A/N: Writer's block on my other WIP, decided to update this one since I already have the whole chapter planned out.
WARNING: Violence, as in Quentin Tarantino violence, is dead ahead! If you don't like graphic violence, read to the page break then skip to the bottom author's note for a toned-down recap of the violent scene.
Please Enjoy!
"The greatest hazard of all, losing one's self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were
nothing at all. No other loss can occur so quietly; any other loss - an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc. - is
sure to be noticed."
-Søren Kierkegaard
Pierced By Despair
The dungeons were dark, cold, smelly, and isolated. After viciously attempting to break out of the cell he was being held in for a good ten minutes, Harry had decided that it was impossible and began thinking.
By his best estimate, this was his third night in captivity. He was starving. His stomach was constantly squirming in pain, making him cringe and writhe. What was worse was that he could feel his mind slipping, like a more violent, feral part of him wanted to take over. It was constant battle to keep what Harry dubbed his 'Inner Vampire' in check. More often than he would have liked, he would begin laughing hysterically as he mentally tore Dumbledore's head off or killed Snape by ripping each and every one of his limbs off. He would calm down from these graphic visions to find that his fangs were fully extended, his muscles tensed.
Moving around a lot seemed to bring that side out of him more easily, along with any sudden shift in mood. When people would walk by he would sometimes burst into violent spasms, the smell of their blood urging him to give over to his inner vampire.
So he stayed still, sitting up against the wall and thinking with all of his might how to best escape this mess he had gotten himself into.
Your little mudblood slut ratted you out, Potter.
Harry clenched his fists, glancing to his left at the unforgiving stone wall, where he could feel Hermione on the other side. She had to have been held in a cell similar to his, for she hadn't moved much over the past three days. Unlike him, though, she had been treated to food and water.
Harry didn't comprehend what Malfoy had gleefully told him at first. It took him until the blond git's smirking face had left view to figure out that he meant Hermione had told someone (probably Professor Dumbledore) his secret. There was no way she would do that, though, not after she had promised him she wouldn't.
But what if, in the end, she trusted Dumbledore to the extent that she believed he could be told? She would do it if she thought it would help him.
Then why was she in a cell? Did she try and stop Dumbledore after she had realized her mistake?
Harry's brain was hurting as he tried to figure out what was going on while simultaneously fighting off starvation and his inner vampire.
Despite having nothing to do over these past few days, there was never a dull moment inside his cell. He mostly though of his escape plans, but those all depended on hypothetical situations, i.e. they come in to try and stake him or lead him out to let him out to burn in the sun. Then it all depended on how many and which guards they used. When he wasn't thinking he worked on strengthening his vampire powers. He could now read minds from over 40 feet away and only needed to have the person in his peripheral vision, and he had become more in tune with his senses.
He was finally understanding what it meant that he was specifically designed to hunt humans. To get back at his captors, whenever a person came to check up on him now he would delve in their minds and discover what their greatest fear was. He would torment them mentally with it until they were out of earshot…by the end they were usually running in fear. He didn't really enjoy it much, but he figured that they made good practice since they deserved it. Sometimes, when a girl came down to check on him, he would unbutton the top few buttons of his shirt and muss up his hair. He had almost gotten Pansy Parkinson to unlock his cell for him, promising her that he would do whatever she wanted in his most seductive voice. After that, they never sent a female and only sent the males in pairs. For some reason, when Harry had tried the same technique on Goyle to find out if it worked on males, Malfoy had to slap his face to bring him out of it.
Harry also discovered that he thrived in absolute darkness. Actually, it was the darker it got, the stronger and better he felt. Earlier that day the only candle had burnt out, plunging Harry into darkness. Well, what he knew logically was darkness, since he could still see as clear as day. All of his senses were heightened proportionally to how dark it got and so did his powers, completely invigorating and emboldening him. He had laughed creepily as Malfoy came in and shut the door reflexively before realizing there was no light, then had to stifle real laughs as he smelled urine and fear radiating from the blond menace.
The days had been surprisingly short, yet it had seemed like it had been forever since Harry had last seen Hermione. To get through his most violent spasms and vicious mental attacks he would often picture her face, imagine her scolding him for losing control. It always seemed to work.
