AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you, thank you all for the wonderful reviews. Not much
happens in this chapter, but I'll write more really soon. Also, I have put
out quotation marks now =) Enjoy.
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The days passed very quickly for the students at Hogwarts. September left the stage and made way for a very foggy October with grey skies and heavy clouds. By this time, going to bed in the nights had become like gambling, you could never be sure you would wake up. Three girls and two boys had been found pale and cold in their beds, barely breathing, with the glowing red marks on their necks. Their room mates had carried them up to Madam Pomfrey on trembling legs, knowing that the monster had been in the very same room as they had.
Every student was convinced that the monster behind it all was a vampire. What else attacked the neck of its victim? Harry and Ron had also suspected a vampire at first, but Hermione had told them that it couldn't be like that.
"A vampire can't get in through doors locked with spells", she said, as if reading aloud from a book. "They can't fly, so open windows wouldn't work, and don't you think it would be pretty hard for a vampire to hide in a castle ruled by the mightiest wizard of our time? Dumbledore wouldn't let that sort of thing happen."
"Okay then, what sort of thing is it?", Harry asked on their way to Transfiguration.
"I don't know. I have been searching the library, but I can't find anything."
Ron looked pale. He had realised something a few days ago.
"What if someone dies? They might have to close the school."
"No one has died yet", Harry said. "Didn't you hear Dumbledore this morning? The attacked ones are recovering, they woke up from that deep sleep a few days ago."
Hermione opened her mouth as if to say something, but the words got stuck in her throat. She had seen Snape turn around a corner with his black robes billowing behind him.
She was still looking after him as they entered the open door to Professor McGonagall's class. She wondered how he was doing.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
One day Harry, Ron and Hermione were all seated at the Gryffindor table having lunch when Hedwig came swooping down to them. She landed on Harry's outstretched arm with a dirty envelope in her beak.
"Thanks.", he said and gave her a fistful of cereal to eat.
"What's that?" Hermione asked and looked at the envelope. Harry opened it.
"It's from Hagrid. He wonders if we could come down and see him before next class."
"Let's go right now." Ron rose and took his heavy bag, followed by the other two. They left the Great Hall behind them and went out.
It was a very foggy day and Hagrid's hut was almost impossible to see from the castle and the usually so dark and enchanting trees of the Forbidden forest behind it now looked like fourteen feet tall ghosts. Harry, Ron and Hermione crossed the damp lawn and knocked on the wooden door. They were answered immediately by barking.
"Down, Fang, down!", Hagrid's voice commanded as he opened the door and greeted them with his sparkling eyes. His hair and beard were as bushy as always, almost completely hiding his face.
"Hi Hagrid."
"Hi to you too. Glad yeh could come", he said and invited them in. "I've jus' boiled meself some tea, if ya'd like a cup."
The three students sat down on a sunken down sofa and Hagrid took his usual seat in his oversized armchair. Fang lay down by his enormous feet, looking sleepy.
"How's everything goin' for yeh?" Hagrid asked and poured them some tea.
"We're fine", Harry said. "Just a bit confused."
"Confused? Abou' wha'?"
Suddenly Hermione's face lightened up with a smile, as if she'd had a wonderful idea.
"Hagrid! You know everything about magical creatures, and you're a Hogwarts teacher. You must know what it is that attacks the students."
Hagrid's big hand trembled slightly as he put his tea cup down.
"Sorry, 'ermione, I dunno anythin' about it", he said, avoiding her eyes.
"Yes, you do", Ron insisted. His curiosity had woken up too. "You must know."
"Let's not talk abou' that, lads, I dunno anythin' anyway", Hagrid said hastily and rose from his chair. He walked up to a cupboard and opened it. He threw a glittering look at Hermione over his shoulder.
"I got somethin' for yeh, my lass."
He took out a long, thin parcel wrapped up in brown paper. He held it out to a surprised-looking Hermione.
"'Appy birthday", he said and his eyes were smiling, as if he couldn't wait for her to open her present.
Harry and Ron looked at each other and blushed a little. Hermione exhaled with a smile. With the new term starting and the attacks, she had completely forgotten about her own birthday. She took the present from Hagrid's massive hands and unwrapped it.
He had given her something that looked like a very rare sea shell. It was two feet long and twisted, and it shimmered in silver and pure white. Harry didn't have an idea what it was, but he knew it must be something special since Ron and Hermione stared at it with their eyes wide open.
"Wow, Hagrid!", Ron said. "Those are expensive."
"Not ter me, they ain't", Hagrid replied, beaming with pride. "I bought it from a mate o' mine."
"What is it?", Harry asked and touched the gift. It felt like it was built out of fingernails and stone.
"It's the horn of a unicorn." Hermione said and stroked the smooth surface. "Oh Hagrid, thank you! It's so beautiful."
"You're welcome, luv", he said and sat down again.
