Pierced

A/N: Being a seventeen-year-old male, I find that I greatly dislike the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer. And yes, I even read it. Being an avid reader and a lover of fantasy (especially Urban Fantasy), I had to give the series a try because it is such a sensation among people my age. I really didn't like it at all.

But I find that I've played enough video games, read enough books, and watched enough movies concerning vampires to let one book series ruin them for me. So I have no problem writing a Vamp!Harry story. And Harry will benothinglike the Twilight vampires.

Please Enjoy!

"Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood."
-Marie Curie

Pierced

Chapter 1 – Pierced By Fangs

Harry Potter's emerald eyes shot open as he sucked in a deep breath, his hands shaking and sweat running down his face. He jammed his glasses on his face (even though they began sliding down his nose instantly) to look around his near-pitch-black dormitory. He pushed them up again and slowly stood up while trying to calm his pounding heart, his hands still shaking as he opened the door and headed down to the common room and out of the portrait hole.

Once he got out of the castle he took a deep breath of the fresh night air, the coolness and sight of the starry sky effectively calming him. He shook off the foggy remnants of the nightmare (which had been concerning Voldemort, of course) and began taking a long walk that would take him quite ways on the path between the forest and lake, his normal ritual for a night like this.

As he looked up at the millions of stars illuminating the vast infiniteness of the universe, Harry thought about the prophecy again.

How he had to kill Voldemort…or die.

How he had a power that Voldemort didn't know of.

Harry sighed and looked down at his hands as he held them up a bit, wishing he could be one of those millions of stars instead of…whateverhe was. Voldemort had his eye on him. Oddly, it seemed that Dumbledore was doing the same if for different reasons.

Harry was so lost and confused, and would've been completely hopeless had it not been for Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his best friends. They were there for him when he needed them (especially Hermione, though) and he tried to do the same for them, but they all knew that Hermione and Ron paid more attention to his problems than he to theirs. They always said it was okay and that they expected it, but he still felt guilty every time he thought of it.

Harry was so deeply immersed in his thoughts that he didn't even know someone had been watching and following him until he had been knocked out.

---

Harry moaned as he woke up, his head throbbing. He tried to move his hands up to rub his eyes but found that he couldn't move. His eyes shot open and he looked down to see a thick rope binding him to a tree. He looked around at his barely-visible surroundings just to see that he was in a clearing in the forest and that it was still nighttime, which meant that he hadn't been out for long (unless he had missed a whole day…).

A ring of torches flared to life and Harry finally saw his abductor, who was sitting cross-legged a few feet in front of him. She was a beautiful woman who looked to be about 25 years old with long, flowing brown hair, deliciously plump red lips, long legs, a larger-than-average chest, and incredibly pale skin that was offset perfectly by her red satin dress, ruby lipstick, and lightly applied make-up.

As she studied him studying her, Harry found his voice. "Are you a Death Eater?" he asked with no fear in his voice.

The woman's lips lifted up at the corners before she chuckled a deep, throaty chuckle that made Harry's neck hair stand on end and sent a shiver down Harry's spine. "Death Eater?" she asked with humor. "Those weaklings? I have no interest in wizarding wars, petty and uninteresting as they are."

Harry took a moment to digest her words, unable to understand the meaning behind them. The woman stood up and walked up to him, a seductive sway to her hips. She ran one smooth, cold finger along his jaw, sending another shiver along his spine. "But you're not boring, my sweet," she said quietly. "You're a very fine specimen."

Harry could feel the heat rising to his cheeks at her proximity and asked through his dry throat, "What are you doing?"

Her smile turned into a grin as she easily tore off his pajama top, leaving him naked from the waist up. He began stuttering as his face turned crimson, but the woman cut him off. "Shh," she said as she lightly dragged her nails up his abs. "Relax."

Harry tried to fight it off, but he couldn't help his seventeen-year-old hormones as he grew hard. A beautiful woman had him shirtless and was teasing his stomach, how could he have resisted? He fought off his embarrassment and looked his captor in the eye defiantly. She gave him a cute pout and said, "Poor Harry Potter, going to die a virgin."

So she was going to kill him after all. He couldn't let that happen—he had things to do. He said, "Please don't kill me."

She cocked an eyebrow at him as her face became thoughtful. "Give me one good reason…" she said.

Harry swallowed and said, "I have…something I must do."

The woman smiled so broadly that her perfectly white teeth showed for the first time. "I know what you must do, Harry Potter," she said. "I am merely helping you with that task. Whether you live after death is up to you."

"Live…after death?" he asked, confused.

And then her eye teeth grew into long, pointed fangs that applied just a little bit of pressure to her lower lip. Harry surprisingly felt no fear despite the fact that he knew this vampire was about to bite him. "Never lose your will to live," she whispered as she rested her hands on his shoulders.

Harry swallowed hard and asked, "What's your name?"

"Katerina," she whispered before she gave him an impish grin. "Can't let you die without receiving your first kiss, can we?"

She pressed her body and lips against his, her ice cold skin not feeling horrible. He kissed her back, thinking,Eh…What the hell.Even though she was a vampire, she was still soft and had womanly curves, every one of which Harry could feel as she deepened the kiss, pressing herself harder against him. He moaned into her mouth as their tongues met and she smiled against his before moving her way down to his neck, giving it languid kisses and brushing it lightly with her tongue. She whispered, "Live," one more time before Harry felt her fangs touch his pulse point.

He grimaced at the sharp pain as they broke his skin and she began drinking his blood. Then he smiled lazily as it began to feel really good, a mental image of him and Katerina doing very naughty things together playing in his mind.

Katerina smiled against his neck as she felt him grow harder in response to the visions she was projecting into his mind. She continuously injected her vampire magic into his body as his sweet blood filled her mouth and slid down her throat, making her moan in pleasure. The vampire magic would keep his brain functioning and alter his DNA, making his skin paler and flawless but for his scar.

After pulling his sweet nectar into her body for quite a while his pulse became weak and thready, signaling that he was close to dying. She took in a few more mouthfuls before reluctantly pulling away from his neck, licking her lips in satisfaction. Magically infused blood was the best and Harry Potter had the most raw magic out of anyone whose blood she had ever sucked.

She kept her hand over his heart, waiting for him to die, and looked up to see his head hanging limply with a ghost of a smile still on his face. His heart slowed down to nothing and he finally died before his eyes shot open and he began thrashing in pain, bucking against the rope. His fangs grew and shrank a few times and Katerina cut the ropes—his body would be doing a bit more thrashing. And thrash it did as Harry's brain tested its limbs before finally settling down. Now Harry just looked like he was sleeping but for the thin sheen of sweat covering his body as it continued going through its change.

Katerina scooped him easily though she was five inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter than him and carried him back through the forest towards Gryffindor Tower. When she got to the bottom she levitated up to his dormitory window and slipped in. She lightly placed him on his bed and kissed his forehead, looking at him fondly. He had a very tough few months ahead of him, but she knew he could persevere.

She wiped a tear from her cheek as she jumped out of the window and lightly landed on the ground over 100 feet below. She had lived over 1,000 years and sired over 2,000 vampires, yet she had never wanted to see a fledgling's progress more than this one here.

What made her sad was that she wouldn't be seeing this one's progress. She would be too busy being torn to pieces by the Master Vampire.

The Master Vampire may have feared Harry Potter and ordered all vampires to make no contact with him whatsoever, but when she had looked at his sleeping face she couldn't help but feel she did the right thing.

---

Harry woke up groggy the next day, rubbing his eyes as he let out a loud yawn. He charmed his teeth clean as he made his way to the bathroom to shave. Shaving was cool the first time when he was about 15 but now it was just a nuisance.

He lathered the shaving cream on his face and washed the excess off his hands before picking up his razor and gliding it down his jaw line. He looked up at the mirror to make sure there wasn't any hair left there and promptly dropped his razor in shock. There was nothing in the mirror.

Well, not literally nothing, he could see the wall behind him, buthewasn't there. He reached a hand up to touch the mirror to ensure that it was real, only to have his worst fears confirmed when he not only touched the mirror but realized this was the same mirror he had been shaving in front of for two years.

Then the events of last night hit him and he staggered backwards, using the wall behind him for support. He felt his neck where Katerina had bit him only to find there were no marks there. That was confusing to Harry until he remembered that vampires had amazing healing capabilities that would have healed his scar in those remaining five hours of sleep with no problem at all.

He felt his eye teeth to make sure they were normal size, his hands shaking in apprehension. They felt normal-sized and he breathed a quick sigh of relief. At least they weren't always going to be fangs. He concentrated hard and willed his teeth to grow into fangs, gasping as they did so. They pierced his bottom lip and he felt surprisingly little pain before feeling the little holes with his fingers. They healed almost instantly and his fangs shrunk back to normal size when he willed them to shrink again.

He shakily walked into a toilet cubicle and rested his head in his hands as reality set in. How was he going to keep this from everybody? He was pretty sure no parents would want their children going to school with a bloodyvampire! How was he going to feed? How was he going to play Quidditch, especially since he was Quidditch Captain? How was he going to be a normal person? His life was over!

And who could he tell? Ron was definitely a no, the blabbermouth he was. Dumbledore too was a bad idea, for Harry thought the old man was a bit manipulative—no telling what he might do in a situation like this. Hagrid? But no, the man was very loyal to Dumbledore and thought the best of him. He would tell Dumbledore without hesitation, thinking that the Headmaster would do what was best for Harry.

He groaned and stood up, dragging himself out of the bathroom and sighing as he pulled his shirt on, getting ready for the school day. He looked over at Ron, who was laughing and talking to Seamus as he finished getting ready for the school day.

I hope there are pancakes at breakfast today,Harry heard Ron's voice say in his head.

"What?" he asked, looking at Ron oddly.

"Seamus said he tricked his muggle friend into eating ten bogey-flavored jelly beans!" Ron said with a laugh.

"No," said Harry distractedly, "what did you say about pancakes?"

"Pancakes?" asked Ron slowly. "What pancakes? I didn't say anything about pancakes."Has Harry lost it? Did the pressure make him go crazy?Should I—

Harry looked away from Ron and the stream of thoughts stopped, making Harry's eyes go wide. He looked at Seamus, who was tying his left shoe.I wonder if Lavender will want me if I show her how big my arms are.Harry would've laughed if it weren't for the fact that he was in shock over being a vampire and being able to read minds.

He grabbed his bag and stumbled downstairs, shaking his head to try to clear it of all the swirling thoughts and worries. This was shaping up to be the most hectic day of his young life and he didn't like it one bit.

"Harry?" came a worried voice from the common room. Harry looked up to see Hermione Granger, his other best friend. "Harry, are you alright? Why are you so pale?"

"I'm fine," said Harry a bit tersely, wanting a bit of time to himself to sort out everything.

She came up to him and put a soft, warm hand against his forehead. Harry noticed she smelled like vanilla and old parchment as she leaned in close, looking up into his eyes. The powerful scent of fresh blood overwhelmed all of that though and he couldn't help but look at the throbbing jugular on her pale neck. "You're terribly cold," she said, concerned. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I said I'm fine," Harry snapped as he turned around and walked right into a low table, smashing his shins painfully against it. He growled and picked up the 100-pound table with one hand before throwing it clear across the room with ease, spinning back around before it slammed into the wall, smashing into little bits.

Harry left the room and headed down to breakfast, not slowing down as a wide-eyed Hermione struggled to keep up with him. "Harry, what the hellwasthat?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said quietly, a little ashamed of his outburst.

"You threw a table across the common room with one hand and made it look easy!" she exclaimed. "What do you mean 'I don't know what you're talking about'?"

"Adrenaline rush?" Harry said feebly, not wishing to have to try and outwit Hermione (since he knew he would lose anyway).

Luckily, Hermione saw that Harry didn't want to talk about it, so she settled with a "Hmm…" and an arched eyebrow.

As they walked through the halls together silently, Harry was still so deep in thought about what he was going to do about his vampire problem that he failed to notice a window coming up. He hissed as he stepped into the light, the ultraviolet rays of the sun burning his skin. He quickly jumped back and turned around as he clutched his left hand, which had taken the brunt of it.

"Harry, are you alright?" he could hear Hermione's worried voice asking from behind him as he watched the skin heal before his very eyes.

He shuddered as the pain faded away, his skin perfect again. He forced a smile onto his face as he turned around to Hermione and said, "Yep, perfectly fine."

She gave him another skeptical look before glancing at the window and back at him. Then she got a determined look on her face and leaped at Harry, hugging him hard. At first he was confused, but then pain exploded through his chest, ripping through him and tearing at him. He couldn't help but scream, it was ten times worse than a crucio, the burning agony focused on his chest radiating throughout his body. Hermione jumped back from him and he crumpled to the ground clutching his chest and moaning softly.

"Oh my gosh, Harry!" Hermione cried in horror. "I'm so sorry! I didn't think it would hurt that much! There were two shirts between your skin and my cross!"

Ten minutes and she already knows, Harry thought sourly while trying to find the strength to stand. He wanted to snap at her, to yell at her for hurting him, but he was comforted by the fact that she still cared for him even though she knew he was a vampire. So he chuckled and weakly said, "I thought you weren't religious."

"I'm not," said Hermione, who was now crouched next to him. "But my parents are and they sent me this cross last Christmas. I'm not going to not wear it." Then she gave him a sympathetic look and quietly asked, "Harry, what happened?"

Harry stood up on shaky legs and told her all about what had happened the previous night (minus the kiss and the part about him being a virgin). When he was finished, Hermione immediately said, "We can't tell Ron or Dumbledore."

"I agree," said Harry, rubbing his tender chest. Then he laughed a dry, bitter laugh and said, "Don't I have the greatest life ever? Parents dead, maniac wants me dead, and now I'm a vampire. Great. Just great."

"It's not all bad though," said Hermione thoughtfully, "at least not for your fight with Voldemort. Vampires have incredible strength and healing powers. Not to mention their…er, other powers," she said, her cheeks a bit pink.

"Other powers?" asked Harry interestedly. Then he remembered the power he had discovered this morning. "Oh, like mind-reading!" he said. And as he said that he decided he would never use that particular power on her. She, being the wonderful, loyal person she was, deserved her privacy.Now, other people on the other hand…

"Exactly," said Hermione, cutting off his train of thought. "And…er…their powers of seduction," she said, her face now completely red.

"What?" asked Harry incredulously, his cheeks turning a bit pink too.

"Well, it only works on people attracted to the vampire's sex, but basically you exude a scent that those people find incredibly attractive and your physical features are also tailored to their desires," she said quickly while keeping her eyes averted from him. "It's been passed along through natural selection to make hunting easier."

"I see," said Harry thoughtfully, unsure how he would be able to use this power in his fight against Voldemort.

"But that doesn't really matter right now," said Hermione. "Right now we need to figure out how you can still be normal so you aren't found out by the professors. I think they'll be a little less than welcoming if they find out what you've become."

"I agree," replied Harry.

Hermione studied Harry thoughtfully. "Well, first off you have to breathe," said Hermione.

"What?" asked Harry, very confused. "I am breathing."

Hermione arched an eyebrow at him. "Your body breathes for you without your conscious thought because it needs oxygen. Vampires don't need oxygen. You haven't been breathing this whole time," Hermione explained.

"I haven't?" Harry asked redundantly.

Hermione just shook her head in response. Harry forced himself to breathe and immediately knew that as soon as he lost concentration he would stop, for it definitely required concentration. Hermione seemed to see this on his face and frowned before saying, "Keep it up as best you can, but I think we're going to have to hope that no one notices."

At just that moment a thought struck Harry. "Wait a second…can't vampires turn into bats?"

"That's only for muggles who turn into vampires," said Hermione quickly, always eager to share her knowledge. "As a wizard, your magical core…distortsthat certain ability. I'm not sure what the end result would be, but…I think it's best that you just don't attempt it."

"Don't attempt transforming into a bat," said Harry thoughtfully, trying to hide his disappointment that he wouldn't be able to use that particular skill for mischief around the castle.

"I think the most troublesome problem though," said Hermione, "is going to be feeding. You'll have to carry your wand with you so you can obliviate and heal anyone you feed from and—"

"Wait a second," interrupted Harry. "Why can't I just…feed from an animal or something?"

Hermione cocked her head in thought, trying to think of how she could explain it to Harry without making it sound like she wasn't speaking English. "Basically, animals are kind of like…junk food to vampires…except they taste even worse than what's healthy for you: humans. And they're even worse to your health. Your body will quickly deteriorate to a shadow of its former self and within a few months you'll be dead."

"But I don't want to kill anybody!" exclaimed Harry in response.

Hermione rolled her eyes at his guy-ishness. Leave it to a man to jump to conclusions and not think things through logically. "Don't drain the person completely, Harry. If you need to, just take a few mouthfuls from a few people."

"Oh," said Harry. "Brilliant."

Hermione then grabbed Harry's arms and held them tight, squeezing them as she looked up at him with glistening eyes. "And whatever you do, Harry, don't change who you are. Don't become a violent vampire that enjoys killing for the fun of it and thinks he's a god or something. Stay who you are now."

Harry felt choked up as he stared back into Hermione's eyes. He knew that although it would help him keep his secret, that wasn't the reason at all why she had said that. Harry gave her a small, confident grin and said, "I promise on my parents' grave that I'll never change into a monster despite what I am."

"Good," said Hermione firmly before sniffling and wiping the unfallen tears from her eyes.

She grabbed his hand to pull him to class, which was going to start in ten minutes.

I promise you, Hermione.

As long as you promise me to always stand by my side.

A/N: Well, there's Chapter 1. I know it may have seemed a little hectic and a little overloaded with information, but I wanted you to feel just as discombobulated as Harry did. :D

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you review!

A/N: Oh dear, has it really been that long since I posted the first chapter of this fic? I sincerely apologize for the wait, but I can give you a very valid excuse in one very simple equation:

School + Work + Massive Writer’s Block = Quite a While Without Updating.

But my muse seems to have decided to grace me with its presence once more, hopefully for a while this time!

Thank you all for the awesome reviews last chapter!

Please Enjoy!

"My heart is ever at your service."
-William Shakespeare

Chapter 2 – Pierced by Hunger

“Harry?” A short pause. “Harry?”

“Mmm?” said Harry distractedly, exercising his mind-reading powers on Professor Flitwick by trying to see what he was going to say before he said it.

“Harry Potter, look at me right now,” whispered Hermione sternly without stopping her note-taking.

Harry shook his head and blinked a few times to clear his head before giving Hermione his full attention, his eyebrow quirking at the expression of concentration on her face. He had to have seen that expression on her face countless times, but never before had it been so eye-catching to him. There was just something about it that drew him to it and made him want to never look away.

“Harry, look at me and focus,” she snapped, obviously a tiny bit insulted.

“Sorry,” Harry apologized with another shake of his head to clear it. “Focusing now.”

“First off, you need to breathe,” she said. “Almost every girl in your classes stares at you the whole time, and I’m sure at least one of them has to be smart enough to notice that you aren’t breathing.” Harry nodded and took an exaggerated breath, the air feeling foreign and stale in his lungs. “And second, you need to pay attention to the sun. It’s been getting closer and closer to your desk this whole time. If that one girl is smart enough to notice the breathing thing, you can be sure she’ll put two and two together when you start screaming in agony and clutching the piece of you that was burnt.”

Harry almost jumped back in fright as he noticed that the sunlight streaming through the nearest window was touching the edge of his desk. He didn’t want an experience like the one he had had this morning to ever happen again. Other than that Harry was sure Hermione was overestimating the female population of Hogwarts, but she seemed too snappy at the moment to tell her that and plus, better safe than sorry, right?

“Breathe,” Hermione hissed.

Harry quickly took in a breath, feeling like an idiot as he did so. There was no way in hell that that could’ve looked natural in any way. But he felt more than saw Hermione relax next to him, and he really noticed as her pulse slowed down just a bit to a normal rate.

It was surreal to Harry, the powers he had gained. There was the mind-reading, of course, but there was also his heightened senses and strength. He could see even the darkest corner of the room clearly and could taste everything on the air including peoples’ breakfasts just from their exhalations. And those were the two senses affected the least (besides touch; that didn’t seem to have been affected at all). He could smell moods, that’s how he really knew Hermione was feeling a bit irritated, he could smell that Professor Flitwick’s wand had a unicorn hair core, could smell the overwhelming blood nestled nice and safe just under the skin of the 15 students and one professor in the classroom. He could hear Malfoy, who was on the other side of the room, breathing as he stared listlessly out of the window, could hear a fly buzzing just outside said window, could hear Hermione’s pulse throbbing at her throat, carrying her warm blood up to her brain to oxygenate it.

And he could feel.

He could feel the magic thick in the air, thrumming as it manifested and dispersed around the various magic-users in the room. He could feel the overwhelming power laying at ease in his own body, waiting to be released and wreak havoc on all near him. He could feel the muscles and tendons tensing and relaxing in Hermione’s wrist as her quill flew across her parchment. He could feel Lavender Brown staring at the back of his head, feel her intent should she ever have the chance to have her way with him. The implications and revelations this new-found power brought…it was amazing.

It was terrifying.

Hermione, trying to quickly take notes, hurriedly flipped her piece of parchment. A little too hurriedly, in fact, as she didn’t have the best grip on the parchment and ended up giving herself a paper cut. Harry’s breath caught in his throat as he smelled fresh blood for the first time, his mouth watering as he imagined it filling his mouth and sliding down his throat.

Stop it! he commanded himself, gripping his desk so hard in an effort to refrain from thinking of sucking Hermione’s blood that his desk cracked up the middle, his hands the only thing keeping it from falling apart. The sound of the wood of his desk splitting rent the air like a gunshot, startling Professor Flitwick so much that he almost fell off of the chair he was standing on.

“Mr. Potter?” he asked, confused and in shock as he saw what his student had done with his bare hands.

“M-magical discharge,” Harry said hastily as he pulled out his wand with a shaky hand. He would’ve been sweating from the effort had it been possible.

“In seventh year?” Professor Flitwick asked skeptically. “Do you want detention for lying on top of detention for deliberately destroying school property?”

“Please, professor,” said Hermione, her worry not having to be faked at all, “he-he’s just discovered this morning that his aunt that he lives with died.”

Harry could just smell how frightened Hermione was at lying to a professor under the smell of her succulent blood. Her bravery almost redeemed the fact that she had caused the problem in the first place.

Professor Flitwick immediately apologized and asked Harry that he just fix the desk.

“No problem, professor,” Harry replied with a very forced smile. “Reparo.”

A massive amount of magic welled up in him and shot down his arm toward his wand. He tried to stem most of it, fearing that he may actually have a very dangerous magical discharge occur within the next second, but he was too late, it was too far from his own magical core. So he did his best to funnel it, fortunately succeeding in forcing all of it to go through his wand, which started vibrating from the unorthodox amount of magic coming from its master. He felt his spell slam into the desk under it, fixing it and any knick or dent in it. The remaining magic shot into the ground and Harry could feel it fix every crack in the stone floor of the castle within a five-foot radius of him. Luckily, nobody noticed anything out of the ordinary, most of it invisible to those who weren’t specifically looking for it (or feeling it due to recently-acquired vampire powers).

“Holy Merlin,” Harry breathed, staring at his wand as if it was something he’d never seen before and effectively distracting himself from Hermione’s blood for a second.

“Harry, how?...” Hermione started to ask before coming up with the answer on her own.

But those two words brought Harry’s attention back to her and he immediately stiffened up. As Professor Flitwick continued on with lesson, Hermione whispered, “Are you alright, Harry?”

“Heal your paper cut, Hermione,” said Harry through clenched teeth.

“What?” she asked, not expecting that response.

“Heal your paper cut now…please,” Harry added to show that it was urgent.

Hermione quickly snatched up her wand, finally catching on to why Harry looked like he was doing his best to restrain himself from doing something rash. She made a mental note to think more like a vampire when Harry was around as she healed the paper cut.

“Sorry,” she whispered as Harry visibly relaxed.

The class ended and Harry and Hermione left together while Ron stayed back to receive extra homework from Professor Flitwick for doing so poorly on his last quiz.

“So you’re hungry then?” asked Hermione, concerned.

“Bloody starving,” said Harry.

“We’ll have to figure something out,” said Hermione.

“Please be quick,” Harry replied as they arrived at the Great Hall.

They went in before Harry could remember about the sun being excruciatingly painful. As soon as he realized what he had done he cringed, throwing his arms above his head in a vain effort to shield it. Then he slowly relaxed as he realized that there was no pain, he wasn’t burning!

He looked up at the sun in the Great Hall’s ceiling in awe as Hermione grabbed his hand and dragged him to Gryffindor Table, careful to avoid the sunlight streaming through the windows.

“For Merlin’s sake, Harry, act normal!” she scolded him under her breath. “No matter how close to the real thing it is, that sun is artificial, manufactured by magic! Now breathe and pretend to eat, Snape’s looking at you.”

Harry cast his eyes down at the table and put food on his plate as he inhaled and exhaled in what he hoped was an accurate re-creation of breathing. He felt guilt flood him as he smelled the worry and anxiousness exuding from his best friend. He knew that’s why she was being snappy, and it didn’t help that he was making it worse by making stupid mistakes. He opened his mouth to take a bite from a leg of chicken and felt his fangs extend. He quickly bit into the chicken as his eyes snapped to the staff table, where Snape was eyeing him suspiciously. He gagged and coughed up the chicken as it hit his taste buds, his once-favorite lunch item now tasting much like he would imagine a bag of dung would.

What is Potter up to this time? he heard as he made eye contact with Snape once more. He could barely hear his professor’s thoughts over the din of the students in the Great Hall.

“Hermione, why is everyone so loud?” Harry shouted as he continued to focus on reading Snape’s thoughts.

Hermione’s words were drowned out by the cacophony and Harry could just make out Snape’s thoughts. An apparent aversion to sunlight…a disdain for chicken…hmm.

Snape narrowed his eyes at Harry, who did the same back. Harry’s eyes widened, however, as Hermione grabbed his arm and, with a surprising show of strength, hauled him to his feet. As soon as Harry’s concentration was broken the sounds grew in intensity and a plethora of smells assaulted his nose, completely overwhelming his senses. He doubted he would’ve been able to move had Hermione not been steering him towards the exit. The last thing he saw in the Great Hall were Dumbledore’s piercing eyes meeting his, Snape leaning over and whispering something in the Headmaster’s ear.

Hermione pushed Harry into an empty classroom and he (metaphorically) sighed in relief.

“That better?” Hermione asked him with a raised eyebrow.

“Loads,” said Harry, clutching his head as the spinning slowed down. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” said Hermione, her cheeks gaining an almost unnoticeable pink hue. If Harry hadn’t been so hungry at the moment he probably wouldn’t have noticed. “I think the lesson learned here is that you need to avoid big crowds until you’ve learned how to control your senses.”

“Why are my senses so much better though?” asked Harry, hoping there would be a good (and helpful) reason.

“For a couple reasons, the first and foremost being that vampires were designed to hunt humans,” said Hermione. “You’re smarter, stronger, and your senses are much better than they were when you were a human. Basically, your strengths are greater than our strengths and you have strengths where we have weaknesses.”

“Okay…” said Harry slowly, making sure he understood what Hermione was talking about. “And the other reason?”

“Despite your raised intelligence, you’re more…primal now, more driven by whims and urges,” said Hermione, her frustration mounting as she tried to think of how to explain it to Harry better. “You’re closer to nature now, more a part of it. Humans have grown distant with it, lost touch. But vampires are highly in tune with nature, with the Earth. You gain energy from it.”

Harry could feel Hermione growing more and more anxious, so he tried telling a joke to calm her down just a bit. “So I guess that makes all of us a bunch of tree huggers, eh?”

“I never said it was necessarily that kind of relationship,” she replied, her eyebrows furrowing in thought. “It’s more like you gain energy from the darker, more evil side of it. Oh, I don’t know how to explain it right, I don’t think anybody but a vampire could.”

A scowl was on her face and a bit of hair had come loose from her messy ponytail, making her look harrowed and more than a little downtrodden. It pained Harry to see his friend so, especially on account of his well-being. He very lightly gripped Hermione’s upper arms and said, “You need to calm down, Hermione. Everything’s going to be fine, just you wait and see. This is going to be no problem…a piece of cake.”

“No it isn’t, Harry,” said Hermione exasperatedly, voicing Harry’s true opinion. “This is going to be very difficult, both you and I know that.”

“That doesn’t matter one bit,” said Harry stubbornly. “Whatever mess we get into we come out the other side clean as clean can be, both you and I know that.”

Hermione finally cracked a smile and said, “You do have a point there.”

Harry smelled her anxiousness and worry decrease quite a bit to be replaced by an already-dwindling spike of happiness. “Geez, I thought I was going to have to grab you a calming draught.”

Hermione blinked a few times and her eyebrows snapped back to their furrowing as she quickly said, “What did you just say?”

Harry gulped, holding his hands up in front of him in a plaintive gesture. “N-nothing, just kidding.”

“Be quiet, Harry,” said Hermione, not paying any attention to him whatsoever. “Calming draught…potions…that’s it!”

Harry, utterly perplexed at this point, said, “What’s—”

“I’ll see you after class!” Hermione called over shoulder as she hurried in the direction of the library, already out of the classroom.

Harry headed up to the Gryffindor common room for his free period while Hermione went to the library, where Harry knew she would be spending the rest of lunch before going to History of Magic. Harry found it easier to apply himself to his homework than ever before, and he had finished a good chunk of it by the time students began returning to the Gryffindor common room.

“Harry!” Hermione shout-whispered from the portrait hole, waving him over as her eyes darted all over the common room. Harry could smell the anxiety and…elation?...she was emitting. “Harry!”

Harry glanced around as though there could possibly be another Harry in the room before standing up and following Hermione to an empty classroom, not noticing the nosy and jealous eyes tracking him from a dark corner of the common room. Once inside the classroom Hermione cast a locking and silencing charm on the door, granting them complete privacy.

“What’s this all about?” Harry asked her as she gently set her school bag on the professor’s desk.

“It’s…about…” said Hermione slowly and distractedly as she dug through her bag, “…stupid extension charm…these.”

Hermione pulled out several flasks of blood-red potion, expecting that dramatic introduction to be enough to convey her plan to Harry. Harry, in return, just stared at her blankly because he was not familiar with the potion at all.

“Erm…what…what are those?” asked Harry slowly, unsure where Hermione was going with this.

“Blood-replenishing potion,” replied Hermione excitedly.

Harry’s eyebrows furrowed as he digested this piece of information. “For what?” he finally asked.

Hermione scowled at him. “You’re still hungry, are you not?” she asked.

“Well, yeah,” said Harry. “Who are we going to be feeding that to?”

Hermione closed her eyes and exhaled loudly through her nose, though Harry smelled no annoyance from her whatsoever. Actually, unless he was mistaken, he thought he smelled…confidence.

“Colloportus!” Hermione cried as she whipped out her wand again and pointed it at the door.

And it finally dawned on Harry. “What?!” he exclaimed. “You mean…no way!”

“Yes way,” Hermione replied smugly, the corners of her lips lifted in a self-satisfied grin. “Bite me, now.”

“Yeah right,” said Harry, lazily pulling his wand out to unlock the door. “If I’m already having issues just thinking about doing it to any random stranger, why do you think I would ever willingly bite you?”

“Expelliarmus!” Hermione cried, catching a shocked Harry’s wand out of midair.

Then his shock was replaced by the beginning stirrings of anger. “Give me my wand, Hermione. This is stupid.”

“It’s not as if you’re changing me or anything,” said Hermione pleadingly. “You’re just taking a sip—a small bit that’s going to be replaced by the potion. Then we can heal the bite mark and nobody—even us—will be any the wiser!”

“You don’t understand, Hermione,” said Harry with just as much conviction as Hermione. “It’s not just about the blood thing. So give me my wand.”

“Not until you drink my blood,” replied Hermione stubbornly.

“I said no!” Harry shouted loudly, causing Hermione to flinch only the tiniest bit.

“I didn’t want to have to do this,” she said while shaking her head sadly and pulling out a pocket knife.

Harry watched on in horror as she cut the palm of her left hand, allowing quite a bit of blood to be exposed to the air. Harry moaned at the effort it took for him to restrain himself from attacking her, though he did feel his fangs grow into sharp points, preparing for the meal.

“I said no,” said Harry weakly, swallowing the copious amount of saliva that had gathered in his mouth. Her blood smelled absolutely succulent.

Hermione went right up to him and held her hand teasingly under his nostrils, a mischievous smile on her face. Harry’s lips parted as his eyelids drooped, the aroma of her blood was overwhelming, Harry moved his head forward as he lightly grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand even closer to him. He could taste it on his lips, the overpowering, sweet, delicious flavor, her blood filling his mouth as he punctured the smooth skin of her neck.

I won’t…bite…Hermione! yelled what Harry had dubbed his ‘Inner Hero’ (which was actually quite annoying most of the time). “I…said…no!” Harry yelled, gripping Hermione’s shoulders and pushing her up against the wall behind her to try and scare some sense into her and show her he wasn’t kidding.

Except he had forgotten about his vampire strength, resulting in Hermione’s head slamming into the wall.

As Hermione fought off the spots swimming in her vision the last thing she saw before passing out was the look of horror on Harry’s face.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Hermione woke up groggily, though her head was pounding.

The first thing she noticed was that she was in the hospital wing, the pristine white room definitely not helping relieve her headache. For a second she couldn’t remember why she was there or why her head was throbbing, then it all came back to her in a flash.

Harry had accidentally knocked her out, not used to his newly-acquired strength. “Crap,” Hermione muttered under her breath as she stood up on unsteady legs, the spinning room doing nothing to help her sense of balance.

She knew he would be too hard on himself, and quite frankly it was all her fault. If she had just listened to Harry and backed off instead of cornering him and attempting to bait him through anger, this never would’ve happened. She had to get to him before he did something stupid.

“Miss Granger, whatever do you think you’re doing?” asked what Hermione assumed was the hazy figure in front of her.

“I’m fine, Madam Pomfrey. Honestly,” lied Hermione, who took a step around the nurse.

And hit her shin on the next bed.

“I’m not letting you go,” said Madam Pomfrey sternly. And just as Hermione scowled, Madam Pomfrey added, “Until you drink a headache relieving potion.” As Hermione hastily snatched the proffered bottle and drained it, Madam Pomfrey continued. “Nasty bump you had there. How’d you get it?”

So she hadn’t spoken to Harry. Hermione smiled at her and said, “No idea, actually. Must’ve bumped a couple screws loose.”

Madam Pomfrey eyed Hermione skeptically, staring at her with surprisingly shrewd eyes, before finally smiling and saying, “Well, just make sure to take care. Have a good night.”

“Thanks, you too,” Hermione responded before rushing out of the Hospital Wing.

When she arrived in the Gryffindor common room out of breath, it was to find that nobody had seen Harry in quite a while. She pursed her lips in thought for a moment before heading up the stairs to the boys’ rooms, where she entered the seventh years’ dorm to find Harry frantically throwing clothes into his trunk. He must’ve been thinking pretty hard to have not noticed her entry even with his heightened senses.

After watching him for a minute, Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes before asking, “Going somewhere?”

As expected, Harry whipped around and pointed his wand at Hermione’s face, every muscle in his body tense. Once his brain registered who it was he sighed and lowered his wand while Hermione continued to gaze at him piercingly, wishing she could understand why he could be so melodramatic sometimes. Harry sat down on his bed as Hermione continued to stand there with a disapproving frown on her face. Harry cleared his throat a couple times, offering no explanation, before Hermione folded her arms in front of her chest, a sure sign of danger. “I asked you a question,” she said quietly, with little sharpness despite how she was standing.

Harry stood up and looked at Hermione long and hard before reaching a hand out to her shoulder. He stopped just an inch away, though to her it seemed like it was completely out of reach. He closed his hand into a fist and slowly lowered it to his side before whispering, “I’m sorry.”

Hermione’s eyebrows furrowed as she asked, “For what?” in a slightly incredulous tone.

Harry let out a self-deprecating chuckle, the amount of hatred in it almost unbearable to Hermione. “What do you think?” he asked as his tendons began to stand out on his hands from the strength of which he was balling them into fists. “Everything. Hitting your head against the wall, dragging you into my vampire problem…dragging you into all of my problems.”

“You didn’t drag me,” said Hermione softly, pleadingly, her heart breaking as she looked on at her best friend. “I came willingly. We’re in this—”

“Together…yeah, I know,” said Harry sadly. “You and me.”

