Pumpkins Don't Taste Better

Written for sktypied. Beta'd by the lovely Mona.

Harry cursed as kicked the orange gourd on the ground. It figured that the one and only time he was allowed to actually show himself would be on Halloween. He was still under strict orders to not bite anyone.

What was the fun in no biting? Why could he show his fangs, but not ever use them? He was removed from the Great Hall during the merriment because he could feel the blood pounding in all the bodies surrounding him. The heartbeats were so clear in his ears. He knew that he needed to find the one that made that lovely gushing sound.

He had mentioned this sound to Professor Snape, who then immediately pulled him from the room and told him to find his way to the Shrieking Shack where he could feast upon the pig awaiting him.

Swine! As if swine tasted good. Harry turned around and looked back at the castle with the welcoming lights. So much for his warm welcome. It wasn’t his fault that Dumbledore had left him alone after the left Professor Slughorn’s house. He was told to stay put and to keep the invisibility cloak on his body. For once, he listened to his elders. He didn’t rush off after Dumbledore to see what he was doing. No! He stayed put, like an idiot.

The vampire had no trouble finding him. Apparently the sound of blood rushing through veins is quite loud and not at all dampened while one is invisible. He felt the teeth sink into his neck and after that, nothing. He awoke in the infirmary at Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey was feeding him a red potion that looked suspiciously like blood.

Needless to say he wasn’t too happy with Dumbledore’s apologies for leaving him alone that night. He wasn’t too happy to find out that he was now considered one of the un-dead. He couldn’t help but notice the twinkle in the old coot’s eyes upon realizing this. He knew that it had something to do with the prophesy. He grinned wryly when he realized that Voldemort couldn’t very well kill him now. Well he could always stick him in the sun to fry to a crisp, but he seriously doubted that would make the madman happy.

Harry muttered to himself as he kicked another pumpkin across the ground. He looked out toward the Whomping Willow and complained about the unfairness of it all. He was the bloody Boy-Who-Lived only to be shut out of truly living. He was halfway tempted to forget the Shrieking Shack and just go find a lovely little witch in Hogsmeade that would happily lend her neck to the “Savior.” He had plenty of them throw themselves at him when he was in town.

Harry plopped down on the ground and began listing the reasons why he should just forget the Wizarding Race and move to Siberia. The nights were longer there, if he remembered correctly. He was halfway convinced of his decision when he heard the sound again, the lovely sound of the blood coursing through a body. A body that was ripe for the plucking.

He licked his lips. Apparently his feast was coming out in the dark, and from the lack of any other blood pounding sounds, was completely alone. Hadn’t the students been warned not to go outside after dark? Hadn’t the students been warned that this year there were even more dangers, some of them roaming the halls? Harry had heard each one listed even as Dumbledore gazed into his eyes.

His incisors grew into sharp pointy things just waiting to sink themselves into the flesh that was walking in his direction. Harry was practically salivating at the dinner that had found its way to him.

“Draco Malfoy,” was yelled from the darkness. Harry cursed. Snape had to know. Snape seemed to know everything.

Draco stopped where he was and waited for the professor to join him. Harry sat there planning on how he could distract Snape so that he could have a fresh tasting meal for once and not one covered in dirt. Then again, “that’s what cleansing spells are for,” he heard in his head spoken over and over by his dreaded professor.

“What are you doing out here, Mister Malfoy?” Snape demanded.

“I was just getting a bit of fresh air,” he replied casually.

“A breath of fresh air? After all the students were reminded they are not to be out of doors at night?” Harry cursed Snape under his breath. Snape wouldn’t let the boy alone now.

“Should I be afraid? I saw you practically push Potter out the door, yet you try to keep me in.”

“Perhaps I should just leave you outside, since you seem to not care for your safety.” Harry heard Severus turn to leave.

“How is my safety an issue at the moment? I do believe that you made a vow with my mother; I know you wouldn’t let anything harm me. . . .And live to tell about it I mean.” Harry heard the laughter in the voice. He hated Malfoy more right then than he had in quite awhile.

Harry heard as the professor grabbed the boy’s arm and walked him into the secluded area behind the rocks. He looked surprised at the look the professor was giving him. “So, Potter, does he meet with your expectations or would you prefer that pig?”