After half an hour of more tea and chatting, Harry, Ron and Hermione left the hut to walk back to the castle. It wasn't until a few hours later that Hermione understood that Hagrid had deliberately avoided talking about the monster.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
Professor Binns' classes in Magical History were fascinating. "He must be the only person in the world who can make wild, bloody, horrible wars and battles sound like the most boring thing in the world.", Ron yawned and fell half-asleep. He wasn't the only one, everyone in the class room looked like they had been drugged, but the ghost-professor in front of them didn't seem to notice at all.
Even Hermione, who was always eager to learn, felt her brain yawn inside her head. Binns' voice seemed to come from very far away and her thoughts strayed off to more interesting things.
She tried to remember the uses of unicorn horns, just out of curiosity. She thought she had heard somewhere that they were good for healing.
She thought about the way it shimmered and glittered in her hand, like an icicle of stars.
Then she thought about the captivating, raven black December nights that were Snape's eyes.
She, and the rest of her class mates, were abruptly woken up by the sound of the bell ringing to end the class. Stretching and yawning, the Gryffindors left their seats and slowly headed out through the door.
"What was that class about?", Harry asked Hermione, rubbing his eyes.
"The great war of independence between Scottish and English wizards in the thirteenth century."
"Nothing important, then.", Ron said and gave them a tired smile as they went through the door behind the Fat Lady and into the Gryffindor Common room to relax.
At the same time a bunch of Hufflepuff-students came up from their Potions class down in the dungeons.
"Was it just me, or were there like a hundred more bats than usual down there?"
"It's just Snape, he attracts the females."
The girls laughed and walked off, unaware that the Potions master had heard them.
"Ten points from Hufflepuff.", he muttered under his breath and closed the door behind the students.
He sat down by his desk and started to correct the third year Slytherins essays.
"Hermione would never say something like that.", he thought to himself. He had only seen her once today, on her way to Transfiguration. He had been out in the green house, checking on the new calmas that had been planted a few days after the death of the old ones. They were only sprouts so far, not anywhere near big enough.
Every time a new victim was taken to the Hospital wing, Snape wanted to cut his own head off. But the monster was very pleased, human blood was so much better....
"Hermione...", Snape whispered to himself, his voice filled with love and longing. He wished he could send her something for her birthday, which he knew was that day.
He rose from his desk and went to his private rooms, where he picked something up, wrapped it and gave it to his black owl Orion. Then he sent it out through one of the tall, Gothic windows, to the Gryffindor tower.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
The days passed very quickly for the students at Hogwarts. September left the stage and made way for a very foggy October with grey skies and heavy clouds. By this time, going to bed in the nights had become like gambling, you could never be sure you would wake up. Three girls and two boys had been found pale and cold in their beds, barely breathing, with the glowing red marks on their necks. Their room mates had carried them up to Madam Pomfrey on trembling legs, knowing that the monster had been in the very same room as they had.
Every student was convinced that the monster behind it all was a vampire. What else attacked the neck of its victim? Harry and Ron had also suspected a vampire at first, but Hermione had told them that it couldn't be like that.
"A vampire can't get in through doors locked with spells", she said, as if reading aloud from a book. "They can't fly, so open windows wouldn't work, and don't you think it would be pretty hard for a vampire to hide in a castle ruled by the mightiest wizard of our time? Dumbledore wouldn't let that sort of thing happen."
"Okay then, what sort of thing is it?", Harry asked on their way to Transfiguration.
"I don't know. I have been searching the library, but I can't find anything."
Ron looked pale. He had realised something a few days ago.
"What if someone dies? They might have to close the school."
"No one has died yet", Harry said. "Didn't you hear Dumbledore this morning? The attacked ones are recovering, they woke up from that deep sleep a few days ago."
Hermione opened her mouth as if to say something, but the words got stuck in her throat. She had seen Snape turn around a corner with his black robes billowing behind him.
She was still looking after him as they entered the open door to Professor McGonagall's class. She wondered how he was doing.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
One day Harry, Ron and Hermione were all seated at the Gryffindor table having lunch when Hedwig came swooping down to them. She landed on Harry's outstretched arm with a dirty envelope in her beak.
"Thanks.", he said and gave her a fistful of cereal to eat.
"What's that?" Hermione asked and looked at the envelope. Harry opened it.
"It's from Hagrid. He wonders if we could come down and see him before next class."
"Let's go right now." Ron rose and took his heavy bag, followed by the other two. They left the Great Hall behind them and went out.
It was a very foggy day and Hagrid's hut was almost impossible to see from the castle and the usually so dark and enchanting trees of the Forbidden forest behind it now looked like fourteen feet tall ghosts. Harry, Ron and Hermione crossed the damp lawn and knocked on the wooden door. They were answered immediately by barking.
