Harry was sat on her own under one of the various huge trees that cast tranquil reflections on the lake and grass around it where many students sat with friends eating lunch. Harry saw the new girl, Hermione walking around the lake. Just what we need, Harry thought, another Barbie doll. Look at her... walking towards me. Why is she walking towards me?

'Harry, right?'

'Um... yeah. Do you w-want me to move? 'Cause i can move. I'll move.' Harry said hurriedly.

'No, don't move, I just wanna talk to you. Is anyone sitting here?' Hermione asked before sitting down.

'Weren't you talking to Lavender?'

'Can't I do both?'

'Not legally.'

'Well, I get the feeling a pencil sharpener could give Lavender a run for her money at a game of 'Who has the higher IQ?'' To Hermione's relief, Harry laughed. Maybe she could make friends after all. 'So, I've just transferred from Durmstrang and I'm behind at least a term on all my work so I'm in need of a little study support. I heard you were the girl to talk to?'

'Oh. Yeah. Sure. I'm so the witch girl.'

'Well that's great, you see, I'm kinda not so great on the whole school thing. At Durmstrang we even-'

Hermione was cut off by the arrival of Josso and Bon, I mean, Ron.

'Hey! Hermione is it?' Ron asked.

'Umm, yeah. Hi.' Hermione replied giving Harry a look which said it all. The look that said it all said; Have you met this guy?

'Wait? You know each other?' Josso asked, slightly confused.

'Oh, yea, Hermione and I go way back. Old friends, actually.' After a pause, in which Josso, Harry and Hermione all gave Ron looks involving unnatural heights reacted by eyebrows. 'Here, you dropped this in the hallway.' Ron said, handing Hermione her stake back. 'All I could think is that you're making a really little wooden fence.'

'Oh, well, umm, yeah. Self defence. Everyone has 'em in Durmstrang, you know, using actual magic or our wands is just so passé.' Hermione said hurriedly, taking back her stake.

'Right.' Josso said, purely because he hadn't spoken so far.

Just then, Lavender and her 'followers' including a Gryffindor girl named Parvati walked past. '...Dead?' Parvati exclaimed.

'Yup. As dead as my love for my parents. Can you believe they stopped buying me everything I asked for? I mean it was just a boat. I was like 'Come on mom, money isn't everything.'

'What did she say?'

'She took away all of my allowance! Can you believe that?' Lavender's words were greeted by gasps of horror, which were absent when she announced someone had died.

'Lavender?' Hermione got up and walked over to Lavender and her followers. 'Who died?'

'Ergh. I shouldn't even be talking to you after you decided to take social suicide by hanging out with those circus freak rejects.' Again, Lavenders words were greeted with some sort of emotion; this time laughter. God, they were well trained.

'Lavender. Focus. Who died?'

'I don't know but I was talking to Susan Bones, who said that she opened up the cupboard in one of the Potions classrooms and this corpse just fell out.'

'Were they any marks?' Hermione inquired. Where her worst fears coming true? Vampires at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?

'Marks? I didn't ask. Morbid much?' Lavender looked Hermione up and down before leading her groupies on. Many of them intimidated Lavenders action as she walked. Hermione reminded herself to laugh later. Now she had to examine the body.

Turning back to Ron, Harry and Josso, Hermione said, 'I'm sorry, I've gotta go. Thanks for the stake. I'll see you guys around?' Pointedly looking at Harry for the last part. And with that she ran back into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, leaving the sun kissed grounds behind her.

After examining the body, Hermione discovered that the victim had indeed been killed by vampires. Oddly enough, she also found the victim's fly undone. So that's why Hermione was where she was now. On her way to see Professor Flitwick. He knew something. Remarkably, Hermione was finding her way around Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry very well. But, let's face it, she's the heroine. She paused only for a quick swallow of Jack Daniel's in the bathroom.

She marched into the empty Charms classroom; 'Professor Flitwick! Get out here! I need to talk to you!'

Out scuttled Professor Flitwick. 'Ah, Miss Granger. What can I do for you?'

'I'll tell you what you can do for me, you can tell me why there is a corpse in the Potions lab that has two little holes in its neck and all its blood drained?'

'Well I'd have thought a vampire slayer such as yourself could have figured that out.' He replied coolly.

'I'm not a vampire slayer!'

'I think you'll find you are. Are you not Hermione Granger?'

'Yes, I am Hermione Granger but I am not a vampire slayer!' She said, her voice rising in anger. 'I was, until I got expelled from Durmstrang because of it. Then I quit. I was done with it and still am.'

'I'm afraid you can't 'quit' Miss Granger, you-'

'No, I'm afraid YOU ARE NOT LISTENING TO ME!' Hermione bellowed, her temper flaring. She really could do with a drink. 'Just, just leave me alone.'