Harry stood up slowly and walked towards the professor and student, licking his lips seductively as he kept his eyes glued to Draco. “This is the one I told you about, inside,” he said in almost a whisper. The wind carried his voice far enough to reach the boy’s ears.

Harry could see the panic now in the boy’s eyes and his stance. He was struggling to not show signs of trying to escape his half crazed professor and the Boy-Who-Lived-to-want-his-blood. “Professor Snape, what are you doing?” he questioned, barely hiding the fear rising in his voice.

“Quite simply, Mr. Malfoy I have just given you an option. I am apparently going to die if I don’t protect you, as you have said. However, I find that when I’m around creatures like myself that vows don’t mean a thing.”

Harry hissed as he saw the fangs coming from Snape’s mouth. He stopped walking a step away from the other pair. Draco was visibly shaken now. Harry laughed. Make that completely frightened.

Harry looked up into his professor’s eyes. He saw understanding there. He saw triumph. He saw acceptance. “Professor, may I have a drink? You aren’t going to deny me this delicious substance running through his veins? Can you hear how wonderful it sounds?”

Professor Snape laughed. “One last chance, Mr. Malfoy., are you sure you would like to be outside with the creatures of the night or inside the Great Hall where it is safe?”

Draco’s eyes met Harry’s and he couldn’t look away. His panic at being surrounded by two vampires was fading. Everything seemed perfectly natural as he gazed into the green orbs. “Please, Potter” was all he could mutter.

“Harry, the choice is yours” he heard Professor Snape say. “You have a willing victim here. He was given every opportunity to leave. He seems to be pleading with you to end something within his miserable being. What are you going to do? Go to the swine or feast on the boy in front of you?”

Harry let his hand trace along Draco’s jaw. He felt the shiver of the other boy as he gently caressed his skin. He felt something he hadn’t felt before. He felt the need to protect, to save this perfect being. He looked away from the blond boy and into the eyes of his professor. “It’s not right?” He practically questioned as he made his decision.

Professor Snape smiled. “Finally you have learned to control your beast, Harry.” He let go of the other boy and took Harry under his arm. He led him away from the boy sitting on the ground staring at the two vampires walking away. “You must always remember that we must maintain control, if we are not to be hunted down and killed with stakes.”

Harry looked back at the boy on the ground. “But he sounds so delicious. Why is that?”

Draco barely heard the reply. “More than likely he is your mate. You must feed before you go near him again. You cannot just attack a student. Dumbledore himself wouldn’t be able to protect you then.”

“Dumbledore got me into this mess,” he said harshly.

“Dumbledore did indeed get you into this mess. Yet he still loves you and wants to protect you. He is doing this for your own good. Come, we will go to Hogsmeade and I will introduce you to a fair maiden there who will appreciate you. She knows how to keep her mouth shut, when she needs to.”

Harry smiled up at the professor. “What about Malfoy?”

Professor Snape turned around and looked at the boy on the ground. “You have been spared tonight, Mr. Malfoy. I would suggest you find your way inside before we return. I cannot stop Harry again. I need not remind you that what you have seen is completely confidential.” He grinned, flashing his teeth at the blond.

“Yes, Professor” Draco shivered as he watched the two vampires walk away. He continued watching them until they were out of sight. He knew that he needed to go back in, but part of him wanted to remain. He wanted to find out what would have happened if he had listened to the promise within the emerald orbs.

“Mr. Malfoy?”

Draco turned his head and saw the Headmaster staring at him. “Would you care for a lemon drop, perhaps a garland of garlic?”

Draco smiled at the Headmaster’s attempt at humor. “How can you just let them walk around? It isn’t safe.”

Dumbledore sat down beside the young boy and looked to where the two figures had disappeared. “It’s my fault they are both in this predicament. I must still protect them.”

“What about your other students? What about me?” Draco practically whined.

“Mr. Malfoy, were you not urged multiple times to return to the party? Were you not told at the Opening Feast that it wasn’t safe outside at night?” Dumbledore gazed at the young boy he had not spent any time with. “Perhaps it would be wise for you to return to the party now. They are well away and won’t return for awhile. Harry is about to have his first taste of fresh human blood. It is simply intoxicating. If he is not careful, he will kill the first person who offers their blood to him.”