“And Ron,” Hermione added helpfully.

Harry didn’t respond for a moment, seemingly waging a war with his own brain. Finally, he admitted, “To be honest, since I’m leaving anyway…I sort of wrote Ron off when he abandoned me in the Triwizard Tournament.”

Hermione remained silent following his pronouncement, not sure of how to respond without lying. “Anyway,” said Harry, “it was great while it lasted, but—”

“You’re not leaving,” said Hermione firmly. “And even if you were, it’s not as if we’d never see each other again, so there’s no point in that ‘it was great while it lasted’ rubbish. It is great, Harry! We’re doing great!”

Harry let out another sad laugh. “Hermione, look at me. I’m a vampire. A vampire who feeds on human blood…and goes to a school full of humans.”

“And you’ve done not a thing wrong yet,” said Hermione, turning away from Harry in what seemed like an act of stubbornness but was actually a move to hide her trembling lips.

“I knocked you out!” yelled Harry. “Don’t you get it; I’m not supposed to be here!”

“Here is the safest place for you, Harry!” said Hermione angrily as she turned around, not caring if Harry saw the tears pooling in her eyes. “Don’t you understand what life is going to be like if you leave?”

“Of course I do,” said Harry. “But even if here is a safe place for me, it’s not safe for anyone else!”

“Then train yourself in self-control!” replied Hermione. “Leaving’s not going to solve anything!

“Leaving will solve everything!” said Harry with absolute conviction as he locked his trunk.

Hermione darted in front of the door. “I’m not letting you go,” she said quietly.

“Please move, Hermione,” said Harry wearily, knowing firsthand that Hermione’s stubbornness was legendary.

Thus, what she said next shocked him. “Not until you tell me the real reason you’re leaving.”

Harry narrowed his eyes at her, trying to take her attention away from how his instinctive swallow at having been found out. “I did tell you the real reason I was leaving. Now please move.”

“Those reasons may have been real, yes, but I want the main reason you’re leaving,” she said sternly.

Harry sighed, yet held her eyes as he said, “I…I don’t want to hurt you again.”

“You idiot,” Hermione whispered as she shook her head. “Don’t you see that doing this is going to cause me more pain than anything you could accidentally…or purposefully…do to me physically?”

“Yeah, but…but…” said Harry, unable to come up with a response.

“But what?” asked Hermione, her voice breaking and her tears finally falling. “You won’t have to see the look of pain on my face?” She furiously swiped at her tears and moved away from the doorway, pointing through it. “Just go,” she whispered. Harry opened his mouth to say something, most likely an apology, but Hermione said, “You promised me you wouldn’t change. You promised you’d stay the same! But the Harry I knew would never back down when the going got tough…the Harry I knew was never a coward. So just go, before I…before I…”

Hermione couldn’t talk anymore from the tears burning her throat and as her legs gave out Harry caught her, holding her close to him. She clutched his shirt and cried into it, staining it with her sadness as Harry held her and rubbed her back, promising her he wasn’t leaving. Her tears of sadness turned into those of relief and her grip on him slackened, though it felt even tighter than before.

As her tears subsided she pulled away from Harry, more than a little embarrassed that he had seen her be so emotional, a side of her she hadn’t ever really let anybody see. Eventually her tears turned into sniffling as she rubbed her eyes, now itchy and sore from the crying.

Harry, also a little on the embarrassed side, broke the silence by asking, “How would I go about training?”

Hermione, her voice a bit hoarse, replied, “I’m not completely sure, but if I were you I would go into the forest and work on getting to know my own body better.”

“So…school, plus homework, plus the stress of trying to hide the fact that I’m a vampire, plus training,” said Harry slowly, making sure he got everything. “There’s just not enough time in the day!”

“What about the night?” asked Hermione.

“What about it?” Harry asked. “I’ll be sleeping!”

“Harry, do you ever pay attention in class?” asked Hermione rhetorically. “I mean, one would think vampires would be cool enough to get a boy to listen.” Harry opened his mouth to defend himself but Hermione quickly cut him off. “Anyway, if you had been paying attention, you would’ve heard that due to a vampire’s astounding regenerative capabilities they never need to sleep. They never get tired.”

“Really?” said Harry as he held his hands in front of his body and looked down at them, amazed. “That’s awesome! I’ll start training tonight then!”

Hermione quickly steeled herself for another onslaught before saying, “You can’t go training on an empty stomach…”

Harry’s shoulders dropped as he let out a sigh. He stood in the same spot for a long moment, thinking, before he said, “Hermione…”

“Please, Harry, you need to feed,” said Hermione pleadingly. “You haven’t eaten all day! It’s perfectly safe! The only thing that’ll hurt is he initial puncture; after that you can use your vampire anesthetic. My blood-replenishing potions and a quick healing charm will take care of the rest.”

“Hermione, I don’t…” said Harry, letting his sentence drop off at the end again.

Hermione grabbed his wrists, looked him in the eye, and quietly said, “Please.”

Harry’s lips pressed into a thin line as he furiously thought over the potential risks. “Fine,” he finally said, knowing he would never win against her.

Hermione summoned her potions and unstoppered them as Harry willed his fangs to extend, finding it much easier to do so now that he was hungry. Hermione took in a deep breath and asked, “You ready?”

Harry nodded stiffly, clearly nervous about what he was about to do. “Go for it,” Hermione said, giving him encouragement.

Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly before licking his lips and reaching his arms out to lightly hold her behind the neck and her back, causing her cheeks to heat up a little. She felt the fangs press against her neck, then…

What felt like a sharp pinch as Harry’s fangs entered her neck, followed by a feeling of weightlessness and calm as the anesthetic went to work. Oddly enough, as Harry sucked her blood she saw herself graduating Hogwarts as valedictorian, Professor McGonagall shaking her hand as the Scottish professor handed her favorite student her diploma.

Harry was in heaven as Hermione’s sweet blood filled his mouth and slid down his throat. It truly was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. He carefully took his hand away from Hermione’s back and grabbed one of the potions before slowly, carefully bringing it up to her mouth and tipping it in. Harry felt her throat work as she swallowed it, and Harry drank a few more mouthfuls before detaching, the taste of Hermione’s blood still on his lips and tongue.

Hermione was broken from the vision, though the smile still lingered on her face. She felt her warm blood running down her neck and looked over at Harry to find him staring wide-eyed at it. She could tell he wasn’t hungry any more, just appalled as the fact set in that he had actually drank the blood of a human being.

Hermione smiled at him and healed the puncture marks before cleaning the blood off of her skin with a quick swish of her wand, leaving absolutely no evidence that Harry had ever fed from her. Harry was still staring at her neck, staying so still that had Hermione not known better she would’ve thought he was dead, so Hermione asked, “Everything better, Harry?”

Harry shook his head quickly, ridding his head of the thoughts that had been occupying it, before happily saying, “I feel great! You?”

“Absolutely fine,” Hermione replied with a smile.

“I’m going to go out and train,” Harry said with determination, his eyes matching his voice.

“Sounds good,” Hermione replied. “I’m going to bed. I’m tired.”

Hermione left the room, giving Harry one last smile before shutting the door behind her.

Harry jumped out of the window and landed on his feet with ease before darting into the forest to learn how his body worked.

Not once did Hermione’s last smile to him ever leave his mind.

A/N: Okay, I know there was quite a bit of drama. And I promise you, right here, right now, that that’s pretty much it in that department. I wanted there to be at least a bit, but now that that’s behind us all, we can get away from the intro/info chapters and into the action/adventure/romance chapters! Yay, I can’t wait!

Thanks for reading and I hope you review!

A/N: More than one story, writer’s block, and school. Not to mention being sick…I’m serious this time; expect quicker updates (assuming my life doesn’t get messed up again)!

If you don’t like Manipulative! Dumbledore / Evil(-ish)!Dumbledore, then turn back now! Also, BARELY-superpowered Harry coming up next chapter. And heed the rated M: This story is going to be VIOLENT.

Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.
-Peter T. Mcintyre

Pierced By Betrayal

“He is becoming confident in his powers,” the man shrouded in shadow said, his hair hanging in front of his eyes.

“I know,” the other man said, pinching the bridge of his nose. His half-moon spectacles glinted eerily in the moonlight. “It is thanks to your legilimency that he has not yet discovered that we know his secret.”

“I think it also has to do with his arrogance,” the first man said with a malicious sneer on his face. “Always arrogant.”

“We must move before it is too late. He must be killed,” the man said gravely, stroking his white beard. “He cannot be the face that everyone looks up to if he is undead. It is unacceptable. Not to mention what might happen once he defeats the Dark Lord. It’s too risky to keep him alive.”

“Agreed,” the man in shadow said, his sneer growing into a nasty grin. “How shall we do it? A stake to the heart while he’s in class?”

The older man heaved a great sigh and said, “No matter what sort of feral animal he is now, the vampire was the great Harry Potter at one point. It would not be right to dispose of him in such a dishonorable way. We shall give him a full vampire sacrificial ritual.”

The man in shadow grimaced, his thought of the idea very clearly displayed on his face. “I understand,” he finally said, trying to suppress the anger in his voice. “I will capture him as soon as possible, along with the girl.”

“Good,” the man with the spectacles and beard said, his eyes now glinting along with his spectacles. No moonlight could make a man’s eyes glint in that manner. “And Severus, be careful.”

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Hermione glanced around at the edges of where the light was shining from her wand. She was breathing as quietly as possible as she made sure to quietly walk for the edge of the forest. Once she got there she would be home free. She gasped and whirled around as she heard a twig snap behind her, only to see nothing. She swallowed hard and took a step forward while continuing to look over her shoulder, grunting as her foot caught on a root. She braced herself for impact, cringing and drawing her hands in to her chest to prevent a broken wrist. But then a pair of strong arms caught her and her eyes shot open to find a pair of familiar green ones gazing right back, a grin on his face. She felt her face heat up and her heart rate spike, a lazy smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Harry cleared his throat and stood Hermione on her feet, sure that he would be blushing brilliantly if he could. Since being turned into a vampire two weeks ago he had really begun to notice Hermione in a more-than-platonic-manner, paying attention to everything from her long, thin legs to her flared, womanly hips, flat stomach, plump lips, not-quite-bushy hair, and even her slightly-smaller-than-average but noticeable, attractive chest. And he didn’t know if it was her shampoo or bath soap or just her natural scent, but some smell that he couldn’t quite put his finger on was just so…intoxicating.

Hermione swallowed, trying to coax some moisture into her dry throat, and shakily said, “G-good job, Harry. You’ve improved so much in the past week.”

Harry grinned and softly kicked at the ground, the praise making him feel warm. He trained every night, focusing on both finer skills such as controlling his massive strength for the purpose of blending in and amplifying all of his powers in preparation for the upcoming fight against Voldemort. Hermione assisted him in his exercises every other night, usually not getting in bed until one or two in the morning. She and Harry would go deep into the forest and he would count to one hundred to give Hermione a head start, then go after her. If she made it out of the forest or managed to stun him before he could touch her, she would win, and if he managed to get to her before she stunned him, he would win. It was the first time Harry had won and he was elated, even if it was only because she had tripped and fell.

Day by day he was growing more confident in his powers and his self-control, a routine setting into place that involved Hermione letting him feed from her two or three times a day. He had yet to feed from anybody else, knowing that Hermione trusted him and he wasn’t forcing anybody to do anything against their will. His self-control had increased exponentially along with the knowledge of how strong he was, allowing him to blend in more easily (not to mention the fact that forcing himself to breathe was now becoming second nature to him).

Harry came out of his thoughts to find Hermione staring at him oddly; he had been standing in the same spot without moving for over a minute now, after all. He cleared his throat and said, “Erm…shall we go back, then?”

“Good idea,” Hermione said, starting back towards the castle, her heart still pounding. This past two weeks had also been very eye-opening for her in terms of her relationship with Harry. Despite the fact that he was a vampire, she was beginning to find herself more attracted to her best friend than ever. He knew she would never hurt him, and he had the looks and a slightly-different, more serious and quiet personality than ever. For some reason she found that very attractive.

They walked in silence all the way up to the castle, Hermione thinking about the trials to come as Harry tried to smell what mood she was in, keeping quiet when he realized she was in her ‘immersed in thought’ mood.

Hermione stopped him as they were passing by the base of Gryffindor Tower. “Harry, wait,” she said, looking up at the common room window. “Have you been working on your levitation at all?”

Harry suppressed a groan as he looked up at the window, too. Ever since he had fallen out of a high tree and ended up floating a foot off the ground as Hermione screamed in fright, she had been continuously pushing him to work on his levitation skill. It was almost as bad as when she nagged him about homework. Harry hadn’t been working on it at all because it was unnerving to him to be flying with nothing supporting him. At least when he was riding a broom he knew what he was doing and knew how to control it. When he was using his vampire magic to fly he was flying on will and power alone with nothing between him and the ground. The fear wasn’t really logical considering that 1. He wasn’t relying on anything but himself to keep him from being a smear on the ground and 2. A broom really wasn’t that much protection if he really thought about it.

Nevertheless, he didn’t wish to see Hermione’s disappointment when he said no. So, logically, he said, “Sure have!” enthusiastically.

“Great!” she said excitedly. “Let me see it! It would be great if we could just go straight up there, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah,” said Harry weakly. Here goes nothing, he thought, clearing his mind and focusing on his magic pushing through his feet against gravity.

Nothing happened after a couple minutes and he began sweating (figuratively, of course), fearing Hermione would see through his lie. He gave one final, desperate push and wobbled as he rose into the air, his eyes shooting open in shock. It was the first time he had willingly levitated and he made sure not to act too surprised, putting a smug expression on his face as he nervously tried to gently let himself down from 10 feet up, failing as he fell to the ground in a heap.

When he stood back up with an apologetic smile on his face it was to find Hermione tapping her foot and giving him a disapproving look. “Harry, I’m going to ask you again,” she said sternly, making Harry’s smile falter. “Did you practice your levitation?”

Harry swallowed hard, knowing he had definitely been figured out. “No,” he whispered, casting his eyes at the ground.

He heard Hermione take a deep breath and she brushed past him, making his heart clench. She seemed to be more sad than angry, which made Harry confused. Why would she be sad? “Hermione,” he said, making a grab for her arm. She pulled her arm away, a look of utter disappointment on her face. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know that my levitation practice was that big of a deal to you. I-I’ll practice.”

“I do care about you honing all of your powers, Harry, I really do,” she said quietly. “But that’s not what’s bothering me.”

“What is it, then?” he asked, feeling slightly reassured when he grabbed for her hand and she didn’t pull away. She didn’t make any move at all, though, which wasn’t exactly the best of signs.

“I…I’ve helped you, stuck by your side, and I help train you,” said Hermione solemnly. “Do you know how much it hurts that you feel the need to lie to me?”

The words were like an icy knife through Harry’s heart as a thousand pound weight seemed to grow in his chest. “I-I don’t—”

“But you just did,” said Hermione. “If you haven’t practiced something, then fine. I just wish you could trust me enough to tell the truth.”

Harry had to suppress a smile despite the situation. “Erm…it wasn’t exactly a trust issue, Hermione.”

“Then what was it?” she asked in genuine confusion, her impatience growing.

“I hate disappointing you and I was afraid you were going to chew me out,” Harry explained with a tentative smile.

Hermione wasn’t smiling. “Well, you made me twice as disappointed as I would’ve been by lying to me. And about the chewing out thing. When I was younger, I was definitely more mature than you and Ron combined,” said Hermione. Harry nodded in agreement; it was true. “But now…now we’re adults. I’ve tried to ingrain hard work into your head for six years and now it’s up to you to decide where you want to go in life. If you don’t want to work hard, that’s fine. I just wish…I-I just wish that if you can’t work hard enough for yourself, than can I be selfish and ask that you work hard for me?” Harry felt his throat tightening. “Because I don’t know what I would do if you died.”

Harry raspily said, “I already have died,” trying to lighten the atmosphere just a bit.

Hermione let out a small laugh as she wiped the tears out of her eyes. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. I…I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you,” she admitted quietly.

Harry sighed and said, “Even when you’re not chewing me out you somehow manage to make me promise to work harder.”

Hermione gave him a small smile and a gentle hug, linking her arm through his as he tossed the invisibility cloak over the two of them. It was weird to think that just five years ago, the two of them plus Ron could fit under the cloak with room to spare. Now it was a very tight fit with just two of them.

They quietly walked up to Gryffindor Tower and Hermione gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek before going up the girls’ stairs to go to bed.

Harry pulled out his wand and summoned the books he had regarding vampires that he had checked out from the library, not to mention a few that he had stolen from the restricted section. He had to discover if he had any more hidden powers. The possible power he was most interested in was the power of transformation, the only reference of which he had found had been referring to the muggle vampires transforming into bats. There was nothing on magical vampire transformation except for the fact that the consequences were unknown, thus the process was exceedingly dangerous.

The book he had found the most interesting so far but the least helpful was titled: 5,000 Little Known Facts about Magical Creatures. He had learned very much from it about all magical creatures but there seemed to be no organization to it, making him at least glance at every single fact to find out if it concerned information about vampires. He had read about half of it the night before and decided to try to finish it this night, flipping through page after page and only coming across a handful of vampire facts.

He came across three total, in fact, the first two of which he already knew. The last one, however, was both interesting and confusing.

Vampires are the only known magical species that are able to Shadowalk. This quality makes them nearly invincible in the dark and can only be counteracted by forming a ring of luminescent crosses around the vampire. It is the only form of ward that can hold back vampire magic at all, yet it is highly ineffective unless the vampire is restrained, for they can simply jump out of the ring.

“Shadowalk?” Harry muttered to himself, pulling out the wizarding terminology dictionary.

He quickly flipped to ‘S’ and tried to find the word ‘Shadowalk’, only to come up with nothing. He then tried to find ‘Shadow Walk’, only to come up short again. He went to the ‘W’s in a final, desperate attempt to look up the word, searching for ‘Walk, Shadow’ only to find nothing once more.

With an annoyed growl he slammed the book shut once more, scowling as he saw the sunlight filtering through the window on his left. It was early morning, meaning he would have to go to school while constantly having to pay attention to where the sun’s rays were and making sure he was breathing and making sure he kept his hunger in check and constantly watch Snape and Dumbledore to make sure they weren’t catching onto him. If it had been possible for him to tire, Harry would’ve been absolutely exhausted after every school day.

He fluidly moved up the stairs and grabbed his school bag, stopping when he met Ron’s surprisingly shrewd eyes, which narrowed almost to the point that they were slits.

“So, Harry…” he said, trailing off.

“So, Ron…” replied Harry a tad awkwardly, wondering what his friend wanted.

“I see you didn’t come to bed last night…just like every night for the past week,” said Ron with a strained smile on his face.

“Oh yeah,” said Harry, trying to blow it off. “My nightmares have been getting worse at night and I’ve been sleeping in the Room of Requirement so I don’t wake you guys up.”

Ron looked at him in disbelief. “That’s why I saw you and Hermione walking out of the forest together last night,” he said knowingly.

Once again, if Harry could’ve blushed he would’ve. “That was nothing,” he said quickly and defensively.

Suddenly, Ron’s face contorted into an expression of rage. “You don’t feel guilty at all that you’re fucking your best friend’s woman behind his back?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Ron,” said Harry. “Hang on a second. You think I’m doing…that…with Hermione?” he asked incredulously. “We’re not even like that, and you aren’t either, which means you have no claim on her.” He smelled Ron’s figurative hackles rising, the challenge to be the alpha when it came to Hermione rising. The other boys, who were getting dressed, stopped to watch the show. Harry knew that if Hermione heard what he was going to say next she would slap the piss out of him, but Ron needed to be taught a lesson. He was getting annoying and cruel towards Harry and he needed to learn his place. Not to mention the fact that testosterone levels were high and boys tended to do stupid things when that happened. “And trust me, if I was fucking Hermione you would notice because she would be walking funny.”

Ron’s face turned beet red as Seamus and Dean laughed raucously. “Yeah, w-well…” Ron had nothing, and idiotically shouted the first thing that came to mind, “well you can fuck that little slut all you want, because that’s all she is! I don’t care!”

Harry stepped up to him so their chests were almost touching, going deathly silent. “What did you just call her?” he said quietly. Dean and Seamus were holding their breath as Neville shook in fright.

Harry was definitely exuding an evil aura, but Ron was too arrogant and confident to notice as he looked down on his shorter rival. “You heard me,” he replied quietly, bunching his fist at his side. Harry could smell the change in his mood and tapped into his thoughts. “You want to make something of this?” If he says yes, I’m going right hook.

“I’ll beat the shit out of anyone who calls Hermione a slut,” said Harry, lowering his head in preparation for the imminent fight.

Harry ducked as Ron’s bunched fist sailed over his head, throwing him off-balance. Harry stuck out his foot and gave Ron the tiniest bump, sending him crashing to the ground. He didn’t want to hurt Ron too badly despite what he said about Hermione, and hoped that he might have noticed the vast difference in their power.

But Ron stood back up. I’ll just knee him in the stomach! Harry sidestepped, staying completely serious and bringing his hands behind his back. The middle of the dorm was pretty spacious and the Seamus and Dean cheered them on as Harry lazily dodged move after move, aggravating Ron by gently poking him while simultaneously dodging his attacks.

Ron was breathing and hard and stopped swinging for a second to say, “I can tell you haven’t fucked her.” He stopped to take a few more breaths. “You haven’t even thrown one punch. You aren’t a real man anyway. Just another pussy.”

Harry didn’t know why, but he let the remark get to him. Had it been anybody else, he probably would’ve just laughed it off. But because it came from Ron, a former friend who he had been close to and still considered at least a small part of the trio despite what he had told Hermione a few weeks ago, it cut deep.

So when Ron threw his hardest haymaker at Harry he ducked and drove an uppercut straight into Ron’s gut, hitting him so hard that his feet left the ground. His breath left him in a whoosh and Harry smelled that he was in pain as Ron crumpled to his knees, somehow finding the strength to stand back up. “Looks like the little girl might just be a woman after all.”

Seamus and Dean were in shock following Ron’s words and Neville covered his eyes, not wishing to witness another death. Harry caught Ron’s speeding fist in his palm, smirking at him as his eyes flashed red. He brought his leg up and kicked down swiftly at the top of Ron’s kneecap, the taller boy crying out as the force made his knee let out a sickening crack and his leg bend backward. Neville, who had been peeking through his fingers, had completely emptied the contents of his stomach before Ron had hit the ground screaming in agony, and both Dean and Seamus turned a bit green themselves.

Harry stood over Ron, no remorse whatsoever in his eyes, and coldly said, “Between you and me, it looks like you’re the one who screams like a woman.”

He walked out of the dorm with three pairs of eyes watching his back in awe. He headed down to the common room and out the door, not slowing down when Hermione called, “Harry, wait up!”

Harry’s shoulders slowly hunched and he was sure people were staring at him as he walked past them, the fact that he had just broken Ron’s leg without a second thought threatening to make him gag now that his adrenaline had died down. As soon as Hermione had caught up to him and touched his arm, he slowly looked over at her with wide eyes.

“Harry, are you okay?” she asked with concern filling her beautiful brown eyes.

Harry wordlessly dragged Hermione into an empty classroom and spilled his guts, even telling her about what he had said about her (“I don’t know what made me say it, I didn’t even mean it! It just seemed like the best thing to say at the time!”) to which she surprisingly responded without anger (“I understand. You were subconsciously staking both your territory and dominance. Your natural teenage tendency to do that has been amplified by your vampire nature.”).

“But wait,” said Harry, confused. “You’re not my territory. I don’t even think of you like that.”

Hermione tried to hide her emotions, forgetting that Harry could easily feel that she was slightly disappointed and confused as to why. “It doesn’t have to be romantic,” explained Hermione. “It’s just…trust me, part of you was claiming me as yours.”

Harry nodded and continued, finishing with when he left the dorm. “The worst part, Hermione,” he said, slightly afraid, “is that a tiny part of me enjoyed it. I enjoyed having that much power, and I enjoyed beating the crap out of him. I enjoyed the fact that I knew that there was no way he could beat me, and I enjoyed toying with him.”

Harry knew this greatly concerned Hermione, whose eyebrows furrowed in thought. “You…you just need to work on your self-control,” she said almost unconvincingly. “Don’t make beating people up a habit and if you do have to, try finishing it as quickly as possible.”

Harry sighed and nodded, surprising Hermione when he wrapped her in a tender hug. “Thanks, Hermione,” he said into her hair. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’d be lost,” she said truthfully, not boasting at all.

“I know,” he said with a grin on his face. Then he said, “Sorry I made you miss breakfast.”

“It’s alright,” Hermione replied, stepping away from him and hoisting her bag higher up on her shoulder. “I can eat my apple really quickly after potions.”

Harry nodded and exited the room with Hermione, heading down to the dungeons to attend their potions class. They sat side-by-side right next to the exit, just as always.

Harry’s eyebrows met in the middle as he smelled the classroom, an unidentified scent filling his nostrils. Snape had a twisted grin on his face and a vial of clear liquid on his desk, his eyes flicking in Harry’s direction more than once before he had even sat down.

“Something weird is going on, Hermione,” said Harry under his breath, giving her hand a quick squeeze to let her know that it might’ve been a little more than weird. “I think we might be in danger.”

“You think Snape found out?” Hermione asked as she pulled out her potions notebook, trying to act natural.

“I don’t know,” said Harry slowly, the room seeming to grow smaller. “All I do know is that Snape keeps looking at me weird.”

“That isn’t weird though, is it?” asked Hermione, looking around to find everything normal. Both the Slytherins and Gryffindors were chatting with their friends as they took their potions supplies out, acting as they always did. Dust clung to almost everything as always, one of the selling points of Snape’s classroom. And pickled things were floating in their jars as usual. Everything seemed to be normal from what she could tell. Even Snape’s malicious grin as his eyes kept settling on Harry wasn’t anything to get nervous about.

“I don’t like the feeling of this,” said Harry. “Something’s wrong.”

Hermione’s hand squeezed his under the table reassuringly. “Calm down, Harry. Maybe Professor Snape just has a particularly horrible lesson planned for us. Everything is fine.”

Harry relaxed a bit, though his eyes didn’t stop flicking from place to place. “Yeah…” he said slowly. “Maybe you’re right.”

He pulled out his potions kit and went to work on setting it up, feeling Snape’s eyes in him every few seconds. If he had been so determined to not look at his vile potions professor, he would have noticed him surreptitiously sliding his wand out of a pocket hidden in the back of his robes.

“Today, class,” he said a little more cheerily than normal, “we’re going to learn how to brew holy water.”

Hermione, who must’ve paid more attention to Harry’s mood than he had thought, immediately jumped out of her seat, wand at the ready. But Snape was prepared, immediately blasting her back with a shouted, “Stupefy!” She was slammed back into the stone wall by the force of the spell, making Harry cringe as he heard a snapping sound.

He shot another one at Harry as most of the class screamed and drew their wands out in response, the Gryffindors pointing theirs at Snape while the Slytherins pointed theirs at Harry, who instinctively shot his hand out to ward the hex away, almost crying out in surprise as a black, smoky substance materialized around his hand and deflected the stunning spell. Vampire magic. The deflected stunner hit Malfoy square in the face, sending him crashing into the potions supply cabinet and knocking it down.

Harry looked down at his hand in shock as the black smoke (which actually had small purple lights floating through it, making it look like the night sky) dissipated, quickly whipping out his wand as he reflexively rolled under another stunner. Harry fired a return stunner as he stumbled along the wall to the door, feeling behind him with one hand as he kept his eyes on his opponent. Snape snatched up the vial of clear liquid and advanced on him, unstoppering it as Harry found the doorknob and turned it.

Everything seemed to go in slow-motion as Snape flung the contents of the vial in Harry’s direction, the clear liquid glistening despite the dim light. Harry sprang out of the small opening caused by him opening the door, but cried out in agony as a single drop hit the back of his left hand. He stumbled through the hallway, mentally apologizing to Hermione for leaving her behind (he knew she wouldn’t be punished too badly) and physically cringing as he looked at the back of his hand, where what Harry now knew was holy water ate its way through his skin like acid.

The wound healed slower than normal, more painfully than normal as he clutched his hand and raced through the hallways, not knowing where he was going to go. It was daylight out, so there was no way he could make a break for the forest. He couldn’t apparate through the apparition wards and felt for some reason that if he knew how to Shadowalk he would’ve been fine. But right now his best course of action was to find Professor McGonagall, who he had an odd feeling would help and shelter him if only he could get to her.

He practically flew through the halls, appearing as a blur to Filch and Mrs. Norris, who were patrolling. His senses were kicked into overdrive as he weaved through the shafts of sunlight streaming in through the windows while his nose and ears simultaneously tried to locate any reinforcements coming to help Snape.

If only he had been in any other class, McGonagall’s classroom wouldn’t have been on the other side of the school. If only he had been in any other class, he mused, he would be boredly reading the professor’s mind while Hermione diligently took notes next to him instead of running for his life.

But that didn’t matter at the moment as Harry took a corner at breakneck speed, wishing he hadn’t taken the fastest route as Dumbledore came into view, a giant cross made of magic behind him. Harry quickly turned back the way he came to escape that way, but another cross appeared to block his exit.

He turned around to face Dumbledore, whose wand was trained on him. One false move and Harry knew he would be going from ‘undead’ to just plain ‘dead’.

“So, vampire,” said Dumbledore, the usual kind twinkle in his eyes absent. “It is here that you meet your end.”

Harry couldn’t help but think that he had been right to not tell Dumbledore. Harry sighed, preparing himself to hurt his former mentor who now viewed him as a stranger. “No, Professor,” said Harry with more confidence than he felt. “I can’t allow that to happen. I still have tasks that I must accomplish.”

Dumbledore’s eyes softened as he said, “I see Harry somehow managed to find a way to keep at least the smallest part of himself present inside your feral brain. Don’t worry, Harry. I will slay this monster and let you rest in peace.”

For a second Harry thought he was in a weird dream, then realized that even someone as grand and wise as Dumbledore could be swayed by popular belief. Harry would have to knock Dumbledore out for the good of all mankind. He needed to stop Voldemort no matter the cost.

Harry shot towards Dumbledore, just barely managing to duck as a stunner shot right over his head. Dumbledore then moved with surprising speed for his age, twirling to avoid Harry’s outstretched hand. Another stunner shot out of Dumbledore’s wand and Harry raised his hand again, this time managing to will the vampire magic to materialize around his hand.

Harry was only allowed a fraction of a second of shock as Dumbledore’s stunner shot right through the magic, slamming into him and making him see no more.

A/N: I know I’m evil. If you wish to flame me about Harry’s vampire magic materializing, remember that this is not only my own version of the vampire, but this is a vampire mixed with magical blood. It’s an AU vampire no matter how you look at it.

I hope you enjoyed it and please review!

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!

A/N: Okay, so I feel like I’m apologizing to you for being late every time I update. Something horrifying made me lose my drive to write for a little, then I was busy writing an actual outline for this story so something like this doesn’t happen again!!! I promise!...Siriusly!

Last but not least and as an (hopefully) interesting side-note, I’m listening to Daft Punk’s Alive 2007 album as I type this. Not a single bad track.

Please Enjoy!

“A single rose can be my garden…a single friend, my world.”
-Leo Buscaglia

Chapter 5 – Pierced By Surprise

Harry awoke groggily, moaning as he slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to get them to focus. The first thing he saw was flickering shadows cast by a roaring fire, the heat barely reaching his numb body. He could smell Hermione, for which he was glad. He had absolutely no idea where he was or what was going on.

He felt the power of nature seeping into his bones, filling him and giving him strength. He could feel tiny pulses beating all around him, the deep thrum of power radiating from the thick trees surrounding him further helping him come out of his stupor. He finished rubbing his eyes and looked at Hermione, though she was fuzzy. He blinked a few times, feeling oddly relieved for some reason. Like there had been some sort of pressure on him that had recently been lifted.

He felt that something was a bit off, too. He couldn’t quite put his thumb on it.

And when he finally managed to look at Hermione’s face properly, he knew what it was. She was sitting perfectly still, staring at him with neutral eyes. That in itself was odd, let alone the fact that her pulse was racing, each beat shooting fear through her body.

He decided that it was more prudent to figure out where they were first, then try and help Hermione. “Where are we?” he croaked, his throat unimaginably dry.

Hermione’s pulse spiked for one heartbeat before she managed to bring it back under control. She looked at him with unwavering eyes, though he knew she wanted to put as much distance between them as possible. Harry’ eyebrows furrowed. “Where are we, Hermione?” he demanded a little more firmly this time.

She swallowed, darting her tongue out to wet her lips as her eyes darted around the trees around them. He noticed it was dark, darker than night, the shadows clinging to him and enveloping his body in a layer of pure power. He frowned and stood up before taking a small step in her direction, regretting it immediately when she scrambled back a few feet, her heart pounding like crazy.

Harry looked down at himself, expecting to find a bomb strapped to his chest or something, but all he saw was a fair bit of dried blood. Well, that wasn’t very helpful. Then his eyes widened. Blood, dungeons, the execution…what had happened? How was he still alive?

“Hermione, what’s going on?” Harry demanded more insistently, apprehension setting in.

He took one step closer to her and she fumbled for her wand, shakily pointing it at his chest. He put his hands up, wondering if he had been sent to some other weird dimension. “Hermione…”

Harry was about to get closer to her when a voice nonchalantly said from behind him, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Harry whipped around, instinctively putting himself between the man and Hermione. “Who are you?”

The man sighed, then put his hands in his trouser pockets and leaned against the tree next to him, the hilt of the rapier that was in a sheathe on his side lightly tinking against the trunk. Harry’s eyes shot to it, then to the man’s hands, then up to his eyes, which were a brilliant shade of crimson. Harry’s stance grew even more defensive, his fangs extending instinctively.

“You really do get worked up easily, don’t you?” the man said, seemingly bored. “If I wanted to kill you I could have easily done so already.”

Harry tried to read the man’s thoughts, only to come up with nothing. The man laughed, showing off gleaming teeth. “Nice try, youngling,” he said. “But it’s impossible.”

Harry shot at the man, deciding to go on the offensive, but he was suddenly gone, disappeared. Then he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to find him sitting by the campfire, his back resting against the trunk of a tree. “Calm down,” the man said. “You’re too valuable to kill.”

Harry did indeed calm down, realizing now that the man really could’ve killed him if he wanted to. But how was he so fast? “You’re a vampire,” he said, realization dawning on him.

The man arched an eyebrow at him. “You always this slow?” he asked.

“But what are you doing here?” Harry asked, ignoring the jibe. “Who are you? How did I get here?” Then his eyes found Hermione’s, which were still looking at him with apprehension and fear. “What did you do to Hermione?” he practically growled.

“All in good time,” the man replied, a bored look on his face. “Let’s start with who I am.” He looked down at his hands for a few seconds, then looked back up at Harry and slowly, thoughtfully said, “I’m a murderer. A killer. An assassin. I kill with no remorse nor hesitation. I revel in death and violence. I’m a walker of the night. A vampire.”

Harry mulled this over before saying, “I think I could’ve figured that out myself. What’s your name?”

“Name?” the man asked, amused. “I have gone by many, though if you are speaking of my birth name I do not recall it. My favorite of all is probably ‘Shadow of the Silver Moon’. Germany. 1430’s. Fun times.”

“That’s too long,” said Harry. “How about just Shadow?” Then his eyebrows furrowed. “Wait, did you say 1430’s?”

The man grinned. “I was already two thousand years old by then. Why do you think I don’t remember my name?”

“Okay,” said Harry, thinking hard. “What are you doing here?”

“How about ‘What happened’?” Shadow replied. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I remember…” said Harry, thinking hard. “I remember…being staked to a cross. That hurt like hell.”

“So you don’t remember your awakening?” Shadow asked.

“My…what?” Harry asked, ice-cold apprehension gripping his chest. He knew what Shadow meant.

“You awakened,” Shadow replied. “Your inner vampire came out. You killed all thirty-six of your enemies and that old man.”

If Harry’s heart had been beating, it would’ve stopped. He’d killed 37 people? With his bare hands? Who had he killed? Then he smirked, looking down at his hands. “Thirty-seven, eh?” he said, amused, his voice coming out weird. Then he choked on the air. What was he doing?

