Claimed

Authors Note: Thanks to Shannon for being my brilliant beta for this chapter! LOVES!!

Chapter 14

Draco leaned back in his seat trying to take in his surroundings. There was a small elderly woman sitting beside him by the window, and Snape was at his other side next to the aisle. A young boy in the row ahead of them kept peering back between the seats at him and then looking away quickly when Draco caught his gaze.

The boy had only tried looking at Snape once, until the man gave him a menacing sneer and narrowed his eyes at the boy. He promptly turned around and no longer acknowledged Snape’s existence, which was probably for the best.

Even though Severus seemed to know a great deal about how muggle things, like airports and airplanes, worked he didn’t seem so keen to actually be near either. The security check at the terminal had been a fiasco, the man nearly wiped out fifty muggles when they tried to take his potions away.

Eventually he yielded, only to shrink the vials and steal them back from under their unsuspecting muggle noses.

“So what is all that?” Draco asked, gesturing toward the pocket holding his potions.

“The usual, general medicinal, healing, extra strength love potions,” he muttered.

“Do you really think you’ll be able to take Harry from me with a love potion?” Draco chuckled.

“We’ll see,” Snape replied with a sneer.

“We will indeed,” Draco mocked, turning away from his old professor. He wasn’t going to let Snape, or anyone else for that matter, come between him and Harry ever again.

The flight attendant handed Snape and Draco a small silver bag of peanuts and Snape frowned casting his aside. Draco opened the bag and popped one into his mouth. “They’re not so bad, but now I need something to drink.”

Snape narrowed his eyes and passed Draco a five-pound note so he could order a drink from the flight attendant when she passed again. “You really ought to know more about muggle culture,” Snape mused. “Vampire’s don’t use magic, so if you end up with Harry in that colony, you’ll need to know about their money and things like that.”

Draco merely shrugged. “You know plenty about muggles and a fat lot of good it’s done you so far. Plus, I intend to bring Harry back with me.”

Snape snorted beside him. “Do you really think they’ll let him go?”

“Why wouldn’t they?” Draco asked. He knew Harry’s value to him, but couldn’t begin to understand why an entire kiss of vampires would feel the need to keep him. He wanted to talk to Harry again, but couldn’t figure out how to open the connection between them.

“I’ve never heard of a vampire leaving the kiss once they arrive,” Snape replied.

“Well, maybe they never had a reason to before, but Harry has me,” Draco said, hoping that his love would be enough to coax Harry back, because he knew for a fact he didn’t have what it would take to battle with hundreds of vampires.

--

Harry paced in the luxurious rooms the king had given him. Crispan had heard every word Draco said to Harry through their mental connection. He knew Draco was on his way and he knew that he wanted Harry. He could feel the king’s rage at this revelation like a palpable thing.

The room was coated in gold and reminded Harry of a cage. Harry knew the doors to his room were not locked, but they may as well be, because they were guarded by vampires far older and stronger than himself.

He strode to the doors and yanked them open, glaring at the pair of dark haired guards. “The king has asked you to stay and wait for him,” the one on the left stated dutifully.

“And if I have other plans?” Harry asked.

“The king’s word is law,” the one on the right replied.

Harry was furious at the outcome of things. He wanted to leave and go to Draco and keep him safe. Even if the method to separate them wasn’t a risk to Draco, Harry still didn’t want the fragile boy there inside the mountain in the middle of a vampire war.

The king wasn’t going to fold so easily though, Harry could tell.

As if on cue Crispan burst into the room, assessing Harry coolly. “What did you do?” he demanded.

“What?” Harry’s anger subsided for a moment within his confusion.

“I can’t hear you anymore, what did you do,” he repeated, shouting loudly.

Harry rolled his eyes and waved the king away. He hadn’t done anything to block the king from his mind but he was certainly glad of it. “I didn’t do anything,” Harry replied.

“Vladimir, take Mr. Potter’s wand,” the king ordered.

One of the guards by the door marched over to Harry and extended his hand. Harry smiled widely and held up his wand. When the man called Vladimir snatched at it, Harry smirked as he watched the wand keep floating up and up just out of his reach.

Harry had no need for a wand anymore, and wasn’t even sure why he carried one at all. However, this display of foolishness made it all worthwhile.

