A/N: I got terribly sick for about a week, but now I'm back and strong as ever! Also, this isn't proofread, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes.
If you're still reading, I'm sincerely sorry and please enjoy!
Chapter 11 - Pierced By Power
Harry awoke groggily, his blood-red eyes focusing on the sleeping body draped over his own, a small smile on her face. He looked up and let his eyes close again in frustration, imaging that if he was a human, this was the point that he would sigh in exasperation.
Why wouldn't she just let him change her? It was for her own good!
His eyes flicked down to her throat, where the thick, warm blood pumped through her jugular, calling out to him. One simple bite. One simple bite and she would be immortal…
His fangs extended without a second thought and his eyes were unable to break away from her neck as he began leaning down towards it, his stealth ensuring she wouldn't wake up. He pressed the tip of his fangs against the pulse and applied a tiny bit of pressure, but something stopped him.
Just know that I'll never speak to you again.
"Shit!" he said angrily, bolting upright as Hermione did the same, her eyes wide. He had come this close…
"Harry, what's the matter?" she asked, calming down and laying a hand on his arm.
He shrugged it off, stepping out of bed as he sneered down at her. "What do you think is the matter?" he asked rhetorically, grabbing his shirt from the floor and putting it on as he began to walk to the door.
"Harry!" he heard her call after him as she scrambled from the bed.
He kept walking as the heavy door swung open, and he whirled on Hermione just as she put a hand on his shoulder. "Leave me alone," he said harshly, his eyes flaring, glowing. He saw her visibly flinch. "Just…right now, leave me alone," he said a little less demandingly.
He saw hurt flash through her eyes, making the tiniest bit of guilt worm its way into his stomach. He watched her go nonetheless, exuding confusion and sadness.
He stepped out onto the balcony of the throne room, looking out over the covered courtyard, which was packed. Weapons were the main trade, seeing as they were going into battle and all, though some shops sold normal ways to pass the time, such as books.
It had been two days since he and Hermione had confessed their love for each other, and he had held on thus far. The Harry Hermione knew seemed to actually be willing to hand over the reins for once.
"And it's a good thing, too," he said wryly to himself, feeling an ancient, giant power heading toward the castle.
He had actually felt the power the day before, and although he had wished that it had just entered the fringe of his sense and it would soon be passing back out, it seemed to be headed straight for them. Even Harry knew there was no way he could compete with this power.
"You alright there, Harry?" Remus asked from behind him, actually startling him for once. Remus's face scrunched up as he realized the same. "You must be thinking about something serious."
"I know you feel it too," Harry replied as Remus adopted the same pose as him, both of their elbows resting on the low wall. "Everyone but Hermione does. Can't you see and feel how edgy they all are?"
Remus took in a deep breath before letting it out in a long, drawn-out sigh. "Yeah." There was silence for a long while as they watched, then Lupin quietly asked, "If that thing decides to attack, we're all finished…aren't we?"
"Pretty much," Harry replied, all of his normal confidence completely gone.
Remus glanced over at him, surprised at his easy admission. "How long until you think it gets here?" he asked.
Harry let his eyes close. "Pretty much any minute now, don't you think?"
Remus frowned. "You're being awfully lax if that's the case; aren't you?" he asked.
Harry let his eyes open. "Either whatever this is kills us or doesn't," he said. "There's not much I can do to stop it."
Remus nodded, unable to argue with that point. "Good luck," he said.
Harry nodded and Shadowalked down to the gate just as whatever it was came to a stop just outside of the massive doors, wincing as he felt the guards' life forces suddenly extinguish. They hadn't even put up a semblance of a fight. It would be coming in, now; the door wasn't going to fare any better than the guards.
The door lowered and the gate rose of its own accord, though Harry knew it was being done with vampire magic. Harry was surprised that it was a vampire-he didn't even know that vampires this strong existed-yet drew his katana anyway, ready to defend his people and Hermione with his life.
This was probably the end of it. As soon as whatever it was came into the shadow, Harry gave out a cry and lunged, his katana breaking the sound barrier as it cut through the air. It connected with its target and stopped, the force threatening to shatter Harry's arms as the noise alone cracked a bit of the stone and took a chunk out of the ground around them.
"Stop, youngling," the vampire said, Harry noticing with wide eyes that his blow had been blocked by a single finger.
Impossible…
"It's fruitless, huh?" Harry demanded, angry that he was going to die without getting the last word in. He pushed harder. "Whether or not I stop you're going to kill everyone with ease?"
