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Life Eternal	By : AlectoPerdita Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 10864 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 11
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Life Eternal

By Alecto Perdita

Chapter 11 - Blood of My Blood

Beta'ed by Amanda Saitou

Rating: R

Posted: August 24, 2005

Revised: September 17, 2005

Warnings: Slash, HP/SS

Email: alecto.perdita@gmail.com

Site: http://cocytus.eternity-inc.net

Mailing list: http://groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/cocytus

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling, and is being used in this fanfiction for fan purposes only. All situations, opinions and characters not belonging to J.K. Rowling are the intellectual property of Alecto Perdita.

Harry drew his invisibility cloak closer around his body. The castle had been dark when he first entered, and he had a bit of trouble before he managed to spell some light. Moppy had been moved out of the castle since the Snapes retreated to Hogwarts.

He didn�t know where to find Abraham. In retrospective, it was foolish of him to go chasing after the vampire on his own, but he had to know.

He closed his eyes and sought out the Dark presence in the castle. There were several benign ones in dungeons, which Harry guessed were just bats. There was a Darkness situated in the vicinity of the North Tower, and his curse sprang to life at the prospect of a feeding. Harry leaned against a wall and wrestled the curse back into submission. The curse demanded life more ardently than ever before and it refused to be silenced. Harry didn�t dare to move until it settled down. It wasn�t completely sedated as it whispered obscene suggestions like a little devil sitting on his shoulder. He ignored it as best as he could and started toward the North Tower.

Harry jumped when the light fixture on the walls suddenly lit up. Abraham must know he was here. He soon came to the dead end of a collapsed wall. After glancing around the crowded space of jagged shadows and rocks, he couldn't find Abraham but the curse insisted he was. He then noticed the crooked frame hanging on one wall. The canvas was ripped and curled up so Harry couldn�t tell what the subject of the painting was. Unable to get over the notion of how out of place it looked, he approached the painting and pushed back the peeling canvas.

It was Abraham, as young as the day Harry met him. The dull plaque affixed to the frame read: Lord Abraham Snape, the seventh Lord Latimer of Snape.

�Does that answer your questions?�

Harry stilled and pressed his head against the moldy frame to gather his thoughts. He hoped that the vampire couldn�t see him under the cloak.

Abraham chuckled, �You know better than that. There�s no need to hide from me, my sweet.�

A hand landed on top of his head and tugged his invisibility cloak off. The vampire tossed the cloak aside and swooped down onto Harry.

�Why are you doing this to them? They�re your family.� Harry asked as he tried to recover his thoughts from the incoherent pool of babbling that always arose when the vampire was near.

�Wrong!� Abraham exclaimed. �They are the descendant of my uncle. I am the last of the direct line of the Snapes.�

Harry was trapped between Abraham and the wall, and he found it hard to breathe. Abraham�s chest heaved with obvious rage against the small of his back. It was strange to feel the vampire�s breath tickling the back of his neck. Vampires didn�t have the same biological need to breathe like other living creatures, since the mechanisms of the body were completely sustained by magic and the life blood of others.

�So you think getting back at the Snapes now will change anything?�

Abraham pressed against Harry and lowered his lips to the shell of Harry�s ear. He didn�t bother to fight the curse now roaring through his blood like a Gryffindor lion. He wanted to kill Abraham. He needed Abraham to die. Abraham leaned in further and took Harry�s earlobe into his mouth. He moaned as the vampire suckled on his ear.

�Stop,� he protested weakly.

�I will not stop. The fact that I stand before you now is proof enough that they are not worthy of the Snape name. Their blood is too diluted and tainted to bind me to the seal. As soon as they left these grounds over twenty years ago, I was freed. They are weak, Harry.�

�I don�t understand.�

�This castle and this village are both rightfully mine. They should not be here. They fraternize with the enemy and go so far as to breed with them. They would even bring a filthy niger into the castle. The audacity! My uncle was always a degenerate, and I can clearly see that his descendant are no different, with no loyalty to country or bloodline,� the vampire snarled. �Disgusting, filthy degenerates.�

�What are you planning to do with the Snapes then?� Harry asked quietly.

