The death dancer

THE DEATH DANCER

CHAPTER 13

BETA: Green Eyes

INFO: www. livejournal. com /users/ draycious


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“Humans.” Charmz sneered and Harry noted just how much alike Snape and Charmz really were. Perhaps that was why they seemed to dislike each other that much. He didn’t really want to be in the middle of it, but then again he was rather curious about where all this were leading to. The cave didn’t look very appealing to enter, but he had always been a sucker for adventure. Charmz didn’t seem half bad either, for a vampire, that is. He did, by no means trust him, in fact, he was rather wary of him yet, but Charmz was mysterious and intriguing.

“What’s in the cave?” he hurried to ask before Snape could respond.

“It’s not a cave as such,” Charmz responded cryptically. “You’ll see soon enough.” he added when he saw Harry’s skeptical look. Harry took a few tentative steps closer to the cave opening but Charmz pushed him back with a firm hand.

“Wait a second, I’ll tell you when you can enter.” he said. Harry nodded and stepped back. He didn’t know what they were waiting for, but Charmz seemed to concentrate on something and he didn’t want to be a disturbance. He glanced at Snape who stood back with his arms crossed over his chest and a general scowl in place. That brought a small smile on his face; Snape never changed.

He began to look around him. There wasn’t much to see, it was dark wherever they were. Were they still in Europe or somewhere else? He didn’t know much about vampire magic; perhaps it was strong enough to take them anywhere. It was quite cold, but not like a “cotton cold,” the sort of coldness that snow gave. Snow was like a cotton blanket, it was cold but also isolating. This was a raw sort of cold, which went straight to the bone. Harry shivered a little. A slight mist covered the dark forest behind the cave. It was the mists fault it was so god damn cold. The water in the mist soaked through their clothes. Yet something seemed off with this fog, it didn’t behave like an ordinary fog. It seemed more alive, like a ghost or something similar.

‘Stop thinking Harry, your imagination is carrying you away,’ he berated himself. He wasn’t scared, but he was feeling slightly uneasy. He supposed he was safe for far as long as he kept close to Snape and Charmz.

He crept closer to Snape, and without having to say anything, Snape understood and his arm snaked around his shoulders.

“Severus, the fog…” he whispered.

“I know, just ignore it, it won’t hurt you.” Severus said, but Harry thought he didn’t seem too sure about it. Charmz had begun to pace back and forth in front of the cave.

“What are we waiting for?” Harry whispered to Severus as they watched the vampire. A frown made itself known on Snape’s face. He seemed to think about it.

“I’m not sure.” He confessed. “It seems like he’s waiting for some sort of a clearance from someone.” Harry nodded; it did indeed seem like that, now when it was mentioned. He flinched violently when a shriek made itself heard somewhere behind them in the forest. Harry could feel his heart thump loudly, and hated himself for being such a chicken, even through he could have sworn Snape had jumped too. They both looked at Charmz; the spooky sound didn’t seem to bother him at all. Why would it? He was already dead.

“He wouldn’t let anything hurt us, would he?” Harry asked. Snape snorted. Alright, perhaps that was a stupid question, Harry thought. The vampire probably wouldn’t even bat an eye if something nasty came and ate Snape right now, but he probably wouldn’t let anything happen to him, his son.

“Being a vampire must suck pretty badly.” Harry mused and Snape raised his eyebrows. “Well not suck suck, I mean, they suck blood and all that but not that kind of suck, I meant the different kind of suck like the suck, suck…” he trailed off at Snape’s glare. Alright, so what if he was babbling? He couldn’t stand the unnatural silence in the forest. Why wasn’t he hearing any wind in the tree crowns, or rustling leaves on the ground or any sounds from animals? Where the hell were all the birds? At least owls and other less known birds would make sounds at night. Come to think of it, there was no snow what so ever here, and no light… they must be somewhere else in the world rather than England. It was probably autumn here. There was a different kind of darkness as well, when they had first gotten here, probably half an hour ago, it has still been pretty light, but now it was almost pitch black, not the dark blue kind of black, just black.

“Alright,” Charms finally said. “We can go through now.”

“Finally!” Snape exclaimed scathingly. “I thought being the king meant you didn’t have to wait outside places like a common beggar.” Snape spat as he strode past Charmz and Harry and disappeared into the unforgiving darkness of the cave. Charmz and Harry looked at each other and Harry felt he must explain.

“He doesn’t have much patience…” he said slowly and Charmz nodded. Suddenly they heard a high pitched screech and Snape came stalking back out like the devil himself was after him and with his long black cape flapping behind him. Harry thought he looked a bit flustered, but in the darkness it was impossible to tell for sure.

“Back so soon?” Charmz grinned, as if he knew exactly why Snape came back that fast. Harry looked back and forth between them, curiously trying to figure out the situation.

“I just realized I left Harry, unattended, with you.” Snape said quickly.

“Oh really?” Charmz said.

