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 Six
In the silent darkness, Hermione stood alone. Her emotions were in turmoil; fear, anger, grief, frustration, humiliation, and pain were the major players. This thing was not the Harry that she knew, but somewhere, within the vampire, Harry still existed. She had heard him when he called out to her.
Her own motivations puzzled her; she had come back to offer her help. Why had she provoked him? All through her Hogwarts years, when people had poked fun at her, hadn't she tried to rise above the teasing? Never before had she baited someone that she knew was hurting. The thought occurred to her that now she was different, too.
She did not know how long she stood there. Her body did not grow tired or restless, so that she was unaware of the passage of time. Hermione stretched out her consciousness, aware that the small creatures were moving away from her. It caused her new pain to think that even vermin rejected her presence as something unnatural.
The vampire part of her nature took note of the pockets of life energy in the room. Like a spider spinning trap lines, she expanded her awareness through the building. She discovered that Harry was up on the roof. His presence was a hole in the web of life that filled the old factory.
Hermione followed the tracks in the dust up to the roof. Harry was sitting on the parapet looking out over London, his mind totally preoccupied. He said nothing as she approached. "Harry, I'd like to apologize," she began.
"You don't have anything to apologize for, Hermione," he answered. "I'm the one that destroyed you." She had no answer for that one; it was true.
After a moment she continued, "I shouldn't have provoked you. When I came back I really was offering to help. I need to think that promises mean something." She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Would you really have made me put my hand in the fire?"
"I wouldn't, but my vampire would have."
"I thought you were the vampire."
"Not entirely. It is a part of me, it shares my consciousness and memories, and it seems to be growing. It gives me awareness, strength, and speed; but it is not me, it takes over sometimes. I seem to be watching myself do things, like killing those Death Eaters. I'm not sure I wanted to kill them, but it was just so strong, I couldn't resist it. I was so angry because they wanted to kill the Weasleys and take Ron and Ginny to Voldemort. I just couldn't let them do that. Since I wanted to hurt them, the vampire-me just took over and killed them."
"I'm not going to kill for you, Harry," Hermione declared. "I'll help in any way I can, but I can't kill anyone."
"I won't make you. I promise. Vampires don't kill for blood, anyway. We aren't supposed to call attention to ourselves."
"Who said that?"
"The vampire that made me did. I told you before, but I guess you forgot."
Hermione thought about what he said. Mostly, she concentrated on his first statement; Harry had not asked to be a vampire. Her feelings were a long way from forgiveness, but she could see that he was not entirely at fault. Some vampire had turned him into a creature like itself. It saddened her that his life was so miserable that he could just sit in silence rather than yell at the unfairness of it all; a life that had been so empty that being reduced to vampirism was just another obstacle on the path he had decided to pursue. The thought occurred to her that he really had not had the opportunity to make choices for himself; orphaned at one-year-old, ten years of neglect, even at Hogwarts he was constantly boxed in by Voldemort's plans and minions, and finally hounded again by the most evil wizard of the time.
Hermione suddenly noticed the stars. They were what Harry had been gazing at. "Amazing! The stars are so beautiful," she said at last.
"Yes, they are." Harry was glad that she no longer felt the need to strike out at him.
She pointed to a fiery glow that had appeared on the horizon. As they watched, it was slowly rising toward the zenith. "Is that the dawn?"
Harry nodded. "We have about forty minutes to get under cover." High in the air, a flying airplane was touched by the sunlight. To Hermione's eyes it appeared to burst into flame, though it proceeded on its way without harm.
"Tonight, I will teach you to hunt, unless you want to go on drinking from me?"
She considered his offer. "All right, Harry. I might need to do it if you aren't around; but I hate the idea."
Together they walked down the stairs to the basement.
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The Aurors came to the Burrow at mid-morning. While a couple of them aided Arthur in increasing the range and power of the wards protecting the homestead, a small group began examining the grounds for clues at to what had happened to the Death Eaters.
