Claimed

Authors Note: Many thanks to my wonderful beta Alexandra! For anyone who hasn't already noticed, I have started a new fic called Alluring Lullaby, please check it out and tell me what you think!

Chapter 11 Death’s Doorstep

It was dark in Draco’s room. He had kept it that way since Harry had left him, secretly hoping the vampire would visit him again.

But he never did.

Draco could felt the ache of his sudden departure like the pain of a limb being removed. Harry was only a ghost now, cut off from Draco in the worst way.

Regret.

It seemed to be the word of the day ever since Draco had discovered Harry was gone. It affected the whole family. His father was surly, still unable to use his magic, and his mother was inconsolable without her second son. Draco spent as much time as he could with her, but it never seemed to be enough.

A quiet knock on his bedroom door made Draco perk up in anticipation, though he knew for a fact that it wouldn’t be Harry. He could have felt Harry’s presence, even through the door, like he could feel his own heartbeat.

Draco hadn’t quite made it to the door before it swung open, revealing Severus towering over him. “You drove him away you little brat,” he seethed.

The argument Draco would have normally come up with escaped him and he sagged to the floor in a sobbing heap. “I know,” he whispered.

This answer seemed to catch Severus off guard and he paced the boy’s room, shooting an occasional glare in Draco’s direction. “Does this upset you?” he finally asked, even though the answer should have been obvious.

“Yes,” Draco groaned. “I love him.”

Snape rolled his eyes. “As if someone as beautiful and graceful as Harry could fall for a sniveling teenager,” he scoffed. “Nevertheless, we might be able to bring him back.”

Draco looked up skeptically. “I have no idea where he went, or how I could go about finding someone who can travel ten times faster than me.”

Snape ignored him and continued to pace. “His superior nature does give him an advantage over us,” he mused out loud, and then stopped short. “Have you checked his room for clues to where he went?”

Draco practically smacked himself in the forehead. “No, I hadn’t thought-“

“Typical,” Snape muttered, cutting him off.

Draco only glared up at him while Snape tapped his foot irritably. “Well, what are you waiting for?” he asked.

Huffing, Draco stood and began the journey to the opposite end of the manor, where Harry’s quarters had been.

He knocked on the door out of habit but opened it quickly when he saw Snape roll his eyes in irritation.

They found Harry’s map and journal easily enough, but it did them little good. It was clear where Harry had gone and it would take them weeks to reach it, and they might not even be permitted to see Harry once they did.

“Have you heard of this Shadow before?” Draco asked.

Snape nodded and continued to flip through the journal. “They are an ancient Kiss of vampires, and they grow in number each year.”

“How many are there?” Draco asked.

“Several hundred at least, no one knows the exact number, but there are enough of them to demolish us all if the whim hit them,” Severus replied.

“Would they?” Draco asked, suddenly wary.

Snape shook his greasy head. “It’s doubtful. They have lived in peace with us for centuries,” he said distractedly. He was reading one of the journal passages over and over and his eyes narrowed.

“You’re his mate?” he hissed.

Draco’s eyes went wide. “I… I… yes,” he said at last.

Severus quivered with rage. “You rejected him, sent him away to die a horrible and painful death? How could you do that to him? You don’t deserve his love and admiration,” he spat.

“You think I don’t know that? I didn’t ask to be tied to a vampire you know!” Draco yelled.

“You should be honored, and yet you treat it as a burden. You could have spent eternity in his arms and you turned away from him?” he growled, looking thoroughly disgusted with the small Slytherin boy in front of him.

“I suppose you would have found it easy to love him?” Draco asked, his voice tinged with skepticism.

Severus nodded curtly. “I already do,” he added quietly.

“He’s mine,” Draco said, his voice low and intimidating. He didn’t know where the jealousy had come from, but he was overwhelmed by it.

Snape narrowed his eyes and stared at Draco for a moment. “Not if I kill you,” he hissed and leapt for Draco’s throat.

