Disclaimer: See previous chapters

A/N: Thanx to all those who reviewed the last chapter, and I apologize for taking so long to update.

Chapter 5

The Potion part 1

"You have the rest of the class to complete the assignment," as Snape finished giving instructions, Aithne entered the classroom. "Why are you so late?" Snape snarled at her. Aithne handed him a note and answered offhandedly as she set up her cauldron next to Neville, "Proffessor Dumbledore wanted a word with me. I could hardly refuse."

"Very well. The assignment is on the board," Snape walked back up to his desk and sat down, spearing Aithne with an unreadable look before returning to his work.

The class followed Proffessor Snape's directions carefully. About half-way through the class, Aithne glanced over at Neville. Faster than the eye could see, Aithne reached out and pulled Neville to the floor just as he dropped an ingredient into his cauldron and it exploded. As the smoke cleared, chaos ensued. Snape shouted for calm and eventually gained it. As he started examining the students' superficial injuries, Aithne moved off of Neville and started checking him over for any injury. Seeing that her body had protected him, Aithne started to brush herself off as she stood. Snape started to make his way towards her and Neville just as Aithne turned and fled the room.

"Anyone who was injured, please head up to the Hospital Wing, the rest of you go back to your common rooms!" The students filed out of the classroom at Snape's command. Snape bent down over Neville as the boy started to sit up, "Are you hurt?" Neville shook his head.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry P-Proffessor. I didn't mean to."

"It doesn't matter now you silly boy. You will be seeing the headmaster over this. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Proffessor Snape."

"Good." With this Snape held out his hand and Neville warily accepted the help to stand. "Vanora?"(1)

"I don't know, she just ran out into the hallway. She didn't look very good, professor. You should probably make sure she wasn't hurt. I'll stay right here, I promise." Snape glared at Neville a moment before stepping toward the door.

Aithne stumbled out of the small nich as Snape walked out of the potion's room. Snape turned toward her and walked over quickly. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I just don't feel very well, Proffessor."

"I'll get you some water." Aithne managed to rasp out a 'no' as she started to sway. "Let's get you up to the hospital wing,then." With that Snape scooped Aithne into his arms just as her legs gave out beneath her.Halfway to the hospital wing, as Snape looked down at her pale, shivering form, Aithne's eyes closed slowly as she surrendered to unconcioussness.

As Snape entered the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey, Proffessor McGonagall, and Proffessor Lupin came up to him. Lupin silently accepted Aithne's still form, while McGonagall started to question Snape about what happened.

Lupin walked over to the bed that Hermione had just vacated, and laid Aithne down on it. "What happened down there, Harry?"

"I think Neville mixed up his potion ingrediants. He was lucky Aithne was there to pull him to the floor, he could have been seriously injured."

"What happened to her?"

"Well, after the explosion, she kind of started to dust herself off, and then she suddenly ran out of the room."

"I was heading up to the hospital wing to get the gash in my arm healed when she came running out into the hallway; she sort of ran into a small nich, where she, well, she lost her lunch, for lack of a better term. I tried to go over to help her, but she told me to get up to the hospital wing and away from her; she was quite forceful about it to tell you the truth." As Hermione finished speaking, Madame Pomfrey and Proffessor McGonagall came over.

"It's nothing to seious, Poppy. Apparently she just has a weak stomach and fainted after the explosion. I'll take her up to her common room, why don't you go look after the rest of the students." Madame Pomfrey nodded, Remus knew remedies almost as well as her, she trusted his judgement.

As Madame Pomfrey walked away, Lupin gently picked up Aithne and motioned slightly at Harry, "Lead the way," before they all headed for the door. Four pairs of feet made their way to the portrait of the Fat Lady, who of course had dosed off. "Excuse me," The Fat Lady jerked awake at the sound of Lupin's voice.

"Eh, Password?"

"Harry, what did you say the password was again?"

"Remus! I didn't know you were back at Hogwarts!" The Fat Lady exclaimed as she slowly became completely awake and realised that it it wasn't just students seeking entrance to the common room.

"Milk and Cookies," Harry stated. As the portrait swung open Harry muttered, "That is such a stupid password."

