Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, The Southern Vampire Series, nor Twilight.

AN: See the Notes at the END, since I don't want to give anything away before you read!

~~{0}~~

Hermione pulled into her driveway, and before she even got out of the car, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Harry. He answered the phone after the third ring, and she could hear the tail end of him laughing at someone before he finally answered.

"Hey, Sis, what's up?" he said

Hermione took a deep breath, and did her best to keep her voice even, "Harry, something's happened to Cho. I'm so sorry…" she said before he interrupted her.

"What do you mean 'something's happened', where is she? Is she alright?" He said in alarm.

Hermione had to choke back a sob recalling the message he'd left on Cho's answering machine, "She's gone, Harry, I'm so sorry." Hermione said covering her mouth with her hand to keep the sob from escaping her throat.

"Gone where? What's going on?" his voice shook as he asked

"She's dead, Harry, I found her in her apartment just a little while ago. I'm so sorry…"

"No, that isn't… she can't be…I just talked to her yesterday. How?" his tone was becoming angry now, and Hermione's heart was breaking for him. Despite their tumultuous relationship, he really had cared very deeply for her in his own way.

"I don't know how, but the police are investigating. She was late for her shift this afternoon, and Sirius asked me to go by her house and check on her. I found her and called the police. They will want to talk with you, too, I'm sure." She told him.

There was silence on the other end of the line for a log moment, until she head him exhale a breath he seemed to have been holding, "Alright. I need to go." He said before the phone clicked and he hung up.

She felt a stab of guilt for telling him over the phone while he was at work, but it's not as if there is ever a perfect time to tell someone that their girlfriend had passed away. She climbed out of the car, and went inside and immediately headed upstairs to take a shower. She needed to rid herself of the image of Cho lying twisted in the bed, with her empty eyes staring up at the ceiling, but she doubted the hot water would cleanse those thoughts away.

After she finished her shower, she pulled on a clean pair of shorts and a tank top and crawled into bed. She sunk into a deep sleep, and was woken by her cell phone ringing a few hours later.

"Hi, Bella" Hermione said answering the phone

"Hey, how are you? Do you still want me to come by, or would you rather be alone?" Bella asked uncertainly. It was obvious to Hermione that her father must've been nearby, and she had to be careful with what she said.

"I'm okay, just shaken up a bit. I'd still like for you to come over, if you can." She said letting her know that she hadn't changed her mind about going to Fangtasia.

"Alright. I'll go pack a bag, and I'll have dad drop me off in about an hour. See you soon." Bella said before hanging up.

Hermione checked the time, it was four pm, and Viktor was likely not awake yet, since the sun was still sitting low in the sky. She had just climbed out of bed when she heard a truck pull up and Harry's voice calling for her downstairs.

"Hermione?!" Harry called as the screen door to the kitchen slammed shut behind him.

"Harry, what is it?" She heard her grandmother's voice say from downstairs as she pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt.

"Hermione didn't tell you?" She heard him say in surprise as she walked into the kitchen.

"Didn't tell me what?" Effy said as she turned to look at Hermione, "What happened, dear?" she asked Hermione.

"I found Cho in her apartment this afternoon. She was late for her shift, and Sirius had tried calling her and couldn't get an answer. He knew it wasn't like her to be late, so he asked me to swing by and check on her…he thought she might've overslept." Hermione said putting her hand to her mouth when she saw the pained look on Harry's face.

"Do the police have any idea what could have happened?" Effy asked delicately looking from Hermione to Harry, who had still not yet said anything.

"Not as of yet, they are still investigating." Hermione said quietly.

"It was that fucking vamp." Harry suddenly spat, his jaw tensing as he finally turned and looked at Hermione.

"Harry, watch your language!" Effy said sternly, earning her a withering look from Harry.

"Harry, it wasn't Viktor." Hermione said evenly, trying to be respectful of her brother's grief, but at the same time standing up for her boyfriend.

