Harry came back for his sixth year a slightly changed and odd person. He was pale and gaunt with a dark humor about him Hermione thought. Dumbledore had said he had been sick over the summer and that they shouldn't pressure Harry to tell them about it.
Halloween night was a clear pleasant fall night in Scotland. With a bright clear sky studded with a million stars it seemed like. Hermione was looking out of the window enjoying the view she never saw from her home in Crowley.
She spun when she felt a presence behind her, only to relax when she saw it was Harry.
"Oh Harry. You startled me. I swear you're almost as quiet as Luna."
He gave a strange little chuckle, "I don't have as much practice as her."
"No I suppose not." She said as he joined her at the window seat in the castle.
"It's a beautiful night isn't it?" he asked, "I never saw stars like this. Little Whinging is too close to London."
Hermione sighed, "I know what you mean. I live practically under the landing path for Gatwick. I could identify almost any airliner you could think of but stars, or galaxies only existed in a book."
"Let's take a walk. Get outside and see them even better." He suggested with a soft smile.
"I don't know Harry. Its almost curfew. Plus I do have some studying to do." Hermione suddenly felt nervous as she looked into Harry's haunted and shadowy eyes. "I mean. I'd like to spend some time with you and it is a nice night but. Well. I don't know."
"Make up your mind Hermione. Decide to walk with me or not." He flatly said, no anger or malice in his voice.
Hermione took a deep breath and nodded, "Alright. I'll come with you."
He smiled and turned, Hermione followed him closely. She studied how he seemed to move with a careful grace, a fluid glide from step to step. After they left the lighted castle she had to struggle to stay with him as he seemed to move through the shadows like it was still daylight. When she stumbled along the shore of the lake he took her hand to help guide her finally.
"Harry you're so cold. We should go back inside." She protested.
"In a few moments. I have a dark secret I need to show you." Harry's voice had taken on a melancholy tone. "I have something to say to you."
"Oh-okay" Was all Hermione could stammer as her blood chilled in a night breeze.
They soon reached the boathouse and stood on the landing behind it. The breeze and sounds of the lake faded into a deep silence broken only by her breathing.
Harry turned to face her. Staring deeply into her eyes she felt her soul being examined.
"Hermione, I'm not going to lie. I want you. I want you to be my bride, my lover, to be with me forever." He whispered urgently.
Hermione suddenly realized what had happened to Harry over the summer. His changes, his appearance. She gasped suddenly, briefly taking a step backwards. Almost falling in the water until Harry's hand whipped out impossibly fast to gasp her in an iron vice, yet gentle. She giggled internally as she had the mental image of a velvet wrapped vice.
"Something funny?" He asked with a slight grin.
"I. I just realized what you are. I know what you are." She said.
"Say it. Go ahead so I know that you understand." He ordered, but gently.
Hermione whispered a single word, "Vampire."
Tilting her face upwards he smiled at her. Two sharp incisors visible in the pale light. "Yes. And I want you to join me Hermione. I promise you'll stay beautiful, with dark hair and soft skin forever."
Hermione bit her quivering lip as she looked into the Emerald eyes ringed in amber. "You think I'm beautiful?"
Harry softly caressed her cheek, "I've always thought you were beautiful. My angel. Please make up your mind as I don't want to hurt you."
Tilting her head back to expose her throat she took her last breath, "I'm not afraid. I want forever to begin now."
Harry took her in his arms and slowly, gently bit her. A slight sharp pain was all she felt before he began to suckle from her punctured throat.
Her warm fresh blood running down his throat made Harry have to fight the urge to drain her dry. His love for her though managed to overcome the hunger and he slowed. Leaving just a few drops in the pale, almost dead girl he licked the wound sealed and with his fang tore open his own wrist.
Putting the darkly oozing wound to Hermione's lips he urged her to drink, to absorb the magical energies that would quicken her form into the unlife he now had. He worked very hard to make sure not to enslave her like he had been briefly before managing to overcome his master with help. He wanted her to be his equal in everything.
Soon he felt her stirring. Her eyes flew open in panic as she began to grasp her throat and thrash. He held her through the initial terrors, softly cooing to her, calming her.
[Be calm Hermione. You do not have to speak to let me hear you. And that is the only time we need to breathe.] he sent to her mentally.
{Harry. I. I wasn't expecting this. I feel so strange and different.} Hermione sent back as she stared up at him.
[I know. It'll pass soon. You just awakened.]
{Will I be your slave?} she did not sound entirely regretful or upset.
Smiling at her he sent [No. I wanted you to be my equal,not my pet. Besides Luna would not have allowed me to enslave you.]
{Luna knows about us?}
[Luna is the one who rescued me this summer. She is a wee bit older than we thought she was.] He sent with a chuckle.
{How much older?} Hermioen sounded like she was coming back to her normal curious self.
[Oh only a few hundred years older.] Harry sent with a shrug, [Its rather rude to ask a lady her age you know.]
Hermione nodded as she considered things. Reaching up she felt her incisors before exploring the rest of her body. Harry's eyes followed her hands as they traveled over her body.
{My eyes?} she asked worriedly.
[They are a beautiful shade of reddish brown. We should probably go get some sheep before we go backto the common room. I fear if Ron annoyed you right now he might wind up on the menu.]
{That is not funny Harry.} She frowned at him, {Besides I don't think he's my type.}
[Now that's my girl.] he laughed silently.
Hermione took a few moments to enjoy the thrill of running as fast as a wild horse as she chased down one of the nearby deer in the hills. She allowed the hunger to overcome her briefly as she drained it of its warm blood. The strength coursing through her body caused her to turn and find Harry a few moments later. His own hunger sated she felt another hunger building.
