"Vampires suck."

The class fell silent.

Professor O’Brien smirked. "Blood. Lots of it."

The class snickered.

"They’re also very dead. And when I say dead, I mean pale, cold skin, they only can pretend to breath, no heartbeat, no pulse, and some of them even have skin decay, but that’s rare, because, well, vampires are very vain, even though they can’t see their own reflection. They love clothing, nice places, makeup, money. Anything that reflects wealth, It’s a big thing for them."

Hermione raised a hand.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"How does one. become a vampire?"

Professor O’Brien sat on his desk and scratched his arm through his black robes. "Well. if a vampire takes a liking to a human. they drink their blood. but not all of it. just enough so they’re almost dead. They feed the nearly dead human some of their blood, and the human appears to die, but. they’re just sleeping. The next night, they’re usually already buried by their loved ones, and they rise."

"How come they’re so evil?" Ron asked.

"When a vampire rises, it loses its soul," their teacher explained. "Soulless beings have no clear sense of right and wrong. They want what they want, and it doesn’t matter how horrible it is, or who dies or is hurt in the process of getting it. kind of like Malfoy over there."

The Gryffindors snickered, and Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"There was. once. a vampire with a soul," O’Brien went on. "Legend has it that he killed the wrong girl, a gypsy, and her family became so angry that they cursed the vampire with a soul. Well. he moved to America, and roamed around, feeling guilty for eighty years, because for 150, he gave ugly death to everyone he’d ever met." His expression became far away. "Family, friends. Complete strangers. It didn’t matter."

He blinked and shook his head. "Anyways, eventually, he decided, with the help of a few people, that he wanted to atone. So, he moved to LA and became a champion for good. After about six years of this, of helping people, the higher powers saw fit to turn him super-human. They say that he is still helping people, still making a difference."

He leaned in, and his voice became low. "Some say he attended this very school."

Ron and Harry looked at each other, and then back at him. Harry glanced behind him to see Hermione flipping the pages of one of her books furiously.

Professor O’Brien sighed. "For those vampires who aren’t just fluffy puppies with bad teeth, methods of getting rid of them are- and write these down, please."

Lunch in Professor Wyndham-Pryce’s classroom had been canceled so he could do some more research in the Library.

Hermione smiled happily as she followed her uncle to the very back, and sat down, as he began to slide books out of their places.

"What we’re looking for," he told her, "are a few spells that will hopefully keep vampires from entering Hogwarts. Professor Rosenberg had a few, but. well. we had a bit of a problem a few months back, and they were set on fire."

"I thought Professor Rosenberg had a computer?" Hermione asked.

"She does, But the one with the spells was thrown out of a window."

"Oh."

Wesley smirked at her. "Get searching. I’ll find more books."

"Uncle Wesley?"

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Is it true that a vampire went to Hogwarts. the one that Professor O’Brien talks about. the one with a soul?"

Wesley’s lips turned up into a smirk. "Yes, I believe I read that somewhere, why?"

Hermione shrugged. "No reason."

Waves of Fright.
****

Professor Faith Morgan walked by the Slytherin table in the Great Hall during lunch that day. The most prominent noise was coming from Draco Malfoy’s mouth.

"I heard that two of the teachers are having sex," he informed his fellow Slytherins.

Faith rolled her eyes. "Malfoy, do you even know anything about sex?"

"Children are conceived from it," Draco snapped back.

At that point, Buffy walked by the table, and stopped to monitor her sister slayer’s behavior.

"Lemme tell you something about sex," Faith smirked.

"Faith, no," Buffy whispered.

Faith muttered something into Malfoy’s ear that made him go ghostly white.

Buffy dragged Faith away from the table. "What did you tell him?"

"Something Lucius should have told him a long time ago. He’s fifteen, and he doesn’t know anything about sex. No wonder he’s such an asshole." She smiled. "Scuse me." Faith ran over to the head of the Gryffindor table. "Malfoy doesn’t know what sex is!"

The whole table burst into laughter.

"I knew he was an idiot," Ron laughed. "But that’s ridiculous!"

Harry snickered. "Explains why he’s so cranky!"

