The Muggleborn Vampire: A Dramione Story

Chapter 11: Lessons of Control

"Now, Miss Gr...Hermione, are you familiar with the psychological findings of B.F. Skinner?"

Hermione and Severus were sitting on the couch in his, and now partially hers, Hogwarts living quarters in preparation for the beginning of her 'Control your Inner Vampire' session, as she had dubbed it in her head.

"The behavioralist who developed the learning method operant conditioning?" She asked.

"Precisly. B.F. Skinner believed that humans learned new behaviors the best when using a system of rewards and punishments in exchange of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. I would like to utilize some of Skinner's teaching methods to assist you in the control of your inner vampire."

Hermione nodded excitingly, basking in the presence of a fellow scholar, especially one with equal knowledge of Muggle-based psychology. "Ok, so you're going to present me with a task, and you will either reward or punish me if I behave correctly or not."

"Exactly. The end goal is for you to eventually be able to reenter the Wizarding and Muggle worlds successfully without the constant urge to feed. Is that correct?"

"Yes." Merlin, Hermione couldn't wait until she could rejoin her friends and attend classes again.

"Good. For your first test, I will bring in a living specimen into the room, and if you are able to be in its presence for ten minutes without attacking it, you may feed on it when you have my permission."

'Sounds easy enough' she thought, though she wasn't sure how easy it would actually be, since the incident in the hospital with Madam Pomffery was the only time she had been exposed to a mortal since turning, and that wouldn't have ended too well if Severus hadn't interfered. "Alright, and if I don't succeed?"

"I will issue repremands as we go."

"Which are?"

"You will be aware of them as they are issued."

"Lovely."

"You'll be fine." Severus rolled his eyes and stood up from the couch. "Remain here, but face away from the kitchen. When you smell the creature's blood, try to hold your breath and distract yourself."

"Ok." As Snape walked away and towards the kitchen, Hermione summoned one of the books from her bedroom. What's a better way to distract yourself than to read, right?

Hermione hadn't even made it through one page, however, when the tangy metalic smell of blood assaulted her nostrils. Instinct caused her to lift her head and smell the air like a bloodhound, and before she had the wherewithal to hold her breath, she was inhaling more of the rich aroma through her nose and open mouth.

Grunting in frustration, Hermione shook her head, trying to clear her sudden case of brain fog. 'Focus, Hermione, focus!' She yelled at herself. She snapped her eyes shut in concentration and clamped her mouth closed, already feeling her canines elongating and her lips fighting to cover them.

Remembering Severus's advice, Hermione tried to clear her mind and picture herself elsewhere, putting in place some meditation techniques she had been practicing for the past couple of weeks to help her 'sleep'. In her minds eye, she imagined she was in Paris, sitting outside the Louvre, sitting on the edge of the large water fountain on the grounds of the museum. She had visited the city with her parents on Holiday when she was eight, a year before her parents divorsed and three years before she discovered she was a witch. It had been such a fun and relaxing holiday, the last one before her dad left them to live with his mistress and Hermione's ex-nanny.

She could hear the distant chatter of families entering and exiting the museum and could see pigeons hopping across the cobblestone beneath her feet. Sighing in happiness, Hermione reached down to run her fingers lazily through the fountain water, only to gasp in horror as the once clear water became viscus and clung to her skin like honey. Raising her hand out of the fountain, she held back a scream at the sight of her blood soaked fingers and the trails of red running down her arm.