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A Different Kind of Pureblood - Chapter One
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dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

There is more to chapter twenty one but i've lost it all. i'll post more at school, i have a copy of it there.

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Jun 22nd, 2006 11:00 AM

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dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

heres the rest of the chapter

�So she changed her mind about us and she�s been busy,� Draco interrupted. He had leaned back against the wall, smirking at Adyn as if she were being stupid on purpose. �I don�t think that�s any reason to be worried.� Adyn�s face contorted with anger for a moment, orange eyes flaring red. Her back became rather rigid. Her fists clenched. Her teeth mutated into snake-like fangs. Harry found himself shrinking away.

�Adyn has other reasons to be suspicious,� the youth bit out between her long teeth. �She doesn�t have to tell them to you.�

�Oh, but she does,� Draco chuckled, not scared a bit. He swayed his body slightly, bobbing away from the wall and leaning into Adyn�s face, meeting her vicious glower. �If Adonis wants our help, Adonis has to tell us what�s wrong. And if Adonis doesn�t tell us, Adonis is just going to have to go back to bed and pretend she didn�t hear us escaping. Got that?�

Harry felt a dismal sinking feeling in his gut as he tightened his grip on his wand. This might not be pretty�

�Adyn doesn�t want to tell you� ferret boy.�

Pale fingers grasped Adyn by the throat. She had hardly time to scream before Draco slammed her into the wall. The impact made a loud crunch; the sheetrock had broken. A few feet away, a clock fell off the wall. Harry didn�t know whether or not to pry Draco off of her. Loyalty and nobility clashed as a strangled gasp issued from the pinned child that insulted Harry�s boyfriend. Luckily for Harry, that internal struggle hardly lasted ten seconds. �Adyn will tell!� Niles� daughter choked, a bloody tear falling from her eye. Draco dropped her. Adyn fell to the floor. Harry sighed with relief. Still, he couldn't help it but wonder... What is his problem with ferrets?

�Why should we listen to you at all?� Draco hissed, looking very intimidating indeed as he towered over the fallen Adyn. �You whose mother killed me, you who helped kill Harry�s family?� Harry, who had almost managed to forget this unfortunate turn of events, suddenly found himself wishing Draco had killed her.

�Ah� ah� I� Adyn,� the little vampire choked. �Adyn didn�t want to do that. The fake mom-goose made her.� Her hand groped at the wall for a moment before finding a nice pivot with which she could prop herself up. Harry was disgusted at the way she pretended to be weak. His hand was itching to raise the wand, his tongue pleading to say Crucio� �Adyn didn�t want to say it, but Adyn�s mom-goose is a� a whore!�

That shocked Harry out of his violent thought process.

Absolute silence met this statement. Adyn took this as an invitation to continue. �She normally smells like fancy soaps and perfumes, because she doesn�t like the smell off all the man-gooses she seduces. Ever since Adyn�s mom-goose came to the Dursleys, she smells like cheap soap� and Polyjuice Potion.�

That took a good ten seconds for Harry and Draco to digest. Draco was the first to come out of his shock. �But� Niles� If the one that killed the Dursleys is an imposter, where�s your mother?�

�Adyn has no idea,� the little vampire sighed. She finally pushed herself onto her sock-less feet, and turned towards Harry. �You�re a hero, aren�t you? I know you don�t trust me, but my mom-goose might be in trouble and she�s not the one that ruined your life. You have to help me.� Her words fell on deaf ears.

Harry stalked forward, pointing his wand at the skin of Niles� child�s throat. She tensed, orange eyes growing large as she locked herself in place. Draco didn�t move to stop Harry; rather, he leaned against the wall and watched with more interest than he�d ever shown in any Hogwarts class.

�The nerve,� Harry whispered. �You kill my family, then ask me to help you? How dare you� How dare you.� Adyn�s eyes narrowed.

�You wanted to find her anyway,� Adyn muttered. �Is there anything wrong with killing two birds with one stone?�

�Aside from the killing part?� Draco demanded slyly.

�They had it coming!� Adonis snapped. Her voice was no longer sugary and sweet: it was a growl, it was an insult, it was a threat. �Filthy, pompous Muggles-�

That did it. Harry tightened his grip on his wand�

�Crucio.�

Jun 23rd, 2006 02:51 AM

danielle marie.
Bel Fan Club President

Gender: Female
Location: waiting out eternity.

more, more!!!

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Jun 23rd, 2006 03:01 AM

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dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

ok thx. Also, my sister, has stopped writing this from the rest onwards. I have written the rest. She will be joining KMC Forums soon, hopefully, on her computer. I have written the rest of this.

DG

(i'll post da nxt chapter)

Jun 24th, 2006 10:21 AM

dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO: Twisted Truths

�Idiot!� Draco yelled and dragged Harry down the staircase by the sleeve of Dudley�s ridiculously large sweater.

�Slow down!� Harry pleaded, bouncing off the grandfather clock as he tried to balance.

�Idiot!� Draco screamed, knocking the front door off its hinges with a light shove and pulling the bespectacled wizard out of the house.

�Draco, wait!� Harry gasped, trying to wriggle out of the vampire�s grasp.

�IDIOT!� Draco bellowed, tightening his grip and hurtling down the road with Harry in tow.

�What�s your problem?!� Harry cried out, finally breaking away from his blond boyfriend.

�IDIOT! What�s YOUR problem?!� Though the vampire had no need whatsoever to breathe, his chest was heaving out of habit. His thin blond hair fell in his face, half covering his massive red eyes. �Excellent work, Harry- you�ve planned this out so well!�

�Planned what?� Harry whispered, perplexed. His small fingers worked at massaging his wrists, which had gotten a small bit of rug burn from his sleeves whipping about him. �If you mean what I did to Adyn, I hadn�t planned on-�

�That much is obvious, Potter!� Draco snapped. �You had no plan! Did you think at all? What was your thought process? Were you thinking, �Oh, I can get away with using the Unforgivable Curses because I�m Harry Potter and the Ministry loves me?�� In his excitement, Draco stumbled onto the road. He was lucky to have heightened senses; he barely managed to leap out of a passing car�s path. He landed, gracefully and dramatically, in a large puddle with an oil slick. �Watch it, bastard!� the soaked Slytherin called after the Muggle driver.

�Calm down, Drake,� Harry implored, feeling a bit of a chill cascade down his back as he finally began to think about his actions. Perhaps casting the Cruciatus on Adyn wasn�t such a good idea� Shaking his head, Harry strode forward and offered Draco a hand up. Dudley�s long gray sleeve slid forward and masked his hand; Harry had to pull it back before taking Draco�s clammy fingers and pulling the enraged creature to it�s feet.

Draco sniffed, pushing his wet and greasy hair out of his face, looking perfectly miserable. �You�re so smart, Harry,� Draco snarled. He smoothed his cloak slightly and began to walk. For lack of anything else to do, Harry followed. �You had to wait until you had the Dark Mark to cast the Cruciatus, didn�t you?� Harry stopped walking, suddenly realizing that having the Dark Mark while casting the Cruciatus wasn�t good at all.

�I� didn�t think��

�I know you didn�t! Casting the Cruciatus on a child, in the company of a vampire-- a Death Eater�s son, who ALSO has the Dark Mark-- do you have any idea how suspicious that is? What�s the Ministry going to think? I�ll tell you what they�ll think! They�ll think I handed you over to the Dark Lord and he welcomed both of us with open arms! They�ll think their precious hero, their beloved Chosen One, has turned against them! They�re going to kill both of us! YOU IDIOT!�

The last Malfoy whirled on the spot, ripped off his shirt and cloak, grabbed Harry roughly around the waist, unfurled his wings, took off into the night. Icy night air hit Harry�s face. The last of the Potters twisted slightly, curled his arms around Draco�s neck for support, felt the wind stinging through Dudley�s sweater. �I know it was stupid,� Harry called over the wind, �but she deserved it! You heard what she said!�

�I know she deserved it!� Draco snarled, tossing his head slightly to keep the wind from whipping his drenched hair in his face. �That only makes the whole situation even more infuriating! Oh, just you wait, you�ll have a ten thousand galleon price on your head for this� I bet I�ll be back on the Wanted list��

Harry couldn�t help it but feel a sense of impending doom; a growing sense of dread, as his mind unraveled the severity of his actions. This ageless alabaster creature that carried him was more afraid than he. His mind whirled to secret scenes he should never have seen; persecution of Dark Wizards in the days of Crouch Senior, the madness that befalls those poor criminals who waste away in Azkaban, the rituals and forbidden magic used by Voldemort to create monsters from within the human body�

Why am I thinking about this? Harry shook his head and called over the wind, �Where are we going?�

�St. Mungo�s,� Draco replied, lurching to the side to make way for a passing bird. Harry felt sick. St. Mungo�s? But I broke the law, and there won�t be a soul in the hospital who can�t recognize me! �Listen! Don�t freak out! You have your Invisibility Cloak, and even if they did catch you there, they won�t take you by force surrounded by injured wizards. We have to collect your sad little friends before they go back to the Inn and get themselves slaughtered.�

With that grim thought in his head, Harry fell silent. Draco flew faster than before; Harry took it as a sign that the vampire was more concerned about the Weasleys and Hermione than he�d ever let off. Harry closed his green eyes and clung tightly to Draco�s bare chest. Little red beads of bloody sweat mixed with the clean droplets formed by the clouds they flew in. Maybe it was best to drift into oblivion, forget all the bad things in the world� Maybe Harry could go into hiding with Draco after his friends were safe� Maybe they could defy the Ministry that had done them so much harm, become Vorgulmortis and the Dragon, rule the night as all rebellious lovers wish they could.

�Nice fantasy,� Draco laughed, tearing Harry away from his thoughts. �We may just have to do that. Still, we should at least try to set things right and live right- er, reasonably righteous lives.� Harry chuckled, knowing precisely which part of their lives would be most sinful.

The lights of Surrey were gone from beneath their feet. Harry thought of darkness� and the things Draco�s mistress could do in it. �Do you think Adyn was telling the truth?� Harry eventually called. �That, perhaps, the ***** who killed my family isn�t the one that turned you?�

�It doesn�t matter in the end. I have to go back to being human, and so do the Dursleys. The only difference is killing two murderers instead of one.�

�What if there�s more to it?� Harry demanded to know, pressing his cheek to the alabaster chest of his boyfriend. Muscles rippled under Harry�s soft skin as leathery black wings sliced through the air, like fins cutting through water. �Whoever we�re dealing with wants to kill me, and they�re clever enough to plan it out and use my family against me. And she has the Dark Mark! What if this is one of Voldemort�s plans to-�

Jun 24th, 2006 10:25 AM

dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

�You�re paranoid,� Draco interrupted, his voice somewhat tight. �No more talking. I want to get there as fast as possible�� Which meant that he knew Harry had a point and was loath to admit it.

There was an massive orange glow on the edge of the horizon: London. Harry ignored his numb body as he leaned into Draco, captivated by the reflection of the city lights in the beads of sweat that formed on Draco�s pale skin. Harry felt a brief itch to kiss that exposed flesh; it passed quickly yet still unnerved the Boy who Lived. He frowned and closed eyes. Not even three weeks with Draco, and I�m as gay as cheese. How the hell did he get me like this?