"Even Ginny knows about sex!" Ron hollered.

"George! You wanna order Malfoy a whore for his birthday?"

"What a smashing idea, Fred! We could get Pansy!"

Hermione flinched. "I wouldn’t say that if I was you, she’ll kick your arse."

Buffy shook her head.

"Professor Morgan!" An outraged voice cried. "A word please!"

Faith turned to see Professor Snape bounding toward her. She cracked up and beamed at Fred and George Weasley. "I’m in trouble now."

Meanwhile Angel stopped next to Buffy. "What did she do this time?"

"She’s become the patron saint of Gryffindors scorned," Buffy replied. "Completely humiliated Draco Malfoy."

Angel sighed. "That’s our Faith. Did you hear that Filch is missing?"

Buffy nodded. "I think we found out who Spike and Dru ate the night we found them."

Angel nodded solemnly.

**

"Professor Snape, what can I do for you?" Professor Morgan leaned casually against the Gryffindor table, gazing politely at Professor Snape.

"You’re spreading rumors about one of my students," Snape hissed.

Professor Morgan sighed and reached into her robes, pulling out a small box of Altoids. "Mint?" she offered.

He glared at her. "I don’t find you amusing, Professor."

"I don’t find you scary, Severus," she replied. "You’re kid gloves in terms of scary. You glare and you yell and you’re ugly, but you’re not scary. I’ve known Muggles scarier than you. I’m scarier than you. And I could have you begging for mercy in five seconds flat." With that, she pushed past him and stormed out of the great hall.

Buffy and Angel watched her leave without shock.

"Think one of us should talk to her?" Angel asked.

Buffy shook her head. "Nah."

At that moment, Ginny Weasley walked into the great hall looking like death. Her three brothers began to rush over, seeing her look, but Angel got to her first. "Ginny?" He knelt in front of the fourth-year. "What happened?"

"F-Filch. and. Mrs. N-N-Norris. I found where they went off to."

Angel nodded sympathetically and got to his feet. "Show me."

Ginny led him out of the great hall, and the boys tried to follow, but Buffy stopped them.

In the hall, Faith spotted Ginny. "Gin? Y’okay kid?"

Angel sighed. "She found where Filch and his cat ran off to."

Faith paled. "Oh, shit."

The two teachers followed Ginny up to the Gryffindor common room and she opened the far closet with shaking hands.

Filch and Mrs. Norris were hanging on two different coat hangers. The cat in two different pieces. Filch’s hanger went through the skin and fit perfectly around his shoulder blades. His eyes were still open. There was no blood. He almost looked like a costume hanging there.

Angel pushed Ginny behind him into Faith, who put her arms around the girl. "Take her to Madame Pomfrey. And go get the other teachers."

Faith nodded, and guided the stunned Ginny to the painting.

"Professor Morgan?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah?"

"Was it really vampires that did that?"

Faith sighed. "Yeah, Ginny. It was. Now come on. You look like you could use some chocolate."

The girl nodded, and let Faith lead her out of the painting.

Ginny glanced back at the painting, and gasped.

Faith whirled around to see Spike’s handwriting on the painting in blood.

**Run, Run as fast as you can. You can’t catch us. We’ll eat you first.**

Ginny began to shake, and Faith pushed her away from the painting, muttering a string of obscenities as she did.

Professor Dumbledore shook his head. "This is the last straw. They can get into the dorms. We have to close the school."

"Headmaster, with our combined efforts, I’m certain we can have those two in no time," Giles said.

Dumbledore nodded. "I agree, but the children cannot be here when that happens."

"What do we do with them all?" Tara asked. "There are so many."

"Don’t worry about that, Professor Maclay," Dumbledore replied. "I have a course of action. But we have to be swift about this. Minerva, send owls to Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, Plenard and Americus."

**

The next day in levitation class, the students were silent. Even Malfoy refrained from saying a word.

Tara sighed. "Willow, I think these kids are really shaken. We should do something."

Willow nodded. "Yeah. Any ideas?"

"Maybe. Maybe would could have a discussion about what’s been going on?" Tara asked. "Try and make them feel a little better?"