�I�ll kill them all. They�re nothing but Mudbloods and blood traitors. I am the last true Snape now and forever.�

�You�re dead.� He shuddered as he fought the urge to lean back against Abraham. He could feel the icy cold radiating from the vampire�s body. �You can�t. The Ministry-�

Abraham laughed. �What can the Ministry do? I am older than the Ministry of Magic itself. What could any wizard other than yourself do anything to me? You are the only one closest to being my equal, Harry. Why do you think I would take such an interest in you? We could change this world together, take all of this and mold it into something more. Together, we could be a force of revolution and cleanse this world of all this impurity.�

�You�re a fool,� Harry gasped, his chest aching painfully from the pent-up curse and frustration. �You must have heard about what I did to the last person with the same ambitions.�

�Voldemort was the fool. The secret of eternal life is no secret at all. He was too much of a fool and a coward to embrace what was offered to him. His wizard powers would have been nothing in comparison with the powers he would have gained with his rebirth. Though Voldemort was the fool,� Abraham clamped one hand down on Harry�s waist and wound his other arm around Harry�s body to plant another hand on his chest. �He still managed to do this to you.�

Pain blossomed in Harry�s chest cavity and stars exploded behind closed eyelids. Suddenly everything became too sharp, too hot, and too heavy. He fought violently to get away because Abraham was too cold, but the vampire�s hand on his waist and chest held him firmly in place. He clawed against the uneven stone walls he was pressed against, feeling the tell-tale wet warmth of blood under his nails.

The hand on his chest slid across is upper torso, brushing against his cloth-covered nipples. He cried out, but he wasn�t sure if it was out of pain or pleasure. The hand trailed down his arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. It grasped Harry�s hand and lifted it up. Crying out hoarsely again, his fingers were enveloped by a cold mouth, and he couldn�t stop writhing against Abraham. The slippery tongue swept over his fingers and Harry felt one of the vampire�s sharp canines nick his skin, drawing out more blood. He moaned as Abraham sucked on his fingers and lapped at his hand.

This was wrong. Harry was too hot and Abraham was too cold. If this pain- this contrast of extreme heat and chill- didn�t stop, he was sure he was going to die. He turned his flushed faces to the side and burrowed into the vampire�s neck. This was wrong because this was Abraham. Most of all, this was wrong because life was leaving him.

He attached his lips to Abraham�s cool neck and sucked.

Give me back my life, his fevered mind screamed.

Give me your life, the curse snarled angrily.

Abraham chuckled, and it sent a bone-chilling shiver down Harry�s spine. �Aren�t you eager? Don�t worry, pet. We�ll have all the time in the world.�

�No, I won�t let you do such a thing. I�d rather die.� The words felt weak and meaningless to him though.

�You�ll get your chance then,� the vampire hissed. �You have no choice. The curse has advanced to such a stage that it can�t be suppressed for much longer. If you do not accept me, you will simply kill those closest to you, including Severus.�

At the mention of Snape�s given name, Harry felt his world ground itself again. He thrust his elbow back and threw all his weight into throwing off Abraham. He ignored the sting of ripping his hand out of the vampire�s mouth and teeth. Licking the droplets of blood camouflaged against the redness of his lips, Abraham stepped back. Harry brought his wounded hand to his chest and leveled his wand with his relatively unharmed hand.

�I�ll find a way. I refuse to become a monster like you or Voldemort,� he felt his rage gathering at the tip of his wand without even incanting a spell. �And even if I don�t� The only life I need to take is yours!�

The curse howled in triumph underneath the surface. For the first time, he allowed the primal urges inspired by the curse to take full rein of his senses. He would do whatever it took to destroy Abraham.

