Hey all! Back with a new chapter here! Much longer than usual, but also full of new events, so I couldn't make it shorter. Hope you enjoy it!

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5. Night Stroll

Agnieska was sitting in the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, a candle lit at the edge of her desk as she wrote a short letter. It was addressed to the slayers that had informed her of an attack on her house back in Romania. Of course, she had left the very night she received that letter, and had no time to answer back to their threats. Now, sitting safely in Hogwarts, she had all the time she needed. Her answer was this:

My most feared enemies,

I wish to inform you that I am no longer a resident of the Carpathian Mountains. I had to leave the very night I had received your letter. I wish to apologize to you for our missed encounter, but I had to live up to my duty as a vampire, which is to live in a community that fears vampires, yes, but that doesn't reject them, and even more, doesn't slay them. I would have been happy to give you a proper welcome, but I must say that luck was most gentle upon you. It's completely unnecessary to try to look for me. You won't be able to know of my whereabouts from anyone, not even the owl. I made sure of that.

If you wish to take hold of my possessions in my quarters in Bran Castle then please do. I took my most prized possessions and have left nothing there I would regret losing. However, I must warn you. I have made sure to curse many of the most valuable objects you will find there. Unless you absolutely must, try not to touch anything unless you wish to suffer the consequences.

Another thing you must know. All the guards know about your raid on the castle, and the will do nothing to stop you. Please do not think of me as a generous person, I would be too honored. However, try not to hurt any innocent people, as is your habit. I believe you've slain more humans than you have vampires. I ask you not to harm any more.

I thank you for the unforgettable times we had together, and wish you the best of luck in pursuing your quest against me.

Yours sincerely,

Agnieska VanKopelhaggend

After signing the letter, she folded it neatly and placed it in an envelope, sealing it with the Dracula coat-of-arms. She got up, and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her and left the dungeons. The corridors were empty on the way to the owls. As he stepped in, all the owls stopped hooting immediately and looked down at her suspiciously. Agnieska sighed. She had that effect on animals. They all seemed to think she was going to bounce on them suddenly and devour them.

She looked for an owl that seemed to be strong enough to fly all the way to Romania and back, no matter how much time it took. She wasn't pressing the matter at all. Her black eyes flashed as she spotted an owl looking light and strong. She smiled and looked into its eyes, then raised her left arm towards it. It stared down at her, not budging from its place. Agnieska closed her eyes and shook her head. This wasn't going to work.

"Are you coming or not?" She asked it and it turned its head the other way, looking indignant. Agnieska knew it didn't want to go all the way to Romania. "I understand it's going to be a long flight, but people's lives are in danger. You can take your time, but you must be there in a week's time. I know you could do it."

The owl looked at her and spoke in its thoughts. "Lives in danger? I wonder what your kin have done this time. Be as it may, I will take the letter, but I cannot promise you a week's time before I arrive." Vampires are fully capable of hearing the animal's thoughts, though the Human's brain needs more effort due to its superior complexity.

"Is ten days good?" She asked in her thoughts. She made her thoughts look desperate, and the owl looked down at her. "I suppose it is."

"Thank you. I promise you will be nurtured upon your arrival." With that, the owl fluttered down towards her and held out its leg for her to attach the letter. It then took off reluctantly through the dark midnight sky. All that was left for her to do was to find a way to get an Acromantula for the following sixth year lesson. She thought a trip to the Care of Magical Creatures teacher would help her to find out where they live. Of course, before that, she'd have to ask permission to bring such a dangerous creature into the castle.