The group enchanting the Burrow finished first, and moved to the orchard. The second group, under Littleton's authority joined them a short while later.
"From the direction of the tracks, it appears that the Death Eaters Apperated to a spot over there. They then moved through these trees toward the house. Whatever got them came from outside as well. It followed them, taking them out one by one. Evidently, none of the Death Eaters knew that they were under attack until it was too late."
He showed Arthur a diagram he had made of the property; "We found blood at each of these places." He indicated little X's on the drawing. "Goyle, here, the unknown here. Alecto and Amycus here. Amycus passed the spot where Alecto was attacked, and then doubled back. Rookwood and Higgs were here, near the edge of the garden.
Arthur shook his head in disbelief, "What could track, attack, and kill six Death Eaters without using magic, and kill without making a sound? I never heard a thing, and I wasn't far from the back door." An odd expression crossed his face, "I just remembered! It was so quiet, not even the frogs in the pond were making any noise, whatever it was it must have frightened them. I don't know what it is, but it must be monstrous."
The Aurors stared at one another. As if Voldemort was not bad enough, it appeared there was some new horror on the loose. It did not matter much that it had attacked the Dark Lord's minions, there was no way to tell whom it might attack next. Each one of them could not help but wonder if they would survive it.
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Monday evening Harry rose from the desk. The cold pain from the hunger had trebled since yesterday. Hermione followed him a few seconds later; her face grimacing at her own discomfort. He drew his black cloak around his shoulders and gave his Invisibility Cloak to Hermione. She was looking unhappy at the prospect of hunting for blood.
As he approached the entrance he noticed that the magic that they had used to lock and unlock the door had imparted energy to it. Against the dark of the wall, the door had a soft glow. He stopped to stare at it.
"What is it?"
"Dumbledore said magic left traces, and you could sometimes even recognize who cast the spell by the style of the magic. I just wonder if he could see magic like we can, or if he used some other sense."
Harry used his wand to open the door. He feared to say too much, afraid to shatter the fragile peace that existed between Hermione and him. She followed him up the stairs and out on to the loading dock. The weather had turned cloudy and a gentle rain was falling.
They made their way to the hole in the fence, slipped through, and headed toward the noise of the traffic. The streets were deserted as before. "What are you looking for, Harry?"
"I'm looking for someone who is alone; or a small group of people. You have to…," he hesitated. What did he do to his victims?
"You mean like hypnotize them?" she asked helpfully.
"I guess so; it just seems I've never found anyone who could resist me. It's more like some kind of domination. I don't have to make verbal suggestions. When I look into their eyes they just know and obey. I even know what they're thinking."
They walked thorough the rain in silence. Each one was searching for the life energy of their prey. Finally they reached the street carrying the traffic. The glow of the streetlights was harsh to their eyes, and the glare of vehicle headlights almost painful.
Harry removed his cloak, realizing that in the bright light he would call attention to himself. The few Muggles on the street would find the garment unusual. The road led from the docks on the river to the warehouses farther in from the water. There were a few offices and small businesses catering to the shipping trades. Scattered among them were several pubs and rooming houses for sailors. Now, in the early evening, there were small knots of people queuing up at the bus stops and cars with workmen heading home after work.
Hermione shed the Invisibility Cloak and walked beside Harry as they made their way away from the river. As they walked along, Harry began to realize how out of place they looked. The people here were all in their mid-twenties and up; Muggles old enough to have jobs.
They trudged along trying not to call attention to themselves; mostly looking down at the pavement to keep the light from hurting their eyes. They were aware of prostitutes standing in the entrances of the alleyways; drunks or junkies hiding deeper in. At last Hermione asked, "Harry do you have any Muggle money with you?"
"Yes."