“He’s always there,” Shadow said, seeming to read his thoughts, “your inner vampire. You’ll start to notice that you’re proud of your violent deeds, that you’re unafraid to fight…and kill if necessary. Be careful, though, because if you give him enough leeway he’ll take over your mind and shut you out.”

“Right,” Harry muttered, still not quite over the fact that he had killed 37 people and was proud of it.

“Anyway,” Shadow continued, “You killed them, passed out, and I took the girl to get her wand after she woke up. We’re deep in the forbidden forest, where the sun doesn’t reach. By my estimate, it’s about one in the evening.”

“What about my wand?” Harry asked, sounding a tiny bit petulant.

“Hah,” the man said, the twinkle of humor in his eyes seeming oddly comfortable despite the underlying danger present in them. “Vampires have no need for wands.” Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Shadow cut him off. “I will teach you. You will have no use for that silly piece of wood. Besides, the girl checked it out for you. They snapped it.”

“They snapped it?” Harry exclaimed in disbelief, his wand that was a part of him unbelievably and undoubtedly gone.

“Calm down,” Shadow said, sounding a bit annoyed. “Until we find your sire, I’ll be training you. You have enough power to become the Master, you’re just not knowledgeable enough about the full extent of our powers.” He paused for a moment to let his last statement sink in, then quietly asked, “Who is your sire, anyway?”

“Katerina,” Harry said.

“Oh?” Shadow replied, showing more interest than he had in anything else so far. “Katerina Reinhardt? Looks about twenty-five, dark brown hair?”

“If that’s her last name, yeah,” said Harry. “Why?”

“So that’s why…” Shadow said, trailing off into nothingness. Then he focused on Harry again. “I could see why she would turn you.”

“What do you mean?” Harry said slowly.

“Seventeen. Naïve. Handsome. Innocent,” said Shadow with a chuckle. “You fit her type perfectly in terms of who she sires.”

“Do you know where she is then?” Harry asked. Despite the way Shadow was acting, it was obvious what sort of instructor he would be. Katerina might be a little more forgiving.

“Ah, yes,” said Shadow, looking grim. “I know exactly where she is.”

“Great!” said Harry. “Where is she?”

“In a dungeon in the middle of a castle in which hundreds of vampires loyal to the Master reside,” said Shadow. “Set to be executed in a week.”

Harry’s eyebrows furrowed. “Executed? Why?”

“I didn’t know at first,” Shadow admitted. “But I know now that it’s because she sired you.”

“Me?” Harry asked incredulously.

“Yes, you,” Shadow replied. “The Master gave all vampires explicit orders that you were to be sired under no circumstances.”

“Why?” Harry asked.

“Because now you’re stronger than the Master,” Shadow replied off-handedly, as if none of this interested him. “The Master fears you. You hold the power of the Peverells, not to mention traces of Godric Gryffindor and Merlin himself. All that power…you’re the most powerful vampire alive.”

Harry’s head was spinning. This was a lot to take in at once. “Well, where’s the castle?”

“Wales,” Shadow replied slowly, trying to see what Harry was getting to.

“Right,” said Harry, doing some mental calculations. “We can get there in one week.”

Now it Shadow’s turn to furrow his eyebrows. “What are you talking about? Are you crazy?” he asked.

“I don’t exactly like or dislike Katerina, but it’s my fault she’s going to die,” said Harry with conviction. “I can’t let that happen.”

“It’s suicide!” Shadow said, standing up to face Harry. “You go in there and you’ll be executed along with her!”

“At least I can rest my conscience knowing I did my best to save her,” said Harry. “I’m going.”

Shadow sighed, putting a hand up to cover his face, then began laughing. “You truly are an odd boy, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told,” replied Harry dryly. He glanced over at Hermione, whose wand arm was resting limply against the ground as she slept with her back against a tree trunk. His stomach couldn’t help but squirm as he thought of how she had looked at him. Looked at him like she’d never seen him before.

“She’s afraid,” said Shadow suddenly, also studying Hermione’s sleeping form.

“Afraid of what?” Harry asked, fearing Shadow’s answer. Anything but…

“You, of course,” Shadow replied bluntly. “You became a killing machine right in front of her eyes, killed your mutual friend, then hit her across the face.” Shadow said this lifelessly, a faraway look in his eyes. Like he was reliving Harry’s rampage. “You became a monster. She’d never seen that side of you.” He seemed to come back to the present, focusing on Harry. “It may take some time, but she’ll get over it.” For some reason, Harry didn’t exactly believe him. It was as if Shadow didn’t believe the words that were coming out of his own mouth.

Then something finally registered in Harry’s head. “Wait, did you say I hit Hermione?” he asked, staring down at his hands.

“Slapped her right across the face, you did,” Shadow replied, his face dark.

That did it. Harry officially hated his inner vampire. He glanced over at Hermione again, how innocent she looked while she was asleep. He couldn’t believe that he had actually struck her. She had always been there for him when nobody else was and that’s how he repaid her? He groaned and sat down hard, his face buried in his hands.

Love makes you weak, said a sinister voice in Harry’s head, which snapped up to look at Shadow. He was fiddling with the hilt of his rapier, picking at a frayed edge of the grip. Figured it out, have you? the voice said in his head with a cackle. Harry squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block it out. Not gonna happen, the voice said. I’m a part of you.

A part of me that hits Hermione? Harry snapped back. I don’t think so.

She needed to learn her place, the voice shot back. All she does is make you soft. I’m looking out for us. Trust me, this is for our own good.

Harry scowled, not knowing that Shadow was now studying him with interest. Are you a complete idiot? Harry thought. We would be nowhere if Hermione wasn’t helping us.

I’ll tell you where we wouldn’t be, the voice said. We wouldn’t be having this idiotic discussion about this because you care too much for one measly human. She’s weak. She requires attention. And let’s face it, if she ends up dying…let’s just say it’s all over. You’ll be so weak Voldemort will piss himself laughing.

I can keep her safe, Harry replied. I have this power. I can do anything.

You will regret this, the voice said menacingly. We’ll be rid of her even if I have to take control of our body again and do it myself.

The presence retreated, leaving Harry with a splitting headache. He let out a relieved sigh nonetheless, the pressure and sound of the voice thankfully absent for the time being. He couldn’t help but worry about its parting words, though.

“He’s that strong, is he?” Shadow said, interrupting his thoughts.

“How did you know…?” Harry asked, unsure of how to finish the question. What had just happened?

“That you were talking to your inner vampire?” Shadow asked, leaving Harry to nod. That must have been what that was. “I’m a vampire myself. I know what those talks are like. Not to mention the fact that your mouth was moving a bit. I saw something about keeping ‘her’ safe.” He nodded in Hermione’s direction. “I take it she’s the ‘her’?”

Harry sighed. “Yeah,” was his only response. “So this voice thing is normal?” he asked, wishing to change the subject.

“It’s normal probably about once a month…for most vampires,” Shadow said. “And that’s when the vampire is only talking. If there’s an awakening, it’ll usually take about five or six months for the inner vampire to resurface...and that’s if you’re trying to force it.”

Harry nodded, comprehending fully how strong his inner vampire was. “And how long is it usually between awakenings?”

Shadow looked at Harry shrewdly. “About once a year,” he said. “But for you…” he said, cutting off Harry’s follow-up question. “I’d say about once a week.”

Harry froze, reality hitting him. He’d turn into a mindless killing machine once a week, unable to know or control what his body was doing. Not to mention the fact that Hermione was already scared of him. How many more awakenings before she was too afraid to stick by his side anymore? “I see…” he said, his throat dry.

“Not to change subject, but a thought just hit me,” said Shadow, pulling Harry back out of his thoughts. “Unlike most vampires, I pay attention to the current ongoings of humans. After seeing the strength of this so-called Dark Lord called Voldemort, you’re going to have to take control of the vampire nation, which means you must defeat the Master. Voldemort’s army and wards are just too much to take on with the two of us, three including your girlfriend.”

Harry decided to let the girlfriend comment slide since he knew it was just a jab meant to provoke a response from him. “And where would I find the Master?” Harry asked, already knowing the answer.

“Where you’ll find Katerina, of course,” said Shadow.

“Weren’t you just telling me I was crazy to go there?” Harry said. “Why tell me now that I’ll have to go there anyway?”

Shadow looked straight into Harry’s eyes, growing more relaxed as he looked longer at whatever he saw in them. “I was testing your resolve earlier,” he said. “You’ll need both determination and willpower to defeat the Master, and it seems you have plenty of both.”

Harry let that stew for a moment, then asked, “And how would I challenge the Master? Is it a formal thing?”

Shadow laughed out loud at that one, a rare moment of mirth shining through his normally dark face. “Only a fool allows formal challenges to their title,” he said. “You’ll actually need to kill the Master one-on-one while there are few enough vampires around to give the Master any sort of aid. You do need witnesses, however, which makes this a little tricky. Luckily, I was the former Master’s fifth, and I think I would be this Master’s third.”

“Third strongest?” Harry guessed.

“Fourth strongest if you count the Master,” Shadow explained.

“And once I do find a way to challenge the most powerful vampire alive, I’ll need to find a way to kill him,” said Harry, the enormity of this task dawning on him.

“That just about sums it up,” said Shadow, standing up and stretching. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to get some sleep.”

“Hermione told me vampires don’t need sleep,” said Harry, confused.

“Well, Hermione’s not a vampire, is she?” said Shadow, laying down on the soft ground. “We don’t need sleep, but that doesn’t mean it’s not beneficial to us. Try to get some sleep at least every other day, every day if you can manage it. You’ll be a lot healthier.”

“I’ve tried to sleep before,” said Harry, laying down anyway. “It doesn’t work.”

“First training session, then,” said Shadow, his eyes closed. “Clear your mind, focus on shutting down everything in your body. It’s more like going into a meditative state than anything. Focus and willpower are all that are required.”

Harry did his best to do as instructed but found it impossible. Something was nagging the back of his mind. “You said I should awaken every week or so,” said Harry. “Why did it take me so long to awaken the first time?”

“It was your first awakening,” said Shadow. “But now that your inner vampire has found how to get in, it won’t take as long anymore.”

“I see,” said Harry. “Well then, good ni…day.”

He swore that Shadow chuckled. “Good night.”

Harry mentally shrugged and focused on clearing his mind, surprised that even the small movements that signified that Shadow was still awake were completely gone. He had already fallen asleep. Harry had to remind himself that Shadow had had thousands of years of practice.

Harry fidgeted, unable to get comfortable and not feeling very tired at all. He sighed and turned over, eyes open to find Hermione still sleeping peacefully. He couldn’t help but think that she looked really pretty when she wasn’t scolding him. He sighed again, wishing that he could somehow kill his inner vampire. Because of that idiot she was afraid of him. He wished he knew what he could do to appease Hermione’s fear, but he had never been good at sorting through the emotions of other people.

Then, oddly enough, Harry found his eyes slowly closing, the lids heavy.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

When he woke up it was nighttime. How he knew that he didn’t know, since the sky wasn’t visible at all due to the trees. Must have been his vampire instincts.

He heard light wooshing sounds and looked over to the source to find the trunk of a tree receiving tiny nicks. At first he thought that something invisible was causing it, then he caught a glimpse of silver. He focused hard, straining his eyes until he could make out a faint blur seeming to whirl around the tree. It actually looked like a shadow was moving around the tree.

So that’s why the Germans called him Shadow of the Silver Moon, eh? He thought to himself, impressed.

Then he remembered Hermione and turned around to find her with her arms around her knees, staring down at the fire with unfocused eyes. “Hermione?” Harry said tentatively.

She stiffened but looked up at him warily. Harry slowly walked up to the fire and sat opposite her. “Are you really that scared of me, Hermione?” he decided to ask bluntly.

Hermione swallowed, a battle of wills obviously being fought within her. She finally met Harry’s eyes though, her fear a little less prevalent. “I’m not scared of you,” she said. “Just your inner vampire.”

Harry reluctantly accepted the fact that there was little he could do about that. “Well, just to let you know, while I have control of my body I’ll never hurt you.”

Hermione squinted at him suspiciously, growing more comfortable with him as she saw that he really was his normal self. “I hope you always remember saying those words, because I’m going to hold you to them whether you like it or not,” she said, smiling. Then she was suddenly blushing.

“Harry…” she said, twiddling her wand in her fingers as she looked down at the ground.

“Yes?” he said, not completely comfortable with the sudden change of direction.

“Do you…like me?” she mumbled, face completely red.

Harry stilled, becoming completely motionless. He hadn’t really ever thought about it. But now that he did, he realized that she was pretty, intelligent, always stayed by his side, and funny in her own way. But she was also his best friend, a girl he had grown up with and become incredibly close to since he was eleven. “Honestly…” he said, “…I can say that I find you attractive, but I’m not really too sure about anything romantic, if that’s what you’re talking about.” Harry could smell confusion rolling off of her in waves, both about his statement and her own feelings. It was very likely that she had never really given it any thought either. “Why do you ask?” he said, saying the first thing that came to mind in an attempt to break the silence that had been growing between them.

“Well…erm…your other side told me…” she said, unable to continue because of embarrassment.

“Told you what?” Harry asked, hoping it wasn’t something that would ruin their friendship.

“Told me that you had subconsciously accepted me as your mate,” Hermione blurted, covering her mouth with her hand afterwards.

Harry began choking on air as he managed to blush despite how hard it was for vampires to do so. “That’s ridiculous,” he said. “I’ve never had a thought like that.”

“Well, that’s why he said subconsciously,” said Hermione, who was still a bit pink. “I was just checking to see if you actually harbored some feeling toward me.”

They were silent for a moment, looking into each other’s eyes. “And do you harbor any feelings toward me?” Harry asked quietly, just barely audible over the cracking of the fire.

Hermione bit her lip, her eyes averting from his as she gave it a little more thought. “You’re my best friend,” she said. “My only true friend. I love you for sure, I just…I just don’t know whether it’s romantic or not,” she admitted. “The only thing I’m sure about is that I’d go anywhere as long as you’re with me. I feel…I would do anything for you.”

Harry frowned, trying to decipher exactly what she meant. That sounded more than a little romantic to him, but then again he wasn’t a female. “Well, wasn’t that touching,” said a bored voice from Harry’s right. Shadow was kneeling there, an eyebrow raised at him. Both of them blushed a bright red. “Now if we could please focus on what we’re going to be doing over the course of the next few days, that would be great.”

“Right,” said Hermione, giving her head a small shake and making sure not to look at Harry.

“First things first,” said Harry. “We need to get close to the Master’s lair so we can scope it out.”

“Lair?” said Hermione skeptically, arching an eyebrow at Harry with a quirky smile on her face. “We aren’t talking about an evil witch queen, the vampire Master is actually a very fair, just ruler that shows respect to humans and other living creatures. If I’m not mistaken, the Master Vampire lives in a castle along with his or her many followers.”

“Correct,” said Shadow. “The Master does indeed live in a castle in Wales. I figure if I show Hermione a picture of the place, she can apparate us there.”

“You carry a picture of the castle with you?” asked Harry, who found it strange.

“No,” said Shadow, looking at Harry like he was crazy. “I meant I’d project an image of the place into Hermione’s mind.”

Harry’s eyes shot to Hermione’s, which held no apprehension or misgivings about this at all. Looked like she had just about as much determination as Harry, if only because she knew it would help him in his fight against Voldemort.

“And once we get there…” said Harry, trailing off to let Shadow finish the sentence. But Shadow looked at him expectantly, obviously expecting Harry to finish his sentence. “…we…erm…we’ll come up with a plan and implement it as soon as possible.”

“You realize you stand no chance against the Master as you are now,” said Shadow. “We should implement the plan as late as possible.”

“But there’s no way I’ll be that much better after just a week of training,” said Harry. “Might as well just get the show on the road.”

Shadow remained silent for a few minutes, then finally, quietly said, “Look, Harry. As strong as you are, there’s no way you’ll be good enough to win by the time Katerina’s execution is scheduled. Also, there’s pretty much no way both the rescuing of Katerina and you fighting the Master can take place on separate days. Once one happens, the security will ramp up, making the second impossible.” He sighed. “We should stall and starve you, that way…”

Harry swallowed, eyes darting between Shadow and Hermione, as if for confirmation that he absolutely saw there. “You want my inner vampire to come out?”

“Even I admit it’s the only way you’re going to stand a chance,” said Hermione worriedly. “You have the brute strength that your inner vampire has, but even you don’t have anywhere near the knowledge about fighting with this body that the inner vampire does.”

“That’s right,” said Shadow. “I’m going to train you, but that’s going to be for your fight against Voldemort. It’s hard to tell who is going to be the tougher opponent, the Master or Voldemort, but Voldemort will definitely give you less problems than your inner vampire.”

“Why is that?” Harry asked, thinking that they should just use his inner vampire against him, too.

“Your vampire knows everything about other vampires, his instincts and gut will be better in that fight,” explained Shadow. “But you lived as a human, so you’re much more suited to both command your hopefully future troops into battle against the humans and fight the actual human yourself.”

“I see,” said Harry. “Going back to the original problem, then, are we amending it to scoping out the place and training until I reach the point that my inner vampire is going to take hold of me?”

“Luckily, it seems that although you can’t remember anything after coming back from an awakening, your inner vampire retains everything that happens to you while he is dormant,” said Hermione. “That means that we can make plans and your inner vampire will remember them when he comes out.”

“There’s only one problem,” said Shadow, looking grim.

“And what’s that?” asked Harry.

“Well, more than one problem,” Shadow replied. “One, you don’t know how to Shadowalk,” he said. “And two, you seem pretty useless in terms of protecting yourself unless your inner vampire has control of your body.”

“And that’s why you’re going to train me, right?” said Harry.

“Correct,” Shadow replied. “The problem is that I can’t teach you enough to kill the Master if your inner vampire isn’t out. So if he doesn’t take control within the next week, Katerina’s dead.”

Harry nodded grimly. “I see.”

“I’ll do your best to train you nonetheless, especially because I hate the current Master,” Shadow said, his face sporting a dangerous frown. “I would like nothing more in this world than to see the Master dead.”

Harry decided to remain silent, sensing that it wasn’t something Shadow wanted to talk about.

Shadow’s face eventually cleared and he said, “For now, though, we should focus on getting to the castle in case you awaken prematurely.”

Harry nodded and so did Hermione, her face determined. Shadow, his eyes on Harry instead of Hermione, reached his hands for Hermione’s head. Harry tensed up but remained still, muscles clenched as Shadow cupped Hermione’s head. Then both Shadow and Hermione closed their eyes. Nothing happened for a few seconds. Just as Harry was starting to relax, Hermione began trembling. Not much at first, but it gradually increased in magnitude as time went on. Just when Harry couldn’t bear it anymore and was going to stop them, Shadow released her, making her gasp and her eyes shoot open.

“Sorry about that,” said Shadow, not looking very sorry at all. “It takes some getting used to.”

Hermione was now hyperventilating on her hands and knees, sweat dripping off her nose. “Hermione? Are you all right?” Harry asked, kneeling next to her.

She nodded, her eyes closed as her body shook. “A-are you two ready?” she asked, her voice shaky too.

Harry nodded while Shadow said, “Don’t have much of anything, do we?”

Hermione nodded and used Harry for support to stand up. She grabbed Shadow’s arm and Harry’s hand, turned in place, and Harry shut his eyes to fight the horrible squeezing sensation.

Just as it felt he was going to vomit they arrived at their destination. Harry opened his eyes, which then widened in awe as he saw the size of the structure in front of him. He had thought Hogwarts was big, but this castle was easily twice its size. Tall, grey, unforgiving walls and battlements seemed to go on and up for miles, looking menacing. This castle, unlike Hogwarts, had a moat that seemed to be giving off a faint vapor.

“Holy water,” Hermione muttered, gripping Harry’s hand tight. He was just as thankful for the comfort as she was. Despite his determination and conviction, actually seeing the size of the place made finding Katerina and the Master without being killed seem that much harder.

He heard the sound of Shadow’s sword scraping against the leather of its sheathe as he drew it, and looked down from the giant ramparts to find three men standing in front of them looking confident. “Well well well, Shadow of the Silver Moon.” The man said the name as if it was a joke. “Never thought I’d see your face here again.”

Shadow seemed to relax, but Harry saw that his arm was more tense than ever. He was just lulling the three into a false sense of security. He was looking down at the floor in what seemed to be subservience, but when he looked up there was a feral grin on his face. “You boys ready to do this?”

The three laughed. The middle one said, “Ready to take on an old man who lost his touch after the master killed that whore? Of course!”

The speaker’s head fell to the floor less than a second later, his lifeless body collapsing next to it. Vampire magic was coming off of Shadow in waves, as if he had an evil aura surrounding him. Shadow began advancing on the other two, who took up fighting stances.

The vampire on the left, his voice shaky and frightened, said, “You may have gotten Matthew, but we’re ready for you now! It’s still two-on-one!”

That one gurgled as a wooden stake slammed through his spine and heart, the bloody tip protruding from his sternum. He looked down at his chest, clawed at it for a second, then burst into a pile of ashes. “Three-on-one now,” said Hermione, wand trained on the remaining vampire to fire another.

The last vampire, sensing that Hermione was human and thus the most vulnerable, lunged at her, arms stretched out. Harry went to block his path and kill him, but his torso, legs, and hands all landed on the grass anywhere from fifteen to twenty feet short. He was immobile and crying out in pain, staring at the bloody stumps of his wrists. “You bastard!” he cried.

Shadow was standing over him, rapier tip lightly touching the remaining vampire’s throat. “Where is the Master holding Katerina Reinhardt?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous. Even Harry, who sometimes had trouble reading people, could tell that Shadow was a man on the edge.

“Fuck you!” the vampire spat, his eyes wild.

He gurgled and clawed at the blade with his stumps as it was pushed into his throat and out the back, unable to scream with his pierced esophagus. “Where is Katerina Reinhardt being held?”

He removed his rapier, letting the wound close. The vampire, realizing that torture could literally be eternal with his regeneration powers, reluctantly said, “Max security dungeon, of course. The Master would be an idiot to put her anywhere else. If you ask me, I think—”

What the remaining vampire thought nobody would ever know, for his head detached cleanly from his body and rolled several feet away. Shadow emotionlessly wiped the blood off his rapier using the corpse’s shirt, then picked up the body, carried it over to the moat, and threw it in.

“You two help,” said Shadow, picking up the head afterwards. “No reason for the master to know that we were here.”

Harry grabbed the hands and legs of the minced vampire while Hermione levitated the other vampire’s body, trying her best to avoid looking at it.

Once all the evidence was gone, the three trudged the short distance to the forest that was a hundred feet away from the castle, the dark shadows of the trees swallowing them and keeping them out of sight. They sat down with the castle in sight, the large walls looming over them and looking impenetrable.

Harry was grateful for once to not immediately jump in the fray but wait and plan it out. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but a bit of fear was beginning to clutch his heart.

A/N: Holy cow, I don’t even know how many times I typed campire instead of vampire while writing this. This was probably the most difficult chapter I’ve ever written, if only because I was at a standstill as to what to write next about every 100 words. I realize there was very little action this chapter, but you can rest assured that more is coming up (and much quicker!). No, really though, I’ve already started the next chapter, so be on the lookout for it within the next week.

Thanks for reading and please don’t forget to leave a review!

A/N: I promised a quicker update this time, and a quicker update is what I give you now! Meant to get it to you within 7 days, but school (approaching finals) + a ton of work = next to no writing :(.

Nevertheless, enjoy!

“Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.”
-Thomas Edison

Chapter 6 – Pierced By Conflict

The shadows were clinging to him, trying to draw him in, compress him until he was nothing. Harry was doing his best to let them.

It was daytime. He was standing near the edge of a clearing, the thick foliage from the trees protecting him from the deadly midday sun. He was staring at the trees opposite the clearing, trying to envision himself standing in their shadows instead. It was his goal to end up in those shadows, but he wasn’t allowed to walk around in the safe shadows.

Finally, perspiration beading on his cold skin, he exhaled loudly and gave up, his brain hurting. He had felt so sure that he was going to get it that time.

“Looks like I didn’t make any progress after all,” he muttered to himself, still staring at the far shadows.

“On the contrary,” came a voice from behind him. Harry turned around to look at Shadow, who was sitting on a low branch of a tree. “You are making incredible progress. I could feel your intent, your determination, and I could see the shadows enveloping you, about to swallow you. You just needed one more push.” He gave Harry a pleasantly surprised look. “Incredibly good progress,” he said.

“Thanks,” said Harry, laying down on his back. This was the fifth day in a row that Harry had been training, though it wasn’t necessarily all Shadowalking training. There was also sparring, mental exercises, and speed training. It was all very taxing.

And though she would never show it, Harry knew that Hermione was growing more anxious with each passing hour. Katerina’s execution was set for two nights from now and Harry’s Inner Vampire showed no signs of surfacing any time soon.

But that was just Hermione’s perception. Harry could feel the vampire side of him coming on strong, his hunger overwhelming. He would get bursts of bloodlust and would hear the faint voice of his vampire side, indicating that the change was indeed going to happen soon.

Harry glanced over at Hermione, who was sleeping on a bed she had transfigured from a leaf. Sure looked comfortable. She had switched her sleeping schedule to match their time of most activity and movement, though falling asleep during the daytime was still difficult for her. She had been doing training of her own during the night, training that confused and bewildered Harry. She wouldn’t tell him what she was doing, only that it was beneficial and necessary to the success of their mission. He would’ve found out for himself, but he was too busy with his own training.

He sighed, staring up at the leaves as he relaxed on the soft forest floor, then grunted when Shadow stomped on his stomach. “How stupid,” Shadow said. “If you’re going to relax physically, than at least be mentally alert.” He went to stomp on Harry again, but he only met ground as the younger vampire rolled away and stood up, clutching his stomach.

Harry took his fighting stance, Shadow doing the same. Then Shadow was behind Harry, who rolled, jumping towards the nearest tree afterwards to use it as a springboard. He shot towards Shadow, who easily dodged and caught Harry with a devastating uppercut to the face, making him crash into the ground after a little more flight time.

As he sat still on the ground, dazed, Shadow informed him. “I’m still only using half my speed, Harry. You’ll need to do much better than that.”

“I know,” said Harry, his frustration beginning to rise more at himself than anything. Why couldn’t he use his full potential?

“You’re too afraid your inner vampire is going to take over,” said Shadow. “You need to just let go and come at me with real killing intent. If that’s absent, I’m afraid you’ll never come close to touching me.”

Harry, fully recovered now, stood back up and faced his mentor. He lunged at him, trying to find killing intent within himself. He was slammed in the side as Shadow dodged him again, saying, “I still didn’t feel anything.”

“I know,” said Harry angrily. It was impossible for him to have killing intent; he just didn’t hate anybody enough besides Voldemort enough to kill them.

He swung wildly at Shadow, who looked bored as he dodged. As he continued to lazily dodge Harry’s flurry of punches, he said, “Come on, Harry. You can do better than that.”

“I’m trying,” he grunted, trying to even just touch his mentor.

Shadow glimpsed Hermione discreetly watching from a distance, now awake. She still hadn’t fully adapted to the sleeping schedule change. “So, your girl…” Shadow remarked with a sly grin.

Harry didn’t relent in his massive combo of misses. “She’s not my girl,” he said, his effort coming through his voice. “She has a name. It’s Hermione.”

“That doesn’t really matter at the moment,” Shadow remarked. “What I’m interested in is how you feel about her.”

“She’s my friend,” Harry replied.

“Oh?” said Shadow with false sincerity. “Just a friend?”

“Precisely,” said Harry.

“But that doesn’t tell me how you feel about her,” said Shadow, making Harry stop. Now he was intrigued as to where this was going. “Don’t stop punching, Harry. I want you to see the effect of my next tactic.”

Harry brought up his fists and began punching at Shadow again, doubtful about Shadow’s tactic now that he knew it was coming. “You tell me you don’t love her,” he said.

“I do as a friend,” Harry, replied, now even more annoyed.

Shadow glanced over at Hermione again, making eye contact with her. She scooted forward a little, getting closer to the fight.

“So you wouldn’t mind if some other bloke dated her?” Shadow asked, a sly, almost invisible grin on his face.

“Of course not, as long as he makes her happy,” Harry grunted, keeping a straight face. Shadow knew the truth though, when the speed of his punches increased.

“What if you knew he was screwing her every night, making her scream his name?” Shadow asked.

“Good for them,” Harry said, his face turning red. His speed was now almost three times what it was from before.

“What if they got married?” Shadow asked, Harry’s punches flying a little quicker in response as he kept his lips sealed, his sole focus connecting with Shadow’s face to shut him up. “What if he didn’t like the relationship you two had and she willingly agreed to the suggestion that you two stop speaking to each other?”

Harry let out the beginning of a feral growl, now completely forgetting the fact that he was reacting exactly as Shadow wanted him to. Shadow, meanwhile, was using his full speed to dodge Harry’s lightning-fast punches, the wind caused by his swings compressed and fast enough to bruise an ordinary human.

“What if…” Shadow began, glancing at Hermione again as he pulled out his rapier. “What if I did this?” he asked, twirling around Harry and impaling Hermione through the chest to the hilt, blood-stained steel exiting through her back.

Harry was standing still in shock as Hermione looked up from the sword and met his eyes, hers glistening as the light slowly left them.

“You bastard!” Harry finally roared, recovering himself. He lunged at Shadow, who had no time to do anything as Harry tackled him so hard that they broke through four trees before he was slammed into the ground, making a rut.

Harry’s fangs were extended, his eyes flickering red. He slammed his fist down at Shadow’s face, the older vampire having no other option than to go with the blow as he did his best to dodge it. Harry’s fist just caught the edge of his cheekbone, fracturing it as he skimmed it, slicing open his cheek. His fist slammed into the ground so hard that it left a crater, though he felt no pain. He lifted his fist to throw another, but a soft hand was suddenly holding him back.

Eyes still flickering red, Harry looked back over his shoulder to find Hermione smiling at him, perfectly healthy. “Her…how?” he choked out, grief making his voice raspy.

“I’m sorry we had to trick you, Harry, but that was just illusion magic,” said Hermione. “Shadow’s rapier was back at camp the whole time. I just created a physical hologram, if that makes sense. I had to do some quick magic to add the blood onto the blade, but…why am I rambling?” she asked herself. “Point is, it was fake and I’m fine. So why don’t you let go of Shadow before you squeeze his head off?”

Harry looked down to see that his left hand was pinning down Shadow’s neck so hard that he seemed to be in pain. Harry quickly released him, though not with an apology. He had deserved a lot of that. To toy with him like that was just crossing a line. If Hermione had really died…

Harry caught his line of thinking, sighing and standing up so Shadow could do the same. It was perfectly normal to have that kind of reaction if he was just best friends with the person who died, right?

“See what I mean now, Harry?” asked Shadow, who was completely composed once more. “Once you wanted to kill me, you were a mile above me in all aspects of combat.”

“I got it,” Harry groaned, clutching his head. “But I gave in to too much hate. I can’t…hold him…back…any longer…”

Harry went limp for a second, falling to his knees, prompting Hermione to take a worried half-step in his direction. Shadow grabbed her arm though, saying, “It’s happening. He’s awakening.”

When Harry looked up again, he was grinning and his eyes were crimson. He had an aura of command around him, an aura of arrogance. His vampire fangs were wickedly sharp and long, the grin on his face disturbing and creepy, the evil that was rolling off of him in the form of cloudy black mist only adding to the effect. Hermione hadn’t noticed it before, but when Vampire Harry stood up it was much smoother than the way Harry stood up. Vampire Harry made it look like some sort of art.

It made Hermione need to suppress a snort.

“You find something funny, woman?” Harry asked, looking down at Hermione with utter disdain. “I thought I told you to never come near me again or you were going to regret it.”

He raised his open hand, but before he could do anything more a different slap bounced through the trees. The slap of Hermione’s hand meeting Harry’s cheek.

Harry stayed still, his hand remaining raised as he looked at her in shock. “How…How dare you?” he demanded, his face growing dark.

Hermione stepped up close to him, narrowing her eyes at him as she did her best to stare him down while looking up. She didn’t want to admit it, but Vampire Harry had a much better glare than normal Harry.

“Isn’t that my line?” Hermione asked him.

Harry’s hand slowly lowered. “What are you talking about?” he asked coldly. “I warned you.”

“That slap was for last time even though I know it didn’t hurt nearly as much as yours did,” Hermione said. “But what I’m talking about is that you seem to fancy yourself to be some sort of gentleman when you’re not mindlessly killing everyone.”

“Of course I am,” Harry said coldly, still not ceasing the glare directed at Hermione.

“What kind of gentleman hits a woman?” Hermione asked.

“What type of woman hits back?” Harry countered.

“A woman who’s not afraid to express her individuality and strength, that’s the type of woman who hits back,” said Hermione. “And you’ll get a lot worse if you try it again.”

“Who are you to threaten me?” Harry demanded, sticking his nose up. “A pathetic flea, that’s all you are.”

This time Hermione did let out a derisive snort. “I already know who the pathetic, bloodsucking, flea is.”

“You better watch yourself, woman,” Harry warned her in a dangerous voice.

“Or what?” asked Hermione. “You’ll hit someone who’s weaker than you again? How manly.”

“You really do infuriate me,” Harry said through clenched teeth. “Leave my presence, now.”

“You really do think you’re so high and mighty,” Hermione remarked, the truth finally dawning on her.

“That’s because I am high and mighty,” said Harry. “I could destroy you in an instant.”

“Once again, thanks for stating the obvious,” said Hermione, feeling like she was going in circles.

“Master,” said Shadow, interrupting their argument. “This girl is very smart. She’s on our side. If I may be so bold…could you just shake her hand and get over it?”

“This girl is not fit to be my mate,” Harry growled. “I will not allow her to keep mingling with that other, softer me.”

Hermione huffed, saying, “I’m not shaking hands with a complete idiot.”

“You’re really asking for it, aren’t you?” asked Harry.

“Everything with you is violence,” said Hermione.

“I’m a bloody vampire,” Harry said.

Hermione sighed. She wasn’t getting anywhere. “Fine then. Even though I have no interest in being Harry’s ‘mate’, what do I need to do to prove myself to you?”

“You can leave for good,” Harry said, his voice like ice. They were staring each other down again. Hermione could feel not quite hatred, but maybe loathing rolling of off the vampire Harry in waves.

“Alright Master, forget the handshake, but wouldn’t it be a good idea to get something to eat before we storm the castle tonight?” asked Shadow hopefully. Hermione found it interesting that Shadow was a completely different vampire when Vampire Harry was out.

Harry stared at Hermione for a long time, giving her his coldest glare. When he spoke, his voice was deathly quiet. “Now you listen very carefully, woman,” he said. “We will be back in less than an hour. If you’re not gone by that time, we are going to have a serious problem.”

“Master, she plays an important role in the plan,” Shadow said quietly. “We—”

“We do not need her, Shadow,” Harry interrupted. “Either of us could easily take on that extra role. All she is is dead weight. Not only does she make the other me weak, but she’s not even a vampire. We would have to protect her. She’s nothing but a nuisance.”

Hermione continued to glare at Vampire Harry, anger rising. A nuisance, was she? “This is your last warning, woman,” Harry said, his eyes the coldest they had been up to this point. “Be gone.”

With that, Harry began walking towards the clearing again, Shadow right behind him, leaving Hermione behind, her fists shaking in suppressed rage.

“Master, why are you so hard on her?” asked Shadow. “It doesn’t really have to do with her being weak, does it? Because we could definitely use her brains.”

Harry glanced back at Hermione one more time before they began Shadowalking to their destination: a small town stationed a few miles away. He looked over at Shadow and sighed. “I’m hard on her because I don’t think the other me could take it if she got hurt,” he admitted grudgingly.

By the time the two of the showed up at the town, there were still about four hours of daylight left. Being so close to a vampire coven, the townspeople had to know not to step in or close to any shadows. If only Harry and Shadow weren’t restricted by the invitation rule, they would have any easy time catching prey.

Nevertheless, they stood and waited, vigilantly watching the shadows. Finally, a woman stumbled and tripped into a shadow opposite them. The two immediately Shadowalked into the shadow, grabbing her and pulling her into a dark alley while Harry sank his fangs into her neck. The hot blood rushed down his throat, making him close his eyes in ecstasy as the woman slowly stopped fighting. Then she was dead, her blood completely drained. Harry picked up the body and glanced at Shadow, who was looking at him with faint surprise.

“What?” Harry snapped. “Did you think that just because I showed restraint towards the woman that I had gone soft?”

