"So... this cat... just showed up? Out of nowhere?" Harry asked with a puzzled expression.
Having followed Avyanna through the various hallways of the castle, Hermione and Draco were surprised to have found themselves sitting in the back of the library along with their friends. Both Harry and Ginny sat nearest to the fireplace, while Ron and Neville sat at one of the close tables. Blaise and Pansy lingered close by, but were too skeptical of the scene before them.
"Pretty much," Mione said.
Avyanna remained perched on the small table in front of everyone, allowing them all to get a good enough look at her. Her long white tail swayed back and forth; her head tilted to the side every time someone new spoke.
"Apparently, she was sent here by Calix," Draco noted.
Ron cocked a brow. "But why would he send you a cat? What could a cat possibly do?"
~Grrr~
The redhead immediately closed his mouth and went stiff in his chair. The whites of his eyes grew as Avyanna's mouth pulled back to allow her small teeth to poke through.
Harry, nor the rest of them, could conceal their amusement. The dark-haired Gryffindor chuckled. "Gee, I don't know, Ron. This cat in particular looks like she has the ability to take you down with one swoop."
The space filled with more excessive laughter while Ron rolled his eyes.
"Would you two please take this a bit more seriously," Hermione insisted. "Her name is 'Avyanna'. And she happens to be more attentive and quite responsive than anyone could think to imagine."
Avy jumped from her spot to wander over to where Ron was sitting. Her large icy eyes poured into him, causing the guy to shift uncomfortably in his chair. A moment later, she hopped up on the table and slithered closer to him.
"Uhh, Mione." Ron's voice filled with panic while Avy leaned her small head into his personal space and began to sniff around.
Hermione merely giggled and sank closer into Draco's side. The blonde Slytherin wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close.
"Ronald, this is just her way to get to know people," she explained.
~Meow~
He remained utterly still as stone while Avyanna conducted her own investigation of each person. As she worked the room, Hermione had introduced her to each person and gave a little bit of background to each of them. Avy would either tilt or bow her head in acknowledgment. Nonetheless, everyone was sniffed and looked at twice... until Avy managed to reach Harry.
Suddenly the air in the room had shifted...
Avyanna froze as though she'd seen one of the floating spirits that roamed the halls. She stared at Harry with unblinking eyes. Mione noticed the change in the little feline's behavior and immediately got up from Draco's side. She knelt beside the couch where Harry was sitting and reached out to ease Avy.
Her hand glided smoothly down the cat's spine.
"Avy, what's wrong?" she asked. "This is Harry. He's no threat, I assure you."
Avyanna gently shook her head. No. That wasn't the reason why she'd become so transfixed on the young man. Unlike the others, Avy actually settled onto Harry's lap and raised her paws to rest against his chest. She leaned into him and took several long breaths in.
The longer she stared at Harry, the more pupils started to really dilate. Soon they lost their color completely and were nothing more than two pools of obsidian darkness.
Half of them truly thought that the cat was gearing up to spring some sort of an attack. But no. In fact, something even more shocking took place.
Avyanna leaned her head further into the crook of Harry's neck and began purring. She shimmed her little body as far up his chest as she could get herself and proceeded to lay on him—all while purring like a small motor.
Harry's eyes widened in a mixture of fear and surprise. What the hell was happening?
Not a single person could fathom what was going on. However the shocking silence did not last long. Ron practically busted out laughing while Draco threw his head back and groaned.
"For fuck's sake," the Slytherin grumbled. "This bloody figures. I finally get the closest thing resembling a pet, and the friggin' thing just so happens to be obsessed with Potter."
The room broke out into small chuckles.
"Hey, watch out, Gin," Ron snorted. "Looks like you may have some competition when it comes to Harry's affection."
The youngest Weasley happily flipped her brother off and ignored his comment. From that point on, Avyanna was unmovable. She'd found her soft spot amongst the strange group of people and had chosen Harry to cling to for some unknown reason.
