Blood Bound: A Vampire Tale
Disclaimer: Everything concerning Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling. I own nothing, nor is this done for any purpose except my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of anyone reading this. There is no attempt to make any profit.
I wish to extend a grateful thank you to my beta readers, Amanda and Prof Roz. Any mistakes left in this story are due to my last minute revisions.
A/N Conversations in italic print are telepathic in nature.
Chapter Fourteen
In the week following their becoming animagi, Hermione spent most every night learning to fly. Each animal form imparted some natural advantage, so that flying came more naturally to her when she was a bat. Even so, Harry challenged her to fly among the pipes and wires of their lair. They played endless games of "Follow the Leader" and each night her confidence grew. As the dawn approached, the last thing she heard was Harry praising her effort and complimenting her increasing skill. For a time she almost forgot that she was a vampire.
At last, it was time to continue the hunt for the Horcruxes. Harry explained that he felt they should return to Hogwarts. There were some of the children of known Death Eaters attending school there. Because they had been unable to find any Death Eaters since the raid on Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, it seemed the logical place to start.
It was a cold November night when Harry and Hermione returned to the Shrieking Shack. Since they could not be sure of finding a place of total darkness in the house, they spent the day in the tunnel leading to the Whomping Willow. It was also the first time they spent the day in animal form; hanging upside down from an old tree root a little way down the passage.
The next night, they stole into Hogsmeade, lurking near the entrance to Honeydukes. As the last customers left, Harry crept to the window. As the clerk turned the sign from "Open" to "Closed" Harry struck. He quickly hypnotized the man and forced him to open the door again. The vampires entered the store and made their way down to the cellar. Harry quickly located the trapdoor and swept down the stairs with Hermione close behind.
The total darkness was no handicap to vampire eyes and they came to the stone slide leading up to the statue of the one-eyed witch. They crept up to the statue with little difficulty; their preternatural hearing indicated that there was no one nearby. As they emerged onto the third-floor, Harry wished he had taken the Marauder's Map when he left Number Four. At the time he could not have conceived of ever needing it again, and he briefly wondered what had become of it.
"We must not be seen, Harry," thought Hermione. Harry nodded in agreement. They abandoned their human forms and flew down the corridor on their way to the dungeons. Emerging on the staircases leading down to the Great Hall, they made a couple of lazy circuits of the entrance. The presence of bats in the castle, except at Halloween, was unusual, mostly because of all the owls in the vicinity, but it was not unheard of. None of the people in the hall or moving to the stairs noticed them. The vampire duo made their way to the Slytherin side of the entrance. At this point one could go either up toward the tower where Ravenclaw house was located or down into the dungeons where the Slytherin common room was.
There, at the sound of a familiar voice, Hermione checked her flight. She reversed and flew back to the stairs leading to the Ravenclaw tower, where she expertly touched down. She stealthily moved into the shadows where she could observe the couple talking quietly at the foot of the stairs.
Harry realized that Hermione was no longer following him. He executed a swift, climbing reversal and flew back the way he came. He landed at the top of the steps and in the lumbering run, peculiar to vampire bat species, followed Hermione. One glance at the couple kissing on the stairs explained everything.
Ron was kissing Luna, but there was none of the hungry frenzy that he had displayed with Lavender. Harry could sense comfort and gratitude in Ron's mind, yet deeper within there was still a deep feeling of pain. Hermione's thoughts were closed to Harry's gentle probing, but she was trembling. Harry sidled up to her, nestling against her folded wing.
The happy couple broke their kiss, Ron looked into Luna's eyes and he whispered, "I don't deserve to be this happy. I would've lost my mind if you hadn't been here to help. Thanks for taking the time to help me with this. I'm sorry about your mother, but at least you understand. Every day I expect to get an owl from one of them, but they're never going to send me one. They never found Hermione. I can't forget the day she left; if I'd just been a little nicer… maybe Harry wouldn't have been there alone. I can't help but feel respons…"
Luna placed a finger over his lips, "Shhh. You did your best, Ronald. No one knows what will happen an hour from now, despite what Professor Trelawney teaches. I tried to blame my Mum for dying, but it wasn't her fault, it was an accident. Harry and Hermione weren't accidents, but it wasn't their fault that they died, it was other people being cruel to them. You know Harry and Hermione don't blame you, so you shouldn't either. They were your friends and would want you to be happy." She hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder with her forehead under his chin.