Draco looked into the Headmaster’s blue eyes “How can you sit here calmly knowing that he is about to feed off of another human being?”

“But Mr. Potter is no longer human. He is with an elder who will instruct him in the ways to control his appetite, so to speak. If he is not taught, then he will lose control and attack a student. You were almost his first victim. Do you know the remorse he would have felt if you had been the one he killed?”

“He doesn’t care for me. He hates me.”

“Hate is a strong word for enemies. There is a very fine line between love and hate. If my impressions from what I witnessed are right, the line is blurred even further. He is going to admit that he wants to get to know you.”

Draco just sat there and stared into the emptiness around him. Draco felt the Headmaster's robes as he turned and walked back to the castle. He shivered in the night air. He continued to sit there, staring where the two vampires disappeared. His world would change. He would belong to a vampire, apparently one that really wanted him. He would not have to sell his soul to work for the devil. He would have bite marks instead of an ugly tattoo marring his arm.

Draco put his nose in the air and snorted. He did always look good wearing turtlenecks. He sat there weighing the pros and cons. He could hear the party ending on the inside. He knew that curfew was upon him. He needed to go back inside before Harry returned. Somehow, he knew he didn't need to fear Professor Snape.

He leaned his head on his knees and continued to think. He imagined what it would be like to feel Harry's lips pressed against his neck, his tongue slowly caressing the area he would sink his teeth into. It sounded almost romantic. Almost. He realized that pain would still be involved.

He thought about how he would become like a servant to Harry Potter. Would he want to be subservient to him? He mused that it would be better than the Dark Lord.

He was still sitting in this position when Harry and Professor Snape returned. Snape shook his head. "Apparently he really doesn't care for his pretty little neck. You may have him, if you want him. I'm going to bed."

Harry's eyes widened at the promise that was kept. He scooped Draco into his arms and carried him to the Shrieking Shack. He had cleaned it up a bit since he was now staying there when the urge to bite was too overwhelming to remain within the confines of the school. He laid Draco out on the bed on the first floor. He sat down beside the boy and just stroked his face, running his fingers through the soft hair.

Draco opened his eyes and gazed up into the eyes of the vampire. He went to open his mouth, but Harry laid a finger on it. “Please don’t talk, Draco. I need to talk before I change my mind.” Harry closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the blood pulsating through Draco’s body. “You sound absolutely exquisite. I feel that one taste of you would never be enough.” He licked his lips as he opened his eyes. “I don’t want to take you by force, but I don’t want to keep you for longer than you are willing. I have full permission to treat you however I want. I don’t want that. I want your approval.”

Draco nodded his head feeling mesmerized by the boy…no, man, in front of him. He knew that he still had a choice. His body was telling him to forget everything else and just give into the moment; his mind screamed that he was about to become food for a vampire. “I want you to want me, Draco. I am going to want you for the rest of my life, which is a very long time, I might add.” Harry added with a smile. “I want you to come to me willingly, not just be tempted by what you are feeling at this moment. You are made for me and I will please you in all ways. My whole being would be placed into your hands for safekeeping.”

Draco couldn’t believe the words he was hearing. Harry was practically telling him that he loved him. “Harry…”

“Draco, listen to me. Do you remember how creatures have mates? Apparently you are mine. It couldn’t be a better situation for you. I have no control over you. I need you. I need you near me. I need you to protect me. I need you to sustain me. I can live without you, but I find I don’t want to. You can choose to walk away right now and never feel one minute of sorrow. Me? I will always long for you. That tramp tonight, she was nothing. She tasted almost as bad as the pigs do.”

Draco practically laughed, but he realized how serious Harry was being. “So, you are saying that you will be mine to control as I please?”

Harry groaned. He knew he needed to be with Draco, but he would have to teach him some manners somehow. “Please, Draco, the question. Answer the question.”

Draco let the smile break his face. He sat up and pulled Harry closer to him. “I’ll give you my answer in a minute.” He let his hands roam down Harry’s chest, feeling the muscles underneath. “I should know what I’m getting into, right? I think you should take your shirt off.”

