Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate them! I think I have to go up with the rating, at least PG-15, but if you think it should be R or something else, please tell me!
But now, on with the story:
Hermione got out of the carriage which had taken her to Hogwarts. She looked up and regarded her old school, sighing softly. She wished she could have come under better circumstances but she couldn't help it.
She headed for the Headmistress' office first. Minerva would need to know that her Potions Master wound- may not be there for the next school year. After all, Snape was not known for his… cooperativeness as long as it didn't concern potions. Snape was an antisocial old vampire, even if he had special powers. Hermione would need much luck to convince him to help her. Or tell her something about Harry.
Her new hope had become that Snape knew at least something about Harry's disappearance. Something during the last battle must have happened… But Hermione couldn't think about lost friends right now. People were in danger and she had to try everything possible to protect them.
She straightened her robes and knocked on the Headmistress office.
"Come in!" the old but stern voice of Minerva McGonagell shouted.
Hermione entered the office.
"Hermione! I'm happy to see you! Please take a seat."
Hermione sat down in one of the big chairs. "Thank you Minerva."
Minerva just looked at her and stated: "You look terrible! Tell me, what is bothering you?"
"Is it that clear? Well, it's best if I tell you everything directly. I assume you know about the vampire-like killings in Kirkcaldy?" The old woman nodded. "Ducyan still doesn't believe it is a Daywalker, but I know it has to be. The last killing was ten days ago and I fear there will be another victim soon. I hoped that maybe Professor Snape could help the Department to capture the Daywalker."
Minerva seemed to think.
"Hermione, I also think it is a Daywalker and I know how dangerous they can be. If you want Severus' help, I can always hire another potions teacher for the next year or the first part of the term but I fear Severus won't agree."
Hermione sighed. "Yes, I thought as much but I can always ask. Now, if everything is alright with you I'm heading down to the dungeons."
"Of course. And I really hope you get that killer."
"Me too, Minerva, me too."
Severus Snape was sitting in his chambers, his living-room to be exact, reading a book in Latin about certain special poisons and sipping a cup of blood.
Human blood, bought in Knockturn Alley. Snape had a… friend there who knew that he liked human blood more than his potion substitution. And animal blood – well, chicken or pig blood was just disgusting.
A knock on his door interrupted him. Quietly murmuring to himself about his unfair un-life and annoying humans who always disturbed him in his holidays, went he to the door and opened it.
IN front of him stood Hermione Granger-Weasley, Head of Department for Mysteries. Wait, didn't this Department work on the Kirkcaldy killings? ~Oh fuck,~ he thought ~seems as if I'm the bad evil vampire again.~
"Mrs. Granger."
Hermione smiled a – what she hoped to be convincing – smile.
"Professor Snape, good morning to you. Could I come in and speak with you?"
~I knew it.~ "Tell me, is it urgent? I like to enjoy my free time, you know."
"Please, Professor, it is urgent."
~Might as well let her in. The sooner she has finished talking the sooner she goes away.~
he made a step to the side and gestured for her to come into the room. She quickly obeyed, thinking that this was a good first sign.
Severus closed the door, gestured to Hermione to take a seat and settled himself again in his chair.
"So, what is so urgent that I have to victimise my time for it?"
Hermione sighed inwardly and hoped she could convince the vampire to help her.
"Well, I wanted to speak with you about the killings in Kirkcaldy."
Severus gritted his teeth. "As I told your Department before, I were not even near to Kirkcaldy at any time of a killing and I seem to remember to have made a promise that if I was bothered about that again, some-"
Hermione held her hand up and
stopped the tirade.
"I know. And I'm not here to accuse you of anything. But Minister Ducyan
doesn't believe that it is Daywalker and-"
"If the Minister does not believe it, and I'm not accused, why are you still here?"
Hermione repressed a groan. That man was not getting any more sociable in his 'old' days.
"It has to be a Daywalker. Some of the newest victims were killed during the day but in the same way like the others. Otherwise, nobody would have been sent to you. I had hoped that you could… help us to capture and neutralize the Daywalker."
Hermione sent a silent prayer to anyone who could here it that this vampire was going to help her.
Severus was quiet. He had certainly not expected that question. Maybe some request for information about Daywalkers, yes, but that. The first thing he did was taking another sip of his blood and licking his lips to capture the blood strains around his mouth.
Hermione watched in horrified curiosity how Severus took the goblet, drank some of the blood and licked his lips. That was blood, she knew that, but was it a good sign that the Potions Master decided to drink something?
Finally Severus said something.
"So, you know for sure that these muggles were victims of a Daywalker?"
Hermione went into auto-lecturing mode, something she had never lost after her school days.
"Yes. All victims were drained of their blood, but it was made looking like a killing with some dagger. Their throats were slit, most times with just one cut, presumably because they couldn't defend themselves. The dead bodies were pale, of course, and on some had the Imperius curse been used. The only exception was the last victim. It had been a woman, with bright-blond hair. She had had one slash at her throat and two on their arms. She wasn't as drained of blood as the other victims, instead of that had her blood been let flowing out of her body. I am sure that this is a Daywalker."
Hermone searched in Severus' expression for a decision, an answer to her request, but she saw that he seemed to be elsewhere with his thoughts. She wondered why.
+ + + Flashback from Severus Snape + + +
The base was quiet as Severus wondered around the dark corridor with his mask on. It had been an extremely long Death Eater meeting, but he had luckily enough not endured another Cruciatus.
Suddenly hit a smell his nose.
Something… sweet… thick… it smelled like… blood.
And much of it.
Severs hurried over to the entrance of a small room, used for the training of Death Eater Children. The smell came out of that room and grew even stronger from just outside the door.
He opened it carefully. There was no way this much blood could have come from an accident…
He opened the door.
The light in the room was nearly out, just some candles on the right sight were lit. The light shone in a surreal way onto the body laying on the floor.
Narcissa Malfoy
Her throat had been slashed into little pieces. Her wrists didn't look much better. And, sweet Merlin, the blood! It looked like a first slay of a blood-craving vampire!
Just with the little problem that her blood was on the floor, not in someone's stomach.
And that a small figure was sitting spider-like over the body and craving symbols into the flesh around the dead woman's body.
Severus drew in a sharp breath, recognizing the sent of the figure and the drew in another sharp breath because he recognized the figure.
The figure let go of the little, magical glass dagger with the special magical symbols and looked at the arrival.
Two eyes shone directly at him, greeting him with some kind of strange realization and understanding.
"Hello Professor. Blood is wonderful, isn't it?"
That was the first sentence Severus heard. His knees began to shake. But the second sentence made never mention anything of this to anyone.
"I like daggers so very much. And you?"
+ + + Flashback Severus Snape end + + +
"Professor?"
The voice of Hermione brought him back to reality.
He looked at his former student and made a decision. He had a certain feeling who this killer was.
"I hope you clear everything with Minerva. I'm coming to the Ministry tomorrow morning."
Hermione wondered briefly why Severus had decided to help her, but thought as long as he helped was the reason not interesting.
"I've already spoken to her. Tomorrow then. I' going to tell everyone of my crew."
Severus watched her leave and asked himself if he had made the right decision.
~Well, I can always change my decision, can't I?~
And if it really was him, well then…
A soft smile graced Severus' lips for the rest of the day.