Ron placed his arm around her shoulders and gently stroked her hair. "I suppose you're right." With a heavy sigh he released her, "I've got to study for that potions exam in the morning, old Sluggy's testing us on advanced antidotes. I've got to pass this for my N.E.W.T.s."
"Don't worry too much, Ronald, you know the material. You did very well on the quiz we made for you." She started up the steps; at the landing she turned and blew him a kiss. Ron pretended to catch it. Then he turned and made his way across the hall to the staircase, on his way to the Gryffindor common room. As he walked past he placed his foot within inches of the two vampires hiding on the floor.
After he left, Harry nuzzled Hermione's wing, made a soft chirping noise, and walked to the steps. He launched himself into space and soared down toward the dungeon. A few moments later he flew back up the steps and made a circuit of the hall. As he passed overhead Hermione launched herself into the air and followed.
The dungeons could be confusing to those that did not know their way around them. Most Gryffindors only knew how to get to the potions classroom, although Harry and Ron had been to the Slytherin common room once. Now, as vampires, the task was made easier by their preternatural senses. The muffled sounds of conversation drew them in the right direction, and the energy from the magic that made the hidden door work, also made it stand out from the rest of the wall. Resuming their human forms they disillusioned each other and prepared to enter the Slytherin common room.
As he had done at the hospital, Harry used his telepathic abilities to touch the mind of a daydreaming student. He slowly planted an irresistible call that was answered by a Slytherin first year. Once the door was open, Harry and Hermione slipped in. Harry remembered the richly carved mantelpiece, the high backed chairs, and the green, hanging lamps, although the room seemed lower now, and he had forgotten the rough, stone walls.
He and Hermione moved slowly along those walls, stopping and standing still when someone looked up from their work, or when they moved to chat with a different group. There was little of the boisterous behavior of the Griffyndor common room. The conversation was subdued here, as if the room itself inspired conspiracy.
As always, Crabbe and Goyle were together, fortunately for the vampires, they were engaged in a whispered conversation with Theodore Knott. Harry could hear as Knott and Crabbe bemoaned the lack of communication with their families. At least they were alive, Goyle countered, his father was dead. Harry felt a pang of guilt for that; he had died in the Weasley's orchard trying to carry out Voldemort's command.
While Harry was eavesdropping Hermione was lulling the students nearby to sleep. One by one they succumbed to her vampiric willpower. At last Harry spoke to the trio. They looked up in surprise and he quickly snared their minds. He questioned each of them about Ravenclaw's ring. None of the three knew anything about it; if their Death Eater parents were in possession of it they were not telling. Especially, after learning why the Dark Lord was so angry with the Malfoys over the careless handling of Voldemort's old diary. He gained the locations of the three boy's homes, and after making careful notes he modified their memories so that they would not remember his being there.
Bitterly disappointed, he called to Hermione, "They're of no use to us. Let's get out of here." They turned their backs on the roomful of sleeping Slytherins and entered the hallway. As the stone panel slid shut, they changed once again into bats and flew back the way that they came. Rather than return to Honeydukes they detoured to the Astronomy Tower, frightening a class of third years coming in from their lessons. Professor Sinistra angrily waved her wand at the two pesky bats in an attempt to shoo them on their way.
Owls eat bats when they can catch them, but the birds realized that there was something unnatural about these intruders and they gave them a wide berth. Harry dodged the branches of the Whomping Willow and dropped onto the edge of the tunnel leading to the Shrieking Shack. As he looked back at Hogwarts, he could see the light on in Headmistress McGonagall's office and there seemed to be something going on. The magical wards around the school seemed to have brightened. There was, however, no sign of pursuit. He turned and followed Hermione down the tunnel.
He resumed his human shape as he entered the Shrieking Shack. He found Hermione standing at the window of the second floor bedroom looking out into the forest. Her arms were crossed as she held herself; her thoughts were guarded as Harry approached. He stood beside her for a little while. At last he sighed and said, "I guess seeing Ron and Luna like that really hurt." The tone of his voice was a little rough since he used his voice so seldom; he hoped Hermione would hear and feel a sense of sympathy.
