Hermione Granger; A Vampire Chapter 14
Over the next few days, Hermione, Katherine and Stefan partied like never before…like only the supernatural can. They met others along the way, other vampires, werewolves, witches…all sorts. They had traveled to New Orleans, where everything, from the run down old bars, to the sparkling street lights, scream 'PARTY!'.
Hermione's emotions were gone. Gone, gone, gone. She relished in her kills, her innocent victims, in which she brought their death. She had never felt stronger, more confident in her self, yet she felt no emotions. Nothing powerful, like love, or hate. All she felt was the pleasure as she fed on her prey. Katherine and Stefan had fun too along with her.
They had once stayed in a hotel, and other times stayed with Katherine's friends, and had even spent nights on the bars, passed out drunk, snoring their heads off till noon, when the bar opened again and whoever was on duty would find them. This had happened many times, but compulsion was always there to help.
None of them was keeping track of time, none of them even knew what day it was. They only knew how much time passed from the sky, darkening at night, and brightening during the day. After sundown they would make their way to the nearest bar, club or party, and would only return in the early hours of the morning (that is if they did return).
Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna and Neville were extremely worried about Hermione. They didn't know where she went that day. All they knew was that she was heading down to potions and she hadn't even arrived at the lesson in the end. After a few days they had all went off looking for her. They had checked the most obvious place first, the library, but surprisingly she wasn't there, and the librarian said she hadn't seen her since days before she disappeared. Crestfallen Harry and Ginny had preceded to look in the Gryffindor common room and in the dining hall, while Ron, Neville and Luna headed outside and even went down to Hagrid's cabin, but she wasn't there either.
"This isn't like her." Ginny had said, biting her nails. They had all met up outside the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. The fat lady in her portrait was chatting with her friend Violet, very red in the face as she sipped from a wine glass in her hand.
Ron scanned the people around them before replying: "Maybe she went with…you know, HER."
"You mean Katherine?" Harry asked.
"Who's Katherine?" Neville asked curiously.
Ginny's face turned sour and she replied curtly; "Hermione's Vampire BFF."
Neville continued to look puzzled. "We'll tell you later." Harry waved him off. "Anyways Ron I think you might be right. Remember she mentioned something about not being able to keep the animal blood down? Well maybe she went to ask Katherine about it!"
Ginny pursed her lips. "Why wouldn't she come to us though? I mean we're her friends not HER!"
"She did though remember! At breakfast days ago!" Ron said.
"Who did what at breakfast?" All five of them turned around, to find their three least favourite people; Malfoy, and his two gormless sidekicks Crabbe and Goyle.
"Sod of Malfoy." Ginny snapped, irritated. Why oh why did they have to come at such an important time?
"Manners, weaselette, I'm simply curious." He smirked.
"Hermione's missing" burst out Neville before Ginny could silence him with a death glare.
"She's missing?" Malfoy seemed to loose some of his swagger. "I bet you anything it's that Katherine."
"Why, what do you know?" Ron stepped forward his jaw set.
"Easy there Weaslebee." Malfoy sneered, while Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles threateningly.
"Just tell us what you know!" Harry snarled. Did he know something they didn't?
Malfoy hesitated before replying. "Look, all I saw, was Hermione coming down the hall to potions a few days ago. Her bag ripped and everything fell out and she picked them all up. Next I looked she was gone."
"The dungeons…That's where Katherine and her boyfriend live!" Harry exclaimed. The others looked at him accusingly. "Hermione told me!" He said defensively.
"Come on!" Ron spun around to run down towards the dungeons when someone pulled on his jumper. "What?" He snarled.
"I'm coming with you!" Malfoy said determinedly.
"You? You hate her!" Ginny shouted.
"- I don't -HATE hate her. I- I just dislike her a bit." He stammered.
"She's a MUDBLOOD remember? Or did you forget?" Harry snapped.
"Look, I don't like her, but I don't want her to get hurt either."
