Against His Nature

CHAPTER 41

“Come along,” Harry stumbled over the coble path, as he tried to keep up with Octavia. It had been a shock to Harry’s system, when he’d regained his bearings after apparition to find, they’d apparated right into the center of Diagon Alley. The place was completely deserted, shop fronts closed and the street torches blown out. Draco clung to the back of Harry’s cloak, as the pair of them blindly followed Octavia down the darkened side street of Knockturn Alley. Harry had previously had bad experiences with the narrow and sinister coble street and so strayed close on Octavia’s heels. The vampire didn’t slow his stride as he confidently wove his way through the twisting narrow walkways, his gaze constantly alert for danger. Harry’s own gaze kept flicking to the shop windows they passed, the occasional movement behind darkened glass making shivers run up his spine.

Octavia wound around a right hand corner in the street and stepped up the front stoop of one of the darkened shops. The shop was just like all of the others they’d passed in the Alley. Its second story hung precariously out over the street, and it’s dirty lead lined windows seemed cluttered with artifacts Harry was unable to identify. There was no sign or name on the door to tell what the shop was, and Harry had a feeling it wasn’t what it looked like. Harry practically ran into the back of his elder, as Octavia came to a strand still on the top step. Consequently Draco ran into Harry, and the pair of them fell against Octavia with an undignified grunt. Octavia glared back over his shoulder at the two young wizards, who hastily straightened themselves, and took a step back from the Vampire. Satisfied that he’d corralled his ducklings, Octavia turned back to the door and flicked his hand casually at the bell hanging from a rusty nail beside the door. Harry watched the crackle of wandless magic hiss through the icy cold air, the bell’s tuneless clang making Harry cringe, and look cautiously over his shoulder back into the darkened street.

For almost two minutes they stood on the stoop after the bell was rung, and Harry and Draco began to fidget in the cold drafts tearing down the street behind them and curling around their bodies. Octavia didn’t seem too impressed when he rang the bell a second time, this time with an angry pointed index finger that left a scorch mark on the bell’s corroded surface. This time it got a response and Harry leaned to the side to see around Octavia as the door creaked open. Before Harry got a chance to see who had opened the door, Octavia had kicked out with his foot sending a doe eyed, floppy eared creature flying back into the shop and allowing the door to swing open freely. Both Draco and Harry cringed and practically jumped out of their skins as they followed Octavia into the shop and the door blew closed behind them. Octavia stood in the middle of the shop watching as the creature he’d kicked so violently picked itself up from the floor, and shook his body with an irritated mutter.

‘Ungrateful, selfish, nasty Vampires.” Harry could now see in the dim light of a coach lantern hanging from a hook behind the counter, that the creature was a house elf. Admittedly the elf was a yellowish green color, and had a tiny tuft of hair on his head between his floppy ears unlike any house elf Harry had ever seen, but Harry was sure the creature was still a house elf. Octavia hissed at the elf’s insults, his incisors bared. With a scared screech the house elf took off into the back of the shop his tiny feet padding away.

“What was that?” Draco muttered, watching as Octavia sneered in disgust at the creature.

“It was a house elf but years of servitude in this apocathary, amongst the fumes of the potions have caused it to change in certain attributes, the most irritating of which is its bad attitude.” Octavia snapped at Draco before wrapping his cloak around his shoulders and striding through the back of the shop after the elf, who hadn’t returned. Draco and Harry scrambled after Octavia quickly who was climbing the stairs at the back of the shop. Harry and Draco were still negotiating the steep, crooked staircase when they heard Octavia call back to them. “Incoming!” Both Draco and Harry looked up at Octavia at the top of the stairs just as he stuck his boot into another of the house elves, sending it flying through the air down the stairs. Draco and Harry ducked as the screeching, orange house elf came rocketing past them before landing with a muttered insult about Vampires and a large thump at the bottom of the stairs. Draco sniggered into his cloak, the first smile the blonde had let out since he’d been chased through Hogwart’s by his father earlier in the day. Harry too couldn’t help but smile despite a voice in his head, that sounded remarkably like Hermione, began lecturing him about cruelty to creatures and SPEW. Thoughts of Hermione back at the castle however put paid to Harry’s amusement, and yet again he found himself feeling guilty for not staying behind.

Composing themselves Harry and Draco scrambled up the last set of steps to Octavia who’d already raised his hand and knocked on the door at the top of the stairs.

“Enter.” Octavia opened the door handle and stepped up into the room. Harry and Draco quickly following on his heels. The room was warm, and softly lit with candles that floated in the air. Several large armchairs sat in a semi circle around the fireplace, where a long metal bar had been set up above it, and where three large bats hung upside down in the firelight. There was nothing special about the room; it’s simple design and lack of much furniture a sure sign it wasn’t a permanent place. What caught Harry’s attention however was the stretcher laid out by the window, a thick woolen blanket draped over whomever occupied it. Harry felt it the instant he laid eyes on the dark cascade of hair that hung over the edge of the stretcher.

