The sky was dark and heavily clouded. A light drizzle of rain fell, ignored by the figure standing in the shadows. The figure puffed at a cigarette, bored with the wait. Tonight was not the night to act so there was no anticipation. Being a hunter was no fun at times of waiting such as this. Everything was calculated to the minutest detail. Error was a foreign concept. The perfect predator stalked and moved in only at the precise opportune moment. During the wait, the figure recalled acquiring the job.

A man had approached three days prior. He had stood tall and thin. His face had been hidden and his voice disguised. "I had heard you are one of the best."
Hidden in the shadow, the man could not see who he was speaking to. "I am."
"You will work for anyone?"
"At the right price."
"I was not expecting a woman."
"Gender does not get the job done."
"True enough. Your price?"
"Depends upon my prey."
The man handed over a photograph. "He's at the school."
She had no doubts what school he meant. "That will cost extra." She wrote a price on her hand and held it out.
The man looked at the price. "It is steep."
"You want it done?"
"Of course."
"Then, the price is fair."
"Very well. The time frame is by the holidays."
"Done."
He heard nothing but felt her move passed him and seem to disappear.

Halloween was upon her, and she had not completed the job. She had less than two months remaining. Everything was set, but the moment had yet to come.

------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------

Ron just scowled at Hermione. "She's weird!" He was not going to drop it.
"And Professor O'Brien isn't?" She shot back in frustration.
Harry shook his head. The two had been having the same debate since the first day of the year. Professor Gweneth O'Brien had taken over Trewlany's classes. The other woman had an emergency in the family and was unable to return to her duties. Hermione thought O'Brien was more weird than the Trewlany had been. Ron was of a different opinion. He like Professor O'Brien. In the reverse, Ron found the new Gryffindor sixth year Morticia Tepes more than weird. He thought she was down right frightening, demented. He felt her name was enough to prove that. Harry still didn't get that. Hermione liked her. The two had become fast friends. So, Ron and Hermione had been arguing and arguing for two months.
"I like them both," Harry informed them. "And, this argument is beyond old."
About that time, Morticia walked over to them. "Have you finished the assignment due in potions today?" She asked all of them.
Ron paled. "We have an assignment due?" Harry likewise looked stricken.
"Yes. The comparison and contrastive of a simple sleeping drought to any coma inducing serum," Hermione answered.
"I've had it done for over a week." Morticia sat down. Breakfast was drawing to an end, but they still had a few minutes. "You two really need to focus more on your studies. I suppose you don't have the oral report for Muggle Studies done either?"
Ron shook his head but Harry nodded. Hermione shook her head. "Never happen," she said referring to them focusing on their studies. She had been trying for years and had yet to get results.
"Well, Professor Snape's not going to be happy with you." Morticia looked at them pointedly.
"When's he ever?" Harry argued. She shrugged. "Well, too late to do anything about it. Nearly time for class." She stood and bumped into Pansy Parkinson as she did.
"Watch where you're going, Urchin."
"Urchin? You hardly have room to talk. I saw you just the other day, with Hagrid's dog having a good old time."
Pansy became a dark purple color. "How dare you!" Pansy balled her fist but made no move to strike.
"You're right, that was rude to say of Fang. He has better taste." Morticia pushed by Pansy, who grabbed her arm. "Let go of me," she warned in a low growl. Her eyes became hpyerdilated and overly bloodshot as they gazed at Pansy, who immediately let go and backed off. "Good little trollop." Pansy stuck her nose in the air and marched away.
"What just happened?" Ron asked. "What did you do to her?"
"What do you care?" Morticia looked at Ron with a raised brow, eyes back to normal.
"Had to be something to get her to back down like that?" Ron accused.
"What does it matter? She's gone." Harry started from the room. Ron scowled a moment more then followed, as did the two girls.

