THC/The Houses Competition

House: Gryffindor

Class: Muggle Studies

Category: Themed

Prompt(s): Sense: sight; [Dialogue] "No one ever saw me before. Not the way you did. No one ever will again."

Word Count: 2920

Huge thank you for editing (and cutting down words) to CharlieManx (CandyStar), Turanga4, Jet, Bailey + Gryffindor team

A/N: Takes place during Colin's second year at Hogwarts. Bryan Ferry is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He's someone Colin's parents would have listened to (popular in the 70s). Arwen Archibald an OC, a Hogwarts student.


Colin Creevey knew what he saw.

There was a vampire in Hogwarts and it left two liquorice-red marks on Arwen Archibald's leg. Everyone told Arwen it was a rabid badger. Colin made it his personal business to prove them wrong.

Colin's parents loved vampires.

They knew everything about them. His mother had an extensive collection of Anne Rice novels, and his father watched every rendition of Dracula imaginable. Colin became a second-hand expert on identifying the true mark of a blood-sucking man (or woman): clean marks that left two dots, glowing eyes, pale skin and a hungry smile. What bit Arwen was no animal; this was no accident.

Judging by the shallow bites, the hungry vampire was out for more.

The sighting happened at night.

Colin had photos of every Quidditch player for the school newspaper except the new Ravenclaw seeker, Arwen Archibald. He hid under the stands so Madam Hooch, the referee, wouldn't shoo him away. His heart pounded as his sweaty palms clutched his Argus C3. He tucked the large flash of the camera into the shadows so the moonlight wouldn't reflect off of it.

Then, a light shiver crawled up his neck hairs, grasping each one by the root and tugging it up.

Among the stripes left by the shadows of the stands, was a pair of lights. They could have been glow worms, but those wouldn't have made Colin's breath hitch.

The lights were close together. At one point, they blinked, and a string of pointed, white beads formed into a crescent moon. Colin stilled and there was only one word lingering on his lips.

Vampire.

Colin reached into his robe pocket and whipped out his wand. "L-lumos!"

The light at the wand's tip lit up the dried-up patch of grass and dirt beneath the stands; wrappers from Honeydukes and old butterbeer bottles laid everywhere. There were no more glow worms and no more beads.

"Nothing there." Colin gritted his teeth, then exhaled slowly.

It would be neat to add a photo of a vampire to the newspaper. Colin's fingers twitched around his camera. If I were brave enough, I could.

Soft voices came from the changing stall. Colin pointed his lens. He'd snap a photo through the sliver of space between the benches.

The Gryffindor team exited first. Dejected and completely peeved. Oliver Wood, the team captain, came out and roused the team with a set of encouraging pats on the back. For a moment, it looked like the players were dealing well with their loss, but when the Ravenclaw team finally joined them, their looks turned begrudging again.

Where was Arwen? Arwen needed to be in the picture, Colin thought.

Then a pretty head of blonde hair came into the viewfinder. Colin couldn't quite tell why his finger couldn't press down the shutter button on Arwen's scowling face nor why his heart began to thump loudly in his chest when she turned towards him and her lips spread into a giant smile. Colin cleared his throat and reminded himself that he wasn't here to look at eyes—not even those as blue as hers.

His camera followed her as she ambled around the pitch, clearing away fallen scarves and knickknacks.

A streak of light by the viewfinder made Colin lose focus. When he regained it, Arwen was gone.

She was standing right there, he muttered. He panned the camera, looking for her blonde hair. Then he heard her scream.

"Oi! What's happening?" Oliver called.

Arwen thrashed in the grass, shrieking as her body was hauled into the darkness beyond the floodlights. Colin's camera thumped against his chest, dangling from the strap. When Colin regained his senses, he grabbed his camera and released the shutter again and again until his finger was sore.

Oliver and a few brave Ravenclaws darted after Arwen, wands at the ready. A Stunning Spell hit the mass of black fabric, and Arwen clawed her way back towards the light.

When Arwen was safely in the arms of Brian Dunkins, the Ravenclaw beater, Colin sighed, his heart pounding wildly against his eardrums.

What was that?


Back in his dorms, the persistent shadow graced twenty of his photos. Colin plucked one developed photo off the clothesline, squinting his eye at the figure.

"Gee willikers," he whispered.

Some badger. In the photo was a man with dark black hair and a pinstripe suit. He grasped Arwen's ankles, tongue running over the soft flesh. His teeth glimmered like pearly-white specks in his mouth and his eyes were staring straight at Colin.

"Vampires don't have reflections or appear in photos."

He looked at the photo again with a magnifying glass. It was definitely a vampire.

Colin had to tell Arwen about what he saw. As he ran to the Hospital Wing, his palms sweated so much that he feared his photo was going to be soaked by the time he arrived. What was it about Arwen that made him act so…weird?

Madam Pomfrey blocked the entrance with her firm figure.

