Crossover: When a lamb is not a lamb, part 2
Hermione’s first course of action was to talk to Dumbledore. He was responsible for this vampire, and she knew he would make the right decision once she told him exactly what happened. Unfortunately, he was never available. Time and time again she would visit his office, but he was always busy. When she went to her head of house, McGonagall reminded her that her studies were the most important thing to her, not the neighborhood undead.
Not that this went unnoticed. Ron and Neville were growing concerned. If only Harry was there. More and more time he spent alone, or on the Quidditch pitch practicing. If with anyone, he was with Ginny, who agreed with Harry that Dumbledore would get to the bottom of it.
“I think he’s gone now, isn’t he?” Neville asked her one day at breakfast, “Vampires can’t spend much time in society, can they?”
“I don’t know, but I want to know why he’s so interested in me”
“You’re encouraging him, you know. Looking for him is kind of the opposite of getting him out of your life.” Ron pointed out.
“Are you sure we can’t help you?” Said Neville.
“Please don’t. Even though you’re trying to help, he said he’d kill whoever approached me. I don’t want you in danger on my account” She bit her lip unconsciously as fear flushed back into her mind.
“If that what it takes to get him out, we’ll do it, right Ron?”
There was a pause.
“Right. And besides-“
“Oh Ro-on!” A voice sang out.
Hermione turned to see Lavender Brown walk over from her spot to sit next to Ron, who blushed and stopped in the middle of the conversation.
“Oh, hi Lav!” Ron turned to his new girlfriend.
Across the table, Hermione’s fingers gripped onto her cup like a vise.
Neville actually noticed it.
“Hermione?” He asked her.
“What’s up with her?” Lavender nodded her head towards the other witch, who was starting to vibrate.
“Oh, she’s a bit tense since that Cullen bloke came to the school. He’s interested in her”, Ron explained.
“Awww, isn’t that sweet?”
“No, it isn’t”
Neville, who had been watching Hermione, noticed an audible grinding sound from Hermione’s tightly shut mouth. The sound only stopped when Neville grasped onto her hand.
“What’s wrong with it?”
“Cullen’s a vampire, that’s what! He wants to bloody eat her!”
“Oh.”
“That’s right. I’m going to find out why he’s so interested in me and get him to leave!” Hermione finally snapped.
“Well, let him know there’s plenty of other girls interested”, Lavender winked at her, “but this one’s taken.”
“You’re just doing it on purpose,” Hermione hissed between clenched teeth.
It wasn’t entirely luck. Nor was it entirely quick thinking. Nor was it simple forgetfulness. But somehow Neville thought of the one thing that made Hermione stop thinking about Ron and Lavender and get to her mission.
“Hermione, could you tell me what the standard procedure is for killing vampires again?”
“Stake. Silver. Garlic. Decapitation.”
She usually didn’t speak in one-word sentences, but her brain revived with a gasp and a sputter.
“Neville?”
“What?”
“Tell Harry to get Dobby to bring me a piece of silver and some garlic from the kitchen. I’m going to make a plan myself.”
“But Hermione….”
Ron was distracted by Lavender’s embrace, but Neville could only protest frantically as Hermione stalked off to her next class.
That night, Hermione slept fitfully. She had barely fallen asleep in the first place. Worries and anxieties circulated her mind, determination and fear dueling for first place. The turmoil swirled through the memories of the past weeks, images blinking in and out of her consciousness. Sometimes she dreamed of scenarios like a movie, and sometimes she dreamed of experiences like the memories themselves.
This night she dreamed of faces. Harry’s bright eyes and pale scar. Ron’s freckles and beautiful hair. Neville’s round features and full lips. Harry reminded her of loyalty and honor and courage. Ron reminded her of unfinished business and inner conflict. Neville reminded her of warmth and comfort. Then the faces changed. Ginny’s bright face, a thought on her mercurial mind. Luna’s dreaming eyes, seeing everything and nothing. Dumbledore’s knowing smile. McGonagall’s spectacles shifting at the raise of a humorous eyebrow. Hagrid’s teeth beaming from beneath the heavy beard. Tonks’ face changing from round to angular and back with a cheeky wink. Lupin’s steady, reassuring gaze. Even Trewlawny’s googling stare seemed to have life and emotion.
Then the faces grew more menacing. Draco’s contemptuous sneer of hate. Snape’s more adult glare of scorn and disdain. Moody’s wandering eye. Umbridge’s narrowed slits on a froglike countenance. Bellatrix’s maniac grin of sadistic triumph. Edward Cullen’s cold, dead gaze. The face of Voldemort…..
She sat up as she woke up with a start. Her pajamas felt damp with cold sweat as she stared into the darkness. She could make out a large figure in the gloom with glowing golden eyes.
Hermione clutched at her wand by the bed, but when she cast lumos, the figure was gone. Leaving a blank wall in its place.
“Hermione?” She could hear Alicia mumble from the bed nearby.
