The Dark Truth

"I raise your bet to twenty sickles," Lucius sighed as he tossed his pocket change in the pile. "I can't believe she left me though..." he groaned unhappily.
"You still have Draco, Lucius," Snape threw in more coins; making the pile of coins slide everywhere on his desk.
"Who?" Lucius gave Snape a blank look. Snape sighed loudly, "Oh-oh, yes quite right Severus," he folded his cards. "I think I'll go to bed, see you at breakfast. Oh-you can keep the money too-since your job here doesn't nearly pay you enough." He left his hand of cards on the table and left Snape's office sighing sadly.
"You can keep the money too...since your job here doesn't nearly pay you enough," Snape mimicked Lucius' voice in a high pitch. He swept the money into a small pile and deposited it in the box, "No use wasting perfectly good money though..."
"HELPPP!!!" cried a voice. Snape was cleaning up his desk from all of the cards lying around; he threw his cards on the table when he heard the cry for help.
"WHAT IS IT NOW LONGBOTTOM?!" He stormed out of his office and was nearly plowed down by Neville, "What's wrong? SPEAK NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM BEFORE I MAKE YOU THE HARD WAY!"
"V-v-v-ampire!" Neville fainted and collapsed to the ground.
Snape looked up to the ceiling and mouthed "why me?" to no one. "Just what I needed...more work...They just don't pay me enough..." he continued to mutter and swear under his breath. He kicked his office door open and grabbed a handful of black powder in one of his bowls that was on his desk. Snape chucked the black powder into his fireplace, "Albus!!" he growled sourly.
Dumbledore's head and then the rest of his body appeared out of the fire in Snape's fireplace, "Yes, Severus?"
"Neville is outside my office unconscious; he was screaming about a vampire or something," Snape pointed to Neville's overly plump body that was on the ground next to the doorway.
Dumbledore sighed and he woke Neville up with one of his spells, "What has happened Neville?" he said in a calm voice like always.
"T-there was a vampire at the-the greenhouses-and-it-it..." Neville was ready to faint again.
"Spit it out Longbottom! I want to get back to my work before I can't even remember how to make potions!!" Snape grabbed Neville's robe and threatened him sternly.
"It att-acked m-m-e and I-I-did a ch-chain spell-l on-it-..." Neville was a pasty white and his hands were shaking.
"I'll go get the others..." Snape grumbled to Dumbledore.



"What kind of creature would suck up tomato juices?" Sprout asked.
They were all gathered around Snape's office examining Neville's story and the tomato Neville had found that had been sucked dry. None of the professors believed Neville's story and that there was a vampire at Hogwarts.
"I've never 'eard of a creature that sucks greens dry," Hagrid muttered to himself quietly.
"I have," growled Lucius.
Snape turned around to face him, "What is it then Lucius?"
"A vampire," Lucius pushed his blonde hair back from his glaring eyes.
"A vampire?" McGonagall went wide eyed.
"Must not be a 'ery dangerous one then. If it just sucks greens dry," Hagrid sighed with relief.
"What are you talking about?" Sprout panicked. "MY POOR PLANTS!!"
Snape rolled his eyes with Lucius, "They're just plants..." Snape muttered under his breathe.
"What do you think Ablus?" McGonagall said in a worried voice.
Dumbledore looked over to Neville, "Where did you find it Neville?"
Neville made sure he stepped away from Sprout before he had said anything, "In the greenhouse number one."
Sprout went pale, "That's why my plants went all dead in there," she looked ready to cry at her loss of the plants that were her life.
Dumbledore rubbed his beard as he thought for a while; he stayed quiet while he pondered on what to do.
"Albus..." Snape asked him quietly, "Should we alert the Ministry?"
Dumbledore shook his head, "No, not right now."
Snape raised his eyebrows to him, "Later then if it becomes a problem?" he whispered.
Dumbledore nodded, "I want Hagrid, Malfoy, and Snape to go and check out the greenhouses. I want you, Neville, to lead them and show them were you found this." Dumbeldore pointed to the sucked dry tomato.
Hagrid led the charge after he had stopped at his house to collect some things and his loud, black, boar hound. "Alright, we'll all split up an' we'll meet back at the greenhouses in thi'ty minutes. Neville can come with me," he patted the frozen Neville.
"Oh-thank god-" Lucius sighed with relief when Hagrid offered to take Neville along with him.
Snape took the south side of the greenhouses as he searched for signs of chains or blood. He had reached the forest when it was nearly twelve thirty; he was ready to head back; he heard a twig break behind him in the trees.
Cautiously he pulled out his wand and lighted his path as he decided to go in the forest to continue searching for the vampire. Snape heard some neighing to the left of him and he ran to the sound; he stopped when he could see what it was.
A small, not-fully-grown unicorn was nudging a limp body that was on the ground. He heard chains rattle as the unicorn's muzzle pressed against them to make the vampire wake up. The unicorn glanced up when Snape started to draw closer to it and the vampire the creature was trying to help. It dug its front left hoof into the dirt and snorted at Snape; it eyed him wearily as Snape walked over to the vampire.
The unicorn finally let him get close enough to the vampire to see who it was; Snape put a hand on the unconscious person and flipped them over to see their face. Snape fell to the ground in shock; he couldn't believe what he had just seen; he felt his color leave his face.
He pointed his wand at the chains that kept the vampire prisoner paralyzed and made them vanish in black smoke. He saw the slash marks that the silver chains had left; he shook his head to stop himself from vomiting in disgust. He slipped his hands underneath the body and lifted the vampire into his arms.