Agnieska left the owlry and headed to Dumbledore's office. Walking through the castle corridors, images of her pas flashed through her mind. She was born in the Transylvanian royal family, great grand-daughter of Count Dracula. Everyone was convinced he was a vampire, of course. He never was. He was the first vampire of her kind in the family, bitten and raised by a travelling vampire, Rasler. He took her to safety when the castle was under attack and became her father and lover. Her mind aged as time passed, death preserving her sixteen-year-old body for hundreds of years. A slayer attack killed Rasler, her only family, and she vowed to avenge him. Ever since, she has been on a search for a sign of these slayers. She came back to live in Bran Castle, since she was the only heir, and took on her search from there. That was when she heard that that this gang of slayers had moved to England. In her lust for revenge, she looked for a way to go to England and saw the announcement Dumbledore had published in the Daily Prophet asking for a new DADA teacher. She applied for the job and got it. She didn't think Dumbledore had no idea of her true intentions, yet he must have thought that she was a good asset to the school so he could let a dangerous vampire teach.

She arrived at the gargoyle and spoke the words "chocolate frogs". The gargoyle sprang to life and opened the wall behind it revealing a set of spiral stairs. She stepped onto the stairs and was lifted to Dumbledore's office door. She tapped lightly, heard Dumbledore's voice beckoning her in, and opened the door. The office was just the same as when she had come here for an interview a few weeks ago. Dumbledore was also sitting in exactly the same position as before, fingers of both hands crossed before his mouth, his blue eyes peering at her from over his half-moon spectacles. As soon as he caught sight of her he got up, smiling brightly, and opened his arms wide.

"Why hello, Professor VanKopelhaggend! What brings you to my office this beautiful evening?" He motioned to the chair at the front of his desk as she walked towards him, smiling in turn. She took a seat, looking down at her knees as Dumbledore moved to his seat himself and sat in the same position as before. "Would you like a brandy?" He asked flicking his wand. Two crystal cups and a bottle of brandy soared out of a cupboard and served brandy to both, then set themselves on the table between them. Dumbledore took a sip then turned to Agnieska. "So what can I do for you?" He asked pleasantly, looking deeply in her eyes. She knew he would use Legilimency on her, as he had during her interview. She set her eyes on her cup and answered "I've come to seek permission to bring in a baby Acromantula into the school."

Dumbledore's eyes stayed on her for a while and then he asked "and might I ask why you wish to bring such a dangerous creature into a school full of young students that can't yet protect themselves?" His voice was stern, but he was surprised at how forward her proposition was. It was as if she were talking about giving the students a tour of the grounds. It seemed to be such a natural thing for her to ask, she didn't even seem embarrassed to endanger such a large amount of innocent beings.

Agnieska picked up her glass and swirled the liquid in it. "I need an Acromantula to teach the seventh years how to use the spell to counter them. I gave them practical homework, but I believe it isn't enough to practice such a spell on mere spiders. Acromatulas have a certain amount of magical defense, and the students need to know how to get through it and to attack it correctly."

"I'm sorry Miss Agnieska, I can't allow an acromantula to get into the castle. I believe you've heard of the incident fifty years ago? A student was expelled because he had endangered the school using a dangerous creature. I cannot allow anyone to bring in any more dangerous creatures into the school. You can imagine the panic the staff would be in." He looked deeper into her eyes and she felt him boring into her mind. She immediately shielded herself. She didn't mind before, but now, it was becoming seriously annoying.

She smiled pleasantly, and nodded, "I understand, Headmaster. I'm sure I can find another way that wouldn't endanger students for no reason. I apologize for making such a demand, it must sound completely senseless." She added innocently, looking slightly concerned.

"Oh I've heard many more senseless things in my life, my lady," He answered, smiling in return. They both got up, she bowed and left the room.

Agnieska strolled lightly through the corridor, sweeping past the Great Hall and through the Great oak doors. She needed some air to get her mind back in order. She was slightly concerned about what had happened. She had gotten to the point where she didn't mind risking the lives of innocent children just to achieve what she had planned. Yes, it must have been Durmstrang that did this to her. She had been one of the rare students to have encountered Durmsrang himself. He was the founder of Durmstrang Academy of Magic. As much as he loved the school, his prime concern was to make the students feel constantly threatened to die at any moment. Of course, in Romania at the time many wizards would use magic to get their bitter way. It was almost a necessity for students to be able to feel a nearing threat and to have a reflex of defending themselves at any moment. The dueling club was the most popular after-school activity, far more popular than Quidditch was here.

