The train pulled to a stop at the Hogsmeade station. Winter slid out the window, and ran at full speed up to the castle. She reached the gates and stared at the locks.
"Who are you?" a gaurd shouted at her, pointing his wand in her face.
"Winter Trace," she explained, looking up at the top of the gate. "I'm a student. What's with the locks on this thing?"
"It's for the protection of the students," the man explained, lowering the wand. "But why do you look so...strange."
"I'm insult!" Winter snapped. "Now, I'm a student. I can give you WHATEVER reassurance you want of it. I mean, look, SLYTHERIN ROBES! Dear God, man. When Professor Snape gets here, he'll make sure you let me in."
And with that, Winter sat down with her back to the castle and to the man.
"I'm sure he will not be please," she said, crossing her arms and legs.
"No, wait, I'll let you in," the man said.
Winter hopped up and stepped into the grounds after the gate was open.
"Thanks," she called, already walking up the castle, leaving the man wondering what was up with the strange girl.
As soon as Winter was sure that she was out of sight, she ran behind a tree and changed to a bat. She loved feeling her bones stretch and pop, her wings take shape and her body change in so many way. She let out a schreech as she rose into the night air.
Winter looked around and saw the carriges slowly appraoching the castle. She took off towards the school and landed carefully on a window. She changed back to her human form and jumped onto the the floor. She combed through her hair with her long fingers and began walking down to the Great Hall while straightening out her robes.
"Ah, hello, Bloody Baron," she said as she passed him.
"Here for another year in the dark? In the private?" he asked.
"Nope," Winter said, turning around to face him. "I'm going into the mass of students!"
"How many minions do you need?" the Blood Baron asked, floating in front of her.
"None," she said. "I work alone. However, if I say, oh, I dunno, bite a certain boy in my year, I don't think I'd mind to terribly much."
Winter gave a short laugh before hurrying off the the Great Hall again. The Bloody Baron continued floating, confused by exatcly what she meant. He shrugged it off and continued on his roaming. Winter found McGonagall standing by the entrance doors, waiting on the students.
"Hey, Professor!" Winter called, running up to her. "Did Snape tell you?"
"Tell me what?" McGonagall asked, looking down at the girl in a confused manner.
Winter scoffed and led McGonagall into the Great Hall. The rest of the teachers were all gather there, except Hagrid.
"Well!" Winter said, smiling broadly at them. "I'm going to day school!"
"You're WHAT!" Professor Flitwick squealed.
"Well, I know how hard it is for you guys to stay up until midnight working with me for hours and such, and then you end up with so little sleep because you have to start lessons and such, so I talked to Snape, and told him how I decided it would be easier on you, Professors, for me to go to lessons with everyone else. Like I'm...human again," Winter explained.
"We need to discuss this," Dumbledore said.
At that moment, the door burst open to reveal the students, save the first years and Harry Potter. However, having spent most her life in the forest, she didn't even know who he was. Snape rushed up and took Winter's hand, as if to lead her to the Slytherin table, but Dumbledore stopped him.
"Severus," Dumbledore whispered above the ground.
Snape let go of Winter and walked up to him.
"I support the idea of her stay, only if you have a way for her to feed without killing the students," Dumbledore said, his voice still barely above a whisper.
"We've found a potion that curbs her hunger," Snape explained quietly. He rolled up his sleeve to show a few cuts on his hand. "It just requires a few drops of blood, but the rest takes care of her hunger. The little but of blood is what actually satisfies her."
Dumbledore nodded and said, "But I feel like you're leaving something out, Severus. Is there something you would like to tell me?"
"No," Snape replied shortly and led Winter over to the Slytherin table. There, she sat as far away as she could from Draco Malfoy. And Winter didn't take a single breath. She ate as much of the meat as she could, and then gorged on some of the pudding.
"Who are you?" one fo the Slytherin seventh years asked. "No one's ever seen you before."
"Of course you haven't," Winter replied as though the boy was stupid. "I used to go to a school in Translyvannia, but then, due to...unfortunate circumstances, I was forced to come here. To Hogwarts."
"So when'd they sort you into Slytherin?" a girl asked.
"Earlier this summer," Winter replied. "I arrived BEFORE all of you, and they took care of it."
"Do you know anyone here?" another boy asked.
"Snape," Winter said, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. "He's a friend of mine and the...family."
The other students around her joked on whatever they were eating or drinking. They each took a few minutes to take care of themselves, as the door opened. Winter looked up and saw a great white form enter. It went up to Snape and spoke out in a woman's voice.
