Twice Bitten ~ COMPLETED

Chapter 4 ~ Oops

Harry ran across the grounds at a good clip, listening intently for the sound of a human heartbeat. He could hear the small, fast beats of animals as he passed the Forbidden Forest, but that wasn’t what he wanted. What he needed. It was a good thing he was running away from the castle. If he had retained any sense he would have nicked a tasty staff member. But fortunately for the staff, Harry wasn’t thinking. He was operating at an animal level.

Harry was fast, but he wasn’t as fast as Snape, who created him. This particular species of vampire degraded when turned by another vampire. Since Snape was bitten directly by Lilutu, who was created not by another vampire but by pure evil, he was considered a Primary. Primary vampires retain the most power and independence of turned vampires and are the most “alive.” They can be influenced by a Mother, but not controlled by her.

But when a Primary created a vampire, it wasn’t as powerful or independent and could be controlled by its creator and by a Mother. It was called a Secondary. This is what Harry had become. Under normal circumstances, Snape could have called him back, but the survival instinct had kicked in and Harry needed his first meal in order to regain his sensibilities. Nothing else registered at this moment.

Snape quickly caught up to Harry and caught him by the shoulder in an iron grip, stopping him cold. Harry turned and before Snape could react, the bloodthirsty little bugger sank his teeth into the Professor’s wrist.

Snape grimaced, but seeing that Harry calmed down, allowed him to drink. There was no pain after the initial bite. In fact, it was rather pleasurable, a kind of euphoria descending on the vampire as Harry drank his fill.

Snape’s blood was richer than a human’s, at least on the first feeding when the parasite needed sustenance. Snape’s body was already turned and a balance established. Harry drew a bit of this balance inside himself and it would serve as a kind of template for his own development. Once he came to himself however, he would never be able to drink Snape’s blood again. His body would reject it and any other created vampire’s blood. Only the Mother’s blood could be continuously consumed without rejection.

But considering the loss of blood could kill a Mother, she didn’t give out her blood for any reason. Even when she turned a human, he or she was left to find their own food.

Snape began to feel pain, a sign from the parasite inside him that Harry had taken enough and pulled his wrist away from him. The holes immediately sealed. Hm. Fast healing. At least that was one myth that was proven.

Regaining his sensibilities, Harry looked at the Professor, scowling.

“You turned me into a bloody vampire!” he yelled at the wizard, who scowled back at him.

”I suggest you lower your voice when you speak to me,” Snape said softly, his dark eyes glowing slightly.

Harry lowered his voice.

”Why did you do this?” he asked, “Because you were hungry?”

Snape gave him a nasty little smirk.

”Actually, I wasn’t hungry at all,” the wizard replied, “But I needed you.”

”You needed to turn me into a vampire? Why?” Harry asked, following as Snape began walking back toward the castle.

Harry knew he should be screaming at the wizard or at least attempting to kick his ass for this, but for some reason, he couldn’t do it.

“Because I need Miss Granger,” the wizard replied. “Turning you is the one sure way I know I’ll get her cooperation.”

“Her cooperation for what?” Harry asked him.

Snape’s lip curled. Damn. Was he going to continue asking question after question? He decided to lay his cards out on the table, if just to shut Harry up.

”I need her help to find out if I can become mortal again. There is quite a bit of information that has to be pieced together, and Miss Granger has shown some aptitude at research,” he said evenly, trying not to compliment the witch any more than necessary. “Since you are her best friend, she will be anxious to find out if there is a way to restore you so will apply herself with diligence to finding a solution if there is one.”

Harry frowned.

”You didn’t have to turn me, Professor. You could have just asked Hermione. She would have helped you. Look at all you’ve done for us,” he said to the Potions master.

”Asking her without leverage would have given her the option of saying no, Mr. Potter. I prefer not to give options. I need this done,” he said.

”Well, Hermione is in London with her parents,” Harry told him, frowning. “She’s not going to be back for a while, with all the funerals she has to attend.”

”No matter. Once you come up missing, she’ll be back here with bells on, looking for answers,” Snape replied. “Then I will retrieve her.”

Harry walked with Snape in silence as they approached the castle. The older wizard pulled out his wand and cast a Disillusionment spell on himself.

”Disillusion yourself,” he hissed at Harry, who felt his pockets.

