Into The Long Dark

DISCLAIMER: Not mine, never will be. All HP characters belong to JK and Warner Brothers, etc, etc, etc. Rael,Yuri, & Tommy belong to me.

The events in this fic take place after Book 6.

Beta'd by EAS. Thanks, Luv! Thanks also to DreamPet for the additional clean-up!

Sunday, 10 August 1997


~~~~~~EIGHTEEN ~~~~~~~~"ONCE MORE INTO THE BREACH"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Neville stared at his housemate in disbelief. Ron grinned evilly, pressing the tip of his wand into the flesh of Neville's neck. Something's definitely off about that smile, he thought. And what was wrong with Ron's face? Neville blinked a few times, attempting to clear his vision. The red head's features seemed to blur and waver, as if Weasley were wearing some kind of mask. Neville's head was still somewhat fuzzy after Tommy's bite and the subsequent psychedelic experience on the sidewalk. He could still see the swirling colors, but they were now very muted, indistinct. The strange voices had also receded to barely audible whispers. All except that one new voice. The dark, raspy one. Even now it hissed clearly at Neville, urging him to cuff Ron and rush out and reclaim Harry as his.

Neville was about to speak when the first cracks of Apparition filled the alley. Both Wizards watched as five figures appeared under the weak streetlamp, immediately hurling curses at Harry.

Neville screamed, "Harry! No!" and lunged out into the alleyway, oblivious to Ron's drawn wand.

Two of the cloaked figures turned in his direction, instantly aiming their wands at him. Neville conjured the Shield Charm, but not before a blast of green light grazed his forehead. He could feel the blood trickling down the side of his face.

Neville began hurling spells in a frenzy, only vaguely aware that Ron was now beside him. After a few moments, Ron slapped Neville on the shoulder, gesturing towards one of their attackers. Neville nodded in a silent response, both focusing their spells on the smaller of the Death Eaters. The tactic was immediately successful. The shorter man stopped in his tracks, hissing in pain as the force of their combined attack began to disassemble his shield. The dark voice reared up louder in Neville's mind, urging him to destroy the Death Eaters.

Kill them! Kill them now! Do it!

The dark voice flooded his brain.

Neville screamed "Crucio!"

The weakened Death Eater tried to duck Neville's curse, but it penetrated his already failing Shield Charm, the pulse of green energy striking his right shoulder. He spun around, his legs buckling beneath him. With an agonizing wail, he called to his partner.

"Stafford! Help me!" The other Death Eater never turned or stopped his attack.

Ron threw a Stupefy on the fallen man and he fell silent.

Stafford was now close enough for Neville to make out the insane grin on his face. The Death Eater seemed completely unharmed from their combined attack. Stafford moved swiftly towards the two Wizards, curses flying from him in a constant stream. Ron yelped as his Shield Charm failed, and Neville stepped in front of his friend to protect him. The dark voice was screaming at him now, drowning out everything else.

The Killing Curse! Use it! Use The Killing Curse or die!

Without a moment's hesitation, Neville summoned all the power he could muster.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Ron yelled "No!" as the huge, green bolt of plasma energy exited the tip of Neville's wand, streaking across the alley and striking Stafford in the face. Neville smiled, but it faded the instant he noted that the Death Eater was still standing.

What the fuck?!

Stafford had stopped his advance, stumbling slightly, but that was it. Shaking his head, he grinned his wicked grin, and began to close the distance to the two gobsmacked Wizards. Ron was shaking his head in disbelief, and Neville's mouth was hanging open.

The dark voice was still howling in his mind.

Again! Do it again! Now!

Neville grabbed Ron's shoulder. Stafford was almost upon them.

"Ron! Help me! Together, now!"

Neville roared the incantation once again.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Stafford actually was driven back a few steps this time, and it took a moment longer for him to continue his approach. Neville shook Ron roughly.