By the time it came for everyone to part ways, Hermione made the futile attempt to try and separate Avy from Harry's chest. However, the white feline managed to sink her claws into the Gryffindor's shirt and clung to him like glue.
~Mrrr... Mrrr~
Avyanna was not having it.
Poor Harry didn't know what to do in this instance.
Mione waited for most of the group to head back to their respected dorms before confronting the issue head on.
"Avyanna," she started. She didn't try to physically split the two up but got close enough to where only Avy could really hear her.
"I'm going to let you leave with Harry, but there is something important that you need to know first, alright?"
Avy turned her head to face Hermione and gave her two slow blinks. Suddenly she let go of Harry's robes and plopped unceremoniously to the floor. She followed Hermione over to one of the alcoves for a private conversation.
Avyanna waved her fluffy tail and waited for Mione to speak.
"Okay. I'm not entirely sure what Calix told you in terms of the whole Ivan issue. I'm also not certain what he's told you about me. However, amongst everything that's been happening, there is only one thing that preys on my mind day and night."
~Meow~
"The safety of my friends," she stated.
Avy bowed her head. Hermione lifted her hand out as she spoke.
"Look, I may not fully get your whole attachment to Harry, but I'm not upset about it... In fact, I'm actually quite relieved about it."
Avyanna went still as her eyes widened in surprise.
"Draco is my mate, yes. But Harry is a brother to me. He's the only family I have and I cannot lose him," Hermione explained. She felt the corners of her eyes prickle with tears and her throat grow tight. "I will not allow whatever is happening to me affect him or anyone else. Do you understand?"
Avy bowed her head for a second time and slowly lifted her paw up which Mione took as confirmation.
"Protect him at all cost," she hissed under her breath.
Avyanna gave a sound of promising encouragement before padding off to get back to Harry. The dark-haired Gryffindor was speaking with Draco before being approached by a very happy and puffy looking cat.
"Umm, Hermione? Why is she looking at me like that?"
"Oh, nothing big really. I just told her that she's free to stay with you and the others until she may be needed later."
"You what??"
Avy wiggled her bottom and made her move. She hiked up the side of Harry's body and clung to him with a content pur. Harry's eyes bulged out of his head in shock while Malfoy threw back his head and laughed.
"Well, have fun with your new roommate, Potter," Draco chuckled.
Much to their surprise, Avyanna didn't care about all the jabs due to her odd behavior. She curled as close as she could into Harry's neck and purred to her heart's content. The confused Gryffindor sighed and headed back to his common room.
. . .
As Autumn began withering away around the castle, many things had changed along with it. Classes were coming to a close for the first term and many students had moved past the whole spectacle of Hermione's changing. More than half of the student body hardly gave her a second look whenever they passed her and Draco in the hallway.
The Ministry had thankfully kept away from the school, and Kingsley made no attempt to return. Hermione hadn't tried using her so-called gift since.
Avyanna's sudden appearance at Hogwarts also became nonchalant.
People grew used to seeing her around the place and even Harry had grown used to the little feine acting as his second shadow. Her temperament stayed pretty consistent which told Hermione that there was nothing to worry about as far as Ivan making an unwanted appearance.
Although, something in the pit of her stomach made her feel as though that the peace was surely due to end. Because while the seasons were in the midst of changing, the days seemed to be growing shorter. The darkness would roll in around five-thirty each day and the sun would disappear before you'd even known it was out.
Unfortunately, there were times when the sun wouldn't even come out at all...
More recently the castle had become encompassed by a series of rainstorms. As soon as the clouds began to roll in, it was only a matter of time before the rain began to pour down in heavy sessions.
The manic weather caused a dark, ominous shadow to fall over Hogwarts. It was almost eerie to glance out the windows because one would never know what they were looking at.
Today was one of those days.
"Love, please, calm down," Draco said quietly into her ear.
