Stormwalker

A/N: Thanks again to all that reviewed! It is very much appreciated.

Chapter 6: The Shadow of His Past


Hermione entered the DADA dungeons, panting slightly as she had to run to keep from being late.

Damn Snape.

Draco and his idiotic cronies had once again decided to have their fun by tormenting Harry, Ron, and herself and of course when she and her friends had pulled out their wands to retaliate, Professor Snape had appeared and taken points off. He seemed to have the damnedest timing. She was sure that he had waited behind the corner until he saw their wands and convienently showed up.

Hermione was snapped out of her musings by the sight of the classroom.

What had once been a study-like room had been turned into what looked like a martial arts academy. Red and black mats were lined up in rows, swords and staffs leaned against the wall, and pictures of various techniques were placed at random intervals. A black punching bag hung from the ceiling.

But the most suprising thing was that everyone was dressed in a loose-fitting white t-shirt and black pants that seemed easy to move around in. All of their shoes were in a clumsy pile to the side of the room, and they all had their wands out. Gabriel wore a black t-shirt with the word \'hexe\' on it in large white letters, and what looked looked like a pair of silk jeans. He raised an eyebrow and attempted to hide a smile when he saw here.

\"Glad you could make it Miss Granger.\" He said and tossed her one of the white shirts and pair of pants. She caught them rather dextrously, still getting used to the room\'s new look. \"Change quickly and join us out on the mat.\"

Hermione went into the changing room and divested herself of her robes, putting on the new clothes. They were actually pretty comfortable. She pulled her wand out of her robes and folded them carefully. She walked out of the small room and put her robes next to her shoes, and then heard Gabriel\'s laugh. Hermione shivered.

\"I have no idea why you all have your wands out. That won\'t keep me from breaking your neck.\"

Flushing slightly, she stuffed her wand in the pocket of her robes before she joined the line. Some students looked nervous as they did the same. It was Defense Against the Dark Arts, how the hell were they going to fight it with kung fu?

\"Yes, yes, I know what you\'re thinking. Where\'s all the Dark Arts? Tell me, can a Shield Charm block a punch?\"

The Gryffindors and Slytherins muttered among themselves for a moment, but no one said anything against it.

\"Exactly. It only protects against magic and when you live in a world in which most of your friends and family can use magic, the advantage is lost. How many people have tried to stab a Death Eater? Almost none, because they instantly think, get them with magic, it\'s better! No, it\'s not. Anyone can be disarmed of their wand, and then what are you supposed to do but become food for the worms within the next few seconds? Panic? Again, no. A machine gun, a Muggle weapon, can kill dozens as long as you have enough ammunition, and all you get is a sore trigger finger. There\'s nothing to memorize, all you do is point, shoot, and hold on.\"

He let this information sink in for a moment before continuing.

\"That is why none of you have your wands. I can teach you to defend yourselves against Dark Wizards with nothing more than my own hands. You can make your body a weapon. How many of Voldemort\'s soldiers will expect you to have a knife, much less any ability to use it? This is not only about self-defence but about gaining strength and discipline. And I warn you, any student who steps out of line will not find it pleasant.\"

With that, he clapped his hands together and smiled.

\"Split up into groups of three and pick a mat. First we\'ll do some stretches to warm up your bodies.\"

Gabriel sank into the splits with astonishing ease and stretched forward. Every one attempted to do the same and got varying results of success. Hermione was trying not to laugh at Ron\'s grimace of pain. He looked like he was going to explode with his red face that matched his hair.

After a few more equally agonizing stretches, Gabriel stood up and cracked his neck.

\"Alright, we\'ll start with an example. Would anyone like to spar a round with me?\"

Draco Malfoy instantly strutted forward and Hermione shook her head smiling. He\'ll look with much better with a black eye or two. The Professor coughed, trying to hide a laugh.

\"Are you sure, Mr. Malfoy?\"

The Slytherin nodded. \"Yeah, I think I can handle it.\" You could have swum in the arrogance.