He initially wondered what his friends and classmates had been told by Dumbledore to cover up for his disappearance, but on his second day in captivity was hit in face by a newspaper that Crabbe had thrown at him while he had been deep in thought.
Boy-Who-Lived Pronounced Dead
By Rita Skeeter
It is my sad duty to inform you this morning that young Harry James Potter, the-boy-who-lived, was killed by none other than You-Know-Who himself last night in a surprise attack on Hogwarts School of Witchraft and Wizardry. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore recounted the tale to me with glistening tears running down his face to his long, silver beard.
"I was reading my newest knitting magazine in my bed last night when I heard an evil cackle. The Dark Mark was cast over into the sky and I rushed down to the grounds only to find the broken and mangled body of poor, dear Harry, glasses askew and blood trickling from a wound on his forehead. There is no doubt in my mind that he was tortured mercilessly before being hit with the Killing Curse. May we forever remember Harry in our hearts and look fondly upon his memory as inspiration in our upcoming fight with the Dark Lord."
Harry had angrily torn the paper to shreds, almost losing himself to his inner vampire again. Then he had laughed, knowing that he would be proving the article inaccurate in a very short amount of time. All he had to do was bide his time…Dumbledore would receive a most unpleasant come-uppance.
He would kill them all for this betrayal.
"Stand up, vampire," said a stern voice from the entrance to the jail cell.
Harry almost swore as he saw who his escort was going to be. He knew this was an escort, for 1. Dumbledore had never once come to his cell, and 2. Dumbledore's wand was pointed at him.
Harry reluctantly obeyed, knowing that disobedience would result in pain that could draw out his inner vampire. "Even though I know sight is not your primary sense now, I am going to blindfold you. Keep as many senses under control as possible. You will not remove your blindfold nor attempt any form of escape unless you wish to feel immense pain. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Predictable. His vision was obscured as Dumbledore immediately blindfolded him with a wave of his wand, then his arms were bound behind his back by an invisible force. Three more people came into the dungeons, walking to Dumbledore and standing at attention by his side. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.
"You will stand still while two of my assistants come in to escort you out," commanded Dumbledore again. Harry nodded, knowing this wasn't the time nor place to spring his plan.
Crabbe and Goyle came in and grabbed an elbow each, handling him roughly (for humans) as they pushed him out of the cell door. They began walking in the direction of the door, Malfoy at the lead and Dumbledore standing in the rear with his wand trained on Harry, his concentration unwavering. Harry instinctively knew they were leading him out onto the grounds, though that thought didn't stem from his conscience. It was as though something was trying to…warn him, as if a part of him already knew what was coming.
"Vampire, we are beginning the vampire execution ritual," said Dumbledore formally. "At sunrise this morning, which shall occur in two hours, you will be executed by sunlight, as per the standard to an honorable vampire execution, in which case your body shall be rid of the curse that has been inflicted upon it. In your last moments you will know great pain and suffering, as I know you would have caused had you been allowed to roam free any longer. It is my only regret that you still have to seem an undeparted piece of Harry's soul residing in your body, for he will unfortunately also have to experience the pain of death by sunlight."
By now they had reached the entrance hall, where Harry had decided would be the best place to execute his plan. He became perfectly still mentally, focusing only on the movement around him and not his swirling thoughts. He fought as hard as he could against the magical cuffs, knowing that Dumbledore would soon see his tense muscles. He shot out some vampire magic at the various weak points he could feel, ducking as the cuffs broke and a stunner shot over his head.
He gripped Crabbe and Goyle's upper arms, pulling on them hard with the intention of slamming their heads together and knocking them out. But despite how weak he felt, he was still infinitely stronger than he had been as a human. Crabbe and Goyle let out bloodcurdling screams as their arms were ripped off their bodies, their warm blood pumping out of their arteries and splattering Harry's face.
He had to stop as he felt the strongest tug he had yet experienced on his mind, the blood almost sending him over the edge. His brain pounded as he desperately fought off the attack, the darkness threatening to engulf his consciousness whole. He groaned and shuddered as he just barely managed to hold the darkness at bay out of sheer willpower, not ready to give his mind over to some feral being that seemed to reside inside of him.