Of course, with this atmosphere, students learned to feel that death was imminent, and that the risks they could take in life were endless. They thought that it didn't matter what they did, they were going to die in the end anyway. This made them reckless; they didn't mind risking the lives of others or their own lives just to get what they want, and if someone were to die in the process it was just their "luck". This was Durmstrang's teaching.

Agnieska sat under the magnificent willow at the edge of the black lake. The half-moon was high in the sky, its light brighter than the any stars surrounding it, reflected onto the water still as glass. She smiled as she contemplated the grounds. These students were very lucky to have such a view, and such a huge castle. Durmstrang's grounds were vast and the castle was quite small, yet the weather was almost never clear as it was tonight in Hogwarts.

A little bird ruffled its feathers in its sleep on the branch over her. The scent of it made her dizzy. She had gotten very thirsty in such a little time, and the potion Professor Snape has been giving her to diminish her lust made her control herself by feeling weak at the scent of blood. It wasn't the best solution, but it did keep her from killing students and any other animal and made her drink only the blood of what has been given to her in her plate at dinner. Tonight, she felt a greater lust for blood than ever since she had arrived. It must have been the nice weather that made her optimistic. She got up and peered at the bird on the branch, her eyes becoming slightly lighter and twinkling. Her lips trembled and her tongue moistened them slowly. She definitely wanted this bird alive. She had been giving no sign of movement, and then suddenly she jumped, grabbed the bird between her fingers, crushing its weak ribs with her iron grip. It died instantly, almost painlessly. She never liked to make her prey suffer. As she landed she heard a gasp and a thud from behind the tree. Agnieska was alarmed. Had someone seen her? She would be fired for sure if word broke out of what she was. As she stepped lightly around the huge tree, a slender body revealed itself, and a face covered in bushy brown hair.

"Ow…"Hermione sat up, rubbing her arm, an Invisibility cloak spread out under her. She looked up and gasped again, realizing that she had been discovered. Agnieska's eyes were still light from the lust, yet her dizziness hadn't subsided, but worsened from the scent of the bird I her hand. Her eyes were blurry, and for a moment, she couldn't feel her knees and dropped to the floor. Hermione shrieked as this woman fell on top of her, her breathing heavy. Neither could move, one from the whirlwind in her head and the other from the fear. Agnieska finally spoke, "You are Miss Granger, aren't you?"

Hermione was trembling slightly, something that didn't help Agnieska at all. She had never lost control of herself after such a long time, and this abstinence was making her more eager to bite into something warm and soft. Not only that, but the trembling always made the scent stronger. She looked up into the girl's face and saw how frightened she looked. She picked herself up slightly with her arms and rolled to the side, landing on her back. She really needed to drink blood, and she didn't care whose it was. She felt the warm bird still clutched between her fingers and held it hard against her mouth, her fangs biting into its flesh fiercely, making the blood squirt in her face and on her robes. She barely heard Hermione shriek. She drank greedily, letting herself go to all her animalistic instincts.

As soon as the blood was drained from the bird, she turned onto Hermione. She swiftly grabbed her throat and held her against the tree, feeling her wither and gasp for breath under her grasp. She slowly approached her lips to her neck, brushing it softly, opened her mouth and froze. A searing pain broke out in her head. She let Hermione go instantly and clutched her head from the pain, not making a sound. She heard the girl splutter and croak, "Professor?". There must have been a spell set on the potion she had been taking so she wouldn't hurt students. Feeling the lust getting the better of her again, she decided to run as far away from the girl as possible, and head into the Forbidden Forest.

Agnieska ran towards the Forbidden Forest and past the first trees. She could hear the distant wailing of werewolves and the pounding of hooves coming from the many herds of centaurs. She knew she wasn't very safe here in her condition, but hopefully her instincts would kick in if the situation got too tricky. Her steps didn't falter once, but she couldn't run at full speed simply because of her nausea and the force of the curse that had just affected her. She could soon smell Hermione's scent from behind her. Stupid girl, she thought. Hermione didn't know what she was getting herself into. Soon enough, the forest was getting darker and she had to slow down to pass through the thick trees. Hermione soon caught up with her and held onto her robes, making her halt.