Willow smirked. "Yeah. that’s not a bad idea."

Tara sat in front of the class and sighed. Willow hopped up to sit on the desk.

"Due to recent events," Tara started. "Willow and I have decided not to have a normal class today. We thought that maybe you guys’d want to talk about what’s been going on."

"Would anyone like to start?" Willow asked.

Draco Malfoy raised his hand.

"Yes, Draco?" Tara asked.

"How did vampires get into the school?" he asked.

His voice wasn’t mean, or snappy. He was seriously curious. Ever since she’d met him, Tara had thought that there was something good about the boy. Unlike Faith, Buffy and Angel, she tried to be as kind as possible to him, and Willow had followed suit. The two witches felt that by showing the Slytherins some decency, they could make a difference in their attitudes. Not just coddle them as Snape had, or scold them as Faith, Buffy and Angel seemed so set on doing.

"We’re still working on that," Willow replied. "When we know, you will, too."

Malfoy nodded.

Ron raised his hand.

"Ron?" Willow said.

"Where do you think they’re hiding?" He asked.

Tara sighed. "We suspect in the tunnels underneath school. We’re still looking into that, too."

Tara grimaced. She wished she had more answers for them.

**

Ladies and Gentleman, the Fighting Styles of Draco Malfoy.
****

The great hall was packed, and almost completely silent.

Ron, Hermione and Harry sat together at the Gryffindor table as usual.

When Malfoy walked by, they began to snicker.

"Wonder if he even knows what masturbation is," Ron muttered to his friends.

Draco stopped dead in his tracks.

"Ron! That’s gross!" Hermione cried. "We’re eating!"

Draco turned bright red and gritted his teeth.

"I just wonder," Ron went on. "Think about it. If he doesn’t know what sex is all about-"

Malfoy lunged across the table at Ron, knocking him to the floor.

"BLOODY HELL!" Ron cried.

Malfoy flung a fist that Ron dodged easily. "Bastard!" he yelled. "Kill you!"

"Malfoy, stop," Ron said. "You’re embarrassing yourself!" He got to his feet, dragging Malfoy with him.

Malfoy struggled and swatted at Ron, who held the blond away from him. "Fight like a man!"

"Oh, shut it, Malfoy," Harry said. "You fight like a Muggle girl."

Next to Harry, Hermione was laughing so hard, tears began streaming down her cheeks. "Oh, god. Oh, hell. This is ridiculously funny. Stop!"

"Don’t stop!" Seamus cried. "This is the best floor show we’ve had in a while! Slug ‘im, Ron!"

Dean yelled in agreement. "Give it to ‘im good for the lot of us!"

At that moment, Crabbe and Goyle rushed over, but were pushed away by a few teachers beginning to circle.

"What’s going on down here?"

The group turned to see Professor Morgan, Professor Snape, Professor MacGonagall, and Professor Maclay.

Snape glared. "Weasley."

"What happened, Ron?" Faith Morgan asked, crossing her arms.

"He started it," Ron replied, still trying to hold Malfoy away from him. "He tried to kill me."

"I highly doubt that, Weasley," Snape snapped. "Malfoy?"

"He-"

Tara gave a sad look to Draco. "Please tell the truth, Draco?"

Malfoy paused, and then sighed. "I hit first."

Snape gave a glare to Tara.

"Malfoy, Weasley, come with me," Professor MacGonagall said.

Ron left amidst cheers from his table, as well as others. He gave a bow before being pulled by the arm out of the great hall.

"Wait!" Dumbledore cried. He clinked his spoon against his glass, and MacGonagall led the two boys back in.

Dumbledore sighed. "I need your close attention. This is very important. Due to recent events, it has been decided to evacuate all students from Hogwarts until our special vampyric guests are apprehended. Each house will be sent to a different school. Slytherins will be sent to Durmstrang in Germany, Ravenclaws will be sent to Beauxbatons in France, Hufflepuffs will go to Americus in Canada, and Gryffindors to Plenard in the US. You have three days to pack your essentials. Parents have already been owled."

