The Dark Castle

Note: Harry is being called Blaze.

The Dark Castle

Back in DADA they watched a demonstration made by three seventh years on 6:th grades curses. Blaze yawned quite a lot but tried to hide it from Sor since the man glared when he first did it.

Three weeks and months passed by quickly without any odd adventure. Christmas was a quiet deal but note that he got an expensive gift from both Ron and Hermione. He life kept going on like it had before. The only difference would be his moodswings but even they seemed to stabilise and he became this dark, soothing, mysterious, cunning and calm hero. But he could be dangerous, oh yes...

It was January the 3:rd. During breakfast he got a letter from Damien.

Blaze,

I need you today. Make up an excuse for missing school today.

/ D

Operation puke, he thought. He burned the letter but people in the hall were now days used to his odd behaviour with his mail and didn't think much of it. He let a few minutes pass before he mentally forced himself to throw up. People with strong magic could do such things. Not many had ever tried due.

"Harry! Are you alright?" Hermione asked horrified.

"Yes I am," he said because he usually should if it would be real.

"Liar!"

"Alright. I'm not all right! I need to go. Take the day off."

"We'll inform the professors. Are you sure you don't need to go to Madam Pomfrey? Do you need anyone to come with you?"

"No. I'll manage on my own."

"We'll check up on you during lunch."

"No, don't. I need to rest. We'll talk after school's over."

"Ok, take care," said Hermione but she wasn't convinced.

He nodded and left. He tried to ignore Draco's piercing look on him. He could feel Snape watching him as well.

After slipping into his dorm he opened the window. He summoned his magic deep inside him and built a magical stair that glowed in silver. After that was done he walked down it as if it was and ordinary thing he did everyday.

When he came to the ground he let go of his magic and the stair disappeared into nowhere.

Sighing he went into the forest to search for Damien. He didn't sigh because he was tired; he had only just getting started. The magic he performed was nothing to him. And to hold the stair, well let's just say that he could to that in his sleep. No. The sighing come from being annoyed. He really didn't want to miss today's school day. No matter how odd it sounded. He didn't want to give fuel to Snape's suspicions. Even Malfoy had begun to watch him. It was dead annoying.

"Blaze!"

Blaze turned around and looked into a big green bush.

"Er... Damien?" he asked uncertainly.

Damien's head came out from the leaves.

"Never doubt! Never show that you're insecure, and always, always have your senses open! You should know I was even if I didn't say anything. At least you should have know that SOMEONE was here!"

"Sorry," he murmured guilty and opened his senses. He could feel magic and life. Every little energy around him, It was quite overwhelming.

In the beginning he had got a great headache from getting all impressions and emotions from everyone when he tried it in the hall with the students there but it was something that you got used to. Now however it didn't bother him at all. You learned to sort things out. Like in the greathall. He could be blind and all people could be pressed in together but still he could make out where Malfoy was if he wanted. Not only Malfoy, anyone for the matter. But it took a lot of practise.

"Why did you close it anyway? I thought that you always had it open, even when you're asleep," said Damien when he had calmed down a little.

Blaze began to smile.

"I just played Voldemort a bit."

"What did you do?"

"During my sleep I decided to pay Voldemort a little visit, just to see what he was up to."

"And?" Damien asked impatiently and brushed of some leaves.

"Nothing much unfortainly."

Damien nodded to show that he paid attention.

"Anyway, since I was there I decided to give him a little payback but anonymous of course. I gave him a splitting pain in his head before I quickly disappeared and shut down all my senses and blocked my mind so he wouldn't know it was me or that the pain was transferred to me too since we're connected."

"Let me guess... You forgot to open up this morning?"

"Well, yes. Yes I did. You see, I did feel something wasn't right this morning but I somehow couldn't find out what it was that kept on bothering me. I should have known!" he said annoyed with himself.

"Yes you should have. But I want to know why you were so insecure. You're supposed to always be self-confident by now. You are in school, aren't you? And even if you don't have your senses you should be."

"It's stupid really," he said embarrassed.

"How so?" asked Damien and raised a back eyebrow.

Blaze scrowled at him.

"You were in a green bush. It's winter. Bushes aren't green in the winter. I thought it was an illusion," he said through gritted teeth.

Damien looked livid.

"This is a MAGICAL world! Bushes CAN be green during the winter. And you should know that! What the hell am I supposed to do to get you to stop thinking muggle?"