"For the love of Merlin, Weasley! Help me!" Neville released Ron, who was blank faced, paralyzed with fear. Neville raised his wand again. He didn't know how much energy he had left.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Stafford stumbled again, nearly falling this time. As the Death Eater raised his head, Neville saw for the first time the fangs, that were now plainly visible, protruding out from under Stafford's upper lip. The dark voice in his throbbing head was a screaming noise, Ron was moaning loudly, and Neville could hear more shouts and screams coming from further up the alley. Neville barely had the energy to utter the incantation.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The curse struck Stafford for a fourth time, barely slowing his approach. Neville's head swam as the Death Eater was nearly upon them. Stafford was reaching out for the Wizard, his fangs a gleaming, shining white.

So be it. Let it end.

Neville closed his eyes, suddenly so very tired.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Neville's eyes snapped open to see Stafford sprawled on the cobbles, several feet away. Ron was now a few feet in front of him, his wand pointed at the Death Eater's head. Stafford was slowly regaining his feet.

Ron's voice was shaky but clear.

"Longbottom! What do I do now?"

"Hit him again!" Neville croaked out. Ron nodded, yelling the incantation again.

It struck the vampire for a final time, and he fell backwards, landing in a tangled heap, motionless on the cobbles. Neville's head was buzzing, and he couldn't catch his breath. He stumbled over to Ron, leaning on the taller Wizard for support. Just then, another shadow darted down the alley towards them. It took only an instant for Neville to recognize it as Tommy. Ron jumped, aiming his wand, but Neville pushed it away.

"No, it's OK, Ron, I know him!"

The young vampire smirked up at the two Wizards.

"Fucking-A right! Don't just stand there like a couple of morons, get down there and help your friend. I'll take care of these two!"

In a flash, Tommy bent down and grabbed Stafford's head with both hands. Transfixed, Neville and Ron watched as the young vampire twisted the Death Eater's head around, and with a sickening series of moist pops and cracks, ripped it from the neck. Smiling, Tommy whirled around, lobbing the severed head in a high arc. It landed neatly in a dumpster several yards away. Tommy moved towards the still body of the other Death Eater.

"Hey! Girls! Move your asses! Harry needs help! Sometime this year would be nice, Sherlock!"

He then knelt down, moved the Death Eater's head to one side, and sunk his fangs into the exposed flesh of the stunned man's neck.

Neville grabbed Ron by his robes and pulled him up the alley and past the feeding vampire. Up ahead, he could see that Harry was lying on the ground, two of the remaining Death Eaters standing over him. Neville began screaming Harry's name, barely able to hold his wand steady in his quivering hands as he stumbled along.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Bloody Hell!"

Remus threw down the parchment and began pacing about the kitchen, his hands on his hips. Neville's note wasn't exactly the welcome home he had been expecting. If only half of the missive's events were true, then it appeared that Harry was doing far worse than Remus had thought. Violent temper tantrums, regular visits to a Muggle gay bar, capturing and holding Draco Malfoy in the basement, and finally fooling around with a Horcrux, of all things. It was clear to the werewolf that Harry was very nearly out of control. And Neville was certain that there were even more things that Harry was concealing.

Remus placed both of his hands wide on the mantelpiece, stretching the muscles in his aching neck and back. He bowed his head down, carefully turning it in a slow arc, a few satisfying little pops breaking the silence as his neck loosened up ever so slightly. Raising his head, he found he was looking straight into the old photo of himself, James and Sirius. Standing up and pinching the bridge of his nose, Remus watched as his younger self smiled stupidly in an endless loop. James blinked, looking away from the camera and then back into it repeatedly, while Sirius gazed steadily forward, his searing blue eyes piercing Remus' soul across both time and space.

Remus felt his breath hitch slightly in his chest, as his eyes grew suddenly hot and itchy.

"Damn, Pads, I need you so badly, now. I don't know if I can do all this alone. You'd know what to do."

He stared at the old photo for a few more seconds before turning away with a heavy sigh. Unclasping his cloak, he flung it over a chair. He was about to rummage in the Muggle refrigerator for a bite to eat when the flames in the hearth roared high, turning a bright green. Remus watched as Yuri's smiling face appeared, bobbing up and down in the flames.

"Hey, long time no see. Mind if I come in?" Remus nearly swooned at the sight of his friend's wide grin.

"Yuri! Is there anything wrong? Of course, yes, come in!"