Thoughts drifted hazily through Harry�s mind like dandelion seeds in the wind; every time he thought of his mistakes and his situation, these grim prospects were blown away by more possibilities of becoming Voldemort�s rival. Eyes shut and head down, Harry clung tightly to Draco and allowed himself to be carried toward the hazy lights of London.

�Ouch! Draco, you keep stomping on my foot!�

�*****, *****, *****,� Draco hissed in Harry�s general direction. With an air of utmost superiority, the wicked boy began to squeak, �Oh! My toes, my sweet, precious toes! Oh, woe is me! How shall I ever defeat the Dark Lord with my toes so horribly wounded?�

�Not funny,� Harry growled, trying to massage his toes through his shoe before setting off under the Invisibility Cloak once more.

�Stop complaining. You know I love you, and I�ve got no valid reason to intentionally crush your precious digits.� He promptly trod on Harry�s toe once more, apologizing because he simply couldn�t see the Gryffindor�s invisible feet. Clearly, Harry wasn�t the only thing invisible to Draco. Still apologizing, Draco managed to walk right into a large man, who seemed to have been hit was a powerful Engorgment charm. �Sorry,� Draco muttered as the man angrily bounced away, reminding Harry so strongly of his Aunt Marge that he had to stifle his giggles.

The vampire and invisible wizard were currently inside the well hidden Wizarding hospital of St. Mungo�s, waiting in line at the desk to ask where a Ron Weasley could be found. Harry found that the task of waiting in line while invisible was quite difficult; Draco wasn�t the only one who stepped on him, and their best solution to the problem as of yet was Draco claiming his �imaginary friend� needed some room to breathe. A woman with a rather vicious-looking mole growing from her shoulder had kindly agreed to give Harry some much-needed space, but the Gryffindor was still crowded by nonbelievers.

�Weasley� Weasley, Weasley, AHA. First Floor for Creature-Induced Injuries. Turn right at the stairs, take the next right after that, seven doors down on the left side. Essum Ictus Ward,� the bored-sounding man behind the counter rattled when the duo finally reached the front.

�Thanks,� Draco muttered. �Hurry, er, Arnold, my dear imaginary friend!� Draco reached out for Harry and somehow managed to pat him on the shoulder.

Though Draco turned away with all speed inhumanly possible, the receptionist suddenly bellowed, �Wait! You look like- aren�t you that guy-�

�So I�ve heard!� Draco laughed, whirling and putting on the most ridiculous grin Harry had ever seen. �Ever since I shaved off my mustache, phew, people keep mistaking me for somebody else! Don�t they, Arnold?� Draco gave Harry an expectant look. Harry didn�t dare to breathe. The man stared. Draco slowly turned back around and stuck his tongue out at the confused receptionist. �You heard ol� Arnold! I�m just me, visiting my ol� pal Ron! He�s expecting us, you know. Come, Arnold!� With that, Draco marched off to the stairs with purpose in his steps, Harry following silently and invisibly behind him.

�Draco Malfoy!� the man yelled. Harry held his breath, holding his wand tightly, preparing to blow people out of the way and run. The vampire appeared equally tense. �Mr. Weasley said you�d come, he has a letter for you!� Harry would have cried out in relief if he wasn�t so determined to stay hidden. Draco nodded as they finally began to ascend the stairs to Ron.

�What are you going to tell Ron?� Harry whispered when they rounded a corner. Draco laughed.

�Simple! I�ll say you had me under the Imperius. Kill two birds with one stone, you know?�

�WHAT?! DRACO!�

�Shh! Keep it down! I�m kidding� I�ll just have to tell him the truth.�

�And what is that truth?� Harry whispered curiously as they rounded the second corner. Draco gave an odd little smirk and said nothing as they entered the Essum Ictus Ward.

Near the far end of the room, Ron lie propped up in a bed, Charlie and Hermione in chairs at his side. The youngest Weasley had a large bandage-like cloth wrapped around his eyes, obscuring most of his freckly face. He was quite still. Charlie appeared to be snoring soundly. Hermione, ever the exception, looked alert and tense. The second Draco entered, Harry saw the flash in her eyes.

The witch leapt to her feet, drawing her wand. Draco froze, just as Harry and the nearest Healer did the same. Hermione�s hand shook horribly. Harry could see the scratches Draco had left in her wrist.

�Hello, Granger,� Draco said quietly. �I just came to-�

�-Finish what you�ve started,� Hermione concluded grimly. �I figured you would. As sinned the father, so sins the son.�

�No!� Draco gasped. �And� and yes.� Hermione�s eyes widened. Harry stepped in between them, knowing he couldn�t be seen but aware that he could shield Draco. The vampire sighed. �I came to set things right for the first time in my life.�

Jun 24th, 2006 10:26 AM

danielle marie.
Bel Fan Club President

Gender: Female
Location: waiting out eternity.

how many chapters did you say there were???

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Jun 25th, 2006 08:08 PM

dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

there are . . . ummm there are 26 chapters smile

also, my sister has joined KMC Forums as voldemortz.gal smile

Jun 26th, 2006 10:35 AM

dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE: On Ferrets, Snakes, and Twisted Old Men

�And that�s why I attacked Charlie and hate ferrets so much,� Draco concluded. Hermione was busy gaping at him with a slack jaw, wand drooping in her limp hand. Charlie had risen from his slumber, and began to gawk blankly at Draco. Harry, still invisible, leaned against the wall and rubbed his forehead in confusion.

�� What?� Ron asked dumbly, having not moved an inch on his bed. The bandages remained firmly wrapped around his head.

�What do you mean, what? I just explained it to you,� the exasperated Draco spat.

�In two minutes, speaking at about a hundred words per second,� Charlie pointed out, cocking an eyebrow and tossing his long red hair out of his face. �I�ve never heard anyone speak so fast. I haven�t got a clue what you just said. Something about a puffin, a snake skin, a wallet, some torches and a shell?�

�A Hufflepuff, a Slytherin, a ferret, torture and a cell,� Draco sighed. �Really, do I have to explain it all over again?�

�Yes.�

Harry strode to Draco�s side. Setting his hand on the pale prince of Slytherin�s shoulder, he whispered, �Just tell a story. You�re very good at that.� Hermione was glaring suspiciously in Harry�s direction, but the Gryffindor didn�t feel like revealing himself in St. Mungo�s. Draco nodded glumly and requested permission to sit as he recalled his tale. Though Hermione really wished otherwise and Ron threatened to wet his bed if Draco came near, Charlie overruled their votes and conjured the lithe vampire a seat. Harry smugly decided to sit in Draco�s lap, simply to cause annoyance, but Draco didn�t seem to mind at all.

And thus, Draco�s tale of ferrety homicide began (again).

It all started when I was young, innocent, and not even four feet tall. This was long before I went to Hogwarts, before I was exposed to the horrors of pureblood trash and Mudblood scum-

�Excuse me?� Hermione muttered coldly. �I want to know why you attacked Charlie. I don�t care about daily life as Draco Malfoy.� Harry barely managed to conceal his chuckle. He knew by now that Draco�s stories always started like this. The Slytherin in question�s lips quirked up in a smile.

As I was saying, I was innocent then. Mother and father both considered me their prodigy.

But about a year before I went to Hogwarts, father decided I needed to get a head start working with magic. Above all other things, he wanted me to become an Animagus. He was the king of Slytherin pride; he wanted me to become a snake, just as he had and apparently all his fathers before him.

�But you can�t choose your Animagus form,� Hermione cut in. �And you obviously didn�t become a snake."
Draco scowled. �Don�t interrupt your instructor, Granger. I think ten points from Gryffindor ought to fix your attitude problem.� Harry had to clamp a hand over his mouth to stop his laughter as Hermione�s jaw dropped. Charlie only seemed amused as he leaned back in his chair and rested his head against his arms.
�Go on, professor Draco,� Charlie chuckled. �This sounds interesting.�

�Thank you, Weasley,� Draco said curtly.

That was where the trouble lay. Father really wanted me to be a snake. Mother didn�t. She believed I shouldn�t go against my nature and take whatever Animagus form my body wanted. She didn�t care about the snake thing; she wasn�t into Slytherin pride. In fact, she wasn�t in Slytherin. Narcissa Malfoy was a Hufflepuff.

�What?� Harry whispered, shocked. Hermione�s head snapped up and she stared straight into Harry�s invisible eyes.

�Sorry,� Charlie said quickly. �Didn�t mean to interrupt. Go on, professor.� Hermione seemed to relax, but Harry only went rigid. Charlie knew he was there. How? Draco bit his lip for a moment before going on.

I guess this requires a bit of back story. You know how slim the pickings are if you only want to marry Purebloods. My grandfather on Lucius� side hated Hufflepuffs, but he hated Muggle-borns more; he decided the moment he saw Narcissa that she would be Lucius�s wife, and in later years they were forced to marry. This wasn�t too bad an arrangement. They both found each other attractive, but on the subject of Houses, they would have the most ferocious of arguments.

That�s why my becoming an Animagus was a problem. The moment father found out I wasn�t going to become a snake, he flew into conniptions. That was when my first attempt gave me white fur all over. When I managed to give myself ferret ears, he was so disappointed and angry that he walked out the door and didn�t come home for nearly a month. Mother was very confused and angry about this as well. She was happy that my form was a ferret, but she gave me full blame for Lucius walking out on her. She barely spoke to me while he was gone.

When father came back, he was horribly drunk and raving mad. He locked mother in the dungeon beneath our mansion and insisted that, if I was going to become a ferret, I was going to live in a cage like the other varmints.

�He stuck you in a cage?� Ron asked, wrinkling his freckly nose, which was half hidden by bandages. Draco nodded, his expression unnaturally blank. Harry knew this was one of the joys of Occlumency; not only could you keep others from accessing your thoughts and emotions, but you could detach yourself from those emotions if you had to. Hermione was staring at Draco with all the intensity she showed in every class; no longer angry, she was absorbing his every word like a sponge, her face as blank as his.

�He stuck me in the dungeons, since I couldn�t transform properly at that stage. He thought it was only fitting that I be fed cat food while I was in there.�

I was stuck in there for three days. When my mother broke out, she wasn�t a bit pleased. I got let out of my cell, but the damage was done� Mother and father had such a horrible row that they nearly killed each other, and only the intervention of other family members prevented them from getting a divorce. I felt horribly guilty about all that. If I had been a snake, none of that would have happened, see?

They gave up teaching me to become an Animagus after that, but I�d been inspired. As much as I loved my mother, I wanted Lucius to like me better. I wanted, more than anything, to get back on my father�s good side and be his prodigal son again. I know mother didn�t want me to go against my nature, but at night I would practice my Animagus transformation by myself� and I tried to turn into a snake.

�You weren�t even eleven?� Charlie asked. Draco nodded again. �You barely knew a thing about magic, but you went against your nature? That was dangerous; you could have turned yourself into a nasty mix of snake and ferret. You could have half-transformed your lungs and suffocated.�

�I didn�t know that at the time. Damn lucky I didn�t, or I never would have attempted it.� When Charlie said nothing, Draco continued his tale.

Long before I mastered my transformation, I went off to Hogwarts for my first year. You all know how that was. I didn�t get to practice while I was there. I had too many other things to do, like plot your demise. But the moment school was out, I was at it again, hardly getting any sleep as I tried to become a snake for my father.

