A.N. Hiya! Told ya the updates would come up more often! And yes, Remus comes back in this chapter, so without further ado, the next chapter...
Disclaimer: None of it's mine; it's all J.K. Rowling's.
Oh yeah and in case any of you people out there didn't know, J.K. finished Half Blood Prince and it will be out in early July! I can't wait!
The dull thud of Remus' body hit the floor on the main hall, his heart still beating painfully in his chest. He let himself fall back, laying flat out on the floor. The stars were twinkling down at them through the open doors. Celine picked herself up off the floor, dusting her knees off. "I never thought I'd see this place again."
Snape stood up as well, "Perhaps if that theory had followed through it would have been much more beneficial to everyone, not only do we have a werewolf in our presence but, a vampire as well. Tell me Celine, do you still feed on animals or shall I got retrieve someone?"
Celine smiled her extended canines quite visible. "Well Severus, old habits die hard, but for you I might make an exception."
Snape turned pale, raising his wand to point at the vampire, "You wouldn't dare!"
Celine laughed gently, "No I wouldn't, I usually don't eat things that have gone rotten!"
"He saved us Celine," Remus gently reminded, still lying on the floor.
"A bunch of bloody good that did, all that's going to happen is the other vampires will follow me here!" she said, as her eyes flashed.
The Great Hall was deathly silent. "What did you say?" Snape asked.
"You heard me well and clear, you fool. We haven't much time, vampires can travel great distances in the cover of darkness. We need to talk to Dumbledore now!" Celine said, reaching down and grabbing Remus at the wrist, pulling him up.
"This way," Snape said, stepping in front of them leading the way. When they reached the Headmaster's door they didn't even bother to knock. Celine just threw the door open. "We have a problem."
The Headmaster was pacing. "Indeed we do. Your presence here has attracted a few strangers. One's that I am afraid may cause the students some distress. Severus, go wake the other Professors, and the other Order members, we will need them all."
Snape nodded, sweeping from the room.
"Celine, we will need you as well, Remus may I ask one more thing of you?" Dumbledore said, grabbing his own wand.
Remus nodded, "I will help as well."
"Good, to the Great Hall everyone."
Snape threw the Gryffindor common room portrait open, mounting the boys' staircase four and five steps at a time. He wrenched the seventh year boys' door open. "Potter, Weasley get up! Grab your wands and go to the Great Hall!"
Harry and Ron started, but quickly did as they were bade, both throwing on a pair of jeans and racing after their professor as the other boys watched bewildered as they went. They were crossing the common room as a soft pitter-patter of feet caught their attention. Ron turned around to see his sister running after them, dressed as well. "What exactly do you think you're doing? Go back to bed Ginny!"
"I won't be left behind again, I'm coming with you!" she said, flexing her hand around her wand. "I heard Snape, and I'm coming."
Harry gave her a pleading look, "Ginny please!"
"I won't watch you two walk away! I know Hermione will be there too! You are my friends and I refuse to just let all three of you walk away into this alone! I am part of this whether you like it or not Harry, I was even before I was your girlfriend, and I will not be left behind!" Ginny said, crossing her arms and raising her chin, daring them to defy her.
"Mum's gonna kill me!" Ron said, turning back to the portrait hole and running through.
Harry gave Ginny one last look and followed after his best friend, Ginny at his heels.
Snape rapped on the portrait in the restricted section, Hermione appeared in moments. "What's wrong?"
"Grab your wand and go to the Great Hall," Snape said, without any ceremony turned and fled the Library.
Hermione ran back in her room, throwing on a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt her father had given her, racing after the Potions Master. She ran down the stairs vaulting the last one and landing on the floor with a thud and sprinting to the Great Hall. She was a bit surprised to be faced with a shirtless Harry.
"What's going on?" she asked, panting.
"Vampires are coming! We have to keep them out!" Harry said, his eyes watching the grounds attentively.
"There are too many windows! They could get in anywhere!" Hermione said frantically.
"Dumbledore's putting up an anti-flying ward or something now. The only place they'll be able to come in is here. They're after whoever Remus brought back," Harry said.
"Remus is back?!" Hermione asked in shock.
"Yes, he's fine. I saw him a moment ago," Ginny said, standing to Harry's left, her and at the ready.
"Ginny what are you doing here?!" Hermione said, following suite and pulling her wand.
"We tried to make her stay but she wouldn't," Ron all but growled, stepping in front of his sister. "I'm not going to let you catch the front of this!"
"Let her be mate," Fred said as he and George came around the corner. "If you get in her way she's much more likely to be hurt."
"Harry, Harry we came to help!"
They all turned to see Neville, Semus, Dean, Parvati, and Lavender running toward them. Hermione was officially really confused.
"No, you have to go back upstairs now!" Harry yelled, near a panic. All these people were going to get hurt.