Hermione turned to look at him; her features were hard, as she considered what to say.
"Not as much as I thought it would, he really does deserve to be happy," she thought. "It feels like Luna is good for him, he's actually studying. I never could get you guys to study properly."
"According to Fred and George, he and Ginny have matured. Pity it took our dying to make our friends grow up. It's a hard lesson to find out you're not invincible. Anyway, you most often came across sounding like our mother, rather than our friend," Harry replied.
A ghost of a smile played across Hermione's lips as she turned to face the window once more. Harry stood with her for a time. He was lost in his own thoughts, considering his own feelings for Hermione, feelings that had come to his consciousness that night when she tried to leave him. Times of stress or hurt seemed to bring them back to him, but many nights he did not feel them at all. It seemed his human feelings were slipping away.
He turned and walked down the hall toward the stairs. He stopped at the head of the stairs and pondered what to do. At last he turned and said, "Hermione, I love you." For some reason the words seemed to vibrate with a power all their own.
Hermione started at his words, and she whirled around to face him. Her expression was confused as she stared at him. Slowly she dropped her arms to her sides as her hands clenched into fists and then relaxed again. Harry could feel sparks of anger in her mind, as well as, surprise and bitterness, both conflicting with … was it hope?
Her eyes burned into his, trying to read his thoughts, not sure of what she was getting. Harry was confused too. He had never deeply considered his feelings, and was never good at conveying them to others. Embarrassed, he dropped his gaze to the dusty floor and slowly turned away.
"What, exactly, does love mean to a vampire, Harry?" Her words and tone were not exactly an inquiry, nor were they an accusation, but there was something of both in her question.
His eyes burned red as he looked at her, "It means you are now free. I release you … no longer are you my fledgling … my child. You are now my equal." Something within her exulted. A barrier was lifted, of his own free will; Harry had broken the bond of blood that had forced her obedience.
"It means that I put your needs and desires first," Harry continued. "I will do all in my power to protect and comfort you, for as long as you walk with me, no matter the cost." He dropped his eyes to the floor. "Go, if you want to, I can't stop you now." He stood quietly, completely still, as only a vampire could.
Hermione considered his words. Part of her wanted to flee, to go and do what she wanted. To leave the hunt for the Horcruxes behind, to lay down the responsibilities that weighed on her mind, to dance in the moonlight. Once again, she remembered the promises she made. Not knowing he could command her, she had offered to help him. Now, she felt the full weight of her promise, she had to be true to her heart, and decided to stay. Harry had offered her love, but she still did not know what he meant. As they had walked together her own feelings had slipped away, often she did not feel anything, either good or bad. Without feelings, just what did that offer mean?
Harry studied the eddies in the dust on the floor. He almost expected her to run into the night leaving him forever.
At last she spoke to him, "Harry, look at me."
He glanced up at her. To his surprise, Hermione was standing in the moonlight naked. Her clothes lay on the floor around her feet. She was inhumanly beautiful; her skin was like flawless alabaster, marked only by her nipples and the triangular patch of hair between her legs. In the moonlight she appeared to glow. Harry thought that anyone, vampire or mortal, could not fail to fall in love with her.
She approached him almost seeming to flow like water, but with the predatory grace of a great cat. She studied his expression; even a vampire could look stunned. She caressed his face and ran her hand down his chest, rubbed her hand in circles over his flat stomach, then she reached down and undid his belt and unbuttoned his trousers; all the while their eyes were locked. Not for the first time, Harry regretted the lack of sensation that was part of being a vampire. He was aware mostly of the pressure of her hand.
His pants dropped to his ankles, followed by his boxers. Hermione continued to caress him, at last she broke eye contact and looked down at him, and Harry could tell that she was curious, so he removed his shirt. Holding on to the newel post he kicked off his trainers and removed his socks as he watched her face. She seemed to be disappointed.
"What would have happened if I had done this last July?" she queried.
"Before or after I died of embarrassment?"
"I just read some romance stories. Some of them described what sex was like. I just wondered …"
Harry understood, "Hermione, it's just a matter of blood, I could … I mean … if you wanted me to …I'd try…" Hermione was pleased and amused by how flustered Harry had become, somehow it was something she needed.