”I left my wand in my room,” the boy who turned replied.

Harry could feel the black scowl on the dark wizard’s face as the shimmer paused, then made a movement. Harry felt the coldness of the Disillusionment spell pour over him.

”Once inside, we must move quickly,” Snape said, carefully opening the door to the castle. No one was in the Entrance Hall. He caught hold of Harry’s arm and streaked down the corridor, dragging the wizard with him easily.

They stopped in front of the niche and Snape let them in, then removed the Disillusionment spell on both of them.

As they walked down the stairwell Harry asked, “Is this where you keep your coffin?”

“My what?” Snape replied, frowning at him.

”Your coffin. Where you sleep. Vampires have coffins so they can sleep the sleep of the Undead during the day, then they rise from them at night,” Harry said as if Snape should already know this vampire tidbit.

He was a vampire after all.

”I have no coffin, you idiot. Where would I get a coffin? I wasn’t buried,” Snape snapped at him. “And I don’t sleep. I don’t urinate. I don’t defecate. All I do is exist.”

Both of Harry’s eyebrows rose.

“We don’t have to go to the bathroom?” he asked Snape for clarification.

”No. But you still make me nauseous although I have nothing to vomit up. Now shut up and follow me,” the wizard ordered Harry.

Although he had more questions, Harry did as he was told. He found he had to listen.

He and Snape wound through the many passageways until they entered his chambers. Harry looked at the sparsely furnished room. At least it was large although stuffy.

“Could use a bit of sprucing up,” the boy commented, “Is this our lair?”

Obviously Snape’s commands wore off after a bit.

”We have no lair!” Snape hissed, creating a chair for Harry at the table next to his. “Now sit down and pull up your sleeve.”

Harry did as he asked, obediently sitting down and rolling up his sleeve, watching as Snape conjured two small shot glasses, then yanked up his own sleeve, baring his Dark Mark, then tapped the tip of his wand to a vein, then to one of the glasses which filled halfway with dark blood. Then he did the same to Harry, whose own glass partially filled with fluid. Snape switched the glasses.

”Drink that,” he directed Harry, tilting his own glass to his mouth. Harry did the same. He was a blood drinker after all.

As the blood entered Snape’s mouth, it began to bubble, then turned rancid. The wizard spat it out. Harry did the same, a disgusted look on his face as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Ugh! That was disgusting,” he said, his mouth turned down.

”Well, we can’t feed on each other’s blood. I thought we might after I fed you on the grounds,” Snape said, making the glasses disappear.

”Vampires drink human blood,” Harry said as if Snape should know this.

”I know!” Snape snapped at him. “And that is going to be a problem. You know the Ministry immediately hunts down and kills vampires, Mr. Potter. We have to remain low-key.”

”We can always get blood from a blood bank,” Harry suggested.

Snape was not about to make forays into Muggle London to raid blood banks.

”No. Too risky,” Snape said, frowning. “We have to find a way to provide blood in a manner that won’t be detected.”

”Maybe we can just take a little from each victim rather than a lot,” Harry suggested.

Severus frowned at this, remembering how sweet blood was and how difficult it was to stop drinking once he started.

”I don’t know if we can control the urge in that manner. The adult human body contains between four to six liters of blood depending on its mass,” the Professor said, “But I’m assuming vampires also feed on children who contain less blood than adults and come away fine. It’s fair to say that most likely we’d drink more than required if the opportunity presented itself although we could survive on much less blood if we had to. In this case, we have to.”

Harry sat quietly as Snape wracked his brain. They needed access to a certain volume of blood. How much he wasn’t sure. They couldn’t test it without leaving behind a trail of corpses. If people started disappearing, then an investigation would be launched.

Blood. Hm. An undetermined amount of blood.

Suddenly it came to him.

”I believe, Mr. Potter, that I have a solution of sorts. Miss Granger will help us maintain an endless supply of blood when she arrives,” the Potions master said.

”What? You’re going to turn Hermione too?” Harry asked angrily.

”No, I’m not. I’m going to use her as a blood cow,” the Potions master said, his eyes glinting. “She’ll be periodically milked for blood. Not bitten.”

”But that will make her ill at least,” Harry said, “To feed both of us, she’d have to give a lot.”

Snape shook his head.