"Not him, she hooked up with some vampire after she and I had a fight about her going to that bar. She told me she wasn't going to be told what to do, and that it was over between us. We'd had that argument so many times before, I lost count. I knew once she got over being angry, we'd talk it out like we always do, and things would go back to normal. I was angry when I found out she went home with some vampire, but she wouldn't return my calls. I thought she was still just angry at me…If only I had known, I would've tried harder to stop her from going there in the first place." Harry said raking his hand through his messy hair, and dropping down into a chair at the kitchen table.

"You can't know that it would've made any difference, Harry. Besides, I don't think it was a vampire…" Hermione said and Harry looked back up at her sharply.

"What do you mean?" He asked

"After Jess died, and it was discovered that she had bite marks on her, the police obviously suspected a vampire. Chief Swan talked to Viktor, and Viktor told him that if the body wasn't drained of blood, it couldn't have been a vampire, because no vampire would kill and leave the blood behind. The Chief confirmed that Jessica's body was not drained. I saw Cho, Harry, she hadn't been drained either. Clearly, someone human is doing this and trying to make it look like the work of a vampire." She said biting her lip.

Harry sighed, "I suppose it's possible, but it's a little too coincidental, don't you think? Suppose Viktor was wrong." Harry said

Hermione shrugged, "It's possible, Harry, but highly unlikely according to Viktor. I believe him, Harry." She said quietly sitting in the chair beside him.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Of course you do." He said venomously.

Hermione glared back in return. She loved her brother, she truly did, but the only reason she wasn't telling him off right now was because she knew that he was grieving, and he was lashing out because he was in pain.

"Hermione, did you see anything unusual in Cho's apartment? Anything at all?" Effy asked trying to steer the focus away from Viktor.

"No, there didn't seem to be any signs of forced entry, her door was unlocked. She was…um…" she looked at Harry, knowing this was hard for him to hear, "She was lying in her bed, and she wasn't wearing any clothes. I called the police right away, and stepped outside as soon as they arrived." Hermione said evenly.

"Did she have bite marks on her?" Harry asked, and she saw his jaw clench.

"Yes, she did." Hermione admitted.

Harry's fist connected with the table upon hearing that, and he got up and started walking out of the kitchen.

"Harry, where are you going?" Hermione asked nervously. She knew her brother could be hot-headed and impulsive, and she knew he wasn't thinking clearly.

"I'm going home, I need to be alone." He said as he walked through the back door and out to his truck.

"Let him go, Hermione, he needs to deal with it on his own." Effy said laying her hand on her shoulder.

Hermione watched Harry drive off with a heavy heart. They had always been close; she was always the one to pick up the pieces when he fell apart, but she knew her grandmother was right, Harry needed to grieve, and come to terms with losing Cho before she could be of any help to him.

"I'm so sorry you had to be the one to find her, Honey, and I'm sorry you had to be the one to tell him." Effy said squeezing her shoulder, knowing Hermione's heart was breaking for her brother.

"I'm honestly glad he heard it from me rather than getting a phone call from Chief Swan. Speaking of which, here he comes now…" Hermione said watching as the patrol car pulled down their long driveway and parked on front of the house. Chief Swan and Bella both stepped out, and Bella slung her backpack over one shoulder as she started walking towards the house.

Hermione opened the door and smiled gratefully at Bella, "Thanks for coming." She said and Bella pulled her into a hug.

Hermione looked over Bella's shoulder and saw Chief Swan watching her closely.

"You girls stay safe, you here? You can't trust anyone these days." The Chief said looking pointedly as his daughter.

"Yes, Dad, we will." Bella said rolling her eyes and pulling Hermione back into the house.

"The girls will be fine, Chief, don't worry. You just focus on catching this scum bag." Effy said with her hands planted on her hips. The Chief's eyebrows rose as he took in her words.

"Yes, Ma'am, we'll do everything we can." He said before he climbed back into his car and drove away.

Hermione pulled Bella up to her room so they could talk privately. It's not that she didn't trust her grandmother, but she didn't want to tell her where they were going either, because she didn't want to worry her unnecessarily.