"The only reason I killed the guards was to prove to them who I was," the vampire said, Harry finally seeing his face as the dust settled. The man's features were thin, pale, and sharply angled, a condescending look in his eyes. "You may be the Master around here, but you will learn your place."
"Who are you?" Harry asked, still pushing with the katana as the vampire effortlessly held it back with his single finger.
The man laughed a deep, hearty laugh that sent shivers down Harry's spine. "You may be the second-most powerful vampire on the planet, but I am the strongest…and the oldest, I'll add. Now learn your place now before you don't have a head to do it with."
Harry reluctantly lowered and sheathed his katana, figuring that if the vampire had wanted to kill him by now, he would've already done so. "Won't you give me a name, at least?" he asked.
"You're really that thick?" the man asked, looking at him with contempt. "I hated the last master and finally come down to extend the hand of friendship once more, and now all I'm met with is confusion and hostility? I'm Dracula, my boy."
Harry stopped dead in his tracks. "D-Dracula?" he stuttered, a shiver racing down his spine.
"I heard there was a new master in Britain, so I decided to check up on it," he said, his eyes flitting around to look at the hidden vampires watching with interest. "I never knew you'd be just as annoying as she was."
Harry rested his hand on the hilt of his katana, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "First you kill two of mine, then you insult me?"
"Oh-ho?" Dracula responded, the tiniest glimmer of interest in his eyes. "Maybe you're a little more interesting than the last master after all." There was a heavy silence for a few minutes, then Dracula smiled, though he could see the contempt in his eyes. So he was as good a politician as he was a fighter. "Take me to your throne room," he said simply.
"What if I were to decline?" Harry asked, his legs tensing.
"I'd kill you," he answered simply. "I'd make her watch, too. Then I'd kill her."
Harry's eyes narrowed as he relaxed. There was no way he could be talking about anybody but Hermione. How he had figured out about her, he didn't know. All he knew was he wouldn't do anything to needlessly risk her life. He stepped aside, sucking up his pride as he let off a quick bow. "Please come in, then," he said through gritted teeth.
Dracula smirked and entered, Harry glaring at the back of his head. So there was someone he could hate more than Malfoy. "Get your mate," Dracula said as he sat in Harry's throne.
Harry stood still, trying to stare him down. Needless to say, it didn't have any effect on the ancient vampire, who gave him a pointed look. Harry's mouth tightened and he stood up, a heavy fear simmering in the pit of his stomach as he began walking to the room Hermione was in. It was a foreign feeling to him; it was the first time that he had ever truly been fearful when he was in control of the body. When he, the inner vampire, was in control, he was invincible. This encounter with Dracula was a harsh reminder that he wasn't as immortal as he thought he was.
Harry slowly opened the door to the main room, sure that if his heart could actually beat, it would be trying to slam its way through his ribcage.
"Harry?" Hermione said, already feeling apprehension race through her blood. She had never seen Harry like this when the inner vampire was in control. "What's wrong?"
He was beside her in a flash, gripping her shoulders so tightly that it hurt. She didn't let it show on her face, though, not wanting to add to his obvious worry. His eyes were wide as he quietly, earnestly said, "Please, don't say anything."
He pulled her up by her wrist and began leading her out of the room. "Harry…" Hermione said quietly. Whatever she was about to walk into, it was bad. She was about to ask again what the matter was, then froze as she saw a vampire sitting in Harry's throne. And not only that, but even she, a human, could feel the ancient, overwhelming power radiating from him.
Dracula smiled at her and leaned forward a little in the throne, making her even more afraid. That wasn't a friendly, welcoming smile. That was a smile that said 'I'm about to be thoroughly entertained.' Hermione swallowed hard. "So the rumors are true," he said quietly, though he didn't sound surprised at all. "She's human."
Harry's grip tightened on her wrist just a tiny bit, oddly making her feel more protected. Meanwhile, Harry was wondering how that little bit of information had spread so fast.
"Sit," said Dracula suddenly, conjuring two chairs behind them. When the two of them obeyed his command, Hermione felt vulnerable again as Harry's hand left her wrist. Dracula put his right ankle on his left knee, then steepled his fingers in front of him. "So, a human as a mate and I hear you're housing a werewolf?"
"He saved my life," Harry said in an attempt to justify his action. He cringed immediately afterwards, realizing he played right along with Dracula in making it seem as though he was superior.