The great hall burst into noise, as the students were obviously shocked.

Ron grinned. "Huh. An unknown amount of time away from Slytherins. What a godsend!"

"Believe me, Weasley, the feeling is mutual," Draco snarled.

"Come along, you two," MacGonagall said, leading them out.

"Since you need your three days to pack, your detentions will be served right now," MacGonagall told them. "You will both be helping the house elves in the kitchen. Washing dishes. The Muggle way."

Ron sighed in defeat, and Malfoy’s jaw dropped, almost to the floor.

"And you’ll be working side by side," their teacher went on. "So, I suggest you two make the best of it."

The two boys glared at each other.

**

Hermione sat in the forbidden section of the library with her uncle Wesley, and Professors O’Brien, Rosenberg Maclay, and Giles, with Professor Morgan and Summers pacing near them.

"I don’t sense them here anymore," Professor Summers said. "I don’t think they’re in the school anymore."

"They got bored," Professor O’Brien commented. "They move a lot. They don’t stay in one place because of Dru’s need for new scenery and Spike’s short attention span."

"They wouldn’t go that far," Giles commented. "They still want to annoy us."

"Nearest town?" Professor Rosenberg asked.

"Hogsmeade," Hermione replied. "Older students spend weekends there."

Professor O’Brien nodded. "Right. Let’s go."

Hermione got up with the rest of the adults.

"Not you," Her uncle replied. "You’re not supposed to be up. Come on. I’ll take you up to the tower." He turned to the others. "I’ll meet up with you."

Wesley led Hermione out of the library and through the halls, only to bump right into Severus Snape.

"Wesley."

"Severus."

"Caught a student out of bed?" Snape asked.

Wesley sighed. "Actually, we were going over a few things in the library. I’m escorting her to her dorm."

"A few things?"

"If you must know," Wesley said, gritting his teeth slightly, "We may have the vampires cornered at Hogsmeade."

Snape gave a crooked grin. "Ah. I see. Well, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind my tagging along, then?"

"I. I suppose not," Wesley replied. "Wait for me in the front hall."



Ron didn’t make his way into Gryffindor tower until midnight. When he opened the door, he found Harry sitting up in his four-poster, surrounded by parchment, scribbling furiously away with a quill.

"How was detention?" Harry asked.

Ron sighed. "Tiring. Draco kept throwing left-over food at me. So I whacked him over the head with a plate. What are you doing?" Ron asked, flopping onto his own bed, pulling off his shoes.

"Writing to Snuffles."

Ron sat up and raised an eyebrow. "All that is for Snuffles?"

"It’s not going to be easy to owl him in America, is it?" Harry muttered. He sighed. "He better not do anything stupid while we’re away."

Ron smirked. "What do you think about this whole going to America thing, anyways?"

Harry shrugged. "Could be interesting. Never been out of England before."

"I’ve only been to Egypt," Ron replied.

Harry snorted with a smirked. "Only Egypt."

Ron snickered. "Sorry."

At that moment Hermione burst through the door. "Good news!" she cried.

Both Harry and Ron jumped.

"Christ, Hermione!" Ron cried. "Knock first!"

She flinched. "Sorry," she said quietly.

"What’s up?" Harry asked, still writing.

"The professors might have a lead on the vampires," she informed them. "We may not have to go to America."

"That’s kind of anticlimactic, isn’t it?" Ron commented.

"They found out that they’ve been spotted in Hogsmeade."

Harry looked up, a bit panicked. "Hogsmeade? As in. Hogsmeade, Hogsmeade?"

Hermione gave him an annoyed look. "What other Hogsmeade would I be talking about?"

Harry paled. "The Hogsmeade where my letters go, Hogsmeade?"

Ron caught his drift. "Uh-oh."

Hermione’s eyes widened. "Snape’s going with.

"If he finds Snuffles." Ron added.

"Dumbledore made them shake!" Hermione cried.

"Do you honestly think that means anything to him?" Ron asked.

Harry reached under his mattress and pulled out an old rolled up piece of parchment. The Marauder’s Map. " Ron’s right. Let’s get going."

:: On to Chapter Four ::