The Stroke of Midnight
Title: The Stroke of Midnight
Fandom: Harry Potter/Midnight Breed Series
Rating: M
Pairing: Hermione/Sterling
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Midnight Breed Series are the property of J.K.Rowling and Lara Adrian respectively
Summary: While on holiday with her parents, Hermione stumbles upon an ancient society that changes her life forever.
The Stroke of Midnight
A/N: This has been on my computer since forever, so sorry for the long wait. I should also mention that I've only read the first four books before I lost my fangirl obsession with the Midnight Breed books, so I don't know how the series ends but since this is AU in the Potterverse as well I guess that doesn't really matter.
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Lara Adrian
Chapter 4: The Coming Darkness
With each unanswered ring of the telephone, the cold ball of dread forming in Hermione's stomach increases in size. Accepting Lucan's offer to use their phone to let her parents know that she was still in the country and you know… alive, seemed to be a good idea in theory. Now, Hermione's trying to convince herself that maybe her mother took an Ambien to help her sleep and that is the reason she hasn't heard the phone in their hotel room or her mobile ringing for the past seven minutes. Finally giving up on the pretense that her parents may just be ignoring her call, Hermione hangs up the phone, her eyes roaming the room for Chase who has been hovering in the background as if he's afraid she'd bolt if he wasn't in the vicinity. Smart man.
"No answer then?" his deep voice rumbles through the stillness of the large study.
"I believe it would be best if I check on them in person. The man who was following me works at the hotel we're staying in, it wouldn't take much for him to learn which suite I'm in and I will not leave my parents defenseless for much longer."
"Understandable," He says, nodding gravely, "sunrise isn't for another few hours, I can take you back if you'd like?"
Thinking it would be better not to risk splenching herself by apparating with an injury while still semi-intoxicated from the narcotics in her system, Hermione accepts his offer, the fact that it will give her a little more time with Chase is simply an added bonus.
"Any luck reaching your folks?" Tess asks, waddling into the study.
"Er…no but Mr. Chase has graciously offered to drive me back to the hotel."
"Alright, I brought you a change of clothing," holding up the light sweater and jeans she can no longer fit, "I just figured it wouldn't be a good idea to show up in a torn dress covered in blood. One less thing to explain to your parents."
"I imagine they'd be more concerned with me creeping in at such an unholy hour not wearing the same clothes I left in but thank you, that's very kind."
"There's a guestroom just down the hall, you can clean up and change while I inform Lucan of our plans." directing her to the right room in the underground fortress, Chase waits until she firmly closes the door behind herself and Tess before walking back to speak with their leader.
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"So she didn't get in touch with her parents?" Lucan questions Chase as the blond man loads his gun, packing extra ammo into the lining of his coat.
"No, I will take her back to Boston and maybe I can get to the bottom of why she was attacked by so many Rogues."
"I think I might have an idea," Tess interrupts, "I was helping Hermione to undress and I noticed a familiar birthmark on her right hip."
"Let me guess, a teardrop falling into a crescent moon?" Lucan heaves a sigh, rubbing a tired hand over his face. "This settles it, we can't let her go back to Boston unprotected."
"She's not exactly defenseless, I mean the girl took out three full grown Rogues on her own." Dante points out. "That was pretty badass."
"True but it's the other two that has me concerned. We still don't know what the enemy's next move is and he's getting bolder with each passing day. I don't even want to think about how unstoppable they would be if he caught himself a real life witch."
"Hermione is adamant about ensuring her parents safety, I will explain the risks involved and maybe have her relocated to a Darkhaven." Tess offers, in the short amount of time she has spoken to the girl she has already felt a need to protect her. Must be the hormones kicking in, nothing screams 'protect this girl' like healing said person's bullet riddled body.
"Something tells me that that conversation won't go over so well." Dante smirks, not just with Hermione but with Chase as well. The single males at the Darkhaven communities are notorious for pouncing on any and every single Breedmate. Mix in her distinctive gifts and beauty and he'd bet she will be mated to some poncy Breed Vamp within the year.
"It's more than likely that the pool attendant that followed her was a Minion," Lucan argues, "chances are he has already told his Master about her unique talents. At this point she may not have a choice."
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In the confinement of the car, the scent of parchment and freshly mowed grass emitting from the man beside her was intoxicating. Hermione breathes deeply, getting lost in a memory of leaning over a bubbling cauldron as mother of pearl spirals of steam float up to tickle her nose. At the time those two fragrances were so easy to decipher, the grass reminded her of summers watching her father attempt to maintain their rather large backyard and the parchment was the scent most of her favorite first edition books held but until this moment she never understood the third smell that the Amortentia Potion claimed to be her own personal aphrodisiac: "Blood"
"Pardon?" Chase momentarily takes his eyes off of the road to glance quizzically at his passenger
'Merlin, he smells good, ah I must look ghastly!' she exclaims trying to subtly smooth down her hair "May I ask, why exactly does your friend refer to you as Harvard?"