"Down, Fang, down!", Hagrid's voice commanded as he opened the door and greeted them with his sparkling eyes. His hair and beard were as bushy as always, almost completely hiding his face.
"Hi Hagrid."
"Hi to you too. Glad yeh could come", he said and invited them in. "I've jus' boiled meself some tea, if ya'd like a cup."
The three students sat down on a sunken down sofa and Hagrid took his usual seat in his oversized armchair. Fang lay down by his enormous feet, looking sleepy.
"How's everything goin' for yeh?" Hagrid asked and poured them some tea.
"We're fine", Harry said. "Just a bit confused."
"Confused? Abou' wha'?"
Suddenly Hermione's face lightened up with a smile, as if she'd had a wonderful idea.
"Hagrid! You know everything about magical creatures, and you're a Hogwarts teacher. You must know what it is that attacks the students."
Hagrid's big hand trembled slightly as he put his tea cup down.
"Sorry, 'ermione, I dunno anythin' about it", he said, avoiding her eyes.
"Yes, you do", Ron insisted. His curiosity had woken up too. "You must know."
"Let's not talk abou' that, lads, I dunno anythin' anyway", Hagrid said hastily and rose from his chair. He walked up to a cupboard and opened it. He threw a glittering look at Hermione over his shoulder.
"I got somethin' for yeh, my lass."
He took out a long, thin parcel wrapped up in brown paper. He held it out to a surprised-looking Hermione.
"'Appy birthday", he said and his eyes were smiling, as if he couldn't wait for her to open her present.
Harry and Ron looked at each other and blushed a little. Hermione exhaled with a smile. With the new term starting and the attacks, she had completely forgotten about her own birthday. She took the present from Hagrid's massive hands and unwrapped it.
He had given her something that looked like a very rare sea shell. It was two feet long and twisted, and it shimmered in silver and pure white. Harry didn't have an idea what it was, but he knew it must be something special since Ron and Hermione stared at it with their eyes wide open.
"Wow, Hagrid!", Ron said. "Those are expensive."
"Not ter me, they ain't", Hagrid replied, beaming with pride. "I bought it from a mate o' mine."
"What is it?", Harry asked and touched the gift. It felt like it was built out of fingernails and stone.
"It's the horn of a unicorn." Hermione said and stroked the smooth surface. "Oh Hagrid, thank you! It's so beautiful."
"You're welcome, luv", he said and sat down again.
After half an hour of more tea and chatting, Harry, Ron and Hermione left the hut to walk back to the castle. It wasn't until a few hours later that Hermione understood that Hagrid had deliberately avoided talking about the monster.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
Professor Binns' classes in Magical History were fascinating. "He must be the only person in the world who can make wild, bloody, horrible wars and battles sound like the most boring thing in the world.", Ron yawned and fell half-asleep. He wasn't the only one, everyone in the class room looked like they had been drugged, but the ghost-professor in front of them didn't seem to notice at all.
Even Hermione, who was always eager to learn, felt her brain yawn inside her head. Binns' voice seemed to come from very far away and her thoughts strayed off to more interesting things.
She tried to remember the uses of unicorn horns, just out of curiosity. She thought she had heard somewhere that they were good for healing.
She thought about the way it shimmered and glittered in her hand, like an icicle of stars.
Then she thought about the captivating, raven black December nights that were Snape's eyes.
She, and the rest of her class mates, were abruptly woken up by the sound of the bell ringing to end the class. Stretching and yawning, the Gryffindors left their seats and slowly headed out through the door.
"What was that class about?", Harry asked Hermione, rubbing his eyes.
"The great war of independence between Scottish and English wizards in the thirteenth century."
"Nothing important, then.", Ron said and gave them a tired smile as they went through the door behind the Fat Lady and into the Gryffindor Common room to relax.
At the same time a bunch of Hufflepuff-students came up from their Potions class down in the dungeons.
"Was it just me, or were there like a hundred more bats than usual down there?"
"It's just Snape, he attracts the females."
The girls laughed and walked off, unaware that the Potions master had heard them.
"Ten points from Hufflepuff.", he muttered under his breath and closed the door behind the students.
He sat down by his desk and started to correct the third year Slytherins essays.
"Hermione would never say something like that.", he thought to himself. He had only seen her once today, on her way to Transfiguration. He had been out in the green house, checking on the new calmas that had been planted a few days after the death of the old ones. They were only sprouts so far, not anywhere near big enough.
Every time a new victim was taken to the Hospital wing, Snape wanted to cut his own head off. But the monster was very pleased, human blood was so much better....
"Hermione...", Snape whispered to himself, his voice filled with love and longing. He wished he could send her something for her birthday, which he knew was that day.
He rose from his desk and went to his private rooms, where he picked something up, wrapped it and gave it to his black owl Orion. Then he sent it out through one of the tall, Gothic windows, to the Gryffindor tower.
