Dragon's Kiss

A pale face peeked through the window, gleaming white skin where once it had been olive glowed in the face of the rosy Gryffindor common room. Curious though he was, the young vampire did not allow his purpose to wander far from his mind. Deftly he slipped through the closed window with a trick taught to him when he was but five hundred years old- and found himself inside the room.

Kek frowned at the room about him. He detested the color red. Always had. Especially this bright, cheery red. If it had to be red he preferred it to be dark and mysterious...just like he was, just like the color of the blood that once had flowed through his veins. Shaking his head, he went over to the fire out of habit and began recounting his instructions. Find the brown haired girl whose name means "of earth". Bring her to Lucius...by any means possible. He nodded to himself, but frowned still. He had no idea what this girl looked like- just that she had brown hair. There were probably thousands of brown-haired girls in this great big place...and furthermore, how was he supposed to know what these different girls' names were? In case Lucius had not noticed, he looked a little different from the average young student. Kek snorted. As if I could just go and ask without someone driving a stake through my heart or throwing garlic in my face. He allowed himself to laugh at Lucius for a few seconds, and then straightened, determination etching his ancient features. He would find this girl, against all odds, and he would bring her to Lucius.

He shivered slightly. Kek did not like the castles of Europe. He liked much more the open terraces and warm, desert sunshine of his home in Egypt, where he'd first been bitten by a tourist vampire over a thousand years ago. These European castles were dark and winding and enclosed, with spiral staircases and awful tapestries. No, he did not like these places at all. Sighing, he decided to start looking for the girl.

The room he was in provided no answers. There was not a living soul in sight, not a single person. Kek frowned slightly, and headed over to the feet of the several spiral staircases and struggled with the words on the signs connected to them. He was looking for a number...but which? 5...6...3... Kek knew it wasn't that low. It was higher than four but less than seven. Shrugging his feathery shoulders, he headed up the spiralling stairs that belonged to the year fives in the hall at the top. To his left was the room that Kek assumed to boys, due to the apparent lack of neatness. He assured himself of the fact by picking a lock and peeking into one of the trunks. Boys' robes, school shoes, books... and magazines, yes- this most certainly was the boys' dormitory. Resisting the urge to peruse through some of the magazines this particular boy had in his trunk, Kek left the room.

Shutting the door firmly behind him, he turned to the opposite end of the hallway. The door was wide open, which heightened his interest. Glancing about him to make sure no one was nearby (he needn't have bothered- there was no one), he slid into the girls' dorm.

It was quite neat... and, well, feminine. He wrinkled his nose at the mounds of perfume bottles piled onto the single vanity. On several of the beds were little decorations; enchanted balls of light that sparkled, or little floating hearts, or gauzy strips of fabric, even dolls and stuffed bears. Only the far bed had nothing decorative attached- well, except for one stuffed creature.

The fact that this bed was so different made Kek decide to investigate it first. He slid smoothly, soundlessly over to it, peeking through the curtains to make sure no one was inside. It was empty, with a few books tossed carelessly on the coverlet. Without much interest he picked them up and flicked through them- they were textbooks on subjects Kek was not very interested in. Humming an odd, off-key tune, he bent over the trunk at the bed's foot and picked the lock. The trunk was sorted into precise stacks and sections. He flicked through another eight textbooks, and then, at last, found an object that could actually be used.

It was a red leather photo album. He leafed through it, noting that while a brown-haired girl did appear in several of the moving pictures, far more common was a red haired one, and usually several other red-haired people. And... and the black-haired boy Harry Potter. Kek knew of Lord Voldemort's plan for Harry Potter. He had no connection to the said plan; he wasn't in that particular pride of vampires, but news travelled quickly- especially with the loud-mouthed, gawky American vampire. He would tell you anything you want- no thoughts about discretion at all, thought Kek disgustedly, tossing the album back into the trunk. It is evident from this album that the girl I seek does not reside in this dorm. Kek could have kicked himself for wasting so much time. As he turned to whirl out of the room, something caught his eye.