Dracula scoffed, though there was a grin on his face. "How disgraceful." Harry's fists clenched. "It seems you're intent on pissing me off," Dracula continued, looking at his fingernails with little interest. "I hear you're even entrenched in a war against humans."
Harry didn't release eye contact, determined to not let the ancient vampire have any more ground. "When I was a human, he would stop at nothing to kill me. The fact that I'm now a vampire doesn't change that," he explained. "I will kill him first, though. I'm going on the offensive."
One of Dracula's eyebrows arched. "Oh?" he said with a tiny bit of amusement. "So you do have a bit of conviction. How interesting."
Harry growled a deep, quiet growl. One that would've sent anyone but Dracula running for their lives. Dracula's grin grew wider.
"I'm glad to hear that you're willing to go through with this battle," said Dracula, looking down at his nails with apparent interest. "Even though I don't like you much, there are vampires in this coven who I do like. I despise humans," Dracula angrily spat, losing his cool for just a second. Then he blinked, relaxed, and said, "I will help you." Harry recoiled a bit, taken aback. "Under one condition."
And here it comes.
"Turn her," he said simply.
Harry froze completely, his eyes going wide. This was his chance to change Hermione and have a good excuse for it. She couldn't hold it against him if it was for the greater good! He realized he was grinning, which he quickly stopped before looking over at his mate.
She was clutching the arms of her chair so hard her knuckles were turning white. Harry thought she was scared at first…until he looked up at her face. She wasn't scared…she was restraining herself. Harry had to repress a smirk. He knew there was a reason he was in love with this stubborn woman. She was doing her best from putting what may have been the most powerful being on the planet in his place.
Dracula must've read her thoughts, for he chuckled. "Oh?" he said. "Yes, Hermione Granger, I probably am all of those things." He turned to Harry, amusement twinkling in his eyes. "I think you have a mate that may be more than you can handle." He smiled at Hermione, turning his attention back to her. "If you ever grow tired of this arrogant fool, you can always visit me, darling."
Harry stood up, putting himself between Dracula and Hermione. "So you don't want my help?" Dracula asked, frowning.
"I'm not changing her against her will," he said, standing in what seemed to be a relaxed manner even though he was ready to fight at a moment's notice.
Dracula's frown turned into a smile. "Of course," he said, standing up and opening his arms wide. "Wouldn't want to upset the lady now, would we? She can just have it on her conscience when all of you are killed."
"I can defeat Voldemort without your help," Harry growled, feeling Hermione's spirit falter behind him at Dracula's words.
Dracula scoffed. "You think you can take on his army with what you've got here?" he asked. He gave Harry a few seconds to respond, then blinked and said, "Good luck with that."
Harry relaxed the tiniest bit as Dracula began heading toward the doors. "Give up trying to be Master, Harry," he said, waving a hand over his shoulder. "If you can't even take control enough to turn your mate, you're not cut out for the job."
The doors closed behind Dracula. "Ow," Hermione said immediately, making Harry instantly release her wrist with a start. As she fell to the ground clutching it, tears in her eyes, Harry agitatedly ran a hand through his hair. He couldn't even remember taking her wrist, and he was only grateful that she had remained quiet for the duration.
He knelt in front of her. "Sorry, Hermione," he said quietly, taking her hand in his and gently running his thumb over the already-formed bruise.
She smiled up at him, tears in her eyes. "No, I'm sorry Harry," she said, crawling towards him a little and wrapping her arms around him.
He froze instinctively at the contact, having never really been hugged like this when he, the inner vampire was in control, then wrapped his arms around her in return. They sat there in silence for a while, Harry lying down on the hard floor of the castle while Hermione lay on him. They knew what each other's sorry was for; there was no need to elaborate. They were content to just be in each other's company at the moment.
Harry felt Hermione move, then her lips were on his as she rested her body weight on his. "You know," she said quietly between kisses.
"What?" he asked, placing a hand on her lower back.
"Despite how you think you act, you're no different from the Harry I know," she said.
Harry froze, breaking the kiss to pull back. "What?" he asked incredulously.
She smiled softly at him. "The only difference between you and normal Harry is that you're stronger," she said.
Harry growled and shoved her off of him, making her gasp in surprise as she fell back. "Never compare me to that…that…fool," he said angrily. Hermione was looking up at him with wide, hurt eyes. "I will never be as soft or idiotic as he is. I am an ancient, noble creature. I pride myself in being above all others. He is nothing but a soft, indecisive, unconfident human."