"Okay, whatever, come on! Just leave your two brainless body guards." Ron said, and together they hurtled towards the dungeons.
Down in the dungeons, it was a few degrees colder and the walls were slimy looking. Harry hated being down in the dungeons. It made him feel trapped and cut off from the rest of the castle as it was so quiet. You couldn't hear the teachers telling off kids, or the hustle and bustle of students getting to classes.
"She was around here." Malfoy stepped forward and gestured to the empty corridor. The candles on the walls were causing a murky glow around the walls.
They all looked around them. There was just one door opposite them, and it was bolted shut.
"Hey, lets check in here!" Ginny ran over to the door and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. She slammed herself against it with her shoulder, but it didn't make a difference.
"Hermione! Hermione are you in there?" Ron shouted and he too tried to break the door down.
"Weasel! Stop shouting! God almighty what's wrong with you?" Malfoy strode forward, whipped out his wand and muttered "Alohomora." and The door swung open. He smirked at them and walked in, pocketing his wand.
The room was silent and no one was in there. There was a bed, bookshelves, and armchairs. They all looked around the room, and Neville went over to look under the bed.
"She won't be under there." Malfoy scoffed.
"We don't know that." Neville replied, coming out red faced.
"She's not here." Ginny said.
"Thank you captain obvious!" Malfoy scoffed again.
"Look, if your just going to be sarcastic you can leave, and let us look for our friend." Ron flared up and his ears went red…a dangerous sign.
Malfoy seemed to sense this as he didn't say anything but he narrowed his eyes, as if daring Ron to come at him.
"I think we should tell Dumbledore." Neville said panting slightly.
"No." Harry said at once. Everyone turned to look at him.
"Why not?" Ginny asked, and she raised her eyebrows.
"Because-, Because, I think she might have gone of the rails…you know, blood lust and everything." Ron flinched. "And I think we should try and find her ourselves because if she IS off the rails, she'll no doubt be ashamed of herself. Let's just think of where she might be and go and get her."
Hermione gingerly lifted her head of the wooden surface it was laying on. Her head throbbed and she reeked of tequila. She looked around her. She seemed to be in an old run down bar. The walls were mouldy looking and the floor was dirty. She screwed up her eyes and tried to remember the previous night, but couldn't for the life of her remember how she got there.
Katherine was perched on the edge of the bar watching her. She smiled brightly when Hermione lifted her head. Hermione groaned loudly and let her lead hit the wooden bar again. "What time is it?" she asked groggily.
"About noon." Katherine replied sweetly. "Here." She handed her a dusty glass full of thick red liquid.
"What is it?" Hermione asked suspiciously.
"The bartender." Katherine gained wickedly and put the glass down. "Drink up! We're going to a festival!" She hopped of the bar and went into what Hermione assumed was the ladies room.
Hermione sniffed the contents of the glass, and took a small sip. When she had drained the glass, she took out her wand and murmured a healing spell. She had just started to get the hang of them and she wasn't too bad at them. Her head still throbbed slightly, but it was much better than before. She stood up and wobbled over to the bathroom.
Katherine was re- doing her make up, and admiring herself in the mirror. Hermione snorted and tuned on the tap. She splashed cold water on her face to wake her up and tried to brush her hair with her fingers.
"Where's Stefan?" She asked Katherine, giving up on combing her straggly hair. She'd need to buy a brush first chance she got.
"Oh he went to the shops to buy us some necessities. You know, toothbrush, hair brush, mints." She carried on applying mascara to her already long lashes.
"I'm starving!" Hermione moaned.
"He's went to get some food too. If you could call it food. Everything is like poison these days." She grimaced.
"I meant real food." Hermione raised her eyebrows at Katherine who understood her perfectly. "Well, you'll have to wait till tonight I'm afraid. There is an amazing festival going on tonights, We HAVE to go!"
