Disclaimer- I don't own either story or characters. If I did, do you really think I would be writing fanfiction about it? The only thing I own is my idea and Andy.

"Speaking"

"Thinking"

"Sounds"

"Text Book"

Harry Potter Point of View

It had been a few days since Harry, Ron, and Hermione had gone to see Professor Dumbledore. They were enjoying their Sunday off, and both of the boys were glad that Hermione hadn't forced them to go to the library yet. At lunch time, they were all gathered in the Great Hall enjoying their meal when Ginny approached them.

"Hey, have you noticed something a little off about Hagrid lately?" the redhead asked immediately, without even saying hello first.

"What'dya mea'?" Ron grunted around his mouthful of food. Ginny cast her brother a disgusted look.

"Just look at him, Ron. Don't you think he seems a different?" she sighed, motioning vaguely towards the teacher's table. The three elders turned as directed. Ginny was, indeed, correct. Hagrid's visible face was pale, and his shining black eyes were watery and red. He seemed more withdrawn, and kept glancing down at his food, and then sniffling pitifully. Harry noted that Professors McGonagall and Lupin would both pat his hand comfortingly every now and then.

"We should talk to him." Harry declared worriedly staring up at his friend. The other three nodded their agreement. As the lunch hour was nearing its end, they watched Hagrid rise to leave. The four friends rose as well and rushed to meet him. They got to him just as he left the Great Hall.

"Hagrid!" they yelled simultaneously to the enormous man. He turned, seeming surprised, but smiled at the group anyways.

"'Ello there you four. What're you up ter?" he asked with an attempt at a smile.

"We were just wondering if you were alright." Ginny answered quickly. "You seemed kind of down, so…." She trailed off when Hagrid burst into tears.

"There there. It's alright, Hagrid." Harry tried to soothe the big man, patting him awkwardly on the arm since he couldn't reach up to Hagrid's shoulder. His friends attempted as well, but with no success. Soon enough, the man's blubbering came to a shaky halt. He sniffed pitifully, wiping away tears and blowing his nose into a tablecloth sized, spotted handkerchief.

"T-thanks fer tryin' to make me feel better." He sniffled. "It's just with that little feller out there just refusing to eat and what not. I don't know what ter do 'bout it."

"What little…you mean Da- I mean, the vampire?" Hermione gasped as she realized who he was referring to. Hagrid nodded silently.

"What did you mean when you said he was refusing to eat?" Ron asked, looking surprised and worried at the same time.

"H-he j-j-just doesn't seem ter wanna move around much at all. I've been bringin' 'im foxes and the like, but he doesn't even touch 'em. 'E looks just aweful! All pale and skinny and with these real dark circles around his eyes like 'e hasn't slept, and I don't know what ter do!" Hagrid exclaimed, beginning to cry again. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione all did their best to comfort their friend. Soon, he declared that he had to go and, still shedding enough tears to fill several buckets, left.

As soon as he was out of sight, the four friends turned to one another. "We've got to go see him." Ginny declared. Immediately, the others agreed and they all headed for the grounds, trying their best to not be noticed by the passing staff and students.

"Wait a second!" came a cry from behind them. They winced and turned back, shocked to see Neville come running up behind them. He was huffing a bit when he said "You're going to see that vampire, right? Let me come with you!"

"You want to come with us?" Harry repeated, surprised. Neville nodded, his jaw set stubbornly. The others stared at him for a long while, trying to process in their minds what their friend had just said. Usually the boy was quiet and easily scared, but in this case….

"Alright, Neville. Let's get a move on before one of the Professors find us out." Ginny said with an impish grin and conspiratorial wink. Neville looked relieved, a smile breaking across his features. Together, the five of them set out.

Soon enough, they had reached the darkened cage. "Oh my God." Hermione gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. The sight that they were met with was disturbing on a level that the students didn't often have to deal with.

Darren was lying on the ground, face up. They could see, beneath his clothes, how emaciated he was and how his stomach caved in. His arms were like twigs, and his clothes still coated in blood. The vampire boy's dark hair was matted and dirty, his once stormy eyes now deadened and caved in. The black circles surrounding his eyes stood in a terrible accordance with his ghostly pale skin. He looked even younger now, his eyes huge in his drawn face, and frail bones obvious underneath his skin.

