AUTHOR'S NOTE 5 DAYS TILL HALF BLOOD PRINCE!
DISCLAIMER Not mine.
…
"What?" Harry asked once he'd recovered his voice. "You mean…?"
She nodded tearfully. "Everyone. It was all me. Neville, Ginny, Pansy, the Quidditch player. All of them."
"The Quidditch player had a name," Harry growled. "And he was my friend. He's dead because of you!"
"I didn't mean to do it!" she sobbed. "I never meant to kill anyone! I swear!"
Harry wasn't listening anymore. Instead he reached for his wand, a hard glint in his eye. "Everyone who's ever been family to me has died because I couldn't protect them. I'm not going to let you take the only people I have left!"
The fear in Bricilla's eyes faded as they slowly melted and turned amber. Harry felt the first pangs of panic when a low growl escaped her throat and he caught a glimpse of elongated fangs. "Hermione was right all along!" he spat. "You're a vampire."
She actually looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry," she said before lunging at him.
"Harry!"
He turned not a moment too soon to see Professor Madison toss a wooden stake to him. He held it toward Bricilla, who snarled and shied away.
"Expelliarmus!" Amy cried and Bricilla's wand flew out of her sleeve into Amy's hand. The professor brandished it like the stake Harry held out.
Fred, George, Ron, and Hermione ran panting toward the Whomping Willow and were shocked by the scene before them: Harry and their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor holding and wooden stake and a wand respectively against a first-year girl.
Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were right behind them. "What is going on?" McGonagall asked sharply.
"I believe we've solved the mystery, Professor McGonagall," Amy said.
"Amy, are you sure?" McGonagall dared to sound hopeful.
Amy turned her attention back to Bricilla, whose eyes had returned to normal and who was shaking. Amy raised the wand threateningly, "Go ahead," she said. "Tell them."
Bricilla looked at the professors in terror. Amy watched her expectantly. Harry watched her with barely controlled rage in his eyes. Ron, Hermione, and the twins had no idea what was going on.
"Professor Dumbledore," she finally whispered. "I have a confession to make."
He stopped her before she could say anything else. "Yes, my dear. Please follow me to my office." Bricilla nodded miserably. Dumbledore turned to the spectators. "Ah! Fred, George, how nice to see the two of you!" His eyes twinkled. "I'm so glad that you decided to rejoin us this year. If you, your brother, Miss Granger, and Mr. Potter would give us a few moments, then join us in my office? The password is pixie stick." Upon their blank looks, he added, "An American sweet that Professor Madison has introduced me to." He turned toward the other professors. "Amy, Minerva, shall we?"
They nodded and followed him up to the castle. The others stood in shocked silence for a moment. "What is going on?" Ron finally asked exasperatedly. "We saw you outside on the Map!"
Harry looked at him and Ron was almost afraid of the amount of anger in her eyes. "Bricilla Monaghan is a vampire," Harry said calmly. "Congratulations Hermione, you were right. She is the one who has been killing Hogwarts students."
"How'd you find out?" George asked.
"She told me right after she attacked Luna," Harry replied. "Dumbledore already took her body up to the castle."
Hermione eyed him warily. "Harry, stop this right now. Don't you dare go all Inigo Montoya on Bricilla."
Harry softened and sulked just a little. Ron and the twins shared a look of confusion, but didn't ask. Hermione reached for Harry's hand. "Let's go talk to Dumbledore." Harry let the stake in his hand clatter to the ground and followed her.
.i.i.i.
"Pixie stick."
The stone griffin sprang to life at Fred's word. The twins shook their heads. There were times when their Headmaster was decidedly weird.
Harry remained sullenly silent as he followed the others up into Dumbledore's office. Professor Sinistra, head of Ravenclaw House, had already arrived and a man's head was floating in Dumbledore's fireplace.
"You're all here! Excellent," said Dumbledore when he saw them. Indicating the head in the fire, he added, "This is Mr. Monaghan, Bricilla's father. Mr. Monaghan, I think this would all be easier if you'd join us in person, if you please."