The four stepped through the portrait hole and into the common room, which by some miracle was empty. Lupin walked over to one of the many couches in the common room and set Aithne down. When he started to speak, it was soft, but the other three heard him perfectly. " Aithne will have to stay with me for the next couple of days for observation. I have to be sure of the effects that that explosion had on her. The indicators haven't been at all good so far. Hermione, could you go upstairs and please bring down that envelope that Aithne recieved from Lucious the other night?"

"Sure, no problem, Proffessor." Hermione headed up to the dorm room where Aithne kept all her possessions. She stopped about halfway up the stairs.

"Proffessor?"

"Yes?"

"Aithne keeps her trunk locked. Not even one of my alohomora charms can open it."

"One moment," Lupin took hold of the small chain that hung around Aithne's neck and unfastened it before holding the key out to Hermione. Hermione went upstairs and brought the potion ingrediants down moments later.

"Proffessor, you said she needed to stay under observation, because the indicators weren't good. What indicators were you talking about? What's happening?"

"The indicators; ridding her body of food, refusing anything to drink afterwards, and loosing conciousness, point toward the fact that that potion Neville created, along with the explosion, had a bad reaction with the potion Aithne uses."

"What are you saying, Proffessor?"

"When Aithne wakes up, she'll probably be hungry, and not for food. That explosion left Aithne's special abilities, shall we say, unprotected."

"What, you mean when she wakes up, she'll be in full vampire mode?"

"Yes, Ron, that's exactly what I'm saying." Ron paled, as did Harry and Hermione.

"Well, at least this happened, last day of classes. Hopefully, she'll be ready to go back to classes by the end of Christmas vacation."

"We can only hope."

"I'll be taking her to the shreiking shack later tonight. That's where I'll be staying by the way."

"Won't you be cold?"

"I've been fixing it up a bit on the inside. I've got the heat working and at least two satisfactory bedrooms. No electricity though, that would look to suspicious."

"Why have you been fixing it up?"

"Something to do with my spare time. And of course, in case anything like this ever happened, which now it has."

"Come in."

Neville opened the door to the headmasters office slowly and closed it behind him.

"I'm sorry,Proffessor!" Crystaline drops of water started to streak down the boys face. "Please don't expel me! It was an accident, I swear!"

"Mr. Longbottom, calm down. I merely need you to tell me what happened down in potions this morning. Proffessor Snape already told me what he saw."

"I was following the directions on the board, but I must have grabbed a wrong ingrediant, or mixed a couple of ingrediants up, or not have waited long enough to drop the ingrediant in. I really am horrible at potions. The next thing I know, Aithne grabbed me and pulled me to the ground as my cauldron exploded."

"Was Aithne injured?"
"I don't think so. Someone said she'd fainted and Proffessor Lupin had taken up to her common room."

"Thank you, Neville. You may go now."

"That . . That's it?"

"It was clearly an accident, I have no reason to punish you. Now off to board the train with you. Woudn't want you to be stuck here for your winter vacation."

Crookshanks darted underneath the branches and pressed the not at the base of the tree. Immeadiately the branches stopped trying to impale Remus as he ran to the base and slipped into the passage that led to the Shreiking Shack. Remus walked quickly, mindful of Aithne, who still hadn't woken up.

As he entered the house where he would be staying with Aithne, Remus felt a shiver run down his spine from the memories that he held for this place. He walked up the stairs and into one of the bedrooms. The sun finally sank below the horizon, and full night fell. Aithne stirred. Remus just shook his head, vampires were naturally nocturnal creatures, it didn't really suprise him that Aithne was waking up now.

Aithne rolled over and her eyes, like liquid steel, blinked open and focused on him. He felt himself shiver under that gaze.

"How nice of you to join me, Aithne."

"Remus," Aithne replied, her voice audibly scratchy.

"Here," Remus rolled the sleeve of his robe up and held his bare arm out to Aithne. "Be gentle."

Aithne smiled weakly as she took hold of the arm.

A/N: Please R&R! I'm suffering from severe review withdrawel! Hope scene changes are clear enough!

1- Vanora is Aithne's last name