Abraham just stood there and smirked at him. Harry felt his ire rise to the next level.

�Your blood is delicious. Would you like a taste of mine?�

Before Harry could even reply, Abraham lifted a hand to his lips and drew back his sleeve. He dragged a canine across his wrist and presented the bleeding limb to Harry. Harry�s nostrils flared at the first scent of blood and his world tipped over on its axis again. The curse interpreted Abraham�s offering of blood as acquiesce of his life. He salivated at the mere thought of tasting the vampire�s life essence- one so many centuries old. Throwing his wand to the floor, he barely acknowledged the sound of the wood hitting the stone and rolling away. He lunged forward and grabbed Abraham�s wrist.

�That�s it. Drink, Harry, and all of you will soon belong to me. No one can stand between us.�

The first drop of the vampire�s blood hit his tongue and he was sure he had found heaven. A myriad of tastes assaulted his taste buds. He could taste Darkness itself in Abraham�s blood. It was smooth, rich, and deep- like dark chocolate and black coffee. It was nothing short of seduction in liquid form. The tendrils of its powers wrapped around him and cocooned his body in its deep warmth.

He was never going to let this go.

Harry�s senses became even sharper than before. He could hear Abraham�s shallow breath rushing through every ancient tunnel and cavern of his body. When a hand settled in his hair and petted him gently, he purred against the bloody wrist. The iron tang of blood smelled like a feast to Harry. The hand in his hair moved across the back of his head and settled on the back of his neck, cradling him steadily. This was what he had been searching for�

No, the curse protested. This wasn�t life. Blood wasn�t life. It wanted life.

Harry ripped his mouth away from Abraham�s wrist and spat out a mouthful of blood. He could no longer taste the sweet Darkness and only the rusty metallic taste. The curse was right. He needed life, not blood. He wasn�t a ruddy vampire. He needed to taste Abraham�s life essence.

�Potter!�

He froze as he felt a familiar presence enter the corridor. The scent of dark smoke and burnt sage filled the air. He inclined his head toward the interesting newcomer.

