"Talking"

"Sounds"

"Thinking"

"Flashbacks"

Evra Von

Flashback Two

It had taken time, but the redheaded vampire had finally managed to locate the school called Hogwarts. Mr. Crepsley and Evra had taken up residence in the small town that bordered the school's grounds. The two were staying in a small Inn. At first, Crepsley had been uncertain if they would be able to get away with the deception. After all, most normal mortals didn't travel dressed in cloaks that covered their entire figures and faces, nor did most have a large snake that lounged comfortably across their shoulders. Apparently, though, in the so called "Magical Community", such things did not raise suspicions.

"You have any luck with that young friend of yours?" asked a quiet voice. Evra glanced up quickly, shocked out of his thoughts by the question. He cleared his throat and looked back down at his Butter Beer. Very slowly, he shook his head sadly. The other man grunted sympathetically. "Well, I'm sure that he'll show up sooner or later."

"Thanks. I'm sure you're right." He responded, although his voice wasn't nearly as confident as it had been when they had first arrived at the Inn. The older man 'Hm'd' thoughtfully as he stared down at the hooded figure. Although he had never seen the boy's face, it was easy enough to tell that the boy was young by his voice.

"So you never did tell me-what did ya' do t' yer face?" he asked suddenly. Evra gasped and choked, sputtering on the liquid that he had been swallowing.

"W-what?" he finally managed to gasp out.

The old bartender shrugged and stated matter-of-factly "A person don't cover his face like you do 'less he's got somethin' ta hide."

Evra stayed silent, and if one could have seen his face, they would have seen the pensive expression he had taken. After a moment, the old man shrugged and turned back to what he had been doing before.

The long hours of the day passed by very slowly. Evra wanted to go out and search for Darren himself, but Crepsley had absolutely forbidden it, saying that it was far too risky to do such a thing. Begrudgingly, Evra had agreed. After all, the witches and wizards (or whatever) had kidnapped Darren! Who knows what they might do to a snake boy. Evra grimaced at the thought and scooted a little farther from the magic-user that was seated on a stool a little to his right. The snake boy downed the rest of his drink, then stood.

After paying and thanking the bartender, he headed for the front door; the little pub was beginning to become much too crowded for Evra's liking. Shuffling across the room, he accidentally bumped into a small group, knocking over one of the girls. Evra gasped and bent down to help the girl up, cheeks heating up with embarrassment.

"'Mione! You alright?" cried one of the boys. Evra couldn't help thinking that he was being a little too overdramatic.

"I'm fine, Ronald." The girl said, sounding a tad bit dazed. Once she was on her feet, she shook herself and quickly apologized to Evra.

"It was my fault." He replied sincerely. Two boys had come to stand on either side of the girl. One had dark hair and glasses, while the other had hair red enough to put even Mr. Crepsley's to shame. Another red haired girl hovered nearby, accompanied by a slightly chubby boy and a fair haired girl. Evra noted uncomfortably that the blonde was staring at him and he had the feeling that those blue eyes could see right through him. He shifted awkwardly, apologized again, and then left as quickly as he could.

The snake boy could practically feel the others' eyes on him, even after the wooden door had swung shut.

Darren Shan Point of View

Present Time

I could hear the cheers from the Gryffindor house, even though my cage was so far away from the castle. Lupin had been by earlier to inform me that they were going up against the…Ravenclaw…Ravencrew?...team in some sort of sport. Quidditch…maybe…. (Stupid wizards and their confusing words!) It was easy enough to guess who had won the match.

The commotion carried on well into the night. Although it was, in many ways, annoying, the constant, cheery sounds were a nice change from the usual night time noises. Around two in the morning, things finally became completely quiet.

With a sigh, I flopped onto my back to wait out yet another painfully boring night.

I could feel the night coming close to an end- there was probably only two or three hours until the dawn- when there was a disturbance from the castle. I sat up, stiffening as I heard a long, fear filled cry. I was up on my feet and at the bars in a matter of seconds, straining my ears to catch what exactly was going on. The scream had sounded a lot like Ron's….

There wasn't too much I could catch, except the few scattered words like "Black", "nightmare", and "knife". I bit down on my lower lip thoughtfully. Scanning over the grounds curiously, my eyes were drawn to something large moving quickly over the grounds, and coming straight towards me.

I watched as it came closer, and was able to make it out as an enormous black dog. I scowled at the creature. Running near it was a large, ugly orange cat. The two passed by me, so close that if I had reached through the bars I might've been able to touch them, and into the dark trees beyond. The cat froze for a brief second as it passed me, yellow eyes narrowing to slits as it hissed, then it followed the dog. I watched the area they had disappeared for a moment, wondering why it was that I felt something about the dog was strange.

Suddenly, an overpowering odor assaulted my senses. I gagged a little bit at the scent of unwashed human. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, and when I opened them again I was greeted by the sight of the same skinny man I had encountered before. He was, admittedly, looking a little bit better-not quite as emaciated, and that strange glint was gone from his dark eyes. Now, however, he had a harried and worried look about him. He kept glancing towards the castle, eyes wide and worried, and would flinch at every snap of a branch that came from the trees behind him.

"What do you want?" I snapped at him. "Gonna let me out this time?"

The man jumped again, and his eyes focused entirely on me. A tired smile slipped across his face. "I'm sorry, but I can't. Something tells me that you already know that, though."

I scowled, but slowly nodded. The strange man was, admittedly, interesting. He was a mystery, and it peaked my curiosity. Plus…there was something weird about his scent. Underneath all of the dirt and grime and stink, he smelled almost…animalistic. I sniffed again, wrinkling my nose at the sharp, malodorous scent.

He smelled like….

Finally, the pieces clicked together in my mind. "You're the dog!" I exclaimed, eyes growing wide at the realization. His eyes widened, and then narrowed, before he grinned crookedly at me, revealing his yellow teeth. The dog man didn't speak, though, and other than the grin he gave me no indication of whether or not I was wrong.

"If you don't mention me to the others, Darren, I have some news that I think will interest you." He croaked to me. I stared at him for a long while, noting the way his eyes darted wildly around. I realized that he wasn't going to stick around for much longer, so I slowly nodded my head, my mind racing with guesses and hopes. His smile grew wider.

"Someone is looking for you, Darren."

I felt my heart leap to my throat and my eyes widen.

"They are very close." He told me quietly. He was obviously happy with my reaction, his own smile softening to something more kind and friendly. "I've talked with them, told them what I know."

"Thanks." I breathed, not even sure if he could hear or understand the word around the lump in my throat. Something told me that he could, though.

There was a moment of silence between us. I blinked, and the man was gone. In his place was the large black dog.

I grinned at him, and he gave me an odd kind of doggy smile, tongue lolling out and dark eyes shining. Then, he turned tail (quite literally) and retreated into the forest, making barely a sound.

Once I was sure he was gone, I let the first joy filled tear fall.