“Of course not, Master,” Shadow remarked with a perfectly straight face.

The two buried the body in the woods, Harry kneeling at the foot of her grave as Shadow stood behind him. Harry muttered the vampire’s prayer under his breath, the only time sacred words could pass an undead’s lips. When he finished and stood back up, Harry nodded at Shadow and the two headed back towards camp.

To nobody’s surprise, Hermione was still there when they arrived.

Harry walked up to her until she was less than a foot away from him, his disapproving eyes looking down on her. “I told you to be gone, woman,” he said. When Hermione didn’t respond, Harry said, “Be gone…woman.”

“No,” said Hermione challengingly.

“Don’t make me…” Harry said, his voice dangerously low.

“Hit me?” Hermione asked curtly.

“I will do it,” Harry threatened.

“And you think being slapped by you is going to make me leave Harry’s side?” Hermione asked quietly. “You think watching you kill forty people is going to make me leave Harry’s side?” she yelled in his face. “You think you being cold and superior towards me is going to make me leave Harry’s side?” she cried. “Well, think again, because absolutely nothing will make me leave his side!”

“What if he wants you to leave?” asked Harry, eyeing her shrewdly.

“That’s too bad for him, isn’t it?” Hermione asked with a wild glint in her eye. “He’s stuck with me whether he likes it or not. I can beat his stubbornness any day.”

Harry studied her for a long moment, measuring her sincerity. Finally, he stepped closer to Hermione and grabbed the front of her shirt, pulling her onto her tiptoes as he brought them nose-to-nose. “You hold us back for one second, you complain about one little thing, you lose one ounce of determination…you’re gone. When we’re implementing a plan or in the middle of a fight and you fail to do your duty or hold your own…you’re gone,” he said. “We clear?”

Hermione, even though she was glaring at him, said, “Very.” Once again, Harry held her eyes for a minute before letting her down.

Then he sighed and announced, “I’m going to meditate before we enact our plan.”

“Very well, Master,” Shadow instantly replied. “Is there anything you require?”

“Only peace and quiet,” Harry said, leaving their sight as he walked through the trees.

“He actually likes you a lot,” Shadow remarked once Harry was out of earshot.

“Really?” Hermione asked skeptically.

“I know the vampire sides,” said Shadow. “I’ve never seen one accept a human in his or her midst so soon. “

“So?” Hermione asked.

“Harry was telling you to leave for reasons different than you believe,” Shadow explained, trying to dispel some of the tension between the two.

“You’re telling me he’s not trying to get rid of me because he thinks I’m a useless, dead weight human who’s dragging all of you down,” Hermione stated disbelievingly.

“He’s not as selfish as that when it comes to you,” said Shadow. “Just…make sure you don’t die tonight, alright?”

“I don’t plan to,” Hermione said.

Shadow began walking off in the opposite direction than Harry, waving over his shoulder. “Nobody plans to die.”’

So Hermione was alone…again. She sighed and began pacing, thinking on Shadow’s words. So was he actually implying that Vampire Harry was selfless when it came to her? There’s no way that could be true. They hated each other!

Finally, curiosity overwhelming her, Hermione made her way over to Harry. She found him lying on his back using his hands as pillows, his eyes closed. He seemed to be deep in thought. Hermione, unsure of how to get his attention, gave a fake cough. Harry didn’t stir. Hermione sighed. “E-Excuse me,” she said.

“I have a name, you know,” Harry mumbled.

Hermione turned scarlet, hating that she had set herself up for that one. So, irate, she said, “Well, you’re not the Harry I know, so I can’t call you that.”

Harry opened one eye, studying her. Then he suddenly sat up, a smile on his face. A smile that was identical to the regular Harry’s down to the crinkling of his skin at the corner of his eyes. “Hey, Hermione, I was just looking for you. I need a little help on my Transfiguration,” he said, all coolness gone from his voice, replaced with the warmth of Harry’s. Hermione took a step back from him. “I am Harry Potter,” the vampire said, cold again. “It’s you who has a warped perception of who’s who.”

Hermione swallowed. Then, deciding to ignore his jibes, said through clenched teeth, “I just came to thank you for coming around to my way of thinking.”

Harry looked at her like she was crazy for a moment, then shrugged and laid back down. “I didn’t do it for you,” he said.

“You didn’t do it for you, either,” Hermione shot back.

Once again, a single eye opened. “Yes I did,” he said. “You were being annoying and it was the only way to shut you up.”

“Liar,” Hermione immediately countered.

Harry shrugged again. “Whatever you want to believe,” he said off-handedly, his eye closing again. “Just make sure you have a good sense of reality.”

“What did I ever do to make you hate me so much?” Hermione asked before she had realized what was leaving her mouth.

“You took Harry’s heart before I had any say in it,” Harry finally answered honestly.

“I haven’t done anything with Harry’s heart,” Hermione replied evenly.

“Subconsciously,” Harry said tiredly. “Subconsciously.”

Then something hit Hermione, making her freeze. “Shadow was wrong,” she muttered, making Harry’s eyebrows furrow. “You did do it for selfish reasons,” she said.

Harry smirked, eyes still closed. “Now you get it.”

“It’s because you didn’t want to see me in harm’s way,” she said in her ‘I’ve had an epiphany’ voice. “You love me.”

Harry’s eyes shot open. “I told you to make sure you had a good grasp on reality,” he said as if Hermione’s notion was laughable.

“Quiet,” Hermione snapped, trying to keep her train of thought going. “You just said that you are Harry. The softer side of you, the side I know, only sees it subconsciously according to you. But you. You recognize the feeling. That’s why you know the Harry I know loves me.”

“I’m a vampire,” said Harry evenly, eyes closed again. But Hermione could see that his muscles were tense. “I don’t fall in love with anybody, especially you.”

“You…Harry…really loves me,” Hermione whispered, still astounded.

Harry’s face was instantly less than an inch from hers, his a mask of disgust and fury. “You stupid woman. You aren’t my mate and you never will be,” he spat. “You’re annoying, daft, crazy, and hormonal. Grow up and realize that I. Don’t. Love. You.”

Hermione shook her head, a small smile on her face. “The fact that you’re so vehement about it just proves my point more.”

“You’re incorrigible,” Harry said quietly, sitting back down. “It’s no use arguing with you.”

“Because you know I’m right,” Hermione said.

When Harry turned his eyes on Hermione, he was amazed at how cold they were. “No,” he said. “It’s because you’re amazingly thickheaded and stubborn.”

“I am neither of those things,” Hermione replied. “I’m just being logical. Following your logic, I’m correct.”

Harry sighed, lying on his back. Why couldn’t she just stop? “Look then,” he said tiredly. “We’re both wrong. I’m not Harry and I don’t love you.”

“Really?” Hermione asked. “Then why did you take dominance of Harry’s mind when it seemed I had been slain?”

“I fed off of Harry’s anger,” said Harry. “It was my best means to take control. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

“And you slapped me across the face the first time you were out because you didn’t want to seem weak in front of Shadow,” Hermione kept going, completely ignoring Harry. “Everything fits,” she whispered.

“No!” Harry finally exploded, dark magic swirling around him as he levitated about a foot off the ground. “Nothing fits, little girl! Get these sick, twisted fantasies out of your head! Love leads to nothing but pain, which in turn leads to nothing but suffering! I’m not in love with you now, and I never plan to be! Do you not realize how much I despise you?! You, how can you stay so innocent after everything you’ve witnessed? How can you not be running from me screaming at this very moment? How can you be so stubborn when I’ve told you ten times that I don’t love you?” he raged. “I hate you! I hate that you have the strength to stand up to me, and I hate that your grin only grew smugger as our conversation progressed! How, when there is so much evil in this world, can you stay so nice and understanding? You should be bitter and enraged! You and the other side of me both! I hate you both!”

Hermione was staring at him wide-eyed, not expecting such an outburst from the vampire. “I-I’m sorry,” she said meekly.

Harry deflated. “And now you’re apologizing…” he said, trailing off. “Great.” Hermione opened her mouth, but Harry quickly said, “Leave. Just…leave me alone.”

Shadow arrived at that moment, kneeling as soon as he appeared. “Master, Hermione, it’s time,” he said.

“Very well,” Harry replied, his cool demeanor back in place. “I’ll meet you two on the other side.”

Harry immediately took off, Shadowalking through the trees to the edge of the forest, where the castle came into view. He kneeled down, his mind still a mass of swirling emotions despite his calm, collected façade. It was hard being in love with such a smart girl. She had found out too quickly. She had figured it out. He did indeed slap her upon their first encounter for that very reason, and he did take hold of Harry’s mind in an effort to do whatever he could to save her as she had seemingly been run through with Shadow’s rapier, even if it was too late.

He was indeed just all of the anger and hate that the normal Harry possessed, kind of like an exaggerated bipolar disorder. It didn’t mean that he was incapable of love, though. Here he was, but a fledgling in this world, and he had to deal with the sharpest, wittiest, and most beautiful woman he had ever met every minute of the day. It wasn’t fair.

Being the hateful side of Harry, he knew what love could be like. It was as fleeting as life itself. Born seemingly out of nowhere, it could be snuffed at any moment, gone, snatched by the cold hands of death. He didn’t want to be the reason she felt that betrayal for the first time.

Because like all evil people, the evil side of Harry did indeed have a soft spot in his heart. He loved to kill, maim, and cause mass destruction, but it would only take one utterance of the word ‘stop’ from Hermione’s lips to make him turn his back on all that. He really hadn’t wanted anybody to figure that out, let alone the actual woman herself.

“What’s done is done,” Harry muttered to himself. “I must focus on the task at hand if I wish to survive.”

He took a deep, instinctive breath, opened his eyes, and stepped out of the protective cover of the forest, ready to take control of the vampire world.

Hermione really was the only person who could stop him at this point, though he knew she didn’t wish that.

The ‘Master Vampire’ was really going to regret not enforcing his policy better.

A/N: I know this chap was shorter than my last few and ended on a cliffie, but I really felt uncomfortable ending the chapter anywhere else.

With the amount of schoolwork I have plus work, I have to write my chapters in spurts, which may mean it’s a little disjointed and not so smooth-flowing. Sorry about that. I should have a better arrangement for this next chapter.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see your reviews!

A/N: Yeah, I crank out these action chapters quickly because they’re more fun to write. Once again, disturbing gore of epic proportions. If you’re squeamish, you might as well skip this chapter.

Please enjoy! And I’m still listening to Daft Punk’s Alive 2007 album. ‘Tis awesome.

‘It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.’
-Mark Twain

Chapter 7 – Pierced by Madness

Harry levitated up the side wall of the castle, coming to rest on the other side in a small, secluded alley. He pulled the hood of the cloak he was wearing over his head. The black garment was designed to make him blend in, because according to Shadow, all the vampires who resided in the castle wore one. Harry though it was a little stereotypical.

That was beside the point, though. He reminded himself one more time what Shadow’s plan entailed as he walked up to the inner castle doors. Down to its basics, the plan basically consisted of Harry heading directly to the Master Vampire as the main distraction while Hermione and Shadow busted out Katerina.

Harry kept his head down as he was inspected by the guards, Shadow claiming that since he smelled like a vampire, they would have no problem. His cloak billowed around him as he strode through the entrance hall, his powerful steps taking him directly towards the heart of the castle.

Dim candles hung on the walls, though the castle seemed to be immaculate. Dim, but immaculate. Shiny marble floor squeaked lightly under the soles of his shoes and dark shadow clung to him as he walked deeper into the bowels of the vampires’ den, trying his best to stay unnoticed as other vampires passed him, their identical cloaks covering their faces. He glanced behind him and saw several vampires traveling in the same direction as him, which made him think that he was hopefully going in the correct direction.

Going with his gut feeling and trying to remember the directions Shadow had given him, Harry turned left at the next perpendicular corridor, only to come face to face with a dozen vampires armed to the teeth, nasty grins on their faces.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Hermione did her best to breathe quietly as she and Shadow soared over the castle wall, Hermione on the vampire’s back. A modern sewage system ran through the castle, so the two of them found the nearest grate and hopped into the sewer, Hermione making sure to cast an impervious charm on her body first.

They went in the direction of the castle, Hermione plugging her nose as Shadow listened with all his might. Hermione was surprised the smell didn’t overwhelm him considering that he had a super-sensitive vampire nose.

“It’s just waste, a part of nature,” Shadow murmured. “Doesn’t smell that bad, actually. Reminds me of nature.”

Shadow must have had some weird experiences in his two thousand years if the contents of a sewer reminded him of nature.

“Here we are,” Shadow muttered, pointing up at a hatch. “Funnily enough, the Master also uses this sewer as an escape route.”

“But if Harry fights the Master, then won’t he just escape through here when Harry’s fighting him?” Hermione asked.

“I don’t think the Master would back down from a direct challenge if other vampires were there,” said Shadow distractedly as he tried to work the hatch open. “It just makes the Master look bad. Just to be safe, though, we’ll destroy the hatch as soon as we’re through, all right?”

Hermione nodded as Shadow finally got the hatch open. He peeked his head out to check that the coast was clear before hopping out and offering Hermione a hand, which she gratefully took. Shadow pulled her through the hatch, carefully setting her on her feet afterwards. Hermione was amazed to find that she was in the dungeons.

“Directly to the dungeons?” Hermione whispered in awe.

“Not now,” Shadow whispered. “Seal the hatch.”

Hermione non-verbally colloportused the hatch before adding another magical seal onto it that would take over half an hour to unravel by any means. Impenetrable both physically and magically.

The dungeon was well-lit, allowing no real shadows to form, which stopped the prisoners from gaining any power. The rest of the dungeon, though, was just like any dungeon. Mold grew along the cracks, mice scuttled around, and various sounds that Hermione figured were the prisoners echoed through the hall.

Hermione took in a deep breath and stuck close to Shadow as they snuck through the dungeons, the latter checking every prisoner for signs of Katerina. Hermione stopped looking after a while, though, because what she saw was horrendous. The sounds that Hermione had heard echoing throughout the hallway were indeed the prisoners…the prisoners’ muffled screams and moans of pain as they were being tortured. One was pinned to the wall by polished rosewood stakes, another anchored in spot to the ground as a tap dripped holy water straight onto his forehead. It was horrendous. Surely nobody…or nothing…could deserve this kind of treatment, could they?

“The Master’s a bit of a sadist,” Shadow muttered, responding to Hermione’s thoughts again.

“I can tell,” Hermione said slowly, looking at the ground. She finally did look up, though, when they came up to a cell in which the inhabitant wasn’t screaming.

But she should’ve been.

She had dozens of crosses crudely taped against her bare skin as more tape held her hands tied behind her back, making Hermione remember Harry’s reaction to a single cross through two layers of fabric. How could this woman bear it silently? She was probably dead…not even a vampire could bear all that and live to tell the tale.

“No,” Shadow whispered in awe. “Not dead.”

“Psst, Kat,” Shadow whispered. “Katerina,” he whispered a little stronger. “Katerina!”

A small smile curled Katerina’s lips, though her eyes stayed closed. “Number five,” she said, her voice weak.

“We’re going to get you out of here,” Shadow said, gripping the bars of the cell and pulling. He immediately dropped to his knees in pain, Hermione able to tell that he wanted to cry out.

“Bars…anti…vampire…” Katerina whispered.

Shadow looked at Hermione, who nodded and used a slicing hex to cut the bars. Surprisingly enough, it worked, the bars falling to the floor with a clang. They obviously weren’t expecting any normal humans to bust out a vampire.

Shadow immediately rushed in and tore all the crosses off of Katerina’s body, the images of the crosses burned into her previously flawless skin as an ugly black. He cradled her carefully, wincing as he looked at the burns. “Kat…” he whispered again.

Katerina moaned. “Human…smell…human…” she croaked.

“She’s on our side,” Shadow said, softly stroking her hair. “Don’t worry, though, we’ll get you fed.”

“Human…and vampire?” Katerina asked, her eyes barely cracking open to study Hermione. “Like…like Jean-Claude during…during the French Revolution?”

“She helped me get to you,” he said, pulling her into a sitting position with her head resting against his chest. “I’m going to put you on my back.”

Hermione, feeling awkward with the level of intimacy between the two, stepped out of the cell.

To be greeted with dozens of vampires sneaking up on the cell, wickedly-sharp fangs fully extended.

“Sh-Shadow,” Hermione whispered, frightened as she stepping back into the cell without turning her back to the enemy.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Harry immediately turned around to flee, wanting to conserve his strength for the battle with the Master. He came face to face, though, with the group that he had noticed following him. That made nineteen vampires in all.

A stake was hurled at his chest at Mach speed, leaving him just enough time to spin around it and tap it with his hand, altering its course enough to make it slam through the heart of a vampire on the opposite side. He threw off his cloak and took a fighting stance, his red eyes taking in every little detail of what was around him. Just as the group lunged at him, he grinned and disappeared, Shadowalking onto the ceiling that was one hundred feet above. There was a moment of confusion before the vampires all launched themselves at him, jumping with incredible speed and force.

Incredible for a human, maybe, Harry thought lazily. He knew that not only did these vampires not have enough skill or power to Shadowalk, they probably didn’t even have enough power to levitate properly. He launched himself off the ceiling as they flew towards him, fangs and weapons bared. He landed on the chest of one surprised vampire before jumping off of him, sending him slamming into another vampire, which sent both of them crashing into the floor so hard that the marble cracked.

The jump propelled Harry onto the chest of another vampire, whose head he grabbed. He ripped it off as he used him as a springboard, throwing the head at the legs of another vampire, which made him spin uncontrollably, ending up as a splat on the ceiling. Harry was standing on the wall now, the remaining fourteen vampires springing towards him again…amateurs.

Harry Shadowalked to the ground to buy himself some time, manifesting his vampire magic into a katana. Lightweight and designed to slice through other people with ease. Perfect.

Forming the katana had only drained a tiny bit of his strength, too, since it was such a small weapon. The silver blade glinted in the dim light as the vampires jumped at him again. Harry shot towards them again, twisting and twirling around their reaching hands while simultaneously slicing off and through anything he could reach. Just as he was about to hit the wall he Shadowalked again, bringing him to the opposite side of the hallway from the remaining six vampires.

Then something registered in Harry’s mind. There had been fourteen vampires on that last wave and he had only killed seven. Where was the seventh?

Harry quickly spun around, but not quickly enough. He gritted his teeth as a stake that seemed to have been dipped in holy water was slammed through his back only inches from his heart. So one of them could Shadowalk, if barely. Damn arrogance…

The vampires were rushing him again, leaving him no time to either extract the stake or deal with the pain. The one who had almost successfully staked him was staring at Harry with wide eyes, wondering why he hadn’t died. His head was quickly removed with a flick of Harry’s arm.

Sensing the vampires behind him, Harry Shadowalked behind them…or he tried to, at least. Nothing happened, and his eyes widened before a body slammed him into a wall so hard that he almost blacked out. Harry ran up the wall and back flipped over the whole group, quickly yanking the stake out of his body and throwing it through the heart of the one who had slammed him against the wall.

The last five vampires charged him again, one of them bearing a giant double-handed broadsword. Harry spun around the sword as it was thrust at him. He stabbed the vampire through the heart and jumped as a fist came flying at his face, using the vampire’s arm as a platform to jump from. He kicked the body of the impaled vampire at the puncher, who dodged and again swung at Harry, who removed his head with a slice of the katana.

A gun was fired, Harry sensing that the armor-piercing bullet was headed for his brain. Even if it wouldn’t kill him, it would incapacitate him for a few minutes, which wouldn’t be good. Harry dodged it, the shockwave teasing a few locks of his hair. He dodged two more as he advanced on the gunman as quickly as he could, though his approach was cut short by the other two vampires, who came flying in from opposite directions.

Harry spun and ducked as he grabbed one of them, holding him so the bullet blew through his heart. The other vampire did tackle Harry, who went with it and sprang off of him towards a wall with the unfortunate vampire’s head. He jumped off of the wall as more bullets were fired at him. He spun and dodged in midair, one of the bullets grazing his thigh as he sped towards the gunman. Turns out the bullets were coated in Holy Water, too.

Just as Harry reached point blank range, the last bullet in the magazine was fired. Harry sliced it and the gun in half, though he sliced through the bullet at such a close range that he didn’t have time to dodge both halves, one of them lodging in his left shoulder.

He gritted his teeth as he sliced the last vampire’s head in half, the body falling to the ground as torrents of blood joined the other vampires’ blood on the marble floor. So much for immaculate.

Harry dropped the katana with a clang and sat against a wall as he clenched his teeth in pain, his wounds very slowly closing, the half-a-bullet falling to the ground with a tink as it was pushed out of his body. He really shouldn’t have underestimated those vampires. Even when his wounds were fully closed, he would only have about fifty percent of his energy left. Healing was taxing. He didn’t have time to recover that extra energy, either, since he didn’t want to run into any more of those grunt vampires. They may have been grunts, but they were deadly grunts.

Harry finally relaxed when his wounds had fully healed, then picked up his katana and ran deeper into the bowels of the castle.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Luckily enough for Hermione, Shadow, and Katerina, Hermione had cut through the cell bars only enough to allow one person in at a time. Shadow was holding the vampires off as Hermione did her best to get any shots in with stakes, though it was difficult to do so without risking hitting Shadow.

So Hermione gave up as Shadow continued to strike down vampire after vampire with his rapier, though the number of vampires seemed endless. One of them would get past him eventually.

Hermione knew she could hold her own against one or two vampires from her special training, but it would be great to have another vampire on their side.

But if she offered her blood to Katerina, could she be sure that the vampire wouldn’t suck her dry? She had only known her for a few minutes now…

“What are you doing?” Katerina croaked, propped up in a corner. “Go help Five.”

“I can’t do much,” Hermione said quickly, eyeing Katerina. She had gained a little of her strength back, enough to speak fluidly, but she definitely wasn’t recovering quickly enough. “But I can help you.” Katerina waited, allowing Hermione to study her burn marks some more as she chewed her lip. “Just…please don’t kill me, okay? Harry would kill you if you made it out of this, which would make all of this pointless.”

“Ah, so you’re with my fledgling?” Katerina asked, a small grin on her lips. “Where is he?”

“Right now?” Hermione said, eyeing Shadow out of the corner of her eye. He seemed to be holding up fine at the moment. “Probably fighting the Master.”

“Show-off,” Katerina muttered. “Wouldn’t do good to kill the Master’s mate, now would it?” she asked. “I promise not to kill you.”

Hermione nodded quickly, swallowing convulsively. She had never thought she would willingly allow any vampire other than Harry to bite her, yet here she was. She took a deep breath and scooted close to Katerina, who steadied the back of her neck and sank her fangs into her jugular. The way she did it hurt more than when Harry did it, and it seemed that she didn’t have enough strength to project those images into her head that Harry managed to.

Hermione moaned as she became light-headed, too nervous to remember to take one of the blood-replenishing potions out of her pocket. Katerina, much of her strength returned, seemed to have read Hermione’s mind, for she fumbled around in Hermione’s pocket for a minute before coming back out with the potion. Still sucking her blood, Katerina tipped the potion into Hermione’s mouth. Hermione sighed as her head cleared.

Katerina drank a few more mouthfuls of blood before pulling off, leaving Hermione to heal her own wound. The vampires seemed to have smartened up in the time that Katerina had been sucking Hermione’s blood, though, for there were vampires keeping Shadow distracted as the rest of them managed to rip the rest of the bars out of the wall. Looked like the anti-vampire magic had faded as soon as Hermione had sliced through the bars.

Shadow hopped back as there was now a wide enough space for nine or ten vampires at once to get in. Shadow twirled around Hermione to guard her left, seeing as she was a human and all, while Katerina, her burns healing quickly, guarded her right.

Hermione raised her wand as the sea of vampires came crashing towards them.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Harry staggered into the throne room, his wounds apparently healed only skin-deep, pain ripping through him with every step. He gritted his teeth as he approached the empty throne, the tip of his katana dragging along the ground.

The throne room was dark, darker than the rest of the castle, though the throne itself was made of pure, glowing gold. It was elegantly sculpted, with a padded seat and back, the armrests too having a bit of leather. Harry staggered up the two steps leading to the throne’s dais, turning around and trying to sense the Master, since he didn’t seem to be anywhere in sight. He didn’t sense anything so he relaxed a little, glad for the extra time to allow his wounds to heal.

Harry suddenly cried out as a sword was impaled through his back and exited through his chest, the blade literally less than a centimeter below his heart. “Fuck,” he groaned as he fell to his knees wearily, feeling more Holy Water corrode the inside of his body.

The vampire who had stabbed him Shadowalked in front of him, elegantly-painted nails lightly grabbing his jaw and pulling his head up to look at his attacker. She was pretty, Harry would give her that. She had dark burgundy hair which curled into tight ringlets at the bottom, though that did nothing to make her look cute. She had a sharply angled face with high, angled cheekbones and alluring red eyes. To top it all off, she looked to be no older than Harry. It was beauty, but it was a dark, sinister beauty.

“Who the hell are you?” Harry demanded.

“I can’t believe I thought you might actually be a challenge,” the woman said condescendingly. “I’m the Master, you fool. You didn’t even do enough reconnaissance to know that and you thought you could kill me?”

It was true. If Harry hadn’t even known the Master was a woman, then that means that Shadow probably hadn’t. He really did go into this fight blind. “Meanwhile, I’ve been watching every plan and every move you three made. Shadow of the Silver Moon, Hermione Granger, and you…Harry Potter. How pathetic.” Harry looked at her defiantly, doing his best not to move. There was a sword extruding from his chest, after all. “Did Shadow of the Silver Moon never tell you that he had been out of the vampire order for over eight centuries, three before I took the throne? He hasn’t been in the vampire loop for a while, except when he met up with that silly Katerina Reinhardt.”

At the mention of the name, Harry’s eyes widened. If she knew of their plans… “Well, at least when I kill you, it’ll all be over. I sent numbers one and three with a few hundred vampires to take down those three. Your mate is probably dead by now,” she said, grinning wickedly with her face only a foot from Harry’s.

The Master began pacing in front of him, and Harry asked, “And where’s the number two?”

“Shadow of the Silver Moon didn’t even tell you that much?” she asked, humor lacing her voice, making Harry more angry. “Katerina’s number two, you fool, why do you think I sent so many to deal with them? Your stupidity definitely amazes me. You come in here, expecting to kill me and break out Katerina, yet you know next to nothing about me or the vampire order. Craziness and arrogance are not good traits to mix, Harry. Meanwhile, I know everything about your mother and father, pissing off some Dark Lord and getting themselves killed,” she taunted as Harry grew more enraged. “Guess the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.” She squatted in front of Harry, twisting the sword in his chest painfully. She whispered, “I wonder if the boys will have their way with your mate before they kill her.”

Harry’s temple throbbed as his rage overwhelmed him, vampire magic bursting from him and sending the Master flying through the air. The sword was propelled from his body as the wound sealed instantly, the black aura of his vampire magic swirling around him. His eyes glowed red as he walked up to the Master, who seemed a little apprehensive. “Awaken, so I can see the look of terror in your eyes when you know I’m stronger than you,” Harry said confidently, his voice amplified and a few levels deeper.

“You want to die that badly?” the Master growled, some of her confidence returned, her eyes flashing red as her inner vampire took over.

The Master lunged at him, spinning away from Harry’s thrusting sword at the last second and kicking it out of his hand. She thrusted her palm against his chest, sending him flying 20 feet back into the wall behind him. His magic began swirling faster, his mind falling deeper into the abyss of anger.

He threw a punch at the Master, who sidestepped to avoid it…only for the magic to slam into her and send her flying. She flipped in midair and shot towards Harry by jumping off a wall, punching as she reached him. Harry caught her hand before throwing a punch of his own, only for the Master to bring her legs over his arm and use his face as a springboard, slamming him back against the ground.

Harry got up and tried again, but no matter what he tried he couldn’t really seem to touch her at all. Finally, she got him good as he went off-balance throwing a punch by slamming him against the ground and pinning his throat with her shoe.

She smirked at him. “You’re running at fifty percent energy and I have thousands of years of fighting experience,” she said condescendingly, pressing her foot harder against his neck. “It was hopeless from the beginning.” She pressed harder, Harry thinking he was going to black out from the pain. “You can go join your whore mate in the depths of hell.”

Harry’s magic blew outward again, though this time the Master was ready for it, bracing herself. Harry’s strength immediately depleted, black encroaching upon his vision as his windpipe was crushed. Her words seemed far away as she pressed harder, Harry trying to fight but unable to move. “Then your whore mate can meet your whore mother.”

This time the blowout of Harry’s magic did blast the Master off of him, sending her crashing hard against the wall behind her. She stood up to face Harry again, rubbing her head, ready to beat the fledgling down again. It was fun toying with him.

But what she saw made her jaw drop. “I…I-Impossible…” she sputtered.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Hermione casted spells furiously, also putting up ward after ward to try to hold off the vampires as long as possible. Hopefully they only had to hold off long enough for Harry to defeat the Master and show up. Hopefully the vampires would obey him then.

Suddenly, all the vampires backed up and parted, allowing two vampires to come to the front. Hermione could tell they were different; they seemed to radiate pure power. The one on Katerina’s side stood a little in front of the one on Shadow’s side when they stopped, making Hermione think the stronger one was on Katerina’s side.

“Katerina Reinhardt and Shadow of the Silver Moon, along with the human present,” said the vampire, standing regally. “For the attempted breakout of a convicted criminal set for execution, you are all hereby sentenced to immediate death. Please just give up now and allow us to kill you quickly.”

None of the three responded, all of them actually tensing even more. The man on the same side as Shadow slowly drew his own rapier while the leader said, “I give you three seconds. One.” Hermione’s grip tightened on her wand as she steadied her aim at the chest of the vampire. “Two.” Katerina and Shadow got ready to spring in any direction, their eyes darting among the vampires. “Three.”

Hermione almost said a spell, expecting the vampires to attack immediately, but none of the vampires moved. Then the two leaders took off their cloaks. “Everyone, stay back.” He pointed at Hermione. “Even you, human. First, we solve this among us vampires once and for all.”

The leader faced Katerina and raised his hands in a fighting position, Shadow and the other vampire with their swords already crossed. Hermione held her breath as they stayed motionless, then Katerina went for a roundhouse kick and all hell broke loose between the four. Their inner vampires all surfaced at once, any shadows in the room drifting across the ground and walls to join the vampire magic surrounding them.

As Shadow and his opponent fought, every time their swords met a shockwave exploded outwards. Katerina’s movements as she fought her opponent looked more like dancing while the other vampire’s movements were very concise and calculated. It was very clear early on who the better fighters were, both Katerina and Shadow being driven back to back very quickly.

Then everything seemed to fit together.

Shadow and Katerina fought in almost perfect sync, their movements making their vampire magic meld and mesh. They began pushing back, though they stayed together to keep the magical connection. Shadow was parrying and countering every thrust his opponent made, Katerina blocking her opponent and throwing out some moves of her own.

All seemed to be going well…until Shadow’s opponent slipped under his guard and slammed his sword into his chest to the hilt. Katerina froze up as she felt the tip of the sword prod her back, turning around to find Shadow standing perfectly still, his rapier gripped weakly in his hand.

His eyes rose to meet Hermione’s, a grim look in them. There was something else though, a silent warning, and Hermione looked back just in time to see Katerina’s opponent about to decapitate her, taking advantage of her shock.

The vampire, too eager to finish Katerina, noticed too late when Hermione’s wand came up and fired a wooden stake straight at his chest. It blew through his heart, killing him instantly, and Shadow used the last of his strength to lunge forward, decapitating his shocked opponent in one swift blow. Then Shadow crumpled to his knees, pulling the sword out of his chest and clutching the wound in pain. Somehow, Hermione could tell it wasn’t a normal wound.

Hermione didn’t see what happened to Shadow next as all hell broke loose, the sea of vampires rushing them again.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

“Impossible,” the Master growled again, taking a wary fighting stance. “That’s impossible!”

Where Harry should have been was a sleek, black panther. The panther was huge, its height from the ground to the top of its back about the height of the average man. Its jet-black coat was shiny and smooth, the only mar a white, lightning-bolt shaped tuft of hair running down the middle of its forehead. Its fangs gleamed in the dim light, its blood-red eyes flashing with intelligence much greater than that of the average wild animal.

Harry, running purely on emotion, let out a feral roar, his anger pulsing through his body. How dare the Master call the women he loves whores?

Harry felt a little odd, the change not fully settled in his brain. He thought he was still a vampire. All he did know was that the Master seemed to be oddly frightened of him for some reason.

He took a few steps closer to her, fangs bared, making her back up. “You…you’re a fledgling!” she stammered. “This is impossible! Not even I have achieved maximum nature synchronization!”

Harry had no idea what she was talking about, but for some reason he felt oddly confident and let it pass without a worry. All that mattered at the moment was that the Master pay for not only trying to kill his friends and Hermione, but slandering their names, too. This woman who had stabbed him through the chest…tried to crush his throat…she was going to die no matter what.

She made a move to escape the corner Harry was backing her into, but Harry just swiped a paw at her, slicing her lower half to ribbons, her legs gone mid-thigh. Terror was etched on her face, her eyes wide with fear as she tried to crawl using her hands.

“Please…” she pleaded. “I submit the throne to—”

She would never finish her sentence, for Harry’s claws shot out again and took her head off, sending it rolling on the ground a good twenty feet away. Harry, wasting no time at all, picked up the head in his powerful jaws and set off for the dungeons, once again only one thought on his mind.

Hermione. Hermione. Hermione.

And then, finally, as he sped through the hallways with more powerful strides than he had ever taken, it registered in his head. He had transformed into a panther. He would have time to think about it more later, but for now all that mattered was 1. He was a panther and 2. Hermione was in danger.

He pushed his new body even harder, amazed at the speeds it achieved. His magic blasted the door to the dungeons open and he bounded to the entrance, coming to a stop to gain his bearings. What he saw astounded him. There were probably about a hundred vampires all funneling into a single cell, which Harry knew was Katerina’s.

Katerina was like a tornado, jumping and spinning and twirling all over the place as she killed vampire after vampire after vampire, the darkest magic he had ever seen enshrouding a vampire pulsing around her. Hermione wasn’t doing too bad herself, taking heads off and shooting stakes through hearts with swishes and flicks of her wand. And Shadow…Shadow was laying on the ground, his life force slowly leaving him.

Harry let out a loud roar, making the Master’s head drop to his feet as he caught the attention of every vampire plus Hermione.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Hermione’s jaw dropped as all action came to a halt, a giant panther standing at the entrance to the dungeons. It was so far away that Hermione could barely see it, though it seemed to have dropped something upon roaring. Was this some sort of vampire patronus? Had Harry won and was doing his best to communicate the fact? Or on the other side…was this the signal from the Master that the challenger had been killed?

“Human…” a vampire moaned, the awe inspired by the panther already gone.

He shot at Hermione, who knew she didn’t have enough time to even bring her wand up. She cringed, not knowing what else to do, the vampire’s glowing red eyes coming closer and closer to her. Then a black blur came out of nowhere and slammed against the vampire, something sharp slicing the attacker’s body into little bits.

The shape solidified into the panther as it landed on the ground in front of Hermione, facing the vampire crowd. It dropped the same thing to its feet again, which Hermione saw seemed to be a terrified vampire head. The vampires all shrieked and fled the dungeons, leaving Hermione to deduce that the head had belonged to the now former Master.

Which meant that Harry…

The panther looked over its shoulder at Hermione, who stared back. There was so much intelligence in those eyes…too much to belong to an animal. There was also arrogance in those crimson eyes, pride, and was that…a need to be acknowledged?

“H-Harry?” Hermione gasped.

The panther immediately turned into Harry. Hermione smiled and raced at him, intending to hug him, but she was stopped by a single look from his cold, red eyes. Vampire Harry was still in control. “I thought I told you earlier to leave me alone,” he said coolly.

Hermione hesitated, her face uncertain, then she took Harry completely by surprise by hugging him anyway. “I don’t care if it’s you or normal Harry. I’m just glad you’re both safe,” she said. Harry was frozen in her embrace, not sure how to react. Hug her back, or push her away?

“Hermione, do something!” came a near-hysterical cry from behind her, startling her. She quickly turned around, wand out, to find Katerina crying, cradling Shadow’s head on her lap.

Shit, she had forgotten about him in the confusion.

“Kat…” Shadow whispered weakly. “It’s too late.”

“No it’s not!” Katerina cried. “It’s never too late! Don’t leave me!”