“Severus!” Harry pushed past Octavia and took off across the room, skidding to halt beside the stretcher, where he knelt down on the floor. “Severus?” Harry whispered nervously as he reached over and tugged the blanket away from the face. Sure enough Severus Snape lay on his back on the stretcher. His face was bruised, burnt and bloodied, but Harry could tell it was his mate despite the injuries. Reaching out Harry laid a hand on Snape’s cheek, sucking in a deep breath as he felt how icy cold the wizard’s pale skin was to the touch. Severus’ eyes were closed, but Harry could feel the soft ghost of air against his hand as his mate breathed in and out. Harry glanced back over his shoulder to look at Octavia for some kind of explanation, but what he found staring back at him caused him to stiffen in fear. Octavia was standing exactly where Harry had left him, but now three large figures stood beside the other vampire. Each Vampire, had a similar set of pearly white incisors just visible poking out from beneath their upper lips, their eyes shone with various shades of blue and they were all wrapped in the high necked thick black cloaks both Severus and Octavia owned.

“You must be his fledgling.” The first of the Vampire’s stepped forward towards Harry, the boy instinctively backing himself up against Snape’s stretcher. Unlike Octavia, this Vampire was tall and thin, he had auburn hair that cascaded in waves down his back, and was constrained in a black ribbon at the base of his neck. He was clean-shaven, his face was angular but his high cheekbones gave him almost a feminine quality. “You are not what we expected.”

“Alexander, leave him be.” Another of the three Vampire’s stepped forward and cut off the firsts approach towards Harry. This man was shorter than the first, and certainly older. His brown hair was flecked with gray, and his eyes shone pale blue from between the creases of age lines at the corners of his eyes. “I can smell his fear from here.” Harry watched as the elder of the Vampire’s approached, and knelt down beside Harry reaching out with a gentle hand to stroke his fingers down Harry’s cheek. “Impeccable taste,” The vampire whispered as he stroked his fingers up and down Harry’s cheek, his gaze not leaving Harry’s. “just like his father.” Harry closed his eyes automatically and tipped his head to the side in submission as the elder Vampire leant in and nuzzled Harry’s neck before pulling away. “I had doubts Octavia that he would ever return to us, I owe you an apology for doubting your teachings.” Harry opened his eyes and breathed out with a sigh of relief once the vampire had stepped away from and over to Octavia who was now reclined in one of the armchairs by the fireplace, a glass of whisky in his hand.

“Apology accepted,” Octavia paused and glanced over the rim of his glass at Harry, who’d gone back to staring at Severus’ lifeless body on the stretcher. “He is beautiful though isn’t he Attila?” Octavia finished, as he sipped from his amber liquid.

“Who’s this then?” Harry glanced up as the last unidentified vampire spoke up, as he circled Draco who was looking once again scared shitless.

“Fangs off Mortimer, he’s Severus godson and of absolutely no interest to you.” Octavia snapped as he gestured to Draco, for the blonde to come and sit in front of the fireplace with him. Draco scrambled to obey, plonking himself practically on top of Octavia’s feet in front of the fire. Alexander and Attila chuckled at Draco’s fear as they too settled in the armchairs in front of the fireplace. Harry stiffened as he felt Mortimer approach him, the vampire reaching down and prying Harry’s hand away from Snape’s.

“He needs rest little one, his body is rejuvenating itself. Your presence will do nothing but lengthen the process by draining him.” Harry allowed himself to be pulled away from Snape, and led by his hand over to the fireplace, where all four Vampire’s were now sat in the armchairs, glasses of whisky in their clutches. Harry sat himself down directly in front of the fireplace, and shuddered as he kicked off his boots to try and warm his frozen feet. Silence hung in the little room, and Harry found himself transfixed on the flicker, crackle and snap of the flames in the fireplace. Harry could feel the slight tug at his mind, a conversation was being undertaken behind him between the elder Vampires, but he had no intention of trying to get in on it. He skills in occlumency were barely capable of blocking his own mind without attempting to project what he was thinking to someone else.

At length Attila spoke aloud.

“Is he carrying?” Attila nodded his head in Harry’s direction, and the boy spared him a confused look over his shoulder. Octavia snorted into his whisky in obvious amusement.

“I doubt it, Snape barely gave himself enough time to mate before he began to take the potion again.”

“The next cycle perhaps.” Alexander offered, to which Octavia merely shrugged his shoulders, as turned back to face Attila. Harry could feel the elder man’s gaze staring at him, and he began to get angry. Somewhere out there, wizards and witches were dying while they sat here drinking whisky, and discussing his relationship with Snape.

“Can you stop talking about me like I’m not here!” Harry growled over his shoulder, surprising everyone except Octavia with his outburst. Octavia smiled at the stunned expressions on his fellow Vampire’s faces, amused to see how they would react. “Shouldn’t we be going to a council or something. I thought you told Dumbledore you’d discuss helping them fight?” Harry stared at Octavia who glanced sideways at Attila who was still staring at Harry intensely.