------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------

Potions was Morticia's favorite class. Snape started class by handing back the results of a potion they had done the week before. He handed hers back last. "You had intriguing results." He gazed at her coolly with a raised brow. "Might I ask what you used in place of the vampire's blood?"
She looked back as coolly. "I did use vampire blood, Sir."
His brow went higher. "Where did you acquire the blood?"
"I am afraid that is a private matter."
"Private matter? Not when you are in my class, Miss Tepes." Snape glared at her. He liked her results in every potion she did, but he would not stand for her attitude and lack of cooperation. "You will tell me."
"Then I will do so in private after class." She gazed back unaffected by his glare.
"Very well. You best have a good explanation."
"Oh, I say I do." She smirked as she handed over her assignment. "I believe this is due today."
Snape took the parchment and nodded. "The rest of you may place yours on my desk as you leave at the end of class." Some of them groaned but he ignored them and class continued.
At the end of class, Morticia waited until everyone else was gone before standing and going to Snape's desk. She just looked at him. Then, she wrote down one word on her hand and showed him. He eyed her but nodded. She nodded back and turned to leave. Severus watched her go, intrigued by her answer. He had suspected but to have it confirmed...

------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------
The Gryffindor sixth years made their way to Muggle Studies. Most of them were all ready to sleep. They hated the class, found it very boring. Perhaps not as boring as History of Magic, but boring nonetheless. Normally, Morticia felt the same, but today they were starting their oral reports. She was had trepidations to give hers, for most of the students knew about her famous grandfather already. Those that did not, were likely to join the others in their rash opinions of her, and her family.
The first to give their report was Hermione, and even Morticia, as nervous as she was, started to nod off. Hermione seemed to drawl on and on until the teacher asked her to speed things along. With a very terse expression, the other girl had done so. Next went Harry, who looked pale having to stand in front of so many people and talk about his family. As much light that shown on him, he still hated to be in front of people. Next was Millicent Bludstrum. She made quick work of stating none of her family was sleazy enough to become noticed by muggles and sat back down.
Finally, it was Morticia's turn.
Morticia oh so slowly stood and moved to the head of the classroom. She was not looking forward to speaking at all. Many of the students started whispering amongst themselves, and Ron wore an extra pensive look compared to his normal way of looking at her. She stopped at the head of the room and took a deep breath. "I don't really see the need for me to talk about the most prominent member of my family that graces muggle texts. He's seen in history, legend, myth, horror, fiction, and so much more. Nearly every soul knows some form of his name, be they muggle or pureblood." She took another breath. "My grandfather was a proud, noble man. He was born at the end of 1431 in the fortress of Sighisoara, Romania to his father Vlad. Vlad Dracul was the military governor of Transylvania under the emperor Sigismund. He was appointed the job about a year after being inducted into the Order of the Dragon, thus his name Dracul."
She took another breath, knowing this was going to take some time but get her a good grade. Unlike Mione's, her story was interesting, as most things with death and war were. "He later became prince of Wallachia in the winter of 1436-1437, which was one of three Romanian provinces. He took residence at the palace of Tirgoviste. He took this position from Alexandru I, a Danesti prince. He was caught between two strong powers in Wallachia. As a member of the Order of the Dragon, the King of Hungary was his sworn enemy. He was forced to pay tribute to the Sultan as his father, Mircea the Old had.
"In 1442, to cut the story slightly short, Vlad III, my grandfather, and his younger brother Radu the Handsome were taken hostage by Sultan Murad II. Vlad III was held in Turkey until 1448, being released after being told of the death of his father at the hands of Vladislav II. He was also told of the death of his oldest brother Mircea, who was tortured and buried alive by boyars of Tirgoviste.
"At the age of seventeen, Vlad Tepes Dracula, meaning 'son of the dragon', made his first large move for the throne of Wallachia. He had a force of Turkish cavalry and a contingent of troops lent to him by pasha Mustafa Hassan at his back. He held his ground for two months, until Vladislav II defeated him.
