Hi! So, by the end of this chapter you should be able to guess at least on ship. Maybe two if you can go from there.

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Draco had gone down into the dungeons after the Halloween Feast in order to reach his dorm room. He wasn't entirely sure why the Slytherin dormitory was in the dungeon, but he supposed it had something to do with the Chamber of Secrets, where the basilisk had been kept. He reached a wall and said something before the bricks moved apart and he could enter. The common room was cold and dark. The fireplace housed a green flame, the leather couches were uncomfortable, the bookshelves were covered in cobwebs near the top and the giant window showed a great view of all the angry creatures of the black lake. Including the giant squid.

He quickly went into the third year boys dorm room and saw that it was empty. Good. 

He pulled a box out from under his bed and opened it. It housed a few potions, bandages and salves that he had learnt to keep nearby at all times. He took his sling off and started to unwrap his arm, cringing slightly at where his blood had dried to the cloth. Everyone was technically correct. Madam Pomfrey could heal a scratch in a heartbeat and he couldn't possibly still have the injury the hippogriff gave him. But that didn't mean there was nothing wrong with his arm.

The arm was not a nice sight. The scars wrapping around it, the bruising all over and the pain of tiny fractures, not big enough to call the bone broken going from his elbow to his wrist. He was only thirteen, and didn't know how to make potions that would heal the bone quicker, so he'd have to just let the healing run it's course. But he did know how to heal surface wounds. Even if it took a fortnight. 

Once he was done redressing the wound he put his box back under the bed and stood up to see someone he didn't recognise. He had brown hair and almost red eyes, but his biggest concern was what he saw.

"That didn't look pretty," the stranger said, "hurt as bad as it looked?"

"Do I know you?" Draco asked, "Because I don't think I've ever seen you?"

"You don't know me," the stranger smiled, "but you will."

"Not ominous at all," Draco tried to shove past him.

The stranger stopped him, "I'm serious. That arm didn't look nice."

"What do you care?"

"How'd it happen?" He asked, "I've only seen that injury on a few people, but they all had one thing in common."

Draco sighed, "And what would that be?"

"Someone used dark magic to punish them," the man grinned, "So who punished you, and for what?"

Draco scoffed, "You couldn't be more wrong."

"Oh well, I guess things blend together at my age," Draco gave him a confused look, "But that's not important. I need your help."

"What makes you think I'll do anything for you?"

"Because I don't think you'll be able to resist," he paused, "What do you know about the Philosophers stone?"

Draco rolled his eyes, "You came a bit late to the party. Dumbledore has destroyed it."

"No he hasn't," the stranger smiled knowingly, "he doesn't have the method. There is only one way to destroy it and he didn't have the capability until the end of your second year. And he hadn't figured it out until recently, but I'm here to ensure that it stays in one piece."

"Why?" Draco asked, "What could you want with a rock?"

"Nothing," the stranger stated, "All you need to know is that destroying would unleash something terrible."

"Like what?"

"I can't tell you."

"Well then I'm sorry," Draco walked towards the door, "but I can't help you."

Draco went down the staircase and into the common room where he was met with the sight of his friends arguing. Pansy was screaming at Greg and Vince for some unknown reason until she saw Draco. She smiled and came skipping over.

"Dray!" She exclaimed, "I just found out what Potter said. Way out of line."

Draco scoffed, "Yeah."

"I was just telling Greg and Vince off for not doing anything."

"Yeah, well, I've got to go - "

"Draco?" She said questioningly, "You're fidgeting? Is something wrong?"

"No," Draco let out a breath, "Just tired."

"Well if you're tired, go to bed," Pansy shoved his shoulder, "We don't want a sleep deprived Draco on our hands."

"Um," Draco let out another breath, "Yeah, okay."

The blonde went back into his dorm and found it empty once more. He took some pyjamas out of his draws and took his shirt off.