"Darren?" Hermione whispered in shock, kneeling down by his cage. "Darren, can you hear me?" she said louder. Getting no response, she yelled "Darren! Listen to me! You have to snap out of this…this…whatever it is. You have to eat." Still, Darren didn't seem to hear her.

"What can we do?" Hermione cried, turning back to the others. She had tears streaming down her face, and was struggling desperately to come up with ideas to help their friend.

"I-I don't know." Ginny choked out around the lump in her own throat, swiping angrily at the tears that threatened to overflow from her eyes.

"Do you know any spells that could maybe unlock the cage, or cut through the bars or, or something?" Harry asked, running through his own memories and ideas of how they might be able to help. No one spoke, each doing their best to come up with an answer. No idea came to mind at first, until Neville suggested uncertainly "Isn't there one…Alohomora?"

"Of course! Why didn't we think of it earlier?" Hermione exclaimed excitedly, pulling out her wand. She pointed her wand and said the spell confidently. Immediately, the bushy haired witch reached for the bars, only to cry out and pull her hand back. Her flesh was burnt and bleeding, a thin trail of smoke rising from it.

"'Mione! Are you okay?" Ron yelped, moving forward. Harry had an odd sense of déjà vu as he too moved forward. From his cage, Darren slowly moved. His head turned slightly, and his glazed and sunken eyes focused on Hermione.

He wants to eat." Neville muttered, noticing the hunger that was glinting in the vampire's eyes. "But then…why doesn't he?"

"Maybe he can't." Ginny said quietly, moving to stand nearby Neville. Immediately, all eyes but Darren's turned towards her.

"Can't? What do you mean?" Harry asked her.

"Well, maybe he can't, um, drink animal blood." She said, feeling a little awkward as her friends stared at her and a bit sick at the thought if someone drinking blood.

"But that would mean that he would have to drink human blood!" Ron yelped, looking a bit green. Harry nodded his head, his eyes focused on Darren, even though he himself was feeling a little bit sick at the thought.

"I think that…we need to do it." Neville said in a voice just above a whisper. Ron turned greener and Hermione paled. Harry kept his face passive even though the statement had surprised him. Ginny nodded slowly, a stubborn look plastered onto her face.

"Who's going to do it?" Hermione asked quietly, ready to volunteer if no one else would.

"I will." Harry answered quietly.

"We all will." Ginny cut in sternly. At the looks she got, the red headed girl sighed, sounding exasperated. "Giving a few drops of blood isn't going to hurt any of us, and it is Darren's life on the line. We can't just sit back and watch him die! And besides-" here she turned towards Hermione, looking nervous. "-my dad said that he heard somewhere that muggles sometimes give their blood in a…um…blood car?"

"A blood drive." Hermione corrected gently. "And yes, they do sometimes."

Ginny nodded, obviously pleased with herself. "We'll have to wait until tonight to do it though." She pointed out. "If one of the Professors or the other students were to see us…well, it would cause some problems." The others agreed and, with long and worried glances behind them, headed back to the castle.

Darren Shan Point of View

Andy had come by. He had begged me to eat when he saw the state I was in. He said that he had heard rumors and tales of what had happened between me and something he kept addressing as a boggart. I ignored him, not truly listening or comprehending what it was he was saying. My stomach had given up its noise-making, given up its warnings of starvation. I vaguely wondered how much longer I could last. Not too much longer. Answered a voice. Andy continued to talk and beg, asking what he could do for me and what the real problem was.

A part of me wanted to answer him, to talk with another person (or centaur, as the case may be) instead of those screams and voices inside my head. And yet when I tried to open my mouth, I found that my body was too weak, my throat too dry to make the sounds necessary to reply to my friend. Soon, he left, promising to return as soon as he could.

The day past slowly, almost unnoticeably slow to my dulled senses. Maybe I slept. I'm really not sure. Sometimes later, others came. I could hear them talking to one another, yelling; maybe at me.

Suddenly, the scent of human blood overwhelmed my senses. The bloodlust was back, and stronger than before. It gave me enough strength to move my numbed body. I looked towards the source of the scent, searching desperately despite my own original intentions for the life giving substance. It was strange; after all that I had gone through, the sight of it still turned my stomach a tiny bit. My eyes locked onto the red liquid. It looked oddly beautiful to my depraved body and slightly warped mind.

Soon enough, though, whoever was near me left. They took the scent of fresh blood with them, and with it my momentary desire to live.