Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.

John Lennon

Quick Notes on my writing style

Italicized: Means MC thoughts in the moment / Inner monologue.

"Quotes are of course conversations."

'Bold: Quotes directly from the books/movies

And of course standard boilerplate, I do not own nor make a cent off Harry Potter or the Potterverse, yada yada.

XXXX

I awoke to the dreaded all to familiar sound that signaled the end of another good dream. I slammed my hand down on the snooze and then fell back asleep but it was short lived.

"Dammit" I said as I slung my feet over the bed and got up to take a shower.

15 minutes later I was getting into my old beat up Camry. I turned the key and heard the tick tick that told me the battery was dead.

"Shit" This was beginning to look like a bad day.

Luckily this happened enough that I had already made friends with a co-worker that lived on the way to work. I fished out my cell and frantically pulled up his number and called.

"Hey Jim, my damn car wont start again. Any way I can catch a ride with you?"

"Man you really need a new ride." He said with a chuckle.

"Among other things."

He laughed "No prob. Im heading out the door."

"Hey can you just meet me at the gas station at the end of the street. I need some cigs."

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"That's cool. I'll be there in 5." He said as he hung up.

It was less than a block away but I still walked fast so I could there quick. I didn't want to make Jim late.

I got there right after another guy. He was in a black sweatshirt with the hood up looking sketchy as hell but I didn't think much of it. I lived in a pretty rough neighborhood of Baltimore.

I would regret that not even 5 minutes later.

I was in line behind the guy when I saw him pull what was unmistakingly a pistol out.

"Give me all the money!" He screamed as he put the gun up in the ridiculous 'Gangster' sideways grip at the cashier.

Now I've never considered myself the hero type. In fact 9/10 I would have been scared shitless. The other time would be me running away screaming. It had been a bad week and one can only take so much.

I honestly just didn't give a shit at that moment so I punched him in the side of the head. He spun around and I went to grab the gun from him. This unfortunately was a bad move.

A shot rang out, the robbers face got a horrified look, and I felt pain more intense then anything I had ever felt shoot through me.

I touched my stomach. It was warm and sticky. I looked on in shock as my hand was died red.

The room started getting fuzzy and I was so tired I sat down against the counter.

I heard screaming and the distinct sound of sneakers rubbing quickly against the floor.

The pussy's running, figures.

I don't know why but the stupid thought made me chuckled, which caused another bolt of pain to shoot through me.

"I've called an ambulance. Please hold on, they will be here soon." A voice said breaking through the fog.

I turned to the small Indian woman who ran the store. It occurred to me that I didn't know her name. I have been to the same store hundreds of times and never even learned her name.

I almost chuckled again, what was I thinking at a time like this.

"What's your name?"

"What?" She asked puzzled.

"Your name"

"Parvati"

"Like from Harry Potter" I said bemused and I believe delirious.

She looked completely confused "Please don't speak. You are losing a lot of blood. Stay…..sti…..sible."

I faded in and out of consciousness.

"Please tell my parents….I love…."

Everything went black.

XXXX

I woke with a start as the crowing rooster was insanely loud.

"What the fuck?" I shouted as I jumped from the bed. I didn't have a rooster.

I looked to where the sound originated from and saw that apparently neither did this room. It was coming from a clock but similar to those old school ones only grandmas would have.

The crowing sounded like a straight up real rooster and I couldn't figure out where the sound was coming from. I shrugged and decided there must be a speaker hidden somewhere. Luckily the sound cut off as abruptly as it had started.

That's when I noticed a very troubling fact. I was short, like impossibly so. I was standing up and was barely a foot above the ridiculously old and probably hand carved bed. I rushed to the wardrobe which had a mirror and gasped in horror.

"Noooooo. I'm the twinkle vamp."