A Place to Call Home
Vacation's End
Disclaimer: On the new book that just came out, did anyone see my name anywhere on it…no didn't think so.
A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. Unfortunately, I've been really sick for the past like nine months which is why I haven't been able to update lately. I just got out of the hospital and I've been feeling a little better, so I decided to get this out. I also wanted to let everyone know that this is definitely DracoHarry. It's might take a while, and there might be other minor pairings because Harry's eleven right now, but it will be DracoHarry. Finally, if there are any questions, comments, or criticisms: please review!
Summary: (AU) A vampiric Draco who finds himself with a new blood donor in Harry Potter must now face the challenges of Hogwarts anew and this time he has more than just himself to worry about. DMHP.
"Harry," Hermione whispered, "Are you sure that this is a good idea?"
Harry looked at her in exasperation. "Hermione, you said you'd help me find the person whose killing the students."
"I know." Hermione said slowly, looking at Ron who was watching the hallway to make sure no one came through. "But why do you think that's it's Snape?"
Harry looked at her. "Hermione doesn't he seem a little suspicious?"
"You have no reason to suspect-"
"Hermione," Harry said calmly, "If you don't want to help me find the murderer then you don't have to. I don't want you to get in trouble."
Hermione frowned. "That's not it Harry. I just wish you'd tell me everything."
Harry looked at suspiciously. "I told you about Snape, didn't I?"
"Yes," Hermione hedged, "but…are you sure that's it?"
Harry's insides twisted and he squirmed uncomfortably. So much for telling his friends the entire truth. He had told them about the whole blood-donor fiasco, but he couldn't tell them about his dreams or Tom or the bloody potion. If they knew that he was doing this because of some stupid instinct and some nightmares, they'd think he was crazy. "That's it." Harry said, his face turning back towards Snape's door where he trying to figure out the password.
"Guys," Ron ducked in under the invisibility cloak. "How long is this going to take? These Slytherins don't believe anything. One actually pulled out his wand when I tried to stop him from coming down the hallway."
Harry snorted under his breath and finally got the door open. "Alright guys." he said, stepping into the dank room. "Now don't touch anything. He hates when you touch his stuff. Just try and shift through his papers on his desk. And remember to put everything back where it belongs. I'm going to check out his storeroom."
Ron and Hermione looked at each other. "Sure Harry," Ron said amiably, "Just call if you want some help."
Harry waved and leaving Ron and Hermione to Snape's papers, he walked through the narrow corridor on the left of Snape's private rooms, bypassing his bedroom and entering through a heavy wooden door to Snape's private supplies. This was the real reason Harry wanted to get into Snape's rooms. Yes, he did think that Snape had something to do with the murders, but he could check that out later. What he wanted now was the bezoar.
According to Tom, the bezoar wasn't needed until much later, but this may have been the only time that Snape wouldn't be able to catch them in his rooms, going through his potion supplies. Walking through the cabinets, Harry finally found the small round stone and reaching up on his toes, he snagged one out of the pile and snuck it into his pocket just as Hermione entered the room.
"Harry," she said looking at him oddly, "Ron and I found something."
Harry followed her out of the supply closet, the stone bouncing heavily in beat to the one around his neck. When they reached Snape's desk, Harry saw Ron poring over a heavy text. "It was open to this page." Ron said without looking up, "but only the title's in English. The rest is in some old vampiric language. I think we're going to need to copy it and translate it on our own."
Harry leaned over his shoulder and saw that Ron was right. "Blood Frenzy?" he asked out loud. "What's that?"
"I have no idea. But it sounds evil." Ron said trailing a hand down the page, fingers tracing over the symbols. "I don't know. This looks familiar, like I've seen Draco writing it or something. You think he'd know?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. You're right, it looks familiar, but I can't place it exactly. I'll ask Draco about it, but I don't think we should tell him about where we heard it from. He'll just get…" Harry trailed off, looking wryly at Ron.
Ron grinned back, rubbing Harry's shoulder lightly. "Then we don't tell him. We can take care of this ourselves."
"Thanks," Harry said relieved. The last thing he needed was Draco worrying over him more than usual. "Hermione," he asked turning around, "Do you know the copying-"
Harry blinked as Hermione rushed out of the corridor, blushing lightly. "Sorry," she said catching Harry's eye. "There were some interesting ingredients in there." Ron rolled his eyes and Hermione glared at him. "He has illegal stuff."
"Really?" Ron asked, perking up.
Hermione pushed him aside to copy the paper from Snape's book. "Yeah, like basolit oil and crabfinger root."
"Basolit oil I understand," Ron said, "That stuff'll burn right through hippogriff skin, but cranfinger root? They grow at home. I've seen girls picking the flowers to take home."
Hermione muttered something unpleasant about girls who picked up poisonous flowers because they were idiots while Harry laughed and said, "The flowers aren't lethal, but the roots, when stewed are the one of the most potent forms of poison. There used to be a legend that when spouses were about to kill their intended, crabfinger grew around their houses as a warning."
Hermione looked at Harry pleased, while Ron looked horrified. "You've been spending too much time with Snape, mate." he said, just as Hermione smiled and said, "Oh Harry, you've been studying!"
Harry smiled at them and picked up the copied page. "Lets just get out of here. I don't want Snape to get suspicious or anything."
Ron nodded and picked up his wand. "Yeah, when's he coming back anyway?"
"First day of term, just like Draco." Harry said, leading the way out and heading towards the Slytherin dorms.
"Harry," Hermione started, "maybe you should tell Draco-"
"No." Harry said shortly.
"But-" she started.