"Woah," Draco jumped and shot around to see the stranger again, "take me to dinner before you start stripping down please."

Draco rolled his eyes, "Very funny," he quickly put his pyjama shirt on, "I'm not helping you."

"And why not?"

"Because if the stone is gone Tom Riddle can't get it. And if he can't get it, he can't become immortal or whatever it does."

"Aw, that's cute," the stranger teased, "You think that's your biggest worry."

"Can you just, get out," Draco demanded more than asked, "I would like to finish getting dressed."

"My presence didn't stop you before," the stranger walked over, "what's stopping you now?"

"Hm, okay then," Draco turned around, "So you think flattery will make me do what you want? Well, hate to disappoint you but flirting doesn't work on me. Especially not from some strange man."

The stranger leaned down to whisper, "Actually, this strange man knows flirting won't work, it's just to get under your skin."

"You think acting like some sick paedophile scares me?" Draco stepped back, "Now that's truly sad."

Draco blinked and the man was gone. Of course, he thought, he was a vampire. That's why he said he was old.

Draco finished getting changed and slid under the green covers of the four poster bed. The entirety of the Slytherin dormitory was decorated in green and silver, as they were the house colours. He lay still, thinking about what the stranger said. He claimed destroying the stone would unleash something terrible. But what could be so terrible?

-~-

Ginny had finished her detention with Professor Snape and packed her things up. Taking inventory of his herbs had been a labouring task but she got through it. Her red fringe got in her face as she left and she got so distracted by trying to blow it out of her face that she bumped into someone.

She stepped back, "I am a so sorry - " she froze when she saw them. He looked older, but the face of Tom Riddle was something she'd never forget. Not after what he did to her. He smirked and walked past without a word. When she turned to be sure, he was gone. Must be seeing things, she thought, All that hard work must've done a number on me.

She continued on her way to the Gryffindor dormitory because she wanted some sleep. She got to a portrait and said the password before she could go inside and go to bed. The Gryffindor Dormitory was cosy but had the loud colour pallet of red and gold. People were laughing in the common room and the fireplace was crackling. She saw her brother Ron and Harry sitting in a corner with Hermione looking at something.

"Hello," when she saw what they were looking at she gasped, "Is that a firebolt!?" She whisper yelled.

A firebolt was an expensive but correctly priced broomstick. Witches and wizards didn't usually keep broomsticks unless they were quidditch players however. A sport of flying on brooms and tossing a ball called a quaffle into hoops while people with bats hit bludgers to knock people off brooms and one player - usually the smallest - looks for what they call the snitch. Once it's caught, the game ends.

"Yeah," Harry whispered, "Problem is, we don't know who it's from."

Ginny thought back to her encounter with Tom in the dungeons.

"Do you have any living magical family?" Ron asked.

"Ronald!" Hermione scolded, "You can't just ask that!"

"No," Harry said, "McGonagall got the Nimbus 2000, but this is more than double that price."

"Was it Lupin?" Ron suggested, "He knew your parents."

"Lupin's only just got a little more money than we do Ron," Ginny explained, "I don't think he's going out buying expensive brooms for no real reason."

"What about Sirius Black?" Harry suggested, "He is supposedly my godfather."

"Guys, it's obvious!" Hermione said, "Tom Riddle must've sent it and jinxed it so that you'd fall and die."

Ginny furrowed her brows, "I think Hermione's right."

"Why in Merlin's name would you think that Gin?" Ron asked.

"Because I saw him in the dungeons earlier."

"Wait, you did?" Hermione asked, "What was he doing down there?"

"I don't know," Ginny sat down.

"Wait," Harry said, "If he sent this broom than why would he be in the dungeons? If his business is to drop off a jinxed broom why go to the dungeons?"

Hermione thought a moment, "It doesn't make sense, but I think we should tell McGonagall just in case."

"Hermione, are you mad?" Ron said, "They'll strip it to see if it's been jinxed!"