I know Harry knew a bit about my family, but you might not. My mother-

�Harry!� Ron suddenly gasped. He moved, as if he were trying to sit up, but Hermione quickly pressed him back down into the bed. �He�s still at the Inn, isn�t he?� Draco grimaced. Harry held his breath.

�No,� Draco whispered, leaning over Ron�s bed-ridden body. �We�ll, er, meet up with him again later.�

�I thought you were with your mistress?� Hermione demanded.

�Oh, I was, but Harry let me out of the cage.�

�Cage? What cage?� Charlie snarled.

�She stuck me in an enchanted cage so I couldn�t transform back into a human or escape-�

�Harry went to the Dursleys to free you?� Ron asked wildly. �How did he know you were in trouble? Why did he CARE? I thought he was just as mad at you as we were!�

�Later, later, later!� Draco snarled. �I�d like to explain, really, but first thing�s first! I�m already talking about ferrets!�

�Where is Harry Potter?� Hermione burst, standing and pointing her wand at Draco�s forehead. This meant, of course, she was also aiming at Harry. The wand was a dangerous inch from his nose. Charlie�s calloused hand grasped Hermione�s wand and aimed it at the wall.

�He�s on Draco�s lap,� Charlie whispered to her. Harry barely heard him. �Calm down.� Glaring suspiciously through Harry�s head, the witch sat back down, keeping her wand drawn.

�Is he really?� Ron whispered. Harry frowned to himself before answering.

�Yes, I am,� Harry muttered. �Get on with the story, Draco.�

�But what happened?� Hermione asked anxiously.

�Let him tell the story,� Harry said a little louder, �Or I will bludgeon you with fuzzy ducks.� Under threat of being bludgeoned by fuzzy ducks from an invisible savior, Hermione feel silent, biting her lip and looking like she wanted to do nothing other than scream. Smiling, Draco adjusted Harry on his lap and restarted the telling of his tale.

My mother came from that strange part of the family that pretends to be big bad Slytherins, but they�re all closet Hufflepuffs. Most of them had Animagus forms resembling Hufflepuff�s badger; loads of weasels and ferrets and mongooses-

Jun 26th, 2006 10:54 AM

dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

�Mongooses?� Harry repeated to himself softly, thinking of little Adyn, who constantly mentioned mongooses.

�Yeah,� Draco assured Harry, �mongooses. My mother�s Animagus form was a mongoose, actually.�

�Do mongooses mean something to you guys?� Charlie chuckled.

�I�ll explain that later,� came Draco�s firm answer.

Sometime between first and second year, we had a family reunion at the manor. I was sick, so I stayed in my room through most of it. But apparently father got drunk off his pale arse, so he went and bragged about something completely false- he gave all my little-known relatives the idea that I could transform into a basilisk. They ended up popping up in my room to see if that was true, and father came too.

He demanded that I show them my Animagus form without bothering to tell me they expected a basilisk. Like I said, I was sick and I hadn�t mastered the transformation� I tried my hardest to turn into a snake, but it was awful. I turned into a nasty mix of snake and ferret, all scaly with white fur poking out between scale patches, missing a couple limbs. The guests were a lot more horrified than amused, but father had never been so embarrassed.

My grandfather decided it would be helpful of him to prove I wasn�t useless by doing the same screwed up transformation� Of course, he was very bald, and when he transformed he just had empty patches of pink fur, and he looked absolutely ridiculous. People started laughing then�

I had had enough. I tried to turn back into a wizard, but then I figured out my cold made transforming harder than usual� When I tried to change back, I could only change my� my�

Harry couldn�t help it but notice that Draco�s voice had gone quiet and embarrassment was written all over his face.

�Don�t tell me,� Charlie said gently, a maniacal grin threatening to take over his calm features, �All you could change were your privates.�

Ron choked out a laugh; Hermione�s cheeks tinted pink, but she nodded, as if to say it was a mistake anyone could have made. Harry couldn�t see it as funny at all. All he could see was the look of disgusted humiliation on Draco�s face. Deciding he had nothing to lose, he turned slightly and gave Draco a gentle kiss on the cheek. His pained expression relaxed slightly.

�That�s right,� Draco grumbled. �Lovely thing to happen at a family reunion, don�t you think?�

�Yes, so lovely,� Hermione said, trying to keep her lips from twisting into a grin. �Whatever did you do?�

Well, everybody was laughing by then. Father was so angry and drunk that he turned bright red, and he threatened to hex all the guests off the property if they didn�t leave at once. Everybody obliged but Grandfather� He decided to hang back and, once again, mimic my flawed transformation.

�Oh, Merlin, he didn�t�� Ron began, disgust written in the visible portions of his face.

�He did,� Draco assured him. �It was disgusting. Father really did have to hex him off the property.�

When everyone was gone, father came back to my room. I�d managed to change back, but I was so humiliated that I�d hidden on the top rack in my closet, under my invisibility cloak. He found me anyway. I�d never seen him so angry in my life� He actually used the Cruciatus on me a few times before he passed out. Perhaps it was a good thing he was so drunk at the time. I eventually found out, the hard way, that his Cruciatus hurts more when he�s sober.

�Where was your mother?� Hermione whispered, her eyes rather wide. If Draco�s face hadn�t already been etched with pain and annoyance, it was now.

�She was off trying to convince our relatives to come back. Or, at least that was her excuse. Grandfather told her what had happened, and I think she stayed out of it intentionally.�

Harry�s mind clouded with rage. Tangling his fingers in Draco�s cold ones, he demanded, �Do you mean that she knew he�d hurt you- and she did nothing?� The vampire�s head hung, limp blond hair falling over his eyes. Harry shifted and held Draco like a sleeping child might hold a teddy bear, partially because Draco needed a hug, partially because Harry needed one.

�You know, Harry, that looks rather odd,� Charlie whispered helpfully. �If you really want to stay invisible, you might want to do less cuddling. Draco looks like somebody�s holding him up.� Reminded of his need to stay invisible in public, Harry relinquished his hold on his blond boyfriend, leaning against him instead. Draco�s chest was shaking slightly, his face suddenly unreadable. �So, Draco� going to continue the story? What happened then?�

�I�d really rather not say,� Draco bit out. �You know all you need to know now, right? You know why ferrets bother me so much, and now you know why I was so upset about your joke about a ferret family reunion.�

�But you still became a ferret Animagus,� Hermione exclaimed. �Why? If you could become scaly and lose your limbs, you were well on your way to becoming a snake!� Draco slowly looked up at her, gray eyes becoming red as he stared her down. Hermione shrank under his gaze.

�That was the day,� Draco said clearly, �that I decided to try and become myself instead of my father."

Ron shifted slightly under his crisp hospital blankets. �But you kept on treating us like dirt!�

�I changed. You didn�t,� Draco said smugly. �I couldn�t just become my own person overnight, you know. I�d made the conscious decision to change my ways, but I still ended up acting the same way, especially towards my established friends and enemies. I ended up falling back into the same old crowd; it�s just that I took my influence from other sources since then. I listened to my mother more, and she still spoke ill of Mud- er, Muggle-borns. I had friends preparing to serve the Dark Lord. All that really changed was my desire not to be my father� and my Animagus form.�

And with that, Draco�s tale was done. Harry felt it as Draco�s chest stopped trembling so much; he could see that Draco�s eyes were still red, and it worried the invisible Gryffindor. The ward was silent, everyone else gone from it but other sleeping patients. Hermione and Charlie seemed lost in thought. Ron seemed lost in bed sheets. Harry�s mind wandered.

�Hey!� Draco gasped suddenly. Everybody jumped. �The receptionist said you had a letter for me!�

�And so I do!� Charlie exclaimed, standing bolt upright and knocking his chair over. After several seconds of fishing in his pocket, Charlie produced a yellow envelope bearing the Ministry of Magic seal. �One of the Minister�s assistants gave it to me, saying they couldn�t locate you but they knew we communed often.� Harry nearly fell off Draco�s lap as the lanky blond snatched the letter from Charlie�s calloused fingers.

�Read it!� Hermione pleaded, curiosity glittering in her eyes.

�In my head? Gladly!� Draco replied, tearing the thing open and dragging his eyes across the parchment.

�What does it say?� Harry whispered, trying to lean over Draco�s neck more to have a look.

Draco took another minute reading it over. His pale face seemed to turn a bit pinker; his eyes faded back to gray, and Harry was shocked to see a grin pulling at the corners of his lips.

�What is it?� Ron asked blindly.

�My father,� Draco said, his voice dripping with wicked relish as he tucked the letter in his pocket, �was declared insane last night.�

�Declared insane?� Hermione gasped. �Oh, Draco, I�m- I�m sorry-�

�Sorry?� Draco snorted. �Sorry?! This is the greatest thing that�s happened to me in a long time! He�s legally incompetent! Mother is still missing!�

�And this means�?� Harry asked, curious as to why this made Draco happy.

�This means,� Draco gleefully cackled, �That my being disowned doesn�t matter anymore. The Ministry�s not going to hold these things forever! Unless my mother comes back before the end of the week, the Malfoy manor is MINE once again!�

Jun 26th, 2006 10:55 AM

dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: The Blond, the Blind, and the Twisted

�The Healers said I�ll never be able to see again,� Ron informed Draco as he pulled his bandages a bit lower on his face. Draco looked rather ashamed for a moment- not that Ron could see this- and suddenly whipped his arm out, catching Ron faster than a striking basilisk. �Ouch! What-?�

�We�ll have to get you one of those fancy sticks for blind folks, Weasley, or perhaps one of those Moody-style eyes,� Draco said conversationally. �You were about to walk into traffic.�

�Oh,� was all Ron could say. Draco guided him back onto the sidewalk, and kindly pointed out that the shirt Ron�s poor dead mother had made for him was covered in crispy dead blood. �Oh,� was all Ron said once again.

�So, how are you going to make up for losing Ron his vision?� Charlie quietly asked Draco, as he pressed the button to cross the street. The blond scowled at himself, brow furrowed, massaging his temples as he thought.

�Good question,� he eventually replied. �I�ll tell you when I think of an answer. But anyway, like we were saying�� Draco proceeded to tell the tale of why Harry was under the Invisibility Cloak. Harry had trouble answering when Hermione demanded a rational explanation for his actions; of course, this was because his actions weren�t rational.

�But you only had her under the Cruciatus for a few seconds, right?� Hermione demanded, kicking a soda can out of her way.

�Well, er� no,� Harry said resentfully. �More like fifteen, twenty��

�She�s a CHILD!� Hermione snarled.

�She�s a MURDERER!� Harry countered. �And for all I know, she�s a few hundred years old! You can�t just call a vampire a child without asking first!� Biting her tongue, Hermione subsided, but here every glance in Harry�s invisible direction yielded a more disappointed expression. Annoyed by her glares, Harry decided to give her a mental kick. �Besides, she was blond. Every blond needs a good Cruciatus Curse every once in while.� Harry couldn�t help it but laugh at the absolutely mortified look on Hermione�s face.

�How can you joke about that?� Hermione cried, punching the button so they could cross the street. �Oh, Draco, you�re getting a sunburn- Praesidium Helios! How could you be so vile, Harry?�

�How could you cast that in front of Muggles?� Charlie answered, staring at Hermione�s wand as the witch hastily hid it in her bag. Harry hoped no Muggles had seen. He hadn�t noticed Draco�s skin starting to turn red. Cautiously pulling his hand from the cloak for a moment, he was startled to see his own skin crackling slightly. He whispered the spell to his own wand, enjoying a pleasant cooling sensation run over his body, as if he had stepped into the shade.