Yuri stepped out of the hearth, shrugging his backpack off and dumping it on the floor. Quickly brushing some stray Floo Powder from his jeans, Yuri strode across the kitchen, his arms outstretched. Remus embraced his friend, burying his face in the shorter werewolf's shoulder, deeply inhaling his intoxicating scent. They held each other a long time, simply reveling in being close once again. When they released, Remus was now smiling as widely as Yuri.

"I can't believe you're here! Do you know how many times I thought about heading straight back to The Slaughtered Lamb?"

Yuri chuckled. "I never should have let you leave, Moony. After you Apparated, I turned a few things over in my head, and I decided that life's too short to waste precious time. I threw a few things into my pack, Apparated over to Skinner's, and he arranged the temporary Floo link." He grinned, making an expansive gesture with both hands. "And here I am!" The shorter werewolf's grin was met with silence as Remus nodded once and turned away.

"Yuri, I'm glad to see you, but I thought we both just agreed that this isn't the time." Remus turned and faced his friend. "There's just too much going on right now."

Yuri moved towards the taller lycan, his dark brown eyes anxious.

"Yes, yes, I know what you said. But Remus, it will never be exactly the right time. There will always be something going on. We can always find some reason to keep putting this off. To keep putting us off." Remus was shaking his head, but Yuri continued.

"Now listen, Moony! You left me sitting in that freezing room at the inn. The fire in the hearth just went out, and all was dark and quiet. Right then it hit me. Without you, my world is dark. Without you, I'm alone, in the cold. There will never be a better time than now, Remus. Who knows how much time the Fates have allotted to us? Why not make the best of it? I know I promised that I wouldn't push you, Moony. I know that you're still hurting. But I decided that I couldn't afford to wait any longer. We couldn't afford to wait any longer." Yuri was now standing barely an inch from his friend. Remus' expression was impassive. He looked as if he were about to speak, but he remained silent. Yuri gently lifted Remus' chin so that their eyes met.

Yuri took a deep breath. "Oh, screw it. Here goes."

Kneeling down on one knee, he took one of Remus' hands, sandwiching it between both of his own. His brown eyes sparkled brightly.

"I love you, Remus. I want to be with you. Always, if you'll have me."

Remus blinked repeatedly. The fire crackled in the hearth. The old clock by the doorway clicked importantly to itself. The taller lycan gazed at his lover, and then at the old photo on the mantel. Yuri shifted nervously, moving his head slightly, attempting to maintain Remus' eye contact.

"Um, I think that would be longer than what I'd consider to be a normal pause under the circumstances. Moony?"

Remus looked back down at Yuri. He gently pulled his friend up, caressing both of the shorter lycan's hands in his own. Remus pulled Yuri close to him, bringing their hands to his lips. The taller man gently kissed each of Yuri's knuckles. When Remus spoke, his voice was low, soft.

"Yes, I want you too, Yuri. I have for a long time. But..." Remus paused, gazing into his friend's gorgeous brown eyes. "Of course I'll have you."

He paused a moment, glancing quickly towards the hearth. A second later he met Yuri's gaze once more.

"Yes, Yuri, I love you, too."

Remus kissed Yuri's hand again as the shorter man grinned broadly. Yuri pulled his hands away from Remus', moving them to the taller man's shoulders. He reached up and planted a chaste kiss on Remus' lips. Yuri took a deep breath as he slowly broke the kiss, his eyes closed. When he opened them again, he began to chuckle. His chuckles became laughs, and soon the shorter lycan was whooping loudly, hopping up and down.

"Yes! He said yes! Thank you, Merlin! Woo Hoo!" Yuri did a little happy dance while Remus put a hand to his mouth in a futile attempt to smother his own giggles.

Yuri spun around and launched himself at the taller werewolf, a surprised Remus barely catching him as Yuri leaped into his arms. Remus staggered a bit as he tried to maintain his balance. Yuri covered the tall lycan's cheek with wet, sloppy kisses. Remus' chuckles slowly dissolved into light sobs.

"I'm sorry, Yuri, I'm happy, really I am."

Yuri nuzzled his lover's neck.

