The Muggleborn Vampire: A Dramione Story

Chapter 3: Waking up Dead

"Ah, Severus. Thank you for joining us on such short notice."

Snape entered the hospital wing looking as stoic as ever, but inside, his stomach was twisting into knots. On his walk from the dungeons, he had been lecturing to himself not to get his hopes up too much since there were many possibilities to what he would find in the medical ward. First, he could get there just to find a dead student. A normal, dead as a doorknob body. On the other hand, maybe the child did go through a creature inheritance and was a new vampire. But there was still a possibility that it wouldn't be his daughter. Severus couldn't even remember if Albus mentioned the child's gender; it could be a boy for all he knew.

In conclusion, Severus decided that there were three possible end products of this event: he would either find a dead child that he would have to help investigate the cause for their early demise, a newly formed vampire that wasn't related to him, which, he supposed, would still need help adjusting to their new life, or he would find his long lost daughter.

Dear Merlin, he was hoping for the third option.

He knew that if it was his daughter he found, they would still have a lot to sort through before they could settle in a new life together. She would obviously be one of his students, so he would have to patch up their relationship due to him being rather strict in class. On that note, what if she couldn't forgive him? Would she be embarrassed to find out she was related to the 'Bat of the Dungeons'?

Shuddering, he decided to worry about that later, for there was still the possibility of ending up with one of the other options.

Severus hesitated behind the Hospital Wing door for a moment to collect his nerves before entering the ward.

The first thing he noticed was the crowd of people mulling around anxiously outside a curtained-off section of the room, no doubt containing a hospital bed and child in question. What he found most peticicular, however, was the identities of said crowd. He spotted Dumbledore, who had greeted him upon entering, Minerva McGonagall, who was talking to Albus in a hushed tone, and Poppy Pomffery, who was rushing back and forth between her office and the curtained room. The rest of the ward's occupants were students; Gryffendors, to be exact. Finnigan, both of the younger Weasleys, and Harry Potter...in an awfully short blue top.

Severus ignored the students and walked up to the headmaster and head of the Gryffindor house. "What's the student's status?"

Dumbledore casted a muffalo around the three of them before answering. "Miss Granger still doesn't have a pulse but she appears to be breathing. She is currently unconscious and has not awaken since she collapsed in her common room."

Severus nodded, his eyebrows furrowing in thought. "Does today happen to be her sixteenth birthday?"

"Yes." McGonagall answered, "Apparently that is why they were able to bring her here so fast. They were all awake participating in pre-birthday celebrations."

Severus internally rolled his eyes. "I will examine Miss Granger now and when she awakes. Please escort the rest of the students back to their dorms and have Poppy empty the hospital of all the mortals as possible. If their are any patients she cannot remove, have her move them as far away from Miss Granger's room as she can. We wouldn't want any unnecessary casualties upon her awakening."

"Mortals? Casualties? What's going on Severus?" McGonagall asked with concern in her eyes.

"I will explain after we finish our tasks, Minnie." Dumbledore placed a hand on her arm. "But right now, we all have work to do."

----

Darkness. No sound. Thirst.

Throat burns. Mouth's dry.

Thirsty. Craving. Need it now.

NOW!

Hermione awoke with a start, gasping for breath as she bolted up in bed. That was a bad idea, her head was now pounding with pain and she felt faint.

But none of that could compare to the pain in her throat. No, it wasnt just hurting, it was burning. If someone told her she had just swallowed hot coals, she would totally believe them. It was distracting, comsuming, and she needed to fix it now.

"H-help...!" She croaked, trying to turn her legs toward the side of the bed but the dizziness stopped her.

"Miss Granger, its ok. Just breath and lay back down."

Hermione turned and saw a familiar dark figure enter her small hospital room.

"Pro-Profeasor Snape? What are you-" Her words halted as the professor came closer and her eyes immediately focused on a chalice of red liquid in his hand. She didn't know what it was, but she knew she needed it. Now.

"Drink this." Snape told her, but she was already pulling the cup from his hands before he could finish.

Hermione began to chug the viscous liquid without another thought and immediately felt the fire lessening in her throat.

"Better?"

"Yes." She greatfully answered, a bit surprised at how her voice sounded more normal already. "My throat still hurts, but it's a little more manageable."

Snape nodded as he sat in a chair sitting by her bed. He held out his hand for her cup, and when she handed it to him, he filled it with more of the liquid from a decanter she hadn't noticed he was carrying until now, before setting down the decanter by his feet and handing her the cup. She greatfully took it and began drinking from it, though she was able to drink it slower this time.

"Thank you."

Another nod.

"Sir? What happened to me?"

Snape tented his hands over his knees and studied her with calculating eyes. "Miss Granger, do you know what a creature inheritance is?"

She nodded, then looked at her teacher with a confused tilt to her head. "Yes, I've read about it. It's a physical and mental transformation that some witches and wizards go through on their sixteenth birthday when their families have creature blood in them. They become one or a mixture of many types of magical creatures."

"That's correct. And it appears, Miss Granger, that you just went through one four hours ago."

"I...what?" Hermione jerked back in surprise, her jaw hanging open and her eyes the size of dinner plates. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." Snape glared, "Don't make me repeat myself."

"But...that makes no sense, Professor, I'm a Muggleborn. We couldn't have any creature blood in our family."

Snape sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "How very observant of you. The headmaster and I have a few  theories, but it all boils down to the fact that you are most likely adopted."

"ADOPTED?!" She about dropped her challace, which her inner voice quickly chastised her for almost spilling the miracle liquid. "That can't be right. My parents never mentioned that."

"Some parents don't. I have sent for a Gringotts goblin to perform a genetic and inheritance test to confirm this. He will be here shortly."

Hermione attempted to swallow the lump beginning to form in her throat. She handed the professor her empty cup before burying her face in her hands. "This is so confusing." She mumbled, trying to hold the tears back from where they were threatening to spill over.

"Sir?" She asked after a few minutes of silence. "Do you know what I am?"

Snape met her gaze when she looked up from her hands. They were almost blank, though Hermione wondered what other emotion she had seen flash through. Sympathy, sadness?

"Yes, I am almost positive, though the tests will confirm it."

"Please tell me, sir. I can't wait til then."

"Very well. You're a vampire, Miss Granger."