Charlie was still talking to Hermione. �He was just trying to lighten the mood��

�Speaking of things becoming lighter,� Draco cut in, giving the crosswalk button an extra punch; �Who else is hungry?� Ron stopped dead in his tracks, which was probably a good thing since he was nearly hit by a car.

�I am!� Harry said immediately, realizing it had been almost a full day since he had eaten. For a split second, he wondered why his stomach hadn�t informed him of this; he eventually decided it was his slightly vampiric digestive system to blame. I wasn�t this vampiric yesterday, was I? �I think there�s a burger place down this street a ways. Did the Healers say anything about the wereferret business?�

�Yes!� Ron suddenly snarled. �They said there was no such thing, and even if there was, a spell couldn�t change me!� Draco snorted out a laugh and walked headfirst into a telephone poll. Harry couldn�t help it but grin.

�Dirty prank,� he informed Draco.

�Thank you, though I have no idea what you�re talking about!� the Slytherin trilled egotistically, bowing to the Boy who Lived as he caressed his squished nose. �But about this food business��

�I don�t want to become a full-blooded vampire,� Harry said immediately. Draco seemed a little uncomfortable with this, but he nodded.

�Yes, so� Granger?� Hermione stuck her nose high in the air and skipped across the street, not even looking at Draco. �Hermione?� She stood resolutely on the other side of the street. Harry and Draco moved across carefully. Charlie ushered Ron to the other side. �Beautiful? Gorgeous? Sweetie, baby, princess?� Draco amazed Harry by leaning against Hermione and batting his large gray eyes at her.

�****,� Ron coughed.

�That�s no way to speak to your girlfriend!� Draco gasped, pretending to give Hermione a consolidating hug. A muscle jumped in Hermione�s cheek, and her fingers clenched as if itching to wrap around a pale throat.

�Yeah, Ron!� Charlie chuckled. �I don�t see why she puts up with your abusive remarks!�

�He doesn�t deserve you,� the vampire purred in Hermione�s ear. Harry felt a horrid clenching feeling in his gut, not a bit of him enjoying how close Draco had gotten to Hermione.

�Get off me!� Hermione snapped, whirling around and shoving Draco�s lithe body off of hers. �I hope you�re horribly hungry, because it�ll be a sad day in heaven when I let you put your lips on me!� With that, she marched ahead and stomped her way into the aforementioned burger stop, frizzy brown hair whipping around her neck.

�Bloody wanker,� Ron bit out at Draco, hurriedly rushing in after Hermione with his arms out so as not to run into anything. Shaking his head, the vampire stalked regally into the burger joint. Harry was left outside with Charlie.

The eldest remaining Weasley tucked his hands in his jean pockets, staring oddly at Harry. It was like the last time he was with Dumbledore; Harry knew with unsettling certainty that Charlie could see him just as well with or without that Invisibility Cloak on. �So,� Harry said uncomfortably.

�You know what you�re getting into, don�t you?� Charlie asked softly. �I don�t know why somebody�s impersonating Niles, but I�m sure it�s got something to do with you. It might be hard to get out of this mess.� Harry didn�t answer. Charlie pulled a few coins from his jacket pocket, twiddling them through his fingers. He was clearly trying to make it appear as though he were talking to himself, not an invisible wizard. �It�s happening too fast. I saw you casting that spell.�

�Oh, come on,� Harry groaned. �I�m still a wizard.�

�Keep on saying that, Harry, you might believe it.� Charlie put the coin in in his pocket, fiddled with his dragon fang earring for a moment, and fished a galleon out of his pocket. Harry wondered, briefly, where Charlie had gotten the money; but he said nothing. �And the Dark Mark�?�

�You were right about that,� Harry said coldly. He moved to stand by the door of the burger stop, waiting for somebody to open it so that his entry wouldn�t be so suspicious. �But you�re wrong about this. So I sunburn easy and have better vision-�

�And you�ve got a near-telepathic connection with Draco, and you�ve got no appetite, and garlic mustard is out to get you-�

�I�m a wizard!� Harry snarled, a little louder than he intended. A Muggle girl walking her dog jumped, looked around suspiciously, and lead her puppy off.

�Some people call it a Dark Gift, like Parseltongue,� Charlie reflected, flipping a shiny coin.

Jun 26th, 2006 10:56 AM

dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

�Well, I call it a curse. I�m gifted enough on a broomstick.� Harry glowered at the door. Why wouldn�t somebody open it? Why wouldn�t Charlie open it, for that matter?

�Listen,� Charlie sighed. He proceeded to creep Harry put by clapping a strong, reassuring hand on the smaller man�s shoulder. It was the accuracy of this move that unnerved Harry. �Your bonds with Draco go too deep. You�ve already got it. It�s too late to stop it. You can�t win against love. If I were you, I�d stick my neck out for Draco.� Harry stood absolutely still, horrified that Charlie would even think these things. �Besides,� Charlie added, his tone a little lighter as he grinned. �It might be easier to kill a vampire if it mistakes you for a mortal.�

�But I want to be a wizard,� Harry sputtered.

�It�s little late for that now! And just so you know, I support that wonderful Vorgulmortis and Dragon idea all the way.� Harry�s jaw dropped. How did he know about that? Ignoring Harry�s horrified expression, Charlie opened the door to the burger stop, whirling to face Harry with a grin. �So, how do you feel about Swiss cheese, mushrooms, and bacon?�

With bellies stuffed with burgers (with the exception of Draco, who still ran on empty) the little group fled the burger joint, driven on by the wild cursing of the cashier. �You�re absolutely vile!� Hermione roared at Harry as she ushered the blind and confused Ron from the shop. �You just had to light the man�s toupee on fire, didn�t you!�

�Did you hear what he called Draco?!� Harry snapped in response.

�I�m glad you care, but that was a bit severe!� Draco chided. �Just because you�re invisible, that doesn�t mean the ministry won�t know you�ve been casting the Cruciatus and whatever that other charm was!� The group stopped before the next street, relieved that they weren�t being chased.

�I sort of made it up,� Harry panted. �Mordrus Inflamari, makes black flames in the shape of the Dark Mark� what?! I figured he could use something along the lines of �divine punishment�-�

�So, you�re divine now?� Ron muttered.

�No, I meant that it probably looked like divine punishment to him-�

�You could have hit his face and seriously hurt him,� Charlie informed Harry. He kept nervously playing with his dragon fang earring and tossing his long red hair (which was, by that time, disheveled and pathetically un-sexy). �And that could be considered assaulting a Muggle as well as violating the Statute of Secrecy� Oh, it�s the little white stick-man! Let�s cross before Harry does something else illegal.�

�He still deserved it,� Harry pouted.

�I must respectfully disagree,� Draco whispered in Harry�s ear as they reached the other side of the street. �It would have been much better if you�d just let me drag him into the bathroom and have my own luncheon.� Harry kicked a stop sign in disgust. Draco chuckled and raised his voice. �Does anybody know where we�re going?�

�Well, of course I know where I�m taking you!� called Charlie, who was ironically not in the lead. �We�re going back to the White Ferret Inn, to get our stuff and move back to the Leaky Cauldron.� Hermione almost knocked Ron over as she crashed into Draco. Harry stumbled on the hem of his cloak and nearly toppled over in his shock.

�We�re doing what?!� Draco bellowed. �That�s where Niles wants us to be for her trap! You�re leading us to our deaths!�

�No, my dear Draco,� Charlie chuckled. �I�m leading you to your clothes, which I�m sure you can�t do without.�

�We can live without our fripperies!� Harry tried to reason, yet his voice sounded awkward as he tripped on a fire hydrant. �You�ve got your wands with you, right? And your wallets and keys? We can wait until tomorrow morning to go back! We can even call the Muggle police to go there first and make sure it�s safe for us to enter, or something!�

�It�ll be fine,� Charlie stated, finality in his voice. �Trust me.�

Quite suddenly, Harry found himself doing just the opposite.

The rest of their journey to the White Ferret passed in silence. Hermione seemed to be brooding, constantly shooting suspicious glares at Harry, Draco, and Charlie. Ron occasionally stepped onto the road when he shouldn�t have, forcing Draco to catch him with his unnatural speed every few minutes. Charlie was the perfect image of bliss, humming and adding a light skip to his step, clearly trying to make the others feel they had no reason for concern; Harry thought it made him look psychotic and happy about walking into a death-trap.

There were no cars in the White Ferret�s parking lot. �Maybe she�s not here yet,� Harry whispered to nobody in particular.

�Maybe she doesn�t drive,� Hermione briskly suggested. �Wands out? Let�s get this over with.�

�No!� came a shrill voice behind them. Harry whirled around to see Adyn, who had not been there a moment ago and was, strangely, dressed entirely in baggy male clothing. Her blond hair was tied back with a rubber band and mostly hidden by a baseball cap that almost slid off her head, it was so large.

�Adyn,� Draco muttered. Charlie grasped Ron�s hand and pulled his blind brother behind him, forming a protective barrier with his own body.

�Hello,� Harry said quietly, certain that Adyn already knew he was there. �I would apologize, but you deserved what you got.� Hermione tried to slap Harry�s arm but missed by several feet.

The black vampire clearly had other things on her mind. Her orange eyes were wide, her arms clutched about her as if to hide some horrible injury. �Do you all want to be heroes, or martyrs?� Her voice shook. Confused, Harry remained silent. The others seemed incapable of making any sense of this either. �If you want to be heroes, you must do many horrible things. If you want to be martyrs all you must do is die.�

�And why are you mentioning this?� Draco asked awkwardly.

�Because Adyn doesn�t want to be either,� the little vampire stammered. �Adyn doesn�t want to get involved anymore. The imposter really wants Mr. Potter dead, and now she doesn�t care who gets hurt. Adyn wants to stay out here where it�s safe and peaceful, where the crazy evil mongooses and crazy starved fledglings can�t hurt her.� Her glowing orange gaze became fixed on the door behind them, the door to room 128. �In the door, into death,� she concluded.

Silence reigned.

�That�s nice,� Harry said after a minute. �Bugger off.� With that, he whirled around, clutching his wand tightly as he moved toward the door.

�It�s so peaceful out here,� Adyn commented. Her orange eyes slid slightly out of focus as she looked skyward. �Adyn can almost see the stars, even though it's daytime.� Harry paused, allowing Ron and Hermione to catch up with him. He breifly wondered how Adyn could be in the sun, but shook it out of his mind. The small vampire�s voice became a bit harsher. �Mr. Potter is walking into the kill zone, but that�s his own damn problem. It�s none of Adyn�s business if he wants to die.�

�Too right, it�s not,� Charlie told her. He set a hand on Harry shoulder. �Let�s go in.�

�Burial or cremation?� Adyn called. �Daisies or primroses?�

�Ignore her, Harry,� Hermione said softly, ushering Harry toward the door. Charlie handed the keys to Harry; the small Gryffindor opened the door with a click, only to be greeted by darkness.

