Alone Together

Hermione Turns Into a Cat

Thankfully, the library was relatively empty the next day when Draco and his collared escort arrived after their trip to Madam Pomfreys. Granger towed him through the aisles, piling book after book into his arms, obviously invigorated by the aspect of a proper research session.

They settled into their chairs, and Crookshanks made himself known, greeting Hermione first, but then settling onto Draco's lap. He shot a smug glance at Hermione who glared at the orange fluff.

After an hour of turning through yellowed pages, not knowing what he was supposed to be looking for, he was almost grateful for the Granger's sudden interruption.

"What vampire traits do you have?"

"Excuse me?" the question catching Draco unaware. He hadn't really mentioned or even tried to think about his vampire side. She was the only one besides the Death Eaters that knew, and he avoided them, and even she hadn't brought it up besides all the remarks about him being dead.

"You know, like being seen in mirrors," she was about to go on, but Draco interrupted her.

"You already know that one doesn't apply to me."

"Oh, right." she recalled, "In the bathroom."

"Can you melt into shadows?" she asked.

"I haven't tried." he responded slightly uncomfortably. Draco hadn't wanted to fail, and know that there was yet another thing he couldn't do as a vampire.

"How come?" Granger was obviously appalled at the thought of not immediately researching and experimenting on the aspects of being a vampire.

"How was I supposed to know if it worked?" he challenged, "Oh hey you, can you see me in these shadows? You can? Oh I was just checking to see if my new vampire powers worked."

Granger hesitated. "I see your point." she conceded.

"So what do you know?" she questioned, in a rather condescending tone. Deciding to prove that he was actually competent, and not a useless lump as she obviously saw him to be, Draco replied sharply,

"I'm not a full vampire, only three-fourths, so I am still alive sort of. I am not immortal. Garlic or stakes are not lethal, they only wound more than usual. I require blood at less frequent intervals, but I can't taste regular food. Sunlight makes me weaker, but not completely subdued, and I am stronger in the dark. I still need to breathe, but can hold my breath for about ten minutes. I can see in the dark, and move silently."

Granger took in all this information, nodding thoughtfully.

"Can you turn into a bat?"

Draco gritted his teeth. He had just told her a whole load of information, and all she focused on were the things he couldn't do.

"No." he snarled, trying to keep his incisors in. They tended to come out when he was angry. Granger ignored his glares, and gasped.

"That's it!" she cried softly, her hazel eyes alight with excitement, barely keeping within the library's noise level. Before he could ask, the Gryffindor commanded,

"Turn me into an animal."

At first this confused Draco, but quickly he caught on. If she shrunk in size, the collar might stay the same. A tiny flare of hope lit in his chest. Perhaps they wouldn't be stuck like this for too much longer.

"How about a horse? With those teeth, you're not far off already." he taunted, enjoying the annoyance on her face.

"I don't think the weasel features have fully worn off yet," she shot back, referring to when Mad-Eye Moody had turned him into a rodent and flung him around. He still had occasional nightmares about that.