Minutes to Midnight.

1:17a.m.

I stared at the Hospital Wing ceiling bored out of my god damned mind. I huffed and sat up; I felt fine! Why was it necessary that I stayed here?

So I shrugged, and stood to take a walk. Sure I was barefoot and in my pajamas, but when have I ever really cared about how I looked?

I walked down the moonlit corridors, running my hand against the cold stone walls and sighed.

Why did my life have to be so fucked up?

I stopped dead in my tracks at the sound of growling. Not normal animal growling either; from experience as of late, I could tell that there was absolutely no animal – not even in the bowels of the Dark Forest – that growled like that.

It was a vampire growl.

As soon as I saw the crimson eyes, emerge from the dark end of the corridor, I screamed like I’ve never screamed before in my life. And that’s saying something because I’ve been screaming a lot lately.

I took off running down the corridor, backtracking the way I came even though I knew it was pointless. You can’t outrun a fucking vampire. I blame adrenaline. And as I ran, I fell flat on my face. Why, seriously, why me?

“Stupefy!” There was a flash of red light, a ‘thud’, and silence.

“How is it you always manage to be like crack to some kind of supernatural being?” A voice said in the dark end of the corridor.

I looked up with hope in my blue eyes. “D-Draco?”

He emerged from the darkness, a small smile on his pale face. “Glad to see you’re up and moving. …you don’t still want to kill me, do you..?”

I smiled and he helped me up. “If I did, you would be by now. What are you doing walking around this late?”

“I’d ask you the same, but I know you must have been going bloody mental just lying in bed.” I chuckled at that. “I had a bad feeling, and came to check it out. Besides, I’d know you’re screaming anywhere.”

I don’t scream every time I’m in trouble, I thought, asshole.

“Yeah, well, I totally couldda taken that thing had I been ready for it!” I argued in my defense.

“It was Vera.” Draco stated bluntly.

My eyes went wide with shock. “Wh-what?” He nodded and led me over to where Vera’s unconscious body lay. “But…” I was at a loss for words.

“I’d put a hundred galleons that this was Claude’s doing.” Draco sneered.

I bent down to Vera, and saw her once beautiful form, mortified. She was pale as paper, fangs extended over her bottom lip, nails long like claws, hair all messed up, and blood; so much blood…

“She’s a newborn apparently. There’s probably some pour soul laying dead somewhere because she couldn’t control herself.”

I sniffled and stood, keeping my hair in my face; “Accio backpack,” I barely muttered. My bag was summoned and I pulled out the wooden stake I’ve been carrying since Claude first appeared.

“Isabelle,” Draco whispered.

I shook my head, rolled Vera onto her back, and with tears streaking my face, I staked my cousin right in the heart.

“I am so, fucking sick, of vampires.” I growled.

-Next Morning-

That night, Draco stayed with me in the Hospital Wing. When dawn came, I was released and we went back to his room where most of my stuff still laid. We dressed for class, and walked to the Great Hall in silence.

Everything was silent as we entered. I’ve learned that it was always a bad omen when that happens.

Adrian approached me first. “Belle, I was so worried about you. A couple of first years were found this morning after they went missing sometime late last night and when I went to check on you, you were gone. Where the hell were you?”

“Staking my fucking cousin.” I replied monotone.

“What?”

“I think you bloody heard her, Cromwell,” Draco defended me. “Vera attacked her last night because your damn brother turned her and sent her after Isabelle! Oh, but not before she got a little appetizer in first, apparently.”

“That’s not even possible; watch your accusations, Malfoy,” Adrian growled, bearing his fangs.

“Retract, your fucking, fangs.” I spat hatefully.

“Belle, I—“

“SHUT UP!” I screamed. “You of all people should know what Claude is fucking capable of and now you’re fucking defending his ass?!”

“That’s my baby brother for you,” came Claude behind Adrian. “Now come on, princess, we could share you. I’ll even be that nice.”

“Cecidit ad pedes Angeli, murmur ad voces aurem, mortuus ante oculos positum juxta me vereor. Donec eamque me, dabo in? Antequam finem meum incipiam, relinquendi omnia Ive occidit, in finem resurrectionis occurrere!” I spat at the brothers. They dropped to their knees as though they were just hit with the Cruciatis Curse.

“Servatis a periculum, servatis a maleficum, Servatis a periculum, servatis a maleficum,” I held my palm out to them, curling my fingers in slowly to cause them more internal pain, “Servatis a periculum, servatis a maleficum.”

“Belle,” Adrian barely said, “please forgive me…”

I released them and let them drop. “Burn in hell. I have classes to get to.” I turned, and headed off to Potions.