Harry groaned and did as the blond requested. He pulled his shirt over his head, flexing the muscles that Draco had wanted to see. “Is this what you want to see? The package?” Harry stood up. “Shall I drop my trousers for you as well?” He practically growled the last statement out.

“Yes. Yes, I do believe I want to see the entire package before I submit to a lifetime of controlling you. I would love to see what I’m getting in exchange for all of this control.” Draco’s eyes were dancing. He realized he was upsetting the vampire, but he was having fun tormenting Harry. He never realized that he would, by some freak of accident, have control over the Boy-Who-Lived.

Harry grumbled as he dropped his trousers and stood in front of Draco naked as a baby’s bottom. He stood over the bed glaring at the blond, trying to ignore the sweet sound of his blood. “You better be worth this, Malfoy.”

“Tsk. Tsk, Potter. You want something from me.” Draco stood up and admired the body before him, taut with nerves. He placed his hands on the chest and lazily dragged them around it. He moved his fingers lightly over the chest and around his side trailing across his ribcage in a teasing pattern. He stepped around the boy and ran his hands up his back, letting his nails sink in slightly as he clawed his way down before cupping his firm arse in his hands. He leaned in and let his breath whisper across his shoulder. “How badly do you want me, Potter?”

Harry groaned and leaned backwards into the boy. “Draco, I need you. I need to feel you under me, around me, in me. I’m controlling the urge to sink my teeth into your neck, to taste the sweet nectar flowing through your body. I want to kiss that god-awful attitude out of you and fill your mouth.”

Draco leaned in and kissed his neck slowly. “So, I can still stop you, if I should change my mind, right?” He asked teasingly.

Harry groaned and turned his head. He captured Draco’s lips and let his desire for Draco overshadow all else. Draco’s tongue met his in a battle to declare a winner in the battle of passion. Harry felt the vampire coming to the surface. He was kissing his mate. He was drowning in the pleasure that surrounded his being. He gently bit Draco’s lip, reminding him of the power that he was teasing.

Draco pulled back, his face was flushed. He may have been cocky beforehand, but he was definitely seeing the benefits to mating with one Harry Potter. “You are wearing too many clothes for my taste, Draco.”

Harry pulled Draco’s shirt off without a care for the rip that was heard. Draco began to protest, but he saw the eyes flashing before him. He pulled the vampire's mouth down onto his for another kiss as their bodies met.

To say this mating was gentle would be an outright lie. The passion was so high that Draco didn't remember where half of the scratches came from that littered Harry's body. Draco knew that he had quite a few on his own body. The only thing that had remained unmarked was his neck. The paleness reflected in the candlelight.

Harry gazed down at Draco, his mate and now lover. He saw the pulse beating quickly from their encounter. He whispered the spell for lubrication and began to apply the slickness to his hard cock. He never broke the eye contact with Draco as he began to rub it in around the outer rim of the hole he planned on sinking himself into. He lowered his head, in what seemed a timeless moment. His teeth fully extended as he used his other hand to turn Draco's head to the side. He penetrated Draco's neck and pushed inside of his arse at the same time. He heard Draco's cry of pleasure or pain, whichever the case was, but Harry was gone.

He could taste the sweet nectar flowing into his mouth. He began a rhythm that Draco soon found the beat of. The mating dance was being completed. Where one ended, the next began. Neither could tell which body they physically belonged in. Both cried out as the mating cycle came to an explosive end.

The two boys lay there, their limbs entwined, breathing heavily. Harry rested his head in the crook of Draco's neck. He was nearly asleep when he heard the possessive voice underneath him. "I hope you realize, Potter, you are mine now."

Harry propped himself up on his elbows and looked at the smirking blond underneath him. "Yours?" he questioned with a bit of a laugh.

"Most definitely mine" Draco reached up and pushed a stray hair out of Harry's face. "If I have to be claimed, then I'm claiming you right back. You are absolutely not allowed to do that with anyone but me." He looked up for the reaction.

Harry could only laugh. "My god, I'm stuck with you now, aren't I?" He rolled as Draco pushed him off and straddled his body.

"Yes, you are stuck with me. If anyone comes within a foot of you, I will hurt them." He laughed. "You think being a vampire makes you possessive, just wait until you see my veela genes come out."