"It was a vampire…a real one! Look...the photo…the teeth. Camera can take photos of vampires. Arwen—"

Madam took a cursory look at the photo that was waved before her stern face. "Maybe someone's familiar became unruly?"

"No, but-"

She took Colin by the scruff of his robes and stuck him behind the door with the words, "Keep your nose out of other students' business and go to bed young man."

Colin couldn't believe it. He had seen a real vampire and no one even wanted to listen to him! Maybe he needed more proof or a better picture.

It would be scary to return to the pitch alone in the night, but Colin would come prepared. He would take a proper picture of the vampire to put into the school newspaper.

And to show Arwen, Colin added, blushing.

He could hardly sleep that night, imagining Arwen's pink lips smiling at him when he was the only one who believed her version of events. The following day, after class, he set to work.

He found some wild garlic growing outside of Hagrid's hut; the groundskeeper barely noticed him sneaking around his garden. A nearby shovel would make a good makeshift stake, not that Colin would ever dream of killing his photography subject.

He would need his wand to stun the vampire. He slipped on his walking boots and a thick jumper under his jacket. He rolled up his jeans a bit and placed his garlic into the deep pockets of his jeans.

"I'm ready," he said to his reflection in the mirror.

With that, he crawled under his covers, fully clothed, and pretended to sleep. He clutched his camera against his chest, feeling the photo of the vampire inside his inner jacket pocket crinkling as he stirred. As soon as the prefect left the room to do his rounds, Colin slipped out and began to climb down the stairs, out the portrait door, and through the dark castle.

Being small made it easier to sneak around.

He found himself at the Quidditch pitch for the second night in a row. He was going to see that vampire, and he was going to take a photo of it. When Arwen smiled at him for being so brave…well…he'd take that as the best thank you in the world. Maybe she'd even kiss his cheek like his ma kissed his pa when he washed the dishes after supper.

Colin took the cap off the camera lens. His wand was out and ready as he entered the pitch.

Beetles buzzed in the distance. Small glow worms floated about. The floodlights above the chequered towers flickered overhead, planting spots of light in the pitch.

Colin soon found he could make a game of jumping between one lit patch in the grass to the next. It was one of those silly, childish games he used to play as he walked home at night with his ma, only now he was sure that if he stayed in the shadows for too long, a real monster would come out and snatch him up. Quite frankly, it made the game more thrilling.

The pitch was decorated. There was a giant chequered tower for each one of the four house flags. Right now, he was standing beside Gryffindor's red lion poster. He'd have to hop to Hufflepuff to pass the next level. Colin counted seven patches of light as he came to the goal.

"Yes!" he said to himself. Now, to Ravenclaw. He began to run, passing each zone with a feeling of great accomplishment.

One. Two. Three.

Colin raced to number four and yelped when his back hit the ground. The grass was slippery. And then it occurred to him: he was in the shadows. Colin tried not to panic as he lifted himself up. His knee stung wildly, and he was sure he was bleeding under his jeans.

He began to limp towards the light, arms flailing around wildly. And then his hands were covered by the light again and he grasped at his chest. His camera…where was his camera?

I left it in the shadows. Oh no.

He exhaled and began to run. If he ran fast enough, he could pick it up and come back to safety.

It has to be here.

He couldn't see anything except the round patches of grass before him. His hands combed through the rug of damp, squeaky blades.

"Looking for this?"

Colin's cheeks went cold as he turned to face the voice. The figure was tall and the striped patches of white ran up from the bottom of two pant legs. In his hands was Colin's camera.

Colin knew it was rude to stay silent, but he could only manage a quick nod.

"Go on, take it." The sliver of light hitting the edge of the camera lens teased him. Colin wondered how many newspapers he'd have to deliver back home to earn enough for a new camera.

"Y-you can keep it," he said, backing away towards the light patch that didn't seem to get any closer.

The vampire ticked his fingernails against the body of the camera, and he flipped it in his hands. "I've never seen a contraption quite like this before. What is it?"

Colin's voice came out as a squeak. "An Argus C3…matchmatic. It's a camera."

There was a soft grunt as the creature opened up the door and began to pick at the film reel. The vampire's curiosity was the only thing keeping Colin alive. Vampires did like to toy with their food before they ate it. Perhaps if Colin kept the conversation going, he would not become dinner.

"It's a cheap model, but I know how to develop the photos professionally. I-if you like, I can show you one."

The two silver orbs glared straight at him. Hopefully, this was a good sign. Colin reached one sweaty palm into his jacket and took out the photo of Arwen and the vampire. He held it before him and squinted his eyes. Gently, the paper slipped out of his fingers.

"I-it's hard to see it….without the light." Colin pinched himself and muttered quietly, "That's right, vampires hate light."

"Common misconception." The vampire's voice was musical and pleasant to listen to. He sounded like a singer from a record his father liked to listen to; he sounded like Bryan Ferry.

When the vampire came into the light, he looked like Bryan Ferry with his dark hair and a pensive expression. Even his suit matched Ferry's, except with more black stripes. Bryan Ferry—the vampire—examined the photo and grunted.