The album had fallen open to a page that, along with a picture, also had a caption beneath it. Breathless with the thrill of a chase, Kek skimmed over the names. Left to right: Ginny, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Fred and George. Ginny was the red-haired girl whom Kek assumed this album belonged to. Hermione was a brown-haired girl. Hermione- earthy, or earth. Harmonia had had a friend by that name, Kek remembered. Harmonia had been a good friend of his back when he was human. He was not sure how they had gotten to the subject of names and meanings, but remembered with a certain pride that he had been named after the god of darkness. But my name is of no importance here, he admonished himself, determination again sliding across his face like a mask.

He would morph into one of these other people and continue his investigation as one of them, asking other people about her, and of her whereabouts. Now- the simple matter of deciding which to morph into... Kek mused, sitting carefully on the bed and staring into the picture. Not Harry Potter. Too conspicuous. Not the Hermione girl either. So it was either Fred, Ron, or George. Or Ginny. Kek felt a smile spread across his lips. Or Ginny....

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Ron strolled through the corridors, thinking. He had wanted to go to Dumbledore, but the headmaster was in some kind of important meeting and couldn't see him. So he was stuck wandering, hands in pockets, staring through the windows out at the wintry grounds before him. Shivering slightly, he figured at last that he would head back to the common room and perhaps play a bit of chess with whoever was in there- and if it was empty Ron didn't know what he'd do. He was standing in front of the Fat Lady when it suddenly swung open, startling him.

His face split into a smile when he saw who it was.

"Ginny!" he exclaimed, shaking his head and grinning. "God, where have you been? I've been looking all over for you!"

"You're Ron!" Ginny replied, her eyes lighting up with recognition.

"Um...yeah. Your brother," Ron replied, looking at his sister worriedly. She smiled serenely.

"Of course... I knew that." She stepped out of the room and closed the door behind them, taking up his arm and steering him away from the portrait hole, back down the corridor. "So. Have you seen Hermione lately?"

Ron glanced at her, puzzled. "I was about to ask you the same question. I haven't seen her since I woke up... Harry either." He eyed her carefully. Something seemed...well, off about her. "Gin...you are okay aren't you? I mean, has something happened to you?" Ginny shook her head, her hand still on his arm, leading him firmly if not forcefully down the hallway. "Er...okay then." They progressed a bit further before he asked, "So you haven't seen Harry at all?" Ginny shook her head. "Then it's likely the two of them are together." Ginny neither said nor gave the inclination she had heard this last bit. Ron cleared his throat after a moment. "Where are we going anyway?"

Again Ginny did not reply, her lips in a pursed line across her face. Ron felt a bit apprehensive. Something had to be wrong with Ginny- she never acted strangely except for occasionally when she was with Harry. But aside from that... Ron took another glance at Ginny. She was still plowing on, a strange, almost predatory look in her eyes as she scanned the halls and classrooms.

"Don't just walk, look for Hermione," she said irritably when she caught him staring at her. So Ron did. He peered into the empty classrooms, waited outside when Ginny went into the lavatory, even went with her down into Snape's dungeon. There was no sign of Hermione, and no one they had encountered had seen her recently. Finally the two caught sight of Professor McGonagall, arms full of books, surveying the uppermost tome while trying to get out her wand to open her office.

"Professor!" Ron called, hurrying towards her and taking several of the books from her arms.

"Why thank you Mr Weasley," she replied crisply, muttering the spell to open her office and slipping in. She set the other books on her desk and motioned for him to do the same. Ginny stood in the doorway, twirling a lock of hair around one finger. "Might one ask what you and your sister are up to?" she asked, looking at him. "And where is Mr Potter?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Ron replied frankly, running a hand through his hair and facing his Head of House. "Have you seen either Harry or Hermione at all recently?"

"I caught sight of Potter with your sister earlier today...was it today?" McGonagall screwed up her face, wondering. "Yes, I believe it was."

"Er...that's funny. Ginny said she hasn't seen Harry at all recently," Ron said, puzzled. McGonagall looked at him. "Not that I'm accusing you of lying or anything!" he added hastily. Her gaze softened.

"Perhaps I was mistaken. Now as to Miss Granger-"

"You know where she is?" Ron asked eagerly.

