Against His Nature

CHAPTER 14

He couldn’t sleep. He had a headache and he was hungry. Tipping the whisky glass vertically Severus licked what was left of the few drops of crimson liquid from the rim of the glass before slamming it down irritably on the coffee table. Restlessly he stood up and began to pace silently willing both his headache and the hunger to just disappear. The hunger would have been easily cured had he not just sipped the last of his meager rations; the headache was more complex and born entirely from the bane of his existence, Harry bloody Potter.

The boy had seen him or at least a part of him. Nothing as yet had begun to circulate about the Potion Professors strange behavior but Severus wasn’t a fool. Vampires were covered in third year basic Defense Against the Dark Arts, surely Potter hadn’t been stupid enough as to not put two and two together. The boy had his friends too, and if Potter hadn’t worked it out the blasted Granger girl might have.

Twisting his hands nervously in front of him, Snape paused in front of the mirror above his mantel and turned to stare at his reflection. Severus had never taken a great pride in his appearance, but as he stared at the figure looking back at him from the mirror the image felt foreign, unreal. Snape closed his eyes and then with a whisper of magic dropped the glamour’s. Swallowing thickly Snape opened his eyes again to stare back and blue-eyed creature he’d become. A small smile twitched at the corner of his lips just revealing the bone white tip of a sharp incisor. The pounding of his headache made him groan in anger as he stepped away from the mirror. There was no way he could spend the rest of the night cooped up in his rooms, he needed fresh air….and fresh meat something that would no doubt help him cope better with his headache.

Grabbing his cloak and his wand from the side table Snape pulled his hood up and fled from his rooms, striding purposefully through the dungeon corridors heading up towards the exit from the castle. Snape turned at the corner of a darkened unlit and mostly unused corridor and practically fell over a body sitting on the ground. Stumbling into the wall Snape turned ready to hiss and scream at the person he’d tripped on but his retort fell silent when his eyes adjusted to the darkness and focused on the boy.

“Potter?” Snape’s voice betrayed the slight surprise the professor felt at seeing the boy so far into the castle.

Harry clambered to his feet stammering apologies as he brushed dust from his sleep pants. Harry fell silent as he finally looked up guiltily to meet his professor’s gaze. Snape watched the change in the boy’s expression as guilt turned to fear and the boy took several steps backwards into the wall. Snape might have realized then that he’d forgotten his glamour’s had it not been for the scent that engulfed his senses.

The boy had smelt of nothing before, he was bland and non-existence but now his scent was overwhelming powerful. Snape took a deep breath in to assess the complexities of the aroma. The boy smelt of peaches and cream, of well-aged brandy and a hint of cinnamon. Snape shivered unconsciously as he closed the distance between the boy and himself desperate to inhale more of the boy’s fantastic aroma. Harry whimpered in fear uselessly fumbling around for his wand even as Snape’s figure loomed over his own. Harry was plastered to the cold stonewall trying not to freak out as he felt Snape grab a hold of his neck and tilting his head to the side so as to nuzzle against his throat. Harry froze in fear as he felt the tickle of Snape’s hair on his skin and the soft exhales of breath against his throat. Snape was too lost in the boy’s alluring smell to care that Harry was practically having a heart attack, his body rigid and his hands shaking like leaves as they tried to push the elder wizard away from him.

Being so close to Harry brought forth another need in Severus’ helpless body, the lust for liquid life. Automatically Snape flicked out his tongue caressing the rapidly thrumming pulse point in the boy’s neck. Harry let out a squeal of horror struggling with all his might now to be free of Snape’s firm grasp. Snape couldn’t hear anything except the pounding of his own blood and the rapid beating of his heart.

If hadn’t been for the scorching pain that tore up his back Snape might have sunk his fangs into the struggling boy, but as it was the pain had him howling in agony almost instantly.

“Severus let him go!” The voice that entered his scent addled brain was very familiar and Snape shook his head as he looked over his shoulder and focused on the figure just stepping out of the darkness. Automatically Severus growled as the new scent of an entirely different kind arrested his senses.

“Octavia. Go away.” Severus spat out the name almost in disgust. Harry, who’d been almost relived to see his savior, now began shaking again as the same blue eyes that Severus had stared out from behind the figures hood. The figure chuckled as he threw back his hood revealing the man’s identity. Harry had never seen the man before. He was tall and thin like Severus but far better looking. His face was rounder and bore no tell tale signs of a life spent in Voldemort service like Severus’ did. The man had long brown hair that was tied back at the nape of his neck by a black ribbon, he had a tiny well trimmed goatee on his chin, and like Severus had sapphire blue eyes and pearly white incisors just visible when he talked.