"We have to do a location spell." Ginny said, as she and the others all ran upstairs to the Gryffindor dormitories. We'll need something of hers…something personal!"
"What do you mean by personal? Like, her knickers?" Malfoy smirked at the thought.
"No you prat! Like her hairbrush, or a piece of jewellery!" Ginny snapped.
"What about that locket she's always wearing?" Neville asked.
"No, she has that with her, because it protects her from the sun." Luna said dreamily. She hadn't spoken a word up till now and everyone had forgotten she was even with them.
Once outside the fat lady's portrait, they hurriedly said they password and all trooped up to the girl dormitories…or at least tried to. As soon as the boys started to run up the steps, the spiral staircase transformed into a stone slide. Luckily Ginny managed to get to the top first, others they would have been stuck down there. Ron, who was halfway up the stairs when it transformed into a slide, tried to keep running up, but it was impossible, and he came tumbling down and knocked Neville, Luna and Harry over in the process.
Malfoy who hadn't even attempted to go up the stairs in the first place, laughed at them all. "How dumb can you get? Everyone knows boys can't get into the girls dormitories! I've tried it loads of times. Doesn't work."
"Why would YOU try get into the girls dormitories?" Neville asked.
"Pansy.' Malfoy simply answered.
"Parkinson!?" Ron asked disgustedly, standing up and brushing dirt of his trousers.
"Who else Weaslebee?"
"Your disgusting!" said Harry.
"Too right! But hurry, we haven't got much time! She could be injured! Come on!" Ginny came rushing out, carrying a plastic bag over her shoulder. They all clambered out of the portrait hole and ran as fast as they could outside onto the sunny grounds. She led them down under a treat by the lake, which was deserted at this time and most students were in the dining hall eating.
She flung the bag and herself on the ground and began to take everything out of it. A hairbrush, with a few stray hairs on it, her toothbrush, a silver charm bracelet, Hogwarts; a history, a pair of stripy socks and a small snow globe.
"Why'd you bring a book down? We aren't going to have much time for reading are we?" Malfoy asked, making for the book.
Ginny slapped his hand away irritably and placed each object in a circle. "I read up the incantation to the locater's spell a while ago while studying for exams…we have to all hold hands." She held out her hands on either side of her. "And also get in a circle around the objects." They all did, except for Malfoy.
"I'm not holding anyones hand!" He said stubbornly.
"Yes you are, if you want to save Hermione!" Ginny shouted. She looked actually quite scary, so Malfoy reluctantly took her hand, and (with a grimace) Ron's hand.
"Phasmatos, Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas, Samngueni." Ginny muttered, her head bent down. The soft breeze started to pick up until the leaves around them were flying everywhere. "Everyone concentrate on Hermione!" She shouted over the howling of the wind.
So they all did.
"Ahh!" Thats feels so much better!" Hermione sighed in relief, as she examined her self in the mirror. She had washed her face, brushed her teeth, brushed her hair and had something to eat and drink. She went into the main part of the bar;
Stefan sat at the bar, drinking a glass of whiskey. "Why are you drinking in the day?" Hermione asked. She took a handful of crisps from one of the many packets and shoved them in her mouth.
Stefan ignored her and carried on drinking. Hermione shrugged and threw a packet of crisps over to Katherine who was playing with the wine glasses. She caught them and examined the packet on them. She flipped it over and read the ingredients list. "Look at all the shit in this!" She exclaimed. "How do you eat this?"
Hermione shrugged again and continued to stuff her face. "Why isn't a bartender here yet? I'm thirsty." She moaned.
"I compelled him to come later on. He came about two hours ago, but you were still asleep." Stefan answered.
She groaned again and threw her head back. "When does this festival start Hunny Bunny?" Hermione mockingly asked Katherine.
"five-ish I think." Katherine replied examining her nails.
"Flashes, it was just flashes." Ginny said. She had seen flashes of Hermione, in what looked like a run down bar. She had a feeling it wasn't in England though. The streets and the buildings around the bar looked unfamiliar.