Soon, he heard a voice…his own voice…call out to him with amusement as the darkness retreated.
Harry didn't know how long he had been immobile, though he knew it had been too long when he tried to move and found that he couldn't. "I warned you, vampire," came Dumbledore's strong voice from behind him, sounding as though that normal twinkle in his eyes was absent. That voice would've scared Harry when he was still human, but now he found it laughable. That didn't strike fear in him…he would show the old man what fear really was.
Harry almost gasped at his thoughts. Maybe some of the darkness had found its way in after all.
Then all his worries were dashed as he was slammed into the wall with force that would have easily killed a human. Every bone on his left side was broken, four of his ribs tore through his lungs, and he dully realized through the pain that it was his voice filling the entrance hall with loud cries of pain. He was slammed feet-first into the ground, his teeth slamming together as the impact ripped through his legs, fracturing bones and tearing ligaments and tendons. But that wasn't the worst part.
He felt something sharp pierce the back of his neck and exit through his throat, agony tearing through him and pain that made the cruciatus curse seem like a small pinch exploding throughout every nerve in his body. He would have screamed the most horrible, agonized scream of his life if the weapon-which Harry instinctively knew was a wooden stake-hadn't torn through his windpipe.
The stake was torn out of him and he dropped to the ground in a heap, a mixture of pain and ecstasy rippling through his body as bones repaired themselves, skin and organs re-knit themselves, and the gaping hole in his neck began to close at a much slower rate. He staggered and struggled as he attempted to stand upright, his brain unsure of pretty much anything, including which way was up, after that immense pain. His senses quickly came back to him as his body continued to heal, his head clearing up as the pain faded to be replaced by a dull throbbing.
Dumbledore was healing the two idiots as Malfoy gaped at them, alternating his gaze between his two cronies and looking at Harry in horror. Harry, despite the amount of pain he was in, couldn't help but grin evilly at Malfoy, who swallowed hard and took an instinctive step away.
"Do not worry, Mr. Malfoy, the vampire will not step out of line again unless he wants two stakes in him this time," said Dumbledore calmly, helping Crabbe and Goyle stand, their arms reattached.
Dumbledore's words didn't reassure Malfoy much, as he took to standing almost twice as far ahead while Crabbe and Goyle stood a good three feet away from Harry. He strutted through the castle proudly, knowing that these pitiful people were now all behind him. Now, if only he could do something about the gems, like Neville and Luna.
Harry obediently walked out onto the grounds with his escort, feeling many eyes on him as he was led to something he could not identify, though he felt that it was very bad for him. He picked out Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who both seemed a tiny bit sad but mostly accepting. The Order was there, though Harry sensed that none of them who knew Harry the best (Moody, Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, etc.) had really determined where their loyalties lie. And then there was Snape, who was exuding smug confidence and glee, the most happiness he believed his professor could experience rolling off of him on waves as he stepped away from the contraption that was awaiting Harry.
"Harry!" A desperate plea rent the air.
"Shut up, stupid girl!" yelled Ron, who was holding said girl with his wand pointed at her.
The girl exuded the most lovely scent, a scent he didn't know how he had gone without for three days. She smelled exquisite, and somehow the feel of her terror and worry only seemed to sweeten it.
Because she's worried about me.
Harry did nothing but smirk directly at Hermione even though he was blindfolded, letting her know that everything was going to be alright even though he didn't feel that way at the moment. He actually felt that things were pretty bleak, with an excess of 20 wizards and witches surrounding him and sunrise only two hours away.
Harry was made immobile again and levitated a short distance away. His back touched a surface and pain ripped through his body, making him want to scream. After a small flinch, though, he remained quiet and still, not wanting to give Dumbledore and Snape the satisfaction. But then 4 stakes pierced him. He grunted with each impact, one each through his wrists and ankles. He was in agony, but once again remained quiet after the grunts.