"So what's the plan?" asked Bella as she plopped down on Hermione's bed.

Hermione bit her lip, and paced the room, "I'll call Viktor around six when he wakes up, and tell him that we want him to take us to Fangtasia. We'll walk over to his house and take his car, since I don't want your dad to recognize mine. I actually have a photo from last year taken at Black's that has Jess and Cho both in it; once we get there, I'll ask around and see if anyone there recognizes either one of them, and see if they can give me any info on who they we were with. Maybe we'll find something and we can find a way to put your dad on the right track.

Bella nodded, "Ok. So what should I wear? I've never been to a vampire bar, before, and I have no idea what the dress code is, so I brought a few options that I have in my bag." Bella said and started to rifle through her bag

"Hold off on changing here…I don't want my Grandmother to know we're going out, well, I'll tell her that we're just going over to Viktor's. We can get ready over there, it'll be less conspicuous. I'll ask Viktor when I talk to him what the dress code is like." Hermione said and then pulled Bella up from the bed.

"Let's go downstairs and eat something, since this will be our only chance to eat until tomorrow morning. It's not as if we can get anything other than alcohol at Fangtasia, and Viktor doesn't really keep any food in his house, since he doesn't eat it." Hermione told her.

Bella followed Hermione down to the kitchen where Effy was already bustling around warming up a casserole and some rolls.

"You girls must be hungry, sit down, this will be warmed up in just a few minutes." Effy told them pointing at the table with her over mitt covered hand.

"Thanks Gran." Hermione said giving her a kiss on the cheek before taking a seat.

"What are you two doing tonight?" Effy asked conversationally as she pulled out plates and silverware and set the table.

"We're going to go over to Viktor's. Don't worry, I'll have him come here and meet us so that we don't have to walk across the cemetery alone." Hermione said holding up her hand before her Gran could protest.

Effy nodded at that, knowing that having a vampire body guard was probably much more effective than having a team of secret service agents.

After they ate, Hermione and Bella offered to clean the dishes, and Effy returned to the living room to watch her 'programs', as she liked to call them. Bella and Hermione headed back upstairs to call Viktor.

"Hermoninny. Vhat is wrong?" Viktor said after the first ring, and Hermione's eyebrows rose for a moment until she remembered that Viktor could sense her moods now that they were bonded.

"Will you come meet me at my house? Bella is here with me, and we wanted to come to your place, but we didn't feel comfortable walking alone, with everything that is going on." She answered

"Vhat happened?" He asked

Hermione forgot for a moment that he hadn't yet heard about Cho.

"I found Cho dead this afternoon in her apartment. I'll tell you about it later, but will you come?" She asked.

"Of course, Hermoninny." He said before he hung up.

Less than a minute later, they heard a knock on the door downstairs, and they heard Effy open the door for Viktor.

"Hermione, honey, Viktor is here." Effy called up the stairs.

"I'll be right down!" Hermione shouted down, and had to stifle a laugh at Bella's look of shock. She hadn't been around vampires long enough to experience their inhuman speed.

"Jesus that was fast!" she said grabbing her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Yeah, you get used to it after a while." Hermione said stuffing some clothes and a few other things into a bag. And opened the door to head down the stairs.

Viktor was standing by the door, wearing a pair of faded jeans and a black tee shirt, with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Viktor, this is Bella, I don't think you've officially met." Hermione said introducing them.

Bella was trying not to stare at his blood red eyes, and instead looked at his cross pendant and held out her hand to him.

"Nice necklace." Bella said awkwardly.

Viktor smirked, and chuckled when Bella's eyes widened when she felt the coldness of his hand.

"Thank you. It is nice meeting you, Bella." He said nodding politely after she relinquished his hand.

"It's n…nice to meet you too." Bella stammered mentally slapping herself for her obvious reaction to meeting her first vampire. She glanced at Hermione, and noticed she was biting back a smirk.

"Vell, ve should go, yes?" Viktor asked placing his hand on the small of Hermione's back.

