyway."

Rita was infuriated and was cracking her knuckles by flexing her hand. She seemed to calm all at once and shook her head as she made her self look civil. "Answer me just one question."

"No. Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time." The little redhead turned her nose up and crossed her arm over her chest as she pointed towards the door with the other.

"I'll get what I want one way or another." The woman leaned in even more and cracked a confident and malicious smirk. It was a thinly veiled threat.

"Look, bug lady, don't screw with me." The little girl almost put her nose into the woman's face. "I know a lot more about you than you might expect. Back off. I don't trust you. I can make your life a lot harder than you can make mine if you catch my drift." Anna planted her foot onto the tiles on the floor and twisted as if crushing a bug.

Rita was wide eyed and open mouthed as she stepped back. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you do, but we don't really have to talk about it do we?" The girl looked confident and cruel as she stared the woman down. "If not, then we have nothing to discuss at all. I've no interest in speaking to someone who would try and use an injured child to further their own ambitions anyway."

The woman was looking around the room as she took another step back. She didn't look pleased as she whirled around on her toes and rushed out of the room.

Anna chuckled to herself at the reaction and sat down on the mattress to wait for her family.

OooOOooOO

TBC...