Dranex

"DRANEX."

CHAPTER THREE-The TI

I ran blindly down the corridor. I glanced behind me, terrified that whatever was in that pitch-black corridor wasn't following me.

There was nothing. Then, what made me glance up at the walls, I didn't know. I saw this dark shape walking up a wall on all four legs. Then, it began galloping on the wall, breaking through pictures and torches as if it defied gravity. I ran faster and I screamed the password at the Fat Lady.

"Lektro!"

The portrait swung open and once I entered the common room, it swung shut...shutting that thing out in the corridor. I bent over, trying to catch my breath. I put my hands on my knees, gasping.

"Harry! Ron!" I screamed.

About three minutes later, they came out of the boy's dorm.

"Hermione? What's wrong?" Ron asked, alarmed.

"There's something out in the corridor!" I gasped.

"Huh?" Harry asked, confused.

"There's something in the corridor! It killed a Ravenclaw girl!" I sobbed.

"Stay here," Harry said as he went to walk past me but I grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going?" I demanded frightened as tears streamed down my cheeks.

"To see what's out there," Harry replied. "Don't worry."

I stood trembling as Harry went over to the portrait hole and it opened. He cautiously stepped out and looked to the left, then the right. Suddenly, something flew past him knocking him backward into the common room. From the brief instant, I saw a blur of red. The portrait hole swung closed. Harry scooted back on his ear end away from the portrait hole.

"Are you alright?" Ron demanded as we hurried over to him.

"Yeah! Something flew past me! It felt weird!" Harry said, as he stood up and faced us.

A hand flew up to my mouth as I stared at the front of Harry's robe.

"You're bleeding!" I cried.

Harry glanced down at the front of his robe. There was a smudge of blood on the front of his vest and collar of his white shirt under the vest.

Harry quickly checked himself over and raised his eyes to us.

"I'm not cut...this isn't my blood," Harry said slowly.

I dropped to my knees and hugged myself, rocking back and forth.

"What's going on here? What is that thing out there?" I asked.

Harry dropped to his knees in front of me and put his hands on my shoulders.

"I don't know. I think we're going to have to tell someone in the morning," Harry said, as he gently put a hand on the side of my face, then shyly lowered it as if he wasn't sure he was supposed to do that. He cleared his throat.

"Right now I think it's best that we get some sleep,"

"I'm not sleeping...I can't sleep," Ron said, shivering.

"Neither can I," I admitted as I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.

"Alright. We'll stay here for the night and get another fire going," Harry said.

We got a fire going and climbed into chairs. Ron was sitting across from us. Harry and I were sitting next to each other.

Around four o'clock, two hours later, I finally felt myself dozing off.

HARRY.

I opened my eyes. I blinked and stretched. My whole body was aching from sleeping in a chair all night. I felt a weight on my left shoulder. I glanced at my shoulder. Hermione's head was resting on it. She was sound asleep, breathing in rhythm. I felt myself smiling.

She was so beautiful. I gently reached over and touched her cheek. She snapped awake immediately and sat bolt upright.

"Huh?" she asked, looking around wildly.

"It's just me. It's morning," I said and checked my watch. "It's ten o'clock. We're late for breakfast."

Ron was practically hanging off the chair, snoring and drooling. Hermione smothered a snort as I went over to him and poked him.

He woke with a start and fell off the chair.

"Huh? What?"

"Morning Drooling Beauty," I grinned. "I didn't know you had to water yourself daily."

Ron scowled at me.

"We're heading down to breakfast,"

We nervously looked at each other, then took a deep breath. We stepped over to the portrait hole, which suddenly began opening. We stopped dead in our tracks.

"Hey! You guys slept in the common room! Did you know that?" Neville asked as he stepped through the portrait hole.

Breathing sighs of relief, we began exiting the common room and stepped out into the corridor.

"Yeah. We know. Something chased Hermione last night," I said, as the four of us headed down to the Great Hall.

"Really? What was it?" Neville asked intrigued.

"I don't know. But whatever it was killed a Ravenclaw girl," I said.

Neville went pale.

We entered the Great Hall and sat down at our table. We began helping ourselves to breakfast. About twenty minutes into the breakfast, Hermione suddenly froze with her hand in mid air holding her fork. Her eyes widened and she began breathing heavily. She was staring at something.