"Hermione, just leave it." Ron said calmingly, shooting a look at her over Harry's head.
Harry closed his eyes and kept moving forward. His friends had been acting strange ever since he had told them his secrets, but he guessed that if he was still hiding stuff from them, then they could hide stuff from him. "Come on," he said opening the door to the common room, "We can go up to my dorm and work there." he said, ignoring the glares of his fellow Slytherins. "No one's up there."
Still exchanging looks, Ron and Hermione followed him up the stairwell, in for what seemed to be a long night.
Harry yawned.
Classes had started up three days ago and Ron, Hermione, and he had even less time to decipher the paper, not that they had been getting anywhere when they actually had free time. Harry rubbed his eyes and took another look at the paper. It was late, maybe three in the morning and all of his dorm-mates were asleep, but Harry had just woken up from another dream. He could almost remember this one. It was right on the tip of his memory, but-
Harry sighed and rolled out of bed, taking his paper with him as he padded downstairs. They had tried everything. Hermione and Ron were working overtime in the library, Ron looking up vampire languages and Hermione studying translating spells. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let Harry help at all. They thought that he'd be too tired to help. Even more unfortunately, they were probably right. The dreams and insomnia had gotten worse as school started again. That coupled with Draco and Snape, it was all taking its toll on Harry.
Making sure the common room was empty, Harry slipped over to his desk and pulled out a sheaf of papers relating to the copied text. Pushing his fingers through his hair, Harry ran over the incomprehensible words again. Like Ron, he knew they looked familiar, but he just couldn't place them.
Suddenly the portrait door flew open, Snape storming into the room and Harry's head shot up, his hands instinctively fluttering over the papers to hide them under his desk.
"Potter!" Snape hissed.
"Yes?" Harry asked, trying to calm his heart, thumping loudly at the close call.
"What the hell were you doing to in my rooms?" he snapped.
Harry frowned and then innocently: "I wasn't in your rooms."
Snape grabbed his arms and yanked him upwards. "Do. Not. Lie. Boy. Your scent was all over those rooms."
Harry's mind raced as he tried to free his arm. "I'm there all the time. Of course they smell like me!"
Snape snorted and pushed him roughly against the desk. "I do not care for your excuses. Just give me back the ingredients you stole."
"What ingredients?" Harry cried.
"The unicorn hair and the bezoar." Snape said harshly, shaking him.
"Unicorn hair?" Harry asked incredulously. "I didn't take- I didn't take anything!"
"There are missing supplies and you are the only one who could have gotten in those rooms." Snape yelled, his fangs protruding from his mouth.
"Well I didn't take them!" Harry yelled back, struggling to get Snape off him.
Snape snarled and pulled Harry's head back. "You stupid, stupid boy!" he hissed out before biting Harry viciously, causing him to cry out. Snape sucked hard, his nails biting into Harry's arm and scalp until finally letting go and letting Harry collapse against his desk. "Never. Never steal anything from me again." he snarled, before turning and sweeping from the room.
Harry sniffed hard as he sat up, wiping the stream of blood away from where it had soaked into his collar. Dizzy, he left the common-room and walked towards Draco's rooms, hand held tight to his nose as if to stop himself from crying. Stumbling through the hallways, he finally reached Draco's rooms and tripped inside after mumbling the password.
"Har'y?" Draco's sleep-filled voice called out, "That you?"
"Um yeah," Harry said softly, his voice wavering.
Draco lifted himself out of bed and walked towards Harry. "What's- is that blood?" he suddenly asked, wide awake.
Harry shied away from his touch. "Forget about it. I want to take a shower."
"Harry, did Snape-"
"I want a shower." Harry said stubbornly.
Draco raked a hand through his silver tinted hair. "Alright. Alright, come on. You're staying with me tonight and in the morning-" Draco stopped, noticing Harry's sleepiness. "go take a shower and then come back here." he finished gently, pushing him towards the bathroom.
Harry nodded and went inside as Draco let himself flop back on his bed, sheets rumpled around him. He covered his eyes as a headache started in creep in slowly. He groaned. He didn't know what to do about this whole thing. He couldn't let Harry get hurt, but it could be ten times worse if Snape let Voldemort know about their relationship. Slowly Draco's eyes drifted shut again until he heard the shower shut off and a few seconds later, small shuffling steps towards the bed.
Sleepily, Draco cracked an eye open and looked at Harry. "Wet, wet, couldn't you dry yourself?" he mumbled, dragging Harry into the bed with him. Yawning, he combed Harry's damp hair with his fingers, until both fell asleep curled around each other.
Ron brushed his damp hair out of his eyes and he poured the rest of the cat's blood into the cauldron. "How long do we let it bubble again?" he asked, huffing from having to drag the heavy container all the way to the empty room in Ravenclaw tower.
Hermione bent over the book, reading it carefully in the dim light. "Thirty six hours exactly. Make sure you note the time. After that we'll add the infusion of unicorn hair and mistletoe." she said softly.
"Right," Ron said, jotting it down. Then, hesitantly: "Hermione, why can't we just talk to Harry about this. He'd probably be happy to have help. I mean, this potion: Bloodstone Protectorate sounds a little…crazy. I mean Draco made the potion as a defense against Snape; why would Harry make a potion that would save the git's life?"
"I know it's weird Ron." Hermione sighed, "but Harry has such comprehensive notes on the topic that I think he's making it himself and- and this way, even if he doesn't trust us with it, and even if he never knows that we did this…at least we'll know that we'll always be there for him."
Ron smiled crookedly at her and gave her a one-armed hug. "Now how do we infuse unicorn hair and mistletoe?" he asked again.
To Be Continued…