"Before I joined the Order I was a member of the Law Enforcement Squad within Boston's Darkhaven. I was raised one of the privileged, my family regarded as one of the oldest and most revered lines. The best of everything education being the most important."
"Harvard University," Hermione nods in understanding, "not very imaginative is he?"
Chase chuckles humorlessly under his breath, remembering the initial resistance he faced from the Warriors of the Order when he came to them for help in locating his nephew. To this day he still can't get the image of Elise's anguished face out of his head when he was forced to gun down her only child right before her eyes. Something broke in him that night and caused him to turn his back on the world he had grown up in, finally seeking acceptance with the Order and a new mission to make certain no one else would suffer the loss of their family to the bloodlust.
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The hotel's lobby is eerily quiet this late at night, their footsteps echo against the shiny floor and the man sitting at the front desk doesn't even bother to look up as they walk towards the bank of elevators. Strange.
It's unspoken that Chase accompanies Hermione back to her room. Normally she would be annoyed that some man thought she needed to be coddled and constantly watched over like some wilting flower but while it is obvious Chase is concerned for her safety, he isn't being overbearing, just sort of sticking to the background, providing her with backup in case the need arises. It's a good thing that he does too, the elevator barely clears the third floor before Hermione feels a shift in the air.
She quickly slams her hand into the emergency brake button on the wall panel, startling Chase as the elevator screeches to a halt.
"What is it?"
"My barrier has been breached," there's a slight panicked undertone to her voice and she wracks her brain to quickly formulate a plan. "help me with this." Together they manage to pry the elevator doors apart, though Chase could have done it on his own she's grateful that he doesn't bring that up. The elevator cab is stuck in between floors, Hermione shimmy's through the small space with little trouble, Chase's muscular frame takes a bit more effort. When he finally squeezes through, already Hermione has her wand in one hand and her blade in the other. She tilts her chin, motioning to the stairwell.
Hermione silently berates herself for not returning sooner, the entire four flights they climb the dimly lit stairwell to reach the right floor. The hall is empty, she can see her room clearly, midway down the hall the door to her suite is slightly cracked, Hermione and Chase take up position. She armed with her wand and him gripping a gun in each hand. Signaling silently that they will storm the room on three, Hermione casts a quick shield and they turn sideways as one unit, bursting into the suite and catching the assailants off guard.
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The room has been ransacked, Hermione doesn't know what they were looking for but speculation on what is missing will have to wait. Right now her main objective is her father, lying in a pool of his own blood on the floor.
"He's still alive," Chase says, checking for a pulse, "just barely but we should get him back to Headquarters as soon as possible."
"I…I can't find my mum, I think they took her." Hermione's fragile voice causes Chase's chest to tighten. He doesn't want to voice the idea that maybe the Rogues who attacked her parents while she was out have taken her mother to either feed on her, turn her into a Minion to be used against Hermione or worst.
"Hermione, look at me," He commands. Her eyes are dazed, her hands are shaking and the room suddenly feels as if all of the warmth was being sucked from the air, "We. Will. Find. Her. Your father needs immediate medical attention, we need to get him back to headquarters and then I will have the entire team search for your mother, alright?"
She nods once, then again silently mouthing his words back to him. Chase begins to gently lift the unconscious man and head towards the door but Hermione stops him.
"Wait," with a flick of her wand all of hers and her parents belongings quickly soar across the room, clothes folding themselves and neatly tucking into open suitcases. Hermione shrinks the seven pieces of luggage and slips them into her pocket. Stepping over three pulsating puddles of decomposing Rogues to the last remaining Rogue lying unconscious after her spell knocked him into the wall, she points her wand at the sleeping beast, red sparks shoot out and thick ropes twine themselves around her captive. "I've got a faster way to get back."
Chase looks on, completely fascinated as she whispers a few words that causes what used to be the leg of the coffee table to glow momentarily. Grabbing her captive roughly by the collar, Hermione turns to Chase with a very serious expression and holds out the table leg to him. "Keep a firm grasp on my father and whatever you do, don't let go before I tell you so."
He can only nod mutely, swallowing the lump forming in his throat his hand connects with the smooth wood and seconds later there is a sharp tugging feeling behind his navel as the world spins wildly out of focus.