The blindfold was removed and what immediately caught his eyes was a circle of small, glowing crosses stuck in the ground that he assumed formed a circle around him. He only assumed it was the case since 1. That was the only thing that could stop Shadowalking, and 2. He was staked to a cross. It was a crucifixion.
The bare skin that was touching the cross burned and seethed, while his wrists and ankles were currently staked to said cross. As Dumbledore turned his back to him to face the gathered people, Harry quietly struggled in desperation, realizing that whatever magic had been placed on the stakes kept him from removing them.
He quickly gave up, looking up to find Hermione silently crying as she looked at him from her knees, Ron's wand trained on the back of her head. She was about 30 feet away from him, yet he saw perfectly as she mouthed 'It wasn't me.' And Harry didn't know why he didn't try this when Malfoy had told him that she had confessed, but he felt that she was being one hundred percent truthful. He mouthed back 'I know' and gave her a grim smile, knowing that the illuminated crosses would light up his face enough to let her see.
"We are gathered here this morning," said Dumbledore, addressing the gathered people, "to witness the execution of the vampire that has taken over the body of Harry Potter. It was sad to lose our greatest asset in this upcoming war against Voldemort, and it is the least we can do for the poor boy to let his body rest in peace." Greatest asset, Harry thought angrily. That's all he ever viewed me as, isn't it? "By my calculation, the sun will rise in exactly one hour and forty-eight minutes, and at that time the vampire will burn, leaving nothing behind. Even though the vampire is now residing inside Harry's body, I ask that you treat this as a sort of open-casket funeral and pay your final respects. Mr. Ronald Weasley, even though the girl is a traitor, I will allow her to pay her respects to Harry. Bring her up first, please."
Ron came up and threw her on the ground roughly. Her hands were bound behind her back, so she ended up face-planting. She came up spitting grass out of her mouth, shaking her head to try to dislodge the grass from her hair. Even now, Harry couldn't help but admire her beauty.
"Harry...I…I…" she said, tears in her eyes.
"It's okay, Hermione," said Harry, smiling sadly. "We had a good run. I'll see you again."
"You're going to see me sooner than you think," she said with a grimace. "I'm up next."
Harry almost choked on the air. "Wh-what?"
"I'm a traitor," she said nonchalantly. Harry looked up angrily at Dumbledore, who was smiling pleasantly back at him. Even though he was out of earshot, Harry was sure he knew what conversation they were having. Just as he opened his mouth to yell at the old man he now hated almost as much as Voldemort, Hermione quickly said, "Don't. I just…If you're gone, I don't want to be alive anyway. I'll see you soon."
"You're the best friend I ever had," said Harry, his eyes pooling with tears.
"Same here," she said, chuckling as a few tears ran down her cheeks.
"See you on the other side," said Harry grimly.
"Goodbye, Harry," she said wistfully as Ron came forward to drag her away.
More people came up, but Harry didn't talk to any of them until Lupin arrived in front of him. He sighed and said, "This wasn't exactly how I pictured your graduation."
"Yeah, me neither," said Harry, giving him a grin.
"Harry, I know it's you. I tried to reason with Dumbledore, but..." Lupin trailed off. "If there was anything I could do to help you now, I would. But it looks pretty hopeless."
Harry cracked a smile. "Hey werewolf, you're supposed to be my mortal enemy, aren't you?"
Lupin shook his head with a sad smile on his face. "Only James's son could make a joke like that after he's been turned into a vampire, staked to a cross, and is only an hour and a half away from death."
They stood there in silence for a minute, giving each other grim smiles. Finally, Harry quietly said, "Looks like this is the end, huh?"
Lupin looked down at his feet, which were planted just outside the circle of crosses. "Only in this life," he said sadly.
"You better name a kid after me," he said with a grin. "And if he ends up being a metamorphmagus, make sure he always walks around looking like me."
"Gah, that means I need to have at least four kids now," said Lupin, a twinkle in his eye. "James, Sirius, Lily, and Harry Lupin."
"They'll be fine marauders," said Harry.
They fell silent again. A breeze blew across the grounds, the trees at the edge of the forest, which was only about eighty feet away, rustling. "Goodbye, Harry," said Lupin quietly before walking back to the Order, his fists clenched in his tweed jacket's pockets.