Ever since Hermione had woken up that morning to get ready for classes, her nerves have been eating away at her. Something in the back of her mind was telling her that danger was near. It was coming.
"I can't," she hissed back.
The two were sitting in the back of the room in their Defense class, trying their best to pay attention. But it was no use.
The storm was wailing outside of the windows to where the occasional thunder and spot of lighting made students jump in their seats.
"It's just the storm," he tried to explain. Malfoy wrapped a comforting arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.
While she appreciated the closeness, it was enough to ease her anxiety. Her body was shaking like she was freezing. Of course, it didn't help the fact that she was growing weaker by the day. Her muscles ached and her bones sounded brittle and aged. Whatever brown was left in her hair was long gone, and with it took her natural skin tone as well.
Hermione looked as haunting and gruesome as she felt.
"Exactly how strong did McGonagall say the wards around the castle were?" she asked.
The unsettling sensation inside of her was growing stronger and far more distinct for it to be nothing.
The room darkened from an overcast cloud, causing an evil shadow to fall over the room. No one else seemed to be bothered by the sudden loss of light until Neville, who sat on the side closest to the windows, lifted his head up to glance outside.
"Umm... Hey, guys..."
"Mr. Longbottom, please direct your attention back to the front, if you please," the professor spat back.
Hermione shared a concerned look with Draco before trying to catch a quick glimpse out of the window. She waited for the professor to turn their back to the class and slowly lifted out of her seat.
The sky was a swirling mass of grays as the storm rolled on. Strange shadows kept whipping across the windows. They looked like dementors...only those creatures never got this close to the castle. No, this was something else.
Harry peered over Ron's shoulder with large green eyes. "Is that a ... a tree?"
Hermione's mouth fell open as a twenty foot pine tree hurdled and spun straight for the window to the classroom. Her red eyes bugged out of her head and she gasped.
"Everyone GET DOWN!!" she screamed.
Draco whirled around to shield Mione from the potential impact of the tree hitting the side of the castle. No one was prepared for the rumble and crash of the dozens of branches shattering the many window panes. Broken shards of glass crashed over the classroom, sending everyone into a manic spin.
The wind whipped and blew everyone's books and papers all over the room. All of the students raced towards the doors while Malfoy stood his ground. Mione tried to keep a firm hold on his hand, trying to pull him away from the broken window. But it was no use.
Draco turned his head to glare at her through dilated pupils. His fangs snapped and hissed. "Stay inside the castle," he said to her coldly.
"You're not going out there..." Hermione watched as he climbed on top of the desk to pull himself up to stand within the window frame. His creature snarled in response to her demand. "Draco, I'm serious, you're not going out there!"
The Slytherin glanced over his shoulder and tore off his cloak. His eyes glowed like two lit flames. "Try and stop me," he growled. "Ivan has no idea who he's fucking with now."
Mione's jaw hit the floor as he watched Draco jump from the window without so much as a second thought. She barreled out of the demolished classroom and flew down the corridor.
"Hermione!"
"Mione, hold on!"
She quickly brought herself to a screeching halt when she heard her friends rushing towards her. Harry, Ron, and Ginny all stopped to catch their ragged breath. Meanwhile, Hermione was absolutely fuming. How could Draco do something so damn reckless?
"Mione, what's going on? Is there a bloody twister whirling around the school?"
Hermione shook her head and sneered. "It's not a twister, Ron."
"It's Malfoy's maker, isn't it?" Ginny frantically looked around. "Where is he?"
She raked a hand roughly through her tangled hair and huffed. "I tried to get him out of the classroom with me, but he jumped out of the fucking window."
"He did WHAT?!" A deep voice shouted from behind them.
All four of them cautiously turned their heads around to find a dangerously furious dark-haired Slytherin seething in anger.
. . .
Draco's feet hit the ground with cat-like agility. His black eyes scanned the area the same way an animal did when checking for predators. After that tree had crashed through his class, the air had gone still. Not even a leaf dared to flutter to the ground.