Fandom: Harry Potter/Midnight Breed Series
Rating: M
Pairing: Hermione/Sterling
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Midnight Breed Series are the property of J.K.Rowling and Lara Adrian respectively
Summary: While on holiday with her parents, Hermione stumbles upon an ancient society that changes her life forever.
The Stroke of Midnight
A/N: This has been on my computer since forever, so sorry for the long wait. I should also mention that I've only read the first four books before I lost my fangirl obsession with the Midnight Breed books, so I don't know how the series ends but since this is AU in the Potterverse as well I guess that doesn't really matter.
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Lara Adrian
Chapter 4: The Coming Darkness
With each unanswered ring of the telephone, the cold ball of dread forming in Hermione's stomach increases in size. Accepting Lucan's offer to use their phone to let her parents know that she was still in the country and you know… alive, seemed to be a good idea in theory. Now, Hermione's trying to convince herself that maybe her mother took an Ambien to help her sleep and that is the reason she hasn't heard the phone in their hotel room or her mobile ringing for the past seven minutes. Finally giving up on the pretense that her parents may just be ignoring her call, Hermione hangs up the phone, her eyes roaming the room for Chase who has been hovering in the background as if he's afraid she'd bolt if he wasn't in the vicinity. Smart man.
"No answer then?" his deep voice rumbles through the stillness of the large study.
"I believe it would be best if I check on them in person. The man who was following me works at the hotel we're staying in, it wouldn't take much for him to learn which suite I'm in and I will not leave my parents defenseless for much longer."
"Understandable," He says, nodding gravely, "sunrise isn't for another few hours, I can take you back if you'd like?"
Thinking it would be better not to risk splenching herself by apparating with an injury while still semi-intoxicated from the narcotics in her system, Hermione accepts his offer, the fact that it will give her a little more time with Chase is simply an added bonus.
"Any luck reaching your folks?" Tess asks, waddling into the study.
"Er…no but Mr. Chase has graciously offered to drive me back to the hotel."
"Alright, I brought you a change of clothing," holding up the light sweater and jeans she can no longer fit, "I just figured it wouldn't be a good idea to show up in a torn dress covered in blood. One less thing to explain to your parents."
"I imagine they'd be more concerned with me creeping in at such an unholy hour not wearing the same clothes I left in but thank you, that's very kind."
"There's a guestroom just down the hall, you can clean up and change while I inform Lucan of our plans." directing her to the right room in the underground fortress, Chase waits until she firmly closes the door behind herself and Tess before walking back to speak with their leader.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So she didn't get in touch with her parents?" Lucan questions Chase as the blond man loads his gun, packing extra ammo into the lining of his coat.
"No, I will take her back to Boston and maybe I can get to the bottom of why she was attacked by so many Rogues."
"I think I might have an idea," Tess interrupts, "I was helping Hermione to undress and I noticed a familiar birthmark on her right hip."
"Let me guess, a teardrop falling into a crescent moon?" Lucan heaves a sigh, rubbing a tired hand over his face. "This settles it, we can't let her go back to Boston unprotected."
"She's not exactly defenseless, I mean the girl took out three full grown Rogues on her own." Dante points out. "That was pretty badass."
"True but it's the other two that has me concerned. We still don't know what the enemy's next move is and he's getting bolder with each passing day. I don't even want to think about how unstoppable they would be if he caught himself a real life witch."
"Hermione is adamant about ensuring her parents safety, I will explain the risks involved and maybe have her relocated to a Darkhaven." Tess offers, in the short amount of time she has spoken to the girl she has already felt a need to protect her. Must be the hormones kicking in, nothing screams 'protect this girl' like healing said person's bullet riddled body.
"Something tells me that that conversation won't go over so well." Dante smirks, not just with Hermione but with Chase as well. The single males at the Darkhaven communities are notorious for pouncing on any and every single Breedmate. Mix in her distinctive gifts and beauty and he'd bet she will be mated to some poncy Breed Vamp within the year.
"It's more than likely that the pool attendant that followed her was a Minion," Lucan argues, "chances are he has already told his Master about her unique talents. At this point she may not have a choice."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the confinement of the car, the scent of parchment and freshly mowed grass emitting from the man beside her was intoxicating. Hermione breathes deeply, getting lost in a memory of leaning over a bubbling cauldron as mother of pearl spirals of steam float up to tickle her nose. At the time those two fragrances were so easy to decipher, the grass reminded her of summers watching her father attempt to maintain their rather large backyard and the parchment was the scent most of her favorite first edition books held but until this moment she never understood the third smell that the Amortentia Potion claimed to be her own personal aphrodisiac: "Blood"
"Pardon?" Chase momentarily takes his eyes off of the road to glance quizzically at his passenger
'Merlin, he smells good, ah I must look ghastly!' she exclaims trying to subtly smooth down her hair "May I ask, why exactly does your friend refer to you as Harvard?"
