World's Clash

Chapter One- Blood-Sucking Fiends

A month had passed at Hogwarts. Nothing untoward had happened, which Jade had found very boring. Before she had arrived, she had read up on the glorious adventures of Harry Potter and company. But, alas, there had been no Death Eater attacks for any near-death experiences. In fact, the closest Jade had gotten to near-death was the extreme agitation caused by a blond, pale Slytherin by the name of Draco Malfoy.

He followed her almost constantly and sat by her when they were dining in the Great Hall or in their common room--for Jade had been sorted into Slytherin just as her grandfather had predicted. From what she had gathered from observing the pest, he did all of this because she bore the surname Snape.

On a lighter note, she had found her un-blooded relative Mini Summers at Hogwarts. The girl, two years younger than Jade, had been sorted into Gryffindor House. Although, she might have fit well into Slytherin just as well. Then again, she had a dreadful case of nobility. The girls had formed a strained friendship.

They were separated by house, opinion, and year and had to make the time to socialize. Some times were easier than others, and on such time was fast approaching. A Halloween Ball was to be held to take the students' minds off the recent, somewhat denied rise of Lord Voldemort. This served a double purpose for Jade. She had been wanting to see her grandfather, Tobias, again. As soon as she had caught wind of this little party, she'd rushed to the Owlery to send a letter to him. A few days later, he'd replied saying that he would attend.

This all had to be done without Jade's father's knowledge, of course. They had never really been close, Tobias and his son, she had gathered. It might've been a whole "he-left-me-after-he-was-made-into-a-vampire" issue, but one could never really tell with Severus Snape.

On the night of the Halloween Ball, Jade entered the Great Hall and took in her surroundings. It was decked out in orange and black streamers, pumpkins carved with various faces, and a live band was playing off to the left of the hall.

Another Gryffindor that Mini had previously introduced Jade her to--a tall girl with long, blonde hair, glasses, and dressed in a flowing purple dress--was playing in the band. Or rather, trying to play in the band. It looked as though she wanted to play the drums and drummer didn't want to give up his place just yet.

Jade smirked and allowed her eyes to wonder until they found Mini--dressed tonight in a coral colored gown. Jade tugged at her own jade-colored dress and started across the hall to her. As she neared, she could see that Mini was accompanied by two fellow Gryffindor fifth years. The dark haired Boy-Who-Lived and his red haired compadre. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

"I like your dress robes, Mini," Jade said, by means of announcing her presence.

Mini turned. "Thanks. Likewise."

"Can I speak with you privately?"

Although their friendship had made it through an entire month, Mini still always narrowed her eyes suspiciously whenever Jade asked her to do anything confidentially.

"Why?" Mini inquired.

"Let's go out to the rose garden. It's very important."

Before Mini could protest, Jade grabbed her by the arm and led her outside to a thickly grown part of the pathway. They weren't completely concealed from sight, but it was close. Mini finally wrenched her arm free.

"What is it, Jade?" she demanded.

"Sshh! I don't want to be heard. Look, I'm sorry about pulling you away like that, but I have a visitor coming. I need you to be my lookout."

Mini scoffed. "A lookout?" she whispered. "Is it that bad?"

The Slytherin sighed. "It's only my grandfather...but he might bring a friend."

Mini smiled at Jade. It was the kind of smile that a patient adult might give a pouting child.

"Jade," she began, "what is so bad about--"

But she was cut off by the sudden appearance of a sophisticated, dark-haired man in gray business robes with pitch black shoulder length hair and crystal blue eyes. Appearing with him was a slightly younger man of whom was decked out in a black silk shirt and leather pants of the same color. Mini, however, saw what most would have missed. She saw their fangs.

"Oh my God!" Mini cried, reaching for Jade. "Run! Get my grandmother! I'll hold them off!"

The vampire in leather laughed.

"Hold us off? You're what, three-years-old?" he said.

"Jade," the business-like vampire said. "This is my fledgling, Tariq."