”Actually, she will have to give very little, Mr. Potter. We can use Blood Replenisher to increase the volume. A tablespoon of blood can be used and produce at least two liters of viable fluid. I believe that if we consume blood regularly, once a day or so, we will be able to stave off the hunger that overtakes us. In other words, if we don’t starve ourselves, we won’t hunger. That is my theory anyway.”

Harry thought this was a brilliant idea, if Hermione would cooperate. But she would. The alternative was too terrible.

Snape rose and began to exit the room. Harry started to follow him. The wizard spun on him.

”Stay here. I’m going to retrieve my brewing supplies and your wand. You’ll only slow me down,” Snape said to him.

Harry sat back down in the chair and watched as the wizard left.

He sighed and looked at all the books and parchments on the table. Curiously he leafed through them. Wow, it was all about vampires. Harry read through a few books and realized that there was a hell of a lot of information here, conflicting information. No wonder the Professor wanted Hermione. She’d sort this all out.

Fascinated, Harry read about all the different kinds of vampires. There were some in Armenia that lived in the mountains and sucked blood out of the soles of a victim’s feet as he slept. In Bulgaria, there were vampires that ate normal food and would only drink blood if nothing else were available.

Harry read on, finding out the different ways vampires were created. Some suffered a premature or violent death, were unfulfilled in love or simply had an improper burial. Others were so full of evil that at their deaths they reawakened as vampires. He thought that unlikely, because Voldemort was Evil Incarnate and he didn’t wake up. Some vampires were corpses of people who committed suicide which were then reanimated by demons.

Harry wondered what kind of vampire the Professor was. He couldn’t have been created by Nagini could he? No. He doubted that. Voldemort would have made an army of vampires to fight for him if his familiar could do that.

So, how did the Professor become a vampire? As far as Harry knew, he was fine before he was killed. He certainly ate real food and walked out in sunlight. Yes, he was pale as a vampire, but he had always looked like that. Maybe he had always been one or was half-vampire and reanimated when he woke up. But he’d know that about himself and most likely would accept it. But it was clear the Professor didn’t want to be a vampire or drink blood. He wanted to be mortal. Human again. And he didn’t know if he could be.

And that meant Harry didn’t know if he were doomed to live as a vampire for eternity either. He did know one thing however . . .

They really did need Hermione.

Snape returned with his pockets bulging. He tossed Harry his wand, then took out a number of miniaturized items and methodically enlarged them, he and Harry setting up a small lab for brewing.

Snape put Harry to work chopping herbs as he set up a large cauldron. They were going to need a lot of Replenishing potion.

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When Harry didn’t show up for Fred’s funeral two days later, Ron and Hermione were worried. Harry would have never missed Fred’s funeral unless something was very wrong.

“How could Harry not come?” Hermione said to Ron as they stood outside the Burrow. Night had just fallen and people were inside eating and reminiscing about Fred. Mrs. Weasley had cooked quite a bit of food, trying to ease her grief by staying busy. She tried to put on a brave front, but anyone could see her pain.

“Something’s wrong,” Ron said, “We need to go to Hogwarts and find out what he’s about.”

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Snape noticed Harry had been oddly quiet the entire day, resting on the bed he had created for them. Vampires didn’t need to sleep it appeared, but Harry stayed in bed anyway. The Potions master didn’t mind it however. He was glad the boy wasn’t bothering him with needless conversation as he pored through the books, seeking anything he could use.

They had finished brewing the potion yesterday, having bottled and capped the precious elixir. Fifty bottles now rested on shelves attached to the wall. They would last for a while since the brew was quite potent and concentrated. One bottle could produce galleons of blood.

Snape paused as he found something, running his finger under the sentence as he read, his eyes glittering.

Lilitu : (also called 'Lilith') Originating in Ancient Babylonia, this vampire, found in Jewish/Babylonian myth, drank the blood of babies and young children.

The vampire who bit him said her name was Lilutu. Was that some form of Lilitu? It seemed so. It was definitely the proper area. Hm. But it said that she drank the blood of babies and young children. He had been no child. Was this another case of misinformation? He didn’t know, but at least he had something.

Snape closed the book. It was night now and no doubt Harry’s disappearance was noticed. The boy had told him he was supposed to have gone to Fred Weasley’s funeral. His absence would immediately make his friends come looking for him.

Snape looked over at Harry, who was facing the wall.