“Harry, give him the wand,” the king ordered, and the wand dropped to the ground with a clatter.

“Take it,” Harry whispered viciously. “I don’t need it.” Harry snapped his fingers and Vladimir’s robes caught on fire, singeing his hair, but carefully avoiding his flesh.

The room was filled with Vladimir’s screams and the king looked on with wide eyes and paled significantly, which for a vampire was a feat in itself. The other guard rushed Harry and he levitated out of his reach with only a wave.

“I would suggest, king, that you stop treating me as a prisoner if you would like my help,” Harry noted in a singsong voice. “Otherwise I can make myself of use to those that oppose you,” he added with a smile.

The king snarled his displeasure. “You wouldn’t dare,” he hissed.

“Try me,” Harry replied with a smug grin.

Finally the king nodded, to which Harry replied by dousing the flames of his guard and floating back to the ground.

“How did you close off your thoughts to me?” the king demanded the moment Harry’s toes hit the ground.

“I did nothing on purpose, but I can’t say I’m displeased. You’ve been keeping things from me Crispan, and it’s only fair that I do the same,” Harry replied. He had a feeling that the king’s loss of telepathy, at least when it came to him, was because of Harry’s anger, so he wrapped it around himself like a blanket and held tightly to it, never letting it waver.

“Do you really expect me to believe that you didn’t block me out on purpose?” the king asked.

Harry closed the distance between them in a single step and stared into the glowing eyes of the king. “I don’t care what you believe, but you should trust me when I say that I will not help you if you continue to hold me prisoner.”

The king’s face softened and he grazed fingertips along Harry’s jaw. “I could give you pleasures unknown to anyone here, Harry. Just pledge your allegiance to me and I’ll have the entire kiss worshipping at your feet,” he whispered.

Harry kept his face very neutral, but kept the contempt he held for the king in that moment firmly in his fiery green gaze. “I have no want for that. I only want Draco, and until you promise to let me see him, you shall get no pledge from me.”

The king frowned and seemed to ponder the request carefully. “Done. I swear, as Crispan, King of the Shadow Kiss, that you shall see your beloved Draco when we bring him into our midst. My word is law.”

Harry nodded. “Then I shall assist you in your cause against the resistance in any way that I can.”

“Thank you, Harry,” the king cooed. “Might I interest you in anything while you wait for our elders to gather?”

Harry would be attending this meeting of the vampire elders to discuss what would be done to stop the resistance party. He had no mind for politics, especially thousand-year-old politics, and the meeting would not be taking place until nightfall, so Harry had several hours to… kill so to speak.

“I’d rather go for a walk, see the city now that I’m not being paraded through it and watched at every angle,” Harry replied.

“Harry, you will always be watched no matter where you go, but feel free,” he said. “However, I implore you to take one of the guards. They can warn you of potential threats while you’re outside these castle walls.”

Harry thought that was fair, as he didn’t know his way around the vast mountain city. He could use a guide. “Vladimir, will you accompany me?” he asked.

The dark haired vampire, whose robes were badly burned, looked to his king who nodded. “But change first, Vladimir,” he said with a laugh and left Harry’s quarters.

--

“I’m sorry about the display back there,” Harry said as soon as he and Vladimir had left the castle.

The other vampire didn’t speak and clearly wanted nothing to do with Harry, which didn’t really faze him much. Harry was only bringing him along to appease the king. “So Vlad, can I call you Vlad?”

“No,” he grunted.

Harry laughed and patted the man briskly on the back, making him flinch.

“Well, what would you suggest I do first?” Harry asked.

“You mean aside from playing in sunlight? Maybe I could bury you alive and see how long it took the king to find you?” Vladimir replied.

Harry chuckled. “Maybe some other time.”

“How about a nice pointy stick through the heart?” Vladimir suggested.

“Does that really work?” Harry asked, genuinely curious.

Vladimir shrugged. “Never tried it.”

“You’re not being a very good sport about all this,” Harry noted.

“What, you mean about being set on fire? Sorry, it’s just not my sense of humor I guess,” he replied sarcastically.

Harry chuckled again. “I didn’t actually hurt you though.”

“Really? Then what do you call this?” he asked, lifting up a severely burnt lock of hair.

Harry ran his fingers over it and the hair shifted and grew back to its long silky length. “There. All better. Anything else?”