"Is this your lovely damsel?"

Colin grinned. No one he knew said damsel. The vampire was probably very old and used old words.

"She's not my damsel… I mean…she is a damsel—a girl—but not mine." He rubbed his hand behind his neck. "I mean, I'd like her to be mine, but maybe in a few more years when my beard grows."

Colin's pa had a beard after he married his ma, and Colin decided he'd only find himself a girl once he grew a beard.

The vampire bowed his head. "I think that is a very wise idea."

He stared quietly at the photo. First, he trailed his finger along his lips, then along the photo, then over his brows and back over the photo. "This…is…me."

"Y-yes."

Colin watched as the vampire stared at the blank page, mesmerised, not a single muscle in his pale face twitched. "Did you create this?"

The boy nodded.

The vampire brought the picture close to his face.

"I am….hideous." His jaw tensed and his face pulled into a wicked scowl as he crumpled the photo in his fist. "No one ever saw me before. Not the way you did. No one ever will again."

He grabbed Colin's shoulders and shook him vigorously, his eyes piercing through him. "Why would you create such monstrous art, boy? Answer me!"

Colin squealed. "It's just a photo! Just a photo! I promise I didn't mean to. I could take another one-"

"-so you could show others how horrid I am?"

"-it's for Arwen. I promise. The girl in the photo? It was for her."

Bryan Ferry's face softened. Perhaps Arwen's pretty blue eyes worked wonders because he lowered the boy back to the ground and dusted him off. "Many apologies. If it is for the damsel…you are not lying to me boy?"

"N-no, sir."

"Very well. If you could take a more handsome photo of me, I'll let you keep it."

He handed the camera back to Colin, who polished the lens with the corner of his jumper. He lifted the viewfinder to his eye and sure enough, Bryan Ferry was there, scowling back at him. His back was straighter than a measuring stick and his thin lips formed the sharpest line against his already rock-hard expression. It was freaking Colin out.

"What are you doing?"

The vampire grunted. "This is a look of respect and admiration. Your Arwen will appreciate my poise."

"Well….stop it. It looks like you're constipated or something. Could you smile? Maybe think of something that makes you happy."

Maybe he shouldn't have said that; maybe the vampire had nothing happy to think about except girls' ankles. The vampire tilted his head back, drinking in the full moon. The sky was so clear that millions of stars twinkled all around them, just like in Colin's hometown. He looked at the stars and then at Bryan Ferry. His mouth was open ajar and all his teeth appeared on display. It was the closest thing to a smile Colin saw him do. As the creature tilted his head to the side, Colin held his breath and pressed the shutter, flashing a pop of light.

The vampire hissed and shielded its eyes.

"Sorry, that's the flashbulb. It makes sure your face is well exposed."

Bryan scowled. "Better be an excellent photo."

"Oh yes, yes it is. Arwen will like it."

Then Bryan's face softened. "In that case, I will forgive you."

The two orbs focused on Colin. "Will you stay with me to watch the stars, boy?"

Colin remembered that in animal documentaries, the predator would always sit very still before attacking its prey. He shook his head, keeping eye contact with the vampire.

"Getting late. Think I'll be going now." He tucked the camera into his jacket and paused. "If I turn around, can you promise not to grab me by the ankles and bite me?"

Bryan leant in close and whispered in Colin's ear. "Why shouldn't I?"

As he spoke, his lips smacked together and a small dribble of copper-scented spit landed on Colin's jacket collar.

"Well….well…if you grab me now, then I won't be able to develop the photo back in my room."

Bryan hummed and held out his hand. "That is fair."

Colin reached out and grabbed the cold fingers and shook them. Sharp nails dug into the back of his hands.

"N-nice meeting you."

"Pleasure meeting you too, Mr Creevey. May our paths collide once more. I would like to see that photograph."

The dark form of the vampire lowered into the shadows, the stripes of his suit fading. Like a giant leopard, he sprawled out on the grass, prompting his head up with the palm of his hand. Colin pulled the jacket up to his ears and hastened to the Gryffindor tower.

Paths colliding once more? No fat chance the vampire will find him.

Then he stopped cold in his tracks and a shiver ran down his spine. He never told the vampire his name.

He jerked his head around to find the two orbs were not staring up at the stars; they were facing him. Colin swallowed.

"I'll be fine," he said, giving a stiff laugh. "Don't have to look out for me."

The orbs blinked and a set of pearly white teeth curved into a wicked crescent shape. Colin watched it become smaller and smaller as he walked, not daring to blink. He didn't turn his head until he hit something hard. Screaming, he found himself in the arms of Madam Hooch. He dug his nose into her robes, shaking.

Madam Hooch squinted into the distance as she ran her hands through his hair, but said nothing. The crescent moon and the two floating orbs were nowhere to be seen. Even as Madam Hooch walked Colin back to the castle, the image of the smiling face stayed fresh in Colin's mind.