"You- you- haven't heard?" McGonagall asked carefully, searching his face.

"Heard what, professor?" Ron replied, his smile fading. He began to feel very funny inside- McGonagall was looking at him like she had during their second year, when Hermione had been attacked by the basilisk.

"She's in the Infirmary Wing," the woman replied at last. "Have a seat and I'll tell you the whole story."

"Professor I should go see-" Ron started.

"SIT, Mr Weasley," the professor said curtly, nodded her head towards a seat. Ron sat. "It wouldn't do you any good to go haring up to the Hospital Wing anyway- she's not awake."

"Awake? Prof-"

"Question me not, Mr Weasley!" Professor McGonagall said. "She will be awake soon- Poppy just finished brewing up an awakening potion so... Well. I suppose I'll start at the beginning of the story then. It was the day after your accident..."

And what both she and Ron had failed to notice was that Ginny was no longer in the office...as a matter of fact, she was racing to the Hospital Wing.

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Poppy Pomfrey watched over the still girl as she readied the potion. She could see why Malfoy liked the girl. She pretty all right, and from what Poppy could understand, quite intelligent. She had seen Hermione a few times in and out of the Hospital Wing, though more often just to visit than to be in for some ailment or another. Hermione cried out softly, and her hands went to her neck.

"Hush, hush, dear," Poppy crooned, pulling the girl's hands away. Hermione had been troubled by nightmares ever since the Malfoy boy had brought her in. Poppy wondered why; nightmares weren't usually part of the spell that bound Hermione to Draco.

She held the vial aloft, surveying it critically. It was the right color, the right substance... carefully she tilted Hermione's head back and was about to pour the substance into the girl's mouth when Ginny Weasley came crashing through the Infirmary door.

Madam Pomfrey stood, irate, the potion almost tipping in her shaking hands. "Miss Weasley!" the usually placid nurse boomed. The red haired girl didn't even have the grace to look ashamed. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Professor wants you," Ginny gasped out, clutching her side as though she had a stitch. "Says it's urgent!"

"For Merlin's sake! Which one, girl, tell me quickly!" Poppy exclaimed, readying her bag. Had she been paying more attention she'd have noticed Ginny's slight hesitation.

"Er...One I haven't had yet," the girl replied evasively, looking at the floor. "They're down in the dungeons."

The head nurse bustled about, picking up a few more dials and throwing them into her bag. "Now, Miss Weasley, I trust you'll watch over Miss Granger here?" Ginny nodded, almost too eagerly. "Good. I'll return in a few moments." She hurried out, going as fast as her stout legs would take her. Ginny watched her go, making sure she was all the way out of the ward and down the corridor before she morphed back into a he.

Kek smiled softly, a rather manic grin he was not sure where he'd learned. The girl was right here. All he had to do was flip open a window (One flew open, as if to an invisible call), pick up the girl (Hermione didn't stir in his arms) and go; and without a backward glance, Kek stole onto the rooftop and soared off above the Forbidden Forest.

Moments later Madam Pomfrey flew in, looking twice as flustered as she had when she had left and muttering curses at the Weasley girl. "Emergency indeed," she sniffed, dropping her bag onto the empty bed nearest her desk. It took about five seconds for it to sink in that moments before, that bed had been occupied. Poppy's hands flew to her mouth as she gazed, horrified, at the open window, whose curtains drifted lazily back and forth in the slight breeze, as if belittling the fact that a girl was missing.

Hogwarts students don't go missing, came the long ago thought that had occurred to the then first year student on the day she'd learned about poor Myrtle McGreggory's disappearance. They can't. It is nearly impossible for a student to go missing at Hogwarts. And then came the usual speech about Disapparation on Hogwarts grounds. One word surfaced unbidden, above all other words... Nearly. Nearly impossible.

Madam Pomfrey felt close to tears. She took a moment to compose herself, then turned to her desk, hunting for parchment. She scrawled off a quick note to the headmaster and sent it on with a student passing by in the corridor before heading back to the vacated bed. She sank down onto it, her round face in her chubby hands, and wondered what on earth had happened.

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