DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters, unfortunately, that privelage belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. I do however own the story line and any ideas going with it. Please don't sue because I am only a poor girl whose imagination cannot come up with any original ideas for a world she could write in.

Love and Other Passions - Chapter Seven - The Surprise You Didn't See Coming.

As Hermione straightened down the front of her skirt and made room for Oliver to lay beside her, she turned to face him and asked, "Why is your skin so cool?"

"Ah, to tell you that, would mean that I would have to kill you, but then, I could pose to you the exact same question." Oliver smiled, scratching at his neck absently.

Hermione watched as the hand came away and saw two small marks, red and deep on the side of his neck, "It's a bit late if you want to kill me Oliver, I already am, no thanks to that bastard we all love to hate."

"I know Hermione, the second I felt the temperature of your skin the other night, I knew you were just as afflicted as me, but I had to keep mine a secret for a little while, just incase. I know about Draco and Severus as well. I'm not technically just a vampire." Oliver sighed, trying to explain.

"Weren't you worried that me not knowing you were a vampire, that I might bite you?" Hermione asked, confused.

"No, you take a serum every morning to stop the bloodlust and you removed your own fangs." Oliver smiled, "It's one of the advantages of being a third generation, I can read people's minds, along with some other very nice things."

Hermione was shocked, the one man she thought would run, was worse off than she.

"Albus has been sheltering me since the night after I was bitten, every off- season, I come here and I take a serum much like yours, only stronger. I, however, am not brave enough to remove my fangs." Oliver smiled, "The day that the students left for the holidays, when you bumped into Severus, I was there, watching you. I've been trying to make sure that you weren't alone since Harry died, I didn't want you to go and do anything stupid, like trying to kill yourself."

"You know, it would have been nice to know you were there." Hermione smiled, kissing him.

Oliver glanced at his watch, not thinking about anything in particular, "We should probably get ready for lunch, it is in half an hour, and people might start rumors if we aren't there."

~~~~

Over lunch, Albus told them what would be happening after dinner that night, with the games and other festivities, and also told them that there would be some compulsory attendance things later in the week, such as the masked ball, the awards night and the talent night. He said that they wouldn't have to take part in the talent show, but if any of them had an act that they would like to perform, then all they had to do was tell him and he would make sure that they were in the lineup.

After lunch, Hermione and Oliver went to the courtyard to watch the last few games of chess being played by the competitors, after Hermione asked Albus if Dobby could watch the last game. Most of the boards were empty, but there were a few former students playing casual games while they could. They sat by the game that looked the most interesting, and watched, occasionally poking each other in the side.

Hermione could see Draco, standing across the other side of the courtyard, in the shade, alone. She didn't want to think about what he might have been thinking, but most certainly, he looked like his old self, the Malfoy she knew in school, the one that in their second year, bet five galleons that a mudblood would die. Hermione averted her eyes from him, leaving him to his own devices.

~~~~

Sirius and Remus were in particularly good moods, as were Fred and George, which was no real surprise to Hermione. She needed the uplifting mood, but wasn't sure that she felt like she fitted in. Ginny sat nearby listening to what the men had to say over dinner, but she neither added much to be talked about.

Hermione ate quietly, Oliver sitting opposite her as he rubbed his leg against hers. She knew he did it to make her laugh, but she wasn't going to give in, not now, not ever. Playing with her meal, rather than eating it, relaxed Hermione somewhat and she'd almost forgotten about her troubles when Severus sat at the table next to Remus.

"I need to see you after dinner Hermione. I have something you might want to see." he called down the table.

Hermione nodded, acknowledging that she had heard him, but neither looking at or speaking to him.

*The Grindleberry potion?* she heard Oliver in her head.

*Yes, now get out of my head* Hermione thought.

That was just one of Oliver's third generation talents, one that creeped out Hermione every time he used it. She left the table soon after, having barely eaten a scrap and walked down towards the dungeon, hoping that no one was following her. She slipped into Severus' room, knowing how to pass the charms and spells on the door because he had told her what they were years ago, and laid down on his unmade bed. She felt tired, worn out, and that was something that Hermione wasn't used to. It had been years since she had felt this way, years and a day. Closing her eyes, Hermione didn't even realise that she had fallen asleep.

~~~~

Severus walked into his room, barely noticing the figure on his bed, nor the fact that it had made his bed before falling asleep. He fumbled around with some papers, looked through a few books and even made himself a pot of coffee by magic before noticing her.

He walked over to the bed, looking over Hermione and moving a small trendil of hair that had fallen over her face. She stirred momentarily before mumbling something and turning over.

"I don't know what's going through your head at the moment Hermione, but I still love you, and no matter what, I always will. I hope that one day you will understand that I was as confused as you after the first night." Severus spoke to the sleeping Hermione.

He left the room, leaving her alone with only a small note beside the bed, telling her that the needle on the note held the stronger version of the serum and that she was to try it tomorrow morning. Severus' heart no longer felt much, except the remnants of his feelings for the sleeping woman on his bed.

~~~~

Hermione awoke a lot later than she had expected to. It was dark in the dungeon room, there were two lit candles. Why hadn't Severus woken her up? She rolled over to look across the room and almsot rolled onto the note and needle. She read it slowly, taking in every word of it. A single tear slid down her cheek and onto the green covered pillow beneath her head. She knew she loved him, but, with what she had done, and Oliver?? Would she ever have the chance to be with Severus again? Why had she been so stubborn about it all?

That was when her headache started to grow, almost instantly becoming a monster inside her head. She felt her removed fangs grow again, the pain almost making her faint. Hermione fell back onto the bed, her body writhing with uncontainable pain. Her mind screamed with questions, what was this? why was it happening to her?

*Oliver!* her mind screamed, *Oliver, get Sev, Draco and Albus. I need them, now!*

She could only hope that Oliver had heard her plea as her world became a pitch-black screen. Hermione could only hear the beating of a distant heart, it couldn't have been hers, she was part of the undead, those that lived a cursed life, an unlife.

~~~~

It would be two weeks before Hermione woke up, as written in the stars that she had seen the night she and Oliver had first kissed. There was more than just fate playing this game, and although there were no other symptoms, the overdose seemed to be the only reason she had regrown her fangs and blacked out.

Even Albus had problems understanding what was going on. He had never heard of such things happening, to vampire or man alike. Severus and Oliver were both very worried outwardly about her, and Draco, well, Draco was just his snide old self, he had no reason to care about her. Although, he wouldn't have said that right then infront of the others.

Severus, Oliver and Draco took turns at watching her overnight, making sure she was comfortable and didn't wake up alone. Severus, his room now constantly busy, took up residence in Hermione's room, the only room that he felt comfortable in. Albus did what he could, sending a request to an old friend to visit, so that he could have an informed decision on their side.

Most of the Professors at Hogwarts eventually found out what was going on, not the full story, but what had happened to Hermione. Even Professor Trelawney visited the dungeon, her strong perfume and annoyingly loud chimes making almost everyone leave, except Severus, Oliver and Albus, who were tending to Hermione's vitals at the time.

"Oh my!" she cried, "This place is full of death. Can't we take her somewhere a little less gloomy?"

"No we can't. She blacked out here and I for one don't want to move her until we know what is going on." Severus said, not looking away from Hermione for one second.

She left shortly afterwards and made a point of never returning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N: I know, this is where it starts to get strange. You can tell I hadn't slept for about two days now. Please R&R and tell me what you do or don't like. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~