�Oh, you poor dummies,� Adyn choked. �Adonis has a thing, a thing she must take care of now! Adyn is sorry, I- I tried!� Harry spared her a glance as the blond twisted on her heel and hurtled away from the Inn, her long ponytail bouncing behind her as she fled.

Harry turned back to the dark room and flicked on the light.

�How are you, gentlemen?�

Jun 26th, 2006 10:57 AM

dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE: And Then the World Exploded

�I�m doing well. How are you, ma�am?� Charlie asked smoothly.

The vampiress seemed slightly put off by Charlie�s cool response, but her big bottle-green eyes kept their menacing glow. Niles had been lounging on the pale ferret-ridden bed, a dark spot in a clean and empty room that was exactly as they�d left it. She�d dyed the tips of her hair black. Gone were her bright and cheerful Muggle clothes; the ebony vampire was dressed in a tattered black chemise. What little light pierced the room only served to give her diamond-encrusted undergarments a sparkle and light up her massive green eyes. Draco coughed slightly and shifted in grudging appreciation for her appearance.

�Nice outfit,� Hermione commented dryly, stepping into the room behind Ron and Draco. Tossing her fluffy brown hair and tightening her grip on her wand, the witch slowly reached toward the light switch. �Your work clothes, I presume?� Harry snorted back a laugh that quickly became an enraged shout.

The split second Hermione clicked the lights on, a massive set of beefy hands grasped Hermione�s throat. Even larger, more wrinkled ones latched around Draco, who shrieked in shock and tried in vain to break loose. Frail, thin hands clamped over Ron�s face; they hauled the shocked wizard towards the chest of their owner.

Harry turned his wand on the surprise attackers� and froze. A bloodstained Dudley with horribly empty eyes had Hermione in a headlock. Petunia�s perfectly normal blouse had been nearly torn from her body. Although her face was a grim, drawn mask with unnaturally long teeth and a splash of gore on her cheek, her eyes were as cold and emotionless as the tiles of the bathroom floor. Her elongated fingers held Ron�s mouth shut as he tried to kick and bite at her. Worst of them all was Vernon, whose right leg was mangled to the point of bone being visible� yet he still walked and he still managed to hold a snarling and spitting Draco in place.

Harry felt trapped. They were dead now, they were under the Imperius, they needed help but Harry didn�t know what to do�

�Good boy, Vernon!� Niles clapped, rising from the bed. Her bright voice brought anger bubbling to the surface of Harry�s mind. He�d had so many things to distract him that he�d given very little thought to what had become of his family; now all he could do was seethe, confronted with the monstrosity of Niles� actions. Mother or not, this creature was a monster no better than Voldemort. Turning from his freshly murdered family and struggling friends, the Wizarding World�s Chosen One turned his wand on the perky green-haired whore. She completely ignored him, favoring the attention of her brain-dead servants. She narrowed her eyes at Draco. �You keep a good grip on that blond one, he�s possessed.�

Harry didn�t just want her to die. Harry wanted to watch her scream. Harry wanted to watch her burn. Harry wanted to watch her writhe in agony, knowing only the pain she�d caused him. Harry wanted her to collapse on the ground, Harry wanted her to be in so much mental and physical anguish that she couldn�t even scream. Coherent thought fled his mind. He was either going to cast the Cruciatus, Sectumsempra, Obliviate, Petrificus Totalus, or his newly invented flaming Dark Mark curse. He didn�t give himself time to decide which.

�Petricrusectum Incendimortalus!�

Niles had only just turned her eyes towards him before the black curse hit. She was flung into the wall before the hybrid spell really began to work it�s magic. Like the Sectumsempra, it began to rip at it�s victim, but this curse was an artistic one; it carved the Dark Mark into the vampire�s torso and a lightning bolt into her face. Her torn body convulsed as she slid down the wall. One by one, her joints became rigid as she fell, mouth wide open in a silent scream as she finally hit the ground in a pool of her own dead blood. Her diamond lingerie suddenly looked like ruby, her chemise going up in flames.

It wasn�t enough for Harry. He raised his wand again.

�Wait,� Charlie calmly instructed, plucking the wand from Harry�s fingers.

�Wh-what?� Harry sputtered, confused and boiling with rage. The redhead only fiddled with Harry�s wand, avoiding Harry�s eyes.

�If you�re going to become a Dark Wizard, you need to keep your guard up at all times, even when you�re torturing prostitutes,� Charlie decreed lightly. He gave Harry one of his friendly old smiles, but this was different; it was laced with poisonous remorse. �You know, we came here to kill her so everybody could become human again� But all we�ve done is create a different kind of monster.�

That brought Harry slamming back into reality. His scantily clad victim was thrashing on the floor, the petrifying part of the spell wearing off as her muscles went into spasms of pain. The flames had spread to her hair. Her voice was beginning to return, but the only sound that came through was something between a choke and a scream. The pool of her blood was only growing and it had nearly reached Harry�s shoes. �There�s a counter-curse, right?� Charlie hinted.

Harry choked, fell to his knees, and puked on a ferret-shaped �do not disturb� doorknob sign that had been knocked to the floor.

�Finite Incantum,� Charlie recited, pointing Harry�s wand hopefully at the twitching vampiress. The effect was instantaneous. Harry watched through tear-filled green eyes as the fires went out and Niles stopped moving altogether. �That�s better! Well, maybe.� Coughing and gagging, Harry wiped his lips and blinked away more tears, watching in horrified awe as Niles� flesh knitted itself back together� �Crap,� Charlie mumbled. �You might want this back.� He shoved Harry�s wand back into the younger wizard�s hand and swiftly pulled Harry to his feet. Niles� face was contorted with rage, her fists knotting as she rigidly sat up with all the dramatic flair of the vampires in Muggle movies. Harry gulped down a last small bit of bile.

�That hurt,� Niles eventually bit out.

�It was supposed to,� Charlie informed her.

�You�ve� ruined my favorite clothes.�

�Reparo,� Charlie cast softly. Niles said nothing as her chemise fixed itself, though the blood remained. �Scourgify.� The blood vanished. Charlie received no answer. �You�re welcome.� Silence. �*****.�

Harry used the hem of his invisibility cloak to dry his eyes once more� and that�s how he got his first real taste of a vampire�s speed.

Jun 26th, 2006 11:01 AM

dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

The wizard had only to blink before Niles went from sitting on the floor to pinning him against the wall. Harry hadn�t had time to cast a spell before she ripped his wand from his hand and slammed her palm into his mouth, effectively silencing him. She twisted a leg around him to keep him from kicking; with her free hand she pressed his chest against the wall so hard he could hardly breathe. Harry was pinned to the wall like a bug in a collection.

�I wasn�t expecting a curse like that from you,� the vampire hissed, inches from Harry�s face. Her breath stank of� vanilla and mint. That�s odd, Harry found himself thinking. �Hold still so I can-�

�Pardon me, but what are you going to do with him?� Charlie asked loudly. Harry took a deep breath through his nose, glancing over Niles� shoulder at the eldest Weasley, who was pointing his wand at Niles with one hand and fiddling with his earring with the other. Behind Charlie, Draco and Harry�s two best friends struggled and kicked in silence as they fought to escape the clutches of the undead and Imperius�d Dursleys, who made no moves save some adjustments in their grip.

Niles twisted her head around, glowering at Charlie whilst keeping a tight grip on Harry. �You have to ask? I�m going to drain him to submission and take him to the Dark Lord as an early Christmas present.� Harry considered biting her hand; however, given that his wand was far beyond his reach, he decided to wait for a better opportunity.

�I see,� Charlie said slowly. He bit his lip lightly and stopped twiddling his dragon fang earring, shaking his red head as he took another step towards Harry. There was very little to give away his motive on his face. �I thought you told him that the Dark Mark was only skin deep?�

�It�s just a tattoo,� Niles hissed, pulling herself to her full (and intimidating) height, and tightening her grip on Harry�s face. The wizard flinched as her long nails dug into his cheek, but he did nothing. �The Mark is only skin deep, but my loyalty to the Dark Lord goes down to the soul!� Harry was thankful for his invisibility cloak and Dudley�s horribly long sweater; he dreaded Niles response if she saw the Mark on her victim�s arm.

�You have a soul?� Draco snidely cut in, having finally freed his mouth from Vernon�s armpit but not yet freed his whole body. �Who�d you have to sleep with to get a thing like that?� Vernon gave him a rough punch in the gut.

�Don�t you use that tone with me, pretty, pretty, pretty! I made you!� Niles snarled, the Dark Mark on her arm starting to appear in thin black lines. Her hand slid slightly away from Harry�s mouth.

�Get her off of-� Harry began to bellow, but she pressed her hand over his mouth again. Harry watched Charlie over her shoulder, pleading with his eyes, but Charlie did nothing. Dudley made an odd grunting noise as Hermione managed to land a sturdy kick to his carnal cattle-prod; Ron and Draco froze as Dudley brought Hermione�s head slamming into the door, all her struggling coming to an abrupt halt. Harry felt as if somebody had dropped an ice cube down his back. She�d better be okay!

�I�ll have none of that, Potter,� Draco�s mistress whispered. She whisked his Invisibility cloak off and pressed him a bit harder against the wall, causing Harry�s chest to burn slightly from the pressure. �Are you going to stop me, Charlie?�

Charlie only rolled his eyes.

�Get your slimy tentacles off him!� Draco gagged from under Vernon�s woolly arm; Harry noted that a pair of ferret-like ears vanished quickly from Draco�s head and assumed the blond Slytherin had tried in vain to escape by transforming.

Charlie straightened his jacket and gave Niles a pleasant smile, saying nothing. �Get this leech off me!� Harry pleaded to Charlie. To his growing horror, Charlie�s smile became a smirk and he still made no move to help. �What�s the matter with you?! She�s going to- Charlie, help me!�

His voice rose to a shriek, for Harry had seen the maniacal glint her eye. He tried to dodge out to the side, but she was faster.

Charlie�s hair looked red before the fangs impaled Harry. Red became redder as Niles bore down on him, digging in deep and drawing Harry�s blood in fountains. The pain was white-hot; this was so much worse than Draco�s most vicious bite: Harry screamed, Harry kicked and Harry struggled as he tried to twist away. It only made the pain redouble and instinct soon forced Harry to hold still. He could feel it as Niles sucked hard and forced his blood to speed through his veins, working his heart into an empty overdrive, creating a sensation akin to having his heart ripped out. Harry was washed in a deluge of crimson.

The unmoving Charlie became a blinding blaze as adrenaline assaulted Harry�s damaged and suddenly blood-deprived mind. It was all he could do not to pass out. Harry�s breathing was fading like static on a dying TV station. He had no air left to scream with; all he knew through the haze were pain, darkness, and flashes of horrible sensation. It wasn�t just the bite; Niles attacked him with her fingernails, there were hands ripping chunks of flesh from his torso.

Harry wanted to scream and push her away, but he had forgotten how to breathe and his voice would not come; his body had suddenly stopped responding to his brain. He could vaguely feel his body going cold. He thought he could hear the creature�s dead heart beating as she stopped assaulting him with her hands and held him in a crushing embrace. Though his eyes were frozen wide open, the world began to fall to darkness.