"Before I joined the Order I was a member of the Law Enforcement Squad within Boston's Darkhaven. I was raised one of the privileged, my family regarded as one of the oldest and most revered lines. The best of everything education being the most important."
"Harvard University," Hermione nods in understanding, "not very imaginative is he?"
Chase chuckles humorlessly under his breath, remembering the initial resistance he faced from the Warriors of the Order when he came to them for help in locating his nephew. To this day he still can't get the image of Elise's anguished face out of his head when he was forced to gun down her only child right before her eyes. Something broke in him that night and caused him to turn his back on the world he had grown up in, finally seeking acceptance with the Order and a new mission to make certain no one else would suffer the loss of their family to the bloodlust.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The hotel's lobby is eerily quiet this late at night, their footsteps echo against the shiny floor and the man sitting at the front desk doesn't even bother to look up as they walk towards the bank of elevators. Strange.
It's unspoken that Chase accompanies Hermione back to her room. Normally she would be annoyed that some man thought she needed to be coddled and constantly watched over like some wilting flower but while it is obvious Chase is concerned for her safety, he isn't being overbearing, just sort of sticking to the background, providing her with backup in case the need arises. It's a good thing that he does too, the elevator barely clears the third floor before Hermione feels a shift in the air.
She quickly slams her hand into the emergency brake button on the wall panel, startling Chase as the elevator screeches to a halt.
"What is it?"
"My barrier has been breached," there's a slight panicked undertone to her voice and she wracks her brain to quickly formulate a plan. "help me with this." Together they manage to pry the elevator doors apart, though Chase could have done it on his own she's grateful that he doesn't bring that up. The elevator cab is stuck in between floors, Hermione shimmy's through the small space with little trouble, Chase's muscular frame takes a bit more effort. When he finally squeezes through, already Hermione has her wand in one hand and her blade in the other. She tilts her chin, motioning to the stairwell.
Hermione silently berates herself for not returning sooner, the entire four flights they climb the dimly lit stairwell to reach the right floor. The hall is empty, she can see her room clearly, midway down the hall the door to her suite is slightly cracked, Hermione and Chase take up position. She armed with her wand and him gripping a gun in each hand. Signaling silently that they will storm the room on three, Hermione casts a quick shield and they turn sideways as one unit, bursting into the suite and catching the assailants off guard.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The room has been ransacked, Hermione doesn't know what they were looking for but speculation on what is missing will have to wait. Right now her main objective is her father, lying in a pool of his own blood on the floor.
"He's still alive," Chase says, checking for a pulse, "just barely but we should get him back to Headquarters as soon as possible."
"I…I can't find my mum, I think they took her." Hermione's fragile voice causes Chase's chest to tighten. He doesn't want to voice the idea that maybe the Rogues who attacked her parents while she was out have taken her mother to either feed on her, turn her into a Minion to be used against Hermione or worst.
"Hermione, look at me," He commands. Her eyes are dazed, her hands are shaking and the room suddenly feels as if all of the warmth was being sucked from the air, "We. Will. Find. Her. Your father needs immediate medical attention, we need to get him back to headquarters and then I will have the entire team search for your mother, alright?"
She nods once, then again silently mouthing his words back to him. Chase begins to gently lift the unconscious man and head towards the door but Hermione stops him.
"Wait," with a flick of her wand all of hers and her parents belongings quickly soar across the room, clothes folding themselves and neatly tucking into open suitcases. Hermione shrinks the seven pieces of luggage and slips them into her pocket. Stepping over three pulsating puddles of decomposing Rogues to the last remaining Rogue lying unconscious after her spell knocked him into the wall, she points her wand at the sleeping beast, red sparks shoot out and thick ropes twine themselves around her captive. "I've got a faster way to get back."
Chase looks on, completely fascinated as she whispers a few words that causes what used to be the leg of the coffee table to glow momentarily. Grabbing her captive roughly by the collar, Hermione turns to Chase with a very serious expression and holds out the table leg to him. "Keep a firm grasp on my father and whatever you do, don't let go before I tell you so."
He can only nod mutely, swallowing the lump forming in his throat his hand connects with the smooth wood and seconds later there is a sharp tugging feeling behind his navel as the world spins wildly out of focus.