Disclaimer: all recognizable people, places, and things belong to JK Rowling.

Chapter 4

Hermione's Great Hall Adventure

"My shoe!" Victoria shouted triumphantly.

"Sssh!" the girls hissed at her.

"Do you want to wake everyone up?" Hermione asked Victoria, who had slipped on her rescued pink shoe.

"Oh, they're not asleep," Hailey answered. "We just don't want them to catch us and eat us."

Rolling her eyes at that, Hermione rounded a corner and her breath caught in her throat.

"Wow!" She said leaning over the railing. In place of the Hogwarts first floor and staircase she knew was a something straight out of Dracula's castle. Darkly carved stone was everywhere; strange markings and depictions of humanoid demons decorated every wall. It even had domed cathedral ceilings like a dark and twisted cathedral.

"This is so beautiful!" Hermione looked back at her new friends. "Don't you guys think so?"

"Hell no!" Hailey looked at Hermione like she lost her mind.

"It's ugly," Victoria said. "In a disturbing nightmarish kind of way."

Elizabeth looked down each hallway. "You know, Hermione, maybe you should wait until tomorrow morning to talk to you pal Dumbledore. He's probably in the Great Hall eating his dinner."

After a moment of considering, "Your probably right," Hermione slowly agreed, letting go of the railing.

"Thank god!" Elizabeth silently mouthed at Hailey and Victoria behind Hermione's back. Hailey, Victoria, and Elizabeth happily turned to go back to their rooms.

Their relief was short lived as they watched in horror as Hermione started to descend the staircase.

"Where are you going?" Victoria asked, a touch of hysteria in her normally calming voice.

"I'm going to the Great Hall to get something to eat," Hermione said over her shoulder, her lacey white dress fluttering around her feet as she continued to descend the impressive stone stairs.

"But, but, but," Victoria said as she and the two other amazed and confounded girls caught up with Hermione.

"We aren't allowed to eat in the Great Hall!" Elizabeth said, catching up to Hermione first. She took Hermione's right side as Victoria took her left and Hailey brought up the rear, wringing her hands in fright.

"I don't see why not." Hermione pressed on, smiling reassuringly at Hailey as they rounded a corner.

Suddenly, Victoria stopped. Gazing intently at a stylish oil painting of a half man – half wolf in all his snarling beauty done entirely in shades of red.

"Guys, I love this painting!" Victoria tenderly laid her hand on it. "Can I just take it?" She looked over at the girls, an expectant sort of grin on her pretty little face.

"NO, you can't just take it, you dope!" Elizabeth grabbed one shimmering pink clad arm.

"That's stealing." Hailey informed, her hands bossily laid on her green silk clad hips.

Victoria struck out her tongue.

"That's enough of that, you two." Hermione had begun walking up to two large doors decorated with huge golden beasts.

Reaching out to open the door, a small white hand shot out and stopped her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Elizabeth asked.

"Of course, there is nothing to be afraid of!" Hermione pushed at the doors.

"Coming from a girl who's been here, what, two hours!" Victoria muttered to Hailey, who nodded at that.   

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Opening, the doors revealed a completely empty and tomb quiet Great Hall. There was food at every place setting, but no one was seated at any of the tables.

"I thought you said Professor Dumbledore would be here?" Hermione asked over her shoulder as she strode into the big beautiful Great Hall.

"Well, I'm not the old farts keeper!" Elizabeth said, timidly following Hermione. Victoria and Hailey hovering at the door, not taking a step inside.

"Let's just go!" Hailey squealed running up to Hermione. "Before they catch us and do horrible things to our fragile young bodies!"

Victoria hopped in and grabbed Hermione's hand. "Like poke out our eyes!" Her suspicious little eyes darting around looking for possible eye-poker-outers.

"Mmm hmm!" Hailey agreed, demonstrating the eye poking process by jabbing at the air with two fingers.

"Cut it out!" Hermione shook them off. "I'm hungry, I'll just grab a chicken leg then we'll go."