"'Mione?" I asked.

"This is impossible," she whispered.

"What is?" Ron asked.

"That's the girl that I saw killed in the corridor!" Hermione whispered terrified.

We turned around and followed her gaze. A girl with shoulder length black hair and almond shaped eyes was sitting at the Ravenclaw table. There was a bandage around her neck, but that was it.

"Are you sure?" Ron asked.

"Positive," Hermione squeaked.

"She doesn't look dead to me," Ron replied.

"I'm telling you the truth! That was her!" Hermione said as she looked at me pleadingly.

I felt my heart melting. Hermione was normally right about most things. I doubted she'd lie like this. She seemed genuinely terrified. You can't fake fear like the way Hermione was looking at this girl.

"If Hermione says that's the girl...then that's her," I said, looking at Ron.

"I know...I believe her too...I just don't understand this," Ron replied.

Ian appeared at the Great Hall entrance and made his way over to us.

"Hi! Sleep well guys?" Ian asked.

Ron, Hermione and I looked at each other. I think there was a silent agreement not to tell Ian what happened.

"Yeah actually...like a baby," Ron said, forcing a grin.

"So did I," Ian said, happily as he helped himself to French toast.

Hermione finally began eating again but then the girl at the Ravenclaw table gave Hermione such a strange look, that even I felt a tingle of fear running down my spine before she returned to talking to a bunch of boys sitting beside her. I caught the look, so did Hermione, but Ian and Ron were emerged in conversation.

She looked at me, totally confused and shocked. But there was more terror in her expression.

I too, felt scared. What was going on here?

Ian turned to Hermione shortly after she and I exchanged looks.

"So, Ron tells me you're the scholar here at Hogwarts," Ian said, brightly.

"Huh? Oh yeah," Hermione said, as she began blushing.

"You must be good at every subject then," Ian continued.

"Except Divination. She doesn't take that subject," Ron said.

"Oh? How come?" Ian asked, intrigued.

"She thinks the teacher is a fraud," I said.

"I see," Ian said, slowly. "Well, what else are you taking that you're good at?"

"Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures," Hermione said, beaming.

"Care of Magical Creatures has got to be the most easiest subject to pass," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "Along with Herbology."

"Yeah well Neville's great at Herbology," Hermione retorted.

Ron didn't go any further with the subject.

"What's today's classes?" Ian asked, eagerly.

Hermione checked her schedule.

"Herbology, Charms and Transfiguration. Then Care of Magical Creatures and Potions,"

"I wonder what type of plant we'll be learning about in Herbology. I hope it's the Nenex Plant," Ian said, hopefully.

Hermione looked up at Ian's words.

"The Nenex Plant? That's highly dangerous," Hermione said, seriously as she stared at Ian.

"Only to werewolves," Ian replied. "It's used to stop the werewolf gene from 'mutating',"

"Mutating?" Ron asked, tilting his head.

"Growing,"

"Ah," Ron said, nodding.

"Too much of that plant when mixed with the potion can kill the person," Hermione said.

"Yeah I know. I haven't been able to find the appropriate amount of dosage," Ian said.

"Why? You know a werewolf?" I asked.

Ian looked at me. There was a strange look in his eye. I blinked. The look vanished.

"No. Our school doesn't teach the dosages or anything,"

"It's 1 and half table spoons," Hermione replied promptly.

Ian looked at her awed.

"Wow...you really are the smartest person here. Where'd you find that out?" Ian asked.

"Medieval Plants for Modern Times," Hermione replied.

I felt myself smiling. Leave it to Hermione to shine through. She always came through for us. She never backed down from a fight, or she was always by our side ready to help.

"Great!" Ian said. "Well, let's get to class!"

After breakfast, we all headed out onto the grounds for Care of Magical Creatures. We were still studying the Wompverts.

As soon as one of the Wompverts saw Ian, they began growling and rolling up their top lip exposing white canines and incisors.

"Weird...they don't like me...do they?" Ian said, warily looking at them.

They tried to get at him over the railing, but it was too high. The paddock railing reached our elbows.

"I think I'll wait beside Hagrid," he said as he slowly backed away.