"Where are you, you motherfucker?" he said under his breath.
Nothing.
His legs dragged him further down the hill. He wanted to get as far away from the school as possible. That friggin' maniac already busted up an entire classroom with a damn pine tree that looked as though it was several hundreds of pounds. He knew vampires were stronger than most creatures, but he didn't know they possessed that kind of strength.
Draco didn't have time to be afraid. Not when he and potentially everyone else was in danger. He silently hoped that Hermione was wise enough to go to McGonagall and have her lock down the entire school while he was outside. Considering the wards around the place were clearly not enough to withstand a vampire attack to this severity.
Draco took a moment to smell the air. Aside from the aroma of torn, splintered wood there hung the potent scent of blood. Human blood.
His fangs clicked against his teeth as he continued to survey the area. "I see you've recently fed," he commented out loud.
"Indeed I have..." a low voice slithered. "...Unlike you, I actually act like a real vampire. While you still pretend to be the mortal that you were. You think you have what it takes to beat me?"
Within seconds another tree came flying in his direction. Malfoy graciously dodged the torn piece of lumber that missed him by just a few inches. He shook his head vigorously, still searching for a figure but saw nothing.
His anger was rising; his creature was becoming more and more unhinged.
Another tree came flying past him and soon came something bigger....Time itself seemed to have slowed down as Draco watched a large boulder fly through the air. Its ginormous mass hit the side of the castle, causing the very foundation to shake and begin to crumble as though it were made of dust and sand.
"No," he said breathlessly.
He could hear students from within the school running and screaming in all directions. His chest contorted in fear at the very thought of his home falling to pieces while he just stood there and watched. Soon there wouldn't be a safe place in the castle for anyone to take cover. They'd all be forced to evacuate...everyone would have to move outside where they'd see him.
Draco's eyebrows pulled together. Hermione was right. This psycho wasn't looking to maim him immediately. Ivan wanted an audience. And by the looks of it, he was going to get one.
The moment he heard the thundering footsteps of the students marching their way out of the school, Malfoy's heart hammered in his chest. Much to his surprise, he had instantly spotted the Golden Trio amongst the dozens of fearful looking faces.
"Draco!!" Blaise shouted out.
He shot his hand out, signaling for all of them to stay where they were. Thankfully, no one moved. Draco scanned the crowd of faces until he came upon the one that made his stomach twist. Hermione.
The white-haired witch slowly inched her way to the front of the crowd where she stood next to Harry. She looked utterly helpless and distraught.
A broken breath of air hit his lungs. Gods, how he wished she didn't have to see this madness. No doubt he looked a few steps above a rabid animal. His eyes had completely lost their white, leaving nothing but two pools of obsidian. His fangs bared, ready for blood shed and total carnage. And his claws were exposed with the tips of his fingers beginning to buzz.
He pried his eyes away from the woman that meant the world to him and stared back at the desolate field. "Show yourself you fucking freak!" he shouted. "You've been wanting to tear out my throat for weeks and yet here you are hiding behind trees and rocks!"
All the air was knocked from Draco's lungs when a bone-breaking force slammed into his chest, causing her to fly several feet back. He felt the crunch of his bones snap upon hitting the side of the castle wall. Something warm traveled up the length of his throat. His mouth opened to allow a steady stream of blood to fall out. He cracked his eyes open to see a dark figure emerge from all the dust of the fallen rock.
Standing, tall and proud, just ten feet away was a man with thin, patchy hair and a round unshaved face. His eyes completely blacked out. The same way the Boggart had looked when Hermione had stood in front of it all those weeks ago.
The man's fangs were beyond his lower jaw, his claws filthy. His clothes looked as though he had ripped them from the same muggle he had just fed from.
He gave him a beastly smile as he managed to bring himself up from the ground. "Hello, Draco."