Shadow gave her a small smile. “Holy water…on the blade…nicked my heart.” A tear fell on his face, making Hermione notice that she was crying along with Katerina, her throat burning. Shadow’s shaky hand reached up and cupped Katerina’s cheek, his thumb brushing over her trembling lips. “Kat…I…I love you.”

Katerina gave him a wobbly smile, more tears landing on his cheeks. “I know, you silly man. Why it took you fifteen hundred years to confess I’ll never know.”

Hermione felt like she was intruding on something private, but she couldn’t will herself to move. “I was afraid…if I…if I told you…I…I wouldn’t be able to see your smile anymore. I thought…you wouldn’t…you wouldn’t…”

The light was leaving his eyes, and Katerina shakily whispered, “I would’ve said ‘I love you too.’”

A small smile pulled up the corners of Shadow’s mouth as the final light left his eyes, which were staring into Katerina’s.

“Katerina…” Hermione whispered, taking a small step towards her.

But the vampire didn’t hear her, her fists clenching Shadow’s shirt. Then, after a few seconds of motionlessness, her head snapped up towards Harry, angry tears in her wild eyes.

Harry didn’t even try to dodge as the weaker vampire slammed into him and pinned him against one of the walls of the cell, his feet a couple inches off the ground. “It’s your fault!” Katerina roared, her grief threatening to burst over.

“Tell me how it’s my fault,” Harry said coolly.

“I…you…” Katerina stuttered, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Why didn’t you just come in alone and defeat the Master? You could’ve released me,” she sobbed.

“You and I both know that wouldn’t have worked,” Harry replied condescendingly, an annoyed look on his face. “For me to have pardoned such a blatantly broken law…” he trailed off.

Hermione watched on in awe, amazed and angry that the vampire Harry could be so callous at a time like this. But Katerina let him slowly slide down the wall until his feet were touching the ground, her shoulders shaking as she began to cry harder.

“Why did he have to die?” she whispered quietly, letting her head fall forward. “Why did he have to come and save me?” she choked out.

Hermione looked at Harry to hear his answer. She knew he wouldn’t be able to stay quiet at a time like this, even if the questions were rhetorical. There was silence for a moment, then Harry’s eyes rose to meet Hermione’s almost instinctively. “Because he loved you,” Harry said, though Hermione had a feeling he wasn’t even paying any attention to what he was saying. He was speaking from the heart.

“Why…why…” Katerina kept repeating, small sobs escaping her mouth. “I loved him…”

A sob burst from her lips and she fell against Harry, crying hard into his chest. Then, surprisingly enough, Harry’s arms wrapped around her and he rubbed her back soothingly.

Finally, Hermione understood.

He wasn’t just being cold, he was making her see that Shadow really had given his life for her, that he was gone and there was nobody to blame. It would’ve been bad if she had ended up holding a grudge against Harry.

Harry gave her a few minutes, then said, “Katerina, you’re going to need to calm down for a few minutes. You and Hermione need to escape so it doesn’t seem like I let you off the hook. You can grieve as much as you want afterwards. You’re just going to need to hold it in for about five minutes, alright?”

Katerina nodded, shakily gripping Hermione’s elbow and helping lead her through the castle, leaving Harry behind. Katerina was still silently crying, making Hermione wish there was some way she could help.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder one last time before exiting the dungeons.

She saw Harry kneeling at Shadow’s head, his eyes closed, muttering something under his breath.

Then he opened his eyes and slowly closed Shadow’s before grabbing his rapier and placing it in his hands, which were folded on his chest.

Goodbye and Farewell, Shadow of the Silver Moon.

A/N: Thanks for all of your amazing reviews! Keep it up, they’re awesome!

Sorry for the long break between updates, I was studying for finals and didn’t have the time or energy to focus on well-structured plot development. Thanks for your patience!

Please enjoy!

Chapter 8 – Pierced By Fear

Harry sat on his throne, his body aching. Had the fighting really been so intense that he was barely able to move at this point? And why did it feel as though he had been stabbed through the chest?

He touched the spot on his chest and winced. As crazy as it sounded, it really did feel as though he had either been stabbed or impaled on something. Did his inner vampire not care about or value his own life at all?

“My Master?” a vampire presently relaying a message in his throne room said nervously.

Harry managed to pull himself out of his thoughts, focusing instead on the task at hand. “Please continue,” he said.

“Well, it seems as though the preparations are right on schedule,” the vampire said.

“That’s good,” Harry said, looking at the vampire on his right, who was wearing thin spectacles and a very old, very well-kept suit with coattails, his grey hair flaring away from his thin, sharp face. He had probably been about sixty-five when he was turned. The man nodded, fulfilling his duty as Harry’s advisor.

The vampire licked his lips. “And Master, if I may…”

“Go on,” Harry said, surprised that the vampire seemed so nervous.

The vampire shrank a little beforehand, averting his eyes. “I don’t think this raid on Voldemort is such a good idea.”

“And why’s that?” Harry asked sincerely, thinking there might’ve been something he had missed.

The vampire flinched though, as if Harry had threatened to kill him for speaking back. “B-b-because he’s j-just a petty human. I m-mean, all the other v-vampires think you’re…you’re…”

“I’m what?” Harry asked, thinking that the last Master must’ve been a psycho if this vampire was acting like this.

The vampire gulped. “Crazy, Master,” he whispered.

“For wasting my time on a human?” Harry asked.

The vampire nodded quickly, quite obviously relieved that he hadn’t been killed for speaking his mind. “Yes, Master.”

Harry blinked a few times and took a deep, reflexive (and unnecessary) breath, thinking hard. Of all the times he could’ve used Hermione…

“Erm…well…Voldemort has an army of creatures, right?” Harry asked, an idea striking him.

The other vampire nodded quickly, his eyes not leaving Harry’s. “Yes, Master,” he said.

“And no vampires are a part of it,” Harry continued.

“No, Master,” the vampire responded quickly.

Harry stood up, trying his best to make himself look intimidating and in control. His advisor had told him to work on it. “We’re attacking him to make him pay for insulting us by not inviting us to be part of his army,” he said angrily. He let his inner vampire take control a bit, little enough to retain control while giving him enough to have pure vampire magic radiating from his body, making the cowering vampire in front of him take a few steps back. “He will pay with his head,” he growled, his voice dangerously low. It was all a lie to get the other vampires to help him, of course, but one that was completely necessary.

The vampire stopped backing down, realizing that it wasn’t him that Harry’s anger was directed at, but Voldemort. He thought about what Harry had said for a second, his face screwed up in concentration. Then he understood the point. He looked up at Harry in awe, gave a soft sound of understanding, then began scowling. “Yeah,” he said, more than a little outraged. “What is that all about?”

He tried to think like inner Harry would think. “He thinks we’re weak…useless,” he said with mock outrage.

“We’ll show him,” the vampire said angrily, punching his fist against the open palm of his other hand.

“And make sure you spread the word….” Harry trailed off somewhat awkwardly.

The vampire stood silent for a second before hurriedly bowing and saying, “Ferdinand, Master.”

“And make sure you spread the word, Ferdinand,” Harry said. “Especially to those who think I’m crazy. We need to be united in this attack if we hope to have any chance of success.”

Ferdinand saluted him. “Yes, Master,” he said before turning around and walking out of the throne room.

When Ferdinand had left Harry and his advisor, whose name happened to be Jean-Claude, alone, Harry collapsed back on his throne. “Are most of the vampires in here like that?” he asked.

“Completely stupid?” Jean-Claude asked with a thick French accent.

“I mean, I’m not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed myself,” Harry replied, “but he seemed exceptionally stupid.”

“Fortunately, no, most of the vampires who reside in this castle aren’t that stupid,” he said. “The majority tend to use their downtime to make themselves at least a tiny bit more intelligent. Ferdinand is your eighth and leader of the Front Line Corps.”

Harry didn’t need to ask what the Front Line Corps was. It was pretty obvious. “Let me guess. Those with the least intelligence end up in the Front Line Corps?” he asked.

“Correct,” Jean-Claude replied. Then, after a moment of silence, he asked, “Now, would you like some more training first or would you rather hear what’s happening today?”

“Just tell me now,” Harry said.

Jean-Claude cleared his throat. “Well, there are only two things on the list today,” he said. “The first of which is an increase in resistance from the locals.”

Harry shook his head. “We’ll deal with that when we get back from the assault on Voldemort.”

“Very well,” Jean-Claude replied with a nod of his head. “The other piece of news is that out of the thirty-two hundred females who currently inhabit this castle, about two hundred of them are claiming to be your mate…and this is only your second day as the Master. Fights have broken out over it. Luckily, nobody’s been killed yet, but…”

Harry nodded, thinking hard. How could he stop the violence and lies? He closed his eyes and took another deep, completely unnecessary breath, but couldn’t think of anything. Except…

“Can you keep a secret, Jean-Claude?” Harry asked nervously.

“I’m your right-hand man, Master,” Jean-Claude replied. “It is only my duty to convey to the rest what you wish.”

Harry nodded. “Good, because I need your advice,” he said. “The thing is…I already have a mate.”

Jean-Claude raised an eyebrow. “Are you just saying that or do you really already have a mate? This is very uncommon for a fledgling.”

Harry would’ve blushed if he could’ve. “Well, I think she’s my mate,” he mumbled.

Jean-Claude’s raised eyebrow never wavered. “You think,” he said skeptically.

“My…er…inner vampire claims that she’s my mate,” he explained.

“There is a way of testing this,” said Jean-Claude.

“There is?” Harry asked earnestly.

“Just kiss her,” his advisor responded.

Harry blinked. “What will that do?” he asked.

“When a vampire kisses his or her mate for the first time, something very noticeable will occur,” Jean-Claude said.

“What happens?” Harry asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

Jean-Claude gave him a small, secretive smile. “That, Master, is for every vampire to discover on his or her own. This has always been an ironclad tradition among vampires.”

“I see,” said Harry thoughtfully.

They sat in silence again after that, Harry thinking while Jean-Claude waited patiently. Finally, when Jean-Claude realized it might be a while, he asked, “Are you in love with her?”

This sent Harry into even deeper thought. “I…I don’t know,” he said slowly. “With everything that’s been going on lately, I feel like everything’s changed. I’m…not sure what my feelings are at the moment,” he said.

“I see,” said Jean-Claude, the corners of his lips quirked in what might have been an almost microscopic smile. Then he became deadly serious again. “I have a feeling that wasn’t the secret you wanted to tell me though, was it?”

“No,” Harry admitted, making sure they were alone with a quick glance of his eyes and other senses. “The real secret is she’s human.”

Jean-Claude blinked a couple times, letting his Master’s words sink in. “That is…most interesting, Master,” he said slowly. “But unfortunate. My suggestion would be to turn her as soon as possible.”

Harry’s brow furrowed. “And why’s that?”

Jean-Claude looked on at him with a neutral expression. “Because previous vampire-human relationships haven’t exactly ended well for either party,” he said simply.

Harry sighed, an expression that was beginning to feel weird, and cradled his head in his hands, gently rubbing his temples. He quietly said, “I won’t turn her unless she explicitly asks or tells me to.”

Jean-Claude’s brow furrowed. “Master, if I may…”

Harry looked up at him. “No, you may not,” he said sharply. “I already know what you’re going to say. My opinion isn’t going to change, though,” he said stubbornly.

Jean-Claude met his eyes and held them, neither of their wills wavering. Finally, Jean-Claude relaxed. “Very well,” he said. “It’s your decision. I might suggest, though, that you tell no one else.”

“That’s the plan,” Harry replied, also relaxing. Then a thought hit him. Somebody else already did know about her. “Katerina,” he said softly. Then he focused on Jean-Claude again. “How would I clear Katerina of her crimes?”

Jean-Claude thought for a moment, a small smile on his lips. “Katerina Reinhardt,” he said slowly.

“You know her?” Harry asked.

“I do,” Jean-Claude said, his eyes on Harry but focused on the distant past. “I helped her as a human during the French Revolution.”

“How did you help her?” Harry inquired, genuinely curious.

Jean-Claude smiled politely. “That, unfortunately, is a story not to be shared with anyone,” he said. “Even you, Master.”

Harry frowned but nodded. “How do we clear her name?” he asked again.

Jean-Claude thought hard for a few more minutes, then slowly nodded his head. “Yes,” he muttered slowly to himself. “It’s the only way.”

“What?” Harry asked. “What’s the only way?”

Jean-Claude focused on Harry again, his expression grim. “At this point, the only way for her to be accepted back into the vampire community is to either become Master or kill your number one, which would then make her your number one. Your General.”

Harry mulled it over. “You know her better than I do,” he said. “Do you think she could take the current number one?”

Jean-Claude scoffed. “Could she take that idiot Rafael?” he asked rhetorically. “Katerina was the number two. Numbers one and three were killed. So it’s really a number four against a number two.”

Harry nodded, his thoughts all over the place. This was all a lot to take in. “Wait,” he said slowly. “Katerina already defeated a number one during the battle.”

“Technically,” Jean-Claude said exaggeratedly, obviously taking enjoyment from the fact that he knew so much more than Harry, said, “the human, who I assume is your mate, killed him. Secondly, Katerina was still in her cell, which meant she was still a prisoner, not a fugitive. And lastly, it wasn’t a formal challenge.”

“Okay,” Harry said, trying to find a way around another fight. There would be more than enough fighting over the next few days to last the duration of twenty lifetimes. “Does this battle have to end in death? I mean, I’ve already lost two of the previous top four.”

Jean-Claude nodded grimly. “Unfortunately, death is the only option.”

Harry’s lips pressed into thin lines. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll speak with her tonight and see what she thinks. If she agrees, it’ll happen tomorrow.”

Jean-Claude nodded. “If I may ask,” he said, “where is Katerina?”

Harry blinked. “In the forest,” he said a bit unsurely.

“Ah,” said Jean-Claude. “Then I’m going to have to tell you to be careful.”

“And why is that?” Harry asked.

“A big pack of werewolves has been spotted camping in the forest,” he said.

“Why wasn’t I informed of this sooner?” Harry asked, standing up abruptly. Hermione.

“Because generally, what lurks in the forest isn’t anyone’s concern,” Jean-Claude replied smoothly. “If a pack of five hundred attacked the castle, they would be massacred. Naturally, nobody would care much if it was a pack of one hundred.”

“There are one hundred werewolves in the forest?” Harry exclaimed, his eyes widening. Hermione.

“Give or take a few,” Jean-Claude said nonchalantly. Then, seeing the look on Harry’s face, added, “They won’t change until tonight anyway. Katerina can hold her own against a hundred unchanged werewolves easily.”

“But what about tonight?” Harry asked.

“We can always hide her in the castle,” Jean-Claude supplied.

“And what about my potential mate?” Harry added.

Jean-Claude blanched. “Your mate is in the forest with her?” he asked. Harry nodded, prompting Jean-Claude to run a hand through his thin hair. “She can’t be hidden in the castle,” he said, thinking out loud. “Her smell will have her found out within seconds.”

“Can we say I’m holding her captive so I can feed from her later?” Harry asked.

“And what happens when you don’t kill her?” Jean-Claude asked. “If you don’t finish her off, it’s expected that she’ll be passed down the ladder until she’s out of blood.”

“Shit,” Harry swore, standing up and pacing. “There’s got to be something,” he said softly.

“We’ll come up with something,” Jean-Claude said placatingly.

Harry went to the doors of the throne room and put a hand on one of the handles. “I’m going out there,” he said, not looking back at his advisor. “She’ll come up with something.”

Without waiting for an answer, he pulled the doors opened and strode through the castle. The other vampires all made way for him, giving him greetings and bowing.

Harry walked all the way to the entrance doors of the castle, pulling them open while making sure to stay in the shadows. He could just make out the edge of the forest, which was littered with shadows, allowing him to sink into the shadows cast by the castle and reappear in the forest. He Shadowalked to where Hermione and Katerina’s camp was, both of their heads snapping up at the intruder before they relaxed.

Hermione smiled at him, good to see that it was her Harry for once. Katerina stood up warily, though, and said, “You said you weren’t going to come out here until the third night. What’s going on?”

“You haven’t smelled the werewolves out here yet?” he asked, sniffing. That was indeed werewolf in the air.

“Of course I have,” Katerina responded. “They aren’t changed. What’s the big deal?”

Harry looked at her for the first time since arriving and had to resist the urge to wince. She looked horrible. Her eyes were puffy and red, there were dried tear tracks on her face, and her hair was a mess. Harry glanced back at Hermione and received a quick shake of the head. Don’t ask right now.

He cleared his throat, but Hermione beat him to the punch. “Tonight’s a full moon,” she said.

Katerina stopped dead. “That’s not good,” she whispered.

“You’re telling me,” Harry said grimly. “We don’t know what their aims are, though. It’d be suicide to attack us head on.”

“They could be scoping it out for a larger force,” Katerina muttered more to herself than anyone else.

“Honestly, to me it doesn’t matter what they’re going to do,” Harry said. “We can handle them. What I’m worried about is what’s going to happen to you two tonight.”

“I can take Hermione far away,” Katerina said. “We can hide.”

“Or I could just apparate,” Hermione said.

Harry rubbed his forehead wearily. “Unfortunately, neither of those are viable options,” he said. “Hermione, there’s no way you’d make it out of the forest, which is where the wards end; the werewolves’ sense of hearing and smell, even in human form, is too great. And Katerina, I want you to be my first. I really need a general I can trust.”

Katerina eyebrows rose. “Me?” she asked incredulously. “A first? I’d be honored.” Then her brow furrowed. “I have to kill him then, right? Your current first, that is.”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Harry replied simply.

Katerina swallowed. “I’ve never taken a life out of necessity,” she said quietly.

Harry put his hands on her shoulders, making her look up at him nervously. “Trust me,” he said grimly. “This is definitely necessary.”

Harry felt a mood shift and immediately looked over at Hermione, who seemed to be looking at Katerina’s shoulder…right where his hand was. He cleared his throat and removed his hands, earning Hermione’s intent attention. “I understand,” Katerina replied heavily, snapping Harry out of his train of thought. “I will do what I must.”

“Good,” he replied. “Can you give me and Hermione a moment alone? I’ll meet you at the edge of the forest.”

Katerina nodded and melted into the shadows, leaving the two friends alone. Harry leaned against a tree as an awkward silence grew thick between them, only to be broken by Hermione asking, “How did you turn into a giant panther last night?”

Harry’s eyes widened. “I what?” he asked incredulously.

“You turned into a giant panther,” Hermione repeated.

“Maybe…maybe it’s like a wizard-turned-vampire’s version of turning into a bat?” Harry speculated, in awe that he had transformed.

Hermione thought for a moment, then looked at Harry with surprise on her features. “Wow. That’s actually a pretty valid theory,” she said. Harry gave her a skeptical look that made her blush from embarrassment. “I mean, of course it is, that’s why you said it, and I wasn’t implying—”

She was cut off by Harry’s rich laugh. “Relax, Hermione. I’m pretty surprised myself.”

Hermione smiled, relieved. When Harry had calmed down, she asked him, “What did you need to talk to me about?”

Harry looked away from her shyly and cleared his throat. “Erm…well…I-I think it’s time that we figure out once and for all if you’re my mate,” he finished strongly.

Hermione’s cheeks turned a bit pink. She licked her lips. “How?” she asked quietly.

Harry’s previous boldness was lost. “Well, we have to kiss,” he mumbled, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his neck nervously.

Hermione swallowed hard. “Okay,” she said slowly. “First I want to know…how do you feel about me? It doesn’t matter what some vampire tradition has to say if the feelings aren’t there.”

Harry puffed out his cheeks as he thought, then slowly released the air. How did he feel about her? Looking at the positives, he could see that she was loving, kind, intelligent, always there for him, and always just saw him as him. And for the negatives: sometimes she could be a bit bossy, which Harry actually found very endearing. He opened his eyes to really look at her rather than just see her. What he saw shocked him. She was absolutely beautiful.

That decided it. “I…” he started before having to begin again. “I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m in love with you at the moment, but…I-I think that the foundations for that feeling have been planted. I think I’m in the process of falling,” he admitted, unable to escape from her beautiful, vulnerable, warm brown eyes.

A tiny bit of disappointment flashed in them for a second before being snuffed, a small smile on her face. “I think that’s good enough for now,” she said, wetting her lips. Her pulse was racing like crazy and her cheeks were turning red, her breathing erratic. “Let’s find out.”

Harry swallowed and approached her awkwardly, not exactly sure what to do. They leaned in towards each other, Hermione’s eyes closed as Harry kept his open to make sure he didn’t miss his mark. Her breath caressed his lips as they got closer, their noses just barely brushing, sending a tingle down Harry’s spine. Finally, their lips met, Harry’s eyes sliding closed as he tasted her soft lips.

Lights flashed behind his closed eyelids as pleasure exploded through his body, an odd warmth flowing through his veins like lifeblood. Her lips were the softest thing he had ever felt, her taste the sweetest, making him want to never stop.

It was the single greatest moment of his life.

Then his brow furrowed as his conscious threatened to escape, his inner vampire threatening to burst forth. Then he realized that it was impossible, because he was Hermione, and he was kissing Harry, but he was also kissing Hermione.

Wait, what?

Harry stumbled back as they broke the kiss, both of them staring into each other’s eyes. Harry could feel a heartbeat in his chest, causing him to look down and press his hand against the skin, where he felt nothing. But he could feel it beating on the inside, and he could taste the sweet oxygen passing through his lips with each breath he took…even though he wasn’t breathing.

He swallowed. “What the hell just happened?” he asked.

Hermione took a second to respond, a look of awe on her face. “I…I think…I think we just became one,” she whispered.

Harry laughed nervously. “That’s impossible,” he said. “I’m me and you’re you.”

“Not our bodies, Harry,” Hermione said, thinking hard. Finally after a few seconds, she whispered, “I meant our souls.”

“Our souls?” Harry said, acting as an echo.

Hermione clutched at her chest, her eyebrows furrowed. “I can…feel you, right here,” she said. Then she focused on Harry again, meeting his eyes. “I’m your mate,” she whispered.

Harry gave her a small smirk. “You’re my mate,” he replied teasingly. “And you’re happy about it,” he said softly, a bit surprised. Hermione looked down at the floor. “Hermione?” he inquired softly.

She was silent for what seemed to be forever. “Why do you think I never left your side?” she finally asked with barely a whisper.

The implication of her question made his heart squeeze in his chest. “I…You…I thought you…”

“You thought I did it because I was your best friend? You thought I said I didn’t have those feelings yet?” she asked. Harry nodded. Hermione chuckled softly. “I’ve loved you all along,” she admitted quietly. “I was too afraid to tell you last time.”

Harry looked at her sadly. “As much as I want to say it back this instant,” he said, “I don’t want to lie to you.”

Hermione’s face fell, her head dropping to look at the ground. Harry very gently pulled it back up with a single finger under her chin, bringing their faces only inches apart. “Hey,” he said with a small smile on his face. “I’ll get there eventually…I’ve always been a bit slow. In the meantime, we’re just going to have to make do with some of these.”

He kissed her softly again, a small smile on his lips as she kissed him back. When they parted, Harry smiled at her and said, “I could really get used to that.”

Hermione smiled back, though the pain wasn’t completely absent from her eyes. “Me too,” she said. After a few seconds of silence, she looked away and said, “You better go back. Katerina’s waiting.”

“Hang on,” Harry replied. “We still need to figure out what we’re going to do with you.”

“Go do what you have to do with Katerina,” Hermione said, backing away from him. “By the time you get back, I should have plenty of ideas.”

“Okay,” said Harry slowly, backing away from her. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“Trust me, Harry,” Hermione replied, smiling and waving. “See you soon!”

“Be back in a bit!” he called back before turning and zipping through the forest, his mind full of even more thoughts and worries now…but at least now it was balanced by a hefty amount of happiness.

His body went on autopilot as he relished in the warmth of Hermione’s beating heart, her happiness, though mixed with disappointment, warming the rest of his body. His mind was jerked back into his body as a hand closed around his throat and slammed him on the ground.

He fought for a second before he realized it was Katerina. She released him and stood up, leaving Harry to do the same as he shot her a confused look. “What the hell was that for?” he demanded, rubbing his throat.

Katerina folded her arms across her chest. “You need to pay attention to where you’re going, fool,” she said. “You were a millisecond from leaving the forest.”

Harry looked up and realized that she was right. He had been about a millisecond away from being burned to a crisp. He looked back at her with an apologetic smile. “Thanks for that,” he said.

She raised an eyebrow at him in response. “Fledglings,” she muttered. Then, at Harry’s annoyed look, she laughed. “Come on, let’s go.”

Harry shook his head and Shadowalked back into the castle, Katerina right behind him. Harry turned to one of the guards on duty and said, “Katerina is formally challenging for the position of number one. Summon Rafael to the arena, please.”

“Yes, sir,” the vampire replied quickly, his knees shaking in fright as he saluted his Master.

As Harry and Katerina made their way to the arena, she looked at him funny. “I see you already have a reputation,” she said slyly.

“I have no clue what I’ve done to deserve that kind of response,” Harry replied truthfully, bewildered.

When they arrived at the arena, it was to find that half of the ten thousand seats had already been filled. “Wow,” Harry breathed in awe as he and Katerina walked into the middle of the arena, surrounded by their brethren.

“News travels quickly,” Katerina commented, stretching her legs.

Harry turned to face her. “You’re sure you want to do this?” he asked.

She slowly stopped stretching and turned to face him. Harry could see determination burning in her eyes. She had also collected herself well, looking similar to the first time he met her rather than the wreck he had come across not twenty minutes ago. “I’m ready,” she said in a voice that sent chills down his spine.

He really didn’t envy Rafael.

“Good luck,” he said before turning around and jumping up to the Master’s suite.

Jean-Claude was already up there. “She ready?” he asked.

Harry nodded. “Definitely,” he said, watching her stretch.

Rafael walked into the arena confidently at that moment and bowed, flourishing his cape. The two faced each other at opposite sides of the arena and looked up at the suite. “What do they want?” Harry asked Jean-Claude quickly, uncomfortable having thousands of eyes glued on him.

“A formal acknowledgment of the challenge, Master,” he replied just as quickly. “Let me amplify your voice.”

A jet of vampire magic shot out from Jean-Claude’s body and struck Harry’s throat, making it burn for a second before it turned into more of a tingling sensation. He touched his throat curiously as he stood up, his mind instantly going blank as he looked upon the thousands of faces turned to him.

Oh, how he hated speeches.

He nervously cleared his throat, wincing a bit as the sound was amplified and echoed throughout the arena. “Well…” he began poorly. “In case you all haven’t heard by now, I’m your new Master, Harry Potter,” he said, scratching his face in embarrassment as quite a few female cheers and whistles sounded from the crowd. “Anyway,” he continued, “I hope to keep the vampire population flourishing during my tenure as your Master.” Cheers rose. “Enough for my introductory speech, though. We are gathered here to witness a formal challenge for the title of first from Katerina Reinhardt,” he said, earning a surprising amount of cheers from the crowd despite the fact that Katerina was a fugitive lawbreaker. “She will be fighting your current first, Rafael Torres, to the death.”

The cheers were much louder following Harry’s last sentence, but he figured it had more to do with the ‘to the death’ part than the fact that they were supporting Rafael.

Katerina took a couple steps forward as Rafael took off his cape, tossing it into the crowd dramatically. He took out a rapier similar to Shadow’s and planted the tip into the ground before kneeling in front of it and closing his eyes, mumbling a prayer under his breath. Katerina stood back, waiting for him to finish.

When he did, he stood up and held his sword up in front of his body as he bowed at Katerina, who did the same in return. If Harry’s stomach hadn’t been squirming so badly, he would’ve chuckled at the fact that it was so similar to the beginning of a wizards’ duel.

Katerina took a defensive stance, her weight spread out perfectly, ready to receive the incoming attack. Rafael Shadowalked behind her, slicing his sword through thin air as Katerina did the same to him. She launched a massive, lightning-quick roundhouse kick at him, aiming to finish the fight in one blow, but she was blocked, Rafael managing to catch her foot as he spun around. He thrusted his sword at her exposed body, which she bent backwards and spun, flipping the off-balance Rafael over as she landed on her feet.

Rafael sprang to his own feet and launched a flurry of blows at Katerina, doing his best to stay on the offensive. Katerina dodged as best she could, receiving a few nicks from the sharp blade in the process despite her superior speed. It was difficult at that speed to dodge so many blows.

Rafael jumped up high; so high, in fact, that he used the ceiling, which was over a hundred feet up, as a springboard to launch himself back down at Katerina. Harry gripped the arms of his chair tightly, his eyes not leaving her as she remained motionless.

Why wasn’t she dodging? It would’ve been easy enough to move a few feet to the side and avoid the attack. But as Rafael sped at her, she didn’t move a single muscle. Then, just as Harry had gone to cover his eyes, she spread out her legs and brought both arms above her head, crossing them at the wrists. There was a massive amount of vampire magic gathered as a shield in front of her crossed arms, which Harry realized she must have been building up when she was remaining motionless.

The sword slammed into the shield so hard that Katerina’s knees almost buckled. The ground gave out first, though, a crater ten feet in diameter forming around them as if Rafael had been a meteor that had struck.

They were both gritting their teeth, pushing against each other, Rafael still suspended in the air. Then Katerina gave up, surprising Rafael as he slammed into the ground that his opponent had spun away from. She kicked him in the ribs, sending him flying into one of the stone walls surrounding the arena minus his sword.

Katerina dashed at him as he recovered, spinning around the punch that he timed perfectly. Rafael’s other hand came to block the foot that came at his face, using her momentum against her to slam her into the wall. Katerina collapsed onto all fours, clutching her chest and shaking her head, crying out as Rafael’s foot slammed into her side just below her ribs, sending her sliding forty feet across the ground. Harry was completely tensed, his eyes wide as Rafael advanced confidently on Katerina’s motionless form. Then he noticed something. Rafael’s inner vampire had awakened at some point. To the best of Harry’s knowledge, it seemed to him that Katerina was still her normal self.

Rafael went up to Katerina’s head and lifted his foot up to stomp on her face, the noise level of the crowd rising as they sensed the impending kill. Then his foot slammed down…right into the ground. His body went limp and fell to the ground, his head rolling beside it.

“Holy Merlin,” Harry gasped as the crowd went silent for a few seconds.

Harry had never really seen a vampire fight, his inner vampire having always been in control when anything truly serious had gone down. What had happened was almost too fast to see. In the time it had taken Rafael to bring his foot down, Katerina had rolled away on the ground, sprang to her feet, jumped straight at the opposite wall, and propelled herself back at Rafael, grabbing his rapier off the ground and beheading him with it as she skidded to a stop.

Harry figured the silence was attributed to the fact that most of the audience had no idea what had just happened. Then it registered in their heads that one of them had been killed and they erupted into cheers. Katerina bowed, looking at Harry with blood-red eyes. So that’s how lethal she was when she was awakened…

Harry stood up and addressed his subjects. “Katerina Reinhardt is the winner!” he announced, earning more cheers from the crowd. “Thus, she has been exonerated of all crimes and is the new first!”

The crowd began filing out after another minute of cheering, talking loudly. Katerina jumped up into the suite in front of Harry, her eyes clouded with bloodlust. “Exciting, no?” she asked, her voice sultry.

“Katerina?” Harry said, reflexively pressing his head into the cushioning of the seat a little harder.

She walked up to Harry, her hips swaying seductively. She put her hands on his upper thighs as she leaned her face close to his, their noses almost touching. “The feeling of taking that pathetic fool’s life got me excited,” she whispered.

Great. Turned out Katerina’s inner vampire was even more of a homicidal maniac than his own was; killing actually seemed to turn hers on. Just as Harry was about to tell her to back off, he felt fear pulse through his body.

He froze. That wasn’t his own fear.

“Hermione,” he said quietly, pushing Katerina to the ground as he stood up abruptly.

“Master, wait!” Jean-Claude said abruptly. “Take the sword.”

“The sword?” Harry asked quickly.

“Made with a high silver concentration, designed purely for killing werewolves during the first Great War. You are going into the forest, correct?” he asked quickly, snapping his fingers.

“Yeah,” Harry said.

Waiting for that sword was the longest ten seconds of his life. Finally, a vampire came forward bearing it. Harry snatched it out of his hands and pushed his body to the limit as he thought desperately of Hermione and what could have frightened her so much.

He had to stop on a dime as he saw that the sun was still peeking above the horizon, confusing him. What had scared Hermione so badly if it wasn’t the werewolves?

He quickly Shadowalked into the forest and sped between the trees, arriving at the camp to find no trace of her. “Hermione?” he called. He sniffed the air and followed her scent slowly, only for something huge to slam into him, smashing him into the ground.

He rolled with his momentum, his battle instincts kicking in as he came face to face with a giant wolf, which was so big that at first Harry had thought it was a bear. Its grey fur was standing on end, saliva dripping from sharp teeth as long as daggers as it snarled at him.

He thought it was just a giant wolf until he probed it with his mind and found that it had the faint traces of human thought. How had it changed before nighttime?

He decided answering that question could wait as four more joined the first. He closed his eyes and raised the sword, knowing that if he reacted and depended on his sight that he was sure to lose. Everything seemed to turn into slow-motion as he felt Hermione’s heart racing in his chest, the forest disappearing behind her as a giant wolf carried her away from the forest.

Let me help you, a voice said in his head.

I can’t trust you, Harry replied. You don’t seem to give a damn about our body.

I want to see you take on a Master-strength vampire and come out better, his inner vampire snapped. But we shouldn’t fight amongst each other. They have Hermione. I will help you.

I thought you hated her, Harry shot back. You hit her.

I’m you, you fool, his inner vampire responded. Your feelings are my feelings.

Harry remained silent for as long as he dared, then responded. Fine.

Let’s show them what they get for taking her.

Harry’s eyes remained closed, but his senses rose as he felt power surge throughout his body. The wolves sprang at him, jaws spread wide to rip him to pieces. Harry jumped through the gap between the first two and sliced one of them in half, spinning through the air as the other three pounced on him.

Harry rolled through the landing and decapitated the wolf on the right, sending blood spraying into the eyes of the one on the left, effectively blinding it for a moment. He hopped up and pushed the head of the middle wolf into the ground, shattering its skull.

Three down, two to go.

He Shadowalked ten feet behind him as one of the wolves lunged for his back, smashing into the tree as it snapped its jaws through midair. The previously-blinded wolf took a wild swing with a giant paw that Harry ducked under, jumping up afterwards and cleaving its head in half. The last wolf let out a howl that turned into a pitiful yelp as Harry’s sword drove through its breast and heart.

Harry pulled his sword out and wiped it on the wolf’s fur, looking in the direction that Hermione was being taken. He set off for the edge of the forest, determination and power radiating through him, making him feel invincible. No wonder Katerina’s inner vampire loved killing so much; this kind of power was indeed intoxicating.

Harry skidded to a stop as he neared the edge of the forest, sensing dozens of wolves closing in on him from all directions. He looked up at the sky as he readied himself, a grin forming on his face.

It was nighttime, the full moon hanging low in the speckled sky.

The wolves slowed down as they closed in around him from about thirty feet away, determining how they were going to bring down the vampire master. Harry sat down boredly as the wolves advanced, hundreds of his fellow vampires attacking and flanking the wolves as Jean-Claude and Katerina grew out of the shadows on either side of him.

“Go after Hermione,” Katerina said.

Jean-Claude grinned. “We’ll catch up once we’re finished here.”

Harry melted into the shadows and reappeared outside of the forest, leaving his range of Shadowalking. He only knew the area surrounding the castle well enough to confidently Shadowalk, and there was no point in taking unnecessary risks. Hermione’s life was at stake.

As he set off at a pace that blew the grass out of the ground around him, he heard yelps and strangled howls from behind him.

Werewolves may have been at home in the night, but they were nowhere near the level of vampires. Vampires were creatures of the night. They thrived in the darkness, killed in it, drew their power from it.

Vampires were merciless, powerful, and just plain evil.

Harry was going to make sure that the person behind Hermione’s kidnapping discovered that first hand.

A/N: Bwahaha, oh how I love cliffhangers! And oh, how I love writing this story! And finals are over, so this time I’ll be able to update while you still remember what’s happening in the story! Yay!

Please don’t forget to review! (Assuming you can spare the time, of course…)

A/N: Man, I can’t believe I’m breaking 50k words with this chap! So exciting! Don’t know how much longer this is going to be (depends on my muse), but what I do know is that I’m having so much fun writing this and reading all of your amazing reviews!