”I am going to see if Miss Granger has come looking for you. If I find her, I will bring her here,” the Professor said, “You stay here until I return.”

Harry made a noise of acknowledgement and Snape left.

The moment he did, Harry sat up on the side of the bed, his eyes narrowed.

He hissed. He was hungry. He instinctively knew not to tell the Professor because he knew the wizard wouldn’t want him to hunt. Unlike Harry, the Professor had a full and nourishing meal when he turned. Harry had only had enough to settle him. Now that the parasite had a good hold, it wanted a good feeding.

Quietly, Harry left the chamber. He was going to get something to eat, damn it.

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Ron and Hermione exited Harry’s room. There was no trace of him. The window had been left open however and his glasses rested on the night stand.

”Where would Harry go without his glasses?” Ron mused as they took the shifting stairs, “He’s blind without them.”

”I don’t know,” Hermione said, “But wherever he is, maybe he’s hurt or something. We need to split up and look for him on the grounds.”

The castle was empty. All the staff was attending funerals and memorial services. When Hermione and Ron said something to Minerva about Harry’s absence, the witch dabbed at her eyes and said that it was possible Harry was at the castle grieving and couldn’t bring himself to come.

Hermione didn’t believe that. Harry wouldn’t be that selfish. No matter how badly he felt, he would still come and show the Weasleys support. Ron thought so too. Harry wasn’t that way. He always thought about other people.

They descended to the main floor of the castle. Ron turned to Hermione.

“All right, Hermione. I think it best you check the castle, and I’ll go out on the grounds,” Ron said. “We’ll meet back here at the dungeon entrance.”

Hermione agreed and headed for the Great Hall as Ron went outside on the grounds.

Snape streaked up the corridor. He could sense two sets of heartbeats, one outside and one indoors, in the Great Hall. He flashed to the door and pulled it open slightly. Yes, there was Miss Granger looking around the Hall and calling for Harry.

The wizard quietly entered and walked up behind the witch.

Hermione suddenly felt rather cold, a chill running up her spine. She slipped her hand into her pocket and slowly withdrew her wand, then she spun, pointing it at the individual behind her.

Her mouth dropped open.

”Professor Snape?” she said, stunned, holding her wand on the wizard.

Snape gave her a slight bow.

”In the flesh, Miss Granger. I presume you are looking for Mr. Potter,” he said to her.

Hermione was so surprised to see the wizard walking about, she didn’t register what he said at first.

”Professor, we thought you were dead,” she gasped.

”Do I look dead to you?” the wizard asked her.

No. He was as pale and dour as ever. Fortunately for Snape, he always did kind of look like a vampire, so he didn’t set off any alarms with the witch. If Hermione had seen how pale Harry was however, she would have known immediately something was wrong.

”No. You look fine,” she said, lowering her wand. “How did you survive?”

Snape smirked at her.

”It’s a rather convoluted story, Miss Granger. I will tell you after I take you to Mr. Potter,” the wizard said.

As Hermione looked at the wizard, she felt a bit strange. Drawn. There was something appealing about the Professor, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Still, this would explain why Harry hadn’t been at Fred’s funeral. Finding Professor Snape alive was important enough to have missed it.

Snape offered Hermione his arm. She blinked at him, then slowly walked up and took it, looking up into his pale face.

”Where is Harry?” she asked him, her voice having a dream-like quality.

Her amber eyes rested on his lips.

”This way, Miss Granger,” the vampire replied, his dark eyes flicking over her a bit curiously. The witch looked rather smitten. “I will take you to him. Then all will be explained.”

Hermione let the Potions master lead her out of the Great Hall and down the dungeon corridor. Snape had no idea that Harry had left the chambers and was now on the Hogwarts grounds. The young wizard had entered the Great Hall and sensed Hermione’s heartbeat, salivating. But he could sense Snape with her which wasn’t good. Then he heard a slight heart muffled heart sound and focused on it. It was coming from outside.

Harry could hear Ron’s heartbeat, but his senses were not as acute as Professor Snape’s, who would have located Ron instantly. As a Secondary, Harry didn’t have Snape’s ability to see through things, nor his speed, though he was much faster than a human. He could hear well and see heat signatures in the dark as shapes and he prowled about the grounds.

”Harry! Harry are you out here?” Ron yelled. He was near the Herbology building.

