Chapter 42

Vampirific

She pushed away from me after a moment, wiping her tears off on her sleeves and clearing her throat. "I think," she paused, her eyes running over my Dark Mark, "we need to get you your new charm."

I wrapped my arms back around her and leaned forward to catch her lips and stop her nonsense but she pushed at me again. "No." Her fingers brushed the ink on my arm and when I winced, she withdrew.

"Sorry."

"It's fine, just stings a bit." I lifted her chin carefully and kissed her again only to have her step back quickly to stop me.

Her rejection scalded me and she spun around, walking briskly away from me, her hair bouncing in a tangled mess.

"'ey!" Blaise stuck his head out of the doorway. "Where's she goin'?"

I shot him a glance and shrugged. "Take care of the party," and strode after her. "Granger?" The halls to Hogwarts were numerous and exceptionally random and so catching up to her was no easy task. I actually had to sniff the air, yes the air, like a dog.

After searching for what felt like ages, I found her in Snape's supply closet, rummaging through his potions. I pushed open the door and she started when it slammed against the shelf.

"Shush, Malfoy!" she whispered, placing a finger to her lips. "We can get nearly everything here. What time is it?"

I pulled a pure silver pocket watch out of my jeans pocket and clicked it open, "It's almost ten." I carefully closed the door and stared up at her. She had climbed the ladder to the very top and was fishing around, knocking one of Snape's vials over.

Recognizing it was his truth potion; I dove and caught it, wincing when a few drops that had slipped out landed against my lips. Despite me closing my lips tightly, I could taste the copper of the potion touch my tongue and I groaned.

Tonight wasn't going to be very fun. "Perfect!" she beamed as she held up a small basket of Dragon Scales. She stepped down the ladder, ignoring the creaking of the wood and I put the vial back on the shelves.

"Why's it perfect?" I dusted down my robes, feeling the potion starting to work.

"Because we are going to go into the Forbidden Forest and get some vampire blood."

"Are you mental, Granger? We can't do that!" She placed her free hand over my mouth and silenced me.

"Be quiet or Snape will hear you." She hissed. "Now stop insulting me and follow." She motioned me with her finger in a way I found quite sexy but I managed to bite my tongue.

Literally.

It was bleeding when we left Snape's Supply Closet. I swallowed it and pressed on. She pushed open the door to the Infirmary and stuck her head in. "C'mon." She scampered in and pulled a cauldron out from the back, placing it on one of the beds and dropping in the ingredients one by one.

I was silent, thinking perhaps, she was joking about the vampire blood. Maybe there was an injured vampire in the back who would be willing to donate. That was not the case.

"Alright. Now we have to let this sit for and hour and one half exactly. Think that's enough time to go get what we need?" she flashed me a desperate smile.

"Erm…sure?" I offered and the next thing I knew, she was dragging me across the grounds towards the forest. "I thought you were kidding!" I protested but she refused to stop.

She climbed over the roots of the trees and didn't speak.

"Do you even know where the vampires are, Granger?"

"Hermione."

"Huh?" I blinked, puzzled.

With a huffy expression she turned and looked up at me. "Her-mi-o-ne, Merlin if Krum could get it I don't know how you can't." She brushed her hair back from her face and I flushed.

"It's just strange for me to call you by name because you still call me Malfoy." I felt my mouth run away with me and hoped that just a drop of this potion didn't last too long.

"Alright," She helped me through a particularly thorny bush and paused, "Draco."

I shivered mockingly, "It just sounds so strange… Hermione."

"Oh you're right. But we best get use to it. What with you being insanely in love with me and all." She showed me a smirk of her own and I felt proud.

"I cannot fight it any long, G-Hermione! I-" I stopped, catching the scent of death and a hefty amount of blood.

"You what?" she asked laughing but I was too busy feeling the trees around us move. I gripped her arm tighter than I meant to and pulled her flush against me.

"I think…" a shaky male voice spoke, "We found some breakfast."

"Indeed," a female cackled and I backed us up against a tree, protecting her from their eyes.

A snarl left my lips and when I saw a sharp movement to my left, I lunged and slammed the female beast into the nearest tree. She yelped in surprise and snapped at me, "Get off me or you'll pay!"

I chuckled and tightened my grip around her throat. "You're already dead, so cutting off your oxygen won't do any good."

"Draco!!!" She cried for me and I instantly dropped her and dashed back to where she was, stopping in my tracks when I saw her, with the blade she had carried from school, against Cedric Diggory's throat.

I stared and she stared until he bared his teeth and the female had attacked me from behind, knocking me to the ground and holding my face against the dirt.

"Cedric," she hissed, "I think we'll save this one for lunch time!"

"Cedric, please." Hermione whispered, pressing the knife harder into his neck. "I don't want to do this."

I waited for her to shift her weight and I slid out from underneath her, digging my nails into her legs and pulling them out from underneath her, causing her to bang her head against a large root on the ground.

I lashed at Diggory, taking the knife from her hands and placing it against his neck for her. "Don't!" she shouted at me and grasped at my hand. "He's our friend."

"Yours maybe," I sneered without meaning to and she gave me a dark look. There was a loud howl in the distance I recognized to be Fang. Hagrid must have seen us enter into the forest.

She placed her hand to his chest and forced him to look at her. "Cedric, we are going to take some of your blood. Give me the knife, Draco."

A bucket was placed just under his arm and she carefully sliced into his skin, gathering the blood. "Sorry," she winced.

He spoke in a harsh whisper, "Let me go."

"Almost…" She gave him a weak smile and I rolled my eyes.

"Why do you always feel bad for everyone?"

"There are more approaching. Release me." He snapped and I was uncertain whether he wanted release for our benefit or his.

"There. Let him go, Draco." I loosened my grip on him and he slid out of my grasp just as four or five more vampires fell from the trees onto the ground.

I pulled her into me and shielded her with my body when they lunged at us. Thankfully, the blow never came but an excessive amount of barking did.

Fang was snarling and barking and the Vampires were no where to be seen. I vaguely noticed the little white dog standing behind Fang, yapping as well.

"Hermione!" the brush cracked under the weight of Hagrid. "Are ye' alrigh'?" he shot me a look and I realized that he would never trust me.

"I'm fine, Hagrid." She brushed the hair on Fang's back, thanking him.

We made our way up to the castle, and quickly, though we didn't tell Hagrid why we were in such a hurry.

When we said goodnight to him at his hut, we made a run for the Infirmary. She poured the blood into the cauldron and forced my hand onto her wand and ordered me, "Keep stirring clock-wise."

She emerged from the back moments later with a larger coin in her hands and she placed it into the potion. "We have to let it stay here for twenty four hours," she breathed out. I leaned back on the bed, catching my breath and she sat at the other end of the bed.

"So… Cedric's a Vampire now. Did not see that one coming." I said jokingly.

Neither did I! And no I'm not a twilight fan but I wanted to give the Vampire a character. Plus when I picture a vampire now, I picture him, and Tom Cruise from Interview with a Vampire, which is a good movie and I would suggest watching it =) See you all Monday!