“What’s with the light? What’s going on?” Parvati blinked herself awake.
Hermione blushed as she extinguished the light.
“Nothing”, she explained, “I must be seeing things.”
She didn’t believe her own assertion, but she stuck with it both with her friends and in her mind. It was only through that little fib that she managed to go back to sleep.
“Hermione! There’s a paper for you! You’d better read it before one of us does. I can’t hold the rest forever. I can’t even hold myself back for any longer.”
“I’m up,” Hermione grumbled as she blinked awake and sat up. Parvati was waving a piece of folded paper in her grasp. Grunting, Hermione got out of bed and took the paper from her friend. The impeccable penmanship in neat ink read:
Hermione Granger
You know who I am and what I am
We shall end this tonight on the northwest tower
Tell no one and go alone. I shall be waiting.
Hermione folded the note and put in the pocket of her robes as she dressed. That day she would spend preparing. This time, she’d do it alone. A shiver ran down her spine. She hated to admit she was terrified of being alone for too long. Her friends would not be there to help her. Still, she usually had to save them, and she refused to have their blood on her hands if things went bad. She could do this herself.
The best thing that could happen is that the vampire apologized and left Hogwarts forever. The worst….she could imagine the worst rather well. She imagined the worst quite often, unfortunately. She had always told Neville that the more you thought about a failure and did nothing, the more likely you would fail, and that you should always act on your fears to conquer that made you afraid. When Neville would nod slowly in understanding, she felt they had both accomplished something.
The garlic and silver came, courtesy of a proud house-elf. She insisted on giving him stocking caps to distribute to the other elves (hand knitted by herself and Neville. Harry kept stabbing himself by accident and Ron was always “too late”.). Dobby just wore the hats himself, telling her that the others didn’t want the caps. It was worth the try, anyway.
As usual, she read books in-between classes that day. But they weren’t all academic. She had gathered all the books on combat, especially those against vampires and other beings. She was glad she had finished the books she had given to Neville, Harry, and Ron. She memorized their strategies and their lore.
Most of the time, vampires and wizards avoided each other. However, when they did push each other too far, their conflicts were often bloody and violent. Most spells used against vampires were violent. No clean Avada Kedavra. Wizards used burning, exploding, tearing spells to simply destroy the bodies of the vampires. The vampires in turn used their speed and strength. Many wizards didn’t even have a chance to fight back before falling to the inhuman grip and piercing fangs.
Hermione’s stomach turned at the descriptions she read. She had been in a fight before. It had been terrifying, and she had nearly been killed. If it wasn’t for Harry and Neville, she would have died there. Still, she had survived, after all, and she had saved their lives in turn. She wasn’t sure she was in control of the situation, but she would make it so one way or another.
She didn’t speak with anyone. Harry’s eyes always flitted across the room, senses heightened to full alert, but she didn’t calm him down. Ron yelled at her once and stalked off to join Lavender, but Hermione didn’t open her mouth. Neville and Ginny were jumped by Crabbe and Goyle and somehow fought them off, but Hermione didn’t say a word to the teachers.
The hour finally came when the sun came down and her last class ended. Being a prefect, Hermione was able to wander the corridors in the evening, but she moved fast lest be noticed and questioned. Ron and Harry were playing chess. The other prefects were rounding up their wayward students. No student or teacher barred her way, or even paid attention to the slight girl going down the halls at a frantic rate.
Of all the creatures from painting to Snape, however, a toad noticed. A toad followed by his stumbling master.
“Trevor! What’s the matter with you? There’s plenty of crickets back in your cage, you know. You don’t have to-“ Neville paused his harangue on the amphibian when he heard rapid footsteps moving away from him. He hadn’t the faintest idea who it could be. Neville was used to not knowing anything, though, and he shrugged, picked up his toad, and returned to the common room.
Then his mind clicked.
“Harry, you seen Hermione anywhere?”
Harry dropped the wildly gesticulating bishop, his green eyes wide as he took in the possibilities.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Damn, she must still be out there. Lavender, do you know where she could be?” Ron turned to his dozing girlfriend who was slowly falling asleep on the couch. As she fell her head jostled Ginny, who shoved her back in annoyance.
“Hmm? Well, Parvati told me Hermione got a note in the morning, but she didn’t get to read it. I don’t know who sent it, but it sounds dodgy.”
Harry and Ron locked terrified gazes.
“The vampire!”
Harry sprung into hero mode.
“All right. Ginny, check the library. Neville, Dumbledore’s office. Ron, ask the paintings and ghosts. Lavender, tell the rest of the house to wait in here and keep watch. I’ll get McGonagall. We’re not going to let her do this alone.”
“Last time I got in her way, she petrified me”, Neville pointed out.
“She’s going to die if we don’t do something!” Harry snapped
“I didn’t say I was against it. Let’s go!” Neville managed to fire back before he got up to join his friends as they ran off.