Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. If it were we would be celebrating a very different epilogue, you know. Everything you can recognize from Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer. The legends about vampires and their explanations are taken from "The Twilight Companion" by Lois H. Gresh
A/N: Chapter 4 for you, I hope you will enjoy. This shall prove to be a very interesting chapter, I guess ;) And again, I hope it isn't too similar to the movie or the book, but I really love the quotes and I just had to use them here :P
Also, I want to thank my wonderful beta Gingercat for her precious help!!
The Cold Ones
Chapter Four: Vampire!
"Hermione, are you alright?" Seamus worriedly asks me. He's not the only one, the rest of the class is all around me, concerned about my well being.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine" I reassure them.
"Anyway, you'd better go to the Hospital wing so Madame Pomfrey can check you out and make sure you're fine" Dean suggests. The others agree, and since Hagrid had already dismissed class, they all accompany me.
I am fine, really! But I appreciate their concern, so I let them lead me there as I've never visited the Hospital wing before.
Pomfrey, or Poppy as everyone in the school knows her even if only the teachers are allowed to call her that, makes me lay on a bed, and runs some spells over me to make sure the tail didn't make any contact. Dragon hide is very resistant, but those creatures aren't the most tidy in the world, so often getting scraped by their claws or their tail if it is spiked can cause infections.
"Well, it was a scary experience, Miss Granger, but I believe you'll be fine soon. No wounds whatsoever. You must have had very good reflexes to avoid that tail" she tells me.
"It wasn't me. It would have been a lot worse if Harry Potter hadn't saved me. Amazing, he was far away from me but he arrived in just an instant" I tell the nurse. She raises her eyebrow at me.
"Then you have been very lucky"
For the rest of the day I stay in my room, running the episode in my head, trying to understand how could he be so fast. I've never seen a human being who could move in an instant like he did, and I'm sure he did!
I hear my stomach growling, so I look up to the window. Sure enough, it's dark outside already. I'm going to miss dinner if I don't hurry.
As I make my way down the stairs to the Great Hall, I spot Harry whispering fiercely with Bill and Ginny.
"Someone saw you?" Ginny accusingly asked.
"What else could I do? I couldn't let her die!" Harry spats back.
"Doesn't involve only you, Harry!" Ginny hissed.
Bill is the first one to notice me. "We better talk about this later" he says, and makes to move.
"Harry" I call out to him. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"
He sighs, and walks toward me. "I'm glad you're alright" he says, giving me a tiny smile, but it doesn't really reach his eyes. Not that I can allow myself to be distracted by his eyes, anyway. I have to ask him something.
"H-how did you manage to get there so fast?"
He looks at me almost surprised. "I was already there by you, Hermione" he says, giving me another smile. Charming as it is, I'm not falling for it right now. I can't afford to.
"No, you weren't. You were on the other side of the fence, quite far from me!" I insist.
"Hermione, you're in shock, you've got your facts mixed up" he chuckles, but I glare at him. "I know what I've seen"
"And what have you seen?" he asks, suddenly worried and on edge. Ha! I knew he's hiding something!
"You! You stopped the dragon's tail with your hand and pushed it away!" I almost shriek, once more disbelieving he could do that now that I think about it for the umpteenth time.
"Nobody would believe you anyway" he almost threatens me.
"I…I wouldn't tell anyone" I say, in a small voice. "I just have to know…" I look at him almost pleading.
"Can't you just thank me and be done with it?" he hisses. I realize I haven't thanked him yet!
"Thanks!" I immediately blurt out. God, he saved my life and the first thing I did wasn't to thank him but to interrogate him! I'm awful…
"But forgetting is not an option, right?" he sneers.
"No" I stand my ground on that. I need to know how he did that!
"I hope you won't be hurt by the disappointment" he whispers, before walking away. I look at his retreating back, and wonder what the hell he meant by that.
--
I suddenly jolt awake in my bed, sweating. Merlin, I was dreaming about the incident, and this time Harry wasn't there to save me! Or, better, he was there but he didn't move a muscle. I can tell you it wasn't pretty how the dream, or better still, the nightmare, ended.
Looking around startled, I spot a pair of green/golden eyes looking at me from the darkest corner of my room. I blink, and they are gone.
Perfect, I'm now dreaming of him being in my room watching over me! I sigh, and plop back onto my pillow. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes but I know sleep won't come easily now.