\"I doubt that.\" Gabriel said before lunging forward in a blur. Draco wasn\'t even close to ready as the muscled force slammed into him and he was knocked breathless to the floor, the Professor\'s hands at his throat. The Gryffindors howled with laughter as he let the teenager up, who was desperately gasping for breath. The vampire grinned wickedly. \"I doubt that very much, Mr. Malfoy. Get back in line.\"

\"That is your first lesson. Be on your guard. You may hear that from me every day, and think it annoying, but trust me it\'s true. I would not be alive now if I hadn\'t been paying attention. My brother would be spitting on my grave and his daughter with him.\"

A few sniggers came from the Slytherins at that but his blood-chilling glare shut them up immediately.

\"Now, two from each group will grab a kicking shield and the third will attempt to keep them away for one minute. This may seem simple, but the time will increase. Shield holders, do not be gentle with someone just because they\'re your friends. It won\'t help them at all. If the person defending is knocked off the mat, he or she fails.\"

Hermione watched Harry and Ron grab the shields and fell into a martial arts stance. She had taken classes over the summer and had found it both exilarating and stress-relieving. And after her parents\' death still raw in her mind, it would be good to have something to take out her frustration on. Instead of a mirror.

The boys lunged towards her with the red kicking shields and she dodged Ron\'s attack, sending him stumbling onto another mat. She kicked out and hit Harry\'s shield right in the center, setting him back on his ass. Hermione chuckled and dodged Ron again, who had tried to sneak up on her from behind. She did not see Gabriel with his arms crossed, paying a lot of unnecessary attention to her mat and her friends\' clumsy attempts to knock her over. She had obviously had some training. How convienent.

\"Time.\"

Everyone stopped, many red in the face as they dropped the kicking shields or finally stopped running from their friends who seemed to desperately want to maul them.

\"That was not bad for a start. But before we switch positions, I would like to call your attention to Miss Granger\'s mat. She did not fall over once or get knocked off the mat. Can anyone tell me why?\"

No one said anything for a moment, but Malfoy muttered under his breath, \"maybe the Mudblood just needed to protect herself from the wizards deserving of a wand.\"

He did not count on Gabriel\'s preternatural hearing.

\"Twenty points from Slytherin, Malfoy, and you will be hauling your ass down here instead of having fun on your weekend. Any more comments and you\'ll be our towelboy.\"

Draco opened his mouth for a smart comment but Gabriel plucked the thoughts from his mind and answered before Malfoy could speak.

\"I don\'t give a fuck who your daddy is, you little oily bastard. Because if he even thinks of getting me suspended, I\'ll send him your dick in a box with a ribbon on it and they\'ll never find the rest.\"

The rest of the class had been shocked into silence and Draco was stammering, his jaw dropping nearly to the floor.

\"And the correct answer is not a smart-ass comment, but stability. She also had balance, allowing her to move quickly. Have you had any formal training, Miss Granger?\"

She flushed a little and nodded. \"Just over the summer.\"

\"Excellent. If it is convienent for you, I would like to speak to you after class.\"

\"Of course, sir.\"

\"Now, among yourselves pick who will be the next defender. We\'ll rotate again for the last time in a minute and then class will be over and you may change back into your robes. Go!\"

Everyone switched back into fighting mode and Hermione and Harry shot forward together, knocking Ron off the mat. Hermione rolled her eyes and shifted the kicking shield to one arm and helping him up before going at it again.

\"Time\'s up. Rotate.\"

Harry handed off his shield to Ron and began the last round before the end of class. He managed to dodge Hermione and Ron for a while, but a well-placed hit knocked him on his ass for the second time that day.

\"Alright, we\'re done. Put the shields away and get back in your robes. Malfoy, I will see you Saturday after sunset. Miss Granger, please come into my office after you\'ve changed.\"

She smiled and changed quickly, saying goodbye to Harry and Ron as the rest of the class filed out. Hermione waited until everyone had left and watched Gabriel close the door. He grinned and leaned his back against the cold l.
l.