The curse rejoiced at arrival of this newcomer. This one would be far more appetizing.

~~~

�Potter!� Severus shouted when he spotted the boy from down the corridor.

Potter�s body stiffened at the sound of his voice and swayed on his feet. Severus quickened his pace and grabbed Potter�s arm to help the boy maintain his balance. He pulled Potter back- away from the grinning vampire.

He looked down and saw the drizzle of blood at the corner of Potter�s mouth. His eyes flickered frantically between Abraham�s bloody wrist and Potter�s bloodied lips. Dear Merlin, was he already too late?

Abraham offered him a feral smile that showed off his teeth. �Don�t worry, Severus. I haven�t changed him yet. I was simply giving my Harry a taste of what�s to come.�

�You�ll do nothing of that sort to Potter, vampire.� He snarled and drew his former student back several more steps.

�It�s too late, Severus. He has already partaken of my blood. Harry Potter belongs to me in every possible way.�

Severus was about to hex the vampire when a strong hand grabbed a hold of his wand hand. He glared down at Potter with his forehead lying against Severus� shoulder. He tried to shake off Potter�s hand, but the brat refused to let go and the brat�s grip only tightened.

�Let go. Don�t get in my way.� He ordered.

�No,� came the quiet reply.

�Pardon?�

Potter raised his head and gave Severus a blood-encrusted grin. He felt his heart freeze at the unexpected sight. The boy�s other hand crept up his torso and settled on the back of his neck. The hand tugged his head down with surprising strength.

His hair fell over their faces like a curtain as he was forced to tip his head down. �What the bloody hell do you think you�re doing?�

�Taking what�s mine.�

Severus didn�t have a chance to protest when Potter sealed his lips to his. It took a few moments for him mind to register what was going on. Potter�s lips were warm and pliant against his. Potter�s other hand released his wand and tangled itself in his hair. He tried to pull away, but the brat refused to relent. Potter pressed the whole length of his body against him, and he was relieved to find a lack of the tell-tale chill of a vampire. Potter added more pressure, trying to force his mouth to open.

Potter kissed like a man possessed. He kissed like a man intent on possessing Severus. Severus was horrified to find a small part of him enjoying this- wanting this. He damned his body for being so quick to betray his mind. It had been a long time since he had anyone proposition him in this manner. An unexpected arousal spiked in his blood, leaving him hot, uncomfortable, and wanting. No, this was madness and he couldn�t allow this to continue. Yet, he was caught frozen in Potter�s embrace and kiss.

A tongue swiped across his lips. Laying his free hand on the brat�s chest, he tried to push the boy away without succumbing to the pressure on his lips. He grabbed Potter�s forearm instead and tried once again unsuccessfully. The brat caught Severus� bottom lips between his teeth, and when he tried harder to pry Potter off, Potter tugged harder on his lower lip. Severus felt skin break and the copper tang of blood flooded his taste buds.

Potter pulled away from his lips to lap at the blood. Severus could see the hazed look in the brat's eyes. There was no way he could be sure who was in control of Potter at the moment. Was it Potter, the vampire, or the curse? Better yet, which curse ruled Potter�s senses now?

He narrowed his eyes and pressed the tip of his wand against the boy�s upper torso. Potter�s tongue stilled against the edge of the cut on his lips.

�Stupedfy.�

Potter�s eyes rolled back and Severus managed to catch the boy before he hit the floor. Grunting, his knees buckled under the extra weight. Potter was surprisingly heavy. In retrospective, he supposed that wasn�t the best spell to cast directly into the boy�s ribcage but since Potter was supposed to be such a powerful wizard, Severus couldn�t afford to be careless. He needed Potter down with the first blow before the brat had a chance to retaliate.

Abraham let out a loud guffaw. �You look utterly ravished, Severus. Enjoy that, did you?�

He turned his wand back at the vampire. �Incendio.�

The fire met a crumbling wall instead, leaving scorch marks on the stone. Juggling Potter�s weight as best as he could, he turned about and tried to locate Abraham. �I don�t know what game you�re playing at, vampire, nor do I care. Show yourself. I have yet to pay you back for all you�ve done to Shavonne.�

�Tell me, is it painful to be that na�ve? You are nowhere near my equal. The Snape blood is wasted on the likes of you. Your treachery knows no bounds, but that is something you inherited from your father, just as he inherited it from his father before him. Nothing but a line of rotten fruits from the loin of my double-crossing uncle.�

�You talk too much, vampire. Now show yourself.�

�I want you to know exactly why you must suffer.�

He snorted. �The sins of an ancestor who has been dead for centuries? Do you really believe you can be satisfied with this?�

�No, I will take everything from you. I will have everything that is rightfully mine but has been denied to me all along. I will have this castle. I will have your head. I will have Harry Potter as well.�

He spun on his heels and edged toward the wall with the faded painting. �You will never have Harry Potter.�

�And why not? Would you have him in your world? The son of the man who tormented you for so many years?�

Severus was struck by a sudden epiphany, one that Albus had been trying to get him to see for years. �The sins of the father are not that of the son�s.�

�But you have never treated Harry with that principle in mind, have you? You have done nothing but punish Harry for the sins of his father for years. Why should I treat you with anymore courtesy than that which you have treated my Harry with?� the vampire advanced toward him. �Just leave him here and you may live to see another day.�

He looked down at the peaceful and sleep-like face of the aforementioned Harry Potter. The ungrateful little bastard. Here, he was fighting for his pathetic little life and Potter couldn�t even keep his senses long enough to hit the vampire with the supposed awesome power he possessed. The petty and vindictive part of him almost wanted to give Potter to Abraham out of spite. He would get an earful from Albus though- and the old coot always had a way of finding out.

�As much as I loathe the idea of having Harry Potter back, there are a great number of people awaiting his return. I�m afraid it would be my head they would have if I hand him over to you now.� Severus swiped his wand across the tip of his index finger of his left hand and blood welled in the cut. Juggling Potter in the other arm, he smeared his blood on the outer contour of the blood seal. The seal glowed and he growled one word, �Semoveo.�

Abraham threw his head back and laughed, �Not nearly good enough, Severus. Your blood is far too diluted, too impure. You, the descendant of my treacherous uncle and whom all sins have been passed onto, cannot defeat me. Even the all-powerful Harry Potter is under my powers.�

Severus growled and pressed his finger harder against the painting, drawing out every drop of blood possible, �Semoveo.�

The vampire stumbled briefly as if a load of weight had been suddenly dumped on his shoulders. He drew his hand away from the painting and made a cut across his palm this time. Abraham growled and charged forward, hair bristling on his skin into a pelt of fur as his face elongated to form a snout. Abraham snarled, showing rows of jagged sharp teeth, and he leaped at Severus.

Severus slammed his palm against the seal and shouted, �Semoveo!�

Abraham gave a wounded cry and fell back. Tightening his grip around Potter's waist, he leaned back against the wall. He fumbled with his wand to point it at the misshapen man-animal struggling to breathe on the floor. �Semoveo. Crudus.�

Blood began pouring from Abraham�s pores, matting the black pelt of fur that refused to vanish completely. The vampire-turned-misshapen-beast slid back along the floor, leaving a trail of red in his wake. Severus was about to hit the vampire with another curse when Abraham shifted shapes again. A large bat took off clumsily and swept through the air in a drunken-like manner. It vanished quickly into the darkness.

Severus pulled his hand away from the seal to rearrange his grip on Potter. He scowled at his throbbing left hand, sticky with blood and a hint of sweat. He turned his scorn onto the peaceful-looking Potter. �As always I�m the one to save your sorry arse and clean up your messes. I see the years have done nothing to temper your heroic Gryffindor tendencies.�

~~~

Harry awoke to warmth and the barely familiar scent of age and mold. He stared up at the peeling ceiling and wondered what had happened. Had Abraham taken him captive? He could barely remember what happened after he stepped back into Snape Castle.

�I see you�re finally awake.�

He shot up into a sitting position and turned to face Snape sitting on the other bed. �Snape? How did you find me?�

Snape didn�t reply as he crossed the length of the small room to dump a silver bundle in his lap. It was his invisibility cloak. Sneaking a peek at Snape, Harry wondered what the older man thought about this. He clutched the fabric closer to his chest and muttered, �Thanks.�

�I see you still treat that cloak like a security blanket, Potter.� Snape�s tone was even more cutting than usual, lined with a suppressed tension like a drawn string about to snap.

He congratulated himself for not giving any outwardly obvious signs that he was panicking- or at least he hoped. He turned his head slowly and up to look at the older man hovering over him. He blinked in confusion and placed on his most vacant expression. �Pardon?�

Snape�s face turned red from rage. �Don�t play dumb with me, Potter. I�ve had quite enough of your lies.�

�I think you�re mistaken, Professor. There�s no way I could be Harry Potter.�

He moved back toward the other side of the bed when Snape leaned over until his face was level with Harry�s. Snape grabbed Harry�s bangs and pulled them back. The older man tapped a finger against the lightning bolt scar that was visible to the world now. �You think you�re so clever, don�t you, Potter?� a spittle landed on his left cheek. �I can see your roots. They�re black. Jessica told me you wore color contacts. Even Longbottom can put two and two together.�

Harry closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, only to be assaulted by a scent of sage and dark smoke. �You�re mad.�

Snape�s hand moved from his forehead to grab his left hand, tightening his vice grip when Harry tried to pull the hand back. The man threw back the sleeve. �It�s hard to forget your atrocious penmanship after grading seven years of rubbish in that hand. You even kept your souvenir from Umbridge. Did you really think the scar on your forehead is your only distinguishing mark? Do you think me so oblivious not to notice this scar in the three years afterwards?�

He was cornered, and both Snape and he knew it. �I�I��

�And Durmstrang, Potter? Even I thought you had more brains than that.�

How did Snape always manage to make him feel like child?