“Really,” Snape sneered back, and motioned for Harry to come over to him. “Why don’t you go in and show the way, and we’ll follow.” Snape said, but he seemed to have other things in mind. Charmz shrugged lightly.

“Of course.” he said and went in. From inside they could hear his voice calling to them “and I wouldn’t try to apparate from here if I were you, not only is it almost impossible, but you will also end up in a volcano on Iceland,” He warned them and Snape swore underneath his breath. Harry heard him.

“What are you looking at?” Snape asked him. “Get going!” he said and shoved him forward with a firm grip on his shoulder, but it was a comforting gesture.

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It turned out Charmz were waiting for them just inside the cave.

“I can’t see anything.” Harry whispered, and like many other people he couldn’t quite figure out why he was whispering. Perhaps it had something to do with the darkness and the human mind.

“Don’t worry about that.” Charmz said. “You’ll be able to see soon enough.” Harry began to get tired of Charms tight lipped, cryptic answers.

“Why don’t you just tell us what’s going on?” Harry asked irritably. He hated it when things were kept from him. He really did. He could work and comprehend the situation much better if he knew all the facts. Charmz seemed to understand him, but he still chose not so say much about the subject.

“You will see soon enough, there will be torches on the walls, but we can’t have any light here yet, because the cave must stay hidden, no light may illuminate outside.”

“Why don’t you just spell the cave to stay hidden?” Harry asked curiously.

“There are many creatures in this forest which do not like magic such as ours.” Charmz explained. Harry thought he sounded pretty tired and asked no more. Instead Severus spoke.

“Don’t worry about falling, I will guide you,” he told him.

“Can you see in the darkness?” He asked surprised.

“In a way, my eyes are special.”

“Is that why they’re black? I’ve never seen anyone else with black eyes.”

“That’s right. It’s a family trait, just like some are metamorphosis, if you like. I can not see in darkness in the same manner as I do when it’s light, but I can see outlines of things in the dark, so I know where not to walk and where to avoid things. “

“Then why don’t your eyes glow in the dark? Most creatures with night vision do…” he said slowly as Snape helped him avoid a stone. This wasn’t an ordinary cave, he found out. It was a sort of labyrinth of tunnels which lead to… well he didn’t know that yet, did he?

“I have a night vision too, to an even higher extent than Snape here, yet my eyes do not glow in the dark.” Charmz spoke.

“You’re thinking like a muggle again.” Snape sighed to him.

Suddenly Snape stiffened.

“What’s going on?” Harry asked worriedly as Snape moved in close and was practically on top of him. “There’s women.” Snape spat like it was something horrible.

“Is that what you screamed before?” he asked incredulously. He expected something gruesome since death eater Snape had screamed like a sissy with ruined hair.

“I did not scream.” Snape scoffed.

“Keep telling yourself that.” Charmz voice said from somewhere in front of them. Harry suddenly felt a cold hand grab his wrist and it was his turn to scream. He wrenched free and stumbled into Snape.

“Get off! Get off!” he screamed. The hand had come as a shock, he didn’t see anyone nor did he hear anything. He certainly understood why Snape had screamed like that. Snape shielded Harry with his body.

“Charmz!” Snape roared. “What are these creatures?” He yelled. They could hear some slapping sounds; it sounded distinctly and disturbingly like someone was being fucked right in front of them.

“Severus?” Harry inquired.

“Don’t ask, you do not what to see this.” Snape said and sounded nauseous. Before anything else could happen torches on the walls lit up the small area they stood in, which later continued in another tunnel. Harry’s moth fell wide open. The cave room was filled with eerie looking women. They were naked and they were “entertaining” a few men, which was not of this earth. They looked like human, but their sharp teeth and weird looking eyes have them away.

“Demons.” Charmz said dryly.

“What are they?” Harry asked shakily and jumped away from a woman, trying to grab his privates. The “slapping sounds” came from a demon and a woman, the woman was horrible. She had weird looking wounds that looked suspiciously like pledge. It looked like flesh eating bacterial had taken over most of the woman in here. Snape suddenly placed his hand over his eyes.

“You will not see this!” he said sternly. Harry simply nodded. He was really quite grateful for passing on the opportunity. “What do you think you’re doing, showing Harry this? Is this your idea of parenting?” Snape yelled at Charmz.

“Those women would attack you if I wasn’t present, you would end up a demon, like these men here. They were normal men once. Those creatures are ancient, but almost extinct. Let’s continue. You were never supposed to see this at all.”

They hurried out of the cave, and into another tunnel. Harry felt they walked miles in those small spaces. He didn’t like it. He wished he was back at Snape’s house.

“Don’t worry; we’ll soon be at our destination.” Charmz promised.

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Charmz stopped in the biggest cave yet, it was enormous. It looked nothing like the others they had seen so far. Big oak tables stood in the room, the cave walls we’re covered in various hangings with mystical symbols on them. Other vampires were lying along the walls in a ocean of oft pillows which reminded Harry of a harem of some sort. Some were drinking blood out of goblet; he could smell the metallic essence all over the room. They all stood up when Charmz entered the room, but he waved them off and they went back to what they were.