Harry realized that he was going to die, that Charlie had betrayed them, and that he was a complete dumb-ass for not realizing these things earlier. He felt almost as if he were floating. The darkness was about to take him�

A loud cracking noise and the sensation of fangs being ripped out of his neck nearly brought Harry back to reality. Harry closed his swimming, burning eyes. People were shouting and he could feel his weak pulse throbbing in every hole in his gut; he knew the was no way in hell he could possibly survive this, but somehow somebody had gotten Niles off him and bought him a few more seconds.

�Hold on!� An urgent voice whispered above him, muffled and echoing oddly in Harry�s ears. �You�ll be fine, it�s alright, just stay with me�� A few hazy moments passed; someone was moving his body and soon Harry felt an odd pressure against his lips. In his blurry brain Harry knew there was something wrong about this, and that he should be worried, but he was too far gone to move against it. A thick, syrupy liquid flooded his mouth.

Then Harry understood.

Harry tried to cough it up or move away, but gentle fingers quickly massaged the blood down his resisting throat, and Harry could do nothing about it. Images from Draco�s past spilled into Harry�s drowning mind; Lucius taught Draco how to ride a broom, Dobby cowered in a corner as Draco threw a fit because his toast was cold, Draco had been so terrified when he fell in the fountain and nearly drowned�

Fighting off this Legilimency-like connection, Harry drew a rattling breath over the blood and made a gurgling noise in protest. He only hoped Draco felt the connection enough to understand Harry�s desperate thoughts: I don�t want to be a vampire yet!

Life suddenly returned to Harry�s hands; he twitched his fingers as another voice screamed, �Get off him! Let him die! He doesn�t deserve you!� Harry�s eyes drifted open. Through Draco�s fine blond hair and the bombardment of flashbacks to Draco�s past, Harry could see a very blurry Niles tied down to the bed. She was thrashing wildly and putting up a real stink as she glared daggers at the boys. Charlie stood beside the bed with a wooden board held menacingly in his left hand and a wand in his right. So, that�s where the cracking noise came from. He hit her with the board. Niles carried on with her screaming. �He�s a half-blood, Draco! He made your life hell for years! Why are you saving him? What possessed you to like him in the first place?!�

Harry felt his hands becoming numb, which was a great improvement to not feeling them at all. Over the salty-sweet flavor of Draco�s blood, Harry vaguely wondered how the Slytherin had gotten out of Vernon�s grasp. Through his peripheral vision, Harry could see Hermione�s eyes fluttering as she began to stir. Dudley still had a hand clamped over her lips. Vernon wasn�t in sight. Ron was fighting Petunia�s grip.

Jun 26th, 2006 11:02 AM

dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

With one lucky kick in the knee, Ron broke out of Petunia�s arms. Hesitating for only a second, Ron hurtled out the door, screaming �bloody murder!� Harry felt a moment�s relief, knowing that a blind Ron would be able to attract helpful attention; even the Muggle Police would be better than no help at all.

Feeling began to return to Harry�s arms and legs. Draco kneeled above him, holding him close as a gash in the blonde�s neck bleed profusely onto Harry�s parchment. Just a little more� Strength had finally returned to Harry; no longer feeling the wounds he�d sustained, the Gryffindor grasped Draco�s shoulders and pulled him away.

Harry was shocked to see the look on Draco�s face; huge black bags had formed under his eyes, his skin had become so pale it would put the moon to shame, his cheeks had sunken in slightly, bloody tears had drenched his cheeks. He looked as if he�d been crying for a month without eating or drinking. Is that what blood loss does to vampires? Harry had planned on yelling at Draco for bringing him so much closer to becoming a vampire, but that horrible face drove all anger from his head. �What were you thinking?� Harry croaked, gagging on the last remnants of the blood in his mouth. �Are you trying to die?�

�If you didn�t survive, I wouldn�t either,� Draco rasped, his bloodshot eyes narrowing as he weakly pulled Harry into a hug.

�Now I see why Lucius wanted you disowned!� Niles screamed from the bed. Harry bit his lip, noting that his gums tingled oddly. �How could you betray your blood like this? How dare you even think of throwing away your life for this trash?!�

�It�s called love,� Charlie cut in, �And it�s a real shame you never knew how it felt, Narcissa.� He lifted the wand in his right hand. Harry felt a nasty feeling of dread sinking into his gut. The drinking of Polyjuice Potion, the murder and Imperius of the Dursleys, the trap- no vampire born from Muggles could have orchestrated all these things. But why, of all people, would Draco�s mother do all this? When did she become a vampire?

�Narcissa?� Draco asked in alarm, beginning to turn towards Niles. On impulse, Harry caught Draco�s face and forced him to look away. �Let go! What are you suggesting, Weasley? That�s-�

�A load of crock!� Niles finished for him, snarling and trying to bite Charlie�s wand hand, though she was bound to the headboard.

�Don�t look, Dragon,� Harry whispered, cradling Draco in his arms and forcing Draco�s eye away from the vampiress on the white ferrety bed. Hermione�s eyes bugged out as Charlie held one wand over Niles� chest and another over her neck. Even if Harry could move fast enough, he wouldn�t have stopped the freckled wizard.

Harry closed his eyes a split second before Niles� agonized scream rattled the walls of the inn. Draco broke out from Harry�s grip and stumbled toward the bed, but Harry resolutely kept his eyes firmly shut, even after the scream died down into a choke, a sob, and silence.

�What did you do?� Hermione shrieked. Harry opened his eyes and turned to her. To his astonishment, Dudley had let go of her and slumped down to the floor. Beside him, Petunia lay in a twitching heap. Harry could now see Vernon sprawled on the ground outside the door; Draco must have knocked him backwards when he escaped. Hermione dashed to Charlie� and hit him across the face. Harry stared in confusion, not letting his eyes wander to Niles or Draco.

�What was that for?!� Charlie whined, rubbing his red cheek.

�She had them under the Imperius, you� you dolt!� Hermione raged. �Don�t you know anything? Until they fight off the curse, they�re just puppets without a puppet master! They�re empty shells! They might turn human, but they�ll be brain-dead!�

�Human and brain-dead?� Harry repeated, turning his gaze to the fallen Dursleys once more. He wasn�t the least bit surprised to find that he could now see the individual blood vessels in their throats. �Mmm, that�ll be a major improvement��

Unable to delay it any longer, Harry turned to Draco. The pallid vampire stood over the bed, swaying slightly in a bloodless swoon. Niles was stationary on the sheets, wrists still roped to the headboard, with a wand protruding from her still chest. Her bright green eyes were still open, a look of shock and pain disfiguring her pretty face� which had been sliced off of her body. �That can�t be my mother,� Draco croaked after a pregnant moment. He suddenly slumped over and fell face first onto the bed, despite Charlie�s efforts to turn and catch him. Despite having his mouth mashed into the thick white blankets, Draco continued to slur, �She�s definitely not the woman that turned me, but she�s not my mother.�

Using the wall to prop himself up, Harry stumbled to his feet. Charlie gave him a concerned look. Hermione shook her head and knelt to check on the health of the Dursleys. �All right there, Harry?� Charlie asked cautiously. Harry frowned and looked down at his chest. He could see the tears in his shirt and the blood when from Niles had torn into him, but beneath the cloth his skin was unmarked.

�Yeah, I guess,� Harry mumbled. �Draco?�

�Yes, love?� Draco asked the blanket. Harry stumbled forward and nearly collapsed over Draco, but he managed to stay upright as he set a hand on Draco�s back.

�Did you hear a word she said?� Harry asked quietly. �She accused you of being a blood-traitor. I think she might really be�� Harry trailed off, rubbing circles in Draco�s back. �She was mad. It wasn�t just blind loyalty to Voldemort. She wouldn�t do all this just to give him a surprise birthday present or some crap like that.�

�Well, duh. Any idiot could have told you she was mad,� Draco snarled into the stained blankets. �But you must be mad as well if you think that�s my mother.� Harry could think of nothing to say.

Hermione stood over Petunia, her expression grim as she tossed her puffy brown hair out of her eyes. �They�re human again,� Hermione announced. �And they need some medical help. I hope Ron�s gotten hold of somebody helpful��

�Shut the door!� Charlie suddenly commanded. Hermione snapped to attention. �What if some random Muggle looks in the door and sees a dead girl tied onto the bed? How�s that going to make us look?� Hermione quickly moved to shut the door, and froze just as she grabbed the doorknob. �What is it?�

�Harry, get under the cloak!� Hermione suddenly hissed. A small prickle of dread passed through Harry�s body. He stood upright and took a step towards the cloak that had been cast into the corner- and stumbled. �Hurry, hurry, it�s a Ministry official!� To Harry�s immense relief, Charlie strode past and tossed the cloak to his awaiting arms. He�d barely swept the cloak over his body before a large man tromped up to the door holding a slip of paper.

Harry�s first impression was that the man must be related to Rufus Scrimgeour. He had the same lion-like appearance, same wild mane of hair, same fierce yellowish eyes- even though said eyes were blinking a bit stupidly. He was dressed in a massive pair of tan coveralls, a peculiar kind of hat Harry had never seen the like of before, and large red rubber boots. A large badge on his chest read �M.O.M�.

�Good day, I am Leif Scrimgeour, here on behalf of the Ministry of Magic to investigate the use of an unidentified curse in a Muggle-inhabited area,� the man drawled languidly. His eyes widened slightly. He only just seemed to take in the fact that he was surrounded by dead, unconscious, and young people. Harry slinked into the corner, making sure his Invisibility cloak was wrapped tightly around him. �May I ask what�s going on?�

�Well, you see�� Charlie began to sputter.

�It�s just that�� Draco mumbled into the blanket, also apparently incapable of conjuring up a proper fib.

�That woman is a murderer!� Hermione cried, coming to their rescue. �She turned Draco into a vampire and she did the same to Harry Potter�s relatives, and she put them under the Imperius, she was going to use them to hurt Harry- we had to do something!�

Leif Scrimgeour scrunched up his nose and loped over to the bed, pulling Draco off the blankets by the collar of his robe. The shaken vampire only stared at him through hollow red eyes. �If she turned you into a vampire and she�s dead, how come you haven�t turned back?� Leif asked suspiciously, guiding Draco to a nearby chair.

Jun 26th, 2006 11:03 AM

dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

�We think she might be an imposter using Polyjuice Potion,� Charlie added. �Her daughter came and told us her suspicions. I have a pretty good idea who she really is, but we�ll just have to wait and see.� Leif raised an eyebrow at him.

�You�re� Charlie Weasley?� Charlie nodded and quickly introduced Hermione and Draco. Leif turned back to Hermione. �You mentioned Harry Potter�s relatives?�

�Yes, they�re the ones lying on the floor,� Hermione pointed. �They need to be taken to St. Mungo�s!�

�Trying to take down Harry Potter� Is this woman a Death Eater?� Leif plowed on, glaring at Niles� corpse and receiving nods in answer. �So, this unidentified curse�� Harry bit his lip, realizing the conversation had turned to him.

�This vampire�s name is Niles, or at least we think so, but anyway, she used the curse on Draco,� Hermione blurted. �She used it to incapacitate him, then she bit him. That�s why he�s in such a state, sir.� Leif glanced at Draco, taking in his cadaverous appearance. �Charlie got her off him by knocking her on the head with a board and tying her to the bed� Then� well, he�� Hermione faltered, realizing she was going to get Charlie chucked in Azkaban for murder if she finished that sentence.