"Flashes of WHAT exactly?" Ron asked impatiently.
"A bar, but it didn't look as though it was here in England. I think they've travelled somewhere foreign." She said.
"Describe it to us." Harry said.
So Ginny did and when she had finished the were all silent for a few minutes. Finally Harry broke the silence.
"Well, if she is in another country…its not like we can just hop on an aeroplane and find her." he said gloomily.
"Ar- o- plane? What, them muggle machines that fly in the air?" Ron asked.
"Yeah" Harry answered.
"Well we have to find out where she IS first!" Ron exclaimed. He ran his hand through his ginger hair, making it stand on end.
"What about apparition?" Malfoy said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"We can't apparate in Hogwarts grounds." Harry responded.
"WE STILL NEED TO FIND OUT WHERE THE HELL SHE IS!" Ron shouted at them all exasperatedly.
"Ron! Calm down! Look, I'm sure we can do another more specific location spell, one where all of us can see what I saw, maybe one of you lot will recognise it." Ginny said.
So all six of them once again gathered in a circle and held hands and together they began to chant; "Phasmatos, Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas, Samngueni." The wind began to blow, fiercer than before. They gripped hands tighter as all of them started to see the same thing Ginny had seen. A run down old bar, by the looks of it, with Hermione sitting on one of the battered stalls and eating a packet of crisps. Stefan was next to her, sipping an amber coloured liquid, while Katherine swung her legs over the bar.
Suddenly the wind stopped and some sort of force sent all of them sprawling over the grassy bank.
Neville sat up rubbing his head, which had hit the trunk of a nearby tree. "Some sort of bar, is what I thought."
"Yeah, and we were right, she's with Stefan and Katherine." Harry snarled.
"So…none of us know where this bar is, so were going to have to think of something else." Malfoy said, brushing non-existent dust of his trousers.
"It's New Orleans."
All of them looked round at the speaker. Luna sat peacefully on the grass, her legs crossed, her hands resting on her lap and a dreamy expression on her face.
"Wh- what?" Ron spluttered.
"Its New Orleans. Daddy took me there when we went on our expedition looking for the crumple horned Snorkack." She replied staring at Ron without blinking.
"Wait- so you know where she is!" Malfoy asked eyebrows raised. In his opinion anything Loony said, was worth nothing more than dragon dung.
"Yes, I said she's in New orleans."
"You're sure?" Harry asked disbelievingly.
"Mmm Hmm." Luna said, waving her hands around as if swatting flies. Harry knew she was actually swatting away "Nargles".
"Okay then! Lets go!" Ginny said triumphantly. "I haven't passed my apparation test yet though, so I'll have to tag along with someone." She started walking off towards Hogsmead.
"Wait, Ginny!" Harry grabbed her arm and spun her around. He lowered his voice. "Are you sure Loon- Luna's right then?" He asked her.
"Of course I think LUNA is right! If she says she's been there than I believe her!" Ginny said irritably. "Now come on!"
Harry looked back towards Luna who was now standing up to follow Ginny, still flapping her hands in the air. He turned towards Ron, and Malfoy who were looking as though they too didn't believe Luna.
"Well, It won't hurt to check." Neville said stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"Yeah, just because you have the hots for her, you agree with everything she suggests." Malfoy sneered.
Neville face burned red but he didn't say anything. Malfoy smirked triumphantly.
"Yeah, lets just check. I mean, if she isn't there, we apparate back her and go to Dumbledore." Ron said.
Malfoy groaned. "You don't seriously believe Loony?"
"Wait- is anyone going to explain who Katherine is...?" Neville asked.
"OI! Hurry up you lot!" Ginny shouted. She and Luna were already half way there.
"Let's go!" Harry said, and together Harry and Malfoy jogged over towards the two girls, Neville looking puzzled, shuffling along behind.