[A/N: Ha, Dynast's Girl, Snape getting over vampires? Nah, you're right. He's just a bitter, distorted man. At least Hermione... not telling yet. Thanks for reviewing!]
Chapter Four - Sun, cross, Stake in the Heart
The next day arrived, along with whispers about Professor Drakul being a vampire. Before classes started, Hermione questioned the Captains (with Draco Malfoy as the exception) severely, and found none had dared to gossip about last night's bedtime story, which frustrated Hermione even more.
"Malfoy couldn't have, if she asked him not to. Family pride and all¡K" Hermione whispered to Ron during one of Snape's lectures.
Ron only shrugged, and tried to keep up with Snape's talk of Mandrakes in the Mandrake Restorative Draught.
"You shall be brewing the draught as soon as the Mandrakes are ready. In that case, I suggest you to work on some Potions skills." Snape hinted at Neville, who looked ready to beg for mercy.
"I'm willing to bet that a Third Year bookworm saw her picture in 'Vampire of the Millennia,' and showed it to someone else," Harry murmured to Hermione.
"I saw her in Third Year too. 'Nosferatu Biographies.'"
"As interesting as vampires may be," Snape's silky voice was heard from across the room, making them jump in surprise. "You are not welcome to talk of them - especially the one upstairs - in -my- classroom." Snape bore down on Parvati and Lavender. "Twenty points from Gryffindor."
Ron leaned down, supposedly to get something, but whispered to Hermione, "Maybe it was him. Snape." Hermione thought of it for a moment, but was forced to push it aside when Snape started to talk again.
*
"It's Peeves. It's not Snape. Or anyone else." Ron slid into the seat beside Harry.
"What did Peeves do this time?" Hermione asked. Ron's comment had surprised her and confused her, especially at the beginning of Charms.
"For someone who can write a twenty-foot essay on Switching Spells, that was a very thick-headed question. I'm talking about Drakul. Peeves has been spreading the rumor. Vampires¡K" Ron glanced around him.
"How did you find out?" Harry asked curiously.
Ron glanced around again before answering. "I asked Ginny to¡K ask around. It turns out Peeves was singing about her last night, after supper. People heard, and¡K it spread."
Hermione shrugged, as Professor Flitwick came into the classroom. "We'll worry about it later. Shh."
*
"Look out, girls and boys, better put away those toys. Get out your mirrors and stakes, and do whatever it takes." Peeves was joyfully dancing on the Slytherin table, bawling out his song and doing a jig to go along with it. "A flood of blood, the blood with flood, if you keep your necks up high. For here comes Drakul, don't you dare sight!" There was complete silence from the eating students, and threats from teachers and ghosts alike. "If you don't know what Drakul is called, then knock your head on the concrete walls! Vampires, vampires, vampires galore, can you ask for anything more?" Those that didn't yet know what Drakul was now knew what she was, thanks to Peeves' rhyming scheme. "Sun, cross, stake in the heart, please don't make this into an art. Holy water, garlic strings, then throw in anything else that stings." Peeves was nearing the end of his little ditty, so he gave everything he had. Harry was sure Trelawney could hear, up in the North Tower. "Forward and back, will se ever get saaa-aa-aacked?" There was applause at the end - Peeves' own clapping hands, and one or two Slytherins.
Other than that, the Great Hall was silenced. Even the teachers had stopped yelling. Just then, there was a deafening bang at the other end of the Hall. For one moment, Harry thought someone had set off a firecracker. Every being turned to the doors. It was flung open by the clapping vampire at the threshold.
"Bravo, Poltergeist. Bravo," the vampire called, slowly walking towards the frozen little man in a bell-covered hat and bright purple bow tie. "A little immature, but it did get the point across brilliantly, did it?" It took Harry a few more moments to identify that voice. It was Drakul.
But how different she looked. Her skin was as white as bleached bone, and her hair was not in its usual ponytail, but fanned out behind her. Instead of the black robes, she had a black velvet dress that clung to her figure with white ruffles at her throat and wrists. She also had a blood-red cape sweeping the floor. She had replaced her dark glasses with smaller, lightly tinted glasses. Drakul looked every bit a vampire, and was every bit frightening too. Her voice was heard everywhere in the Great Hall.
Poltergeist, heed my words. If you should ever disturb the peace, then you shall feel my wrath. Be gone now." Drakul waved her hand regally at him.
"My apologies, Lady, my -"
"I do not wish to hear any more. Be gone from my sight." She turned her back to him, so she would not see him zoom out of the Hall. She gave the students another sweeping glance, then strode out of the Great Hall, her cape billowing around her. The doors closed themselves after her.
Once the doors were closed firmly, the Great Hall burst out in excited whispers. A vampire, teaching at Hogwarts? Defense against Dark Arts, no less.
"She's not going to have an easy time after this," Ron predicted. "Parent will find out, and you know how they reacted to Lupin.
Hermione agreed. "But remember what she said about werewolves?"
"Oh, and you really listened, instead of thinking up snide comments?" Harry teased. Hermione ignored Harry, and went on talking.
"She said they were part human and part wolf, damned for all eternity."
"So?"
"Well, isn't it funny how she's almost exactly like that?"
"Perhaps. Who cares, Hermione? She's a vampire."
"I'm sure you enjoy that display of vampirism," she sniffed at him. Harry smothered a snigger as Ron's ears turned pink, while he muttered about undead people not making good¡K ahem.
