A.N: Thanks to all my reviewers! I feel soo loved!...well, here you go

Chapter 17: Snape's Past

"If you really want to know, I will tell you, but it's really a boring story." Snape responded. He didn't mind telling her his past. She was a vampire and would understand. There was an unavoidable bond between them that Snape had just begun to recognize.

"Yes, I really want to know."

It's been killing me for years, Ebony added in her head.

"Fine. Well, vampires are all different. They start as regular people and later find out they have vampiric powers. I was one of the few who discovered early on life that I was a vampire-"

"How early?" Ebony asked.

"Let me finish and I'll tell you." He snapped.

"Sorry," she replied and vowed to be silent for the rest of the story.

"I was ten when I discovered I had an overwhelming craving to suck the blood out of our family cat. My father was a vampire, so it wasn't a surprise that I was one. Vampire males dominate in the gene pool. Anyways, when I arrive at Hogwarts, I didn't really know many people. My parents hadn't wanted me to accidentally bite a friend, so I didn't socialize.

So, naturally I was picked on for being a loner. Many played pranks on me, but no one was as bad as Sirius Black and James Potter, the father of our dear Harry," he said the names with venom as Ebony tried to keep a blank expression on her face. Any sign that she recognized these names could give something away.

"Go on, I'm listening." She coaxed.

"Well, they were the worst. I hated them so much. The only person who I could stand to be around was Lily. Lily Evans, James' girlfriend. She was so lovely. One look from her drove me half-mad…"

Ebony remained silent while Snape reminisced, but her mind was racing Harry's mom?

"She was the only student who was nice to me. She used to sit with me for lunch when she was mad at James. I was in Slytherine and she in Gryfindor, so it was a big deal. I loved her, to put it simply. I couldn't let my feelings for her be known, however. You see, my father was a pure blood and so was my mother. They believe pure bloods were better than anyone else. And Lily was a "filthy mudblood" as far as they were concerned. Her father, it was well known, was a muggle and so was her sister. Any word that I cared for her, my father would have given me the biggest beating of my life…"

They sat there in silence. Ebony felt a sudden surge of compassion for the boy who was now her potions master.

"Well, out last year of Hogwarts was hard. Voldemort was gathering followers, vampires included. So that meant that I was expected to join him. I didn't believe in that pure-blood crap, but I was forced. I was already on the list to be a Death Eater.

On the last day of school I finally got some courage. I pulled Lily aside, told her what I was and how I felt. She turned as white as a ghost. She knew vampires were dark and evil. She simply told me she was engaged to Potter and had to go. I never saw her again…

I became a Death Eater and started working for Voldemort as soon as I could. I mourned Lily and took my anger out on my victims. It wasn't until years later, when I saw Peter Petigrew, one of Potter and Lily's good friends, in Voldemort's layer that I became concerned. I cornered Peter and demanded he tell me what he had been doing. He told me everything, the little wimp. By the time I had discovered the truth about Peter, it was too late. My precious angle was gone forever…"

Ebony knew that Peter had betrayed Harry's parents, but learning this story made her shocked all the same.

"Well, after Voldemort disappeared I vowed never to work for him again and began working for the Or-Dumbledore. I wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts, it had been my favorite subject, but Dumbeldore placed me as Head of Slytherine and in charge of Potions. He had been my Transfiguration teacher and my friend while I had been a student, so I knew I could trust him."

"But that doesn't explain why you are so rude." Ebony responded.

Snape thought about this for a moment, then said,

"I guess it's because now that I'm a teacher I can make the rules. No one can take advantage of me just because I'm different."

"Oh," was all Ebony said. She knew how he felt. It was the same reason she had come back a different person this year. She no longer wanted to be the brain. Hermione was a person that had been taken advantage of for years and she had finally come out of her shell.

"I know how you feel. I can't explain, but I know." She told him as she stood up. He soon followed and they walked back to the castle together.

The next day, Ebony couldn't help but think of Snape. He's had such a hard life, no wonder he's rude. She smiled at this.

It was a lot like her life in some aspects. At the end of her 5th year of Hogwarts, she had returned sad and happy. Sirius was dead, yes, but they were winning. When she had discovered she was a vampire, her perspective changed. She was different. Her parents had disowner her, not because she was a vampire, but because of her new attitude. She didn't want to be the goody-goody smart one anymore.

She wanted to yell, to stay out late, to cuss and all those things that other teenagers did. Her parent's had said she had fallen into the "wrong crowd", but she disagreed. This new group of friends had opened her eyes. They were vampires and they understood.

It was them that convinced her to change her voice, name and appearance. It wasn't that hard and Hermione was able to learn the spells in a matter or days. She picked out the name though. She thought it suited her new look. So, Hermione became Ebony.

She still wanted to go to Hogwarts. She couldn't change that. What she could change, however, change who she hung out with. She no longer wanted to be part of the "golden trio". She wanted to experience life out on her own.

She didn't hate Harry and Ron and certainly didn't act like it. She was cold to them so they wouldn't try to befriend her, but she didn't loathe them as Draco did.

So, this was the lie she had chosen and she loved it.

At least, I think I do… Ebony mused as she sat on her bed…

A/N: Hope you guys like…not as long as I had hoped, but it works. Christmas is coming (in the story)…and TONS of new info about the characters… (there, you got a hint…so plz R&R)

A/N: Hey! So Embers and I finally sat down (at her house) and discussed what we wanted to happen in this story…so yay!) ok, I'll let you alone so you can read now…