After leaving the Headmistress's office in a rage, Severus found himself in front of the Library; apparently his borrowed heart still yearned for the company of the written word. He quietly walked in and surveyed the darkened place, hoping for a small bit of peace.

The old wooden furniture creaked ever so slightly as Severus sat down with a bizarre volume he found on magical beasts, "Carnivorous Unicorns and How to Avoid Them." He rolled his eyes and shook his head, cursing the stupidity of the author. Whoever heard of carnivorous unicorns?

That's because they've been extinct for a very long time, Professor.

Severus was instantly on his feet, his wand drawn and ready.

Oh my goodness, please don't hurt any of the books!

Snarling, the dark wizard extended his magic, feeling for intruders or eavesdropping ghosts. When no threat was forthcoming, Severus began stalking the aisles, taking the corners in small degrees so he could catch whoever was protecting themselves from detection. He knew he heard someone speak to him, and he was going to find little snot who dared to sneak up on him.

Professor?

"I will find you, you little shit!" he quietly snarled, narrowing his eyes to see better in the darkness. "No one hides from me forever."

I-I'm not in the Library, sir. Well, technically I am, but not really. And I'm not a ghost, either, which is why your detection spells didn't work, even though—why have you put your head in your hands, sir?

"It's finally happened," Severus mumbled to himself. "I've gone 'round the bend." He began casting detection spells in his vicinity, checking to see if an errant book had caused his insanity.

Um, Professor, you've not developed sudden-onset Schizophrenia, which is actually quite rare. It's me, Hermione Granger. Her tone turned somewhat bitter. The 'insufferable Know-It-All.'

"I know your voice!" Snape growled, keeping his dark eyes on the books around him. "The question is why I'm hearing it in my head." He took a few cautious steps toward the Library exit. "I can't ascertain if one of these books is causing this hallucination."

Sir, please, I'm not a hallucination!

"Of course you are!" he roared, provoking a thunderous "SHH!" from every book near him. Severus clenched both his hands and his teeth in frustration; he desperately wanted to hex something. "Of course you are," he whispered, making for one of the comfortable reading nooks so he wouldn't be so close to the bookcases.

This is ridiculous. I have information that I have to give to you from Harry Potter regarding Professor Dumbledore's plan, and I need you to believe me!

"Save your phantom breath, Miss Granger," he drawled, settling himself onto a well-padded couch and stretching out his long legs. "Potter is dead, and even you aren't that much of a know-it-all."

I was told that you love me. Harry said so, but—

"Ignoring, for the moment, the fact that Potter is in the Great Beyond, the notion of me loving you is patently insane, Miss Granger," the dark wizard said, lacing his fingers together behind his head. "However, Albus did inform me of your regard towards my person." His tone was smug until he realized he was taking his hallucination seriously. "Which does not matter in the slightest, seeing as you're not real."

OK, fine, we can discuss it later; we have more important matters at hand. What if I said I could get you out of Hogwarts?

Even though Severus knew he was hallucinating, he momentarily considered the possibility that his mind's guest star was telling the truth. He still wasn't sure, but he was Slytherin enough to know that this might very well be his only chance to escape. "I would say I was listening."

"There's just one problem with the carrot you're dangling in front of me, Snape," Draco said, his gray eyes sharpening. "Harry Potter isn't gay."

"Wasn't gay," the Death Eater corrected.

Draco tilted his head slightly to the side in confusion. "Then, what are you proposing?"

"I'm not proposing anything," Hermione smirked, drawing her wand. "I just needed to distract you a moment so I could retrieve one of your father's control sigils." She flicked a single finger, and an intricate design began to glow on Draco's forehead. The Slytherin's pupils shrunk until they were practically gone, leaving only a solid gray iris. The Death Eater inspected her handiwork and grinned. "Stay. That's a good boy."

Hermione picked up a nearby wine glass and transformed it into a large crystal bottle with a stopper. She removed the top and inspected her handiwork. "It will do nicely." She placed the lidless container on the floor, stepped back, and raised her wand.

"Accio Draco Malfoy's blood!"

Red liquid oozed from every pore and orifice the young man possessed. It flew in threw the air in a graceful arc and landed where Hermione directed, which was into the crystal bottle on the floor. Draco swayed, his cheeks sunken and yellow. He cried out only once and then was forever silent, his burst heart seeping through his ruined chest.

When the blond man was finally dead, Hermione picked up the bottle and stoppered it without losing a single drop. She pointed her wand at the crystal container and began to chant, etching a rune onto the side of the bottle.

She held up her creation, marveling at what she had wrought. She stepped over the dead form on the floor and approached an empty space in the wall. Hermione opened the bottle and whispered, "The purity of the blood calls forth the hidden one."

A single drop of blood floated up from the bottle and gently sailed forward. The drop changed form as it got closer to the wall until it resembled a skeleton key. A hole opened, slightly larger than the key, and the transformed blood slowly slid home, shimmering as it forced the lock to release.

The wall vanished, revealing a tall woman with grey eyes and hair so blonde it was nearly white. She wore a diaphanous white robe that moved as if she were standing in a breeze, yet no air moved through the room.

Her voice was smooth as silk, possessing perfect pitch and tone. "Who requires access to the Vault of Knowledge?"

"I do," Hermione said impatiently. "I require one of the Dark Lord's tomes."

The woman's eyes widened. "Access to the Dark Lord's works is forbidden by Ministry decree—"

"Save it," the Death Eater snapped, her remaining patience gone. "I know you care as little for the Ministry's decrees as I do." She held up the bottle of blood. "I offer you five extra drops, Mistress Malfoy. Guarding books is a thankless job, and I'm certain Draco never needed to keep you full."

The founding mother of the Malfoy line licked her lips daintily, her long, elegant fangs flashing in the light. "Give me ten drops, and you may take the book with you."

Hermione nodded. "Ten drops, and I get to leave alive with the book of my choosing."

The vampire smiled. "Done." She dropped to her knees, tilted her head back, and opened her mouth. Hermione meted out the correct number of drops, the vampire shuddering with need.

At the ninth drop, the Death Eater leaned in and whispered in the vampire's ear. "What would it take for me to leave alive with all of the Dark Lord's possessions that you guard?"

The vampire sat back and blinked. "I would take nothing less than the entire bottle."

The Death Eater smiled. "Done."