"What do you want, child?" Spat Agnieska, looking at Hermione, who looked completely out of breath, with loathing. She was going to get herself killed and get Agnieska fired. Now all Agnieska thought about was not losing control and hurting the girl.

"So you really are a vampire? It was obvious when you almost attacked Ron in our Defense against the Dark Arts class this week," said Hermione between sharp breaths. She never kept her eyes off Agnieska, as if analyzing her every movement.

Agnieska let out a single loud laugh at her statement. "What were you hoping for? A fairy princess?" She then frowned again, throwing her that same hateful look as before. "You know, I was always fond of hard-working students. Never have I wanted to see one suffer more than I do now."

This made Hermione take a step back, but she still kept her eyes on her. After a moment's glaring, Hermione screamed out, "I'm not afraid if you!"

"What do you want then?" Agnieska yelled back, smiling savagely. "Do you want me jobless? Homeless? What do you want to do with this new-found knowledge of my identity? Try to kill me? Why – Why are you following me into the Forbidden Forest you crazy girl?"

This last question made Hermione blush. "I – erm – I just wanted to –…"

"What?"

"I just wanted to know if it really was true, if you were really a vampire. And to make sure you were alright. You didn't look so good."

Agnieska's hands fell to her sides with astonishment, and she ripped the bark off a nearby tree out of frustration. "I can't believe it! You would risk your life and follow a lusted vampire into a place where no one would hear you scream just to be sure of something? Are you insane?"

Hermione looked at her feet, stood very still and said, "I promise I won't tell anyone about it." Agnieska sighed and shook her head. "Dear child, I want you to run back where you came and not return. Leave me here to deal with my own issues. When I am feeling better I will return. Now, I beg you, go!"

Hermione looked up at her for a moment, pained, then put the cloak around her and disappeared. Just then, the ground trembled with the pounding of hooves and the bowstrings creaked against the arrows the appearing centaurs held. One centaur of the herd came forward, looking menacingly at Agnieska. "What brings a vampire into our forest?" He asked, pointing at her with his crossbow.

Agnieska looked around at them cautiously. It would have been possible to outrun them if she wasn't so dizzy. However, she had to show extreme diplomacy in talking to them now if she didn't want to see Hermione and her shot to pieces. "I'm sorry I trespassed upon your territory. I had no idea your people lived here."

"Is this true? Why must your kin always lie?" The last word he spoke was met with jeering from the other centaurs.

Agnieska's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" She asked. She knew no other magical creature liked her race, but she wasn't lying. She really had no idea she had gotten into their territory.

The head of the herd looked at the others in mocking disbelief before answering her question. "Do you want us to believe your little friends didn't tell you of our whereabouts?" He then gave her a hard cold look and stepped up to her, his crossbow still pointing at her. He got to her and bent low, bringing his face barely an inch from hers and whispered, "Maybe I should kill you now and avenge those of us you've savaged."

Agnieska looked up at him, her eyes wide. There were others here, other vampires, and they were hunting the centaurs down. She couldn't understand how they had gotten in here, but she knew she had to act fast. "I must tell Professor Dumbledore," she announced to the herd.

The leader looked surprised. "Why would you go tell Dumbledore?"

"Because I'm a teacher at Hogwarts. He'd like to know there are others who were able to breach his magic defenses and enter the school grounds. If you let me go now, I will alert the headmaster at once and we might be able to save the next victim they will choose among you."

Her words had the desired effect. The centaurs moved about nervously, torn between avenging their kind or letting her go and saving the rest of the herd from the vampires.

The head looked around the herd and voiced a unanimous thought among them. "How do I believe you're not tricking us?"