Disclaimer: Not everything belongs to me, so please watch where you point your fingers!! ;-)
Chapter Four - Sun, cross, Stake in the Heart
The next day arrived, along with whispers about Professor Drakul being a vampire. Before classes started, Hermione questioned the Captains (with Draco Malfoy as the exception) severely, and found none had dared to gossip about last night's bedtime story, which frustrated Hermione even more.
"Malfoy couldn't have, if she asked him not to. Family pride and all¡K" Hermione whispered to Ron during one of Snape's lectures.
Ron only shrugged, and tried to keep up with Snape's talk of Mandrakes in the Mandrake Restorative Draught.
"You shall be brewing the draught as soon as the Mandrakes are ready. In that case, I suggest you to work on some Potions skills." Snape hinted at Neville, who looked ready to beg for mercy.
"I'm willing to bet that a Third Year bookworm saw her picture in 'Vampire of the Millennia,' and showed it to someone else," Harry murmured to Hermione.
"I saw her in Third Year too. 'Nosferatu Biographies.'"
"As interesting as vampires may be," Snape's silky voice was heard from across the room, making them jump in surprise. "You are not welcome to talk of them - especially the one upstairs - in -my- classroom." Snape bore down on Parvati and Lavender. "Twenty points from Gryffindor."
Ron leaned down, supposedly to get something, but whispered to Hermione, "Maybe it was him. Snape." Hermione thought of it for a moment, but was forced to push it aside when Snape started to talk again.
*
"It's Peeves. It's not Snape. Or anyone else." Ron slid into the seat beside Harry.
"What did Peeves do this time?" Hermione asked. Ron's comment had surprised her and confused her, especially at the beginning of Charms.
"For someone who can write a twenty-foot essay on Switching Spells, that was a very thick-headed question. I'm talking about Drakul. Peeves has been spreading the rumor. Vampires¡K" Ron glanced around him.
"How did you find out?" Harry asked curiously.
Ron glanced around again before answering. "I asked Ginny to¡K ask around. It turns out Peeves was singing about her last night, after supper. People heard, and¡K it spread."
Hermione shrugged, as Professor Flitwick came into the classroom. "We'll worry about it later. Shh."
*
"Look out, girls and boys, better put away those toys. Get out your mirrors and stakes, and do whatever it takes." Peeves was joyfully dancing on the Slytherin table, bawling out his song and doing a jig to go along with it. "A flood of blood, the blood with flood, if you keep your necks up high. For here comes Drakul, don't you dare sight!" There was complete silence from the eating students, and threats from teachers and ghosts alike. "If you don't know what Drakul is called, then knock your head on the concrete walls! Vampires, vampires, vampires galore, can you ask for anything more?" Those that didn't yet know what Drakul was now knew what she was, thanks to Peeves' rhyming scheme. "Sun, cross, stake in the heart, please don't make this into an art. Holy water, garlic strings, then throw in anything else that stings." Peeves was nearing the end of his little ditty, so he gave everything he had. Harry was sure Trelawney could hear, up in the North Tower. "Forward and back, will se ever get saaa-aa-aacked?" There was applause at the end - Peeves' own clapping hands, and one or two Slytherins.
Other than that, the Great Hall was silenced. Even the teachers had stopped yelling. Just then, there was a deafening bang at the other end of the Hall. For one moment, Harry thought someone had set off a firecracker. Every being turned to the doors. It was flung open by the clapping vampire at the threshold.
"Bravo, Poltergeist. Bravo," the vampire called, slowly walking towards the frozen little man in a bell-covered hat and bright purple bow tie. "A little immature, but it did get the point across brilliantly, did it?" It took Harry a few more moments to identify that voice. It was Drakul.
But how different she looked. Her skin was as white as bleached bone, and her hair was not in its usual ponytail, but fanned out behind her. Instead of the black robes, she had a black velvet dress that clung to her figure with white ruffles at her throat and wrists. She also had a blood-red cape sweeping the floor. She had replaced her dark glasses with smaller, lightly tinted glasses. Drakul looked every bit a vampire, and was every bit frightening too. Her voice was heard everywhere in the Great Hall.
Poltergeist, heed my words. If you should ever disturb the peace, then you shall feel my wrath. Be gone now." Drakul waved her hand regally at him.
"My apologies, Lady, my -"
"I do not wish to hear any more. Be gone from my sight." She turned her back to him, so she would not see him zoom out of the Hall. She gave the students another sweeping glance, then strode out of the Great Hall, her cape billowing around her. The doors closed themselves after her.
Once the doors were closed firmly, the Great Hall burst out in excited whispers. A vampire, teaching at Hogwarts? Defense against Dark Arts, no less.
"She's not going to have an easy time after this," Ron predicted. "Parent will find out, and you know how they reacted to Lupin.
Hermione agreed. "But remember what she said about werewolves?"
"Oh, and you really listened, instead of thinking up snide comments?" Harry teased. Hermione ignored Harry, and went on talking.
"She said they were part human and part wolf, damned for all eternity."
"So?"
"Well, isn't it funny how she's almost exactly like that?"
"Perhaps. Who cares, Hermione? She's a vampire."
"I'm sure you enjoy that display of vampirism," she sniffed at him. Harry smothered a snigger as Ron's ears turned pink, while he muttered about undead people not making good¡K ahem.
Disclaimer: Not everything belongs to me, so please watch where you point your fingers!! ;-)