That was the first time I dreamed of Harry Potter.
--
It has been two weeks since the incident, we are by now in November, and Harry had been avoiding me like the plague, even if I caught him looking at me quite often. I was secretly pleased about that, but I didn't really know what to make of it. Of course, the fact that I caught him staring means that I was also looking in his direction. I was almost drawn to look at him, and I missed the companionship we were developing before the dragon incident happened.
As me and Seamus are walking toward the greenhouses, I can feel his gaze on me. He is already there, leaning on the wall by the door as he waits for the lesson to start. I look back at him and miss what Seamus is asking me.
"So, will you?" he finally asks again.
"Will I what?"
"Come to Hogsmeade with me this weekend" he repeats, hopeful. He's asking me out???
Oh my, how did we come to this?
"Er…I'm sorry, but I have lots of things to do this weekend…" I lamely say, not knowing how to turn him down without hurting him. He's a good friend, after all, and if I'm settling so well into Hogwarts I owe it mostly to him, Dean, Parvati and Lav. Lav! That's how I can gently turn him down!
"Can't you do them another day?" he asks, a bit dejected. I now have a plan, so I insist.
"Sorry, no" I say, looking apologetically at him. "Why don't you ask Lavender? She's love to go with you" I suggest, and he looks at the blonde.
When she notices he's looking, she grins at him, and blushing a bit waves her hand. He waves back, and then nods at me, before accelerating his walk to go join our other friends.
"What do you have to do this weekend?" Harry asks me when I reach him. I look startled at him.
"How do you know?" I ask, and he looks like he's struggling to get out of the mess he put himself in. It's kind of cute. "You didn't answer my question" he finally says, deciding to ignore what I asked him altogether.
"You never answer mine. You didn't even say hello" I point out, walking past him into the greenhouse. He follows.
"Hello" he hastily says.
"So will you tell me how you stopped the tail?" I ask him, almost challenging him to do so.
"Yes" he says. I hope for a moment he will tell me the truth, but when I hear his next words, I roll my eyes. "I had an adrenaline rush, it's common"
"I've got to write to my parents, that is what I've got to do" I snap at him, but as I try to walk past him, I slip. That knocks me down a peg or two with my smart arse attitude, I guess. He steadies me.
"Can't you at least avoid slipping?" he teases me with a hint of a smile, and I blush. He was about to say something else but Lavender comes squealing to me, so he leaves.
"Seamus asked me to go with him to Hogsmeade this weekend!" she excitedly tells me. "I thought he fancied you" she admits, looking down. And I guess he did, since he asked me first, but I won't tell her that of course. "It won't be awkward, will it?"
"You joking?" I say, giving her a bright smile. "You two are a pair made in Heaven" I say, making her giggle.
"I know" she says dreamily. I'm glad someone is happy, because right now I'm not.
--
After the lesson, we walk back to the castle. I am walking alone when suddenly Harry approaches me.
"Hermione, we…we shouldn't be friends" he says.
"Sorry you realize this only now" I reply. "Could have let that dragon crush me, you wouldn't have any worry right now"
He looks at me with wide eyes. "You think I regret saving you?"
"It seems like that, but I don't know why" I whisper.
"You know nothing, nothing" he hisses, but before he can say more Luna approaches us. "Hi Hermione" she greets me with a warm smile. "Will you join us at dinner tonight?" I'm baffled at her invitation so I gape at her for a moment.
"No" Harry replies before I can, and then he walks away. The blonde gives me an apologetic look, and then goes after him.
--
I'm still upset with Harry, so I skip dinner altogether to avoid running into him. I'm not hungry anyway.
I can't get over the fact that he hates me for some reason, and I can't figure out why. I didn't do anything to him!
I decide to distract myself by reading There's A Dark Creature Next Door, How To Recognize It.
--
It's morning, I wake up early. Having skipped dinner last night, I'm quite famished, so I quickly shower and get dressed with a white shirt, my jeans, and then I don my school robes over them. I throw my bushy brown hair into a messy ponytail, and then head downstairs to the Great Hall.
It's almost empty, so I choose a seat and start filling my plate.
"Hungry?" a voice startles me, and I drop the apple I was holding. I always eat fruit first thing in the morning, I love its freshness.
Before the apple collides with the ground, a foot lifts it up, making it roll up the leg, and then hop into the waiting hands of none other than Harry Potter. He offers it to me with a smile. "Hermione" he says as he does so.