Damien kicked a stone in frustration. Blaze just watched him. He knew it would only get worse if he spoke.

"We'll meditate," Blaze said.

"Oh I'm sure that would help!" he said sarcastically.

"Bow!" Blaze said sharply.

Damien did because it was a direct order and Blaze was the master.

"Say you're sorry!"

"I'm sorry my lord."

"Good. Now, stand up!" Damien did.

"Listen to me. I give you a very free hand Damien. I let you talk to me like an equal, like I'm not your king. I know for a fact that you like that but I also knows that my grandfather didn't let you speak to him like that. I give you a great opportunity here, don't blow it. You know that the only thing that can truly get me pissed of is anyone mentioning my relation to the muggles. I have an idea. You and me meditate. You make sure that I forget everything about the muggle world. In this meditation you'll lead me and I'll follow your directions."

"Everything my lord?"

"First I copy all memories and put them into a pensive. After that you'll teach me everything I need to know about the muggle world, but no muggle thinking, only basics. I mean, all you erase is what I learned in muggle school."

"Yes my lord."

"Good, relax Damien."

"Yes Blaze. Shall we begin?"

"Do you have a pensive?"

Damien made one come out from thin air and they began.

After two hours he was drenched in sweat and they could relax because they were done.

"So. Now you only need to learn."

"Not today!" he groaned.

"I guess we can have a small session everyday."

"Yeah. That's better. Thank god I'm a quick learner."

Damien agreed.

"You asked me to come here because you needed help. With what?"

"Vampires."

Blaze waited for an explanation.

"There's a group of vampires in here. Actually, it's a lot of them, but especially one group is making trouble. I guess that non of them are aware that I am here."

"I suppose they don't belong to us so what does it matter to them if you're here?" Blaze asked.

"I am a dark elf. I'm more powerful then those vampires. They how I'll kill them if they destroy the forest."

"It makes sense, you're an elf after all. Elf's watches forests. What if it should have been a vampire of ours instead of you?"

"Same thing. I thought you had understood already that only the most powerful of each breed is in your castle. The weaker ones lives in the wizarding world but for the wizarding world they're strong so you can only imagine what they would think if they knew about us."

"About that. What does other vampires and werewolves know about the dark castle? I know Remus haven't mentioned it."

"They thinks it no longer exists since the fall of Grinwald."

"What does that have to do with us? As far as I'm concerned Grindwald was a dark lord."

"He was. But his stepbrother was your grandfather. They were bonded. When your grandpa destroyed his brother's soul he died too."

"Er... It was Albus Dumbledore that killed him, not my grandfather."

"That's what people think, even Dumbledore himself. But what happened was the same as happened to Voldemort. He lost his body and magic but his spirit lived on. Your grandpa destroyed his soul one-hour later. That's why he died himself."

"I see. They were bonded. Their souls were connected and were melted into one; they had each other halves. But why?" he asked confused.

"Your grandpa performed the spell when his step brother was young. He wanted to protect him. It just didn't work out the way he planned. It went wrong. His stepbrother couldn't handle the darkness. And it was to late for your grandpa to break the spell."

Blaze nodded.

"I see."

"I'd like you to help me to kill those vampires that makes a hassle in this forest. It's good practise for you."

"Alright. Am I supposed to find them too?"

"As I said, it's a good practise so yes, you should."

Blaze let his senses guide him deeper into the forest. He hissed when he found them.

"Take this stake," Damien whispered.

Blaze got a black one in some kind of steel.

"I thought it would be wood?"

"That would work too but with steel you can use it more than once."

"Alright. Let's go!"

He saw the vampires tense and stand up into attack positions with their fangs out.

"Tut, tut," he sneered.

He began to kill them without mercy. He was ice cold and controlled his every movement with ease. He never noticed Damien's look of awe and deep respect. Blaze killed the last one after he kicked the vampire to the ground. He staked it and looked up and threw back his hair impatiently with a quick nod of his head.

"Brilliant my lord!"

"Thank you," he said simply and stood up straight.

"I didn't expect you to do so well during your first real fight."

"They were easy preys. I've been trained on the level of vampires from my castle. This is supposed to be easy. Damn, I really got a kick out of this! Maybe I should consider being a slayer. And now when Snape already thinks I am one... I don't know."

"We'll see Blaze. Go back to school before they notice you're missing. I'll see you tonight again."

"Til then!" said Blaze and left the forest. He climbed on the wall up to the tower.