"Severus?..." Hunter opened her eyes weakly. She slowly closed them once again; she was unconscious again. Her blue hair fell back; revealing her neck; Snape saw two bite marks on her throat.
The unicorn perked its ears up; Hagrid's boar hound, Fang, howled close by to Snape; it galloped back into the darkest part of the forest when he heard the dog howling madly.
Snape panicked; he had to hide Hunter somewhere; he searched the forest for a good hiding place. He found a patch of bushes that were tall and thick enough to hide her from Hagrid and Lucius.
He laid her down carefully on the dead autumn leaves and double checked to see if anyone would be able to see her or not. Snape leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, "I'll be right back..." he whispered to her softly; even though he knew she couldn't hear him.
He stood in front of the bushes waiting for Hagrid, Neville and Fang, "Find anything?" Snape asked in a low tone.
Lucius came running behind Hagird, "Maybe we should go back, it's nearly one now, I think." He jumped five feet in the air when an owl hooted in the darkness of the forest, "Please?" he peeped.
"Al'ight," Hagird sighed. "We'll try again in the morning then..." he whistled to Fang who was drawing closer to the bushes behind Snape.
Fang came obeying after Snape "scooted" him along with the edge of his shoe. Neville followed Hagrid too when he had whistled; he was ready to wet his pants he was so scared.
"Coming Severus?" Lucius called to him at the edge of the forest.
"I'm just going to double check the greenhouses, I'll be fine...you don't need to wait for me," Snape yelled back.
"Who said I was going to?!" Lucius ran after Hagrid, Neville and Fang to catch up with them. He was ready to personally wet himself also.
Snape jumped behind the bushes, "Avalon?" he bent over to pick her up again. "Come on..." he whispered to her, "Wake up..." He gently picked Hunter up and apparated to Hogwarts.
They appeared in a dark room with a few candles lighting the room just enough to see the outlines of objects. He carefully placed Hunter on his bed and he ran to his office to grab some supplies. His mind was racing madly as he bandaged Hunter's gashes, cuts and scrapes. He was enraged that she hadn't told him the truth and that she was lying to him the entire time.
Snape finally finished fixing Hunter; he was exhausted and brokenhearted; he sat in a chair next to his bed and fell asleep.
Twenty minutes later Hunter was awake and she saw Snape snoring away in his chair. "No wonder they made the Slytherin house in the dungeons, you all snore," she walked over to him. Hunter kissed him on the lips, "Hey," she pushed his hair back. She smiled to him, "Wake up..." Hunter kept her hand on his neck.
Snape pushed her hand away from his neck immediately when he felt it; he pushed his chair back and glared at her. "Don't bloody touch me..." he hissed coldly to her.
Hunter withdrew her hand, "I-just wanted t-o thank-you..." She watched Snape roll his eyes at her; she could feel her heart breaking in two; her eyes filled with tears. "I'd never hurt you...Severus-"
He continued to glare, "Don't-'Severus'-me! You couldn't tell me, huh? You afraid that I wouldn't be able to handle the truth about you?" Snape stood up and his voice rose even higher.
Hunter glanced downwards, "Most people couldn't handle the truth before..."
"And you think I'm one of those people?" Snape muttered coldly to her.
She bit her lip; holding her tongue still; "You-don't understand..."
"No-what you don't understand is that you can't keep secrets from one another," his rage was slowly catching up with him. "Get out-" he pointed to his door, "-before I alert Dumbledore who the real vampire is here," he hissed bitterly. "GET OUT!!"
"I rarely use doors-" Hunter lowered her head in sadness and faded away into the darkness.
Snape was still fuming; he kicked the stone wall; he fell into his chair once his rage was swept away. He sat there for a few seconds; tapping his fingers on the chair's arms. "Shit!" he yelled; he jumped out of his comfortable seat.
He went to his office and slammed the door hard behind him; flattering noises came from the ceiling; he looked up. "Quinn!" he bellowed to the sleepy bat. Quinn pumped its wings and glided to Snape's desk; it picked up a letter and a small frame with its mouth. He folded his wings and waited for Snape to read them, "Eeee..."
Snape shook his head, "Go home," he muttered, "I'm not reading them...go away..." He stared at Quinn, "Go-back-to-your-owner-Quinn!" The bat innocently hopped closer to him; still holding the two items; his big red eyes widened to Snape.
Snape sighed and he held his hand out to catch the letter and frame; he walked over to the fireplace and he was ready to throw them in; he stopped when he saw the picture. A slowly moving picture caught his eyes; he froze; it was of him and her. Hunter had her arms around Snape and she was laughing at his blushing face; Snape's hand that was holding the picture was shaking. He opened the letter and he dropped it on the floor when he had finished reading it, "What have I done?" he whispered to himself is shock.
The bat squeaked and landed on his shoulder; Snape didn't even notice; Quinn nudged his ear with his leathery wing. "You want something to eat?" He walked over to his desk and dipped his hand into a bowl; it was empty; "It can't be empty...I just filled it an-" He looked at the bat, "You ate them-didn't you?" The bat burped pleasingly; he grinned to Snape; Snape patted the bat on the head.
Snape walked over to his chair and fell into it; he tapped his index finger on his cheek; he let a sigh out. He looked back to Quinn that was perched on his shoulder still, "I'm an ass...aren't I?" The bat nodded, "She was going to tell me tonight, wasn't she?" Snape asked him. Quinn nodded once again, "I'll apologize to her in the morning then..." he sighed unhappily. "When I figure out how to do it without getting my head cut off..."