I reached over the railing and pet the head of the nearest one. It licked my hand eagerly.

"They're cute," Hermione said. "But they breathe fire. I'm surprised Hagrid didn't want one of these in replace of a dragon."

I grinned. "I know...but give it time,"

Hermione and Ron laughed and shook their heads.

Hermione then leaned close to me.

"Do you think we should tell Ian? I mean, he has a right to know if something horrible is going around Hogwarts. He's sharing this school with us,"

I sighed. "Yeah. I agree. We should've told him in the very beginning,"

"Ian? We have something to tell you," Hermione said, turning to him.

"Yes?"

"Last night, when I had come back from going to the rest room, something attacked a Ravenclaw girl. Then, it climbed the wall and was walking along the wall as if it defied gravity. It chased me all the way back to the Gryffindor common room. This morning, the girl that it attacked was sitting at the Ravenclaw table with a bandage around her neck, talking like nothing happened!" Hermione said.

Ian looked stunned.

"Really? Weird. Did you get a look at it?"

Hermione frowned.

"Just a blur of red and a bit of blood got on the front of Harry's robe and uniform,"

"Was he cut?" Ian asked.

Hermione shook her head. "No. It wasn't his blood,"

"Well, there might be a way to test it. Harry, do you still have the robe from last night?" Ian asked.

I nodded. "This is a spare one I keep,"

I was wearing a spare uniform and robe. The other one was in my trunk.

"Well, let's go get it and test that blood. There may be a way to figure out what that thing that attacked you was,"

After Care of Magical Creatures, we went back into the castle. I led Ron, Ian and Hermione into the Gryffindor common room. I went and got the old uniform vest, where most of the blood was concentrated.

"Okay. Here's the vest," I said, as I handed Ian the gray vest.

"Good. We need to go to your hospital wing. I believe the nurse has a Evex?" Ian asked.

A Evex was a magical device that is used to test blood from witches and wizards. It was a small pen like object but was clear and it read what was in the blood.

"Yeah she does," Ron said.

We trooped to the hospital wing. Luckily, Madam Pomfrey wasn't there yet.

"Where does she keep it?" I asked.

"Here," Hermione said as she went over to a medicine cabinet and opened it up. She found the Evex and then handed it to Ian.

Ian put the vest down flat on a nearby cot and spread it out so the bloodstain was clearer.

He put the tip of the Evex on the stain and held it there for several minutes.

"The Evex should give an accurate reading. I haven't come across one yet that was wrong," Ian said.

"I know...they're great," Hermione said, standing beside me.

Our shoulders were touching. I didn't know if she was doing that deliberately or not, but I didn't mind.

"Okay...the first element in the blood is coming through," Ian said as he peered at the silvery Evex.

"What is it?" Ron asked, intrigued.

"Human DNA," Ian said.

"So this was a person's DNA? Maybe the girl's from Ravenclaw," Hermione mused.

"Maybe," I said.

"Wait...there's more elements coming through," Ian said, as he tilted his head while reading the Evex.

"More?" I asked.

"Yeah...weird though," Ian replied. "Very weird."

"What's weird?" Ron asked.

"These next three elements,"

Ron, Hermione and I exchanged looks.

"Well, what are they?" Ron prodded.

Ian raised his eyes to meet ours.

"The second one is canine DNA,"

"Canine?" Ron asked.

"Dog," Hermione replied instantly.

"The third I've never seen before and it's never been seen by anyone in the 20^th century,"

Ian paused.

"It's the TI virus,"

Hermione gasped and raised a hand to her mouth.

"The TI virus?" I asked, looking at her. "What is that?"

Hermione swallowed.

"The TI virus was found in the medieval times. It attacks the brain and it literally turns the body inside out. Many people died from it in the 1300's and it was transmitted by a bite, scratch or saliva," Hermione said.

"How could a virus from that far back be alive today?" Ron asked.

"I don't know," Ian said, gravely. "But I have a feeling that whatever or whoever went to attack you last night is heavily infected and very sick."

We exchanged looks.

"But here's the odd thing...if it was a person, how could he or she have four legs because that's what this thing had," Hermione said.

Again, we exchanged looks.

"I don't know...but we're going to have to keep an eye out," Ian said.