"Come down to the gates," the voice said from the white form. Winter was trying to figure out exactly what it was. "You're needed."
Then the form disappated, and Snape walked slowly out, as if dreading the task he was about to preform.
"Well, that was weird," a boy muttered.
"It's HOGWARTS," came a drawling voice from behind them. Winter's gnawing hunger grew until a monster was taking over her body. She gripped the edges fo the bench as hard as she could without breaking them. "What isn't weird about this stupid place?"
"Ah, hello, Draco," said the ifrst person who had spoken to Winter.
Winter clamped a hand over her mouth and dashed out of the Great Hall, so fast, hardly anyone noticed her. She got out into the night air and watched Snape walk along with a bobbing lantern.
"What's he doing?" Winter muttered to herself. "Oh, well, I need bl-"
The door opened as Winter was talking to herself and Draco stepped out.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked, holding her arm, so she didn't bolt again. "Every time I'm near you, you freak and run off!"
Winter remained silent, not breathing with a hand over her mouth and nose. She felt her fangs growing out and protrude from her mouth.
"Crud," she muttered. She glanced at Draco over her shoulder. "Run, Draco, run."
"What?" Draco asked, letting go, somewhat frightened by her.
"RUN!" Winter screamed.
Draco stared at Winter for a moment before running back to the feast. Winter staggered a few steps in the direction of the forest and then dashed towards it, hoping to find something that could satifsy her needs. She ran along, still feeling like a monster and soon came across a centaur.
"Humans shouldn't be here," the centaur snarled.
"Well, I'm not human," Winter said, springing onto its back. "I'm a vampire, and I'm sorry for what I'm about to do."
Winter sunk her fangs into the neck of the creature, sucking its vast amounts of blood through its neck. The centaur roared and bucked, trying to get Winter off, but he failed and soon became weak. He collapsed on the ground where Winter drained the last of him. She got off the corpse and walked away, looking back once. She paused as she looked back and went towards the dead centaur again.
"Okay, fine," she said to it. "I feel bad about leaving you here. I won't bury, but I will...say a pray?"
Winter knelt in front of it and came up blank for a funeral prayer.
"This frustrates me," she said. "I mean, I'm not the most religious, but I should be able to remember one. Uh, I guess I could say a few words or something? How does that sound?"
Winter sighed and said a few words for the centaur. She got up and dusted off her robes before walking back to the castle. Most of the lights were off in the castle, so Winter slid down to Snape's office, hoping to find him there.
"Snape," Winter sighed in relief when she found him sitting there, preparing for lessons in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class room.
"What is it, Winter?" Snape asked, getting up and walking over to her.
"Well, I can't stand Malfoy. His blood...Ugh," Winter said, pulling out the potion and taking a few gulps. "And he got right next to me more than once - touched me one time. It drove me insane! I had to actually feed!"
"What did you feed on?" Snape asked, dropping his voice low. He walked over and checked that no one was outside his office before shutting the door. "And where? Did anyone see you?"
"Only the victim," Winter said as Snape pushed her into his chair and started digging in cabinets. "What the hell are you doing?"
"We have to make that potion more powerful," Snape answered. "We have to bee able to control you."
"What do you mean 'we'?" Winter laughed. "I keep myself in control as I've done for YEARS!"
"You go crazy around Draco Malfoy!" Snape said, digging for the ingredients he needed for the potion. "I should never have left my private stock of ingredients in the potion room."
"Whatever," Winter said, getting up. "I'll just take care of myself, and that's it! I don't need you! Although, can I have a room to myself, because sharing a room with people with beating hearts and flowing blood? Yeah, that does NOT sound like a good idea. So, can we bring my coffin in here?"
"Fine," Snape agreed. I'll be back with it in a minute. Go find your things."
"Okay," Winter said and walked done to the Slytherin dungeons. She found her things sitting in a room with some other girls. She took them and walked back to Snape's room, putting no effort into what she was doing.
Little did she know, she was being watched. Malfoy was hidden in the shadows, watching Winter walk towards the DADA room. He was intriqued by this mysterious girl. What secrets did she hold? Why did she always act so weird around him? Who is she?
Well, I like how this one came out. What do you think? Review, yes? Please? I refuse to beg. Really, I do. I had planned to have this out earlier, but the Sims 3 distracted me...again. I write a challenge for the game, if anyone's interested. Tell me in a review and I can give the link. Bye!
-xXRayneXx