Chapter 1
In Hermiones defense, she needed some fresh air.
“Lovely evening, isn’t it?”
Hermione jumps. A voice comes from the left of her, a body slowing emerging out of the darkness. She swore she hadn’t heard anyone when she came up to the Astronomy Tower. She had just wanted some time alone. So many bad things were looming over her. With everything that happened last year, the Triwizard Tournament, the loss of Cedric, and the return of Voldemort, she expected this year to be no different. She had a big feeling that her fifth year was about to go down hill and she couldn’t do anything to stop it.
She had just wanted a moment to breath.
“How are you?”
Her hand flexes as she prepares to draw her wand, if needed. The man comes clearing into view. His hands are held up beside his head.
“I mean no harm. No need to reach for your wand.”
Hermione feels a faint blush cross her cheeks as her jaw tightens.
“Like I said, lovely evening isn’t it?”
The man relaxes his arms from their position. A smile paints his face and his teeth seem to shimmer in the faint moonlight. Who was this guy?
“I- I guess so.”
She backs up against the railing alittle but tried not to get too close incase he tried to push her off of it.
The man laugh alittle and takes another step out of the darkness. His hair is a curly blonde and blonde stubble is beginning to appear on his face. The man looked atleast in his mid twenties, but something about him seemed older. Way older.
“Did you know that Venus is a night star tonight?”
The man doesn’t look at her. His eyes are planted on the moon above them. It’s full. She thinks of Remus and wonders how he’s doing tonight.
“No. I did not.”
She shook her head. She’d heard about the Venus star and it’s appearances but never did much research on it. Magic was more of her prerogative nowadays.
The man continues to look at the moon. He walks closer to the ledge, resting his hands on the concrete railing. Hermione tries to keep her cool but her eyes stick to him. He sighs and looks to her. Hermione faintly flinches at the eye contact.
“How old are you?”
Hermione huffs lightly and licks her lips.
“Fifteen. Almost sixteen.”
Her voice is small and scared. The man just smiles once again. The smile reminded her of an animal hunting prey. It terrified her.
The man claps his hands and shakes his head. He sighs and turns completely to her, their eyes meeting once again. His pupils dilate rapidly and Hermione feels an odd sensation come over her. Her mind almost goes slack but the man looks away from her making her regain total concentration.
“And what is your name?”
Hermione responds in that same scared voice.
“Hermione.”
The man nods. He takes a step closer to her. Hermione can barely take one step. Her back is right her up against the concrete pillar that held up the tower roof. She was close to the edge. Way too close.
“Well Hermione,”
The man starts.
“Tonight, I was gonna kill you.”
Hermione gasps and inches her hand towards her back pocket where she’d placed her wand. The man notices her movements anyways.
It all happened so fast.
He grabs a hold of her arms and spins her around so her back is to his chest. He holds her in place by her wrists, even as she fights back. His lips move toward her ear.
“But I’ve decided to gift you the gift of life. A new life.”
One of his hands let go of her wrist and she tries to push herself away from him. His strength is beyond anything she’d ever seen. He bites his own wrist, blood pouring out from where his teeth punctured.
“LET GO OF-“
He slams his wrist against her mouth and her scream is immediately muffled. She can taste his blood in her mouth. It trickles all the way down her throat, making her swallow it. His lips move toward her ear again.
“You’ll thank me later little witch.”
Both of his hands grab one side of her face. They both push in the opposite direction, making a cracking sound.
The world goes black.