Caution: More violence ahead.

Please Enjoy!

“I’m running out of good quotes and am getting tired of scrolling through so many that don’t fit my intentions.”
-An Apologetic DarthMittens

Chapter 9 – Pierced By Wolf

Harry pushed his body to the limits, keeping his eyes closed as he focused on pinpointing Hermione through a combination of her heartbeat and presence.

Her heartbeat was slow and consistent, which suggested that she was unconscious at the moment. Harry didn’t expect anything less from the werewolves, and quite frankly he was glad they hadn’t killed her yet. He had a feeling, though, that he didn’t want to discover why they were keeping her alive.

As for her presence, Harry could feel it in the back of his mind like some sort of internal compass. If you had asked him at that moment, he could’ve told you that she was about nineteen miles away from him. Unfortunately, the distance between them was growing.

Other than Hermione’s presence in his head, Harry could feel the feeble attempts of takeover made by his inner vampire. It seemed that he hadn’t rested long enough to resurface yet, though.

Harry still couldn’t decide whether that was good or bad.

He sped through lush fields illuminated by moonlight, dark forests that allowed him to quickly Shadowalk through, and rolling hills. But somehow, Hermione was getting farther and farther away.

He needed more, he realized. Needed more speed. Needed more power.

Because there was no way anything was going to happen to Hermione while he was alive. Without her, he realized, there was no meaning in life. Without her, he would be nothing. He couldn’t imagine never seeing her again; her smile, her beautiful hair, her keen eyes. He would miss everything about her. He couldn’t live without her. And oddly enough, he smiled about that. He finally realized what he had been missing all along.

He loved her.

Harry felt a rippling sensation in his body that was oddly pleasurable, then he was running at a much faster pace, his powerful muscles pushing harder and harder. He looked down at his feet and tried to cry out in horror, but all that came out was a high-pitched keen.

His legs were covered in sleek black fur, and where his feet should have been were mighty paws that pounded into the ground.

Then his conversation with Hermione came back to him. That was right; she had told him that he had transformed into a panther on the night they had stormed the castle. Perhaps his feeling of love for her and the fact that she was in danger prompted this response.

He practically flew over the grass, covering dozens of feet with each mighty stride. He could feel himself getting closer to Hermione, though not very quickly. The pounding of his giant paws fell into a steady rhythm and he focused only on finding her again, his pace picking up the tiniest bit when he felt that her heart was racing like mad, which meant she had to be awake again.

Harry let out a loud, feral roar and pushed harder, fighting off the pain as his muscles screamed in protest. He felt an odd sensation in his head and tried to shake it off, but it only kept growing as the seconds ticked by. Eventually it came to the point where he couldn’t focus on anything but the sensation and he slowed down, trying to fight it off. His feeling of Hermione had weakened, his intense focus diminished as he was assaulted by the sensation. It made his stomach twist, almost as if…almost as if it was a sense of foreboding.

Then a wave of pain slammed in to him, every inch of his skin on fire. He glanced at the horizon and saw the edge of the sun, its ultraviolet rays blasting through his skin painfully. He hopped behind a tall boulder sitting at the foot of a big hill, the relief from the pain making him collapse in a heap.

He looked towards the hill and swore internally, realizing he had barred himself from moving any farther. The sun was shining on the hill on the same side that he was sitting on, and there were no shadows to Shadowalk to on either side of him. Shadowalking relied on being able to see where he was going to end up, and if he stuck his head out from the rock to backtrack by Shadowalking and finding his way around, he would get fried by the sun.

He was stuck, at least for a little while.

He paced in small circles, his tail flicking back and forth agitatedly. He hated that Hermione was getting farther and farther away from him and there was nothing he could do about it. She was getting farther at a much slower pace than before, but she was definitely getting farther.

He gauged the hill with shrewd, calculating eyes, trying to determine how long it would take him to get over the hill and into the shadow it was casting. He glanced up at the sky and winced. There was no way he would be able to do it. Hermione would have to hold out until nighttime, or at least until there was a possibility that Harry could make it to the other side.

He heard a wooshing sound and whirled about, ready to attack. He only relaxed once he saw that it was Katerina, whose eyes were still crimson. Jean-Claude appeared a half-second later, his shirt a bit shredded. “Master, so good to see you,” he said, “even if you are a panther at the moment.”

Harry growled, indicating that he was in no mood for jokes. He began pacing again, feeling restless. She was getting farther.

Katerina had remained silent, staring at the hill thoughtfully. “Stay still for a second, Master,” she finally said, stepping up to him and placing a hand on his back as he complied.

She closed her eyes and remained perfectly still, though a bit of strain began to appear on her face. “Jean-Claude, help me,” she said, her voice strained.

Jean-Claude complied instantly, laying a hand on Harry just as Katerina had. Harry’s eyebrows furrowed, his annoyance increasing as nothing happened. What were they trying to accomplish?

Katerina began speaking again, her voice strained even more than earlier. “Master, draw upon your power. When I tell you to, run for the backside of the hill.”

Harry’s annoyance was immediately replaced by confusion. How were they going to make it so he could go out in the sun? He glanced back at Katerina and Jean-Claude, whose eyes were squeezed shut in concentration. “Master, this won’t work unless you bring out your power!” Katerina cried, sweat beading on her forehead.

Harry quickly looked ahead at the hill and began drawing on his power, doing his best to get every last bit of it out. Everything began growing dark as he felt his power begin to grow, supplemented as it was by Katerina’s and Jean-Claude’s. The power flowed through his veins, making his body thrum; he felt as though he could do anything. The only thing he couldn’t figure out was why everything was beginning to grow dark.

“Get ready, Master,” Jean-Claude managed, his voice weak.

He was already almost ready to go in the sunlight? Nothing was changing except that he was becoming blind!

“Go, Master!” Katerina choked out before collapsing, Jean-Claude joining her on the floor less than a second later.

Harry glanced back, then realized that he couldn’t see anything at all at that point. So, in a panic, he ran for the hill, hoping against all hope that he wasn’t going to burn into a crisp. The magic infused throughout his bones and body helped him blast up the side and over the top, and it was then that Harry realized that he was still, miraculously, alive. So he dashed to the other side and into what he knew was shadow, for he could feel it calling to him, sheltering him, protecting him.

The blackness slowly faded, Harry blinking as his sight gradually came back to him. He focused on the darkness closely as it dissipated, his mind finally putting two and two together as he saw that it wasn’t that his sight that had disappeared, only that it had been covered. The darkness was wispy, and as it faded he felt his power waning.

Katerina and Jean-Claude had given Harry their power, ending up in him having so much that it had collected around him, blocking out the sunlight as he had raced through it. While it had allowed Harry to cross over the hill, it had unfortunately left him without the aid of Katerina and Jean-Claude.

But now wasn’t the time to be worrying about that.

He focused on the shadows, letting them pull him towards Hermione as he melted through them and travelled along their path on the way to her location, which he was advancing upon at a rapid rate. He focused on her again, fear pulsing through her veins even though her heart was beating at a normal pace. She had stopped moving, and as she breathed he could taste the stale air that was circulating through her lungs.

She was inside. That was definitely to Harry’s advantage. Sunlight shouldn’t be much of an issue indoors.

Before the sun had reached its midday peak, Harry had reached the hideout, which oddly enough happened to be a cathedral.

Now that was a bit of a problem.

Here Harry was, thinking that since Hermione was being held in a building, he would have the advantage. He should’ve figured that the werewolves couldn’t be that stupid.

It was impossible for Harry to enter a building of religion without permission from a human. He was a being of such evil, malice, and harm that the natural harmony of prayer, faith, and happiness completely repelled him. An invitation would allow him to bypass that certain security feature. Why, he did not know; he only knew that it worked.

But how could he trick one of the werewolves into allowing him inside? There was no way one of them would mistakenly think he was one of them, and if they did there was no reason for the werewolf to invite him in.

Think, Harry, think!

He camped in a shadow looking at the entrance for quite a while, in agony over the fact that Hermione was so close yet so far. Once he got inside, he knew it would be a breeze. It was daytime, so he knew the werewolves were no longer wolves but humans, which would be easy pickings. He just had to figure out how to get inside.

Then he saw a figure walking directly at him.

Harry hid behind the tree whose shadow he was using, his muscles tensing in preparation for a fight. The person kept coming, and as Harry read his mind he knew that the man knew where he was. But he had no ill intentions. Harry didn’t relax completely though, figuring it would be better to stay on guard. Better safe than sorry.

The man’s hood was pulled low over his face, keeping Harry from noticing that it was someone he actually knew until the last second.

“Hello, Harry,” Remus Lupin said, pulling off his hood and stepping behind the tree with Harry, who was surprised that his former professor could recognize him. “I thought I’d find you here. Recognized you by the scar, of course,” he continued, answering Harry’s question. “And yes, they do have Hermione inside.”

He peeked his head around the tree and made sure there was nobody around with wary eyes before turning back to Harry and whispering, “I have a plan.”

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Harry watched as Lupin went back into the cathedral (after inviting Harry in, of course), nodding at the two men standing watch. Along with his plan, Lupin had given Harry a disturbing bit of information. The werewolves still being in wolf form somehow was the most interesting bit of information.

He had mentioned it casually, as if he was used to it, so Harry hadn’t been informed of the specifics.

But that didn’t matter at the moment. What did matter was that the first stage of the plan was being implemented. While Lupin talked to Greyback, who was the leader of the werewolves, Harry was tasked with having to return to his human form. Which was too bad, really. Harry really liked his panther form.

Nevertheless, he focused on reducing and compressing his power, bringing it back down to a level more suitable for his human form. It took him a little while and a lot of concentration, but he eventually managed to return to his old self, clothes and katana all somehow still intact.

Then he went on to the next task.

He looked up at the very top of the cathedral, where a bell sat in a tall tower. He focused on the shadows and let them pull him in, blinking as he melted out of the bell’s shadow. Shadowalking was another sensation he would never get tired of.

He was perched on the wall of the tower, the bell directly in front of him. Almost too late, Harry noticed that there was someone else up there with him. Luckily, the man’s had his back turned to Harry, who had remained unnoticed.

He hopped off the wall and touched down with not even a sound, crouching to get ready to launch an attack should the man turn round. But he didn’t, so Harry quickly snuck up on him and reached up to grab the man around his neck and choke him into unconsciousness.

He walked carefully down into the cathedral below, his eyes darting to the dark shadows in case anyone was waiting for him. He could hear the faint sound of Lupin talking somewhere on the ground floor and the scurrying of a couple mice that had found their way into the cathedral, but there was complete silence other than that.

Harry alighted on the second floor, keeping completely silent, of course, and crept up to the corner in the hallway leading to the stairs. He closed his eyes and sent his senses out to feel for anybody, grimacing as he felt the presences of three werewolves, the stairs to their backs. He fingered his katana, wishing there was some way he could get past them without killing them. He couldn’t just sneak past them, of course, because then there’d be three more he would have to deal with when everything went down on the ground floor. He also couldn’t knock them out, because how would he do so with two other wolves there?

Harry closed his eyes and whispered a quick prayer, to whom he did not know. It definitely wasn’t to God, but he felt as though he had heard the prayer somewhere else before. It was almost like he had dreamed about someone saying it or something.

He swallowed and very slowly poked his head around the corner, instantly Shadowalking to one of the corners behind the wolves as soon as he could see it. He took a fighting stance as he stepped straight out of the shadow, ready in case he had alerted one of them. But they were still staring straight ahead, ready for the intruder to come from the front.

As he snuck up on the three werewolves, he couldn’t help but feel bad about the fact that he was about to kill them so dishonorably. But he had to be as quiet as possible, and this was the only way.

Harry pulled the sword back, ready to deal a devastating killing blow to all three of them at once. He swung hard, not relenting as he cleaved through the flesh of the first one, instantly killing it as it was halved. The second had barely twitched its head in the direction of the noise before it was killed, its blood pooling around it as its innards decorated the stone floor.

The third had been more alert, though, and sprang just outside of the katana’s range, the wickedly sharp blade missing it by mere centimeters. Harry quickly lunged at it before it had the chance to call out to its fellow werewolves, but had to spring over the beast as it struck out with its front paw with a speed that rivaled Harry’s own.

This was no ordinary werewolf; Harry could tell that. He shifted his grip on the hilt, adrenalin flooding his veins and sharpening his senses. He met the werewolf’s eyes and understood why it hadn’t called out yet: it wanted the kill for itself. It wanted the glory, the fame, and the flesh.

Harry let his eyes close once more, standing in a more relaxed pose as he let his other senses see for him. He drew the shadows in to himself, obscuring his figure to the wolf as the thick darkness cloaked him and gave him more power. He could feel the wolf in front of him, feel when its muscles tensed, feel when it sprang at the shadows, paws with razor-sharp claws extended.

Harry took advantage of the fact that the beast had leaped and sliced at it faster than the human eye could see, then was knocked off balance as his blade was deflected by the wolf’s paw. He had to spin away from it, wincing as it sliced his arm open. The skin mended instantly, Harry shuddering at the feeling the healing sent through him.

The wolf launched another attack that Harry managed to deflect, but the one attack turned into a wave of plenty. Harry ducked, dodged, spun, and deflected, his movements frantic as he did his best to keep up. In the short reprieve in the wolf’s string of attacks Harry launched a barrage of his own, the wolf managing to dodge the blade as it sliced through the air at lightning-fast speeds.

On one swing, the wolf ducked and lunged at Harry again, sinking its razor-sharp claws into his stomach. Harry cried out softly in pain and stabbed at the wolf, but it was already out of range again. Harry grunted as his stomach healed, rubbing the tender skin afterwards and wincing.

The wolf growled, its hackles raised, and Harry warily took up his best defensive stance. The wolf lunged at him again, moving even faster than before. Harry did his best to fend it off, but received a multitude of deep, painful wounds from serrated claws.

The wolf relented and as they both recovered, Harry’s wounds healing, his inner vampire spoke to him.

It has just as much speed and power as us, it said. Stop being an idiot and finish this thing off before it kills us!

I can’t, Harry responded, grimacing as pain assaulted him, his skin knitting back together a little slower than normal. It’s too overwhelming.

I just said stop being an idiot, the vampire replied weakly, his strength almost completely diminished. You have something the wolf doesn’t. Use it.

What is it? Harry asked desperately, shifting his grip on the katana while he and the wolf tried to stare each other down.

No response came, making Harry swallow. He had no strength to tell him what it was.

The wolf gave him no more time to think, though, springing at him again with thick saliva dripping from its maw. Harry Shadowalked behind it and swung at it as he tried to think of what he had that the wolf didn’t. He couldn’t come up with anything.

He was doomed.

The wolf dodged the blade and pressed harder, pushing Harry back a little with each swipe of its massive paws and every snap of its massive jaws. Harry was fighting back desperately, trying to find any opening he could take advantage of. Going on the offensive was impossible, though, when he was doing everything he could to stay alive.

Time after time he felt the keen sting of his skin being ripped open, and time after time he felt the skin knit back together. The only problem was that he was healing slower and slower every time, each healing making him move slower and slower as the magic was drained from his body. The shadows had almost completely dissipated from around him, leaving him visible to the wolf. He continued to parry and block to the best of his ability, everything seemingly a blur as the two moved at incredible speeds.

Then disaster struck.

Harry’s back hit the wall, throwing him off balance. He went to block a swipe of a paw but missed, disoriented as he was. Razor-sharp claws ripped through his thigh and hamstring from the side, not slowing down at all until the claws were embedded in bone. Harry cried out and dropped to his knees, using his katana as a prop as the claws were removed with a wet schlick, the wound immediately doing its best to close. It was having issues closing back up, though, Harry’s reserves of magic greatly depleted. He was lame for who knew how long?

And then Harry’s eyes widened.

Magic. Magic was the ability that he had and the wolf didn’t; he was sure of it. And what an advantage and difference it was.

The wolf stood over him, seemingly gloating as it relished in the excitement of the impending kill. It raised a massive, shaggy paw and held it there as Harry focused on drawing in any amount of dark, powerful magic he could. Then the paw came slamming towards him, its intent being to take off Harry’s head. Harry focused the magic to form a shield, wincing as the paw slammed into it so hard that the shockwave made dust fall from the walls and ceiling.

The wolf stopped, caught off guard. Harry took advantage of its confusion to take a swing at it, his katana whistling through the air. The wolf brought its head back just enough that Harry missed it, but its attacking paw wasn’t nearly as lucky. The limb was severed cleanly, rolling on the floor as blood flooded from the wound. The wolf whimpered loudly and jumped back, raising its head to howl.

Harry gritted his teeth and launched himself at the beast, his leg screaming in agony but his brain knowing that if the wolf howled at this moment he’d be dead for sure. The howl turned into the slightest of strangled whimpers as the katana slammed through its throat, Harry burying it to the hilt. He quickly withdrew the sword and sliced the wolf’s head off, collapsing on the ground next to the dead body and detached head.

Harry rolled on his back and did his best not to groan as his body recovered, pain and pleasure both shooting through his body as his wounds healed. He could still hear Lupin talking calmly, so he knew he still had time before the next part of the plan was implemented.

The wounds—especially the leg wound—took their time healing, his magic slowly recovering as most of it was expended on getting him back to fighting shape.

Then, when he had finally finished healing and was just resting to recover his strength and magic, he heard shouting begin downstairs. So he quickly hopped up on his feet and dashed to the stairs, mentally preparing himself for more fighting.

When he got to the bottom of the stairs, his eyes widened the smallest bit. Lupin was shouting at Fenrir Greyback, leader of the werewolves. Other than those two, there were probably anywhere from eighty to one hundred wolves lying down and watching the argument with little interest. Harry scanned the room some more and froze—Hermione was watching the argument with wide eyes from the chair she was tied to, her wrists chafed and bleeding from struggling too much.

Harry’s resolve came back one-hundred fold and he went through with the plan, Shadowalking up to the rafters. Hermione glanced up at the movement and her eyes widened, her breath quickening as her pulse spiked.

She mouthed to him, What are you doing?

Harry smirked at her and projected a thought at her, hoping that since they had become one with their shared kiss, she would be able to hear him. What do you think? he sent back, smiling at her in relief when her eyes widened. She definitely hadn’t been expecting that. I’m going to kill Greyback. It’ll send the wolves into a panic. I’m going to grab you during the confusion and get us the hell out of here.

I don’t think that’ll work, Harry, she sent back. I think they’ll all just attack you if you kill Greyback.

Harry’s response was confident. Then I’ll kill them all then grab you and get us the hell out of here.

I don’t think that’s the best idea, Harry, Hermione replied, worried (like usual). This isn’t going to end well.

We’ll see, Harry shot back.

The argument below reached a climax, which was Harry’s cue. Greyback was directly below him, shouting in Lupin’s face. Harry pulled out his sword and dropped down, raising the katana above his head. The blade whistled through the air and split Greyback from crown to groin, cleaving him in to two identical halves. Innards and blood spilled onto the floor as Harry alighted on the ground, his blade crimson and power thrumming through and around him. He got ready to face the horde, using the fact that Hermione was in danger as the source of his strength.

But not even one wolf had moved. They were all staring at him with what almost seemed disinterest even though their leader’s guts and brains had been strewn about the floor.

“Harry!” two voices, which Harry recognized as Lupin’s and Hermione’s, cried out.

Harry whirled around just in time for a giant wolf to slam into him and pin him to the ground. The other wolves then suddenly sprang up and attacked Lupin, who cried out as he was engulfed by the wave.

Harry fought against the wolf, which was the biggest and most-ferocious looking werewolf he had ever seen. It was impossible to move even an inch, though, not only because the wolf had the leverage, but also seemingly greater strength. Harry heard the sounds of another struggle and turned around to find Lupin bloody and bruised, but alive and tied in a chair similar to Hermione’s. Some of the wolves had turned back into humans, who pointed their wands at Harry and spoke binding charms.

Soon enough, Harry also found himself in a chair, all three of which were lined up with Hermione in the middle, her face scared and sad as she looked at Harry, who was struggling fiercely against his magically-reinforced bonds, once again to no avail.

As he looked at the approaching wolf, he couldn’t believe it had come to this. How had he not felt the werewolf approaching him from behind? How could he not struggle free from its weight? How had he failed when he was supposed to be protecting Hermione?

Harry met the eye of the wolf and tried to stare it down, doing his best to avoid Hermione’s tear-filled eyes. He would probably cry if he looked at them for too long.

The wolf suddenly shifted, reverting back to its human form. As soon as it did, Harry’s eyes shot to the remains of the man he had sliced in half not two minutes ago. Then they went back to the man standing in front of him.

“Polyjuice potion, mate,” them man said with a nasty grin.

“Greyback,” Harry snarled back, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the leader of his specie’s arch-enemies.

It seemed that they were going to get to know each other very well over the next few days.

A/N: This was a little shorter than the normal chapters, so I’ll do my best to give you an even longer one next time. Maybe it’ll end with a cliffhanger, too. Just because I love leaving you guys hanging. And yes, I know it’s mean, but I think it makes the next chapter just that much better!

Anyway, please review!

A/N: Thank you all so much for the amazing reviews! You have no idea how much they mean to me!

Chapter 10 – Pierced By Death

Harry sat in the chair trying to focus on anything but the copious, yet lessening, amount of blood flowing from Lupin’s wounds. Hermione’s heart was pounding at an incredible rate, her eyes darting back and forth between Greyback and Harry. Greyback was standing over Harry, smirking at him. Harry sat calmly, his eyes not leaving Greyback’s. To look away now would be to admit defeat.

“So what should we do with you?” Greyback asked, Harry wincing at the smell of decomposed flesh on his breath. “Wouldn’t be much fun to call the Dark Lord just yet. It would probably be better if we taught you some manners first.”

“Let me teach you some, first,” said Harry quietly. “Brush your teeth every once in a while.”

Hermione’s eyes widened right before Greyback punched Harry square in the jaw, not fazing him in the slightest. Harry looked up at him boredly, as if to say, ‘Is that really the best you’ve got?’ making Greyback growl in anger.

Harry didn’t bat a single eyelash when Greyback pulled a cross out from around his neck, though he felt the tickle of a slight foreboding. “The crucio may cause more pain, but inflicting it in different ways not only causes more than enough, but is much more entertaining to watch,” he said almost to himself.

Harry clenched his jaw as the werewolf pressed the cross directly against his forehead, the pain agonizing but not nearly at the level of the crucio. He could feel Hermione’s fear pulsing through him and her eyes affixed on him horror, her urge to cry out almost as unbearable as the pain Harry was feeling. Then it relented as Greyback pulled back, chuckling, the cross smoking in his hand. Harry groaned as forehead immediately began healing itself.

What scared Harry at that point wasn’t the fact that they were be being tortured, but that there was no motive behind the torture. If they were trying to get information from Harry, he would’ve just told them and killed them. But Greyback was doing it purely for fun. There was no telling when the torture would end.

Greyback picked up Harry’s bloody katana off the floor and inspected the blade, softly whistling.

“Nice sword you got here, Potter,” he said, grinning at the bound vampire who was looking at him boredly. “Mind if I give it a test run?”

Harry sighed and closed his eyes, grunting as the blade entered through his stomach, slicing his innards to ribbons before exiting through is back, missing his spine by mere centimeters. Harry tasted blood in his mouth as Greyback slowly pulled the katana out, twisting it slightly, making Harry’s nerve endings scream out in pain.

Harry glared at Greyback, who grinned nastily back at him. “Does it hurt, little Potter?” Greyback mocked. “You going to get angry?”

Harry chuckled. “I’m just marveling at the fact that you’re such a pussy that you refuse to fight me head-on,” he said, spitting the blood in his mouth on Greyback’s robe and boots.

Greyback growled and backhanded Harry so hard across the face that the force knocked both him and the chair over, Harry’s head spinning as he saw spots in his vision.

Stop being so reckless, a voice said in Harry’s brain. He thought it was his inner vampire until he recognized the voice with the next sentence. As long as you don’t get yourself killed, we can get out of this.

No, Harry’s inner vampire disagreed. He felt Hermione blink at him, surprised. We must stall until night falls, which will probably be in about forty-five minutes. They’re stupid enough to fall for it and you two are smart enough to pull it off…well, Hermione is, at least.

Hermione didn’t respond, leaving Harry to believe that she hadn’t heard is inner vampire. Then, as two strong hands lifted Harry’s chair up and sat it back down roughly on its legs, Hermione finally, weakly responded, Go through torture for another forty-five minutes?

Focus on keeping the torture on yourself, the inner vampire said to Harry. If they start on Hermione, things could get out of hand.

Right, said Harry, trying his best to refrain from sighing internally. I’ll do that.

When Harry focused on Greyback, he was grinning down at him, blood on his knuckles. “So vampires can bleed,” he said happily with a crazy glint in his eye.

And for the first time, Harry truly began to question Greyback’s sanity. He was enjoying this way too much. Harry grinned at him, blood leaking even faster from his mouth. “Punching me while I’m in the chair doesn’t change the fact that you’re a pussy,” he said condescendingly.

Harry grunted as Greyback slammed his cross through the back of his hand, doing his best to remain calm as the holy object sent agonizing pain radiated from his hand. He could feel it melting its way through his hand as Greyback said, “You think I’m that stupid, Potter? I may have pride, but I won’t let it endanger my life. I know you could probably defeat me head-on in a fight.”

Harry sighed, the only possibility of escape besides torture now gone.

“Hmmm…” Greyback mumbled to himself, pulling a vat of liquid over as the cross finally burned all the way through Harry’s hand and fell to the floor with a clatter, his hand beginning to heal instantly. Harry had no clue what the liquid was until Greyback dipped the katana in it and pulled it back out, grinning nastily at Harry. Holy water. “Let’s see how you like this!”

Harry actually screamed as Greyback slammed the sword through his forehead, the holy water penetrating and burning his brain as the blade exited through the back of his skull. He cried out and fought his restraints as hard as he could, snapping several bones in the process. The pain of his broken bones was nothing compared to the pain splitting his head open, though. It was like magnifying the pain of the crucio by a hundred and focusing it purely on the brain. He could feel Hermione crying beside him, horror pumping through her veins. That calmed Harry more than anything as the Holy Water finally dissipated into nothing. Greyback removed the katana and Harry groaned in a mixture of pain and ecstasy as the wound closed.

Only for him to grunt again as the katana, after being submerged in Holy Water, sliced through his forearm, chopping off the lower part. Harry’s vision went fuzzy as he looked down at his severed limb, which was already slowly reattaching itself. It definitely was an odd thing to see a piece of his body not attached to the rest.

“Stop it!” Hermione cried hysterically, making Harry’s eyes widen.

His temple throbbed as Greyback backhanded Hermione, making her fall to the floor with blood running from her lips and nose. “No!” Harry cried, straining even harder at his bonds.

Greyback picked Hermione’s chair up and slammed it back down on its legs, Hermione looking up at him fearfully. She was straining at her bonds too, and grimaced when Greyback gently grabbed her hands to stop her resistance. “You aren’t trying to escape, are you love?” he asked teasingly.

He licked her cheek and Harry yelled, “Get your hands off of her, you dirty bastard!”

His magic was swirling around him, threatening to overwhelm him, dark strands of power floating in front of his eyes. Greyback had his eyes on him, watching him as he began to apply pressure to Hermione’s hands. “This is going to be much more fun than torturing you,” he said quietly.

Hermione cried out as Greyback crushed her right hand, breaking all the bones in it loudly. Harry’s magic was swirling around him, threatening to blow everyone in the cathedral to bits…which would have been fine if Hermione and Lupin weren’t right next to him. “Greyback,” he said in a low voice, his eyes slowly turning blood-red.

Greyback turned and looked at him, a condescending smirk on his face. “It doesn’t matter if you awaken,” he sneered. “You’re never going to break free.”

As Greyback started breaking Hermione’s fingers on her left hand one by one, making her cry and scream in pain, Harry tried to give control over to his inner vampire.

Please! he begged, leaving his brain wide-open for the more vicious, ruthless side of him.

He could feel the vampire doing his best…he just didn’t have enough power. I’ll lend you as much as I can, he said, more power surging through Harry’s body as Greyback slammed his fist on Hermione’s left thigh, shattering her femur. Hermione immediately passed out from the pain, her body going into shock as Greyback frowned at her.

“What’s the point in torturing you if you’re not even awake to enjoy it?” Greyback inquired of her. He shrugged. “Guess it’s your turn to die then,” he said evilly.

Harry took in a deep, reflexive, unnecessary breath as Greyback grabbed a proffered shotgun from one of his cronies, the sound of the pump being cocked deafeningly-loud in the silence. Greyback leveled the gun at Hermione’s face and Harry desperately struggled at his bonds, his eyes widening as he finally broke free of them with the extra power his vampire had given him.

Then the sound of a gunshot tore through the silence.

The sound registered in Harry’s ears and he whipped his head over to look at Hermione, who was still breathing. Then he looked at Greyback, who was still standing in the same spot, half of his head missing, his brains and blood plastered all over his shirt and the floor and wall. His lifeless body fell to the floor as a stain-glass window was crashed in and Jean-Claude came flying into the cathedral, guns blazing, round after round tearing through the surrounding werewolves. He was pounced on immediately by a large amount of wolves, and by the time it took Harry to get back to his senses, Katerina and a few dozen other vampires had joined the fray.

Harry quickly scooped up his sword and went to join the battle, then looked back quickly to find Lupin already tending to Hermione. Lupin met his eyes and nodded towards the battle, telling Harry, ‘Go for it.’

Harry grinned and clenched his teeth, lunging at the nearest werewolf as his battle lust surged through him. But a severed arm came out of nowhere and smacked him right in the face, sending him stumbling to the ground. Harry furrowed his eyebrows at the arm as the battle raged on around him, vampires and werewolves doing their best to rip each other to pieces. On the arm was a familiar mark…

Harry’s eyes widened. It was the Dark Mark. And not only was it the Dark Mark, but it seemed to be significantly darker than it normally was, signifying that Voldemort had been called. Harry had no doubt that one of the werewolves had called Voldemort right after Greyback had half of his head blown off.

Harry jumped onto a rafter above the battle and surveyed it, doing quick calculations. The vampire and werewolf numbers were pretty close at this point, meaning Harry had to whittle the enemy down a bit before Voldemort showed up.

He launched himself down into the fray, ducking a swipe of a paw immediately before springing back up and slicing the beast’s head off. Another wolf came at him, snapping its jaws about one inch to the side of his head, which he moved at the last second. The katana came up and slammed through the werewolf’s windpipe and spinal cord, the wolf falling to the ground lifelessly as Harry spun around a another. The next wolf was just about to be killed when the cracks of apparition suddenly split the din of the battle, a multitude of wizards and witches in masks showing up with wands ready.

Harry narrowed his eyes at the man in the front. Voldemort…

The vampire in front of Harry suddenly exploded, plastering him with blood and innards as he saw Voldemort get ready to cast the same spell again…at him. Harry rolled to the side as the spell blasted into the floor, sending marble floor flying through the air. A Death Eater came into the path between Harry and Voldemort, wand raised at the vampire master. Harry grinned and Shadowalked behind him, nothing visible happening to the Death Eater from his comrades’ eyes before he slid to the floor in miniscule pieces, blood pooling on the floor.

Harry twirled, lunged, ducked, and spun in concentration, avoiding numerous dark curses that went slamming into walls, vampires, werewolves, and other Death Eaters. Harry could hear Voldemort yelling at his Death Eaters to step aside so he could finish off Harry, who collected a bit of remaining magic his katana and sliced it through the air. A giant wave of focused energy blew out from the path the sword traveled, killing a dozen Death Eaters as they were sliced in two, blood and innards spilling out on the floor.

The path to Voldemort was now cleared. Harry stared him down, doing his best to refrain from clutching the point that his recently-severed arm had reattached. It hadn’t healed enough to properly deal with that sort of strain yet.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Harry could see Katerina flipping and spinning all over the place as she struck the werewolves with well-placed blows, each hit she inflicted incapacitating or killing. Jean-Claude had a pump-action shotgun that housed silver-infused bullets in his hands, looking nothing like the calm, knowledgeable advisor that he was as he blasted gaping holes through werewolves, splattering their gore everywhere with a wild glint in his eyes and a feral grin on his face.

Harry and Voldemort sized each other up, the latter grinning as he realized that Harry was severely weakened at the moment. “Harry Potter,” he said just loudly enough to be heard over the cacophony of the fighting. “Are you prepared to die?”

Harry looked down at his hand, which had dark, twinkling magic shrouding it along with the katana. He had collected all of his magic into the blade and his hand, knowing that he really only had enough strength and time for one decisive blow. He wouldn’t last ten seconds in his current condition.

Harry took one glance at Hermione, who was stirring, gave a feral cry, and lunged at his arch-nemesis.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Hermione coughed and moaned as she woke up, Lupin hovering anxiously over her. She tenderly moved her fingers, sighing in relief when she found her hands were no longer broken. She went to move her leg but Lupin stopped her, saying, “I’ve just healed it, Hermione, but you’ll have to wait for it to properly set and knit before you put any type of pressure on it.”

For some reason Hermione could barely hear him, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. “How did we escape?” she asked quietly. “Where’s Harry?”

“We haven’t escaped!” Lupin cried back as the background noise, which Hermione just noticed for the first time, picked up. “Harry’s facing off against Lord Voldemort!”

Hermione gasped and sat upright, Lupin catching her before she fell back down again in pain. She grimaced but sought Harry anyway, her eyes anxiously meeting his as he glanced over at her. Then he gave out a cry and darted at Voldemort, who was ready.

“Harry!” Hermione cried as the dark wizard slashed his wand through the air, slicing Harry’s sword arm off at the shoulder.

Everything seemed to go into slow-motion as the arm landed right by a stunned Hermione, who glanced at it before looking back at the figure of its owner, who had blood spraying the wall from the wound. Everything seemed to go deathly silent just in time for Hermione to hear, “Avada Kedavra!”

The spell slammed straight into Harry’s chest, sending him flying back to crash against the stone wall, his lifeless body crumpling to the floor.

The fighting had stopped as everybody stopped to watch the progress, then Katerina yelled, “Hermione, get him out of here!”

Hermione was frozen, though, her eyes not leaving Harry’s crumpled body, blood leaking from his mouth and arm.

He can’t be dead…

Voldemort, already holding his arms up in victory, double-taked at the vampire general’s words, his attention going back to the vampire master’s corpse. He raised his wand to blow the body to smithereens, yelling an inaudible curse as the battle resumed, now doubled in ferocity.

He’s not…he’s not dead…

A werewolf’s corpse flew in out of nowhere to intercept the curse, nothing left of it except blood-stains on the walls after Voldemort’s curse was through with it. She could hear nothing but her name as Lupin screamed it from right beside her, though it seemed that he was calling from an incredible distance. Her eyes hadn’t left Harry once, not even when Lupin began shaking her roughly back and forth.

He’s really dead…

“Accio Harry!” she heard him yell, and in her confused state she just barely managed to get a grip on Harry’s severed arm before the rest of his body arrived, spraying them with gore.

Lupin yelled, “I’m apparating us!”

The last thing Hermione saw before leaving the battle was a pack of four wolves smother Katerina.

They were in a forest, though Hermione could still hear the sounds of the battle from far off. “Hermione, press Harry’s arm against his shoulder!” She didn’t respond, her eyes staring at nothing in front of her. “Quickly!”

When she still didn’t respond, Lupin growled in frustration and blasted her with water, making her sputter and blink. “Get his arm back on!” he yelled frantically.

Hermione, who was unsure about what was going on at this point, quickly complied, though half-heartedly. “What’s the point?” she asked thickly, realizing with surprise that she was sobbing. “He’s dead!”

I’m never going to see him again!

“He’s not dead!” Lupin yelled, pointing his wand at various points of his former student’s body. “But if you keep crying instead of actually assisting me he’s going to be!”

“B-But, Voldemort,” Hermione cried, breathing becoming more and more difficult as her throat closed. “He…He…”

Lupin grabbed Hermione’s shoulders, looking into her eyes with a wild look in his own. “When Harry was turned, he died!” he said incredibly quickly. “Use your brain, Hermione. How could the killing curse kill him if he’s already dead?”

Logic. Now that made sense. Hermione shook her head, taking in short, shaky, relieved breaths, a watery smile on her face as she saw Harry’s arm slowly reattaching itself.