\"Did you have fun, Hermione?\"

\"You bet, Gabriel. That was wonderful.\"

She felt so much better talking on a first-name basis. Hermione walked closer to Gabriel and wrapped her arms around his neck. Gabriel slid his hands to her waist. He smiled, showing half-unsheathed fangs and kissing her lightn thn the lips. She giggled.

\"My grandma, what big teeth you have.\"

\"Why thank you. But while I enjoy my current position very much I wanted you here so we could talk, not kiss you senseless.\"

Hermione\'s cheeks colored a most interesting red.

\"Yeah, I guess we should.\"

He grasped her hand and led her to a door behind a black velvet curtain. Opening it, he pulled her inside into the darkness. She laughed.

\"If we\'re going to talk Gabriel, a closet is a very strange place to do so.\"

He scoffed. \"It\'s not a closet, Hermione, you just have horrible night vision. Close your eyes.\"

She did and saw red for a moment as he turned on the light. When Hermione opened her eyes, she did not see a closet.

A most interesting room met her cinnamon eyes. The white walls had been sponge-painted over with black and silver, creating a rather interesting effect. A huge \'Parental Advisory\' poster was pinned against the wall, which made her smile. But the decoration that caught her eye was the black-and-white photo of him.

The nude photo of him.

If not for some rather well-placed shadows, he would have been completely exposed.

The live Gabriel was laughing rather hysterically.

\"You are the most vain being on the planet.\" She said, forcing herself to look away from the picture.

\"No, I\'m not. I don\'t have a cult bowing at the picture yet.\"

Hermione scoffed and looked around the rest of the room, carefully avoiding the distracting picture.

Two leather (who would ever guess?) couches were in the center facing each other with a black lacquer table in the center. A black rug with a fleur-de-lis symbol in the middle was under the table. Two bottles of some red liquid were on the table with a shot glass and a hardback book. But the strangest thing was the painting covered by a canvas. Another door was across the room and she assumed it led to his bedroom. Hermione immediately stopped that train of thought.

Gabriel fell gracefully onto one of the couches and motioned for her to do the same. She did and realized that the book was the one Harry had touched on the shelf the first day of class. He paid no attention and unlaced his boots before kicking them off and lounging in the leather.

\"You\'re wondering about that book aren\'t you?\"

Hermione hadn\'t realized he\'d seen her looking at it but nodded quickly.

\"Look at it if you want. The charm\'s worn off.\"

She sat up and picked up the book warily, being careful with the yellowed pages, flipping to the beginning. Hermione froze. The words Maison de Sang were written in dark blood on the first page.

\"Gabriel, what kind of book is this?\"

\"The gruesome history of my family. That book happens to be 700 years old. Don\'t read it if you\'re squeamish.\"

\"Why?\"

\"Because it\'s a diary.\"

\"Whose?\"

He said nothing and she asked him again. \"Whose diary is this, Gabriel?\"

She turned the page and saw a portrait of a man that looked a lot like Gabriel, but his expression was one of nobility and arrogance, and his hair was as gold as Gabriel\'s was silver. His eyes were the same, but so very cold. He looked about 27. Hermione shuddered even though it was just an illustration. The name at the bottom was written in fancy black script: Heian Lunax.

Hermione remembered what Gabriel had said in class: \"I would not be alive now. My brother would be spitting on my grave and his daughter with him.\"

She at once realized her mistake. Heian could not be Gabriel\'s brother if this book was 700 years old. Hmm. Hermione turned the page and saw another portrait. The woman in the picture was stunningly beautiful, with dark raven hair and the greenest eyes she\'d seen in her life. She looked about 17. The artist of these drawings certainly has a talent, she thought. The name on the page was Tempeshia.

\"Beautiful, isn\'t she?\"

Hermione had been so entranced by the portrait she had noticed him coming up behind her to look at the book. For some reason, he seemed nervous, but she ignored it. It was probably nothing.

\"Yes, she is. Very much so. Was she his daughter?\" She assumed that the portraits had been painted at different times, so it would make sense if the ages didn\'t match.