The vampire chuckled. "Christ, you're just as weak as when I first killed you," he hummed. "Your blood was so sweet."
Draco's face twisted into a tight sneer. "Well now you can choke on it."
He traced straight up to him and spat whatever blood was still in mouth right into his face. The man swung his arms out, aiming to claw at him from any angle. But Malfoy managed to successfully dodge every move.
Having a leaner frame allowed him to move quicker than his opponent. So as soon as the vampire swung his arm and missed, Draco curled his fist and took the open window to strike Ivan square in the jaw.
Everyone watched as the hulking vampire flew multiple feet backwards, and hit the ground with a loud thud. He dragged himself up and cracked his neck. "You're gonna get it now you little bastard!"
"Give me your best shot, dickhead!" he snapped back.
Ivan let out an earth rumbling roar while Draco easily returned it with the same ground-rolling energy. And from there the two were locked in a ferocious battle of strength and agility. Each opponent struck and dodged the other. All anyone could really make out was quick flashes of white and black. Amongst all the blurred movements were spare branches and rocks flying around.
No one had the courage enough to move. Even the professors were glued to their spots, just watching the havoc unravel.
Hermione gripped Ron and Harry's arms to the point of bruising them. "I cannot stand here and simply watch this," she grated. "I have to do something!"
Mione made a move to leave her friend's side but Harry and Ron instantly wrapped their hands around her arms, rooting her place. A guttural cry tore from her throat. Her creature stirred in restless agony.
Ivan's thick claws tore at Draco's clothes, leaving his chest almost entirely exposed. He licked at his fangs, like he was remembering the feel of his neck between his teeth. Malfoy on the other hand, knew he had broken several of his ribs as well as torn away what little rags were covering his torso.
"Tell me, what's it like having to constantly fight the pain of holding your creature back?" Ivan snickered.
Draco snapped his jaw. "What's like succumbing to the madness of existing without a mate?"
His tightly wound features dropped only for a second. Draco almost laughed in triumph. He had actually struck a nerve in the bastard. Of course this only resulted in Ivan growing angrier.
"I know your mate is here. Our little Hermione," He said with a tilt of his head. "I can sense her standing in the crowd, watching you. How's about I rip your head off and toss it at her feet? Or, better yet, why don't I just tear her heart out and watch you destroy yourself over the guilt, having failed her once again?"
Draco's moment of fear gave Ivan the opportune moment to strike him down. With a clenched fist, he punched Malfoy in the stomach and backhanded him across the face. He stumbled to the ground, struggling to gain his footing. But it was little to no use.
With his body pressed into the ground, Draco was starting to feel just how severely injured he truly was. The older vampire crouched over him and proceeded to kick him numerous times in the same spot as where he punched him. More blood poured from Malfoy's mouth.
"At least I have a mate," he rasped. "All you have is yourself."
Ivan's hand curled around Draco's neck, stealing any air from reaching his lungs. The pressure in his head was becoming too much to bear. And the burning in his lungs made his entire body heat to a boiling point.
"You see, little vamp. The quickest way to a monster's heart, is through their chest," Ivan growled menacingly.
The lack of oxygen had Draco's claws biting into the palms of his hands. The heat that surrounded his ribcage reached every corner of his body. For a brief second, he closed his eyes and basked in the unnatural warmth that he'd gone months without. But with that same heat was a buzzing hum that vibrated through him. For months that same strange sensation rolled through him with little to know explanation. However, Malfoy knew full-well what it meant now...
That same magic that had been hidden within him, waiting for the opportune moment to shine through. There were so many spells running through his head, he knew he only had time for one. He only had one chance. He needed to make it count.
"I've got it," he thought deviously. "Let's see him withstand this..."
With what little strength he possessed, Draco raised his hands up. His bloody hands took hold of Ivan's face as he opened his eyes to reveal two burning rings of fire.
A single word slipped his lips.
"... Incendio ..."