Luckily, Leif didn�t pursue Charlie�s actions. �Who�s wand is that?� He demanded to know, gesturing the black wand sticking out of Niles� chest. It was black. Harry felt as if someone was rubbing his back with an ice cube. That was his wand.

�It�s Harry�s, sir,� Hermione stated, her voice shaking. �We were holding it for him��

�And where is Harry Potter?�

Dead silence. Harry sat far out of the way, trying not to breathe too loudly.

�We don�t know,� Draco spoke up. �He came to us last night, gave Charlie his wand, and just walked away. He said he needed some time alone.�

�Without his wand?� Leif asked skeptically. He received no reply. Draco, Hermione, and Charlie kept giving each other nervous looks, as if pleading with each other telepathically for an answer. �Would this have anything to do with the Cruciatus Curse recently detected at his residence in Surrey?�

�Huh?� Charlie asked dully.

�Somebody cast a Cruciatus Curse at Mr. Potter�s residence in Surrey,� Leif said clearly. �Did you know that?� Muttered denial and shaking heads were his only answer. �Well, I suppose he didn�t tell you he planned on doing anything illegal�� Leif strode across the ferret-contaminated room, squeaking his red boots. Harry slid under the bed to dodge his feet, but Leif�s destination was the chair in the corner. He pulled it up, sat heavily, and stared down the inhabitants of the room. �Expecto Patronum,� he said after a minute. A silvery beaver sprang from the tip of his wand and whisked out the door. �Just sending a message to the Ministry. Now then��

�I didn�t-� Charlie began to say, but Leif cut him off.

�What happened?� Leif asked softly. �What just happened, and the events that led up to it? In chronological order, if you please.�

Harry remained locked under the bed, listening avidly as Hermione weaved a tale for Leif Scrimgeour. The only facts she warped involved Harry. According to Hermione, Draco escaped Niles� cage on his own and Harry had simply walked away from them about three hours later. She couldn�t explain the rationality of leaving his wand behind, and Harry had to suppress a groan when Charlie suggested that Harry might have gone mad. They explained away that Niles had taken Harry�s wand from Charlie�s pocket to curse Draco and bite him. Harry was nowhere in their explanation; Charlie decidedly lied that Niles had intended on bringing Draco to the Dark Lord to use as bait for Harry. They also claimed that they had only met Adyn outside the Inn, and that none of them could have possibly placed her under the Cruciatus.

�So, she placed these Muggles under the Imperius,� Leif grumbled after a while.

�Yes, sir, they still are,� Hermione sheepishly informed him.

�And yet,� Leif said hesitantly, �you say that this vampire was a Muggle before she was turned.� Had Harry not been convinced that the dead vampire on the bed was really Narcissa, he would have been surprised.

�Adyn did say she was an imposter using the Polyjuice Potion,� Charlie muttered. Draco had fallen asleep in his chair- or passed out, either one was likely. Leif stood and strode over to the beheaded and staked corpse.

�I think we�re about to see the truth,� Leif rumbled. Harry heard twin gasps from Hermione and Charlie. Realizing that something was happening, Harry skittered quietly out from under the bed, cautiously poking his head over the side like a prairie dog making sure the coast was clear. Though Draco was still curled in a stock-still heap on his chair, Hermione and Charlie had gotten to their feet and moved to the bed. Their gazes were fixed upon the Niles� still form.

Perhaps still wasn�t the best word. Though not a muscle moved, her skin, her shape, even her skin tone, every part of her� it was changing. Starting from the roots, her hair began to turn white; as the color spread to the tips, her hair lengthened dramatically. Her nose slowly became longer, her skin fading and becoming terribly pale. Her long legs shifted slightly, shortened and thinned. As her arms went from black to white, the Dark Mark on her forearm flared and burned black. Last to change were her eyes, fading from green to pale silvery blue.

�By Jove,� Leif whispered. �The lady Malfoy. I always knew she was vile, but this takes the cake!�

�Huh?� came a soft voice from behind them. Harry felt a horrible sinking feeling as he saw Draco�s eyelashes flutter. He can�t see this! He�ll fall apart! Harry crossed his fingers and hoped that some divine intervention would prevent Draco from noticing his decapitated mother on the bed. He was in luck.

Before Draco�s eyes could focus on Narcissa, the door burst open again. Harry noted that it was Ron with more Ministry officials and the Minister himself, but he no longer cared. His only concern was Draco, who watched the newcomers with drowsy interest.

On sudden impulse, Harry whipped his hand out, ripping his black wand from Narcissa�s chest and hiding it under his cloak once more. Nobody seemed to notice. The Ministry workers swarmed into the ferrety Inn room; they immediately began to photograph Narcissa and interrogate poor Charlie, who grudgingly tried to retell Hermione�s version of the events that transpired. Ron stood in the doorway for a few seconds before Hermione leapt at him and smothered him with kisses.

Rufus Scrimgeour, with all his lion-like, sloping grace, glowered about the room. �Leif,� he nodded.

�Rufus,� Leif nodded. Harry grinned in spite of himself. Brothers! Of course.

Rufus glowered all about the room, at the bloodstained walls and the mutilated Dursleys that lie on the floor in an Imperius�d stupor. �Get these three to St. Mungo�s,� Rufus barked at the nearest Ministry man, who immediately conjured stretchers for the fallen Dursleys. The Minister frowned at Narcissa�s body, and turned slowly to face Draco, scanning him with his yellow eyes for any sign of danger. �This one needs some nourishment,� Rufus declared after a moment. �Leif?�

�What?� Rufus drew his wand and pointed it at his rubber-boot clad brother.

�Hold still. Diffindo!� Harry flinched as the man�s thick shirt and burly arm ripped open. Leif only hissed softly in response to the pain. A delightful smell emanated from the wound, tickling Harry�s nose and making the Gryffindor�s stomach rumble dangerously. Realizing this smell would have quite the effect on his nearly-undead body, Harry plugged his nose. Rufus Scrimgeour casually charmed up a cup and held it under Leif�s bloody arm. Hermione looked rather ill as she cradled Ron, but she said nothing. Draco stared with hungry red eyes, still blissfully unaware of the woman on the bed. He gave an odd little squeak of glee when Rufus handed him a full cup of blood, and he swiftly drained the thing. Harry gulped and willed himself to stop drooling. Nasty.

�Thank you, Minister, Leif,� Draco gasped, licking his lips and giving them little nods. He looked a wee bit healthier, but not by much.

�You�re welcome?� Leif muttered, trying out a few spells on his profusely bleeding arm.

�We�ll get more for you soon,� Rufus said slowly, surveying Draco�s ghastly condition. For a brief moment, he smiled and showed his teeth- his fanged teeth. �I know how it feels.� Harry couldn�t help it but be a wee bit surprised at that. Luna was right, he is a vampire!

�How can I�?� Draco began to ask, but he trailed off. Harry groaned as he saw where Draco�s eyes were headed. Those red eyes faded to gray, and the Slytherin nearly fell out of his chair. �Mother?!� he choked. �That�s not- no- she- why? She was supposed to be in hiding! She was trying to get away from the Dark Lord! Why the hell would she�?! Oh, Merlin� Charlie, you�ve killed my mother!� Draco�s voice rose from a horrified sputter to an enraged shriek. Charlie looked away and nervously ran a hand through his wild red hair. Draco�s eyes filled with crimson tears and his whole body trembled violently with restraint. He clearly wanted to tear somebody apart. The Minister hastily grasped his shoulder and led him out the door. Harry swiftly followed, careful not to drop his wand or bump into anyone.

�Come on, lad,� Rufus growled at Draco as he ushered the pale and stammering boy into a Ministry limo. Harry barely managed to leap in the door before the Minister shut it. Draco was quivering and muttering to himself, his face once again becoming a mess of bloody tears. �Calm down, boy. I�m sure it�ll all make sense in time. Let�s get you home.�

Jun 26th, 2006 11:04 AM

dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

EPILOGUE

�Are you done yet?� Draco snarled, rapping sharply on the bathroom door.

�Yes! Why do you ask?� Harry drawled, staring at his transparent reflection. He looked like a ghost in the mirror, slightly silvery, pale as milk. He ran Draco�s serpent-adorned comb through his hair one last time, marveling in the way his hair had gotten sleeker and darker.

�Because I want to brush my teeth, you wretch! The blood the Ministry�s been sending has an absolutely vile aftertaste!� Harry smirked and ruffled his hair all over again, just so he could waste more time combing it. He began whistling cheerfully as he straightened out his black silk pajamas that Draco had lent him. �Get out of my bathroom, Potter!� Draco yelled impatiently.

�Why? There must be a hundred more bathrooms in this fortress!�

�This is the only bathroom with a toothbrush!� Finally giving in, Harry unlocked the door and allowed the blond to swagger his way in. Harry felt a moments resent; when he wasn�t keeping Draco busy with annoyance or scheming, the last-name-less vampire had been withdrawn and sullen, being angsty and pondering, trying to figure out why his mother would try to ruin him the way she had. The man of the house finally looked like his old self again; healthy but pale and dressed only in the finest clothes- which, in this case, matched Harry�s. Harry couldn�t help it but grin as the vampire glanced up at the mirror and grimaced as he recalled he had no reflection. �How does my hair look?� he asked Harry slowly.

�Why do you care? You�re about to go to bed!� Draco rolled his eyes and went about the business of brushing his teeth. Shaking his head but still grinning, Harry moseyed out of the bathroom and bounced onto the bed. Harry could see just how much Slytherin influence Draco had been brought up with; the towering curtains were black with green ropes, the carpet was green, black and white, and even the bedding suffered the same color scheme. Most of the Malfoy mansion did, actually. The clock on Draco�s wall looked like a snake wrapped around a moonlike orb, upon which the silver hands slowly moved.

Harry absolutely loved the mansion, particularly Draco�s room. The thing he liked most about Draco�s room was actually his bed; it was huge and circular, in the very center of his (also circular) bedroom. It amused him endlessly that the bed rotated, heated up, and even vibrated on command. Harry had a nasty feeling the designers were perverts.

The door suddenly burst open. Hermione dashed in wearing a slip and a pink bathrobe, breathing heavily and foaming at the mouth. �Hermione?� Harry gasped. The witch ran into Draco�s bathroom, spitting out her toothpaste before dashing back to Harry�s side. She nearly crashed into Draco, who dodged to the side and spilled mouthwash down his front. �Excited much, Hermione?� Harry asked cautiously.

�They�re taking Charlie to Azkaban!� Hermione wheezed.

�I beg your pardon?� Draco asked dully, walking out of the bathroom with a hardened expression.

�They� are� taking� Charlie� to� Azkaban!� Hermione repeated. �Right now! At this very second!� Harry looked out the massive window to the East, noting the Ministry car parked on the lawn and the small group of people around it.

�Well, he did kill my mother while she was helplessly tied to the bed,� Draco said impassively as he sat on the edge of the bed. Hermione irritably shook her head.

�It�s only until his trial. They think he might be dangerous,� she sighed, exasperated.

�He might very well be, Hermione,� Ron said from the doorway. He had his hand on the doorframe, his bandage still covering his eyes, and the scruffiest pair of boxers Harry had ever seen. The Boy Who Lived had gotten accustomed to seeing him feel his way around the walls to make sure he wouldn�t bump into anything. �I mean, he�s been acting funny for days. I think he might be another Polyjuice-mixing weasel.� Hermione looked affronted at the very suggestion.

