Summary: My reply to Josh Potter's challenge. A gang of vampires and
werewolves attacks Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Tonks, and Lupin, turning
all of them. Who sent them, and what do they want? HP/GW, RW/HG. OP
spoilers.
Disclaimer: None mine. For once, I think I succeeded in keeping my awful Mary Sue-inclined OCs OUT of one of my fics!!! Stupid things just won't get out of my mind! Of course, Ursula & Co are mine. I had to introduce some characters!
I have been working on this for about six months now as a writer's block entertainment, but never had any reason to post it. Then I went into Master Eldryn's site and saw a challenge that was practically for my fic. As for length, this sucker's probably going to be closer to 100,000 words with all my evil plot bunnies. Hence, I gleefully post Red Moon!
As you can probably tell, Ursula is based quite a bit on two of my favorite Buffy villains. Her insanity comes from Drusilla and dress taste from Glory. Scary, huh? Her name is from one of Anne Rice's characters.
Red Moon
Prologue: Red Moon Rising
Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Harry and Tonks laughed and chattered as they made their way back from their long day of shopping. Tonks had been sent to keep an eye on the Frightening Foursome, partly to keep them away from trouble and partly to keep trouble away from them. Lupin had been sent too, but he was trailing behind them as a tame wolf, seeing as it was a full moon.
"Who's the DADA teacher?" Ginny said randomly.
"I'm sorry, Ginny, but I just can't tell you," Tonks said airily, waving a hand. "It'll have to be a surprise."
"She almost had you," Ron grumbled.
"You'll find out at the feast," Hermione told him, smacking his creeping hand away from her bag. "And I told you I'd give you your presents soon enough."
Hermione had teased the other three Gryffindors by telling them she'd bought them presents in America but wouldn't give them out until they were on the train. This, of course, nearly killed them.
Lupin's head suddenly whipped back and forth from side to side, as if searching the alley. Tonks stepped back and touched his head.
"Someone's here," she said warily, searching the street.
"They've found us, my pet," said an eerie female voice. It sent chills down Harry's back. "Running, can't be hiding..."
A gorgeous woman, somewhere in her late teens or early twenties, emerged from the shadows. She had dark ringlets of hair that cascaded to her shoulders and deep-set, gold eyes that had a wild, crazed look about them. Her hand rested on the back of a snarling werewolf. Behind Harry, Lupin growled deeply.
"The little ones mustn't be out alone," she said, smoothing the fabric of her ludicrously elegant red dress. "They could get hurt."
"Harry," Hermione whispered, "she's a vampire!"
The vampiress chuckled. "Right she is, the little girl who likes the books. Silly little girl...silly girl..."
The words sounded oddly familiar. Behind him, Lupin shifted uneasily. Harry laid a hand on his back and felt the raised hair along his spine.
"They shouldn't be out alone, should they?" she continued. "No, they should be safe at home, under the covers waiting for sun to rise...cruel sun...soon they will wait for moon to rise instead."
The werewolf next to her suddenly snarled and leapt forward. Lupin jumped forward in defense. Within seconds, the tame wolf was sprawled on the ground, blood leaking from a gash in his throat. Hermione screamed and slapped a hand over her mouth, stepping back into Tonks. Ginny grabbed Harry's arm so hard he felt a bruise beginning to form. The wolf stepped back and growled.
Suddenly everything absolutely exploded.
Tonks flew forward, whipping out her wand to use as a stake. The tip was an inch away from the vampiress's breast when a hand flew forward and caught it. She easily snapped it, threw it aside, grabbed Tonks's neck, and bit down deep. Hermione screamed again, while at the same time drawing her own wand. Everyone behind her followed suit.
Then at least twenty more vampires and vampiresses, each of them accompanied by a werewolf, appeared behind the first. Ron summed up everyone's feelings in a single, explosive expletive.
"Language, naughty boy," the first vampiress said, shaking a finger. The nail was over an inch long and a deep red color Harry was quite sure did not come from polish. "My friend and I will have to punish you."
The forces flew forward, attacking. The four of them tried to fight them off with every curse they thought of, but there were just too many. Ron was the first to go down, tattered flesh and snapped bones hanging from a ragged shirt. Hermione followed him with deep gashes in her thigh and wrists and blood leaking from her neck. This left only Harry and Ginny standing.