�How are you going to explain this little escapade? What were you trying to accomplish by doing all this?�

Harry�s eyes snapped open and he glared defiantly at the face hovering just centimeters away from his. �I�m not your student anymore. You don�t have any power over me, Snape.�

�Really?� Malice shone brightly in Snape�s eyes. �Shall I administer Veritaserum? Or should I contact the Ministry? Albus? Who would you ultimately rather face? Me or someone else?�

�You�re just forcing the choice on me.�

Snape�s hand tightened in his hair and he yanked Harry�s head back. �I don�t appreciate being lied to, especially with the way you continue to make a fool of me to this day.�

�Not everything revolves around you,� Harry spat. �So now you know my deep dark secret. So what? What could you possibly do to me?�

�That is where you are sadly mistaken. I can do a lot of damage to you with the information I currently possess. Imagine how this would look to the Ministry, Harry Potter returns six years later from Merlin knows where, infected with both the Lifelust and vampiric Bloodlust Curses. Every wizard and witch knows about the extent of your power. It wouldn�t be long before they decide you are a danger to society. Unbalanced�Dark�and powerful� In their eyes, you�d be nothing more than a Dark Lord in making. You�re already halfway to becoming a vampire, Potter. Do you think they�ll simply imprison you? No, that would be too much of a risk. After all, Sirius bloody Black managed to break out of Azkaban. It would be a mere convenience to the great Harry Potter. Perhaps a Dementor�s Kiss would be a more suitable form of execution?�

He knew Snape spoke nothing but the truth. �You bastard.�

�Do you hate me, Potter? Do you want to rip out my throat?� The older man sneered, yet he still managed to look pleased with the damage he had dealt.

There were no words to describe how he felt at the moment. Everything was a tumult of stormy emotions and half-baked ideas. Oh, he did hate Snape. He hated Snape for finding out about his secret. He hated Snape for confronting him in this manner. He hated Snape for forcing his hand. Yet, he didn�t hate Snape the man. Those sentiments had long faded in the presence of apathy, but that apathy was gone now too.

He reached up and grabbed the lapel of Snape�s robes. His other hand was twisting the cloak in his lap. �Why are you doing this to me? What do you want from me?�

Narrowing his eyes, Snape removed the hand twined in Harry�s bangs to take a hold of the Harry�s hand on his lapel instead. He suddenly leaped across the small gap between them and the older man�s thin lips meshed messily against Harry's.

He was thrown off-balance by the swing of Snape�s weight against him and fell back against the wall in a half-lounging position. A jolt of pain shot up his spine. Snape�s hands now rested on either side of Harry�s body, pinning Harry�s hands against the bed sheets.

He tried to buck the older man off him, but Snape climbed onto the bed and straddled his legs. Snape�s lips moved in a demanding manner over his, and just like everything else about the man, it commanded Harry�s undivided attention. A small part of him conceded it was nice to be kissed like this- to be kissed so wholeheartedly. A larger part noted that he rarely kissed or was rarely kissed.

Snape�s hair brushed against Harry�s cheek. It felt as greasy as it looked. His former professor's prodigious nose bumped against his own every so often. The situation could only be made awkward if he still wore glasses. The situation was still awkward because it made Harry feel inadequate. The realm of romance, much less sexuality, would always be a mystery to him, and he hated feeling inexperienced or clumsy at anything.

Harry gasped when he finally realized that the slick wet appendage probing his mouth was Snape�s tongue, opening his mouth wider to the other man�s on slaughter. His head bumped repeatedly against the wall behind him when he tried to turn his head to avoid Snape�s lips.