"I know, Moony, I know."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Harry knew what was happening the instant he heard the first telltale crack of Apparition. Tearing himself away from Rael and whirling about, he saw two Death Eaters standing there, wands poised for attack. Two more appeared next, with a final cloaked figure joining them, all in a span of a few seconds. The first two Death Eaters began hurling curses before their comrades had completed their Apparitions. As lethal green spells hurtled towards Harry, he barely had time to yell "Protego!" as the first of them struck his hastily erected Shield Charm. The force of the multiple curses knocked Harry backwards a few steps. He vaguely worried about Rael as he threw his own spells back towards his attackers.

Where the fuck did he go? The vampire had disappeared.

In quick succession, Harry cast Incarcerous, Stupefy, and Confundus. Two of the three Death Eaters attempting to encircle him were immobilized while the third continued to advance on the young Wizard, never ceasing to throw his lethal spells.

Harry's Shield Charm was holding, but there was so much happening it was hard for him to maintain his concentration. His brain was awash with a flood of memories from his recent training sessions with Moody, the old Auror's voice reduced to gibberish in his overloaded mind. He tried to sift through his thoughts and pull out pertinent information, but it was impossible. As the Unforgivables crashed into him, Harry just let his instincts take over.

Harry noticed that the remaining two Death Eaters had turned around, and were slinging spells towards the other end of the alley. He could barely make out still more shadowy figures beyond them. What in the Fates was going on? Where in Bloody Hell was Rael? Harry thought briefly of Apparating away, but found that he didn't want to leave Rael behind. The young Wizard reeled as a series of curses crashed into him, momentarily blurring his vision. Every inch of his exposed skin felt seared, and he was sweating profusely.

Shaking his head, Harry felt his anger begin to rise up inside him. Summoning deeply from his reserves, he threw The Cruciatus, roaring the incantation at the top of his lungs. Angry, green energy erupted from his knife, striking his lone attacker's chest dead center. The Death Eater lifted off of the ground, flipping up and backwards, landing flat on his back several yards away. As Harry advanced on the two cloaked figures whose backs were to him, he was stuck simultaneously by curses cast by the first two Death Eaters. They had freed themselves from Harry's initial immobilizing spells, and were quickly regaining their feet.

Yelling in pain and surprise, Harry threw The Cruciatus once more, this time from nearly point blank range. He hit the taller and larger of the two attackers with a glancing blow. The surprised Death Eater screamed in agony as he was spun violently about, bouncing off of a utility pole before spiraling to the ground. He landed in a tangled heap. Glancing about wildly, Harry still could see no sign of Rael. Further down the alley, he noted that one of the other Death Eaters had fallen. It looked like two other Wizards were ganging up on his partner. He was jolted by another curse as his Shield Charm finally failed.

The shorter Death Eater that was still standing was cackling madly, flicking his wand once more in Harry's direction. The young Gryffindor froze, entranced by the energy approaching him. At the last second, his brain screaming at him to move, Harry jerked his aching body down and away, attempting to dodge the lethal curse. He rolled clumsily on his shoulders, stumbling slightly as he tried to regain his balance. His head was pounding, and his heart was thudding in his chest. The spell missed, but the Death Eater was winding up to throw another. Somewhere, seemingly far away, Harry could hear someone screaming his name. The short Death Eater was grinning widely, taking an extra second to gloat before throwing what he thought would be his final curse.

Harry grinned to himself. That second was all he needed.

"Sectumsempra!"

A huge, deep gash ripped open along the short Death Eater's face. He howled in pain, stumbling, his wand dropping to the cobbles. Harry stepped towards his attacker. With a violent slash of his transfigured wand, he yelled the incantation once more. The spell severed the man's right arm at the shoulder.

"Sectumsempra!"

Another slash of Harry's knife took the left arm. The enraged young Wizard cast the spell twice more, gouging a huge, bloody X in the man's chest. The Death Eater fell silent, dropping to the ground with a wet thud. Harry stood over the bloody corpse, gasping, his head throbbing in pain. The next instant, he was caught from behind by a curse and thrown forward, landing roughly as he skidded across the uneven cobblestones.