"Come with me." She turned into a small store. It was a small shop that sold magazines, books, and personal hygiene products to people who were passing through. Hermione bought two pairs of cheap sunglasses, a comb, and brush. The middle-aged Asian clerk looked at them with an expression of combined pity and disgust. Harry looked into her mind. She thought they were a couple of drug addicts. He realized that they must be a sorry sight. They were too young, pale, and drenched to the skin; obviously in pain because they needed their drugs. His clothes were overly large hand-me-downs; she thought he was a runaway, dragging his poor girlfriend down the road to ruin with him. In a bitter flash of insight, he realized she was right. The only thing she missed was the fact that they needed blood, not drugs.
Hermione handed Harry one of the pairs of glasses and they walked to the door of the shop. "Miss!" the clerk called. Hermione walked back to her. She smiled and passed a card to Hermione. "If you need help…" Hermione looked down at the card. The address and phone number of the Warf Street Mission was printed on the card.
Hermione was touched. She gave the woman a small smile; she drew a breath and whispered, "Thank you." She returned to Harry and they left the shop. Harry looked at her quizzically. "She's trying to help," Hermione explained.
The dark glasses helped their sensitive eyes and made walking much easier, though the pain of the hunger was becoming more intense. Harry turned down an avenue and they began walking back in the direction of the factory. At last he found what he was looking for. A lone woman was sitting on a bench at a bus stop. He drew Hermione into an alleyway, "Put on the Invisibility Cloak and watch."
Hermione watched as Harry approached the woman. She was beginning to look afraid as he drew near. Suddenly her expression melted into a dreamy smile. Harry came up behind her, bent over her shoulder, and kissed her on the neck. His attack was over in less than two minutes. As he drew away, walking down the block, she appeared to come to herself. She looked around. Seeing that Harry had passed, she began to relax and paid him no further attention. Harry waited for Hermione at the corner. Even from a distance Hermione could see that Harry no longer looked so pale. His face was relaxed because he was no longer in pain.
When she caught up to him she asked, "What did you do to her?"
"She was thinking of her boyfriend, she had had a really good date with him. I just made her focus on him and didn't allow her to feel the pain of the bite. I just took enough blood to make the pain stop," he explained.
Harry held his wrist out to her. Hermione just shook her head. Together they walked on toward a shabby apartment building. There was another bus stop in front of it. "I have an idea. Wait here." Hermione gave him the Invisibility Cloak. She walked the length of the block and sat down on the bench.
It was not long before a bus pulled up. Several passengers exited, the driver waited expectantly for a minute, and when Hermione made no attempt to get up he called out to her. Hermione waved him away, without bothering to look up. The driver shook his head at her rudeness and drove away, shifting the gears noisily in his disgust.
The little scene caught the attention of the passengers, but as Hermione continued to sit, apparently oblivious to her surroundings, they began to drift away, all except for one middle-aged man who continued to stare at her.
"Miss, is there something wrong?" he asked softly. Hermione ignored him. He sat down on the other side of the bench. "Is there anything I can do to help you?" he spoke somewhat louder. "If you need a place to go, I can make a few phone calls; find some place that will take you in."
Hermione looked at him at last. He could see the pain in her eyes. He reached out and gently touched her arm. His fingers rested on her fore arm briefly, before he drew back in surprise. Hermione's skin was cold and hard, her flesh was almost like cold modeling clay. It was the flesh of a corpse. The man's eyes went wide with surprise, and Hermione struck. She swiftly entered his mind. He was thinking of a relationship out of his past, remembering a girl that looked something like her, and the joy and amazement of a first kiss.
To the casual observer it would have appeared that the man was giving Hermione a comforting hug. Her bushy hair covered the side of his face and neck. She felt her fangs pierce the skin of his neck as she targeted the vein beneath his ear. As she drew his blood, the warmth spread through her body. The cold and pain vanished; she could think more clearly. Remembering what Harry said, she stopped drinking when the pain was gone. She bent her will on the puncture marks on her victim's throat and the wounds closed. She stood up and thought, "When I am gone you will forget me."