--

The entrance to the mountain was cavernous and lit sporadically with torches. Harry stepped into the circle of flames and looked around him. He sensed, rather than saw, the quick movement of others gathering in the circle until he lost count of how many there were.

“Welcome,” came a booming voice in front of him.

Harry knelt and waited for the figure to come forward.

When he came into view Harry shuddered. The man, or rather vampire, was lovely. He had pin-straight long silky hair that was red in color and looked as if painted onto him it was so vibrant.

He wore billowing white robes, which starkly contrasted his hair and floated around him even though there was no wind in the cavern. Around his neck hung a gleaming silver pendant with a brilliant red stone in the center.

All around him were other figures, most wearing black robes, but some in scarlet or deep purple. Every single one of them wore a pendant around their necks, though the color of the stone varied in hue from clear to a dark red, almost black.

There must have been a thousand or more gathered in this small anti-chamber and their minds all accosted him at once. Some were curious about him and others were indifferent, and there were even a few whose thoughts sounded envious.

The man in the white robes stepped forward and pulled Harry gently to his feet. “I am Orlock, keeper of the gate.”

“I’m Harry, Harry Potter,” he replied.

The man bowed his head slowly and the rest of the group followed suit. Gasps of awe filled his ears and his mind, but he couldn’t glean the reason for it, because everyone around him was shielding heavily so that he could only catch flickers of emotion and nothing more.

“Our king awaits you in the throne room and I am to escort you there. Krill, Maltysma, see that the gate remains secure in my absence,” he called to the two flanking guards. They nodded and Orlock took Harry’s hand in his own and led him through a set of large wooden doors on the opposite side of the chamber.

The rest of the greeting party followed silently behind them.

Beyond the doors was what appeared to be a great market. Below his feet was a cobblestone road and above him the mountain walls were spelled to mimic a sunny spring morning. Harry sighed as he longed to bask in the glory of a real sun, but felt pleased that he could at least see the sunshine again, no matter how false.

Along the road were small shops and giant tented carts. Even more vampires occupied this space, standing in their doorways and gawking at him as he passed. He felt awkward being at the center of this bizarre parade.

The market seemed to hold everything from clothing, to potions, to fresh cut flowers, and Harry enjoyed the journey through it. The people in the market didn’t wear robes, but rather frilly dresses and aprons or tweed suits and hats.

Past the market were village homes carved into the very walls of the mountain, some several stories high, and others just tiny one-room houses. Lights peeked out from windows carved into the rock and more vampires stood in front of the homes watching Harry’s procession through the mountain.

Beyond the village was a castle. It was breathtaking and massive, carved from a different kind of stone than the black granite mountain. The castle walls were white and shimmered in the magical sunlight.

The following crowd dropped away until only a handful followed him across the bridge and into the castle.

Orlock led him silently through the black iron gate that marked the castle entrance and through wide expansive corridors, finally ending at a set of red mahogany doors.

“You must proceed on your own,” Orlock said, letting Harry’s hand drop from his own.

Harry nodded and resisted the human urge to take a deep breath. He pushed the doors wide and was confronted by a large throne room. Along the walls were stained glass windows, each showing a different manufactured landscape behind them. Between each window hung tapestries of magical creatures and buildings, and a long red carpet led up to two black granite thrones.

Harry approached the thrones cautiously and knelt before them. Only one throne was occupied and in it sat a man whose beauty Harry had nothing to compare. He had thick wavy golden blonde hair, which looked like polished metal in the shimmering light of the room. His skin was pale and his eyes were black and deep with centuries of knowledge.

His robes were gold to match his hair, but he wore the same silver pendant around his neck as all the others, his stone was a vibrant ruby red. He extended out his pale hand and Harry took it gently.

“Harry Potter,” the man whispered. “We have been expecting you.”

--

Authors Note: BUM BUM BUM. Two, count them two cliffhangers in the same chapter! I am so Slytherin.