His breath rasping in his chest, Harry managed to turn over in time to see that the first Death Eater had managed to recover from his Cruciatus. The black-cloaked figure was advancing on him slowly, an evil grin pasted onto his face. His wand was pointed directly at Harry's head. Harry recognized him as Rudolphus Lestrange. He was breathing heavily, his wand wavering slightly.

"Say good bye, Potter. Your miserable life is ended!"

Harry didn't bother to struggle. His knife lay a few feet away from his left hand. Again, he thought he heard his name being called from a great distance. There were yells and shouts from further down the alley. He looked up at Lestrange, and began to laugh. A mad, uncontrollable laugh.

"Go ahead! Do it! Fucking do it, you pathetic coward! Make that psychopathic Lord of yours happy! See what good it does you!" he managed to gasp out before a spasm of pain shot through his body.

The Death Eater paused a moment, his grin faltering, clearly taken aback by Harry's defiance. Lestrange advanced a few steps closer, drawing a breath to cast his curse. Just then, a voice called out from behind him.

"Rudolphus! What in Circe are you doing? Our Lord wants him alive!"

Lestrange turned, and Harry saw that the large Death Eater had managed to rouse himself and had shuffled across the alley. The huge man towered over Lestrange. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.

Lestrange turned back to Harry, snarling at his comrade.

"Keep out of this, Goodwin! No one has to know Potter survived! He must pay for what he has done! Miner's dead! And you'll keep quiet!"

Goodwin winced in pain, preparing to say something else just as a dark shape shot in and crashed into the large Death Eater, knocking him to the ground. Lestrange whirled about to stare at his stricken partner. Harry barely managed to register the wildly flailing form that was slashing at Goodwin. There was another yell, closer this time, and Lestrange stumbled slightly.

Harry heard a voice yell "Expelliarmus!" and Lestrange's wand flew from his hand. With one last look at Harry, the Death Eater Apparated. Harry's vision blurred for an instant, and when he focused again, he saw Tommy standing over him, his fangs extended, his shirt and apron stained with blood.

"Don't worry, Rael. He's fine. A little bashed up, but still pretty enough for you."

The young vampire snickered and walked away. Harry managed to hoist himself up on his elbows enough to see the figure that was just lifting itself off of Goodwin's now still body. Rael stood up and turned towards the young Wizard, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. The vampire was licking the blood from his hands as he knelt next to Harry.

"Holy shit, Harry! Remind me to never piss you off. Can you sit up?"

Rael helped Harry into a sitting position, quickly checking the Wizard for broken bones.

Harry had a splitting headache. He had scraped his hands, knees, and chin when he had hit the cobbles. His skin felt burned and tingly. He attempted to stand, and Rael steadied him as his knees wanted to fold. A second later, he became aware of two figures running towards them up the alley.

"Accio wand!" Harry's transfigured wand shot into his hand. He pointed it at the approaching men. Rael reached out and gently but firmly pressed his knife down.

"No, Harry! Wait! They're friends!"

Harry shot a look towards the vampire, quickly turning his gaze back just as the two shadows emerged from the darkness. Neville and Ron were out of breath, their clothes soiled and torn. Neville had blood all over his hands and arms, and had a nasty gash on his forehead. Ron was pale as a ghost, but looked uninjured. Neville's eyes went wide when he saw Harry, and wider still when he took in the view of Miner's mutilated corpse.

"Merlin, Harry! Are you OK? Where does it hurt? Oh, Harry....."

Neville reached out his hand to Harry's shoulder as his eyes welled with tears. He then shot Rael a very menacing gaze. "And who in Hades are you, and what the fuck are you doing here?"

Rael shifted Harry towards Neville, who threw his arm around the shaky Wizard. All four turned their heads in unison as the sound of approaching Muggle sirens wafted up the alley from Shipton. Rael gestured to Harry.

"I think we had better remove ourselves from this area. Immediately. Harry, are you well enough to Apparate?"

Harry nodded, but Neville shook his head.

"He's too weak for that. I'll do it!" Neville turned to Ron. "Weasley, follow me to the alley behind Grimmauld Place!"

