Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Warnings: Violence , and Mature Themes.

Chapter 3

Albus turned around and came face to face with a feminine figure clad in black robes, the hood added with and Obscuring Charm hiding her face from view. It didn't matter however, even with the Obscuring Charm in place, he recognized who was facing him. There was no one else that called him a boy after all.

"Lovely night isn't it?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly. Stalling for time; thinking about his options.

"Still having trouble stalling a conversation Albus? And people think that you are simply eccentric." The figure replied amusedly.

Dumbledore smiled sheepishly at being caught out like that. He never could fool his mentor.

"Why are you here Professor Perenelle?" Dumbledore asked seriously.

"The same reason as you. The Department detected a magical anomaly in this area and I decided to inspect it personally." Perenelle replied smoothly.

Dumbledore groaned inwardly. He had thought that he had gained enough experience over the years to successfully outsmart anyone in a conversation. He thought wrong; it was still as frustrating as ever to hold your own in a conversation with her.

"Harry's not ready yet." Dumbledore said, deciding to be direct. They didn't have much time left, the students needed to be taken to the Infirmary as soon as possible.

"I'm afraid that the circumstances say otherwise. While your concern is admirable, it is also unnecessary. The boy is far more mature than you think him to be." Perenelle replied gently.

"He's barely fifteen, Professor!" Dumbledore replied.

"Yet he's shown more maturity than you did when I took you on as my apprentice." Perenelle replied sharply.

Dumbledore winced slightly. He really didn't like someone reminding him about his past.

Perenelle's tone softened slightly. "Albus, you are not naive, you know very well what has happened here tonight. Your protectiveness is worthy of praise, but there is a fine line between protecting somebody and coddling them. Be sure to remember that."

Saying that, she walked over to the two sleeping teens, and placed her hands on their foreheads and then smiled softly at them. Waiting a moment longer, she got up and walked past Dumbledore. Just as she was leaving, she said, "Make sure to bring them to the Department on Monday." And Disapparated soundlessly.

Dumbledore sighed wearily. Knowing that the matter was entirely out of his hands, he created a portkey and the trio of wizards, witches and an owl vanished into nothingness.

Perenelle reappeared in her office in the Ministry building. There were certain perks to being the Head of the Unspeakables of the Department of Mysteries, Apparition clearance being one of them. Pouring herself a glass of wine, she sat down and made plans for the training that she intended for Harry to go under. She had been waiting all her life for someone to pass on her knowledge to, someone similar to her.

During the last war, the Department had a group of 7 witches and wizards, which were trained above the rest of the Ministry task force; she was the only one that remained. They were the best that Britain had to offer at that time. No one was aware of their existence, not even the researchers of the Department knew of them. There were no official records, no paperwork. They led two separate lives, balancing their work with their mission; to take down the threat posed by Voldemort. They had gained a name for their efforts, being known simply as The Order.

They were the first ones to fall.

Voldemort realized the threat that they posed to his plans, and took steps to eliminate them. For all their training and talents, Voldemort was far superior. Each and every one of them had been struck down by Voldemort himself. She had been devastated at the loss of her friends and comrades. She drifted through her life aimlessly, not knowing what she would do next. Being a 658 year old Vampire didn't help matters. If it weren't for her mate, she was sure that she would have lost the will to live. The both of them persevered through their time of grief. Vowing to help from the shadows, the next time Voldemort attack the Wizarding World.

She had met Nicholas when she was a newly turned Vampire, their magic guiding the other towards their destined mate. It was a common phenomenon in Witches and Wizards. But she had never thought that her magic would find anyone. Nicholas Flamel was a budding Alchemist at the time, laughed at for his outrageous ideas. She was afraid at first, denying that her magic could have chosen a human as her mate. Vampires were immortal, their existence either a burden or one of bliss, full of endless days with their mate; she loved him and couldn't bear the thought of living out her life alone. She knew that she couldn't bring herself to turn him into a vampire; he would lose the magic that he was born with, turning his life's passion into dust forever. She knew that he would agree to it in an instant if she asked him to, but she kept silent. Her fears were rendered baseless when Nicholas had successfully made the Philosopher's stone, and it was a short way there to creating the Elixir of Life. So they spent their days together, and she joined the Ministry at some point, ending up at the position as Head of the Department of Mysteries.

Albus had been a young boy of 21 when he had approached the Unspeakables. He feared that his friend was gaining power through the liberal use, and abuse of the Dark Arts and there was no one to stop him. She didn't know where he had found the information about her, but she had agreed to take him on as her Apprentice. After his defeat of Grindelwald, she released him from her mentorship, stating that she had taught him everything that he was capable of. She was a Vampire, and could only pass on her knowledge to one who was similar to her. She could honestly say that she missed having an Apprentice, it would seem that she had a love for teaching. Dumbledore and her mate had worked on many projects throughout the years, winning many awards together.