"Gran, we'll probably stay at Viktor's tonight." Hermione told her, and Effy nodded. She knew the girls would probably be safer with Viktor than anywhere else.

"Well, you take good care of them Viktor, you hear?" Effy said shaking her finger at Viktor.

"Yes, Ma'am. They vill be safe." Viktor replied, placing his hand over his heart as a promise.

Bella stepped out, followed by Hermione and Viktor, and they made their way across the cemetery to Viktor's.

"Vhat happened, love?" Viktor asked Hermione once they were far enough away.

"Sirius asked me to go by and check on Cho after she didn't show up for her shift, it was unlike her, and he wasn't able to reach her on the phone. I drove to her apartment, and I had a bad feeling…her car was there, but she didn't answer the door. The door was unlocked, so I went in, and that's when I found her in the bed. She was murdered, just like Jess." Hermione told him.

Viktor pulled Hermione into his side, "I'm sorry you had to see that, love."

"Viktor, I need you to take Bella and I to Fangtasia tonight." Hermione suddenly blurted out, and Viktor stopped in his tracks.

"Hermioninny…"he said giving her a look of protest, "It is not good idea."

Hermione looked at Bella for support, and then back to Viktor, "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but I think someone there saw something. I have a photo with Jess and Cho, and If I could ask around, we might find out who did this. Chief Swan will never get in the door, we both know that. This could be our only chance." Hermione pleaded.

Viktor was quiet for a few minutes, before he reluctantly agreed.

"I'll take you, but I do not like this." Viktor sighed and grasped Hermione's hand in his.

~~{0}~~

Viktor opened the back door of his Black BMW for Bella, and once she was seated inside, he closed the door. Hermione sat in the passenger seat, and looked back at Bella to give her an encouraging look. It took about fourty-five minutes to get to Shreveport from Bon Temps, and surprisingly, even though it was a Tuesday night, the parking lot was full. Viktor pulled in and parked the car, then turned off the ignition.

"You are both with me, you understand?" he said giving them both a serious look before he climbed out of the car and encouraged both Hermione and Bella to link their arms through his on either side of him.

They walked up to the door, and a vampire with long curly black hair and red lips blocked their entry, looking over the two girls hungrily before her red eyes met Viktor's. She was wearing a long fitted black gown with a leather corset, and looked like a cross between Morticia Adams and Elvira; basically, she looked exactly how you would imagine a female vampire to look.

"Haven't seen you 'round these parts in a while, Krum." She purred seductively, which immediately set Hermione on edge.

"Bellatrix." Viktor nodded stiffly in greeting, clearly not wanting to converse with her any more than necessary.

Her red lips curled up into a wicked smile before she stepped aside, giving one last look at Hermione and Bella.

"I'd keep a close eye on that one, "Bellatrix said nodding towards Hermione, "She's his type." Before she laughed maniacally and strolled away.

Hermione looked at Viktor in confusion, but he didn't offer an explanation, and she could tell he was annoyed by the way he was clenching his jaw. He led them inside, as the heavy bass of Bauhaus' "Bella Lugosi's Dead' emanated from the speakers surrounding the room. Viktor found a booth and ushered the girl's in to sit.

"Stay here, I'll get drinks. If anyone asks, you're vith me." Viktor said before he walked over to the bar, leaving them alone.

Bella turned to Hermione, "What do you suppose she meant?"

Hermione gritted her teeth at the reminder of the slutty looking vamp who seemed a little too familiar with her boyfriend, "I don't know, but I don't like her." Hermione admitted. She let her eyes sweep the room as they waited for Viktor to come back, taking in the décor, which could only be described as gothic inspired. There was a sea of bodies on the dance floor, and she could tell the humans from the vampires easily, because the vampires were dancing at times with inhuman speed. She continued to scan the room until her eyes fell on a lone figure who was sitting on a dais. He looked like a king sitting on a throne, looking out over his subjects. She couldn't see his face clearly from where they were seated, but she could tell that he must be someone important based on his position.