They instinctively backed up against each other, the army around them tightening in a close circle.
"Harry," Ginny panted, "you know, I lied to Hermione when I told her I didn't fancy you anymore."
Harry looked quickly at her. "I've always really kind of liked you..." The vampires drew closer, their werewolf pets backing them up. "But unless we try a few spells it won't do much good!"
They fired off a few quick spells creating beams of light. Seven of the vampires burst into flames and burned to ash on the floor. Along with the six already killed, this left twenty-one werewolves and eight vampires. Harry and Ginny tried the spell again, but two of the werewolves jumped forward and bit their wands in half.
"This is very bad," Ginny said quietly, looking at the broken wand handle in her hand.
"You think we can do it wandless?"
"We've never practiced. We could very well die ourselves."
The first vampiress and a vampire stepped forward, accompanied by a werewolf. It snarled threateningly. Ginny growled at it, sounding alarmingly like a defensive lioness.
"Piss of," Ginny snarled back.
"You're a nasty one," the vampire replied, grinning. Ginny bared her teeth, exactly like a cat.
"Six little monkeys, trotting down the street," the vampiress sang, tracing little marks in Harry's skin with her sharp fingernail. They left red tracks behind them. "Four fell down from the deadly teeth."
The vampire seemed to be unable to resist any longer. He jumped forward and sank his teeth into Ginny's throat. She cried out with a last breath as her heart beat one final time. She slid to the ground.
"Time for the master to join his little friend," the vampiress whispered.
And she struck. The last thing Harry thought of as his blood splattered onto the cobblestone streets was, How did they find us? How did they find us? How did they find...
Silence.
His brain stopped working.
The vampiress laughed. "The full moon is risen. Little wolves, little children of the night are here. Red moon has risen, bright as eyes, cool as dead blood spilt on the ground..." She giggled, as if drunk.
As the last of the troops left the alley, the first werewolf stood over the bodies and tore a chunk of flesh from the throat of one of them. He threw his head back and swallowed it, howling triumphantly to the red moon rising in the black sky, scattered with white stars.
White, the color of death.
Disclaimer: None mine. For once, I think I succeeded in keeping my awful Mary Sue-inclined OCs OUT of one of my fics!!! Stupid things just won't get out of my mind! Of course, Ursula & Co are mine. I had to introduce some characters!
I have been working on this for about six months now as a writer's block entertainment, but never had any reason to post it. Then I went into Master Eldryn's site and saw a challenge that was practically for my fic. As for length, this sucker's probably going to be closer to 100,000 words with all my evil plot bunnies. Hence, I gleefully post Red Moon!
As you can probably tell, Ursula is based quite a bit on two of my favorite Buffy villains. Her insanity comes from Drusilla and dress taste from Glory. Scary, huh? Her name is from one of Anne Rice's characters.
Red Moon
Prologue: Red Moon Rising
Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Harry and Tonks laughed and chattered as they made their way back from their long day of shopping. Tonks had been sent to keep an eye on the Frightening Foursome, partly to keep them away from trouble and partly to keep trouble away from them. Lupin had been sent too, but he was trailing behind them as a tame wolf, seeing as it was a full moon.
"Who's the DADA teacher?" Ginny said randomly.
"I'm sorry, Ginny, but I just can't tell you," Tonks said airily, waving a hand. "It'll have to be a surprise."
"She almost had you," Ron grumbled.
"You'll find out at the feast," Hermione told him, smacking his creeping hand away from her bag. "And I told you I'd give you your presents soon enough."
Hermione had teased the other three Gryffindors by telling them she'd bought them presents in America but wouldn't give them out until they were on the train. This, of course, nearly killed them.
Lupin's head suddenly whipped back and forth from side to side, as if searching the alley. Tonks stepped back and touched his head.
"Someone's here," she said warily, searching the street.
"They've found us, my pet," said an eerie female voice. It sent chills down Harry's back. "Running, can't be hiding..."