Hermione stood up, facing him off. "You think he's weak?" she asked angrily.
Harry snorted. "Yes, I do."
Hermione remained silent for a minute, disbelief radiating from her. "You're an idiot," she said quietly.
"What did you just say?" he growled in response.
"You heard me," she said condescendingly. "You've always been weaker than him. Slapping me so you could appear strong, not being able to admit that you feel love. Harry's an amazing person. He's stronger than you and me combined."
Harry felt his eye twitch. "Listen here, woman-"
"Going back to that, eh?" Hermione asked. "So predictable."
Harry swallowed, caught off guard. What was he doing? "Listen, Hermione," he said sternly. "Harry is a human. I am an ancient vampire lord using his body as a vessel."
Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "It would only be natural, then, that you inherit some of his traits." There was silence for a moment, then Hermione smiled quirkily at him and said, "It's not a bad thing, you know. With Harry's sense of ethics, dedication, impulsivity, and bravery, and your strength…"
Harry stood there, completely frozen for a moment. An idea had just hit him. "Stay right here," he said distractedly before leaving the throne room with Hermione's calls of his name in his ears.
He began walking through the castle aimlessly, not paying attention to the vampires greeting him as his mind raced a mile a minute. Since he had accepted Hermione as his mate, he had come to realize something. Hermione was almost infinitely smarter than almost anybody he had ever met, including himself. What if he really was becoming just like Harry?
He didn't enjoy responding the way he did; the only reason he did so was because he was afraid. Afraid without reason, as a matter of fact. No matter how he looked at it, his host had indeed developed into a much better man since this had all began. And maybe Hermione had another point: he, the inner vampire, was weak. He didn't know how to deal with other people in a friendly manner. He didn't know how to do anything but look down upon everything with arrogance.
So while Harry was weak physically (at least compared to him), he was weak from a mental standpoint. He just played tough.
It wasn't a fun (or easy) realization to come to, but once he did it was easier to accept. The only way for him to become as strong as he possibly could be was to accept his counterpart's help. So, with a grim set to his mouth, he stopped in the middle of a random hallway.
Did you hear my thought processes? he inquired of his mind.
I did, came the somewhat apprehensive response.
So what do you think?
There was a short silence. Your strength and my demeanor? I was figuring we would have to cooperate sooner or later.
This is probably irreversible, Vampire Harry said uncomfortably.
So is death, which is the most likely outcome if we don't do this.
He stood still for the longest time, his eyes closed in concentration as he came to a decision.
His eyes flickered open and he grinned.
o.O.o.O.o.O.o
Hermione stayed in the throne room massaging her bruised wrist. She wished she wouldn't have opened her mouth. She wouldn't have said anything if she knew that was what the response was going to be.
She was just speaking an observation aloud…
She sighed and cradled her head in her hands, thinking that this inner vampire liked being difficult just for the fun of it. On the one hand he was so similar to Harry, but on the other…he was a lot of the bad things that Harry wasn't. She tried her best to love all aspects of him, but it was just so difficult.
She sighed and lay back against the ground in a spread-eagle. Why did things have to be so difficult? She loved Harry and he loved her, so why weren't they getting along like she imagined they would?
She admitted to herself sullenly that she was just as much at fault as he was. If she only wasn't so stubborn…or at the very least honest to the point of being harsh.
The door suddenly opened and Hermione propped herself up on her arms, looking down at the ground as she recognized Harry's silhouette. He began walking over to her fluidly; too fluidly to be her Harry. He knelt down in front of her.
"I'm sorry about what I said," she mumbled sincerely. She hated being like this with Harry, even if it was his vampire form. "You're strong, just…just in different ways than regular Harry."
"What are you talking about?" Harry inquired, Hermione's eyes snapping up to his.
His eyes were perfectly green, but…the level of power he was projecting…
"Harry?" Hermione said slowly, reaching an arm out to make sure he was real.
"Yeah?" he said back just as slowly, a silly smile on his face.
"Wh-what happened to you?" she asked in awe. "What happened to your vampire?"
"I am Vampire Harry," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Can't you tell?"
"Harry…" Hermione said slowly. "What's going on?"
Harry took his time deciding how to answer that. "Well…there's only one Harry now," he finally said. "We kind of meshed." Hermione blinked. "We became one, making sure only our strengths came through so we could be the best Harry possible."
"Is that even possible?" Hermione asked.