Harry immediately ran toward the voice.

”Harry!” Ron yelled, holding up his wand which shed light.

Harry stopped, hiding behind a tree and watching as Ron spun around, peering through the dark. He didn’t register his friend. He registered a source of sweet, sweet blood. The hunger was on him and no other thought occupied him other than feeding..

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Snape had only gotten halfway down the stairwell with Hermione when he sensed Harry wasn’t in the subdungeons. He hadn’t been focused on him before, otherwise he would have known he was on the grounds. The Potions master stopped.

”Miss Granger, did you come here alone?” he asked the witch.

”No,” Hermione replied, still feeling odd, drawn to the wizard, “Ron was with me. He’s outside on the grounds looking for Harry. I figured we could go get him after I’ve seen Harry.”

Shit.

”Miss Granger, stay right here!” Snape said, then he was gone.

Hermione blinked.

Had he soundlessly apparated?

Her head began to clear now that the Potions master was gone. What did he mean stay here? She wasn’t about to stand on a damp stairwell under the castle doing nothing but twiddling her thumbs. Why had he left so fast when she told him Ron was outside? Something wasn’t right here.

Hermione began to run back up the stairs.

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Ron spun to see Harry standing ten feet away from him, staring at him. He didn’t have on his glasses.

”Harry!” he said gladly, “Am I glad to see you. Are you all right? Why didn’t you come to the funeral?”

Harry didn’t respond as he slowly walked up to Ron, his black eyes glittering.

Ron lifted his eyebrows as he looked at Harry in the light. He was so pale.

”Hey, are you sick, Harry? You look awful,” the wizard said.

Harry said nothing, only swallowed as Ron’s heartbeat seemed to thunder in his ears.

Ron didn’t like the way Harry was looking at him.

”Are you all right, mate?” he asked him, slowly taking a step back. Something was wrong here.

Suddenly, Harry bared his teeth showing his fangs and hissing at Ron.

”Shit!” Ron cried, leaping aside as Harry charged him. “You’re a fucking vampire!”

Harry wasn’t as fast as Snape and missed Ron completely. Terrified, Ron scrambled to his feet and started running, firing stunners over his shoulder at the pursuing vampire. He didn’t get far as Harry grabbed him from behind and sank his fangs into Ron’s jugular. Ron let out a scream that rang across the Hogwarts grounds, just as Snape emerged from the castle.

”Shit!” the wizard cursed, streaking toward the scream.

He found Ron limp in Harry’s arms, the vampire feeding blissfully.

”No you idiot!” the Professor yelled, ripping a nearly dead Ron out of his arms. Harry hissed at him, then became cognizant again. He looked at Ron with horror as the Professor held him in his arms.

”Oh no. No. Ron,” he groaned, “Oh, I’m so sorry Ron.”

”Gods damn it, Potter,” Snape hissed at him, hoisting Ron up as his heartbeat became weaker and weaker.

Shit, he couldn’t let Weasley die. Damn it!

Not knowing what else to do, Snape sank his fangs into Ron’s throat and injected him with the enzyme, then laid him on the ground, Harry staring at his friend with glistening eyes. Ron showed no signs of life.

”Is he dead, Professor?” he asked Snape, who looked at him hatefully.

”No. Yes. I don’ know, but he will be back, you idiot. Why didn’t you tell me you were hungry?” Snape demanded.

Harry shrugged.

Furiously, Snape strode up to the wizard and punched him in the face, sending him flying several yards, Harry landing hard on his back. Then he zipped forward, grabbed Harry off the ground by his shirt, and bared his teeth at him, shaking him roughly.

”For however long we are together, Mr. Potter, you will not hunt another human being without informing me,” he snarled at him. “With Mr. Weasley now part of our little flock, your importance has severely diminished, in that Miss Granger would gladly help him as much as she would you. I am certain that I can kill you, Mr. Potter and if you ever do anything as asinine as this again, I will. I promise you.”

Ron let out a terrifying and tormented scream as his transformation began

Snarling, Snape threw Harry back to the ground and hurried over to the convulsing red-head.

Hermione had just exited the castle and heard Ron’s scream. It sounded as if someone were killing him. Had Professor Snape attacked him?

”Lumos!” Hermione cried, running as fast as she could in the direction of the screaming.

She had to help Ron.

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A/N: Thanks for reading.