'Miss Granger, I understand your distress but I am afraid this is your destiny and you cannot just run away from that.' Flitwick said calmly, he did sound like he knew her pain. He sounded like he understood, which made Hermione all the more furious. If he understood, why was he making her carry on doing this? 'You can't run away from what is meant to be,'

'Watch me.' Hermione said icily and left the classroom.

'Look, Miss Granger,' Flitwick said, following her quickly. 'I know your upset but if you 'quit' then a lot of innocent people are going to get hurt. You can't say you don't care about that.' Hermione stopped. 'You see, this school is built on a Hogmouth, a gateway to hell. It acts as a magnet for vampires, demons, monsters, anything evil you can think of comes here to experience the Hogmouth's fierce energy. It's my belief that you have come here for a reason. I believe that reason was fate.'

'Look, I appreciate your just trying to do your job or calling or whatever and I think deep down I know I'll always be a vampire slayer its just I don't want to just be a vampire slayer. I want friends. A life. I want to be normal. At least half of the time.' Having left her mark, Hermione left, leaving the tiny tiny tiny man standing in the hallway alone.

Later that evening, after getting settled into her dormitory back in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione was getting ready to go out to one of Hogsmeade's hottest clubs, 'The Copper.' It had been a very stressful day for Hermione and, being the high class girl she is, she was looking forward to getting pissed, dancing like a whore and then pouring herself back into her dorm around midnight. Ish. Luckily for Hermione, she didn't need to do her hair or make up, it was always immaculate. 24/7.

Soon enough, Hermione was strutting her stuff down the corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She hoped to meet up with some people at the club, but was forced to walk there by herself. Which was, lets face it, a stupid thing to do, not knowing where the hell the place was and all.

Shortly after exiting Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hermione had the sneaking suspicion she was being followed.

Don't be so paranoid, She told herself firmly, you just need a drink, that's all. Hermione kept walking, but slightly unnerved, she quickened her pace.

SNAP!

Behind her, a branch snapped under someone's foot.

'Oh! Fuck!' She heard someone not so far behind her mutter.

She was being followed. RUN! She heard a voice in her head exclaim. And she did.

Hermione ran and ran. In which direction, she wasn't entirely sure, it was dark and she was scared. She heard her heart pounding in her ears. Possibly from fear, or possibly from the fact that she hadn't been to gym in months. She wasn't sure if she imagined it, but Hermione thought she heard some one running behind her. Some one who had been to the gym recently.

Finally, Hermione saw the lights of Hogsmeade and ran into an alley, luring her stalker. Boy, was she gonna have to kick some ass.

Hermione saw a shadow figured cautiously step out into the light below. An aspiring gymnast, Hermione had conveniently found a balancing beam and was now performing a tricky handstand on top of it. As her stalker walked further and further into the alley, Hermione swung down from the beam, kicking him in the head in the process. He went down like a really really heavy bird falling out of a tree.

'Who are you?' Hermione asked, putting her designer boot under his chin so he knew she was serious. 'I'll ask again, who are you?' Hermione put more force on the boot, compromising his breathing. Or so she thought...

'My - my name is, is,' the stranger coughed, choking slightly, 'My name is - Oh My God! Are those boots Prada?'

'Oh! You'd think so, wouldn't you? Really there from Top Witch, but aren't they fabulous!' Realising what she was saying, and coming to her senses, Hermione pressed on with her interrogation. 'Who are you?'

'My name is Blaise,' said Blaise, pushing off her boot and getting to his feet.

'So, Blaise, why were you following me?'

'I was trying to find out if you were who I thought you were.' He replied, straightening out the creases in his leather coat. 'To tell you the truth, I thought you'd be bigger. You're spry though,' He continued, rubbing the back of his head.

'Whatever, just leave me alone.' Hermione said. She wasn't in the mood for any games and she still hadn't gotten her drink.

'Hey,' Blaise called, 'Catch.' Blaise chucked a small round box to Hermione.

'How do you know me?' Hermione yelled down the alley, catching the box.

'Let's just say, I'm a friend,' Blaise replied coolly, walking away.

'Yeah, well maybe I don't need another friend.'

'I didn't say I was yours.' He said mysteriously, before vanishing back into the shadows.

Hermione opened the box to find a silver cross on a chain. It was beautiful. She picked it up and put it on.

'Fuck!' Hermione heard some one exclaim from the shadows. Blaise ran back out and quickly said, 'I forgot to mention; The Master, big evil plan, the Harvest, evil stuff going down, Hogmouth.' And with that, he made another, slightly less impressive, exit.