"Did you not notice how Dracula was?" Harry replied. "He was much too powerful to be in his non-vampire form, yet his eyes were perfectly black. He's the only other vampire I've seen like this."
"So you formulated this theory from a ten minute conversation with the oldest vampire alive?" she said, impressed.
Harry grinned at her. "I'm telling you now, though," he said, deciding to leave her question unanswered since it was fairly obvious as to what the answer was. "I have that intense bloodlust that I don't think you like too much. I'll try and save it for the battlefield."
Hermione's face grew into a grin as she practically tackled him with a hug. "Harry, I love you. You know that, right?" she said.
Harry smiled contentedly. "I love you too…you know that, right?" he asked teasingly.
Hermione bit her lip coyly, a flush rising from her neck to tint her cheeks pink. She kissed him forcefully, surprising him as she took the lead by pushing him down on the floor.
"Harry…" she panted, reaching to intertwine her fingers with his.
He grinned back, excitement coursing through his veins. "Hermione…" he breathed.
o.O.o.O.o.O.o
Harry opened his eyes groggily, his body just a tiny bit reluctant to wake up. He groaned and shifted, freezing as he felt a soft, warm, smooth, naked body cuddled against his.
He grinned and looked down at Hermione's sleeping face, which was on his chest. Last night had been the best night of his life. He felt like he could do anything now.
"Hermione," he said, gently nudging her.
She sighed and nestled herself harder against him, making what he was about to do next even harder. He really had to get going, though. Bust schedule to keep, being the master and all.
"Hermione," he said a little louder, this time rubbing his hand on her back.
"Mmm…" she said, Harry knowing she was awake when she defiantly clutched him harder.
"Come on, love," he said. "Time to get up."
She sighed and rolled onto her back, pouting at the ceiling. "Fine then," she said a bit grumpily. Harry had known for a long while now that she wasn't much of a morning person.
Harry got out of bed and dressed himself. "You coming or not?" he asked his mate.
She sighed and dragged herself out of bed, slowly getting dressed. "I still don't see why you can't conduct your business from the warm confines of the bed," she said indignantly.
Harry walked up to her, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her as passionately as he could, leaving her flushed and panting afterwards. "That's why I can't conduct my business from the confines of the bed," he said with a smile.
Hermione, still breathless, said, "Point taken."
Harry went into his throne room with Hermione's hand in his, conjuring a throne to the right of his when they arrived in the throne room. Hermione glanced at him, shrugged, and took her seat, Harry doing the same.
"Master," the two occupants of the room said in unison.
Harry looked down at Katerina and Jean-Claude to find them coming out of their respectful bows before they took their own seats.
"What news do you two have for me today?" Harry inquired, mentally transitioning from Hermione to business.
"The scouts are back, Master," Katerina said immediately, glancing over at Jean-Claude.
Harry had wondered aloud at some point how large Voldemort's force was at one point, so Katerina had sent a few scouts to scope it out. "And?" he inquired.
"His army is massive," she replied. "I don't know if we could take it head-on."
"What exactly does it consist of?" he asked.
"Everything," she said. "Werewolves, acromantulas, hippogriffs, giants, trolls, dementors…everything."
Harry rubbed his forehead. "What would you put his force at?" he asked.
"Anywhere from twelve to fifteen thousand," she replied quietly.
"And how many fighters do we have?" he asked, already aware of around where the answer would be.
"About two thousand, Master."
"Say you matched the strength of our fighters with the strength of theirs," Harry said, licking his lips. "How many short do you think we are?"
Katerina and Jean-Claude looked at each other and nodded, coming to a pretty quick decision. "Probably about fifteen-hundred, Master."
Harry frowned. That was a pretty large number. "Thank you, Katerina," he said.
"And Jean-Claude?" he said.
"I collected the information you requested," Jean-Claude responded.
"Alright," said Harry, feeling a little nervous.
"The wizarding world is in chaos, Master," Jean-Claude said. "Hogwarts has been closed and death eaters have been attacking everywhere, killing hundreds. Albus Dumbledore is no longer there to stop them, apparently."
Harry snorted. "Of course he isn't. I killed him."
The two vampires paled. Even among their world, Dumbledore was famous. "The muggles haven't discovered their existence yet, but it's only a matter of time."
Harry nodded, thinking things through. The Voldemort situation was doing nothing but escalating.
"And how are the preparations coming?" he inquired.
Katerina began speaking again. "We should have everything ready by tomorrow night, assuming we work through the day."
Harry shook his head adamantly. "We have to make sure we're well rested. Make sure everybody sleeps properly," he said.