\"His lover.\"

\"But she\'s so young!\"

\"Wait till you see the next page.\"

She turned it and saw what looked like a double of Tempeshia, but the look onher face was as arrogant and proud as the one on Heian\'s. Long black hair and green eyes. Just as beautiful. She also looked about 17. The name on the page was Belle Lunax.

\"Is that their daughter?\"

\"No, only Tempeshia\'s. She was raped before she met Heian.\"

Hermione gasped. \"How horrible.\"

\"Belle was as well when she was 17, but she didn\'t become pregnant.\"

\"Does it talk about that in the book or did you research that?\"

Gabriel closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. All would be revealed in a moment as she turned the page.

\"It\'s in the diary.\"

She turned the page and stared wide-eyed in shock at the picture. Gabriel\'s face stared back at her, defiant and scowling. That silver hair and eyes were exactly the same, nothing different. He looked the exact same age. The name Gabriel was written across the bottom with the word slave in parathenses.

\"Gabriel? You told me this book was 700 years old.\"

\"It is.\"

The information sunk in as she realized whose diary it was. She turned to face him.

\"And the slave part?\"

In an instant, he slipped his shirt off and turned around. Hermione\'s jaw dropped. Marring the pale perfection of his back was a brand, right between his shoulder blades. A fox\'s head with two whips above it was burned into his flesh. His head turned to see her expression.

\"But that\'s impossible. You can\'t be seven hundred years old.\" He pulled his shirt back on and face her.

\"You know that\'s not true, Hermione. Think. What is the first immortal creature you think of?\"

\"A...vampire.\"

\"Exactly.\"

Fear ran through her veins like ice and suddenly everything clicked into place. Why he was never there in the mornings, the night classes, the bottle of red liquid sitting behind her. Why the ages were inconsistent. The mother painted the same age as her daughter.

\"Oh Merlin. The entire Lunax family is vampiric?\"

\"You\'re...a vampire. Why did you tell me?\"

\"I understand your horror, Hermione. That\'s why I only kissed you. How could you want a creature that hunts your very kind?\"

\"I don\'t believe it.\" She said, voice shaking.

\"Believe, Hermione.\" Hermione dropped the book and backed away from Gabriel as she saw his fangs unsheath fully.

\"I won\'t hurt you.\"

\"How could Dumbledore let you in the school! A werewolf, yes, but a vampire! What do you do, catch innocents in Hogsmeade and leave them to ro tin the Forbidden Forest?!\" Her voice was panicked.

He looked at her in shock and his expression turned to one of anger.

\"Hermione, I do not and would never do such a thing. I drink animal bloodwevewever disgusting, and I do not murder innocents in the street. I have pride, and I am not a common criminal.\"

\"You\'re right, how could I?\" Her voice turned cruel and cold. \"Did you like that blood I spilled on the mirror? Did you want to lick it from every shard? That\'s why you came. For the blood. Not for me.\"

\"Hermione, that\'s not true!\"

\"Don\'t call me that.\" She was still scared stiff and kept backing away.

Gabriel stepped forward and Hermione almost screamed.

\"You want to know something that\'s not in that gruesome diary, Miss Granger?\" He spat the last two words out like venom. \"That I slept with my niece. Yes, Belle. That beautiful, sadistic bitch I turned into a vampire. That I used to murder in the streets, not caring who got in my way. I\'d lick the blood from my fingers and leave the body in the woods.\"

\"And you know what else I can do? As a vampire, I can control your mind, make you do things against your will. But I trusted you! Because I thought you would be strong enough to understand! Fuck that to hell and get out of my sight!\"

He loomed over her and she was half-collapsed against the wall.

\"And if you even think to tell any of this to anyone, you\'ll be part of a history book. A little fucking\' footnote in the amazing Boy Wonder\'s magical fucking life!\" Gabriel roared and ripped the door off it\'s hinges before shoving her through. She broke into a run and fled to her quarters, looking behind her half the time to makee hee he wasn\'t following her.

Quickly casting wards on the doors, she went into her bedroom and hid under the covers before crying her heart out. First her parents, and now this. She never saw the eyes watching her from the window, and they were not grey.