A gorgeous woman, somewhere in her late teens or early twenties, emerged from the shadows. She had dark ringlets of hair that cascaded to her shoulders and deep-set, gold eyes that had a wild, crazed look about them. Her hand rested on the back of a snarling werewolf. Behind Harry, Lupin growled deeply.
"The little ones mustn't be out alone," she said, smoothing the fabric of her ludicrously elegant red dress. "They could get hurt."
"Harry," Hermione whispered, "she's a vampire!"
The vampiress chuckled. "Right she is, the little girl who likes the books. Silly little girl...silly girl..."
The words sounded oddly familiar. Behind him, Lupin shifted uneasily. Harry laid a hand on his back and felt the raised hair along his spine.
"They shouldn't be out alone, should they?" she continued. "No, they should be safe at home, under the covers waiting for sun to rise...cruel sun...soon they will wait for moon to rise instead."
The werewolf next to her suddenly snarled and leapt forward. Lupin jumped forward in defense. Within seconds, the tame wolf was sprawled on the ground, blood leaking from a gash in his throat. Hermione screamed and slapped a hand over her mouth, stepping back into Tonks. Ginny grabbed Harry's arm so hard he felt a bruise beginning to form. The wolf stepped back and growled.
Suddenly everything absolutely exploded.
Tonks flew forward, whipping out her wand to use as a stake. The tip was an inch away from the vampiress's breast when a hand flew forward and caught it. She easily snapped it, threw it aside, grabbed Tonks's neck, and bit down deep. Hermione screamed again, while at the same time drawing her own wand. Everyone behind her followed suit.
Then at least twenty more vampires and vampiresses, each of them accompanied by a werewolf, appeared behind the first. Ron summed up everyone's feelings in a single, explosive expletive.
"Language, naughty boy," the first vampiress said, shaking a finger. The nail was over an inch long and a deep red color Harry was quite sure did not come from polish. "My friend and I will have to punish you."
The forces flew forward, attacking. The four of them tried to fight them off with every curse they thought of, but there were just too many. Ron was the first to go down, tattered flesh and snapped bones hanging from a ragged shirt. Hermione followed him with deep gashes in her thigh and wrists and blood leaking from her neck. This left only Harry and Ginny standing.
They instinctively backed up against each other, the army around them tightening in a close circle.
"Harry," Ginny panted, "you know, I lied to Hermione when I told her I didn't fancy you anymore."
Harry looked quickly at her. "I've always really kind of liked you..." The vampires drew closer, their werewolf pets backing them up. "But unless we try a few spells it won't do much good!"
They fired off a few quick spells creating beams of light. Seven of the vampires burst into flames and burned to ash on the floor. Along with the six already killed, this left twenty-one werewolves and eight vampires. Harry and Ginny tried the spell again, but two of the werewolves jumped forward and bit their wands in half.
"This is very bad," Ginny said quietly, looking at the broken wand handle in her hand.
"You think we can do it wandless?"
"We've never practiced. We could very well die ourselves."
The first vampiress and a vampire stepped forward, accompanied by a werewolf. It snarled threateningly. Ginny growled at it, sounding alarmingly like a defensive lioness.
"Piss of," Ginny snarled back.
"You're a nasty one," the vampire replied, grinning. Ginny bared her teeth, exactly like a cat.
"Six little monkeys, trotting down the street," the vampiress sang, tracing little marks in Harry's skin with her sharp fingernail. They left red tracks behind them. "Four fell down from the deadly teeth."
The vampire seemed to be unable to resist any longer. He jumped forward and sank his teeth into Ginny's throat. She cried out with a last breath as her heart beat one final time. She slid to the ground.
"Time for the master to join his little friend," the vampiress whispered.
And she struck. The last thing Harry thought of as his blood splattered onto the cobblestone streets was, How did they find us? How did they find us? How did they find...
Silence.
His brain stopped working.
The vampiress laughed. "The full moon is risen. Little wolves, little children of the night are here. Red moon has risen, bright as eyes, cool as dead blood spilt on the ground..." She giggled, as if drunk.
As the last of the troops left the alley, the first werewolf stood over the bodies and tore a chunk of flesh from the throat of one of them. He threw his head back and swallowed it, howling triumphantly to the red moon rising in the black sky, scattered with white stars.
White, the color of death.