He didn�t know how long he had been trapped against that bed. It felt like an eternity compounded into a few mere seconds. His head spin and something hot surged through his blood. At first, he mistaken it for his curse, but it wasn�t. Warmth and arousal flooded his senses and he felt the urge to kiss Snape back, to make the older man feel in the same way he made Harry. His chest arched up to make contact with the body hovering over him, to rub against it.

It was over as suddenly as it begun, but Harry knew the sensations had left an indelible mark on him. �You bastard,� he wiped his lips, his face burning with embarrassment and rage. �How dare you?�

�I was just returning the favor.� Snape�s lips curled in triumph and he glanced down at the obvious bulge in Harry�s pants. �You don�t appear to be particularly averse towards the situation.�

Harry turned away and buried his face in his hands. He tried desperately to will his erection away. �Dear Merlin, don�t tell me that I�� He vaguely recalled the experience of drinking Abraham�s blood, but he drew a large blank when it came to everything that happened after that.

�You weren�t in your right mind.� The other man slid off the bed and stood. He fidgeted with his clothing in what appeared to be a slightly nervous manner, but that was impossible- Snape would never be unnerved around him. He licked his lips again and Harry�s cock gave an interested twitch, �You were probably torn between the demands of both curses inflicted upon you.�

�I still can�t believe I�� He peeked at Snape from under hooded lids.

�I needed to see how much of the curses� effects lingered in your conscious state.� Snape snapped and crossed his arms over his chest. �Think nothing more of it.�

He looked up and finally noticed the cut on Snape�s lip. �You�re bleeding.�

�Well, Potter, do you feel the urge to slit my throat and drink me dry?�

He furrowed his brows and searched for the slightest sign of his curse acting up. �No.�

�Good, we�ll leave in the morning,� Snape marched to the other side of the room and picked something off the desk. He turned and held up Harry�s wand. �I�ll keep this in the meantime.�

�Oi!� Harry rummaged through his robes.

�You�ll get it back in the morning, Potter. If there are any threats, I�m sure your wandless magic will be sufficient.�

He pulled his hand out of his robe and asked the only question left to ask, �Where are we?�

�The Leaky Cauldron.�

~~~

Severus smirked as he heard a quiet hiss of pain echo through the room, and he watched as Potter cringe at the all-too-loud noise. If his estimation was correct, it was about an hour after midnight, and three hours since Potter retired to the bed and him to his chair. Severus had the nagging suspicion Potter might try and run away, as strangely uncharacteristic as that might seem.

He rose silently from his vigil by the window and snuck up behind Potter, who was still contemplating the warded door. He made no sound as he moved and almost grinned in satisfaction when Potter jumped at the feel of Severus� hand on his shoulder.

�Trying to escape, Potter? Has your legendary courage abandoned?� He sneered.

Potter�s shoulders slumped and then straightened with determination. It was as obvious as watching the emotions play across the boy�s place. Potter always did wear his bloody heart on his sleeve.

�You wouldn�t believe me if I said I wanted a cuppa?� Potter�s shoulders rose and fell with his words, their movement punctuated further by his deep breathing.

He was quickly becoming annoyed staring at Potter�s broad back. The boy shouldn�t be that tall- shouldn�t have filled out that much. �Face me when you�re speaking to me.� He snarled.

Potter didn�t move to obey at first, but he turned with the slow yet deliberate movements of someone with much to fear confronting. It was moments like that Severus found himself wanting to take hold of the boy and shake some sense into that impossibly thick head. He was well-acquainted with that urge after teaching Potter for seven years and became quite adept at resisting it too.

The lights had been turned off an hour ago, so the only source of light at the moment was from the moon hanging outside their window with curtains thrown open. Rays of light, more of a pale sickly yellow or beige than silver, crept across the creaking floorboards and only allowed Severus just the most shadowed glimpse of the brat�s face.

The severity of the situation, as he himself had laid it out for Potter earlier, finally hit him. The reality of a vampire was notoriously hard to distinguish from that of the lore. They certainly didn�t perform magic in the way wizards did. No one was even sure if the magic vampires acquired was even related to wizardry. Harry Potter was an unusually gifted wizard. What sort of powers would Potter be endowed with if he completed his transformation?

Severus thought absolute control over the night might not have been such a ridiculous guess.

�Let me go.�

He thought his ears might have been deceiving him. It almost sounded like a command. At the same time, there was even more force of will behind that statement than he was used to hearing.

�I cannot do that.�

�Fine. Stupefy.�

Severus barely dropped in time to avoid the red streak of magic.

�You shouldn't have underestimated me.�

He didn�t need Potter of all people to lecture him. When he climbed back to his feet, he became aware that the self-inflicted wound, which he had neglected to heal afterwards, had reopened and blood had welled in the cut. Ignoring the bleeding cut in favor of the shadowed figure in front of him that had somehow managed to conceal a second wand, Severus whipped out his wand and fired a curse in return.

They continued for several minutes, throwing various hexes and curses at each other and anything else that moved suddenly in the darkness of the room. Severus didn�t care how they were damaging the room. He would make Siobhan pay for the damages. She had more money than she knew what to do with.

Somehow and sometime during the course of their duel, Severus managed to lay a hand on Potter. The boy visibly froze when that happened, the moment stretching on awkwardly and seemingly infinitely. A shaft of light that fell across Potter�s face revealed flared nostrils and the corner of taut lips.

�You�re bleeding.� The brat said in the flattest of tones.

�How kind of you to notice,� he replied in a similar tone, but he did have to wonder exactly how Potter could tell.

He immediately stepped back when he saw Potter�s pink tongue dart out the corner of his mouth. Waving his wand and muttering a quick incantation, he summoned the light back into the room. Light certainly didn�t deter vampires, but it would help him to see.

Another moment of that strange and eternal-like quiet descended upon them. Potter�s eyes remained glued to Severus� hand, where he could feel the blood trickling down the length of his palm. He watched Potter in return, waiting for any sign or twitch of a muscle that would indicate the boy�s intent to attack.

Potter straightened his shoulders with an expression that Severus found hard to connect with that of a vampire�s. It was full of a determination that was both familiar and human.

He leveled his wand and jabbed Potter�s chest with it when the other man got close enough, keeping him at a bit more than arm�s length.

For a second, Severus almost thought he saw a pleading look in Potter�s gray eyes. �You really need to heal that.�

Potter then struck with the swiftness of Severus� House mascot. It hit him that he must be getting old if he couldn�t stop Potter like this. The brat grabbed Severus� bleeding hand but cradled it with an unexpected gentleness. The tip of Severus� wand was pressed into Potter�s collarbone while the boy passed his wand over the wounded hand, muttering, �Medicor.�

What actually happened was the exact opposite of what was expected.

The cut split open and drew blood quickly to the broken surface. Potter dropped his hand like a hot coal and took several steps back. He stared at the renewed bleeding of the cut before lifting his gaze to glare darkly at Potter.

He recalled Potter saying early on that he couldn�t use healing spells. Was this why?

�You can�t do anything right, can you?� he intoned bitterly.

Potter opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it after thinking better of the notion.

Severus healed himself and then searched through his pockets for a healing ointment. After smearing a dab of ointment over the healed cut, he looked up to find Potter contemplating the warded door again and then Severus.

�You can forget about it. I won�t allow you to escape so easily.�

Potter looked down in what Severus thought was shame at first. It was only later that he realized Potter was staring at his blood drying on the floorboard.

*To Be Continued*

Here it is, your chapter of gratuitous man love! It's also early and relatively long. I hope this answers some more questions about Harry and his curse, specifically about Harry's inability to perform healing spells (first brought up way back in chapter two). There will be consequences to Harry drinking Abraham�s blood.

As always, please R/R and thanks for all your reviews. See you next week!
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Life Eternal