"Thanks" I mutter. He takes the seat near me.
"I swear, your mood swings make my head spin" I snarl to him. Is he trying to make me go mad?
"I said we shouldn't be friends, not that I don't want to be" he points out, and I look at him sceptically.
"And what does that mean exactly?" I ask, frowning and mildly glaring at him.
He looks at his nails, completely unbothered by my reaction, then looks back at me, "It means that if you are smart, you'll stay away from me" he seriously says.
Now, being smart has always been a pride for me, so I really can't believe what I say next. Still, I need to know how he saved me. It's like the less he says, the more I want to know!
"Okay, let's say for argument's sake that I'm not smart, would you tell me the truth?"
"No, I guess not" he says "But I'm interested in your theories" he adds then, with a smile.
I chuckle despite still being a bit peeved at him. "Well, I've considered radioactive spiders and kryptonite, even magic of course, and gamma radiations" I sheepishly admit with a tiny smile.
He looks at me amused. "All superhero stuff" he chuckles, then turns serious again. "What if I'm not the hero? What would you do, if I was the villain?"
Does he want to scare me away? Come on!
"You're not. I've seen how you act, you keep away from everyone else, try to keep them at a distance. It's a façade" I say, looking directly into those green/gold orbs of his even if I risk melting at his feet doing so. I swear those eyes should be banned.
"Why don't we spend some time together?" I suggest. "Everyone is going to Hogsmeade this weekend, come with me" I boldly invite him. No, I'm not asking him out. Or maybe I am, who knows. I just want to get to know him better and this seems a smart idea.
"Hogsmeade?" he frowns. "It's a bit crowded, isn't it?" he says, politely turning down my invitation. Oh well, it was something worth trying.
******
It's the end of November, and another Hogsmeade weekend awaits us. I spent the last one in the castle, studying, while everyone else was outside having fun, but this time Lavender and Parvati invited me to go do some Christmas shopping with them. I agreed, so here I am, following them through stores, as they giggle and gush over possible presents for their parents, and in Lavender's case for Seamus too. And of course, they are also looking for clothes for themselves.
"What do you think of this top?" Lavender asks me, and I look up from the couch I'm sitting on.
"It's perfect" I say, barely looking her way. I'm getting quite bored with their shopping spree.
"You aren't much into shopping, are you?" Parvati asks me. I shrug.
"It's just that I've seen a bookstore at the end of the main street and wanted to check it out…" I admit, and my friends grin.
"Then let's do it this way, you go there, and we will meet at the Three Broomsticks for dinner, ok?"
I smile and nod, standing up. "Thanks for understanding" I tell them. "See you later"
It takes me few minutes to reach the bookstore and then I start roaming thru it. It's pretty big considering how small Hogsmeade is, but then, with Hogwarts so close, maybe it will do a good business all the same. The shop seems fairly new, I notice as I roam the rows of books. I stop now and then to check the shelves when I find they are about a subject I am interested in, for example healing, or Transfiguration.
Picking up a book from the Charms section, I scan the pages, and finding a nearby armchair, I start reading bits of it.
--
It's so easy to pass time when looking at books, at least it is for me. I have a fascination with them, and I can't help it. So when I finally head out of the store, the sky is already dark. Shit, I was supposed to meet with Lav and Parvati for dinner!
I start making my way there, when suddenly some boys come out of a dark alley. I recognize a couple of them as seventh year Slytherins.
"My, if it isn't the Mudblood" one sneers.
"She is packed with books, as usual" another taunts me. Well, I wasn't exactly packed, but I did buy a couple books.
"She's pretty hot though" another leers at me. They start advancing toward me, and I instinctively back away. I have my hands full so I can't get my wand, and even if I could it's five of them against me. I am not easily scared but I know when the odds aren't in my favour.
They keep advancing, and I keep backing away, until they manage to push me into a deserted alley. I can feel one grabbing my shoulders.
"Stay with us" he says. "You will have fun" he taunts me again, before slipping one hand to touch my arse.
"Don't touch me" I shout, trying to move away from them, but I'm surrounded and can go nowhere.
This is it, they are going to rape me and I can't do anything about it. I feel a hand moving up my side toward my left breast, but before it can go further a voice bellows from the entrance of the alley.
"Leave her alone"
I recognize that voice. It's Harry, and he is pretty pissed off. They turn to face him, and sneer.