The man woke up from a very pleasant daydream. He was thinking of his girlfriend, Carol. They had been eighteen and it was the first time that he had kissed her. As he looked around he could not remember, for the life of him, why he was sitting here thinking about Carol. She had been dead for nearly ten years, victim of a train crash. They had never married, but she had always kept in touch, and he still missed her. With a sigh he stood up and made his way home.
Harry and Hermione watched him go. As they left the alleyway from which Harry had watched Hermione feed, he nodded his approval of her tactics. Hermione's emotions were in turmoil. She was feeling shame and was seething with anger at what Harry had done to her. "Don't you smile at me like that, Harry Potter!" she snapped. "That poor man was just being kind; he was trying to help someone he felt was in trouble. I USED him; took advantage of his kindness. Just to prolong my own useless existence."
Harry's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Hermione, you caused no lasting damage," thought Harry.
"Not to him, maybe, but certainly to me. I purposely deceived him. What is that going to do to me? Is that what you want me to become? Something you have to watch all the time because you can't trust me?"
Harry did not press, though deep within his thought he could never conceive of a Hermione that was untrustworthy. Instead he turned toward the factory and began walking. Hermione burdened by shame, followed behind him.
Hermione wanted to be alone, so she allowed Harry to draw steadily ahead. She was so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she did not realize Harry had stopped. The collision brought her to her senses. Following his gaze she saw what had brought his abrupt halt. The factory was about four blocks distant; in the yard of the factory there were four dementors. They were behaving oddly. Hermione had seen them gliding along, but these appeared to be dancing. Each one was moving in a circular pattern, moving in and out like square dancers. At intervals one would touch another, sliding its arm into the sleeve of its partner. They would then withdraw and bow to one another.
Looking back at Harry she watched him surrender to his vampire self. His face became hard. He removed his sunglasses and handed them to her. His glowing eyes were a hellish red. He flexed the fingers of his left hand, extending his talons. He drew his wand with his right hand. She expected him to cast the Patronus Charm. Instead, he spun lightly on his toes, it was a tribute to his determination that he vanished without a sound.
Hermione began to run. As a vampire she did not need to breathe. Energized by the blood she had taken she ran, light and swift, more swiftly than the fastest human, yet there was not the slightest hint of a stitch in her side.
Ahead of her, Harry appeared slightly to the left of the dancing dementors. He slipped his wand into his pocket and lashed out at the nearest dementor. Harry tore at the monster; slashing its arm. Hermione saw it glide away from the others, attempting to escape from Harry's onslaught. The wounds were dripping a thick, greenish goo that spattered on the ground. The thing set up a weird howling that Hermione felt in her mind rather than with her ears. Harry rounded on the wounded dementor and tore it again. Now he slashed it across its body. This time the ichor was accompanied by semi-solid globules that must have served as organs of some kind. The horror sank slowly to the ground as it died.
Harry took advantage of the surprised dementors. He attacked the next closest one as it straightened up from its bow. Harry tore it from behind raking its back from its shoulders downwards. Its inwards poured swiftly onto the ground. Unlike the first, it died without a sound.
Hermione had covered half the distance to the factory when Harry attacked the third dementor. This one, too, began to howl as it tried to fend Harry off with its arms. Hermione was shocked as Harry tore the creature's limbs off. It spun around several times before it crashed into a wall and sank slowly to the ground.
The last dementor loomed over Harry. It appeared to be somewhat larger than the others. It reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder. The monster's strength must have been prodigious because it lifted him from the ground, and hurled him at a fire escape hanging on a wall of the factory. As the beast threw him, Harry twisted like a cat and clawed the inside of the creature's arm. It set up a despairing wail as it began to bleed. Harry had the impression of sharp, hard corners as he flew toward the fire escape. Suddenly he came to a gentle stop, floating inches from the steel framework. He looked around and saw Hermione lower her wand, lowering him to the ground in the process.