The last person to come up to him was Dumbledore, who solemnly said, "If the small piece of you that still resides in there can hear me, Harry, I am truly sorry for your fate. A tragic life with a tragic ending, to be bitten and taken over by a monster. May your soul rest in peace in the afterlife."
Harry met eyes with his former mentor, hatred burning in his. Without thinking, he spoke what was on his mind. "You're going to die."
"Oh?" he said, amused.
Harry grinned evilly at him, unable to stop himself. "We'll see how well your title as the most powerful wizard alive holds up once your head is lying twenty feet away from your body."
"We'll see how well your arrogance hold up once you're burned to a crisp," replied Dumbledore curtly.
Harry grinned maniacally to himself. Obviously he had managed to strike some sort of nerve in the old man.
Harry squeezed his eyes shut as he realized what had exactly happened just now. His inner vampire seemed to be slowly forcing its way into his brain. His anger triggered it to take control for a second right there. He kept his eyes closed for ten seconds, trying to calm down so he didn't become the monster that he promised Hermione he would never become.
As his eyes were closed, a soft breeze tousled his hair, lightly caressing his face. An owl hooted, grasshoppers chirped. It hadn't really set in until now, but it finally dawned on Harry what was about to happen…what dying really meant. The cool night air, the breeze, the owls, the grasshoppers; they were all something he would never experience for the rest of eternity.
He looked over at the lake, which was shimmering in the moonlight, and thought of all the great things in life. Pumpkin pie, calm days lounging around the grounds, flying…all gone. He would definitely miss flying more than anything else, he thought. Then his eyes met Hermione's and he realized what he'd truly miss most, even if she was going to join him in the afterlife soon. If Hermione wasn't slated to die, she would be the thing he would definitely miss most. Her company, her loyalty, her intelligence, her hugs, her smile, her hair…everything about her, he would miss.
A tear ran down his face and his throat tightened, his body sagging with the weight of his somber attitude. He felt Snape's eyes on him and glared at him. He smiled evilly back, then inspiration seemed to strike. He strode up to Harry and studied him, then opened his mouth to say a no-doubt nasty, snide remark.
But all that came out was a gurgle, then his eyes rolled up into his head. When his body hit the ground, his head rolled a good ten feet away and blood stained the grass. The blood beckoned to Harry, called to him, tempted him with its succulence, and then he knew no more as the darkness swallowed his consciousness.
o.O.o.O.o.O.o
Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock as Snape fell to the ground, his head detached from his body. Nothing she could see had done it; it had happened all on its own. Then a loud, adrenaline-fueled yell came from Harry, drawing her attention back to him. His eyes were squeezed shut, but he was exuding so much power his clothes were billowing around him and the ground was shaking underneath her feet.
"Finally!" he cried, though his voice was deeper and huskier, his eyes shooting open as a blurred figure appeared in front of him. Everyone was looking on in shock-not even Dumbledore had drawn his wand.
The figure was gone and Harry lightly touched down on the ground, his wounds instantly closing. He stepped over the circle of crosses and stretched his legs and arms before cracking his knuckles and neck. "It feels good to finally have control," he said, sounding as though he was in ecstasy.
Hermione jumped as Ron collapsed to the ground beside her, though he still seemed to be alive. Standing behind his body was a thin, pale man that had the hard eyes of a warrior, his face thin and gaunt, decorated with a curled handlebar mustache that Hermione would've associated with a nineteenth-century Spaniard. He was grinning, his vampire fangs flashing in the moonlight.
Hermione's heart raced in fear as she saw the wicked, glinting rapier he was holding, the blade coated in blood. So that was how Snape had been decapitated. This vampire was able to move faster than the human eye could see. She took an instinctive step back and stumbled, falling backwards, her eyes widening in shock as the vampire gently caught her arm and set her back on her feet. He gave her a friendly smile and said with a slight Spanish accent, "Do not worry, I mean you no harm. I know that if I touch you, your friend over there will have my head." He gesticulated at Harry with a nod of his head. "This is his first awakening, is it not?"