Neville returned his gaze to Rael. The young Wizard glared at the vampire for a long moment. He was about to speak again when a loud moaning commenced from behind him. Neville turned to see Ron sway and drop to his knees. The red head was about to flop down on the cobblestones when Rael moved in and caught him just in time.

"Um, I don't think your friend will be able to Apparate on his own." Rael shifted his gaze from Neville to Harry.

Harry shook Neville's arm from his shoulder. "I'm OK, Nev. I'll Apparate myself. You take care of Ron, yeah?"

Neville simply stared at the dazed Weasley, making no attempt to move towards him. The sirens were growing louder, and flashing lights could now be seen at the far end of the alleyway. Rael stood Ron up and shoved the unsteady Wizard to Neville.

"Um, Neville? We don't have time for a lengthy decision making process! You need to get going! Now!"

Neville's eyes went wide. "Yes, right. Let's go. Harry? You first. We'll follow."

Harry nodded, and after a deep breath, he Apparated with a small pop.

Neville clutched Ron closer to him, and with a final glare at Rael, they disappeared as well.

Rael walked across the tiny intersection just as the headlights of the police cars washed into the alley. He headed down the much narrower alleyway that bisected the main one. Tommy was standing outside the rear door of The Daily Grind. He had tossed his blood-soaked apron in the nearby dumpster. He pulled his splattered t-shirt over his head and chucked it as well. Rael arrived just as the young vampire was fussing over the stains on his jeans.

"Fuck! These were brand new! I'll never get the blood out of them! Shit!" Tommy glared up at Rael, his hands on his hips. "You're buying me some new jeans, you know! It ain't easy getting Levi's in London, for fuck's sake!" He sighed loudly, shaking his head.

Rael's hand shot out and grabbed Tommy by the back of the neck. The older vampire effortlessly pulled Tommy towards him, lifting the young vampire's feet off of the ground.

"That will be all about your sodding jeans! I have put up with your childish antics long enough! Your behavior tonight in the shop was deplorable. My patience with you has limits! I brought you into the Dark; do not make me regret my decision!" Tommy's hazel eyes burned brightly, but he remained silent, unmoving. Rael continued.

"You are mine, and I can consign you to oblivion on a whim. Is this in any way unclear, Thomas?" Rael held Tommy in this position for a long moment, until the young vampire nodded once. Rael then shoved Tommy into the dumpster with enough force to shift it several feet into the alley.

Tommy stood up immediately, brushed himself off, and grinned.

"Feel better now? Sorry I'm such a disappointment." Tommy moved next to Rael, who was smoothing out his shirt and tucking it back into his jeans. The young vampire nuzzled his head against Rael's shoulder. "The least you could say is 'Thank you' for helping with your new friends. I guess the evening wasn't a total waste. I got to feed tonight." Tommy pulled away from Rael and looked up into the older vampire's luminous silver eyes.

"Taking a big risk, aren't you? They'll figure out your game soon if you're not careful."

Rael reached over and wiped a stray drop of blood away from Tommy's lips. "It was only a matter of time before I would have had to reveal myself. I'm surprised it has taken this long for the Wizards to discover that Riddle has been turning his own followers into Lycans and Vampires." Rael glanced back towards the intersection of the alleyways.

A short Wizard and a tall Witch dressed like some kind of hooker were standing next to Miner's body just as a handful of other Aurors Apparated in. The vampire watched with amusement as the Wizards stunned the Muggle Police arriving on the scene.

Tommy snorted as the Wizards wiped the memories of the Muggles. "Pathetic! Stupid cops!"

Rael shook his head, sighing. "Tommy."

The young vampire turned to his Master. "Now what?"

Rael cupped Tommy's chin, pulling his youngling into the shadows.

"Just remember this. I shall say it only one time. You may do as you please with Neville. Harry belongs to me. Do you understand?"

Tommy smiled and nodded again. Rael released him.

Rubbing his jaw, the young vampire snickered. "No problem, Herbert. The Boy Who Lived is all yours. Not my type, anyway. And I think that's enough rough stuff for one night, 'kay? Unless you're in the mood for something else...."

Rael grinned, his fangs fully extended. "C'mon, let's go home."