Hermione entered the yard looking in amazement at the dying dementor. She noted the energy in the blank places where its eyes should have been. She realized that once they had been cut they did not stop "bleeding." The last dementor sank to the ground as she approached. Swiftly the carcasses began to evaporate. Within five minutes they were gone. If she had not seen it with her own eyes she would not have believed they had been there.
"Thanks, Hermione," he grinned. "This neighborhood should be better off without those things hanging around. We destroyed them, that's not quite useless, is it?"
Hermione could only shrug.
"We need to get out of sight. I don't want to be seen if the Ministry comes to investigate."
"Investigate what, Harry?"
"My Apperating, for one thing. The dementors for another."
Hermione just nodded and headed back to the loading dock. Once back inside the factory she located a loo and went inside. Harry followed to find her using a dusty mirror to brush her hair. The tip of her wand glowed faintly, but for a vampire the light was more than adequate.
"It is a relief to be able to see my reflection; Muggle legends say vampires don't cast a reflection in a mirror."
Harry was puzzled. "Why wouldn't we? Our bodies are still real, still subject to physical laws. I wonder what would have happened if I had hit that fire escape? I know it wouldn't have killed me, but what would have happened if I had broken a bone?"
"Let's hope we don't ever find out .But I guess that if you were crippled badly enough the daylight would destroy you." Changing the subject Hermione thought, "Harry, tomorrow we need to get some new clothes. The ones you are wearing don't fit and it makes people notice you."
"Okay," he answered. Harry went back to the loading dock for a while. Wizards from the Ministry did not come. After a couple of hours Harry retreated back to the basement.
The following evening the two of them packed and hid their belongings. It was not long before they caught a bus heading closer to the center of London. The early part of the evening was taken up by shopping for clothes. They quickly realized that they did not need much. They would probably be traveling and would have to be carrying whatever they owned with them. Fortunately, by using magic, they could easily stuff what they had into a couple of backpacks.
For the first time Harry bought his own Muggle clothing. Hermione added a blouse and slacks to the pair of jeans and tee shirt she already had. As they wandered around the area Harry spotted a specialty store, after a quick conference with Hermione he convinced her to add some military style clothing to their wardrobe. What they bought was advertised as Battle Dress Units or BDU's. The ones they selected were midnight blue, rather than the camouflaged ones. The heavy cloth would protect them from abrasion, since they were preparing to fight. Lightweight boots would give support to their ankles. He also bought some knee and elbow pads, Hermione went along but she was looking rather dubious about the whole thing.
After leaving the store Hermione shrank their purchases, and they spent some time looking around. Harry caught Hermione staring at the couples as they strolled hand in hand, or parents with their children. He did not have to enter her thoughts as he read the envy on her face.
Their hunger was beginning to press on them as the night passed. Harry steered Hermione away from the more brightly lit areas toward the seedier establishments. It was not long before they were accosted by a small group of rowdy, young thugs. They began by calling Hermione to leave Harry and join them for a few drinks. Smiling, Harry took Hermione's arm and began to move away from them. He purposely led them down a small, dark side street before they began to run. The gang, believing that they sensed fear, began to give chase. Once away from the main street Harry turned into an alleyway.
The gang pelted into the narrow alley to find Hermione standing near the back; Harry was nowhere to be seen. Laughing, the leader asked, "What happened to your boyfriend? He run off and left you for us?" Even if she had not been able to read his thoughts, Hermione would have known what they were planning to do.
She gave a deep sigh, and then she said, "No, he's right behind you."
"Ain't fallin' for that one, Lovey," he smirked.
"You should listen to the lady. She's telling the truth," Harry said from the head of the alley. He had Apperated behind them.
The gang whirled around at the sound of Harry's voice.
"You should also be more wary of people you meet on the street. Not every one is what they appear to be." Suddenly Hermione stepped into the alley behind Harry.
The toughs looked behind them, Hermione was gone. Most of the thugs backed away from the pair. The leader drew a butterfly knife from his back pocket. With a flick of his wrist he opened the knife and advanced on Harry, "I don't know how ya did that, but I ain't afraid of you."