"A-awakening?" Hermione asked, her head spinning as she tried to figure out what was going on. This vampire was on Harry's side and didn't want to kill her. If he wanted to, she knew she would already be dead.
"Never mind," he said, watching Harry interestedly. "I can smell that it is. These are always entertaining to watch, so pay close attention."
Hermione nodded numbly, focusing on Harry just as his eyes shot open. They were blood red. And not just his irises, his whole eye was glowing red, no irises, pupils, nothing else but that red.
He smirked and turned to face Dumbledore, who had recovered and was reaching inside his robes for his wand. "We'll see how well my arrogance holds up when I'm burned to a crisp, right?" Harry asked arrogantly, humor lacing his voice. "So much for that."
Hermione gasped as a wooden stake blasted out of the tip Dumbledore's wand, flying straight toward Harry with the speed of a bullet. Harry stretched his arms lazily as the stake passed right through his chest and slammed through Crabbe's throat as he attempted to sneak up behind Harry. Crabbe collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony for a few seconds before going limp.
"Wh-what just happened?" Hermione asked in awe.
"A simple dodge," said the vampire as if it were nothing. "Too fast for human eyes to catch, though." Remembering something, he suddenly gripped Hermione's wrist gently, his ice-cold skin sending a shiver down her spine. She had to resist the urge to instinctively recoil. "Don't be frightened," he said. "I'm only going to channel a bit of my power into you so you can see his movements."
Hermione nodded numbly as everyone but Lupin, Kingsley, and Tonks formed a circle around Harry, wands pointed directly at him. Harry slowly turned around in a circle, posture completely relaxed. "Thirty-six, eh?" He crouched, tensing as he said, "This is going to be fun."
Then all thirty-six of the people surrounding Harry fired spells and stakes at him, carefully making sure that none of their allies were behind him. Even with the vampire's powers flowing through her, Hermione could barely make out the spinning, springing, twirling form that was Harry as he dodged everything shot his way. He was a blur as he dodged, yet somehow he managed to be a graceful blur, making dodging look like an art-form.
The first person to go down was Moody, Harry's fist punching through his chest. Harry spun around a killing curse fired at him and threw Moody so hard at the caster, Sturgis Podmore, that the two of them remained airborne the whole two-hundred feet to the castle, where they impacted with such force that they blew a hole through the stone wall. Hermione knew there was absolutely no possibility that either of them were still alive.
The intensity of the spells fired at Harry increased noticeably, forcing him to move faster. So fast that Hermione could no longer keep up with him, only catching glimpses of him as he stopped to change directions. In fact, he was moving so fast that he seemed to be…
"Is he…teleporting?" Hermione asked herself quietly, though the vampire answered anyway.
"That's not really what it's called," he muttered, also almost more to himself than Hermione. "Our teleportation ability," he explained, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "But no…he can't…only the Master…is he?" He squinted at Harry, his eyes barely tracking his movements. "No," he said with conviction. "He's not Shadowalking, he just kicked his speed up a notch, so fast that even with full vampire powers I can barely track him."
Pansy Parkinson was the next to go down, a swipe of Harry's arm and she was headless, her heart pumping warm blood out of her exposed jugulars. Goyle's throat was ripped out while Harry's other hand slammed into his chest to rip out a rib, which ended up getting speared through Blaise Zabini's head. Harry was laughing like a madman as he killed off the rest, tearing off limbs and punching holes through bodies, finally stopping once it was only him, Dumbledore, and Malfoy left. Lupin, Kingsley, and Tonks seemed to have fled.
The grass was littered with bodies, the grass and Harry's body both drenched in blood. Harry stood calmly, exuding power. Dumbledore stood in a battle stance, wand trained on the monster in front of him. Malfoy cowered in fear, his wand held limply in his hand as he looked at the mangled corpses of his former classmates and Head of House.
Dumbledore said, "Some of those people were Harry's friends, vampire. You dare sully his memory farther?"
"Anybody who raises their wand against me is my enemy," Harry said coolly. "I don't give a damn about that soft, emotional brat's feelings towards anyone. Crying at the face of death. I would've laughed!"