�She�s right,� Harry put in. �He knew about our Dark Marks before I did, and he�s been encouraging me to go all the way and become a vampire. Not to mention how odd he behaved at the White Ferret- just letting that vampire gnaw on me for a couple minutes before knocking her off! And he�s been trying a bit too hard to keep Draco and I together for it to be normal.�

�Say,� Draco cut in suddenly. �I know of somebody else who wanted Harry and I to date, and for Harry to be a vampire. Somebody who�s name starts with an N-�

�Don�t you dare say it, Draco!� Hermione cried. �Even if that�s not Charlie, surely Niles wouldn�t-�

�We really don�t know a thing about Draco�s real Mistress,� Harry mused. �Why would she leave her child? Just to set up me and Draco? Adyn seemed really worried, so I don�t think Niles has gone off and vanished on her before. Narcissa probably had her tied up in a closet in a hotel in Burma this whole time, just to keep the real vampire out of the way.�

Draco shifted and glared at them all. �Damn right, she would. She�s a Malfoy. Malfoys know how the proper way to go about with identity theft.� Ron snorted at Draco�s self-incriminating words. The pale ex-wizard sighed, lounging back onto his bed. Harry shivered and glanced away from the sultry pose Draco had assumed. �But then again, she�d gone completely bonkers, so she might have slipped up and let Niles free� And that is why I�m going to insist that Charlie is just Niles in disguise.�

�Why?� Hermione demanded. Draco cocked a pale eyebrow at her.

�Because I want the case closed already, and I said so, and this is my house.� Though this wasn�t all that logical, Harry smirked and didn�t disagree. Defeated, Hermione slumped slightly, glowering at the relaxed blond. �I want to get on with my un-life, and if I�ve really got forever to live, I�ll probably bump into Niles again. When that happens�� Draco mimed staking an invisible vampire and slicing off her head.

�Still, even if you don�t think it�s Charlie, the Ministry will eventually shove it back in our faces. We�re the only sane witnesses,� Hermione whispered. �And we�re the only ones who might have a clue as to where Harry is. They�re sticking up �Missing Person� posters for him now, you know. They might eventually assume we're responsible.�

�I�d step up before they accused you,� Harry assured her. �I don�t want anybody going to Azkaban to protect me.�

�And Charlie isn�t?� Hermione snapped.

�Look, �Mione,� Ron groaned. �I�m not happy about this either, but it�s illegal for us to try and stop them from taking him.� Ron felt his way forward, nearly knocking over a vase as he meandered around the room. Draco snarled but didn�t move. �Besides, it�s not like Azkaban�s full of Dementors anymore.�

�We�ve got to get you one of those freaky magic eyeballs, like Moody had before Greyback ate it,� Harry told Ron. �Then you can scare people half to death as well as stop knocking over Draco�s priceless dark magic artifacts.�

�Don�t be silly, Harry! There�s nothing �Dark� about that vase!� Hermione chided, pulling her bathrobe tighter around her as she surveyed Draco. �Right, Draco?� Put on the spotlight, the black silk-clad Slytherin suddenly seemed to find the sash on his pillow rather interesting. Hermione was horrified. �Oh, I can�t believe you! What does that vase do, bite unwary hands off?�

Attempting to set a hand on Hermione�s shoulder, Ron accidentally grabbed her bathrobe-covered breast instead. His face turned beet red as Hermione went rigid. �Er� Oops�� Ron swiftly fled the room with Hermione hot on his tail. Harry smirked at their vanishing feet before taking another glance out the window. The people and the car were gone.

�Well,� Harry said into the silent room. �I suppose I won�t have to worry about Charlie busting in and stabbing me in the night.� Draco gave him a wry smile and moved a bit closer to the Gryffindor.

Jun 26th, 2006 11:05 AM

dumbledorez.gal
BewareMyRoar--x'

Gender: Female
Location: Hiding From Snape, Where Else?

�We�ll eventually have to settle this business with Charlie and Niles,� Draco said stiffly, clearly desperate to bring back the conversation. Harry nodded. Yes, they still had to find Niles. And even if Draco blamed Charlie for his mother�s death, they had witnessed the whole thing and it would come back to haunt them. Harry still said nothing to Draco, who continued to say, �I guess his absence will make it easier for you to sleep.�

�I don�t intend to sleep tonight,� Harry whispered. Draco curiously raised his eyebrows. Harry changed the subject. �So, does your mouth taste good enough, your majesty?�

�Of course,� Draco replied with a playful gleam in his eyes. �See for yourself.� He quickly leaned over and licked Harry�s lips before kissing him. Harry smiled as Draco moved off of him, and he pulled his mate into a close hug.

Draco suddenly began to squeak in pain. �Ouch! Let go, let go, dammit, let go! I�m sitting on a quill!� Draco squawked. Harry quickly released him; he couldn�t hold back his laugh as Draco plucked a silver quill from the back his pajamas. �You put that there on purpose, didn�t you, you wanker?� Draco hissed. Harry didn�t grace him with an answer.

The smaller young man buried himself under a green sheet, plucked up a black velvet pillow, and made himself comfortable. �Get the lights, won�t you?� Harry commanded gently. Draco placed the quill on his dresser and glowered at Harry�s smirking face.

�This is my house,� Draco said coldly.

�I�m a guest?�

�That honor can be taken away with a snap of my fingers,� Draco warned.

�Surely you wouldn�t send me out into the cold to starve?� Harry pouted. Never mind that it was pleasantly warm outside, and common foods could be conjured with a simple wave of the wand. Draco managed to smile at that. With a shake of the head, Draco moved to touch a blue orb that hovered near the door, muttering something House Elves. The ceiling above stopped glowing. Moonlight flooded in through Draco�s impressively tall windows, leaving Harry to gape at the stars that suddenly began to twinkle on Draco�s ceiling. �Thanks, Draco.�

The Slytherin watched Harry with shining gray eyes as he climbed under the covers beside him. �You could have just told the truth.�

Harry feigned innocence. �Hmm? The truth about what?�

�You could have just said that you didn�t know how to turn the lights off,� Draco sneered. �Merlin knows you�ve never been in a proper magical home.� Harry felt tempted to speak up in defense of the Burrow, but he knew Draco would never acknowledge the place to be a building, much less a house. His homeless summer might have taught him to respect Muggles, but his standards of living had hardly changed. �You�re all too easy to read these days.�

�And who�s fault is that, I ask you? You who dumped a gallon of vampire blood down my throat?�

�Don�t be ridiculous, Potter. I couldn�t possibly have more than five pints in me.� Harry glared. �Don�t be mad. Last time I checked Witch Weekly, the �pasty skin� look was in.� Draco languidly extended a milky hand and caressed Harry�s cheek. Growling, the pale wizard plucked a pillow from under Draco�s head and propped his own up with it. �Oh, come on, Harry� It�s not like you�re entirely vampiric.�

�What? I�m not?� Harry asked, turning his eyes the semi-frozen bottle of blood on Draco�s desk, which they�d shared for dinner when Harry found Wizarding food no longer satisfied.

�You�re alive, dumb-ass,� Draco stated as he pulled blankets over their silk-clad bodies. �You have to die to be a true vampire. You may have everything but the shoelace of your left foot over the vampire line, but you can�t be undead while your heart still beats.� Harry said nothing in favor of listening to his own heartbeat. �See? You�re alive, so stop bitching. You would have been dead, and by dead I mean dead, if I hadn�t intervened.�

�That�s not the problem,� Harry sighed, sitting up and knocking the comfortable blankets off his chest. �I wouldn�t mind being a vampire all that much. It�s obviously not that bad, these last three weeks with you have proved it. I�d much rather be a normal wizard, but that�s just not possible anymore�� Harry took a breath and gathered his thoughts, trying to look at anything but Draco�s wide gray eyes. �I don�t want to be a� crossbreed. I don�t want to be half wizard, half vampire. I don�t want to be a freak like that!�

With his opinion out on the table, Harry fell back onto Draco�s big bouncy bed and buried himself in blankets. He could feel Draco�s eyes burning holes through the material and boring into him. �Not that I�m ungrateful,� Harry muttered meekly.

�One or the other, hmm?� Draco asked softly. Quite suddenly, he was under the blanket with Harry, glowing gray eyes softly lighting the blanketed darkness. Harry could feel Draco�s cool breath on his face. �Are you insinuating something?�

�Perhaps I am,� Harry reflected. He weighed the options in his mind, and all he could come up with was, freak or vampire? �Yeah, I am. But do I really have to die?�

�Yes,� Draco whispered.

�This is going to **** up the Prophecy so bad,� Harry chuckled. He suddenly felt rather giddy, despite the fact that Charlie was currently being dragged off to Azkaban and his family was still in St. Mungo�s.

�You really want to go all the way, then?�

�I think so.� Draco�s eyes fell shut for a moment� then Harry squeaked and scooted away from him. �No touching below the belt just yet! That is not what I meant!� Draco gave an exaggerated sigh, letting Harry know the Slytherin wasn�t the least bit sorry for his trespass. Flushing slightly, Harry tied the cord on his pajama bottoms tightly. �Besides, you�ve got cold hands.� Draco chuckled wickedly.

�Is now as good a time as any?� Draco purred in Harry ear. The smaller creature shivered as cold breath wafted around the back of his neck, making his black hair prickle upwards.

�I suppose, but how exactly does this work?� Draco drew back a little, eyes narrowed and unfocused as he thought.

�Well, I drain you until you�re two seconds from death, then I give you some of that blood back as you die. Not enough to save you, just enough to get in really mixed into your system when you kick the bucket. Then, well, you die� You wake up a couple minutes later when the process completes itself. I felt a bit sick and dazed for a while, but I think you�ve gotten rather used to all the crazy sensations.�

�Okay,� Harry muttered, thinking. On a moments afterthought, he asked, �Does dying hurt too terribly?�

�It didn�t bother me much,� Draco reflected. �But then, I�m a bit of a masochist.� Harry frowned. �It�s not that bad! Is your mind made up?�

�Yes,� Harry said resolutely. �There are things much worse then physical pain�� They both knew that all too well. A dark look crossed Draco�s features. Harry knew he was thinking of Narcissa, so he quickly wrapped his cold beau in a tight embrace and kissed those flickering eyelids. �Love you, Dragon,� Harry whispered. Draco relaxed and smiled.

�Love you, Vorgulmortis,� Draco purred. �Ready?�

�Yes,� Harry replied, baring his throat. �Just don�t molest me while I�m dead, that�s sort of nasty.�

Draco laughed for a moment before digging into Harry one last time, wringing a small gasp from the smaller young man. There was no pain this time, just ecstasy and trust as Draco dragged him to the edge. The whole experience was a sleepy blur to Harry; everything from the bite to the cuddling, from the exchange of fluids to the stick figures Draco drew on his back and he drowned in darkness. Harry welcomed the random thoughts that filled his head as visions from both of their lives filled his mind.

Maybe things will finally set themselves right after this point. If the world keeps sucking, we�ll just have to set it right ourselves. This might just be the end of my mortal life, but damn if it�s not the beginning of something loads more interesting.

Thus Harry Potter, the Chosen One, the Boy Who Lived, died.

THE END

Jun 26th, 2006 11:06 AM