"In July 1456, at the age of twenty-four, he finally killed Vladislav II and started his longest reign as prince of Wallachia. His reign would last but six years, and in that time he would commit many of his greatest cruelties. His first was on Easter Sunday of 1459, when he arrested all the boyar families who had participated in the death of his father and brother. He impaled the oldest of them, making the rest take a grueling march fifty miles from Tirgoviste to Poenari without any rest. Those that made it were given the task to build him a castle overlooking the Arges river. Many died in the construction.
"He was a hard man. He ordered people boiled, blinded, burned, buried alive, decapitated, hanged, hacked, roasted, skinned, stabbed, strangled, nailed, and many other torturous deaths. He liked to have noses, ears, limbs, and sexual organs cut from his victims' bodies. However, his favorite method, which gave him his other surname, was to impale people. Tepes means 'the Impaler' in Romanian. He was also called 'Kaziglu Bey', meaning 'the Impaler Prince', by Turks. He used impaling as a way to make note not to go against his trade laws when he impaled Transylvanian merchants for doing so thrice in 1457, 1459, and 1460.
"Despite his seemingly cruel methods, he was known for his fierce insistence of honesty and order. Any crime, from lying and stealing to killing, could be punished by impaling the accused. In confidence of his methods, he placed a cup of gold on the center square of Tirgoviste for thirsty travelers to drink from. Only one catch, the cup had to remain there. No evidence has been found that the cup was ever stolen during his reign."
Morticia took another deep breath. "He looked down on the poor, vagrants, and beggars as thieves. He invited them, all poor and sick of Wallachia, to his court in Tirgoviste for a great feast. However, as soon as they were finished eating and drinking, he ordered the room boarded up. He had it set on fire. No one survived the blaze.
"Beginning in 1462, he launched a campaign against the Turks along the Danube river, despite the fact Sultan Mehmed II's troops were by far more powerful than his own. Amazingly, during the winter of 1462, he was very successful and gained several victories over the Turks. Mehmed retaliated with a full-scale invasion on Wallachia. Vlad III quickly made for Tirgoviste. He burnt his own villages and poisoned all the wells along his way so the Turks would have no food or drink.
"The Sultan arrived at the capital exhausted and starving only for his eyes and those of his troops to land upon the grotesque scene of the 'Forest of the Impaled'. Around 20,000 Turkish captives hung on stakes before them. Even his most stout men were stricken by the sight. The Sultan accepted defeat and left for Turkey. He left behind, however, Radu the Handsome. Radu was who the Turks wanted on the throne of Wallachia. Radu and Vlad III's detractors pursued Vlad III to Poenari castle, which is now known as Castle Dracula, on the Arges.
"His wife, not my grandmother, threw herself from the upper battlements. Her body fell down the precipice into the river below. Vlad III would not commit suicide. He escaped through a secret passage into the mountain. He was later helped by the people of the village Arefu to reach Transylvania. He met the new Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus, who arrested him instead of help. Vlad III was imprisoned at the capital of Visegard until 1475.
"In that year, he again claimed the throne of Wallachia as prince. However, he was 'assassinated' toward the end of December in 1476."
She sighed deeply and started for her seat. She was through with the tale. She had said more than enough. The students all watched her. They had known she was a Tepes, but to her vocally admit that she was indeed a descendant of Vlad Tepes Dracula... Many slid away from her desk, not wanting to be tainted by her presence. She sighed. Even Hermione, who had told her she did not mind her being a Tepes seemed a little less wanting of her company.
"Well, there's a black sheep in the Gryffindor family." Draco looked smugly at them. Harry glared at the other boy.
"Better than her being a white sheep in Slytherin," Harry shot back.
Morticia looked around and stood. She looked to the teacher. "May I be excused to speak with Madam Pomfrey?" The teacher nodded and Morticia fled from the room. She was nearly to there when she bumped into Professor Umbridge, who was teaching a new course on the laws of the ministry at the school.
"What are you doing out of class?" The toad-like woman demanded. She had absolutely no use for the trast of a child before her.
"I'm to see Madam Pomfrey, Professor." Morticia made to go around the woman, who grabbed her arm Morticia froze at the contact and looked at the teacher.
"Where is a note or something?"
Morticia raised a brow. "I was excused without one." She jerked free. "Do not touch me."
Umbridge glared at the girl. "Don't take a tone with me." About then the classes starting letting out.
"Guess it doesn't matter now, Professor," Morticia said snidely, heading for the nurse.

------ ------- -------- ------- ------- ------- -------