"Chicken?" Elizabeth mouthed at Hailey and Victoria, who just shrugged.

"You guys sure you don't want something?" Hermione said around the chicken leg in her mouth as she grabbed a bunch of grapes.

"There isn't any way I'm taking those animals food!" Hailey threw her hands up in the air and took a step back.

"It looks better than the crap they give us." Elizabeth said looking down at a fruit pie.

"Hey, I like the Blue Goo." Victoria wriggled her butt as she walked over to where Elizabeth stood gazing wantonly at the mouth-watering array of food.

Taking a bit of chicken (or whatever, it appears to be chicken), Hermione walked over to where the girls stood.

"Blue Goo?" She questioned as she popped a grape (or something similar) into her mouth.

"Yeah, Blue Goo." Hailey said as she and Hermione started to walk to the door. "Sticky…"

"Smelly…" (Elizabeth and Victoria had the whole pie.)

"Ucky.." (Victoria stuck her finger in the pie, earning an evil look form Elizabeth. Victoria ginned a sassy grin back as she licked the fruity concoction off her finger.)

"Blue Goo," Hailey finished. "It's supposed to be really good for us. Make us last longer and produce more male heirs." She opened and held the door for Hermione, Elizabeth and Victoria as they left the Great Hall.

"Let me guess," Hermione smacked her lips as Hailey caught up with her. "Professor Dumbldore's idea."

"Nope!" Hailey snagged a grape-like thingy. "Professor Riddles."

"Riddle!" Hermione stopped in her tracks. "Tom Riddle?"

"Yeah!" Hailey stopped and looked back at her. "Professor Riddle, of The Riddles, the richest, most prominent family ever to grace the earth." They started walking again. "His family swears by the Blue Goo, and donates ample supplies of it, free of charge, to Hogwarts." She snagged another grape-thingy as they emerge from the stairs into their hallway. "Damn the man!"

"Where I'm from he's—" Hermione shook her head. "Never mind."

The girls entered their room, behind Elizabeth and Victoria, who were bickering over the pie, and Hailey shut the door behind them.

"Well, I can't wait to try this famous Blue Goo." Hermione flopped on the couch. "Sounds like I have big day tomorrow."

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Later that night…

Hermione couldn't sleep. Worries ate at her. What is she going to do?

Her mom and dad were somewhere else, and she had no way of reaching them.

Tears filled her eyes. Oh, god, what's going to happen?

Working her way free of the covers and climbing over the sleeping bodies of Hailey, Elizabeth, and another girls body (there was only one bed) she went to the common room.

Sitting down on a couch, she stared into the fireplace. She needed to talk to Professor Dumbledore.

Tiptoeing she retrieved a pair of slippers from the bedroom and slipped out into the hall.

"Well, I hope Professor Dumbledore's office is where it should be." Hermione whispered to herself, her braided hair bouncing lightly with each step.

Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her scantly clad body. Her red silk nightie not offering much protection against the chilly draft.

"Wow these hallways are impressive." Hermione thought as she silently slipped down the hallway.

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In Dumbledore's office…

"Albus, she touched me." Professor Snape sat across from Professor Dumbledore, who was seated at his desk. "Of her own free will…" Professor Snape held his arm in wonder.

"Then it is working." Professor Dumbledore smiled. "Joining the two schools is showing some positive results. Soon, women will not fear us.'

"I want her, Albus," Snape stared unseeingly out the office window. "I need more touching…" Snape rocked back and forth. He was bare-chested wearing only pants, two long black marks shone vividly under each shoulder blade.

"We have to get them to trust us or nothing will ever change." Albus stood up. "Show patience, my friend, she is not going anywhere."

Professor Snape stood, nodded, the black lines on his back enlarging and emerging to seep across his body like a robe. Silently he left.

Professor Dumbledore laughed, showing his piranha like teeth.

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A/n: I hope you like it. Please Read and Review.