"There are five of us, Potter" one mocks him. A moment later, he's unconscious on the ground. Nobody even saw him move, but Harry had slammed the guy against the wall, probably giving him a nasty concussion. I'm sure you understand if I'm not concerned about his health.
The other four flee, leaving me alone.
"Are you ok? I should have killed them all, with what they were thinking…"
"How do you know that?"
"Not hard to imagine" he covers his slip. "Let's talk about something else or I'll go after them and kill them all" he growls.
"Er…nice weather, uh?"
He laughs. "Yeah, a bit chilly though" he smiles at me and I feel butterflies in my stomach, even after the threat of being raped. With this, it's the second time he has saved me.
We reach the Three Broomsticks just as Lav and Parvati are coming out.
"Hermione! Where have you been, we were worried!" Parvati tells me, almost like she is my mother and is scolding me. But I don't care, I know they must really have been worried about me.
"Sorry girls, it's my fault. Hermione and I met by chance and lost track of the time while chatting" Harry says, with his charming grin. My friends, who hadn't noticed him before, immediately smile.
"No, it's ok, it can happen" Lavender says. "Anyway, we are finished, and we're going back to the castle. Hermione, what do you want to do?"
"If it is ok with you" Harry says, looking at me, "I'd like to see that Hermione has dinner" he says.
"I'll walk you back" he says to me then. I nod, still in a daze. "Yeah, I should eat something"
"Ok then, we will see you tomorrow" they say, before walking away. As we enter the pub, I can hear a faint echo of their giggling.
--
Madame Rosmerta brings me my roast chicken, and she asks Harry if he wants anything. He politely refuses.
"You sure you're not hungry?" I ask him. He leans closer, and my breath hitches in my throat.
"My diet is quite peculiar" he whispers. This brings me back to wanting answers from him, and I tell him so.
"How did you know where I was? Were you following me?" I ask. He looks like he's going to deny it, but then his shoulders sag. He sighs, and looks directly in my eyes.
"I feel very protective of you, Hermione" he says, and the intensity of his tone sends a tingle down my spine. I try my best to not show how his words affected me.
"So you followed me" I state. Again, he doesn't deny it. "I was going to keep my distance, but when I heard what they were thinking…"
"You heard what they were thinking? You can read minds?" I ask, astonished.
He chuckles, and looks around. "I can read everyone's thoughts in here. There's sex, food, money…but with you, I can't. It's quite frustrating" he says, jokingly.
"Is something wrong with me?" I blurt out, and the moment I do I realize how stupid that sounds.
He laughs. "I tell you I can read minds and you think you're the one with something wrong?" he asks me. I blush and give him a sheepish smile, before tucking in. I am quite hungry after all.
But I stop when I hear him talking again. "I can't find the strength to stay away from you even a minute" he admits. I swallow the lump that has formed in my throat.
"Then don't" I whisper.
--
As we leave, he helps me into my coat. Our hands brush, and I shiver feeling how cold he is.
"You're freezing" I say, surprised. He says nothing, and we silently walk up to the castle. He walks me to the stairs leading to the girls dorms.
"Goodnight, Hermione" he says softly.
"Goodnight" I whisper, before going up the steps to my room. As soon as I'm in there, I whip out There's A Dark Creature Next Door, How To Recognize It and go straight to a particular chapter.
I scan through the pages, and mutter to myself as I read.
"The cold ones. Demons of the night. Dismemberment of the demon. Undead. Speed. Strength. Cold-skinned. Paleness. Immortal. Blood drinkers"
Oh. My. God.
--
I go down to the Great Hall still shaken by my discovery. As I spot Harry, I walk past him, and out of the castle. I keep walking through the grounds, toward the Forbidden Forest. Somehow, I know he's following me.
I keep going until we are way into the forest, then I let my bag fall down, breathing deeply. I can feel him behind me.
"You're exceptionally strong, and fast. Your skin id pale, and cold as ice. Your eyes change colour. You don't eat or drink anything. You don't come out in direct sunlight. How old are you?"
"Seventeen" he answers me.
"How long have you been seventeen?" I ask, fearful of the reply.
"A while" he says. He knows that I know, I can feel the tension in his voice.
"I know what you are" I whisper, my voice breaking.
"Then say it. Out loud" he encourages me. I don't. Saying it makes it all more real.
"Say it" he urges me on. I finally turn to look at him.
"A vampire"
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