"I vasn't sure vhat you vanted to drink, so I got vine. I hope that is ok." Viktor said setting down the two glasses of red wine in front of Hermione and Bella.

"Bella nodded and took the glass gratefully, "Thank you." She said politely.

Hermione was just about to ask Viktor how he had known Bellatrix when she spotted a familiar face in the crowd, "There…over there, the vampire with the gray button down shirt. That's Cedric. He's the vampire I saw at Black's with Cho."

"Are you sure that is who you saw? " Viktor asked in confusion

"Yes, I'm positive. He's not exactly forgettable, is he. I'm sure that's him." Hermione said with certainty.

Bella looked over to where Hermione was pointing, just as the vampire in question turned and looked directly at them. Simply put, she thought he was gorgeous. Bella's eyes widened when she saw that he was coming towards them. He had his eyes trained on Bella, and when he reached the table, he finally turned to look at Viktor.

"Viktor, I am surprised to see you here, old friend. Aren't you going to introduce me to your lovely companions?" he said giving Bella a crooked smile.

"Edward, this is Bella Swan and Hermione Potter." Viktor said by way of introduction

Edward looked up sharply when he heard Hermione's name, and finally met the eyes of the girl sitting on the other side of Viktor. His eye widened in recognition, and he gave her a sheepish look.

"I thought you said your name was Cedric Diggory?" Hermione questioned, wanting to know what was going on.

"My apologies for deceiving you, I hadn't expected to run into you again." He said raking his hand through his hair nervously.

"Why did you tell me your name was Cedric? Why use a fake name?" Hermione asked, looking between him and Viktor.

"I uh…I don't usually make a habit of getting involved with humans, so I used a fake name." he admitted with a chuckle, and held out his hand to her again, "Let's try this again, I'm Edward Cullen."

Hermione shook his hand tentatively, still unsure if this vampire had anything to do with Cho's death, "Edward, do you mind if I ask you a few questions? Something has happened to Cho, and…" Hermione began before Edward cut her off.

"Tell me she isn't dead…" Edward said with a paned expression, glancing over at Bella before meeting Hermione's gaze. For a moment, her heart began to pound wondering if he had killed her, even if by accident.

"Yes…she is. Can you tell me what happened?" Hermione asked

"Look, all I know is that after we left the diner, we went back to her place. She offered to let me drink from her, so I did. Her phone rang and interrupted us; it was a guy. She didn't answer it though, but he left a message. She started crying when she heard it, so I took that as my cue to leave. She was very much alive when I left." Edward said placing his hands flat on the table.

Hermione looked meaningfully at Bella

"Did you see anyone else around? Anything suspicious at all?" Hermione asked, hopefully.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't see anyone." Edward sighed and raked his hand through his hair nervously.

"She vasn't drained." Viktor interjected as Edward looked up at him with interest.

"Someone must've gone over there after I left. That's the only explanation." Edward said looking at Hermione, and she believed he was telling her the truth.

"When you met her here at Fangtasia, do you remember seeing the other girl she was with?" Bella spoke up and encouraged Hermione to hand him the picture.

Edward glanced from Bella to Hermione, and took the photo from Hermione's hands and looked at it.

"Yeah, I remember seeing this girl. She was sitting with Cho for a while, but I lost track of her when I saw her approach Tom."

Viktor sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, and Hermione sat up in her seat at the mention of another name

"Tom? Who is Tom?" Hermione asked looking at Edward intensely.

Edward leaned forward in his seat, and pointed over to the figure sitting on the dais.

"That would be Tom." Edward answered.

Hermione turned her head to get a better look at the figure sitting on the dais, and then looked back questioningly to Viktor. He obviously knew a lot more then he was letting on.

"Viktor?" Hermione asked questioningly

Viktor sighed, he knew it was only a matter of time before she found out about Tom, so he decided it would be best to tell her now.

"Tom is the oldest vampire, probably in all of Louisiana. He owns this club, and he is extremely powerful. The only ones he answers to are the Volturi, though, I think he is biding his time until he can take over completely." Viktor said evenly, trying to make Hermione understand how dangerous Tom really was.

