Hermione awoke in a dark room, deep underground. She felt more alive than ever before, which was strange really, seeing as she was dead. Looking around she saw she was in a cell with an iron grate across the door, locked in with her was Angelina Bell.
"Hermione, you're awake!" she cried, "I thought you were dead or something."
"You were right." Hermione said, turning on Angelina. "I am dead"
Angelina screamed. Hermione plunged her teeth into Angelina's neck. Angelina fell like a rag doll and Hermione stood up, her face changing back. She walked forwards and wrenched the door off its hinges, throwing it aside.
"Show yourselves!" she yelled.
From the shadows stepped a man with icy blonde hair, who looked an awful lot like Draco. His hair was obviously dyed, and he had a scar cutting through his eyebrow. He wore a black trench coat. Stood behind him, hopping from leg to leg was the woman from before, wearing what looked like a baby blue nightie.
"I think you chose well pet." The man said. "I am Spike, and this is Dru. We run things around here, glad to have you with us." He held out a hand. Hermione glanced at it, and then looked up again.
"What exactly are you running?" Hermione asked. Spike raised an eyebrow.
"What we are doing is none of your business." He said, "You do what we tell you when we tell you."
"That's fine for now." Hermione said, "but I need to do something first."
"You will not leave this base." Spike said, getting annoyed at Hermione's impertinence.
"Stop me." Hermione said, and apparated out. Spike swore loudly
"A witch Dru?" He asked exasperatedly, then muttered under his breath "Why me?"
Hermione apparated into Ollivander's shop.
"Sorry to disturb you this late at night." She said, "But my wand snapped, and I really need a new one, as soon as possible."
"That is perfectly fine Miss Granger," Mr Ollivander said, "You are in luck, I just got a new batch finished, let's try you with this one first."
Hermione took the wand and waved it. This wasn't like her first wand at all, she felt as if someone had let her into a crowded place, and locked the doors. She could feel the power flowing through her.
"This is the right one." She said, awed.
"Are you sure?" Mr Ollivander asked, then he looked at Hermione's face.
"Yes, yes Ican see that it is, I warn you, that is an extremely powerful wand."
Hermione glanced at it wonderingly.
"That I had already discovered Mr Ollivander." She said, "Goodbye."
Hermione turned out the shop.
"Hey, you haven't paid!" Mr Ollivander called.
"Ah yes, thank you for reminding me." Hermione said, and then bit Mr Ollivander's neck, dropping him lifeless to the floor.
Hermione grabbed hold of the body, and apparated out.
Harry awoke with a start; something was knocking on the window. He sprang to his feet, drawing his wand as a thought came to him. Maybe it was Hermione, or an owl from her, he still refused to believe that Hermione was dead.
He walked to the window, and tripped over a small pebble. Obviously whoever was down there had been trying to get someone's attention. He leant out the window, and called
"Hello, is anyone there?" No one answered.
"Lumos" he muttered. On the floor below the window was a large, heavy looking-parcel.
"What is it mate?" Ron asked.
"A parcel." Harry replied
"Get your broom, and fly down and get it." Neville said from the warmth of hid four-poster."
"Good idea." Ron said, running to his bed and digging about underneath it until he unearthed a broom.
"I'll go." With that he pulled a maroon sweater over his head and swooped out the window.
"It's huge, and too heavy." Ron called up, "Someone else needs to come down here and help."
Harry took his broom from its place leant up against the wall and flew out the window. However even with two of them there it was impossible to lift.
"Neville, in my trunk is a rope, get it out and throw one end down, wake the others to help you haul it up." Harry called.
"No need Harry" came Seamus's voice, "Wingardium Leviosa!" He called, and the package started to slowly lift. Harry and Ron followed below it just in case. Eventually they reached the top.
"What's in that thing?" Seamus asked, beads of sweat falling down his face.
"There's a message," Ron said excitedly, ripping off the envelope, he read the contents aloud.
Harry and RonPlease open this in the great hall at breakfast; it contains a surprise for you. Use 'Wigardi Portite' (pronounced wig-art-ee paw-tight-I) to get it down there.
Love – an old Otter friend"
"It's from Hermione!" Harry exclaimed.
"Mate-…" Ron started
"No, listen, Hermione is an old friend, and her patronus is an otter, and doesn't that sound just like Hermione? It sounds just like a textbook." Harry cut across
"I think you're right mate" Ron said, his eyes widening, then he glanced down at the letter. "It's her writing alright."