"Hush, Harry, you taught us well enough in our fifth year!" Neville said.
"Yeah and you nearly died for me! I won't have that again!" Harry said frantically.
Then, all hell broke loose.
As the hooded figures flooded into the castle she heard someone call out. "Use Severing Charms, aim for their heads. Remove their heads."
An image appeared in Hermione's mind, her fifth year in the Department of Mysteries. A hand coming down in a slashing motion, a purple flame, it was when she had been cut. She pulled herself back to the present not a moment too late, dodging a clawed hand that came down towards her throat. She copied the movement and was rather pleased when the vampire squealed in pain as a cut appeared on his forehead. She re-aimed, slicing the head clean off it's shoulders.
"Harry!" she called.
Harry looked at her as Hermione repeated the movement, injuring another vampire. Harry nodded, copying the movement and thankfully getting it right.
As Hermione pushed through the fight, mindlessly fighting for her life for hours all she knew was that she was covered in blood from head to toe, everyone was screaming. Harry had seemed to have taught everyone in D.A. well, each one was holding their ground, although Lavender and Parvati looked a bit worse for the wear.
Hermione was fighting a rather nasty vampire, as she noticed faces that should not have been there. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Tonks, Arthur Weasley, Mundungus, Moody, all the Order members were there, but she still hadn't seen Remus. Unfortunately her lack of attention on the present threat caused her shield to drop.
"Hello pretty," the vampire whispered, as he lifted her off the ground by her wrist, bruising it in his unrelenting grasp.
Hermione spit in his face. "PROTEGO!"
The shield she had thrown around herself seared the vampire, burning his skin as he dropped Hermione in pain.
The throbbing in Hermione's wrist drained the concentration from her, as her shield faded.
"Stupid female!" the vampire hissed, advancing on her again. He pinned her up against a wall by her throat. "I want you to know, all of this will be gone by morning. All of your friends, this castle, it will all be gone." His clammy and cold hands restricted air from gaining entrance to her body. She pulled at his fingers vainly as her legs flailed about.
"You're wrong," she choked out. "No matter what... you do... you... can't... beat... Harry."
The vampire increased his grip on her throat, "That useless boy can't stop us! He can't stop He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named either. Say goodbye to the living, little girl."
Hermione's eyes flashed, once again wrapping her hands around the vampire's wrist. She felt a familiar wolf-like strength returning to her fingers, she applied pressure to vampire's wrist, enjoying the look of agony on his face, the sound of cracking bones. Her eyes changed, from a chocolate brown to a steel black. Her teeth grew in their length, it wasn't a full transformation, but certain assets were being granted to her, due to her desperate situation.
"You are the fool," she whispered as the light of dawn began to creep up on them. Hermione shoved the vampire out onto the steps as the sun broke the horizon. It screamed in pain and scrambled to get back inside the castle.
"PROTEGO!" Hermione screamed, knocking the vampire back onto the steps. She watched with an unnatural glee as the vampire burned to death before her eyes.
As she turned back around, she finally noticed all eyes on her. Shame and guilt washed over her, she was halfway transformed and had just killed in cold blood. She looked defiantly at them, holding onto her shattered pride. Then she saw him, his grey eyes wide in amazement, he did not greet her, in fact he lowered his eyes from her.
Hermione walked away, up the stairs, away from everyone who now knew the truth. She was a monster.
"What the bloody hell was that about?" Draco asked, leaning on his knees.
There were confused murmurs all around the place, no one knew exactly.
All eyes turned to Dumbledore. Dumbledore shifted uncomfortably, "It is up to Miss Granger whether or not she wishes to reveal that information."
"Where is Celine?" Snape asked.
"She's in the dungeons, she escaped before the sun peaked," Dumbledore said, as the ashes of dead vampires were whisked away by the wind. Snape turned towards the dungeons, his black cloak sweeping behind him.
Professor McGonagall made a swish with her wand, and the Great Hall was sparkling clean, an irony to the bloodied mess it had been moments before. Dumbledore turned to the other Order members. "Thank you for your haste, but quickly before the children wake."
There were nods as many people went running off across the ground, presumably out of them to apparate back to their respected places.
"Headmaster," Remus asked coming up to him.
Dumbledore simply turned to face him.
"Where is she?" he asked quietly.
"I had her moved to your previous quarters; she finished her studies and began on an experiment. She will most likely return there. Could you ask her to come see me; we have to do some damage control before the students get much wind of what's going on."
Hermione sat on her bed, she hadn't felt this numb since he had left, but now he was back. Everyone had watched as she had done that horrible thing. 'What took over me? I can't believe I did that. Everyone knows now, everyone knows that I am a danger. I can't believe it; I have worked so hard to keep it a secret and I blow it all because of my stupid temper. He couldn't even look at me...'