“I see you’re still as hospitable as ever Severus.” The man had a wand in hand and was slowly approaching Severus and Harry, the boy still held firmly in Severus’ grip against the wall. Severus snorted at the other wizard’s sarcasm before shaking his head.

“I saw him first, get your own.” Snape growled when the other wizard came to a stop beside them and reached up to clamp his hand down around Snape’s, which was still wrapped around Harry’s throat.

“Let him go Severus, if you touch him Albus will personally remove you from the gene pool.” Snape’s grasp on Harry’s neck loosened and the boy slumped heavily down the wall as the other man drew Snape’s hand away entirely.

“It’s his fault I’m in this position in the first place.” Harry watched in fear as the stranger put away his wand and backed Severus up against the opposite wall, clearly putting himself between Harry and his potion master. The distance between himself and Snape clearly made a difference as Harry watched Snape retain a little of his usual sanity. “Shit.” Severus whispered as he glanced at Harry over the other wizards shoulder before closing his eyes and sighing heavily.

“We all made mistakes in youth Severus, you’re like a fledgling again re-learning everything you’ve been taught.” When it was clear Severus had regained his self-control, the stranger stepped away from him and leaned casually against the wall next to Harry, who instinctively flinched. The man chuckled at the boy’s fear and shook his head at Severus. “You always were attracted to the difficult ones.”

“What are you doing here?” Harry watched on in surprise as Snape recast his glamour successfully hiding the blue eyes and the sharp front teeth that had kept Harry’s attention till now. Adjusting his cloak Snape stepped away from the wall and reached over to Harry. As if by instinct Harry cowered but was stunned as he watched Snape untuck his wand from the waistband of his sleep pants and place it firmly in his hand.

“There are two of us in this corridor Potter that would not think twice about making you our latest meal, I suggest you keep a very tight hold of that less one of us forgets our place.” Harry nodded but before anything more could be said, Harry had cast a stunning spell and sent the two vampires spiraling through the air and slamming them into the end of the corridor wall. Not waiting to see if the two vampire’s were well, Harry took off and disappeared into the deserted school.

“Bastard!” Octavia swore as he and Severus threw off the spell and stood up to dust themselves off. Severus huffed an almost proud laugh at Harry’s boldness. The boy-who-lived had not been placed in Gryffindor for nothing. Harry had taken the opportune moment as it had arrived to make his escape and quite successfully if Severus had wanted to admit to the compliment.

“You didn’t answer my question before.” Severus pulled his hood up to disguise himself as he followed Octavia out of the castle and into the fresh night air.

“Why do you think I’m here?” Octavia threw back over his shoulder as the pair of them fell into step beside one another as they headed towards the forbidden forest. Severus raised an eyebrow in irritation and the other man laughed contemptibly. “When Albus contacted me about the laws, I knew you wouldn’t settle for the easy root just to please the Ministry. You were brought up a traditionalist Severus, and all the inhibiting potion in the world can’t suppress the values you were given as a boy.” It was dark in the forbidden forest but neither vampire stumbled as they walked easily between the undergrowth and trees, their night vision kicking in instinctually. “Besides I’m here to save you from making inconvenient snacks of your students less you expose us all to vampire hunts once again.” Snape rolled his eyes and paused beside Octavia both of them picking up the unmistakable tangy scent of fresh blood on the breeze. “I have connections Severus, how do you think I’ve survived this long?” The pair began walking again this time in the direction of the scent, Snape’s stomach growling in hope. “You will need my help if you’re to find him Snape, you can’t afford to waste time.” Snape hesitated as they came to a clearing. It was only a small patch of open grass and in its center lay a body, lifeless, naked but still warm. The face of the victim was hidden entirely, a simple white mask sparing those who’d come to feed the indignity of knowing the identity of the victim. “She’s fresh, I have them taken from places where no-one will miss them. It’s easier this way, saves the time wasted on the hunt and allows you to take what you need without risk of killing them.” Snape nodded and stepped forward as Octavia sat himself down on a fallen log and gestured for Snape to take the first meal. “This will make finding your mate easier Severus.” Severus knelt before the body and pushed his nose into the neck of the faceless woman.

“Finding him was the easy part Octavia, convincing him to be with me is another matter entirely….” Snape smiled a very Slytherin grin before burying his fangs into the steady pulse and sipping from his first proper meal in over a decade. Octavia let out a loud laugh as he watched Severus greedily take his fill.

“You always were my most willful but gifted student Severus Snape.” Octavia whispered by way reply before he closed his eyes and fell into a trance, ever watchful for danger or threat.

TBC>>>>>>