Lupin began speaking again. “Now, what Harry is in danger of dying of right now is blood loss. While it’s incredibly for rare for it to happen, it is possible. Vampires live purely on blood. Their blood is different from ours, moving through the body even though the heart isn’t pumping it, so he’s still losing it.” He took a deep breath. “Do you have any blood replenishing potions?”

“Just one,” Hermione said meekly.

“Okay, multiply it quite a bit and get ready,” Lupin said. As Hermione did as she was told, Lupin continued. “It doesn’t work on vampire blood, so I’m going to force him to wake up. He’s going to attack you.” Lupin pointed his wand at Harry. “You’re going to have to let him drink a lot of your blood. Meanwhile, I’ll hold the both of you up and give you your blood-replenishing potions, got it?”

As soon as Hermione nodded, Lupin said, “Ennervate.”

Before Hermione even saw him open his eyes, she cried out as Harry’s fangs tore through her skin. His bottom teeth were pressing against her throat, threatening to crush it as her hands desperately scrabbled at his back. “Calm down, Harry! You’re drinking from Hermione!” she heard Lupin yell.

Harry didn’t relent at all, only growling and tightening his hold on her. She couldn’t breathe and saw black begin to encroach on her vision. At least she would die saving Harry…

“Harry, you’re killing Hermione!” Hermione faintly heard Lupin cry.

Everything stopped for a moment, even Harry’s pull on her blood, then he became gentler with her, feeding from her as he normally did. Lupin tipped some potion into Hermione’s mouth and she swallowed it, replenishing her own blood so Harry could drink even more. She sighed and hugged him, relieved that everything seemed to have turned out well for the time being. He was alive. Alive even though she had seen the killing curse hit him and seen his crumpled, lifeless body at the base of the wall. That had been the scariest twenty seconds of her life. Everything in her body was thoroughly exhausted, what with the torture and emotional trauma of thinking Harry was dead. She didn’t know what she would’ve done…

Harry drank enough blood to fill five human bodies before detaching from her neck, smiling at her tiredly afterwards. He opened his mouth to say something, then his eyebrows furrowed and he collapsed back against the grass, asleep before he hit the ground.

“Harry!” she breathed, her eyes scanning him for any more injuries.

“Relax, Hermione,” Lupin said wearily, collapsing on the ground in exhaustion next to Harry. “His body and mind both need to fully recover before he’ll wake up for good.”

Hermione was still hyperventilating, tears still pricking her eyes. She reached out a shaky hand and cupped Harry’s cheek, giving him a watery smile.

He’s really alive…

Hermione sniffled and wiped her eyes, chuckling at how silly she was. He was alive, so why was she crying? She buried her face in his chest and took a deep breath through her nose, relishing in his smell. Despite how much had changed, his smell hadn’t been altered even one iota.

She draped an arm over his stomach and cuddled up to him, his body, although not warm, effectively blocking the gentle wind. His arm instinctively came up around her shoulders and pulled her closer, his head tilting down a little in her direction.

Hermione smiled up at him before letting her eyes close, feeling more at home than she ever had in her life. She loved this man so much it hurt. She could only hope that maybe, one day, he might feel the same.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Harry’s groggily opened his eyes, moaning as he felt that his chest was a bit constricted. Then he frowned and looked down.

The problem wasn’t that it was constricted. Hermione’s head was on it as she slept peacefully, her arm wrapped carefully around him. He smiled up at the ceiling and relaxed into the soft mattress of his bed, letting comfort swallow him. He was in his room back at the castle.

His eyes shot open as his body shot bolt upright, waking Hermione as her head fell out of its sleeping position. Memories were rushing back at him faster than he could handle.

“Harry?” Hermione asked worriedly, her eyes darting to various points on his face to find out what was wrong.

“Hermione?” he responded, looking at her oddly. “I-I’m so sorry.”

“For what?” she whispered curiously.

He swallowed hard. “I…I didn’t want you to die too.” He tried to stave off the tears. “I’m so sorry,” he choked out, hugging her hard.

He quickly held her at arm’s length, though, when she began laughing. “Harry,” she managed. “Neither of us are dead.”

“But…” Harry replied, confused. “Voldemort, he…”

“You’re a vampire, Harry, which means you’ve already died,” Hermione explained. “You couldn’t die again from the killing curse.”

Harry stared at Hermione for a long moment, doing his best to understand what she was talking about. “How did we get out?” he asked.

“Lupin apparated both of us,” she said. “Though I don’t know where we are or how we ended up here.”

Harry smiled, relieved. “We’re in the Master’s quarters in the castle,” he said, pulling her back down with him as he lay down again. “We’re safe.”

“Good,” Hermione said, not moving from her comfortable position on Harry’s chest. Although he couldn’t see her face, he felt her shudder mentally. She remained silent, though, so Harry decided he would give her as much time as she wanted to share what was on her mind.

After five minutes of comfortable silence, she finally spoke. “Harry…” she began nervously.

“Yeah?” he responded quietly.

She shifted so she was propped up on one elbow, looking down at his face. “When you…” she began before taking a deep breath, “…when I thought you were…dead, I-I…I didn’t know how I was going to go on. It was the scariest moment of my life.” She swallowed and continued, tears stinging her throat. “Never do anything that reckless ever again.”

“Hermione…” he said, unsure of what he could say to make her feel better.

“I thought…I thought I would never be able to tell you,” she said, doing her best to smile at him through her tears. “I love you.”

Harry’s eyes widened slightly and his body tensed. “You what?”

Hermione hugged him hard, burying her face in his neck. “I love you,” she breathed, tickling his skin.

Harry reached down and gently tilted her chin up, staring intensely into her wide, glistening eyes. “I love you too,” he said sincerely in return, making her smile grow.

He smiled lazily back at her, content until his inner vampire kicked in. Kiss her already, you idiot.

Oh, right, Harry thought before gently covering her lips with his own, kissing her with soft, sweet passion. Hermione melted into him, sighing contently as her eyes drifted closed. How long they stayed there gently kissing each other Harry didn’t know, but he decided as soon as they stopped that it was much too short.

“You better not die, Harry,” she said, looking into his eyes vulnerably.

He smiled back at her. “I would never dream about it,” he replied.

Hermione smiled at him, kissed him once more and fell back asleep with her head on his chest, her heart beating steadily in both of them. Harry felt that his heart too had a use now…it was undoubtedly Hermione’s most prized possession.

Because he knew Hermione’s heart was his most prized possession.

Once Hermione entered the deepest part of her sleep, Harry gently removed himself from her arms, tucked her in, and gently kissed her forehead. He smiled down at her, his eyes reluctant to leave her sleeping face. He turned around and left the room anyway, stretching as he walked down a long hallway to the throne room. When he entered, it was to find Katerina, Jean-Claude, and Lupin all sitting in conjured chairs, completely silent and healthy.

There was definitely thick tension in the air.

“Harry,” Lupin said, quickly standing on his feet.

The two vampires shot him murderous looks. “Master,” they said reverently, showing Lupin how it should be done.

As Katerina sat down, she folded her arms and darkly muttered, “The only one allowed to call the Master by his given name is his mate.”

Harry could tell Lupin was doing his best not to roll his eyes even without feeling his mood disperse throughout the room.

Harry remained silent, nodding his head at each of them in turn as he went to his throne and sat. He knew there would be a talk waiting for him.

“Tell me what happened,” he said simply.

All three began speaking at once, though Lupin and Katerina stopped to allow Jean-Claude to tell the story.

“Well, Master,” he began, “after we sent you ahead, Katerina and I recovered our strength as we waited for the rest of the coven to arrive. By that time, the shadows had shifted enough to allow those of us who knew how to Shadowalk to go on ahead. There were twelve of us who went on, arriving at the cathedral just about five minutes before the sun completely fell.” He glanced at Katerina for verification and she nodded. “I posted your third, a young man by the name of Henry Thorpe, at the crest of a hill and a sniper. We knew something had to have happened for you if you hadn’t made it out by then. We waited for him to shoot, then entered. You saw what happened then, of course. You got hit by the killing curse and we were outnumbered, but we continued fighting for as long as we could to give you time to get as far away as possible. We lost a few, but I think everything ended pretty much as well as we could hope for. That pathetic human Voldemort was impossible to get to, using anything and everything as his shield and apparating when we finally got close. Coward.”

“And then?” Harry prompted.

“I was healing you, Harry,” Lupin interjected, earning filthy looks from Harry’s subordinates. “You were roughed up pretty badly, but with a little help from Hermione I managed. You two passed out a few minutes before the vampires joined us.”

“I told the rest of the vampires about Hermione,” Katerina said, averting her eyes. “I vouched for your…your werewolf friend, too, and we all agreed that it would be best to take everybody back here. Don’t worry too much about Hermione being killed by a vampire, either,” she added. “They know full-well what would happen…I made sure of that,” she said evilly.

“Thanks, Katerina,” Harry said, sinking back into his chair in relief.

He turned his attention to Lupin. “Remus, how were the werewolves changing without the aid of the full moon?” he asked.

Lupin sighed, suddenly agitated. “Voldemort,” he said as way of explanation. Then, seeing that Harry needed more, he added, “Voldemort managed to finally brew a potion that alters the werewolf DNA in us and allows us to change at will. We don’t really retain much of our human minds, though.”

“And now that Greyback is dead, who’s the leader of the werewolves?” Harry asked.

“I wasn’t there to see which werewolves were killed, so I honestly couldn’t tell you,” Lupin said thoughtfully. “If I hadn’t rebelled against them yesterday, it would’ve been me…but there’s no way now.”

Harry looked down in shame, sad that he had cost his friend the position of head of the pack. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Lupin smiled at him. “I was more of a lone wolf anyway,” he said, now smiling oddly at his former pupil.

Harry raised an eyebrow at him. “Really, Remus?” he said. “Lone wolf? You’re a marauder and that’s the best you can come up with?”

Lupin frowned. “I thought it was pretty good,” he said to himself quietly, wondering where he went wrong.

“What are we going to do now, Master?” Katerina interjected abruptly, obviously annoyed that all of Harry’s attention was going to a werewolf.

Harry sunk back into the chair, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “I think…I think we’re going to regroup and go attack Voldemort,” he finally said. “I want to talk with Hermione first, though.”

Katerina and Jean-Claude both began chuckling. Katerina leaned in and suspiciously whispered something to Jean-Claude. At one point he thought he heard, “Has him wrapped around her finger already.”

Harry suddenly grunted, clutching his head.

Katerina shot up and said, “Master, what’s wrong?”

Harry grinned at her grimly. “Now…he decides…to make…his appearance,” he managed before he squeezed his eyes shut.

When he opened them again, they were blood-red and unforgiving. “Idiot,” he said. “Doesn’t even understand that it’s because he rested for so long that I was able to surface.” He turned his attention to Katerina, who had her hand on his own. “Move it before you lose it,” he said dangerously.

“Master?” Jean-Claude asked carefully. Harry looked close to losing it.

And lose it he did, giving out a cry before picking the throne up with ease and throwing it so hard at the wall that the throne practically exploded. “Idiot practically got us killed!” he shouted. “I can’t believe him!”

He turned to Lupin, who was looking at him neutrally. “And you, werewolf,” Harry said, pointing at him. “I must…I must thank you,” he mumbled reluctantly. “You saved my life. I will forever be in your debt.”

“Just take it in the way that I repaid a debt to you,” Lupin replied humbly.

Harry pressed his lips together into a thin line as he began debating internally. It wasn’t until he had control of the mind that he was able to truly think things through. It was impossible when not in control of the brain.

His thoughts were focused on Hermione and the torture she went through. If she had been a vampire, none of that would have been an issue. She wouldn’t have even been captured in the first place.

“Master?” Katerina asked, concerned.

“I’m turning her,” he said darkly, striding powerfully for the doors back to his room.

“Excellent idea, Master,” his subordinates replied in unison, Katerina Shadowalking behind Lupin and covering his mouth before he said anything stupid.

Harry burst into the room to find Hermione fully dressed, standing by the bed. “I had a feeling you would show yourself soon,” she said.

“Enjoy your last few minutes as a human,” Harry replied.

Hermione folded her arms. “What exactly is your reasoning behind turning me?” she asked.

He sneered at her. “You being captured and tortured is my reasoning,” he said through clenched teeth.

“They caught me by surprise,” Hermione said, not backing down.

“There’s no such thing when you’re a vampire,” Harry replied. “I can be sure you can take care of yourself.”

Hermione smiled teasingly at him. “So you’re doing it because you care about me?” she asked.

“Yes,” he admitted with no problem. “As you stated previously, I hold the same feelings as my idiot host.”

“You’re not going to turn me,” Hermione said, back to her previous attitude. “If you give me a chance, I can show you I can take care of myself.”

Suddenly Harry was pressed against her, holding her arms still as he went for her throat…

“Fine,” Hermione said, stopping him in his tracks. “Just know that I’ll never speak to you again.” Harry growled. “I’m my own person,” she continued. “I don’t like people who take that free will away from me.”

They stared each other in the eye, neither of them backing down. Finally, after what had to have been five minutes, Harry made a frustrated sound and released her arms. “Have it your way,” he said, turning around and angrily heading for the door. “But it’s on you if you die and destroy our fragile heart in the process.”

Harry slammed the door open and closed angrily, his fists clenched at his sides as he did his best to reign in his anger. He couldn’t do it…he couldn’t turn her against her will.

He was weak.

Back in the bedroom, Hermione sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, thinking hard about the truth in Harry’s words. How was it fair to him if he had more reason to worry about her than she did about him, especially if she could remedy the issue?

It hadn’t even been one hour since they had professed their love for each other and she was already confused. She hoped, though, that this confusion was as bad as it was going to get.

Unbeknownst to her, Harry was just outside the door thinking the same exact thing.

A/N: I feel like everything after the battle was rushed, but oh well. I also sort of like it!

I hope you did too! Please review if you can spare the time!

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!

A/N: Sooo, this is the last time I attempt anything that isn’t completely planned out beforehand. I’m having too much trouble making the plot flow as smoothly as I wanted to. I was reading over the first eleven chapters and found it much too jumpy and choppy.

Oh well, please enjoy!

Chapter 12 – Pierced By Magic

Hermione collapsed on the bed in her and Harry’s bedroom, sighing as she sank into the soft mattress. It helped that Harry’s scent still lingered on the sheets and comforter. She felt her heart warm up and a smile spread on her face as she hugged his pillow. It felt so good to be in love.

A small shock jolted Hermione at the moment she hugged Harry’s pillow, making her eyes widen as she scrambled out of the bed. The feeling that had just hit her could only mean one thing – her ward had been tripped. She had set up a ward around the bedroom that notified her if anyone but Harry passed through it.

Does this mean…does this mean Harry’s dead? she thought as dread gripped her heart.

Then she blinked, amazed at her lapse of memory as she felt the bond between them as strong as ever. She had forgotten that they were connected like that. If Harry had died, she surely would’ve felt it.

Hermione took a deep breath, drew her wand out of her pocket, and faced the door, ready for the intruders. What did they think? That she was helpless because she was a human? She wasn’t stupid. Ever since being kidnapped she had been working on ways to ensure that nothing of the sort ever happened again. She was Hermione Granger, not some brainless, helpless ditz.

She began recanting long, ancient spells under her breath as the intruders attempted to break down the door, the magically-reinforced wood groaning as it was slammed from the outside. Hermione smiled as power surged through her at the completion of her spells at the exact moment the door blew apart, allowing the intruders in.

She was ready.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Harry literally flew through the hallways, springing from wall to wall almost too quickly for his reflexes to keep up. He knew her surprise could only mean one thing: there were people attempting to kidnap her again.

Harry’s mouth tightened as he kicked up his speed a notch. Dracula…

As he flew through the halls, he blew past a guard so quickly that the unsuspecting vampire was blown off his feet. Harry came crashing through the throne room doors and skidded the length of the fifty-foot hall to the bedroom, his eyes widening as he came to a stop in the doorway.

There were three vampires clad in black just like the three that Harry had just killed in the arena, and they were all lunging straight at Hermione with swords drawn. Hermione’s eyes met Harry’s, she smiled, then, just as she was about to be sliced into tiny pieces, she…she disappeared…

Harry blinked as his eyes scanned the room for her, amazement making his jaw drop as he found his mate standing calmly on the ceiling upside-down, her hair dangling below her and a bored look on her face. The vampires looked at each other in confusion before they darted for her again just as Hermione sliced her wand through the air at them.

A giant wave of white-hot liquid fire that made Harry shield his body from a good twenty feet away erupted from the tip in a wide arc, exploding towards the three vampires, who managed to Shadowalk to safety at the last moment while the fire slammed against the stone floor, instantly melting a good portion of it.

So these vampires weren’t pushovers, either. They were the real thing if they could Shadowalk…

Hermione stood motionless at the foot of the bed, pointing her wand at the ground as the vampires sprang at her again, swords drawn above their heads to deal massive, devastating blows. Harry felt strong magic pulse through Hermione just before the vampires reached her, an invisible force-field blocking their attacks and throwing them off-balance.

Hermione spread her legs and held her arms out wide, Harry’s eyes widening as her feet slowly lifted off the ground a few inches, where she stopped and levitated. When she opened her eyes they were pure gold—pupils, whites, everything—as was the aura radiating from her, forcing Harry to shade his eyes right as the force-field exploded in sharp shards of speeding light, instantly tearing two of the vampires to shreds while the third was saved by the bed.

The third vampire, blinded despite having been shielded, picked up his sword and streaked at Hermione’s back silently. Harry drew his katana and tensed to lunge, but stopped when Hermione suddenly whirled around and sliced her wand upwards through the air in front of her. It was as though an invisible laser was being fired from the end of her wand – everything it pointed at, from the floor, to the vampire, to the wall, to the ceiling, was sliced cleanly. The two halves of the vampire fell lifelessly to the floor, blood, brain, and innards spilling out onto the stone.

Hermione’s feet alighted on the ground again and she looked at Harry with her normal, loving, chocolate-brown eyes, which promptly rolled up into her head, her body losing all of its strength as she began to fall. Harry Shadowalked behind her and caught her, making sure to stay out of the sunlight being let in through the crack caused by Hermione’s last spell. He stayed still for a moment as he hugged her unconscious body close to him, relishing in the feel of her warm, alive body.

He had come that close to losing her.

He was lucky she had put in the effort towards making herself stronger, really. He would have been too late to save her.

He gently set Hermione on the bed and sat next to her, his head cradled in his hands. He was shaking – shaking from a mixture of fear and relief. She was alive…

But what had happened exactly?

Those golden eyes…

Harry glanced up, his brain working a mile a minute as he took in the sliver of a crack in the walls and ceiling. It was only a sliver, yeah, but the point was that she had cut clean through it with a single slash of her wand. He glanced at the scattered body parts, guts, and blood, amazement still coursing through him. She didn’t defeat these vampires; she massacred them. They hadn’t even come close to touching her…

When had she become so powerful? And what was up with the golden eyes?

Harry glanced at his mate and gently touched her cheek, deciding that all that really mattered was that she was safe. He frowned, though, as he lay down next to her.

While she may have been safe, she wasn’t completely fine. Whatever combination of spells she had used, it seemed to have completely drained her of her magic. It wasn’t really a long term solution to her lack of strength, since if she was ever up against two or three times that amount (not that Harry expected or planned to let that happen) she wouldn’t have enough magic to sustain that state long enough to kill them all.

He wrapped his arm around her a little tighter and turned his face into her hair, giving it a gentle kiss. He would just have to protect her better than he was now and she would never have to use such spells again. Especially since tonight was the night Harry was going to mount his offensive against Voldemort…

Despite that knowledge and with Hermione in his arms and a smile on his face, Harry fell asleep.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Harry stood on top of the crenellated wall of the caste wall, above the closed door, with his arms folded in front of his chest as he looked down at every last vampire that inhabited the castle. Hermione was standing just a couple of feet behind him.

“This is it, Hermione,” he whispered. “If you want to become a vampire before the final battle, this is your last chance.”

There was silence for a few seconds, leaving Harry’s head to fall. “Harry…” she said quietly.

After another few seconds of nothingness, he slowly turned his head and smiled at her. She smiled back a little sadly, Harry’s own smile faltering just a bit as he saw the golden flecks in her eyes. That magic had affected her more than either of them had originally thought. They hadn’t talked about it yet, both of them deciding it wasn’t the right time for the subject to be breached. “It’s alright, Hermione,” he said. “You’ll have plenty of time after the war is over.”

Her smile grew happier, instilling confidence in Harry as he looked back over Britain’s vampire population. Men, women, children, all of them were gathered below, most with weapons and a few without. They’d all be fighting…

“Everybody,” he said, using his vampire magic to push his voice out so everyone could hear him. “I understand you’re a little shaken up by the attack by Dracula,” he said. “Even if he didn’t personally attack the castle, it is understandable that you’d be worried that he has his eyes on us. I assure you that nothing will come of Dracula being around.” Harry tried to look as many people in the eye as he could to convey his sincerity and assuage their fears. “But that’s enough of that. Tonight, we descend into battle. It will not be easy, it will not be fun…but it is necessary. He who threatens our domain must be slaughtered regardless of the army he has behind him! You all are not fighting for my sake, or on my command – you are fighting because you want to defend your home! I can assure you that not all of us are coming back alive…so if you must fall, at least make sure to take as many down with you as you can,” he said with a grin as the vampires began cheering. “Tonight is the night that you all let loose! Heads will roll and the blood will flow like wine! Rip, shred, tear, and kill anything that isn’t a vampire!” Dark magic began collecting around the crowd as their bloodlust began rising. “Will the seal-bearers please step forward?” A group of ten vampires walked to the front of the cheering crowd. “Protect these men with your lives until they complete their task! Split up and choose one to protect!”

The doors opened and the vampires darted out, heading in the direction of where Harry felt Voldemort to be. Harry watched them go, smiling and lightly squeezing Hermione’s hand as she slipped it into his.

“You ready?” he asked without looking at her.

She kissed him on the cheek and apparated them a couple miles from Voldemort’s location, using Harry’s lock on him as a guide.

It would be a little while before the rest of the clan showed up, so Harry stood up and crossed his arms, still facing away from Hermione as a troubling thought occurred to him. “No matter what I say, you’re going to battle no matter what, aren’t you?” Silence. “What was that power you used?” he whispered, not needing an answer for his previous question.

“An ancient body augmentation spell,” Hermione replied.

“Why did your eyes turn gold?” Harry pressed on.

“While much more powerful, ancient magic isn’t quite as…stable, as ancient magic,” she said.

Harry finally turned around to face her, an eyebrow arched. “You mean it’s not as safe,” he said. “Don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes, Hermione.”

Hermione sighed and rested her hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be fine, Harry…all right?”

Harry stared her in the eyes for a long time, a myriad of emotions waging war inside of them. One finally managed to win out over the rest. “All right,” he replied softly, a smile of defeat pulling at his lips.

Harry could feel the rest of the vampires a couple miles out, so he grabbed Hermione and pulled her in for a kiss; their last one before they would go into battle. Hermione melted into him, her nails digging into his biceps so hard that he actually felt pain. As she broke off, Harry saw that the beginnings of tears were beginning to form in her eyes.

He gently wiped them off her smooth skin, leaving his hand on her warm cheek afterwards. “And I promise that I’ll be fine, too,” he said.

“You better live up to that,” she said.

“Have I ever broken a promise?” he asked teasingly.

She swallowed. “There’s always a first time for everything,” she whispered sadly.

“There’s no way it’s going to happen with something so important, all right?” he said, trying to calm her as best he knew how. “I’m the almighty vampire master, remember?”

“No,” Hermione replied. “You’re Harry Potter. The man I love.”

Harry smiled at her one last time before turning to spot Katerina and Jean-Claude leading the pack. Harry grabbed Hermione and settled her on his back before turning back around and leading them to Voldemort’s headquarters, which came into sight after a few minutes, when they topped a hill of a grassy plain and saw a large manor ahead.

“Dead ahead!” Harry shouted over his shoulder. Turning his head to shout over was a big mistake, though.

A massive pillar shot out of the ground and slammed into his stomach, sending Hermione flying off his back. When the pillar stopped, Harry was thrown up a bit before he Shadowalked to the ground, trying to spot Hermione. It proved to be impossible, though, when he saw that the battle had completely erupted around him.

Weapons were clashing against one another as cries and yells rang out, and blood, limbs, and other various body parts flew through the air. The creatures they were up against consisted of all sorts of creatures: wizards, witches, werewolves, acromantulas, trolls, dementors, and inferi, to name the few that Harry recognized. There was no way he was going to find Hermione in all of this…

Then he stopped as it clicked. He focused his mind, trying to grasp the connection with Hermione…there! She was about three hundred feet west from him and from the feel of the link, she was fighting hard.

Harry grinned, unsheathed his katana, and began walking in her direction. He ducked a swing of an axe and decapitated the attacker without looking. Enemies, feeling his power, began swarming around him. He closed his eyes, tensed up, and released a wave of vampire magic, knocking the attackers flat on their backs. Now wasn’t the time to be fooling around with these people…

He made a mad dash towards Hermione, cutting down any enemy on the way before they even knew he was there. Finally, he found her battling off a couple werewolves, wispy silver smoke coming from the tip of her wand. Harry grinned as the werewolves’ flesh began melting off their bones, their howls of agony piercing through the cacophony of the battle.

Hermione met his eyes and nodded, assuring him that she was alright. Harry nodded back and used his magic to levitate about a hundred feet straight up, making sure to keep Hermione in his line of sight. What he saw when he got up there was a little disheartening. While his vampires had managed to take down more than they had lost, they were still going down quicker than they Harry had anticipated.

He had hoped to save most of his magic for the impending fight with Voldemort, but it looked like he was going to have to take part in the fight against his minions, too.

He closed his eyes in concentration, focusing solely on the power running through his body. He held out his hands towards the heavens, demanding power as the battle raged on below him. Slowly but surely, he felt pure, raw power begin to accumulate between his palms. It started off as a tiny ball of what seemed to be dark gas, then began growing as sweat began to bead on his forehead.

More, more, more, more, more!

He grunted as his muscles began straining, the ball of power expanding rapidly above him. He let out a loud scream as it began to expand even further, swirling with such ferocity that the magic was pulling at Harry’s clothes. It made a thunderous sound as it sucked in everything around it, threatening to topple a few of the tall trees around it.

Harry strained to hold the magic up as he looked down at the battle, surveying where it would be the most effective. Considering the bulk of Voldemort’s forces hadn’t even joined the battle yet, it wasn’t that hard of a decision.

Harry picked the middle of the army.

He gathered his strength and let out a loud cry as he hurled the massive collection of energy at the petrified. It streaked through the air, making Harry brace himself in midair as the turbulence threatened to pull him into its slipstream.

The magic slammed into the ground, crushing and tearing all the soldiers beneath it a split-second before it exploded. Harry was blown back as a massive shockwave of magic exploded from the impact point, instantly vaporizing the nearby troops. Then the sound of the explosion tore through the ranks, making Harry brace again as he found his footing. The wind and sound tore at him, threatening to tear him apart as trees desperately clung to the ground with their roots and soldiers dug their feet into the ground to stay upright.

After the dust had cleared, a good quarter of Voldemort’s forces had been wiped out. Harry smiled, then coughed up a bit of blood before his magical platform faltered and disappeared, his strength completely sapped. He fell, unable to move (or even do anything) as the ground rushed up to meet him).

“Aresto Momentum!” Harry heard Hermione cry.

His movement slowed to almost a complete stop as he touched down on the ground, his vision blurry.

A shape entered his line of sight, and it took him a minute to identify it as Hermione head. “Hermione?” he croaked.

“You idiot,” she said quietly, leaning down and placing her neck in his mouth. She grunted as Harry bit and began feeding. “Don’t use so much magical power at once.”

But we’re losing, Harry said mentally.

“None of that really matters, Harry,” Hermione replied. “All that matters is that you defeat Voldemort. If you do that, we win. You can’t defeat him if you have zero strength, though.”

Harry remained silent, knowing she was right but too stubborn to admit so.

“Fine,” he said as he detached his mouth and wiped the blood off his chin with his arm.

“Plus, neither Jean-Claude nor Katerina have joined the battle yet,” Hermione continued.

“They haven’t?” Harry asked, confused.

“Katerina’s still commanding the troops and Jean-Claude is assisting the seal-bearers,” she said.

“How many seals are in place?” Harry inquired.

“Only four,” Hermione answered.

Harry nodded and glanced at the sky. “They still have a good five hours, so I’ll leave it up to them to figure out how to get their job done.” He grinned at Hermione. “Let’s get back in the battle.”

Hermione gave him an ‘are-you-serious?’ look. “Harry, let’s just go right into the manor and kill Voldemort,” she said.

Harry was a little disappointed, but grabbed Hermione’s hand and allowed her to apparate them to just inside the manor’s inner gate. Harry noticed that the letters ‘MM’ were engraved in the gate.

“Malfoy Manor,” Hermione said softly, voicing Harry’s theory.

They met each other’s eyes. “Let’s go,” they said in unison.

Then everything went into slow-motion as Hermione’s eyes widened and she cringed before her hand was ripped from Harry’s and she was slammed into the gate behind her, sliding down it unconscious. Harry immediately turned to see Dracula standing just outside of the front doors, sneering, his palm held out towards Harry’s mate.

“You,” Harry spat, hoping Hermione wasn’t dead. He felt the warm feeling of relief seep through his body when he felt their bond in his head.

Dracula calmly walked down the front steps of the manor and came to a stop about twenty feet in front of Harry. “Yes, me,” he said simply.

“Why?” Harry growled. “Even if we don’t agree with each other, we’re still both vampires. Yet you side with the human?”

Dracula’s eyes began glowing a faint red. “I don’t care what species a being is. I will side with whichever side produces the most carnage, blood, and hate. I side only with evil.”

Harry felt a surge of power flow through his veins. “Evil,” he said.

“So the fledgling can hear,” Dracula said in pretend amazement, taking up a fighting stance. “You better hope you can fight just as well.”

Harry dug his feet into the ground and cleared his mind. “Don’t worry, I can,” he said as his katana lightly scraped against its sheathe.

Harry bolted at Dracula so fast that the ground broke where he pushed off of. The ancient vampire smirked, took a relaxed stance, and held up a finger to block Harry as he had earlier. “Tch. And to think I had believed you might have learned your lesson.”

Dracula’s eyes widened as the blade sliced cleanly through the skin, muscle, and bone in his finger, chopping it off, while the tip of the blade carved a line diagonally across his chest. “Impossible,” he said, calling his finger to himself magically and attaching it as his chest wound simultaneously healed. Then he narrowed his eyes at Harry. “You fused…”

Harry said nothing as he felt Hermione behind him. He would kill this bastard no matter what…

Harry let out a shout as he charged, forcing Dracula to dodge as he took wild swings with his sword. They grew increasingly faster, the speed of the blade eventually building to the point that Harry could barely see it with his own eyes. How Dracula was managing to dodge every single blow was a mystery to him.

Harry growled and took a ferocious swipe at Dracula’s head, only for the ancient vampire to slide back a few feet and make a slicing motion with his hand. Vampire magic burst from his hand, slamming into Harry’s chest and sending him flying. He formed a clump of magic below his feet and used it as a springboard, collecting a bit of his magic around his katana.

Dracula pointed his hand at one of the supports of stone archway between them, then sent the column flying straight at Harry, who sliced cleanly through it. Dracula just barely managed to form a blade from magic just as Harry reached him, the elder vampire using his creation to block what would have surely been a fatal blow.

Harry eyed Dracula’s sword and smirked. “So you managed to copy me, eh?” he said, looking at his opponent’s identical katana.

“Don’t get cocky just because you managed to cut me,” said Dracula, pointing the tip of his sword at Harry’s face. “You’re about to taste what it feels like when I get serious.”

Harry snarled and rushed at Dracula again. Dracula held out his hand and shot a beam of magic at Harry, who just barely managed to dodge by ducking. He swung at Dracula…only for the sword to pass through nothing. He was kicked hard from behind, grunting as the foot sent him flying into the stone wall of the manor, which cracked from the impact.

He rubbed his back as he stood up, looking back at Dracula to find that he wasn’t there anymore. The tiniest flash of panic surged through him before he whirled and cut at the vampire that had managed to Shadowalk behind him. The sword passed through the image, which was just that: an image.

He whirled back around only to find Dracula’s fist shooting straight for his stomach, sinister vampire magic gathered around and augmenting the power of the ancient vampire’s fist. Harry went flying a good forty feet when he was hit, unable to move as he slammed into the gate that Hermione was propped up against.

He got up a little shakily, yelled, and charged, Shadowalking to the left of Dracula and taking a swing at him. Dracula easily blocked Harry’s katana with his own, then used a surge of magic to slam Harry into the ground so hard that the younger vampire swore at least half of his bones broke. They knitted back together easily, and Harry used the slowly-clearing dust cloud caused by Dracula’s last blow to take a swing of his own at the older vampire.

Harry’s sword once again passed through nothing.

“Over here,” he heard an amused voice say from his right.

Harry yelled and slashed at the voice, only to contact nothing again. “This is pathetic, fledgling,” Dracula said from the right.

Harry slashed at the voice again, which said, “I expected better from you,”

Harry couldn’t tell where it was coming from even as he eyed the now visible grounds around him. Dracula was nowhere to be seen.

“Harry…” he heard from a weak voice. “Be…low…”

Harry had only one second to be confused at Hermione’s hint before Dracula erupted out of the ground and impaled Harry on his blade. Harry grunted again, unable to move while the force of the air was being pressed down on him so hard. Finally Dracula stopped, allowing Harry to slide off the end of his sword. The older vampire Shadowalked behind him, slammed him down with two fists, Shadowalked underneath him and hit him back up, then Shadowalked far above him.

Harry, too weak and beat-up to move at this point, could do nothing but watch as Dracula pointed the tip of his katana at him. A small ball of magic similar to the incredibly large one Harry had thrown earlier collected at the tip, then with the utterance of a single word from Dracula, blasted away from the sword and slammed into Harry’s stomach, threatening to tear through him.

It didn’t quite manage that, though it did slam Harry into the ground so hard that the impact left him in the center of a ten-foot wide crater. Blood was leaking from his mouth and his body was screaming out in pain, his magic almost completely depleted. He couldn’t move no matter how hard he tried, so was forced to watch as Dracula, not a scratch or speck of dirt on him, slowly levitated down until he was right above him.

“You really thought you could win?” he asked, amused. “You really thought you could beat me, Dracula? You thought that just because you managed to surprise me once, you could kill me?” He sneered at Harry, his eyes full of hate and contempt. Harry could do nothing but do his best to keep his eyes open. Everything hurt…

“Luckily, it looks as though your foolish, unrealistic dreams will finally come to an end,” he said. Then his face brightened. “Ah!” he said excitedly. “But first…first I want to see despair.”

He grinned and Shadowalked to Hermione, whose eyes were open but unfocused. She was barely even awake. “Her…mio…ne…” he choked out, holding up a hand at her. He couldn’t get to her…

Dracula walked up to the edge of the crater, grinning nastily at Harry. “Fledgling,” he said, “please tell me how you feel when I kill your mate right before your eyes, especially when you know that it’s completely and entirely your own fault. This is what you deserve for not listening to me sooner.”

“Her…mione…” Harry said a little stronger this time, coughing up a bit of blood.

Dracula slowly drew out his katana and just as slowly brought it up above his head, letting go of Hermione and letting her fall on her knees. The look on his face was one that showed how insane he truly was.

He was really going to do it…

“Hermione…” Harry said just as the sword began streaking at her neck. What was this feeling that was rising in him?

She smiled at him, looking straight into his eyes with her warm, loving ones even though Harry was sure she could barely see at the moment. He heard her voice in his head.

I love you.

“Hermione!” he shouted, willing his body to move.

Next thing he knew, he was in between the sword and Hermione with his arms crossed in front of him in an X shape, a magical barrier that had formed in front of his arms blocking Dracula’s blow. Hermione had fallen to the ground at Harry’s feet. Harry was seeing nothing but red.

How dare Dracula try to kill her! How dare he try to take away his true love!

Dracula smirked at him. “So you still have the strength to stand, eh?”

Harry smirked right back, though his body was screaming in protest at him. “As…as long as Hermione is alive…I will always have the strength to defend her.”

A little of the interest in Dracula’s eyes died at Harry’s words. “You’re on death’s door. What was the point of getting back up? I’m going to kill you and your mate either way.”