As if on cue, Bellatrix sauntered up to their table, "You're being summoned." She said pointedly looking at Hermione.

"Me?" she asked in alarm, looking back to Viktor.

"Yes, darling, you. Just you." She said staring at Viktor, as if daring him to defy her.

Hermione looked at Viktor helplessly.

"It's alright, love, I'll be right here." He told her and kissed her knuckles before she stood to follow Bellatrix.

Hermione followed behind Bellatrix nervously, watching the vampire's hips sway in front of her as she walked. She looked down at herself self-consciously, and smoothed out her skirt. As they approached the vampire sitting in the throne-like chair, she had to mentally remind herself not to stare. Simply put, he was the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes on. She imagined that if there was such a thing as a fallen angel, Tom would be it. He had black wavy hair, porcelain skin with high cheekbones, and full lips. He was dressed in an Armani suit that was perfectly tailored, and as he sat looking out over the room with a bored expression, his blood red eyes locked onto hers. With a lazy flick of his hand, a much smaller chair slid into place beside his from the wall, and he gestured for her to take a seat. Hermione's eyes went wide; had he just moved a chair telepathically? This must've been what Viktor was talking about when he said that some vampires had special abilities.

She took the proffered seat, never taking her eyes off of him.

"Hermione Potter. I believe you have some questions you wish to ask. You should ask them of me." He said evenly, studying her carefully.

"I uh…alright. I'd like for you to look at a photo and tell me if you recognize either of the two women, if you would." Hermione asked nervously and held up the photo so he could look at it.

His gaze shifted from her face to the photo and back again, though his face remained expressionless.

"I've seen them here before. Both have offered themselves to me, but I found them too pathetic for my attention." He said coldly.

Anger flared in Hermione's chest at his words and cold demeanor. They might not mean much to him, but they were her friends, and she wasn't going to allow him to insult their memory.

Hermione's eyes narrowed, "Well, I expect you must spend an awful lot of time alone." She snapped as she put the picture back in her purse.

He chuckled, a smirk formed at the edge of his lips, "Bellatrix tells me you are Krum's. Is this true?" he asked looking her up and down as if he were undressing her with his eyes.

Despite her best attempts at seeming unaffected, her pulse was racing, "That's right. I am his." She said confidently, and met his gaze defiantly.

His lips twitched as he met her eyes once more, "That's a shame."

Hermione cleared her throat, not allowing him to get to her, "So do you have a last name, or were those not commonplace back in your day?" she asked sarcastically.

"Careful, Hermione, you wouldn't want me as your enemy." He said silkily, then without warning he had grabbed her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. He had moved so fast, she had no time to react; she could feel a pressure building in her skull as if he was invading her mind, so she focused all of her energy on forcing him out. The reaction was so violent that he was physically shoved back several feet away from her, and he was holding his hand as if he'd been burnt. Had she done that? He was looking back and forth between her and his injured hand, in bewilderment.

Hermione was breathing heavily, and she felt panic rise within her, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" she stammered nervously before he interrupted her.

"Riddle…My name is Tom Riddle."

"I should go…" Hermione said looking back at him one last time before she turned to walk back over to Viktor.

"We'll be seeing each other again soon, Hermione." She heard him say as she walked away.

AN: So what did you think? Obviously, something is going on with Hermione that she is/was unaware of, but she's NOT a fairy, and she's not a telepath. I'm sure it's pretty obvious! Anyway, the story will begin to divert quite a bit from True Blood from here on out - though there will still be obvious bits here and there that go back to it, for example when new characters are introduced, since I am trying to make the HP characters directly correlate to characters from True Blood. Did you guys like what I did there with Cedric/Edward? I thought it was pretty clever (LOL!)

anyway, I hope you are all still reading this! I hardly get any reviews, so I am just writing this with the assumption that those of you who are following this (there's over 50 of you! thank you!) are enjoying it. If you are enjoying it, I'd love to hear from you!