Agnieska looked around and noticed she had absolutely no proof she was a teacher. Then, something hit her as obvious. Hermione was there, obviously putting all her effort in not letting herself get caught. "I have a student here with me. I brought her here to give her special classes on herbs."

Booming laughter sounded from the head centaur, who was clearly convinced no one was with her. "And where is this student of yours?"

"Hermione, please show yourself to the centaurs." Agnieska's voice was firm and decisive, and just after her command Hermione appeared out of nowhere right next to her, alarming the centaurs to the point all arrows were now aimed on her. She moaned lightly and hopped behind Agnieska, hiding herself from their aim as best as she could. Agnieska felt herself get dizzy again at Hermione's touch and moved unnoticeably away from her.

The centaurs all watched the head of the herd now, awaiting his decision. The centaur looked around at them all, and pronounced his sentence coldly by an unsaid consensus. "Go tell Professor Dumbledore of this disaster. Our hopes lie within your grasp, do not let us down." With a last look at them both, he turned and disappeared with the rest of the herd.

Agnieska looked around at Hermione, who had tears rolling down her cheeks and sighed. She never intended to have a student dragged into trouble. She put her arms around the girl's back and under her knees, picked her up, ignoring her squeal of fear, and ran as fast as she could. Hermione was trembling in her arms, yet she didn't make a sound. Agnieska was starting to feel sorry for the girl, but she couldn't slow down. She was wondering whether it was wiser to take her with herself to Dumbledore or to just let her run to her dormitory and ignore the whole story. Obviously, Dumbledore would like to hear the whole story, yet she could get the girl and herself into trouble if he found out about her presence.

Once they were out of the forest, Agnieska let Hermione down and held her by the shoulders, looking into her eyes. "Put your cloak on," she said, then turned and looked at the castle. As soon as Hermione was done fiddling with the cloak and had managed to conceal herself completely, Agnieska picked her up and ran into the castle, up to the seventh floor and stopped in front of the portrait of a sleeping Fat Lady. Hermione hadn't taken her third breath when she found herself being dropped to her feet. Agnieska's mind was made up and she gave her orders. "Listen to me. You will go to your dormitory and ignore this whole story. I will go tell professor Dumbledore about this now. You need not worry."

Hermione took the cloak off quickly and looked up at her, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Why aren't you taking me with you?" She asked.

Agnieska looked away. "We'll be in great trouble if Dumbledore ever found out about what happened with you. If a student is concerned, I would surely be fired. And that's not to mention what would happen to you if it was known that you, the Head Girl, was out of bounds using an Invisibility cloak."

Hermione sighed, shaking her head, confused. After a while, she looked apologetically at Agnieska and voiced "thank you" in a low whisper. Agnieska smiled and walked off quietly, hearing the Fat Lady swinging her portrait aside to let Hermione in. She picked up her pace and arrived at Dumbledore's office. She knocked quietly, and heard the familiar beckoning on the other side of the door. Agnieska swallowed and entered, heading for his desk.

Dumbledore was standing at his window, peering at the moon. He turned towards her, his smile wide as usual. Agnieska didn't wait for welcoming words. "Professor Dumbledore! I must inform you there are other vampires here in the Forbidden Forest."

Dumbledore's expression changed immediately. He looked hard at her and ran towards his desk, grasping its edge. "Where did you get this information?" He asked.

Agnieska walked still towards him and stopped before his desk, answering as quickly as she could. "I was walking into the Forbidden Forest looking for some herbs for my special moon beam collection, since it's the perfect half moon tonight, and I was surrounded by centaurs." Dumbledore's grasp tightened on the desk, while Agnieska continued. "The centaurs told me that some of their kind were found dead, supposedly killed by vampires. When I told them I was not one of them but was a teacher from Hogwarts, they accepted to let me come tell you. I just arrived now."

Dumbledore sat down, looking baffled. He then looked at the portraits hanging around him and asked several to get the rest of the staff. "Something must be done," he said. "We can't let them harm any of our students."

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There you go! Hope you liked it! Don't forget to review!