The two nodded, recognizing their dismissal. They exited the throne room quietly, Katerina flashing one grin towards Hermione before she disappeared, making her flush.
Harry chuckled. "Were you thinking something naughty?" he tried to ask with a straight face.
Hermione flushed even deeper. "Of course not," she grumbled.
"Oh?" Harry asked, standing up and stretching.
He stopped, though, when the door creaked open somewhat eerily.
"Master?" a man Harry had never seen before inquired with a bow.
"Speak," Harry commanded.
"You must report to the stadium," he said. "You have a challenger."
"Did I ever say I was accepting challenges?" Harry asked dangerously.
Sweat beaded on the man's forehead. "No, Master," he replied.
"Harry," Hermione interjected. "Just go down. If you didn't, you would look weak."
Harry clenched his fist and said, "I'll be right there."
The man nodded and took his leave, leaving Harry and Hermione alone again.
Harry offered Hermione his hand and quietly asked, "Do you want to watch?"
Hermione smiled at him, gave him a quick peck on the lips, and said, "I'll be waiting in the bedroom."
She walked back into the bedroom without looking back at him even once, instilling confidence in him. There was no way he could lose…right?
He shook his head of his doubts and walked to the stadium, nodding his head to all the vampires he met along the way that wished him good luck. His katana materialized inside its sheath at his side as he walked into the arena, which was just as packed this time as it was when Katerina had fought. The noise of the crowd was deafening as he stretched, calculating the amount of give the ground had and the size of the arena to give himself a better idea of how this battle was going to be fought.
The crowd grew practically silent as Harry's challenger stepped in. He seemed to be full of rage, which made Harry confused. What had he ever done to make this man angry at him?
Oh well. If this man was stupid enough to challenge him to a one-on-one, it would be a good excuse to test the extent of his new powers.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Harry asked as they met in the middle.
The man snorted condescendingly. "Dracula told us he'd reward us if we defeated you. Isn't that the only motivation I need?"
Harry frowned, his mood suddenly turned sour. So not only was Dracula going to not help him, but he was sabotaging his army? He had gone too far. "If you're foolish enough to challenge me, you will face my wrath," he said, his eyes turning a bit darker. "Back off now."
The man took out a giant two-handed battle axe, his muscles bulging as he wielded it expertly. "Yeah right," he said.
The man let out a cry and raised his axe to deal a massive blow. His body from his belly button up slid off and plopped on the ground, his legs following a half-second later. Harry still hadn't drawn his sword.
The crowd cheered, but Harry got the feeling it wasn't over yet. That was just some sort of distraction.
He Shadowalked two feet behind where he had been standing just in time for an arrow probably tipped with holy water embedded itself in the ground. He twirled and deflected a blow as another attacker swooped at him with two knives. He jumped over a third attacked before spinning out of the reach of the fourth, now facing five vampires in front of him.
Oddly enough, they were all dressed in pure black outfits that hid their faces.
Damn Dracula.
Harry slowly drew his katana and let his eyes close, ecstasy filling his body as pure power pumped through his veins.
He was charged by all five at once as everything seemed to go in slow-motion except for him. He jumped and spun through the gap left between the two left attackers, decapitating them both with one slash of his blade.
He sprang up to the ceiling, baiting the rest to follow him. Only one of them did, which disappointed him.
He Shadowalked right under the attacker anyway, grabbing his foot and throwing him down at one of the other attackers…except he forgot to let go of the leg. The rest of the body followed the path though, guts and gore exploding all over the place as the body impacted with the ground.
One attacker came from the left and the other came from the right, leaving Harry to roll his eyes as he blocked one attacker with his katana while he blocked the other with the leg. He chuckled, actually slightly disappointed, before exploding one of the vampires with pure willpower and focus alone.
The other one was desperately trying to get his own sword back, but the bone from his friend's severed leg was gripping it too firmly. Harry grinned at him, punched his hand into his chest, and ripped out his heart, making him give up his fruitless efforts as his body lost all of its life. Harry marveled at his own newfound power. He had just killed six vampires without even trying.
Just as he relaxed, alighting on the ground to thunderous applause, he felt surprise and fear jolt through him.
"Hermione…" he breathed.
A/N: I know, I know, I'm horrible. No updates for over two weeks and I leave you hanging with a cliffhanger? Not only that, but I give you a (seemingly) pure filler chapter? Gaagh! Blame it on my illness…
Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!