Blood Magic

Following You Through The Dark

Draco's words still rang through Hermione's head like a distorted tune on a broken record player.

"Why did you lie?" he had asked her sternly. His eyes were glowing like a pair of lanterns as he stared down at her, waiting for an answer.

Mione felt her face blush and breathing hitch. She still felt him in the crook of her neck before swiftly pulling back to glare at her. " I don't know what you mean ," she said evasively.

Draco scoffed and narrowed his eyes. A tantalizing growl spurred from his chest. He couldn't hold back his grin this time. " Oh darling, I may not be able to lie, but you can bet that curvy arse of yours that I can sense one a mile away ," he slithered with a hint of menace.

Hermione didn't know how she didn't slap him clear across the face. Lord knows she had what it took to punch him...

Instead, her lips parted, but not a word came out. Malfoy took the opportunity to stun her even further by brushing back the hair from her shoulders.

"I could smell the lie on you when you told the others back in the infirmary," he pointed out. His fangs poked through his lips. "You know why he attacked you, don't you?"

She stared back into his firey eyes, wishing she could confide in him. But she didn't feel like it was safe to. Nor was there enough certainty for her to give any kind of solid explanation to him. Still, why had it felt so wrong to deny him the truth?

Hermione closed her eyes and shook her head. "I can't tell you anything ," she said weakly.

Two days had passed since the incident in the library. Since then she's been trying to stay clear of Draco...as well as her other friends. After Harry had found out about the attack, he had been adamant about trying to dig her mind for more information. She understood that he was upset about what had happened, however it was starting to come off as annoying. And down right troublesome.

Mione laid back in her bed and sighed. Sleep had been rocky for her. Not just because she was avoiding that version of Draco in her dream but because she was nervous of running into the other vampire again. No matter how much she tried to distract herself, her mind always found a way to fall back to a specific Slytherin in the dungeons.

Ever since she woke up in the hospital wing with his arms wrapped around her, Hermoine couldn't shake the feeling of him. As opposed to her usual icy demeanor towards the Pureblood Prince, she found her disposition softening. Even when he was glaring down at her with fire in his eyes, she felt oddly safe. Was this a vampire thing? Or did the cold blond possess this quality all on his own?

As rigid and menacing as he appeared to be, Draco's persistence surrounding her vampire encounter was reassuring. It was nice knowing that there was at least someone who understood the fear and severity of it.

Hermione glanced at the small clock on the wall. Only five minutes until dinner. Her appetite had been fleeting these past few weeks. She hadn't possessed the hunger, nor the interest to go down to the Great Hall and force herself to eat. She'd much rather dive into a pile of books from the restricted area. Would the school have any material on vampirism?

No doubt she'd soon be hearing her friends scurrying up the staircase, coming to get her. She was in no mood to sit down and deal with Ron complaining about Malfoy or McLaggen trying to flirt with her. She would much rather sleep through the entire endeavor and fall asleep. Oh yes, the concept of sleep had become far more appealing than forcing food down her throat- even if she were to face the nightmares.

She closed her eyes and cleared her head.

Her perfect day at the lake was freshly painted in her mind. But its vibrant colors start to fade to a more bleak palette of grays and blacks the harder she tried to focus. Flowers lost their vibrancy and the leaves withered to moldy flakes. The sun was nowhere to be found, yet it wasn't night. Something spread through the air, causing an eerie chill to bite at her body.