The last people that she had taught were The Order. It was then that she had sworn to herself that her Apprentice would never meet the same end as them, and swore vengeance upon Voldemort. It would seem that Fate had given a second chance with Harry.

Harry opened his eyes with a groan. He shut them immediately after, even the soft light of the room stinging his eyes, but he did catch a glimpse of his surroundings. He recognized it as the Hogwarts Medical Ward at once. He tried to recollect the last thing that he remembered. After ending up at the Infirmary so many times over his three years of schooling at Hogwarts, it was almost standard procedure for him.

Images flashed through his head, confusing at first, but they settled down eventually. He couldn't understand what had happened, all that he could remember was being attacked by a Vampire and then his memory of the incident drew a blank. He did remember one thing though, Hermione was also there with him, and he needed to find out what exactly had happened. Hr tried sitting up in his bed, wincing the whole time. Looking at the huge window at the end of the ward, he could determine that it was quite late in the night, closer to the morning than midnight. Figuring that Dumbledore would be up anyway, and could help answer his questions, he got out of bed and crept out of the Infirmary.

Hermione was staring at herself in the mirror; glad that the myth about Vampires not being able to see their reflection in the mirror was not true. Sure, it sounded mystical, but getting ready would be a hassle. Not that she was an avid fan of cosmetics, of course.

She had woken up a few hours earlier, and had nearly had a panic attack as she remembered what had happened. Thankfully, Professor Dumbledore was there to calm her down, and pointed out to her Harry's sleeping form next to her bed. She had calmed down considerably after seeing him. Dumbledore had asked her what she remembered, and Hermione told him everything. Though, she had skipped the things that she and Harry talked about. Those were definitely private.

At the end of her recital, Hermione noticed the Headmaster nod to himself, as if his suspicions had been confirmed. The conversation that followed after, was one that she was positive that she wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon.

"What happened yesterday night Professor?" Hermione asked anxiously.

She watched as Dumbledore's shoulders slumped slightly, as he sighed heavily. Her anxiousness increased, that definitely didn't bode well.

"As you told me, you didn't see that attacker. But the wounds with which you were brought here, points to a single irrefutable possibility. The person that attacked you yesterday was without a doubt, a vampire." Dumbledore said in a gentle, sombre tone.

Hermione couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips, as her hands went up to cover her mouth. She seemed to realize this and quickly brought her hands to her lap. Her mind started thinking about the various possibilities.

"So . . . he. . .he . . . turned me. . .me? H-Harry" Hermione asked her voice lowering with each word she spoke shakily.

Her mind starting going over everything that she knew about Vampires, her mind stopping at a chilling thought.

"Am I . . .Am I . . . not a witch anymore?" Hermione asked, panic creeping back into her voice.

"Calm down Miss. Granger, I don't doubt that you have stopped being a witch. Why don't you try casting a spell to be sure?" Dumbledore said gently.

Hermione grabbed her wand from the bedside table, and muttered a quiet,

"Lumos"

Her wand tip flared with bright light.

She quickly muttered the counter-charm. Happiness flooding through her, at her success. She couldn't bear the thought of not being a witch anymore.

"I don't understand Professor; I thought that you implied that I was bitten." Hermione said, her eyes looking at him accusingly.

"Ah, you see Miss Granger . . ."

Hermione shook her head, splashing her face with water. The Headmaster had told her his suspicions, and if rumours were to be believed, it was exactly what had happened.

After the Headmaster had left, the resident healer, Madam Pomfrey, had asked her how she was feeling. She told her that apart from feeling generally sore, she was feeling normal. She had run her wand over her body a few times, and seeming satisfied, told her that she was free to go, but to return if she began feeling funny. So Hermione had freshened up before sitting by Harry's side waiting for him to wake up.

While taking her bath she couldn't help but notice the changes that her turning into a Vampire had incurred. She had grown several inches in height, her legs gaining a nice womanly elegance and her chest seemed to have matured slightly. The greatest change however, was her hair; it had straightened and now framed her face in soft curls. She couldn't help but start playing with her new hair. She quite liked her new hair, not to mention her other changes.

She splashed her face again, and rubbed it off with a towel. The first thing she noticed when she walked towards Harry's bed was that he wasn't in it. Looking around frantically, she just got a glimpse of a shady form creeping out of the Infirmary.

She immediately started following him, refraining from calling out to him, her curiosity getting the better of her. She couldn't help but be amazed at Harry's knowledge of Hogwarts's secret passages. She had been here for three years and even she wasn't sure where she was exactly. Before she knew it, she had followed him to a corridor she recognized, she was standing near to the corridor leading to the Headmaster's Office. Calling out to him, she ran forwards at his position, just as he reached the stone Gargoyle.

A/N :- Sorry for the short chapter, but I couldn't write any further without getting an opinion on a rather important decision.

Should I make this a harem?

Yes.

No.

I've put up a poll on my profile, Please vote. Or state your opinion in a review, I will count those as well.