"Please don't kill me!" came a frightened shout from Malfoy, who was on his knees now as tears streamed down his face.
"You beg for mercy?" Harry asked, his muscles tensing. "I grant nothing to a coward!"
Nobody had time to react as Harry suddenly appeared behind Malfoy and punched him straight into the ground with all the power he possessed. The vampire grabbed Hermione and braced them both as a shockwave slammed outward from Harry. Had the vampire not had a hold of her she surely would've been blown all the way to the forest, the wind was so powerful.
When the smoke and dirt had cleared, Hermione looked back up to find nothing but a crater that was a good ten feet in diameter where Malfoy had previously been. Hermione's knees almost gave out, especially when the vampire next to her warily raised his sword instinctively, trying to put something in between himself and the monster that was using Harry's body as a vessel.
"That's what cowards deserve," Harry said quietly as he stepped out of the crater, the blood and dirt blown off of him. "Now it's only me and you, old man," he said with a grin. "You think you still have a chance after what I just did to the other thirty-five?"
Dumbledore, who had casted a shield at the last second, made a confident noise. "You think you're the first vampire I've fought? Those fools were only in the way."
He waved his wand. Harry laughed and said, "You think taking down the apparition ward is going to help? What are you going to do, run?"
"I never retreat when there is a being as evil as you directly in front of me," Dumbledore said calmly.
"To the death, then?" Harry asked, showing a surprising amount of respect.
"I believe that is the only option, vampire," said Dumbledore, also showing respect from one warrior to another.
Harry smirked, then suddenly appeared directly in front of Dumbledore, their noses almost touching. Dumbledore instinctively recoiled, and Harry took the opportunity to rip off his left arm. "Oops," he said with his voice full of humor as Dumbledore apparated to a safe distance and quickly healed his arm, leaving it as a stump.
"You caught me by surprise," said Dumbledore, obviously impressed. "But don't think that the rest of the fight will commence similarly."
He twirled and reappeared a few feet behind Harry, forcing him to duck under a stunner shot at him, then twirl as a stake shot at his crouched form. Harry took a swipe at Dumbledore, who apparated a few feet behind Harry again and attempted to kill him. This process repeated itself a couple times, Dumbledore using his ability to perform ranged attacks to his advantage. He must've forgotten that Harry was also magical, though, as he did nothing when Harry fired a shot of vampire magic in the shape of a bullet at him. It tore right through the older man's stomach, making him groan and double over, barely getting out of the way as Harry took another swipe at him.
"The fool may have fought a vampire before," remarked the vampire standing next to Hermione as the fight continued. "But Harry Potter is more powerful than any vampire alive, except for the master. Even I, the Master's former fifth, would seem like an infant fighting a fully grown man if I was to fight Harry Potter."
Fifth? Hermione wondered to herself numbly as Harry gradually wore Dumbledore down.
The headmaster put up a good fight nonetheless, grazing Harry a few times with stakes shot from his wand. Dumbledore looked just about ready to faint from blood loss when he suddenly smiled at Harry, blood leaking from his mouth.
"I never knew…" he said. "This next spell will end both our lives, vampire!" Dumbledore informed Harry, taking a deep breath and shouting something incomprehensible.
A thousand golden, miniscule cords that gleamed in the moonlight forming what resembled a sort of net shot from Dumbledore's wand and sliced through Harry, who didn't have enough time to dodge, cutting him into tiny bits. The cords slammed into the ground behind him, the earth rippling from the impact.
"Harry!" Hermione cried, but then the image of him disappeared and he was standing several feet to the image's left, a shallow cut on his left arm.
"An after-image," the vampire breathed. "He moved so quickly he left an after-image."
"Wow, it actually managed to touch me," Harry said, mildly impressed, as the wound closed.
Dumbledore dropped to his knees, his wand falling out of his limp hand. He looked to be growing weaker by the second. "Impossible," he said. "Those cords move faster than the speed of light. They were made from the hair of angels, made specifically for killing an evil creature such as yourself."
"The protectors of the afterlife granted him that spell?" the vampire said quietly. "I've only seen it once before. It takes the life of the caster from the amount of sheer power it requires, but is guaranteed to kill your enemy," he explained in awe. "He survived…even where Alucard himself died."