The man slashed with the knife. Almost without appearing to move Harry caught the man's wrist, stopping his swing. He tried with all of his strength to move the knife, but Harry held his arm motionless. Harry read the man's mind, his name was Harvey.
Harvey began to make small noises, unable to say anything in his fear. Harry bent Harvey's wrist and the knife dropped to the ground with a clatter. Without effort Harry forced him to kneel down.
He felt movement and looked up. Harry had removed his sunglasses. Unable to help himself, he looked into Harry's eyes. Then Harvey's world went black…
He stirred a few hours later. Shaking with fear he looked around. Everyone in his gang was unconscious, sitting with their backs up against one of the walls that formed the alleyway. Whimpering with fear he deserted his gang and his knife. He felt he had to get away from the dark. There were horrible things in the night, and he vowed never to be in the dark ever again.
Emboldened by the Ministry's lack of response Harry and Hermione Apparated back to the factory. Since the toughs had attacked her Hermione did not feel so bad about feeding from them. Harry was relieved at the apparent solution to Hermione's problem with taking blood from innocent people. Within the city there were always going to be petty criminals around for her to feed on.
Wednesday night they decided to make a trip to Diagon Alley. Hermione was dissatisfied with her cloak. The one from school was getting too small. They Apparated to the back of the Leaky Cauldron and Hermione tapped the brick.
After nightfall, Diagon Alley looked even more dismal than it had on their visit the previous August. Many of the purple placards were gone, though most of the pictures of the Death Eaters remained. A chill mist was rising as they drew their cloaks around themselves to hide their Muggle clothes.
They need not have bothered, the street was deserted. They made their way past Flourish and Blotts, relieved to see that the book store was still open. The Apothecary was open as well. Apparently, the stores where the proprietors lived above the store itself were still open. They were desperately trying to make a living within the climate of fear that had gripped the wizarding world.
They walked on, past Florescue's boarded up ice cream parlor and Ollivander's wand shop. Fortune smiled on Hermione as Madam Malkin's was still open. It did not take long for them to buy new, larger, hooded cloaks. Madam Malkin remembered the sale, but she could never describe the young couple that bought the cloaks.
As they left the shop Harry suggested, "Let's go check out Fred and George's shop. I don't want to enter, but I need to know that they are doing okay."
Hermione made no objection. They donned their new cloaks and moved up the street to where Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes was located. To Harry's bitter disappointment the store was dark.
He realized that Fred and George represented normality to him. He wanted to believe that normal was somehow indestructible.
He reached out with his vampire senses; he knew that the shop was empty of living beings.
"Harry, all their merchandise still seems to be there, let's go closer," Hermione suggested.
"Just a minute," he answered. Harry felt another presence on the street.
He was trying to find out where the person was when Hermione thought, "Harry, I bet Fred and George are at the Burrow. Bill's wedding is tomorrow."
Harry filed that bit of information as he continued to search the area. He was sure someone was nearby. "Hermione, can you see anyone?"
"No."
Harry pulled Hermione back toward the shops. He focused his hearing. Suddenly he pinpointed a faint heartbeat off to his left. He moved toward the sound. The heartbeat was coming from a deserted shop across the street from the Weasleys. As he drew nearer he began to pick up stray thoughts from the person. Harry positioned himself where he could see inside the building.
The watcher was grumbling to himself about the menial nature of his duty. Suddenly, he made up his mind to leave. Harry watched as a slim figure moved into his line of sight. Just before the young man Apperated away, Harry recognized his old nemesis, Draco Malfoy!
He turned to look at Hermione, "The Death Eaters are watching the joke shop. Voldemort must be planning to move against them too."
"Harry, I was right. There is a note that says they will be open on Friday."
"Good, if the Death Eaters are coming, we are too." They Apparated back to the factory to make a few plans.