A soft knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. Hermione sat on her bed, hoping whoever it was would just go away. She heard the password mumbled as she turned her back to the door, an unintelligible rage seeping into her system again.
"Hermione," came a quiet voice.
Remus stood guiltily at her doorway closing it gently.
Silence was all that greeted him.
"I know you are angry with me, and you have every right to be. I just, I couldn't leave Celine," he said.
Hermione fought down the jealousy, and the changes fighting to take place again. She took a deep breath turning to face him, putting on her face and smiling.
"I suppose she is much better for you," her voice cracked. "As you've seen what I've become."
Remus felt the sting those words left. "I understand," he said quietly. He turned back to the portrait and began to open it. 'I couldn't ask her to still love me after everything I did. If me being gone is what it takes to make her happy, then I shall leave again.'
"But that's the thing," came the quiet sob. "You're the only one who does understand and it's so unfair."
Remus rested his head on the door, stilling his hands at the door. He couldn't deal with this right now, he was too tired. He didn't want to face the prospect that he had lost Hermione. "The Headmaster wants to see you."
Hermione bit back the tears as Remus left. She truly was a monster.
"Yes, Headmaster," Hermione asked when she reached the office.
"What happened in the Great Hall?" he asked, folding his hands.
"I was not concentrating on what I need to be and I was caught off guard by one of the vampires. He said things about Harry, and Hogwarts that got me rather upset, at this point in time he was also chocking me. The research I've been doing, well I stumbled on the fact that if I was low on oxygen that my survival instinct would kick in and the wolf would emerge, if only slightly. The fumes on the potion I was working on helped in this little endeavor. He simply made my survival instincts kick in. With the things he said about everything I... I apologize Headmaster, I lost control of myself."
Dumbledore seemed confused for a moment, "Hermione there is nothing to be apologizing for. It was either his life or yours correct?"
Hermione nodded.
"Then you made the correct decision," Dumbledore said, smiling brightly at her.
Hermione felt a bit relieved.
"Now, I ask you to please rest you look exhausted."
Hermione nodded again, leaving.
"All in all Remus, I believe the mission was successful," Dumbledore said pleasantly to the man leaning up against a wall in his office.
Remus simply nodded his head; he had been mute since the attack.
Dumbledore hid a smile, "You know Remus, I once heard someone say something that was very true. You never know what you have till it's gone. Truly you know what you have now."
Remus snorted, "What I had Albus, what I had."
Dumbledore chuckled, "I very much doubt that Remus."
Griever walked her walls, as Hermione stared blankly at the ceiling. "For heaven sakes child, what is it?!"
"Why do you ask questions as to which you already know the answers?" she countered.
"Did you know it's considered rude to answer a question with another question?" Griever asked.
"I wasn't aware of it, no," Hermione said, finally turning to face the lion.
"Hermione Granger, this is not like you! Moping about like this! He loves you, I am most sure of it!"
"I know he does," she said.
"Then why are you doing this to yourself?" Griever asked, settling next to her face.
Hermione didn't answer, she just grabbed her wand and left.
Remus was out, on top of one of the towers, overlooking the clouds that rolled into the horizon. 'I shouldhave expected as much, leaving her like that. Why in Merlin's name am I angry at her? The person I should be angry at is myself.' He hung his head in shame, giving him a perfect view of the grounds below, and a perfect view of the person running across them into the Forbidden Forest.
Hermione panted as she picked up the pace. She had to get away from it all; she didn't understand why she couldn't get past her anger. Hermione Granger had never dealt with not understand something well. She finally collapsed on the ground in a slight clearing in the forest, the sun shinning on her face. She was tempted to drift off to sleep and almost did, save for the footsteps pounding after her.
She looked up as Remus came into the clearing, "Have you gone mad?! What are you doing out here, alone I might add?"
"Sod off and just leave me alone," Hermione snarled.
"No!" Remus stated firmly. "Come back to the castle."
"Why can't you just leave me alone?! You've done a well enough job of it lately, can't you just keep it up for one more day!?" Hermione yelled, standing.
"I didn't want to leave!" Remus screamed back, advancing on her.
Hermione's eyes flashed, "Then you shouldn't have! In the least you should have told me and not left this half ass note solving all your issues and leaving me alone with mine for three weeks!"
Remus bit back a rather vulgar retort, raising his voice again, "Well, I still love you."
Hermione actually started with the surprise, staring at him as if he were a seven headed dragon.
"What? I thought you were mad, with everything that happened back in my room. I... I thought..." Hermione said, visibly shaking.
Remus' anger melted away. In two strides she was in his arms, crying into his chest.
"I still love you, I'm so sorry for screaming, I love you so much," she whispered, holding onto him for dear life.
A.N. So there you guys go! And don't worry, you haven't seen the last of the vamps. They will be back! R&R plz!
TTFN
Seifersfire
P.S. Merry Christmas, enjoy your present!