Mini's mouth dropped. "You know them?"

Jade smiled wickedly. She gestured to the vampire that had addressed her.

"Mini, meet my grandfather, Tobias Snape," she said.

"Pleased to meet you, Mini," Tobias said, bowing deeply. "Jade writes of you all the time."

"Don't give me that crap!" Mini all but screamed, backing up. "What are you up to?"

Both Tobias and Tariq raised an eyebrow. Jade laughed.

"Forgive her. She was with a vampire slayer before I got a hold of her," the Slytherin said. Then, with an added smile, she hugged Tobias and shook Tariq's hand.

"Mini! Mini, where are you?!" a voice cried from Hogwart's threshold.

She gave a quick growl. "Be back in a sec. Don't leave!"

And she was gone. Meanwhile, Tariq kissed Jade's hand and smiled.

"You are even more beautiful than your grandfather credits you, my darling," he said.

She blushed. "Flattery will get you nowhere."

"That's right," Tobias huffed.

Before Jade could reply, Mini dove back in front of her.

"Gee, that was fast..."

Mini was slightly winded, but she forced her sentence out anyway.

"Grandmoth--I mean, Professor McGonagall wishes to speak with Tobias."

Jade took a menacing step toward her. "Did you tell?"

"No!" Mini said, outraged. "That's what was strange. She just seemed to know..."

"McGonagall?" Tobias inquired, a curious tone in his voice. "Minerva McGonagall?"

Both Mini and Jade nodded.

"I will see her," he said. Then, turning to Tariq, he added, "Stay here and entertain Jade. But play nice."

"I'll lead," Mini said, rather forcefully.

Tobias laughed. "But of course."

0 0 0 0

The amazement that Mini held at the fact that this was Jade's grandfather, Professor Snape's father, was not well hidden. Whether out of this feeling or paranoia at the fact that a vampire was walking behind her, she kept glancing back at him. Finally, she decided to speak to him.

"My grandmother is very touchy," she said, rather haughtily.

Mini thought briefly of a detention she had served not too long ago, sentenced to her by said grandmother.

"Believe me," she continued. "I know."

Glancing back once again, she saw that Tobias stared at her as if confused.

What's his problem? she wondered. Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming motherly sense of protection.

"If you have ever met her before, you know her to be a most powerful witch," she stated aloud.

In her mind, however, was a dilemma.

Grandmother would surely kill him in a duel, if he tried to harm her. But, in turn, she would kill Jade's beloved grandfather.

Suddenly, she felt as if she were not alone inside her own head.

I will not harm Minerva. I only kill only those who do evil, said Tobias's voice inside Mini's mind.

Mini stopped and Tobias laid a gentle hand on her shoulder to urge her on. She jumped, then roughly shrugged it off and replied, Oh, that's just great! You still bite them!

Another subject, please. Souls are not a good topic to begin with. You know, perhaps should consider politics. You would do well, I think.

I beg to differ. You are more the politician, Blood-sucking Fiend.

Mini suddenly gave a small shudder. Perhaps that last statement was just a bit too bold? The odd duo stopped right outside McGonagall's office.

Breaking the psychic link, Tobias said aloud, "You really must be Minerva's granddaughter."

Putting a hand on the door knob, he added, "Go now."

For some reason, this simple request angered Mini. Maybe if he had said please? She turned and walked away back to the Halloween Ball as Tobias could be heard greeting Professor McGonagall.

As she entered the Great Hall, she spied Kimmi dancing wildly in the middle of the room. Watching as she passed, Mini found just the two Gryffindors she needed. Harry and Ron. Grabbing both by their arms, she dragged them into a quiet corner of the room, which was quite hard to find.

"You scared us a bit, Mini," Ron began as he arched his brow at her. "I mean, leaving with a Slytherin. Sure, that Jade looks alright, but she's still Snape daughter. She could be dangerous."

"You're telling me," Mini muttered.

Harry's ears seemed to perk up, like a dog listening to a faraway noise.