"Better safe than sorry."

"And if we're wrong and Tom didn't send it?" Harry asked.

"Then I will apologise."

"Hermione, we are talking about stripping a broom," Ron said, "Imagine all the false alarms from the actual charms needed to make it fly!"

"He has a point," Ginny interrupted, "You both do. But I think for now we just leave it under a bed until we know for sure who it's from, and then we can tell someone."

"I don't like this," Hermione sighed, "but I guess we can try and figure it out first."

Ginny smiled and Ron and Harry looked at each other, amazed that Ginny could convince Hermione otherwise. They had tried many times to sway her opinion and it proved very difficult.

-~-

Draco yawned when a hand went over his mouth. All his panicked noises were muffled and he groaned when he saw the face of his new stalker. 

"Sleep well last night?" The man smirked.

"What do you want?" Draco groaned.

"I've told you what I want, I want the Philosophers Stone."

"Listen you sick, dead, freak - " 

"Ooh," the vampire smirked, "someone's figured out what I am?" He went to whisper in Draco's ear again, "Which means you know about these," he let his fangs show before grazing over his skin with them.

Draco tensed before pushing him off, "I can't help if I'm dead."

A hand went to his throat, "So, you don't respond to flirting, but you do respond to threats? Good to know."

Draco tried to use his good arm to pull the vampires hand off.

"Is that where your injury came from?" The vampire asked, "Someone threaten you?"

"You're crazy," Draco stated.

"I wouldn't say that if I were you," his eyes turned blood red, his fangs protruded and he looked slightly bat like in the face, "Since you know what I am, you know my blood can heal you."

"I'm not interested in your vampire blood," Draco hissed.

He didn't listen, biting his wrist and forcing Draco to drink it and then holding his head, "One snap, and you're like me. Immortal, cannibalistic, dead. You won't be able to do magic."

"Is that what this is?" Draco asked, "You need someone to do magic so you can use the stone? And last I checked, vampires could be easily killed with a stake to the heart," Draco pulled a wooden stick from under his pillow and jammed it into the mans stomach before running out of the room.

He ran through the common room and the dungeons trying to get upstairs when he felt sick. He ran into the nearest bathroom and went into a cubicle before vomiting up the vampire blood. It was disgusting. There was a mess of blood in the toilet, on the toilet, on the floor and on himself even. And his arm still hurt like Hell.

He heard whooshing sound, a click and tisking while hunched over.

"You lied to me," the vampire knelt down, "You said the wound was not inflicted with dark magic, but here we are. The dark magic is fighting against my blood, so what happened?"

Draco turned and met the strangers eyes before he broke down crying. The stranger then pulled Draco towards him and rested his chin on the blondes head.

"Shh," he cooed, "It's okay. You're safe. Now, tell me who did this?"

Draco shook his head.

"Draco, you have to tell me, so that I can make the wound go away."

"Why do you care?" Draco whispered.

"Because I've been one the other side of that injury and I know it hurts. Your potions will ease the pain, but it won't heal unless the person that did this wants it to heal."

The statement just made Draco cry harder.

"So, it's got nothing to do with wanting the Philosophers stone?" Draco asked.

"The stone can wait," the vampire said, "This matters more."

Once Draco calmed down he shot up, "Alright listen, I am not helping you ever. Just because you flirt and try to be nice doesn't mean I trust you. I know you're just using me to get the stone."

"Draco," the vampires smile returned, "you need to be less passive aggressive. Or aggressive aggressive. So, why don't I bring you some clean clothes, while you tidy the mess you've made."

Draco closed his eyes, "If you think I'm - " and when he opened them, Tom was gone. He scoffed, "So much for clean clothes."

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Can you guess now? Probably. But if you can't then I won't spoil it for you. Even though it's kinda strange that you wouldn't know. But I won't judge. Aloud. Thank you!

      - Turtlefreakakw2 <3