Hermione sighed and shook her head. "My body couldn't feel it anyway. Somehow, Harry, I knew that you loved me. I began to notice it after Bill's wedding." She threw her arms around his shoulders and kissed him. She was prepared for the cold hardness of his lips, and for once it did not matter.
When they broke apart, Harry bent down and gathered his clothes. Drawing his wand he summoned Hermione's clothes as well. "Follow me … please." He led her downstairs. There under the stairway was a cupboard; it was well back from the windows. Taking their clothes Harry made what amounted to a nest in the cupboard.
Harry drew Hermione in and lay with her on top of him. He caressed her back and thighs while kissing her. For long minutes they tried, hoping against hope, to feel something more than they did. It was no use. Harry could smell the blood of Hermione's tears. Once again he licked them from her beautiful face. In a few minutes her tears subsided and she hugged him once more. The cold press of vampire flesh was meager comfort, but far better than no comfort at all.
They lay together, unmindful of the cold. If they had been mortal they would have been shivering uncontrollably. The hours passed as dawn approached.
Suddenly, Harry had a thought, "Hermione?"
"Yes?"
"Kiss me again," Hermione pressed her lips to his. As she did so Harry shared the memory of the kiss he had stolen in the backyard of Number Four. Hermione could feel the soft, warmth of her lips as Harry kissed her. She experienced his taste of her on his tongue and felt the power of that kiss pass thorough his stomach and on to his knees.
She drew back in surprise. "That is what you were like to me," he said. Something within her melted, she pressed her lips to his and she gave him the memories of what it was like for him to hold her, the way he offered her comfort and the way his warm, tender lips felt on hers. She gave him the wonder of her impression of him and hopes that when she returned they might begin a relationship of their own since she felt that Ron had rejected her.
They were lost in each other's memories as the sun stole them away from one another.
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Memory charms in the wizarding world were not illegal, neither were they something to be taken lightly. So when the wards alerted McGonagall that memories were being modified she reacted sharply. She sent the house ghosts to find out what was amiss while she summoned the rest of the staff to the entrance.
The house ghosts began their search for the intruders. They had been nervous since the Death Eaters had invaded last spring, and performed their task swiftly, unimpeded by walls, ceilings, or floors. Yet, by the time they reached the Slytherin common room, all they found were a bunch of sleeping students.
The staff spread out, searching as best they could, but they were looking for wizards that could perform magic. They ignored the pair of streaking bats, not understanding the threat they posed.
The staff pressed the prefects into service, enforcing the curfew.
Lastly, she alerted the members of the Order of the Phoenix about the intrusion. When word reached Remus Lupin, he immediately Apparated to Hogsmeade. He appeared near the Hogshead Tavern and proceeded to the Shrieking Shack. He knew it was his best chance to find them, not that he was sure of what he would do if he caught them.
The first time he had seen them something within him wished it had been the full moon so that he might attack them. They were so unnatural; they filled him with feelings of loathing. The thought of those two poor souls trapped in a monstrous half-life made him burn with anger. If they had not been so wrapped up in each other they would have detected him following them.
As he approached the shack the sun was cresting the mountains, he had not passed them on the way to Hogsmeade, and now he wondered if he was on a wild goose chase. Still, he had come so far; he might as well see it through.
Lupin charmed open the door to the small building that had seen so much pain, although later it had become a gateway to adventure. He carefully searched the tunnel; he went all the way to the Whomping Willow without finding anything.
After returning he started to search the attic, although the sunlight pouring through the cracks gave him to know that no vampire could exist there. He moved down through the house checking all the nooks and crannies, not sure what he was looking for.
The rooms downstairs yielded a great deal of light. Vampires would avoid these areas, as well. He was about to give up, believing he had missed them, when he remembered the cupboard. He might have thought that Harry would have avoided such a place, given his memories of Number Four.
It was there he found them, huddled naked together in a pathetic parody of human lovers embracing one another. He was not sure what he had expected, a pair of monsters, all fangs and claws, but all that was visible were two teenagers that he loved. He swiftly checked them and found two corpses, no heartbeat, no breathing, stiff, and cold. The werewolf within him raged, but pity for the only son of his school friend stayed his hand.