Draco rose into the air, leading them to one of the smaller islands in the middle of the lake. As he descended, his body reverted back into his human form. He landed gracefully and brushed some imaginary dust off his shoulder. Hermione spun above him, opting to land on a low bough of the single tree, before abandoning her eagle form. Draco reclined on a large boulder at the base of the tree, crossing his legs out in front of him.

Hermione felt childish sitting in a tree, but, since she had never successfully climbed a tree in her life, she decided that she was allowed to do as she pleased. She thought back to time they had just spent in the air and a strange notion occurred to her. "Draco, why would I change into an eagle when my Patronus is an otter? Shouldn't my animal form say something about me, like a Patronus does?"

"In part, yes. But, think about it, you aren't the same person as you were when you first cast your Patronus. And your animal form doesn't have to represent your personality, not really." He looked up at her. "Have you thought about my two forms? About why they would be what they are?"

Hermione blushed and looked away. "Well, not enough to have any real theory, but I have wondered what you would look like as a wolf."

Draco chuckled. "I'm black, just like my crow form. But the reason you're an eagle is because it's a bird. Birds are the most commonly developed forms, especially birds of prey. Of course, it's because birds are smaller, which means they use less Power, and they are fast. With Power, fast always equals good. The quicker you are, the better advantage you have over an opponent. Damage is also an intention. Birds of prey are very powerful animals that can cause a massive amount of damage. Darker vampires, like… me also use another form that is capable of causing even more damage. For instance, would you rather be attacked by a crow or a wolf?" Hermione nodded in understanding. "Exactly. Quickness and damage are everything. You'd probably never find an otter form with a vampire. I'm not saying that an otter is a bad animal, but with vampires it's all about the hunt."

Hermione looked across the lake to where the sun was setting. Her thoughts drifted to earlier in the day and she shuddered.

"You don't have to tell me your story now. I understand that you've been through a lot today."

She shook her head and looked at him. "No, I need to tell you. I've been letting everything eat away at me for far too long. I'm beginning to think that by hanging on to it, I'm not allowing myself to adjust fully."

"What happened today was not your fault Hermione. Reed is a sick kid – believe me, I've seen inside his head. Nothing you could have done would have prevented what happened."

She nodded. "I'm just going to jump into it, because I think I'll lose my nerve if I wait any longer. Is that alright?"

"Okay. Whatever you need."

She took a deep breath and began.

Hermione followed quickly behind Ron and Harry as they ran through the woods. The moon gave off the only light in the area, creating shadows everywhere she looked. This was her last mission before she left for Hogwarts, and Hermione was determined to complete it successfully.

And quickly. The woods were bringing up memories of the war that Hermione did not care to relive. The sooner they caught this man and went home, the better.

Harry halted them at a clearing. The moon showed dry riverbed at the base of a very tall, very menacing cliff. Hermione looked up and imagined what it would have looked like when the river was full. There was probably a waterfall emptying from the cliff at one point.

"Come on," Ron huffed.

Harry shook his head. "No, the trail splits here. We need a plan before we move on. Hermione, what do you think?"

She moved forward and knelt beside the tracks. "The one on the left looks older… Let me try something…" She moved her wand in complicated movements, muttering under her breath. The tracks leading to the left lit up with a bright, gold dust. "They were disguised to look older. The right trail is the false one. Let's go."

Ron, who had been leaning towards the trail on the right, quickly took the lead. Harry followed behind him and Hermione went last. She was sure that Ron had discovered a lead and had set a faster pace in excitement. Soon, Hermione could no longer see either man.

Hermione felt a strong sense a déjà vu wash over her. She could swear that she had been in these woods before. It was like a dream she had once had as a child. But this present gave her many more chills than any nightmare would be capable of.

Hermione ran in the direction she thought the other two had taken. After a few moments, she could hear Ron and Harry arguing up around the next bend. "There you are!"

"Hermione, we thought you'd gotten lost. Harry and I were just about to come find you." Ron came up and hugged her. "Had me worried that I wouldn't have a bride to meet me at the altar anymore…" He smiled.

"Oh, Ron…"

"Come on you lovebirds. Unless you two have forgotten, we've got a criminal to catch." Harry crossed his arms over his chest. "Hermione, do the spell again."

Hermione disentangled herself from Ron and started waving her wand in the same pattern as before. The entire area around them lit up with light this time.

Ron let out a low whistle. "Well, I guess we're in the right place… What do we do now?"

Harry circled the area, stopping at a wide tree. He grabbed the lowest branch and pulled himself up. "We wait. Now get up here."

Ron, being the tallest, had no problem following Harry. As soon as he was settled, he reached down for Hermione's hand to pull her up.

She reached as high as she could, and then stood on her toes to reach Ron's hands. Finally, she was able to get a good grip and felt him start to pull her up. She felt Harry's hand grab the back of her jumper and pull to help Ron, but the collar began to choke her. "Harry, let go; you're choking me."

Harry climbed up higher. "What are you talking about 'Mione?"

Realizing what Ron had said, Hermione began to thrash about, letting go of Ron's hand and trying to disengage herself from whatever had her in its grasp. She hit the ground hared, hearing the crack of her ankle breaking as she landed. Ron also heard it and lit his wand to see what had happened to his girlfriend.

With the light jumping from Ron's wand, Hermione was able to see her attacker. He towered over her, looking every bit as menacing as the mission details had described. He was pale and his hair shaggy, much as if he had been living in the woods for a long time. Right away, Hermione could sense that something was different about this criminal than all the others she had been sent to capture.

She was proved right when he threw her over his shoulder and ran at a blindly pace towards the cliff they had seen earlier. She thrashed, determined to not make it easy for him, and hoping to allow Ron and Harry to catch up. Instead of stopping at the base of the cliff, Hermione felt the air leave her lungs as her attacker scaled the edge, only stopping when he reached the top.

She saw Ron and Harry break into the clearing fifty feet below her. The man who held her was laughing at the astonished expressions on their faces. "You are all fools!" he bellowed. "No one can defeat me for I am a god! Now you will see what I do to those foolish enough to challenge me!"

They could only watch in horror as the man bit his wrist and forced it to Hermione's mouth. As the blood was pouring down her throat, Hermione realized just what it was they had been tracking.

A vampire.

As quickly as it came, the blood was gone. Then, Hermione knew nothing except for the air rushing past her as she was pushed over the edge.