“This is your home?” Snape asked, clearly displeased. “This is no pace for Harry to live.” he said. Charmz ignored Snape and turned to Harry and took his hand.

“Come, I want you to meet someone.” he said in a friendly voice. Harry followed Charmz and fought down the uneasy feeling to break out and take him over. Charmz was interrupted when Harry stopped and tugged on his hand. Harry was watching something in the other side of the cave. A total of six vampires were dancing, three women and three men. They wore black clothes and the men were shirtless. It looked ancient and oriental, it was captivating and Harry wished he could dance like that. Smooth, sensual and soundless. The only thing that could be hard was some kind of music and drums the vampires along the walls played.

“Wow,” he breathed and Charmz chuckled.

“It looks ‘cool’, doesn’t it?” he asked and tasted the modern word which shouted almost foreign on his tongue.

“Yes it does, what are they?” he asked.

“Why vampires of course, everyone in here are vampires.”

“Do they live here?” He asked.

“Well…” Charmz said and dragged on it. “Most vampires usually seek out this place to live in, but not everyone is welcome, and they to not stay here forever. A couple of years perhaps, then they travel, come back, travel and so on.”

“Do you decide who is welcome here?” he asked. Charmz shook his head.

“Not really, I can if I want, but I’ve left that task upon someone else, the one responsible to this ‘home’. I do not live here.” he revealed and Harry was confused.

“You said you would take us to your home.” he said and began to draw away but Charms grabbed his hand.

“Yes, I said that and you will see my home, but I also promised someone to bring you here. She has waited forever to see you; been downright annoying about it really.” Charmz mused and dragged away with him, ignoring Harry’s question about “she.” They entered a little back room, which was sparsely lit. Someone sat in a chair, reading something.

“Mother?” Charmz asked and stepped forward, keeping Harry in front of him. The lady in the chair looked up and her face lit up as she saw who it was.

“Charmz!” she said in a delightful voice and stood up to welcome him. “I thought I could sense your presence!” she said.

“Mother, there is someone I would like you to meet.” he said and laid his hands on Harry’s shoulders. “This is your grandson.” he said and sounded quite proud of it in Harry’s ear, but maybe he was imagining things.

The lady clapped her hands together and rushed forward, enveloping him in a squeezing hug, making Charmz cry out an outraged “Mother!” Harry gave her a tentative smile when she kept him at an arms length, looking him over.

“Finally!” she said. “I’ve been waiting ages for this!” she said and Harry believed her. Not that she looked old, but she really must be ancient like Charmz if she was his real mother. “I’ve been pushing him for years to go get you, but he kept bitching about it not being safe!” she said and shocked Harry. She seemed very modern and straight forward, so why did she live in a cave full of foul creatures?

“It wasn’t.” Charmz murmured sourly. It seemed like he had indeed heard this lecture from his mother a thousand times and more already.

“You look exactly like us!” she said happily, and indeed, she too had black hair and green eyes.

“Mother, why were the demons and hell women out in the caves?” Charmz asked.

“What? Oh, you’re talking about them.” she spat and Harry’s eyes widened. She saw this and smiled. “Sorry dear, but I don’t like them that much. They’ve been a pain in the ass since the very beginning of this world.” she said through clenched teeth. “You see, we guard those creatures so they do not escape out in the human world. That would be disastrous indeed. Vampires are so much more then bloodsucking creatures, while we do indeed feed of human, we also protect them from creatures so foul that Lucifer himself would piss his pants if he saw them.” she said and Harry gaped.

“Mother!” Charmz said and rolled his eyes. “She’s exaggerating; even through we do guard some creatures in this cave.” He turned to his mother. “We must get them back as soon as possible,” he said. She nodded.

“Yes but let’s concentrate on dear Harry now, I’ll take care of it later.” she promised. Charmz nodded. Suddenly he grinned. “It looks like Snape is trouble, let’s go save him;” he said with a feral grin and Harry was confused. How could Charmz know Snape was in trouble when he wasn’t even in the same room? Either way he followed the two vampires out of the room and into the big one. He didn’t see Snape at first, but later he discovered him on his back in the pillows, covered with three vampires. One of them was trying to get into his pants, the other one was busy opening his shirt while the third one was licking his throat teasingly. Snape looked terrified but despite that he had a half sneer on his face.

“Get them off!” he screamed at Charmz and Harry had to laugh. It was too ironic to be true. Snape in a harem, while no one in school would even want to go near him.

“That’s enough ladies.” Charmz said sternly but with humor in his voice.

“Awww,” the ladies sighed but let Snape go nonetheless. Snape was up in a flash, fastening his pants once again. “Another time my dark one.” the woman who had been licking his neck said and Snape spat out some kind of response, it was impossible to hear what exactly but Harry figured there was at least a dousing swearwords in it and insults which would make even Voldemort cover his ears. Perhaps his new life wouldn’t be so bad after all, Harry thought with humor as Snape waved away another vampire trying to grab his behind.