Harry felt it too as they met in a clearing in the forest. Their bodies stripped bare within moments they soon began to couple. Their first heated joining was brutal, sudden and raw, animalistic passion. A heated desire that burned through them until they had sated that hunger. Their second one was slower, more about feeling the pleasure of being together, being with each other, that took a longer time.
Hermione's mind briefly considered the fact that as a vampire she would never carry a child, she would never suckle one at her breast, and dismissed it. She had cousins who would carry on the family name and her connection with her parents was tenuous enough that she did not feel that she owed them grandchildren. So she did not feel that the transformation took anything special away from her. Especially if it meant she could make love to her husband for eternity.
Laying together they stared upwards at the starry sky. Hermione's new eyes seeing millions of new stars as she heard the forest teemign with life. Scents and sensations came to her, magical senses enhanced by the transformation along with her human ones.
{My God Harry. I feel like a superhuman. Why haven't the vampires taken over already?}
[There's apparently a lot of side effects and retaining one's humanity can get rather difficult the older one is.] Harry sighed, [Luna explained a lot this summer. When I told her I was going to offer this to you she agreed that you would have the best chance of not giving in to the beast.]
{The beast? I have a feeling there is a lot that doesn't get mentioned in Defense Class.}
[You have no idea. At least we don't explode in sunlight.] he observed, [and without needing to sleep, only feed occasionally we should be good.]
{Speaking of sunlight it'll be dawn soon. We should get inside. Even if we don't explode I feel rather uncomfortable with the idea of being out in the sunlight.}
[I know. I'm still not completely comfortable but I'm getting better. Luna has a rather unique way of teaching you.]
Getting dressed Hermione looked around, {Where is she anyhow?}
[She prefers to get further away from the castle when she hunts. She says she has to remain so self-controlled all of the time that she wants to let her hair down when she hunts.]
{Oh. She doesn't uh. She doesn't hunt people does she?} Hermione asked with a bit of concern.
[Oh no. She hasn't taken a human ever. That feeds the beast. And the stronger the beast is the less human we become.]
{Okay. I'll do my best. My temper is not exactly the greatest you know.}
[I know but trust me. Once you smell Ron or Draco I'm sure you'll not want to bother tasting them.]
{That bad hunh?} She scowled as they walked back to the castle holding hands.
[Well let's just say that if everyone was a bag of Bertie Botts then Draco is a boogie flavored one.]
{And Ron?}
[I'm still trying to figure it out but earwax might be close.] he chuckled over their link.
{I love you Harry. Thank you for giving me this gift.}
[Ask me that in a few hundred years.]
Hermione just leaned her head on his shoulder.
…...
Hermione had laid in her bed staring at the ceiling listening to the other girls hearts beating. She had to admit the beast, if she had one, did not seem to be very strong as she did not want to get up and rip or feast on them. Even if Parvati was having her time of the month.
Giggling internally Hermione was glad she would never have to worry about that nuisance again either. Getting bored she pulled out her favorite book and began to read until she heard the others waking up and moving around.
Bracing herself she pulled back her curtains and stepped out to face them. Fortunately her physical changes were minor enough she was not immediately discovered.
Coming down to the common room she caught a whiff of Ron. Earwax was not quite the description she would use but then it would have to do as even with her enhanced senses she couldn't think of any combination of items she had smelled before that would describe him. Neville though smelled rather pleasant.
{Good morning love. How should I act?}
Harry shrugged, [However you want.] he sent as he placed his arm over her shoulders and led her past the other confused Gryffindors.
Reaching the great hall she felt the tingle of another one of their kind. She realized she had been feeling that tingle from Harry but minimized it as she knew it was him, this one she did not recognize the feel, the presence, until she saw Luna leaning against the wall under the giant hourglasses. She had her usual Mona Lisa smile as she watched them approach. Ahh. I see she accepted your offer.
[Yes I know. I'm very glad she did.]
{I'm sorry Luna if you wanted him to be your boyfriend I just love him.} Hermione sent giving Luna worried smile.
Hermione. There is no rule saying he can't be OUR boyfriend you know. We've got the rest of eternity to be together, get bored and go off for a few decades and then come back and get together again. she sent with a laugh.
{Right. I still am not used to thinking about time scales like that.} Hermione nodded as Luna started walking in beside them
"Guys what's going on? You're all just grinning and being stupid around each other." Ron huffed.
"Sorry Ron. Just enjoying the morning." Harry said out loud smoothly.
Hermione glanced over as she heard Draco's gasp of "not her too."
{Draco knows?}
Harry sort of established some new boundaries for the git the first night back. Luna sent after she waved to Draco causing his Slytherin friends to scowl and glare at her. Only he knows though. His friends do not. Although I suspect Daphne has figured it out.
Hermione looked at the tall blonde who was known as the Ice Queen of Slytherin. She could have been in Ravenclaw with her intellect. {I see. Luna. When can I start asking you the questions I have about all of this?}
Luna sent an amused laugh This evening when everyone has gone to bed. I'll restrain myself when we feed together and then we can have a nice chat.
{Thank you. One more thing though who else knows about us?}
Harry glanced at the head table, [Snape has it figured out. Dumbledore and maybe Flitwick but they haven't said anything. We have not exactly been hiding it but we haven't been flaunting it either.]
{So not very many. I wonder why?}
Because people do not see what they do not want to see. You saw because you were far more perceptive.
{I wonder if the ones able to sense it would be better candidates for conversion than someone who isn't.}
Luna shook her head We'll discus that later. Don't forget to eat food. You can regurgitate it later.
{Right. I almost did. Thank Luna.} Hermione looked relieved as she and Harry turned to take their seats at Gryffindor while Luna headed for the Ravenclaw table.