Harry growled and felt more power than he had ever felt before surge through him , his teeth clenched as he let out a cry and swung at Dracula, who just barely managed to dodge.

“On death’s door?” Harry asked maniacally as he swung his katana at Dracula over and over, faster and faster. Dracula, meanwhile, was taking slow steps back, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead as he blocked and parried Harry’s blows.

“How has your power increased?” Dracula asked, his eyes wide. “You were completely drained not two minutes ago!”

Harry let out a shout and delivered a mighty overhand blow. Dracula just barely managed to block it, but a millisecond after he did, his blade shattered, allowing Harry’s sword to slice deep into where Dracula’s shoulder met his neck. He let out a cry of pain, and Harry said, “It’s because I have something to fight for. My willpower will trump the power you put so much stock in.”

Then Dracula grinned. Harry winced as the ancient vampire master formed a new blade and slammed it through Harry’s stomach, the blood-stained sword exiting through his back.

Then Harry grinned. He grabbed Dracula’s sword hand and slashed his katana straight down, slicing Dracula’s arm off at the elbow. Harry let out a burst of magic, which slammed into Dracula and sent him flying into the wall of the manor.

Harry coughed up a bit of blood and grimaced as he grabbed the hilt of Dracula’s sword and pulled the blade out of his stomach, the wound taking its time in closing. His knees threatened to give out and his vision was a bit blurred as he saw Dracula struggle to his feet.

It seemed that willpower alone could only get him so far. As Dracula staggered forward with his sword in hand and blood leaking from a gaping wound on his head, Harry stood still, conserving his energy. It would need to be decided with this next blow.

He could hear the battle raging on around him, his friends shouting and yelling as they cut down the enemy and were cut down by the enemy.

Friends…

There were hundreds of friends out there fighting for him. He may not have known many of them by name, but in his short tenure as the Master he had come to appreciate his fellow inhabitants of the castle. They were out there fighting in the name of freedom, attempting to stop a madman with wand. They didn’t even need to be fighting, yet they fought anyway for the sake of humans even if they didn’t know it. They fought for those humans who misunderstood and ostracized them.

They had lent them their power when he was fighting to save Hermione from the werewolves, and he hoped they could lend him their power one more time. He would need every drop of magical power he could get.

He felt the power build within himself as Dracula limped towards him, sword in hand. The reason he felt the power grow, he knew, was because he was willing to die. He would die to defeat Dracula and protect his friends. It was a shame he wouldn’t be able to face and kill Voldemort, but he would leave it up to the rest of them to finish it.

He believed in them.

Dracula was only ten feet away now, so Harry began drawing his magical energy into the blade of his sword. He would finish Dracula right here and now.

His katana began to vibrate in his hand as the magic built in it, some of it leaking out just a tiny bit to form a midnight-purple haze around it.

Dracula was only five feet away now, a crazed look in his eyes. He was willing to kill Harry even if it took his life, too.

Harry felt Hermione behind him as Dracula began to enter the range of his blade. He loved her so much. He hoped she knew that…

He brought his sword back and let out a yell, Dracula doing the same.

He heard Hermione cry out, too, startling him, then the crack of apparation.

Hermione appeared in the air above Dracula, who looked up just in time to see her slashing her wand at him. Her eyes and body shone gold, making Harry cover his own eyes again. Dracula held up his arm to shield himself as best he could, but nothing happened as Hermione landed on the ground next to him, panting.

Dracula grinned, brought his sword up, and…and then he exploded.

Literally, he exploded into little bits, gore shooting out and covering Harry and Hermione. Harry grimaced as he felt the cold blood drench him, and when it was over he unshielded his eyes to find that where Dracula had been standing, there was now nothing.

Hermione had blown him up.

Hermione stood up, her eyes still shining, and pressed her wand against Harry’s forehead. Harry, with no strength left to move, cringed as he expected the worst. Hermione said something in an ancient tongue Harry didn’t recognize, then he felt warmth begin to pass through his body, making him relax as his eyebrows furrowed.

The warmth infused every centimeter of his body, his strength coming back to him as Hermione’s incantations grew faster. This lasted for a few seconds before she slowed down to a stop and lowered her wand. Her eyes turned back to their normal, pretty brown, she smiled weakly, then she crumpled to the ground.

Harry caught her again, smiling down at her as her eyes focused on his and she smiled back at him. “One down, one to go,” she said. “And this time you better keep your promise.”

Harry let out a chuckle even as his eyes began to grow a bit wet. “I knew you’d see right through me.”

“Of course I did,” she said. “You’ve always been a martyr…even when you don’t need to be.”

She stood up weakly, her arm around Harry’s neck for support. They turned to look at the manor together, their determination to see this through to the end together spurring them into motion.

As they stepped through the doorway, Harry felt a horrible wave of evil energy wash over him.

Voldemort…

A/N: I know I kinda just jumped into the final battle there, but I was fresh out of ideas…

And yes, that means this story is coming to an end, but I have a great one planned next!

Please don’t forget to review!

‘Til next time!

A/N: Sooo, I totally would have had this up about a week ago, but I was really into my writing and forgot to save, then my computer shut off and I lost it all. I lost the motivation to rewrite it but I finally did, so here it is!

Please Enjoy!

Chapter 13 – Pierced By Love

Jean-Claude hit the release mechanism on his shotgun, making the spent magazine fall to the ground, before he popped a new one in, making sure to steadily feed magic into it. The din of the battle did nothing to hinder his concentration, experience making him immune to the confusion the sound and all-around craziness of battle made. Bodies were everywhere, both friendly and enemy, both dead and alive, magic swirled erratically through the air, and it wasn’t exactly easy to differentiate friend from foe.

But back to the gun. The gun infused with magic was actually something Jean-Claude invented, called guns magic. The magazine was actually filled to the brim with magic, and whenever Jean-Claude pulled the trigger, a small bit of the magic was instantaneously formed into a bullet, or in the shotgun’s case, a shell, and fired from the gun. It was semi-automatic, meaning he didn’t have to pump a pump or cock a hammer, and generally held about twenty shots per magazine depending on how large or compressed he wanted the shells.

When he was using his guns magic he was in his element. He was all over the battlefield, filling whichever enemy he could reach with a blast of magic, generally blowing holes in them or blowing off their heads.

He sprang at a werewolf, slammed the end of the barrel into its jaw, and pulled the trigger, blowing the brains of the beast into the giant’s face that was directly above it. Then, using the deceased werewolf as a shield, he shot upwards at the giant. Everybody thought giants were scary, but in reality they were incredibly slow, possessing nowhere near enough speed to catch even the slowest of vampires.

And Jean-Claude was definitely not a slow vampire.

He blasted a shot into the giant’s stomach, blowing chunks of flesh and guts everywhere, but it did little to slow it. It let out a cry of pain and swiped at Jean-Claude, who rolled under it and, mid-roll, fired the shotgun at its elbow. The arm below the elbow fell to the ground with a thud and rolled several feet away as the giant got even angrier.

Just when he thought it was about time to wrap it up, a second giant, alerted by his brother’s howls, came up behind Jean-Claude.

They never learn…

The giant that had come up behind Jean-Claude threw a punch, attempting to squash the vampire into the ground. Jean-Claude held out his open hand in front of himself nonchalantly, not moving a single centimeter as the giant’s fist slammed into his open hand. The force of the blow made the ground blow out around their feet, leaving them standing in the middle of the crater.

The giant stopped, confused, his fist still against Jean-Claude’s hand. Jean-Claude smirked, brought up his gun, and pulled the trigger while feeding in more magic than normal. The shell ripped through the giant’s face and head, leaving nothing below the chin as the lifeless body fell to the earth with a heavy thud.

Jean-Claude then whirled around, intent on blowing the other giant’s head off, but Katerina came flying in, a long spear with a curved blade at the tip. She was twirling it above her head as she dropped to her feet, then brought behind her back as she took a fighting pose.

“Jean-Claude!” she said as she jumped into the air.

He grinned and brought up his gun. He fed a massive amount of magic into it, though didn’t compress it. When Katerina landed on the tip of the barrel he pulled the trigger, then Katerina spun her body. She spun so fast that she took chunks out of the ground even though she was five feet above it. Her spear was held out ahead of her as she sped through the air with the speed of a bullet, blasting through the giant’s stomach and continuing to decimate the enemy ranks. She skidded to a stop a good hundred feet away with her bloody spear held out the side her magic power still thrumming around her. She looked up and saw Harry and Hermione getting up, brushing themselves off. They took each other’s hands and started walking towards the manor. Katerina grinned.

“You better beat him, Master,” she said softly to herself. “If not for your sake, then for Hermione’s.”

o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Harry let go of Hermione’s arm, holding his hands out in case she couldn’t stand. She managed to stay upright, though, and said, “Kinda eerie, eh?”

Harry looked around the inside of the manor, which was completely dark and full of furniture and objects that looked like they belonged in an antique store, cobwebs and all. Dark shadows clung to everything, the deepest shadows hard to see through even with Harry’s enhanced eyes. The smell that immediately invaded his nostrils was the smell of evil. He took Hermione’s hand in his and gave it a small squeeze, grateful for the slight pressure he received in return.

They began slowly walking into the mansion, Harry using his senses to search for any sign of danger, no matter how small. There was no doubt in his mind that there was an ambush or trap waiting for them somewhere in the manor. Every speck of dust floating through the air, every tiny creak of a floorboard he felt. His eyes were darting all over the place even though he knew that he had better senses than sight, and he was walking slightly ahead of Hermione, shielding her with his body.

They reached a closed door made of dark, grand mahogany wood, and Harry held Hermione back as he reached forward and grasped the handle, nothing in his ears but Hermione’s heartbeat and soft breaths. Harry could feel nothing in the next room, though his stomach was churning in apprehension. Even if he felt nothing, he knew there was something in there waiting for him.

He glanced back over at his shoulder at Hermione, who swallowed and nodded her head determinedly. So she could feel it too…

Harry slammed the door open and stood in the doorway with Hermione’s hand in his, ready to Shadowalk her to safety. Nothing happened for a second, leaving Harry to slowly relax and survey the room. It was a large, wide-open room, with nothing in it but a grand chair at the far end. In that chair was a person.

“Voldemort…” Harry growled, his hold on Hermione’s hand growing even tighter. Now that he thought about it, it hadn’t been the smartest of ideas to bring her in here with him. “Hermione,” he whispered, “get out of here.”

Normally, he knew she would’ve questioned him, but there was something in his voice and the set of his jaw that made her obey without question. She turned around, but the door suddenly slammed shut, knocking her backwards into Harry. He barely moved as he caught and righted her without looking, his eyes not leaving Voldemort as the dark wizard slowly stood up.

“I have to thank you, Harry Potter,” said Voldemort, giving him the barest flash of a grin.

Harry narrowed his eyes at him. “For what?” he growled.

Voldemort snorted. “What do you think?” he said, holding his arms out. “For killing that senile old fool, of course!”

Harry crouched a little lower. “He was one of the greatest wizards to ever walk this Earth,” he said.

Voldemort looked down at him. “Congratulations for killing one of the greatest wizards to ever walk this Earth, then,” Voldemort replied condescendingly, pulling his wand out of his robes.

So Harry had riled him up a bit.

“And you could never beat Dumbledore,” Harry said, smirking as he shielded Hermione even more. “This should pretty easy.”

A quick look of fury flashed across Voldemort’s face before it turned to normal. “I hope you’re ready to die, Harry Potter.”

Harry began drawing out his magical power. “I’m already dead.”

Harry gained the upper hand once again as Voldemort held up his wand and pointed it at Harry. This was the beginning of the end. Harry could feel the sweat rolling down his face, could feel Hermione’s heart pumping hard in place of his, could feel the magic thrumming in the air. He heard Voldemort inhale to shout his spell, heard Hermione’s gasp as the dark wizard pointed his wand at Harry, and heard as he shouted, “Reducto!”

Harry pushed Hermione as gently as he could into the corner before he Shadowalked onto the ceiling, not surprised that Voldemort had learned from his previous mistake of trying to use the killing curse on a vampire.

He sprang from the ceiling as he drew his katana, using it to slice through Voldemort’s next spell. Voldemort’s eyes widened as Harry landed right next to him and sheathed his katana, the upper half of the dark wizard’s body falling to the ground a second later.

Harry got up and wiped his forehead of his sweat, a bit disturbed. That had been way too easy…

He stood over Voldemort’s corpse, which was lying in a puddle of blood, and prodded it with his toe, then sheathed his katana when there was no response. He turned to Hermione with a grin on his face.

“You lose, Harry Potter,” said a nasty voice from behind Hermione, then Voldemort had one arm around her and the other arm pointing his wand at her head, a nasty grin on his face.

Shock just barely had time to register on Harry’s face before the fake Voldemort on the ground exploded, shrapnel tearing through his body while the force of the explosion slammed him straight into the wall behind him.

He grimaced as he struggled to stand up, his magic still healing him. “Exploding doppelganger magic…” he said to himself disbelievingly.

He glared at Voldemort, anger engulfing him as he saw Hermione squirming in his arms. Harry’s eyebrows then furrowed as he looked at Hermione closer. Something was weird…

Then he smirked at Voldemort. Voldemort’s eyes widened and he threw Hermione away from him as realization hit him. He just barely managed to throw up a shield as Hermione exploded, the force cracking and almost breaking Voldemort’s shield.

The real Hermione stepped out of the shadows from behind Harry, an angry look on her face. “Two can play at that game, Voldemort,” she said, drawing her wand.

“Don’t you dare say my name, you filthy mudblood,” Voldemort spat, dark energy radiating from him. He raised his left hand, the one that wasn’t holding a wand, and snapped his fingers.

All of the windows immediately blew in, Harry just barely managing to throw up a magical shield around him and Hermione to protect them from the colorful glass raining down on them. Vampires streamed in through the windows, and for not even one second did Harry hold the illusion that they were friendly. So Voldemort had only been testing their strength earlier…

Harry and Hermione glanced at each other, both of them seeing and feeling the hope fade from the other. “You really thought there wouldn’t be an ambush here, you fool?” Voldemort cackled, his wand still trained on Harry. “There’s no way you can take on both me and the vampires simultaneously!”

Harry clenched his teeth and grabbed Hermione. “Apparate,” he said under his breath.

“I saw your lips, Potter,” said Voldemort before Hermione could so much as open her mouth, victory making him stand taller. “There is an apparation ward around the manor. I’m not stupid.” He finally lowered his wand as the two hundred plus vampires finished streaming into the room. Suffice to say, it was a little packed in there, with vampires everywhere except for the five feet around Harry and Hermione and their line of sight to Voldemort, who was grinning.

Harry grabbed Hermione’s hand, but she immediately shook it off. Harry whipped his head around to look at her, and she said, “Hold everyone off for thirty seconds. If you can do that, I can take out the vampires while you take out Voldemort.”

Harry sensed that she was telling the truth. “How?” was his real question.

Hermione only shook her head. “Just do it,” was all she said as she got on one knee on the ground and pulled the necklace with the cross from her pocket and another necklace with a pentagram from her other pocket and put one on each wrist before putting her hands in front of her as if she was in prayer.

Harry shook his head as Voldemort started laughing. “What is this?” he asked. “Has she given up? She’s praying to the heavens?”

Harry growled and summoned up all of his magic. Hermione was the smartest person he knew. She definitely had a plan. He took one glance back at her, held out his hands in front of him, and let out a loud, feral cry, his magic exploding into a thick shield around them. He began counting down, knowing that keeping this shield up for twenty seconds would be difficult, thirty next to impossible.

30…29…28

Hermione began speaking softly to the sky, her eyes closed. “Oh guardians of the heavens above and the fiery depths of hell below, please bestow upon me your strength.”

27…26…25…

“Get them!” Voldemort shouted, knowing they were up to something.

24…23…22…

“I am your humble servant, and I give up what little I have for the power to do what I must.”

21…20…19…

Sweat began to form on Harry’s brow as the vampires hit the shield with everything they had.

18…17…16…

“I understand the severity of the contract I wish to make, and I understand what will become of me at the end of my days.”

15…14…13…

“With the right hand of God and the left hand of the Devil, I will bring justice upon the enemies of all who strive for the light.”

12…11…10…

Harry’s shield began faltering and he fell to his knees, though he managed to hold on to the shield as it was attacked even more powerfully by the vampires.

9…8…7…

“I ask for this power in the name of love, and for love only shall this power be used.”

6…5…4…

“So please, I ask once more, do not allow my wishes to go to waste. Grant me the power I need.” The two necklaces around her wrist twisted together so the cross and pentagram were touching each other, the cross glowing a blinding white and the pentagram a dark, yet just as powerful, black.

3…2…1…

“I will be the harbinger of all that falls under the light, with my will forming my power.” As soon as the last word left her lips, Hermione collapsed gently on the ground.

…0…

Harry’s shield died as he, too, collapsed, needing a second to recover his energy. He glanced back at Hermione, despair clenching his heart as he saw that she hadn’t moved. Voldemort had called off the attack and was laughing again.

“So that was the big plan?” he said, amused. “Gain an extra thirty seconds?”

Harry clenched his fists and shakily got up to his feet, refusing to stay down until Voldemort was dead no matter what it took. He’d go in for a suicide run if that was what it required. He met Voldemort’s eyes as he took a stance to jump, prepared to die. His only wish was that Hermione didn’t have to die, but at this point it looked impossible. He grinned despite it all.

At least they would die together.

He let out a cry and went to jump, but was stopped when he was blasted flat onto the ground by a magical explosion from behind him. He turned over and his eyes widened as they fell on Hermione, who was floating in midair, one giant, glowing white wing and one giant, glowing black wing keeping her aloft. She was glowing gold like before, and so were her eyes when she opened them. She was radiating the most powerful magical aura he had ever felt, and in the hand that had held the cross she was now holding a long, glowing claymore while in the other hand, which was previously holding the pentagram, she was holding a sharp scythe that was shrouded in dark magic. She looked down at Harry with no emotion whatsoever, and he couldn’t feel anything concerning her mood or thoughts.

“H-Hermione?” he breathed in awe.

“Go, young one.” When she spoke it sounded as though three voices were speaking at once: there was her own, normal voice, a high, soothing voice, and a low, grating voice. Somehow the three voices formed a perfect harmony. “Only together can we eradicate this evil from the face of the Earth.”

Harry nodded determinedly and turned around, katana glinting in hand as he formed a second one in his other. “Here we go,” he said under his breath.

He and Hermione were back to back as the vampires circled them warily, unsure of what to make of Hermione. “It doesn’t matter!” Voldemort yelled. “Get them! Overwhelm them with numbers!”

The vampires, their bravery coming back to them as they realized they outnumbered the two defenders by about two hundred, let out battle cries and charged. Hermione grabbed Harry around his elbow, surprising him, and spun around once before throwing him at an incredible speed straight at Voldemort. He broke straight through the ranks of the vampires and slid to a stop in front of his arch enemy, who just barely managed to shield in time.

A clear wall with a slight golden glow slammed into the ground right behind Harry, cutting him and Voldemort off from the rest of the battle.

The vampires all swarmed Hermione, who decapitated three of them at once with her scythe. She stabbed the blade of her claymore straight through the heart of another and stayed still for a moment before a golden beam erupted from the tip of her sword, completely destroying any vampires unlucky enough to be in its path.

She still hadn’t taken a step and had already managed to kill a good ten vampires, then continued to kill more while using magic as a shield, her giant blades decapitating, maiming, and killing scores of vampires with each powerful swing.

Harry got up and turned his back on her, confident that she could handle herself. He didn’t know what she had done, but she was a killing machine; even more so than Harry. In fact, she probably could’ve handled Voldemort much more easily than Harry, but they both knew it was he who was supposed to kill the dark lord. Not to mention the fact that there was no way Harry could take on two hundred vampires at once.

“You ready to die?” Harry inquired confidently, katanas gleaming as he held them in front of him.

“We’ll see who’s laughing in the end,” Voldemort said before raising his wand to point it at Harry.

He fired a spell that almost caught Harry, the speed of it faster than any spell Harry had ever seen. Harry lunged at Voldemort, who managed to apparate away and unleash a torrent at fire directly at the vampire. Harry gritted his teeth, then spun as he jumped, the speed of his spinning allowing him to fly directly through the fire, the wind speed he generated blowing the fire away from him.

He slammed one sword into the empty wall that Voldemort had been recently standing with his back against so hard that everything within a ten foot radius of his blade crumbled and fell, exposing the inside of the mansion to the sounds and carnage of the battle still raging outside.

Harry shielded his eyes as Voldemort’s spell blasted into the ground right in front of him, sending debris flying at his face. Voldemort took advantage of this small moment of confusion to fire a spell straight at Harry, who felt it slicing through the air and managed to avoid it.

Harry dashed straight at Voldemort, who fired a slicing hex at Harry’s neck. Harry sliced straight through it with one of his swords, though one of the halves of the spell slammed straight into the side of his stomach, leaving him with a large gash. His magic instantly healed the wound, though when it did Harry felt his reserves of magic drop even more.

He caught a glimpse of Hermione making absolute mincemeat of the enemy vampires, blood, heads, and limbs flying everywhere as she cut through their ranks with absolutely no problem.

Harry gritted his teeth and continued to try to push back Voldemort, who continued to stay just out of reach and kept just barely nicking him with spells, making him use all of his magic.

Harry growled and, incredibly angry and annoyed at this point, turned into his panther form. Voldemort’s eyes widened, and in that time Harry managed to get right on top of him. He swiped his giant paw at the dark wizard, who only managed to throw up a semi-decent shield. Harry broke through it, though the shield managed to slow him down to the point that Voldemort had enough time to escape the blow.

Now Harry really was pushing Voldemort, the wizard desperately throwing out spells that always managed to slow down, yet never stop the giant panther. Voldemort brought the battle to mid-air, which was a big mistake because Harry knew he had better control in the air than the slow floating mechanics Voldemort used.

Harry jumped up and placed magic right under his feet to push off of whenever and wherever he wanted to, allowing him to close in on Voldemort much faster than the dark lord had anticipated.

Or so Harry had thought.

Right when Harry was about to decapitate his enemy, Voldemort turned into a giant serpent, fangs gleaming in the moonlight. His head snapped at Harry so fast that Harry couldn’t even see it, though he did feel the pain when he was slammed back-first into the floor below, driving all of the air out of his lungs.

Voldemort, still a snake, landed on the ground in front of Harry and coiled again, ready to strike as soon as the panther was in range. Harry stood up and shook the pain out of his body, his eyes meeting the snake’s challengingly.

Harry shot off from the ground so hard that the stone he leapt from cracked, his paw held back in preparation to slice through the serpent’s neck. Voldemort brought his head back, opened it, and unleashed a torrent of fire. Surprised, Harry only managed to half-avoid it, making him wince as the heat slammed into him.

But still, that attack had left Voldemort wide open, so Harry homed in on the thinnest, weakest-looking part of his neck and prepared to slice through it. Harry was so caught up in the kill opportunity that he failed to notice the serpent’s tail rise up. It slammed him down against the ground, breaking the tile again as it broke all of Harry’s legs and ribs, leaving him motionless on the ground as they knitted back together.

Voldemort was still pinning him down with his tail, too, so when Harry’s bones finally did heal he was still rendered completely motionless. Voldemort brought his head back to strike, and, making a quick decision, Harry returned to his vampire form and held his swords out in front of him in an X.

Voldemort’s mouth opened wide as he struck down, Harry just barely managing to block him even as the force threatened to overwhelm him. Voldemort continued to push, then Harry saw the flame begin to build in his mouth. He brought up a magical shield just in time to block the fire, but it left him blind from the inside of the shield.

Voldemort flicked him with his tail, sending him slamming into a wall before falling to the ground. He shakily stood up only to have to roll to evade a fresh round of fire, and once again Voldemort’s tail slammed into his side, sending him straight into a wall again.

He grunted as his weak reserves of magic did their best to heal him, but he felt that the wounds didn’t heal all the way. There was blood running down into his eyes from a gash on his head. He couldn’t move all too well either.

He sat up with his back against the wall as he did his best to get even a tiny bit of strength back, dropping one katana and holding the other with two hands. He pointed the tip straight at Voldemort and began gathering the last of his magic around it. Voldemort reared his head back to strike, and Harry shot the beam of magic straight at the weak point of its throat again.

The magic blasted through a little lower than intended as Voldemort lunged in for the kill, the pain instead sending the snake slamming straight into Harry, almost knocking him out as the wall was blown out behind him.

Voldemort returned to his human form and clutched right below his right collarbone, where the magic had blown a hole that was now bleeding freely. Just as that happened the magical wall Hermione had put up faltered and died, and Harry looked over to see her fall onto her knees, back to her normal self. Thankfully, it seemed as though she had killed all of the enemy vampires first.

Voldemort began laughing evilly. “She made a contract with a guardian spirit?” he asked. Harry couldn’t muster the strength to respond. “She really is stupid, isn’t she?” Harry’s eyebrows furrowed. “And it seems as though she didn’t tell you what that means! As soon as the guardian’s end of the deal is complete, she loses her life.” Harry’s eyes widened. Voldemort grinned at him. “Yes, she’s going to die any minute now, though from what I don’t know. Perhaps I should do the honors?”

“No!” Harry managed to choke out, coughing up blood as he did so. Why couldn’t he move?

Voldemort sneered down at him as he raised his wand to point at Hermione. “You’ll be joining her shortly, so don’t fret.”

Move! “Avada Kedavra!”

Harry found a sudden burst of strength as everything regressed to a state of slow-motion, the green spell shooting straight for Hermione. He lunged after it, intent on shielding Hermione from it.

He could reach it…he was going to beat it!

He gave a final, desperate lunge with the last of his strength…wham! He was slammed back with incredible force, though his eyes never left Hermione, who was still on her knees.

“Hermione!” he shouted with his hand stretched out to her, tears in his eyes.

And right before the spell hit her, Harry swore he saw the barest ghost of a smile pull up the corner of her lips. “No!” he cried as it slammed into her, sending her flying into the wall a good ten feet behind her before her body fell lifelessly to the floor.

He dashed immediately to her side, sliding to a stop and cradling her body. She wasn’t breathing. He couldn’t feel her heartbeat.

She wasn’t alive.

“Hermione…” he said, shaking her a little. “Come on, Hermione. You can’t be dead…”

That smile was still on her lips even as his tears fell on her face. He hugged her tightly, crying into her neck. “Hermione,” he sobbed.

“I just told you not to fret, Potter,” said Voldemort. “You will be joining her right about now.”

With that, he unleashed a massive reducto straight at Harry. Harry whirled around glared at Voldemort, his magic bursting out of him and deflecting the reducto. “Voldemort!” he yelled as a giant column of magic exploded upwards from him, blasting a hole through the ceiling.

Voldemort smirked. “You’re just as stupid as your late mudblood whore,” he said. “The sun’s up now.”

They stood still for a couple seconds, and when nothing happened to Harry, who was still standing right under the hole in the ceiling, he smirked. “The sun’s what?” he said, a crazy glint in his eyes.

Voldemort’s eyes widened. “How?” he said, raising his wand at Harry.

“I prepared for this,” he said, referring to the seals he had had ten of his underlings place around the battlefield. When all were placed properly they formed a giant dome that blocked out all sunlight, with the seals as the boundaries. “Now die.”

He let out a yell and lunged straight at Voldemort, who fired spell after spell at him. Harry’s magic, which was wreaking destruction around him as he closed in on his enemy, deflected each and every spell, and as Harry got closer to Voldemort, the dark wizard’s eyes filled with more and more fear.

“M-monster!” he said when Harry was right on top of him.

Harry slammed his fist straight into Voldemort’s chest. “You thought you could defeat me.”

Voldemort coughed blood right into his face and grinned. “I already did,” he said as the light began to leave his eyes.

Harry let out a cry of mixed agony and anger and his magic immediately blew Voldemort into little bits, leaving nothing of the dark lord but a bloodstain on the floor. He stood in place holding nothing but Voldemort’s heart in his hand, which he crushed before turning around and looking at Hermione, who was still lying dead on the floor.

He felt his throat tighten and burn and began staggering towards her. He fell onto his knees beside her and laid her on her back, then brushed a couple strands of hair out of her face with a shaky hand. His hands clenched into fists. Why was she smiling? “You told me you’d be fine!” he shouted, his voice breaking.

He grabbed her shoulders and shook her a little. “You said you’d be fine,” he whispered before breaking down and crying into her chest, his arm draped over her protectively. “You can’t be dead,” he sobbed. “I love you.”

As a final, desperate attempt to save her life, he brought his mouth up to her neck and bit her, pouring every last drop of his magic into her.

He stayed like that for an immeasurable amount of time before finally giving up and relaxing back on his knees, his hand clasping Hermione’s. He felt an arm wrap around his shoulders and looked over to see Katerina with tears glistening on her cheeks, and looked up to see Jean-Claude looking down sadly at Hermione’s peaceful form.

“She’s dead, Master, biting’s not going to get you anywhere,” Katerina said softly.

“You think I don’t know that?” Harry snapped at her.

“Master,” Jean-Claude said, crouching down and looking him in the eye. “She’s dead.”

Harry’s face crumpled again as agony gripped his heart. He let out a loud, agonized cry, his pain fueling the magic that exploded out from him. “No!” he yelled. “She can’t…she can’t be dead!”

“Master!” Katerina shouted over the sound of his rapidly swirling magic.

He put his hands on Hermione’s shoulders. “I kept my end of the deal!” he shouted. “You keep yours! You can’t be dead!”

“Master,” said Jean-Claude, but Harry didn’t look at him. “You have to stop. You’ll burn yourself up.”

“I don’t care!” he yelled, his entire body shaking as he put in everything he had. “It’s better than being alive!”

Katerina put her hand on his shoulder, almost making him stop. “No magic can bring back the dead, Harry. You know that,” she said.

Harry gritted his teeth as fresh tears sprang to his eyes. “She’s not dead,” he said quietly enough for only himself to hear. Then he shouted it. “She’s not dead!”

He let out a yell and began to feel something tear inside of him, as though he was losing a piece of himself. His eyes widened. He was losing a piece of himself, but there was something else worming its way into his consciousness.

Harry Potter, a voice said. It was a voice that made Harry feel protected and infused with warmth. How far are you willing to go? Would you give your life for this woman’s?

Of course I would! Harry replied immediately.

“Master…Master!” Harry could barely hear his two underlings calling him.

There was no reply from the voice after that, and Harry tried to cling desperately to its consciousness as it managed to slip out. “No,” he said. “Come back!”

“Master?” Katerina said. “Master, are you okay?”

Harry didn’t know how to reply, and rose his eyes to look at her, confused. Right when he opened his mouth, the worst pain he had ever felt slammed into him, making him scream in agony as he fell to the floor. He writhed as the pain tore and ripped through him, but he gritted his teeth. No matter how much he wanted the pain to end, he had the feeling that this was necessary to save Hermione.

He felt that piece of him rip even more, making him cry out as Katerina and Jean-Claude hovered over him worriedly. The pain intensified to the point that he was convulsing on the floor, his resolve wavering. He couldn’t stand it anymore!

An image of Hermione flashed through his mind, and he yelled, “Keep going!”

His body was screaming in agony, his screams hoarse as his throat grew dry and raw from all the screaming. The piece of himself was ripped from him, and he thought he heard, Farewell, weakling, before it was gone.

The pain stopped and Harry turned so he was lying on his back, relief at the end of the pain making his limbs numb. Black began to encroach upon his vision.

I hope you live, Hermione, he thought. Live and love, and know that I love you.

A small smile fell on his face and he couldn’t help but think, So this is why she was smiling.

And just before the black swallowed him whole, he felt a single heartbeat.

Epilogue

Harry opened his eyes groggily, attempting to blink the sleep out of his eyes as best he could. As his vision cleared, he noticed that he was in a completely white room. It looked like a hospital. There were hundreds of get-well cards lying on a table along with a plethora of candy and various flowers. He could hear a crowd of people talking outside of the door and furrowed his eyebrows, confused.

Then his eyes fell on the person sleeping in a makeshift bed next to his. His eyes widened and he sucked in a sharp gasp. “Hermione…” he breathed.

“Ah, Mr. Potter,” said Madam Pomfrey, who was tending him. “Yes, Ms. Granger refused to leave the room, so I let her sleep in here.”

“Madam Pomfrey,” he said, clutching his head. “What happened?”

She shook her head and scoffed, a notion that Harry was very used to, but only now realized that it showed how much she really cared about him. It was bound to happen considering how much time he had spent in the medical wing at Hogwarts. “You’re in St. Mungo’s right now; they gave me permission to tend to you since I know how you heal best,” she said in a friendly manner. Then she folded her arms across her chest and said, “You went missing for months, dear boy! Where have you been?”

Harry blinked once. He only now realized that Madam Pomfrey must have done a multitude of medical scans on him, as she did every time he was treated by her. He brought his hand up to his heart and felt that it was once again beating its slow, content beat, pumping blood through his body. He was breathing naturally again, and he felt weak. He froze.

He wasn’t a vampire any longer. And even more, he wasn’t as happy about this development as he thought he’d be.

He never thought he would miss that other side to him.

He looked back at Madam Pomfrey and realized she was still waiting for answer. He thought for a moment, then decided to tell the truth. “I defeated Voldemort.”

Madam Pomfrey’s eyes widened, then she promptly fainted. Somebody must have had really good ears outside too, for there were a couple seconds of confusion, then the crowd burst into cheers.

The sound must have woken Hermione, for she rolled over and groggily opened her eyes, rubbing them sleepily. When she was fully awake, her eyes widened. “Harry?” she said as if Christmas had come early.

He smiled at her and she moved quicker than he had ever seen her move before, jumping off of her bed and landing on his, her arms wrapping around him in a tight hug. “Harry,” she said, burying her face into his neck.

“How long was I out, Hermione?” he asked. “And what happened?”

“You’ve been in a coma for two and a half weeks, Harry,” she said happily into his shirt. “And the vampire part of your soul was traded for my soul, that’s how I’m alive.”

“And who was the person speaking inside of my head?” Harry asked.

“The person I made the contract with,” said Hermione quietly. Then, after a moment of silence, she whispered, “The only other person who’s given their life to protect you and you alone.”

“My mother?” Harry asked, his eyes widening as Hermione nodded.

“She and your dad both told me to tell you they love you,” she added.

“You met them?” Harry asked, stunned.

“I was dead for about ten minutes, you know,” she said. “They found me right away and prepped me for returning back to my body.”

Harry was silent, and Hermione looked up at him worriedly. “Harry?” she asked.

“I can’t believe you did something that you knew would kill you,” he said, not meeting her eyes.

Hermione looked down at her hand on his chest. “I knew you’d find a way to save me,” she said quietly. “Can’t we just be happy that this is all over and we’re both still alive?”

Harry tightened his arm around her. “As long as you promise to never do anything that crazy ever again,” he said, smiling when she nodded. Then he added, “You have to admit, my mother totally kicked butt as a guardian spirit.”

Hermione laughed before getting out of the bed. “That she did,” she said as she picked a specific card out of the stack and handed it to him. “This is the only one worth reading,” she explained. Harry accepted it, opened it, and read:

Master,

I must thank you for all that you have done for the vampire empire. You will always hold our respect, even if you are only a human now. I am Master now, with Jean-Claude as my first.

I will always remember everything you taught me about what it means to live and love.

Visit whenever you have the chance…we promise not to bite.

Sincerely,

Katerina Reinhardt

Harry smiled a bit sadly. “We definitely have to visit some time.”

Hermione hopped back in bed with him and gave him a quick kiss. “We can go wherever you want,” she said, “as long as I’m with you.”

Harry gave her a deeper kiss. “You think I’d let you out of my sight after all of this? Not a chance.” He relaxed in the bed, pulling her down with him. “You know I love you, right?”

She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Only if you know I love you just as much.”

As they smiled at each other, they knew they were going from one great adventure to another: The adventure of life.

And even if nothing else, they knew they would face that adventure together.

-The End-

A/N: It…It’s over…

I can’t thank all of you enough for your support and reviews! They really kept me going when the going got tough! I loved writing this story, and I loved reading all of your lovely reviews! I have another long (though I don’t know about this long) story in the works that won’t be posted until it’s finished, though I hope to keep you appeased with a plethora of one-shots!

Once again, thank you all so so much for the reviews, favorites, alerts, and messages, and I hope to see you on my next one!

Until then!

-DarthMittens