“What about Hermione, what if she dies.” Draco spoke up, suddenly growing a backbone when Harry reminded him about the war, they’d just walked away from. There was silence from the four Vampires’ before Attila spoke up.

“What you see before you Harry Potter, is what remains of the old council. Alexander, Octavia, Mortimer and myself are among so few of our kind that remember the old days, before fear and prejudice corrupted the world we live in.” Harry stared in shock up at Attila who stood from his armchair and walked over to the fireplace to warm himself. Harry lowered his gaze back to the floor, to stare at Attila’s brown leather boots.

“Then are you going to help?” Draco whispered earnestly, his fingers clutching at the bottom of Octavia’s robes.

“A decision has already been made, but we can not act upon it until Severus is well enough.” Harry glanced up at Attila, as the vampire bent down to bring his face level with Harry’s.

“And what’s your decision.” Harry whispered watching as Attila’s eyes turned a beautiful sapphire blue.

“Tom Riddle has been an irritation to our way of life since the moment he drew his first breath. Despite claims to the contrary, Riddle was brought up fearing us like most wizards. In his plans for complete and absolute power, we are his only real threat. Being immortal has its advantages Mr. Potter, and try as he might Riddle has never managed to achieve total immortality. Riddle has terrorized nearly every creature in our world, only we have been spared his wrath, until now.” Attila paused, and glanced towards where Severus was still lying on his stretcher. “You do not attempt to take a vampire’s life and expect to live Mr. Potter. We are a proud race, and after the Shaddow War’s that decimated our people we found strength in protecting our own kind. If Riddle wins this war, he will hunt us down one by one just as the ministry did after the war, trying to ensure the total eradication of our kind.” Attila smiled smugly as he reached out and ran a slender finger across Harry’s cheek, seemingly fascinated by the boy’s green eyes. “But we are a resilient group of individuals, and those of us who survived began to pick up the scattered pieces, careful to avoid gaining attention from the ministry. That was until Riddle, rose to his current throne.” Attila swiped a finger across Harry’s chapped lips in silent comment before rising from his crouch and returning to his chair beside Mortimer.

“If you’re immortal, you can’t die. How does Riddle intend to kill you all, how did the ministry do it?” Harry inquired completely entranced by Attila’s voice, as he calmly relayed the history.

“It is the magical signature in our blood that keeps us alive, we are capable of passing that signature to other vampire’s draining us of life and allowing death to become us if stressed beyond a point of reasonable survival. It is a way of protecting our kin, by passing on our signature to protect others. The ministry achieved it through torture, threats and deprivation, I assume Riddle will do the same.” Harry shuddered at the very thought of being tortured. How an organization that claimed to be a peacekeeper could subject any creature to such a horrible fate was beyond redemption in Harry’s eyes.

“You never answered my original question, what is your decision?” Harry whispered as he shuffled over on his knees to Attila, who had beckoned him over with a warm, smile.

“Riddle is a thorn in our side that we will remove with very little effort, however so to is the current ministerial power, which like Riddle will fall beneath us. We are not loyal to either side; we simply wish to be left alone to govern ourselves like the other dark creatures in this world.” Harry nodded in understanding, a smile just twitching at the corner of his lips. “But we must wait for Severus’ recovery before acting, he is our only way into the ministry, and we need his power and knowledge to support our own against Riddle.” Just as Attila finished, a groan rose up from the stretcher in the corner followed by Harry’s name hoarsely whispered. Harry shot to his feet and scrambled over to Severus’ side, clutching the wizards hand in his own, and squeezing in comfort.

“Severus?” Harry whispered gently brushed a stray piece of hair from Snape’s forehead before leaning down and pressing a chaste kiss on the potion master’s cracked bloodied lips.

“Harry,” Snape’s voice trembled, his eyelids just barely opening to reveal the sickly gray-blue of his eyes. “Stay.” Snape tried again his weak hand pulling at Harry’s. Harry nodded in understanding as Snape’s eyes fell closed again as his breathing evened out. Harry felt tears rolling down his cheeks as he stared Snape’s fragile body, his gaze lost on his mate.

“Do not fret, fledgling he will be strong again before you can blink.” Harry glanced up as he felt Attila come up behind him, his index finger reaching out to wipe away Harry’s tears. Just as he spoke there was a loud thunderous crack that rang through the air causing the room to shake violently around them. An icy cold breeze just like that, which had overtaken the castle, blew out the fire and the candles, plunging the room into darkness.

“It is time to move on.” Octavia announced from somewhere in the room. Harry felt himself being swept up in a cloak, his face coming to rest against Octavia’s familiar chest and surrounded by the man’s warm scent.

“We will meet on the shore, be quick.” The last thing Harry heard was Octavia’s muttered charm, before he was swept up into a sea of black leather wings, icy cold air and silence.


TBC>>>>