Dumbledore hung his head. "Please kill me, vampire," he said. "If I'm to die, at least grant me the honor of dying in battle."
Harry walked up to the defeated form of his old mentor and tilted his head up, looking into his eyes before snapping his neck mercifully. "You fought well," he told the corpse before turning and walking over towards Hermione.
Ron was stirring, and in a flash Harry was next to them, his fangs sunk in Ron's neck. Hermione watched in horror as Harry fed from him for far longer than he ever did from her, tossing his former friend's body aside after draining him completely.
He sighed contentedly, licking his lips. "Ah, that was good."
Somehow, the vampire next to Hermione seemed to grow paler. "Wait…" he said. "You did all of that on an empty stomach?"
Harry ignored him, brushing himself off. "Bugger. The blood will never come out," he said, looking down at his ruined clothes.
Despite what Hermione had just witnessed, Hermione couldn't help but feel elated that she and Harry had both survived. "Harry!" she cried, flinging herself at him.
A hand connected with her face, knocking her down to the ground. She looked up, tears pooling in her eyes as she took in Harry's imposing form. He looked down at her as if she was a piece of trash. "Don't come near me, woman. I would kill you now if that stupid fool hadn't accepted you as his mate, even if it's still only subconsciously," he said cruelly. "But then I'd have to deal with his pain and suffering. That'll be years of weakness right there. Be grateful, woman, and don't come near me when I'm in control of this body."
"Are you alright, master?" the vampire asked. He was bowing at Harry's feet.
"Of course I'm not bloody alright," Harry snapped angrily. "I did all of that on an empty stomach. I'm going to pass out any second, and I don't think I'll be able to awaken again for a while. Make sure that idiotic other side of me doesn't get us killed while I'm dormant in there," he commanded.
"Yes, master," the vampire said, catching Harry's body as he promptly passed out.
Hermione was still on the ground, fear racing through her body as she looked at Harry. That wasn't the Harry she knew, that was a monster.
"Oh, get over it," said the vampire holding Harry. "Every once in a while your boyfriend's going to be a wild, feral, evil bastard. The rest of the time he'll be normal, though," he said as if he was used to this.
Hermione had always prided herself for being strong. But this situation was more than she could take. Three days in a dungeon prison cell, the fear of death, awakened Harry, fifths, angel hair, and Harry striking her was just more than her brain could handle.
Her eyes closed and she blacked out, the last thing her brain registering was the fact that there were still forty-five minutes until sunrise.
A/N:
Synopsis of the fight: Another vampire (who has a curled handlebar-mustache) came and rescued Harry, who
'awakened' by submitting to his inner vampire, and he ended up killing 36 people including Malfoy, Dumbledore,
and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Harry sucked Ron dry and hit Hermione when she tried to hug him, claiming that the only
reason he didn't kill her was the fact that Harry had already subconsciously chosen her as his mate. Hermione
fainted. ~End~
I know Hermione may seem a tad weak and useless here, but that was just meant to be an educational experience for her. I guarantee you she'll get stronger.
If it seems a little unbelievable and fanciful, remember that I watch a TON of anime, so I have no doubt been influenced by it in my action scenes.
Just to let you all know, in case you're wondering, this story is probably going to shape up to be a sort of Fantasy /Adventure story (hence the adventure genre) and will be unlike many of my stories so far where it's solely based on developing the romance between the two. That's what my other WIP is for. There is going to be a fight against two more powerful beings and they will be violent. There will be romance, too, just not as much as usual. So don't flame me for something along those lines, you've been warned.
And please don't flame me for any OOC stuff going on here. Yes, I realize they're OOC and I did that for a reason. This is kind of like the beginning of a fantasy novel, and there is going to be major character development for both of them (if I pull this off correctly). Yes, the vampire side of Harry is evil now, but you know I'll find a way to make him warm up to Hermione eventually (Or will I? Could be more interesting if I didn't…)
Anyway, despite all that, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter! If not, please let me know why with CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. All you flaming trolls, stay under your bridges please!