malfoyz14

Sorry for the delay... again... guys. I know I promised the next chapter would come faster but... I guess not!

Draco Malfoy
And the Bloodstone
_ _ _ _ _By Ti'ana

Chapter Fourteen

Draco sat in a daze for a few moments. Finally, he looked up to see Professor Snape pacing back and forth. Draco couldn't even remember him standing up.

Summoning a bit of strength to speak, Draco asked, "How long has she been like this? How did it happen?"

"It's a very long story, Mister Malfoy, and I don't have the authority to tell you anyway. I can, though, tell you it happened here at Hogwarts in her, your, first year."

"I didn't know we had a vampire problem here at Hogwarts, ever. Vampires are not even mentioned in Hogwarts, A History."

Snape's face grew hard. He bit his bottom lip for a moment, and then turned away quickly. "That book is worthless for information. It glorifies the school, leaving out so many important details. Werewolves, vampires, demons, Lord Voldemort— you won't see any of those characters or incidents involving them in there."

Draco was persistent. "How did it happen?"

"It's not up to me to tell you. It doesn't matter. Time is short, and Lisha's body will fail her if you don't hurry.""If Lisha is a vampire, she's already dead, isn't she? Undead."

Snape turned around to face Draco once again. "Technically speaking, Lisha is 'undead,' as you put it. She has a heartbeat, her blood still flows and needs oxygen. Therefore, physical harm will indeed hurt her. However, she has no life-force. Her soul has been lost, and there is only one way for it to be retrieved."

Draco pressed on further. "How is that? I'll do anything I can to help her!"

Snape's mouth began to form a "no," but he stopped himself and held up an index finger. "There is a way."

"Tell me!"

"You researched vampires for your Defense Against the Dark Arts class. What did you learn about the Bloodstone?" Draco told him about the leader of the vampires, the crystal substance that contains it, the lair of the vampire leader, and so on. "Well, then, all you need to do is find the leader of the vampires."

Draco scoffed and crossed his arms. "You make it seem so easy, so obvious. Do ***you know where the leader of the vampires hides? Do ***you know how to get to the hidden lair? Do..."

"Yes, no, and probably. Tell ***me something, Mister Malfoy. Of everyone in this school, who would the most obvious vampire be?"

Draco thought of Professor Snape's sallow skin, hooked nose and god-awful temper. "Well, you, I'd suppose."

Snape's eyes narrowed. "By now, it should be rather obvious. You are the only person he's hinted it at. I am the only one who knows for sure. Even Professor Dumbledore is ignorant to this teacher's status, though Albus is aware he is a vampire."

Draco cogitated.

[A/N COME ON DRACO! All the readers have guessed!]

"Professor McGonagall? No, she's not a he."

"It's the only position that's been a problem in the past several years, Draco."

"Hagrid? Nah, there'd be more deaths to feed that huge body..."

"The string of unicorn killings! The only one we've had in three years!"

"I don't know what the significance of unicorn killings is."

Snape sighed. "The unicorn is one of the few creatures that can tell the difference between a vampire from an ordinary human, or wizard. Also, it has been theorized that they are sensitive to the different classes of vampires. Namely, a regular vampire species from the actual leader of the vampires." Draco's face was still blank. "Think of it this way– the unicorns have been slaughtered. It's much different from what happened three years ago."

"So," Draco said, finally catching on. [A/N Finally...] "It would have to be someone who's new to the school?" Snape didn't nod, but Draco saw the confirmation in his expression. "Well, the only teacher new to the school is Professor Blodsucan, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher... the only position that's been a problem in the past three years. How do you know for sure?"

Professor Snape sat behind his desk. "There were many hints. It's very complicated, and time is short. Don't worry about it, Draco, just do what you can to find the Port Key and help save Lisha. Time is short, I don't know if she will survive."

Draco left Snape's office utterly confused. So, Professor Blodsucan was the Head Vampire. What was he supposed to do with this information? Draco's first thought was to destroy him, but how do you kill the ***master of all vampires? Most likely, he was much stronger than the rest, and stronger than any mortal.

There was only one other solution.

The Bloodstone.

Draco would have to heal Lisha, turn her back into a mortal being with a soul. At first, Draco figured it would have to be much more difficult just to give someone their soul back, but after a few second of contemplation, it seemed near impossible a task. How was he supposed to get to the lair of the Master Vampire?

"The Port Key!" Draco exclaimed suddenly, then looked up and down the halls to see if anyone had heard his outburst. The coast was clear. As a precaution, he lowered his voice, but kept speaking to himself as he walked. "The Port Key to the vampire's lair is always near the Master Vampire." The image of Blodsucan's office flashed in his head. It was extremely cluttered. Meaning, Draco would have to go through every one of his items one by one.

"Think, Dracs, think! The book said the Port Key will be very antediluvian, one amongst many other objects like it. But what is antediluvian." Draco tried to pull the word apart. "'Ante' usually means 'before.' But what about -diluvian? Damn, I wish we had one of those lame Muggle dictionaries. Oh!" Draco bumped roughly into another student, and quickly mumbled an apology.

"How very uncharacteristic of you, Malfoy, I'm touched." Hermione Granger adjusted her robes and crossed her arms tightly. "Harry said you had been acting very out of persona lately."

Granger must be the most intelligent witch in the school, Draco thought. And she's a Mudblood. She grew up in the Muggle world, she knows plenty about it. "Hermione, what's antediluvian mean?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "'Hermione'?" She stepped back. "Now I'm just frightened."

"Hermione, I'm serious! What does it mean?"

"Antediluvian means old, antique, outdated, aged, timeworn, venerable..."

Synonyms continued to flow from Hermione's lips, but Draco wasn't paying attention. The item is old, he thought. Plenty of stuff in Blodsucan's office is old. They're all antiques.

"I'll just go through everything, one by one," Draco said aloud. "Thanks, Granger." He rushed off towards Blodsucan's office.

Without thinking, he knocked on the door, and then froze in terror. What would he say? Excuse me, Professor Blodsucan, I just want to look for a Port Key to the head vampire's lair. Not that I'm saying you are the head vampire or anything.It wouldn't work.

Thankfully, their was no response, but the door creaked open. Draco stepped in, and looked through the mess. Instantly, he began touching every object in sight. Calath's carpet, Marivlo's statue, everything. After several minutes of touching everything, he sighed. There was just too much to look through, but he couldn't stop. He couldn't leave Lisha to die.

Suddenly, Draco was struck with a memory as his eyes laid on an ancient goblet.

"Don't touch that!" Blodsucan had cried.

That seemed too easy. There must have been a catch. The goblet was just sitting on the pile of antiques, not standing out too much, but with no indication that one should not touch it. Any innocent observer, with no idea that this object would transport them to a place only the undead have seen, would be drawn into the Master Vampire's lair. But Draco had been forewarned.

Now, Draco reached forward to trace his fingers along the patter carved in the metal, and there was no teacher to stop him.Without warning, Draco lurched forward and was pulled into the goblet just as the door to the office opened