"Did something happen out there? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but..." she drew them closer, "Professor McGonagall is alone with a vampire!"

She quickly covered the boys' mouths before they could say anything. Then, she continued.

"I think they know one another."

Ron's mouth was the first to break free from her hand.

"A vampire! At Hogwarts!" he said fervently.

"Two, actually," Mini corrected.

"But they're good guys, right? Dumbledore of course knows," Harry stated reasonably.

"So what?" Mini exclaimed. "Vampires are devious, especially the one we left with Jade. That's beside the point, though. Right now, I need to know what my grandmother and that blood-sucking fiend are talking about."

"So, what do we do?" Ron asked.

Harry, however, knew.

"I'll get my invisibility cloak and meet you outside here," he said.

"That's great, but we need Hermione. Vampires can read minds. She might know a spell to shield our minds so that he doesn't catch us."

As Harry departed, both Ron and Mini turned, scanning the crowd. They quickly found Hermione. Apparently, Kimmi's lavish dancing had collided with Hermione's cup causing it to spill its contents down the front of her dress. Kimmi was dabbing at her with numerous napkins as Hermione fumed. Kimmi looked as though she were trying not to laugh. Quickly, Mini and Ron snatched Hermione from her and explained what was going on. When they had finished, Hermione's eyes were wide, but she spoke calmly.

"I think I do know a spell. The catch is that you have to keep repeating it under your breath. Did you notice any other powers that the vampires may have withheld?" she said.

"Well, they're more sarcastic than me, but only by a tad. They seem different from those in Sunnydale--where my half-sister lives. They're beautiful, or at least these two are. Don't get me wrong, though. They're still blood-sucking fiends."

Ron scoffed. "You sound as accepting as Snape."

Mini grinned. "Is that always a bad thing?"

As Ron shook his head, Mini spotted Harry at the door, his cloak draped over his arm. With Hermione in tow, they headed into the hall.

"I'll play lookout," Ron said as the girls and Harry threw the cloak over themselves.

They ventured down to McGonagall's office, muttering the spell as they went. As they approached, the door opened. Tobias stepped out into the hall and turned to look back at the professor. The group stopped a few feet from them.

"Why did you never tell me, Minerva?" Tobias asked in a quiet outrage. "Would it have been so hard to tell me of my own child?"

"Tobias, it's done now. Over. Tempest, our dear daughter, is dead. All that is left from that moment of love is our granddaughter. You're not exactly easy to contact. It amazes me that Jade did it. I'm letting you know now; you can make you own decisions on Mini's behalf," McGonagall said.

Mini gasped, and Harry quickly laid a hand on her shoulder to silence her. Although the three beneath the cloak were sure that Tobias had heard, he made no move toward the noise.

"It was good of you to tell me. It was nice to see you," he said.

As McGonagall closed her office door, the vampire turned briskly and walked up the hall. Without a word between them, Hermione, Harry, and Mini returned to Ron and the Ball. Catching sight of Tobias heading back out toward the gardens, Mini said a hasty farewell and caught up with him.

"So, how are things?" she asked, matter-of-factly. She quickly muttered the spell to conceal her exact thought at the moment.

"As well as I could expect," Tobias replied, just as nonchalantly.

How so, Blood-sucking Fiend?

Mini found that it was becoming steadily easier for her to bury her thoughts.

You do love that phrase, Tobias mind-spoke to her. I am anxious to see my granddaughter.

He had mind-stated this without even glancing at Mini. The young witch gave a slight huff and replied in her mind.

Here's a tip...Blood-sucking Fiend...next time you decide to feed from some someone evil, go for the Big Bad. Kill Lord Voldemort. He's true evil.

She paused here, staring at him. Then, she continued.

He's even killed my mother.

Without speaking aloud or in their minds, Mini believed that he caught her drift.

Then he must taste like poison, he mind-spoke after a silence. I'll refer him to Tariq. That might be more his speed.