Harry couldn't sleep for the rest of the night, and had to stop himself from just leaning over and tearing the wrapping off the parcel several times.
Finally the bell rang for students to get up and dressed, Harry leapt out of bed and dressed hurriedly. However Ron was sluggish after the nights adventure, and took forever to get up and dressed. Harry had to restrain himself from physically dressing him. Finally Ron was ready and the Gryffindor boys floated the parcel downstairs using Hermione's spell.
As they reached the Great Hall a crowd gathered around them. When they entered it the majority of the students there came to see what the huge parcel was, some of the teachers even started to walk along the to the Gryffindor table.
"Open it, open it." Lavender encouraged.
Harry started to open it very slowly; the room fell silent, and the atmosphere was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Harry unwrapped the last layer of brown paper as Professors McGonagall, Hagrid and Flitwick drew near curiously.
Harry stepped back with a gasp, people started to scream and run backwards, trampling poor Professor Flitwick, and breaking around Hagrid's bulk. People at the back craned their necks to see what all the fuss was about. In a corner someone was retching violently. Ron's face had gone ashen.
"I don't think it's from Hermione mate." He whispered, before keeling over backwards.
"Ron!" Harry cried, whirling to catch him, too late.
"So nice to have you back." Spike drawled, "May I enquire as to where you've been?" he added sardonically.
"Of course you may, I may not answer though." Hermione smirked back.
Spike sighed, and threw a hand over his eyes dramatically. Then his head snapped up and his eyes unfocused.
"Dru!" He cried.
"What?" asked Hermione sharply.
Spike pivoted hurriedly and ran from the cave, baring his fangs. Hermione followed closely on his heels.
They came up into the centre of a huge mass of pitch-fork-bearing crown, bearing down upon a cowering Dru. Hermione didn't have much experience with pitchforks and torches, but from her History of Magic textbook they didn't bode well for vampires or witches.
"Get away from her, she's a vampire!" someone from the crowd cried.
"Guess we'd better stick together then." Hermione said, baring her fangs also.
"I know there's a slayer in this crowd somewhere, I can sense her, bring her forwards or this man gets it." She said, grabbing the person nearest to her.
A blonde teenager stepped forwards "I am the slayer." She said, "Put the man back and I'll fight you one on one."
"Ok." Hermione said, and flung the man to one side.
"Herm-…" Spike started
"I know what I'm doing Spike." Hermione cut him off, at the sound of the name the slayer gasped.
"What's the problem Mr Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked from the back of the crowd.
"O-ollivander a-a-and K-k-k-atie." Harry stuttered before fainting also, Hagrid peered over the heads of the students and turned a nasty shade of green.
"Get them students out of 'ere." He ordered Professor McGonagall, and brushed a tear from his eye.
Unaccustomed to being ordered about by Hagrid Professor McGonagall started to open her mouth, then ushered everyone out, ordering them back to their common rooms, where they would be talked to as soon as possible.
"What is it Minerva?" Professor Dumbledore asked, walking into the jam-packed infirmary. It had all the staff, and those students that had fainted, thrown up, or been close to the bodies packed into it.
"It's awful Professor, Katie Bell and Ollivander have been killed." Professor McGonagall replied tearfully. Dumbledore's face grew grave.
"Why are their bodies here?" Dumbledore asked
"I don't know, you should ask Potter and Weasley here." Professor McGonagall replied indicating Ron and Harry.
"Harry, Ron, come to my office please." Dumbledore said firmly.
Harry and Ron traipsed after Dumbledore, along the corridor to his office.
"Acid Pops." He said brusquely to the gargoyle. They went up the stairs and sat down at the desk opposite Dumbledore.
"I know this is hard, but I would like to know what happened." Dumbledore said kindly.
Harry told him the events of the previous night; with Ron adding in things he missed.
"Ah." Dumbledore said when they finished, "I can see how that happened. I would like you to be more careful about anonymous parcels in the future however."
"There's one more thing, sir." Harry added hesitantly, "There was this note with it", Harry pulled the note from his pocket, "We thought it was from Hermione, as her Patronus is an otter, and it just sounds like her."
"I see." Pondered Dumbledore, carefully keeping his face blank.