The head nodded and a tall wizard with long curly hair strode out of the fireplace a moment later. "Good evening, Professors." His eyes landed on Harry and flickered quickly over his scar. "And Mr. Potter. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Your daughter has told us a rather interesting story, Mr. Monaghan," Professor Madison said coolly. He paled just the slightest bit. "In case you hadn't heard, Hogwarts has been plagued by a mysterious attacker," she continued.
"I believe I heard something like that, yes," he said, beginning to look uncomfortable.
"Are you aware, Mr. Monaghan, that parents of students with special circumstances are required to report said circumstances to the school?" McGonagall asked sternly.
Monaghan was definitely flustered now. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"When were you planning on informing us that Bricilla was half-vampire?" Sinistra asked bluntly.
Panic flooded Mr. Monaghan's eyes. "I, I don't," he stammered.
"It is useless to deny it, Mr. Monaghan," McGonagall said coldly. "Your daughter has told us everything."
His look of panic darkened to a look of anger. "She isn't my daughter!" he snarled.
Everyone sat in shocked silence. "What?" Hermione finally whispered. "What are you talking about?"
"You heard him," Bricilla spat bitterly. "He's not my father!" She glared. "Why don't you tell them the rest, Dad?"
Several pairs of expectant eyes, some glaring, some sparkling coldly, some identically disgusted, turned back to Mr. Monaghan. He stared harshly at Dumbledore. "You already know that Bricilla is half-vampire. You figure it out." He sighed. "Her mother thought she could hide it at first, but you can imagine that that didn't last long."
"You are aware of course that it is your duty as Bricilla's father to have informed us of her special circumstances before she was admitted to the school," Dumbledore said coolly.
Mr. Monaghan blushed and glared at Dumbledore. "Are you married, Professor Dumbledore?"
"I prefer to devote my time to Hogwarts and the students."
"Then you cannot understand the utter shame and embarrassment of learning that your wife has had an affair with the vampire," he snapped scathingly He continued, muttering, "With her penchant for vacationing in Transylvania, you'd think I'd have figured it out."
Bricilla began crying softly. "I didn't mean to kill anyone," she whispered. "I meant to just drink enough to make the hunger go away!" Angrily, she turned on her father. "You always made me keep it a secret! I've never been able to ask anyone for help with anything! I couldn't control myself! I didn't know how!"
She broke down in uncontrollable tears. Ron once again found himself holding her awkwardly, trying to comfort her. Hermione cast a dark, worried eye on them.
Amy Madison brushed past Mr. Monaghan with an attitude that only her strange California hometown could have fostered. She knelt down and carefully extracted Bricilla from Ron. "Why won't they wake up?" she asked gently. "The one who are in the hospital?"
Bricilla looked at her silently for a minute before replying, "Vampire saliva. It's like an unbreakable charm. After I bit them, I just healed the puncture wounds. I couldn't heal the veins inside."
"That's where the bruises came from," Hermione said.
Bricilla nodded. "I didn't mean to kill any of them," she repeated. "I just couldn't tell when the blood stopped flowing."
"I know. Bricilla," Amy said, forcing Bricilla to look into her eyes. "Is there any way to wake the people in the hospital?"
She looked fearfully at the four professors and five students who waited for her answer. Finally she nodded and withdrew a vial from her robes. It held what looked like Veritaserum. "A few drops of this will wake them up."
Professor Sinistra took it curiously. "What is it?"
"It's made from ice melted in sunlight and the bones of a Slayer. It's kind of gross." She paused. "My father gave it to me." The dark glance she threw at Mr. Monaghan made it clear to everyone that she was referring to her real father.
Professor Dumbledore kindly held out his hand. "Give that to me, my dear. I believe we have some patients to attend to." He turned to a brilliant red and gold bird perched beside his desk. "Fawkes, if you could keep Mr. Monaghan company?" Fawkes tilted his beautiful head. Dumbledore smiled. "Excellent." He turned back to the others. "Shall we?"