Vladimir huffed and shook his head. “You’re a bit volatile, I think,” he observed.

Harry shrugged lightly. “I’ve been through a lot lately, I guess. I really didn’t mean to frighten you, though. I’m not typically a scary person.”

“Could have fooled me,” he replied. “Are you really supposed to be our savior?”

“I hope not,” Harry replied with a groan.

“Me too,” Vladimir mused.

--

Draco felt weak, hungry and entirely spent.

They slumped by a tree at the foot of the Sugarloaf Mountains looking up at the vast sparkling expanse of it and wondering how in Merlin’s name they ever stood a chance of getting into it. They had just managed to get there about an hour ago, and Draco’s magic was still trying to replenish from the long distance apparition.

They hadn’t been able to get a flight any closer than Cork on such short notice, so it took two separate apparition points to get to that particular spot in the mountain range and that exhausted their magic reserves significantly.

“So what do we do now?” he asked Severus who looked to be slumbering lightly.

“We wait,” Snape replied.

“For?” Draco asked impatiently, though really he was happy regardless because they were already ahead of schedule.

“Night. There is no chance of them opening the door for us before nightfall. Really Draco, don’t you know anything about vampires?” Snape replied snidely.

Draco rolled his eyes but remained silent as he watched the sun slowly set over the horizon. “Now what?” he asked as soon as the sun had dipped beyond the mountain casting the world into twilight.

Snape sighed and got to his feet. He had already sought out the entrance while Draco stared off into the blazing sunlight and he began walking toward the tree lined path without another word.

Draco followed as Snape knew he would and before long they were standing in front of a large stone door. “It says we cannot get in unless we’re vampires,” Snape said, slightly disappointed. He had known that it wouldn’t be as easy as knocking, but hoped there would be a guard or someone he could persuade to allow him entrance.

As he pondered over their mess, the door began to slowly open and Draco tugged on the sleeve of his robes to alert him. They both stepped into the widening gap and blinked against the flaming torches, trying to see into the large cavernous room.

There were no guards or a welcome party in the vast hall they stepped into, but rather a welcome mob. They were completely surrounded by vampires, some of them even carrying weapons regardless of the insignificant threat Draco and Snape pose to the massive horde. All of them wore clear crystal pendants around their necks, and their eyes glowed with an otherworldly brilliance.

“There must be thousands of them, Sev. I thought you said there were maybe hundreds?” Draco hissed.

“I said no one had any idea how many there were, that there might be hundreds,” Snape whispered back, well aware the Vampires could still hear them no matter how quietly they spoke.

“What do we do now?” Draco asked.

“Oh no, you’re on your own now. It’s every man for himself with this bunch,” Snape replied with a sneer.

“Bastard,” Draco hissed and turned to the nearest vampire. “I’m looking for Harry Potter,” Draco told him.

There was a raucous laugh among the entire group and the vampire Draco had spoken to grinned widely, flashing fang. “So are we,” he said.

Draco was confused. “Isn’t he here?”

The vampire stepped forward and ran his hand over Draco’s cheek. “You’ll fetch a pretty pound at the market,” he whispered, running his hand through Draco’s pale golden hair. “Very unique, very… alive.”

Draco flinched away, but the vampire caught his hair tightly in his fist and pulled him back. He ran a razor sharp nail across Draco’s throat, not drawing blood but warning Draco that he could. “What’s you name, pretty human?”

Draco raised his head up and puffed his chest out, the question reminding him of who he was and why he was there. Malfoy’s didn’t cower in the face of danger, and they always got what they wanted. “I’m Draco Malfoy, Harry’s mate.”

A gasp rang out amongst them and the vampire he has been talking to grinned even wider. “Well, well, well. I do believe we have ourselves a hostage.”

Draco tried to pull away but the vampires grip was like steadfast iron and he couldn’t even get to his wand. “And who are you?” the vampire asked, turning to Snape.

“I’m no one of consequence, I just led the boy here. I’ll take my leave now if you don’t mind, he said haughtily, angling for the door.

Another vampire was on him like a blur and another bought of laughter erupted in the cavern. “Well then you, sir, will go to the highest bidder,” the vampire told him and summoned his group to leave.

--

Authors Note: So, whats the starting bid for Snape? Do I hear ten galleons? Twenty, do I hear twenty?