A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in FOREVER! I've been so busy with school. I haven't updated anything!

Lei454: Yay I'm glad you liked it :D

DruWentToBermuda: We'll see who it is...

MoonyLover2000: Thanks for your review :)

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"A vampire," Hermione said bluntly as they sat, shaking, at the end of the Gryffindor table.

"Come again?" Ron said. "I'm sorry, I thought you just said there was a vampire-"

"There is," Hermione responded. "It was a vampire that killed Lavender."

"What? You've got to be kidding me, Hermione," Ron spoke incredulously.

"How else do you explain the two holes in her neck full of dried blood, Ron?" Hermione asked, fire in her eyes.

Ron didn't respond. He didn't want to think about creepy things like vampires.

"I cannot believe that this is honestly happening," Harry replied, leaning back in his chair with somewhat of a dazed expression painted across his face. "I mean, people are dying for God's sake."

Hermione sniffled, trying desperately to hold back tears. She didn't want to start crying in the middle of the Dining Hall, even though she knew she wouldn't be alone. Throughout the room people were crying from fear, anxiety, sadness, or any other emotion you could think of. The whole school was just a major emotional overload. And she couldn't handle it.

Hermione racked her brain desperately for a reason to leave the Dining Hall. Even if it were just to go get something from her dormitory, at least it would be a little peace and quiet.

"I'm going to go to the dormitory to get some homework," she announced, getting up out of her chair.

"Hermione, you can't leave," Harry said worriedly, grabbing her arm as she tried to escape the room. "Besides, I don't think any of the teachers are actually expecting us to hand in our homework tomorrow, if we even have classes."

Hermione broke herself free of Harry's firm grip. "Well then I'll get Hogwarts, A History," she decided. "I need something to do."

This time Ron grabbed her arm. "'Mione," he said. "You can't just waltz out of here like nothing's happening. One, your neck will probably be used as someone's lollypop, and two, do you really think the teachers are going to let you leave when there's some mad vampire prancing about?"

Hermione couldn't release Ron's hand. "Let me go, Ron," she demanded. "They're not going to notice with all this commotion. I'm just going to run on up to the dormitory quick as a rabbit. No one will even know I left."

"Fine." Ron got up from his chair. "I'll come with you."

"No, you won't," she said, starting to walk off.

"Make me stay," Ron replied.

"Okay." Hermione drew her wand and Ron stepped back.

"I didn't really mean it," Ron said defensively, holding his hands up in front of him almost as though they were a shield. "I was just kidding. Please just let me come. Four arms are better than two when trying to ward off an evil vampire." Ron flashed a cheesy but convincing grin at Hermione.

"Fine," she grumbled, marching to the door. "But be quiet and unnoticeable." She quickly slipped through the door, Ron at her heels, and thankfully none of the teachers cast a wary eye in their direction.

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Over at the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy wasn't paying a speck of attention to Ron and Hermione leaving the Dining Hall. So when he left with the safety of Crabbe at his side and saw the two skipping up the staircase, he was surely surprised.

Malfoy's ideas were a bit different, though. Although he was really scared out of his mind to go outside the safety of the Dining Hall, he would never actually admit it. So when half the students of Slytherin began to tease him about his lack of bravery and "manliness", he decided that the way to prove to them the fact that that wasn't true, would be to walk around a bit outside with Crabbe, and then come back. He tricked Crabbe into coming outside with him by sneaking him a couple of cupcakes under the table, and he was more than happy to follow him out the door.

But the students of Slytherin and Harry grew worried as thirty minutes neared as to how long their friends were gone for. Harry was about to get up and make his way (frightened) to the common room, when suddenly Draco Malfoy burst into the room ten shades paler than usual- who knew that was possible?

"Th-they got him!" he stammered, shaking as he stood in the entrance of the Dining Hall. No one had ever seen Draco so nervous and scared in their lives. Some relished the moment and adored the fact that they got to see him in such an unhappy state, while others grew worried and terror filled them as they heard what he had to say. "Whoever those... killers are... they k-killed Crabbe."

The whole room grew silent. All though by now they should have been accustomed to deaths being announced during meals, but this one seemed to hit harder than the others. This one had been discovered by a student. This one had seemed so much more harsh by the way Draco had put it. Despite most of their negative thoughts toward him, the way he shook and stammered and sweat so profusely made them almost do the same, and horrified glances swept from one table to the next.

A few moments later, a snake of whispers slithered down the Slytherin table and the students started their gossip about Crabbe's death. Maybe Draco had reason to be a coward after all. Or maybe Draco was the murderer.

Dumbledore and the formidable Professor Widdle (A/N: pretend this Widdle guy is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Lol, Widdle seems like such a cowardly name, doesn't it? And I want him to be somewhat brave/strong. Hee, hee) stepped down from the teachers table and walked through the almost silence to Draco's shaking form.

"Where is it?" Professor Widdle asked simply.

"Outside the library," Draco whispered. Professor Widdle started to exit the room when Draco stopped him. "Maybe it's a trap!" he said loudly. "Y-you should go with a few other teachers," he finished, quieting his tone.

"You're right," Professor Widdle replied. Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore then followed him out of the room, their wands ready. The room stayed silent for so long that they could all hear their footsteps echoing down the corridors until they got too far away.

Harry then remembered about Ron and Hermione.

"Malfoy!" he shouted, as noise spread through the hall once again, more quickly than it had before.

"W-what?" he responded, still shaken.

"Did you happen to see Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked worriedly, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

Malfoy shook his head slightly spastically before making his way back to his own table.

"The teachers are out there now," Dean said to Harry, trying to sound reassuring. "If anything happens, they'll hear it."

Harry swallowed hard and nodded. Several minutes later, the teachers finally reentered the room. Dumbledore and Widdle were holding Crabbe between them, and as the three teachers walked solemnly to the head table. Harry suddenly noticed that Ron was behind them. Without thinking, he leapt out of his seat and to his friend's side.

"Ron!" he cried. "Where's Hermione?" he just noticed that she was missing.

"We can't find her," Ron said somberly, his eyes full of a degree of sadness and fear that Harry had never before witnessed in his friend's eyes.

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Author's Note: Sorry it takes me so long to post! I've been SO busy lately with school and holidays and everything. Please continue to R&R, though!