Chapter Eighteen:

Aftermath

A/N: Read, review and enjoy! This is the end, my friends! ^_^

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Harry hadn't slept all night - not like he would have, anyway. But he really hadn't even given himself a moments rest. He paced between catching up on class work, watching Draco fast asleep beneath his own blankets wearing only silk boxers, and staring into the fire. Miguel and Maija had taken residence in the Forbidden Forest for the next couple of nights, not wanting to venture too far from Harry just yet.

The only thing that was on the boy's mind now was the anticipation of the news releases, and his nerves were at their fullest. He kept looking into his bathroom mirror periodically and telling himself aloud, "You can do this. You are Harry Potter. You are a vampire. Nothing can scare you," he would say firmly but somewhere in those sentences his voice would crack and he would lose all stability.

He couldn't do this, face the entire student body as a vampire and Draco Malfoy's mate. Not after six years of being their Saviour, something he detested anyway, but it was better than the newest development! Harry was wringing his hands together nervously, just about ready to explode. Then he heard the uneven breath of Draco coming from the next room, he appeared at his mate's side in a matter of a second, as the blonde stirred into sleep.

The underside of his eyes were pinkish, rimmed with sleepiness as he blinked his eyes to adjust to the moonlit room. "Harry?" he whispered unsurely at the figure hovering overtop of him.

Harry smiled sweetly and reached his cold hand downward, stroking Draco's face. "Yes, my love?" he whispered, not wanting to fully disturb the boy's sleep mode.

"What are you doing? You are making so much bloody noise..." he whined, flipping over onto his left side, snuggling into one of the pillows.

"Sorry, hun. I just can't stop thinking about tomorrow," he admitted and sat down lightly on the bed, observing Draco's rising and falling back.

"Come to bed," Draco demanded softly, his eyes shut again and his breathing becoming regulated.

"You know I can't fall asleep, I'll wake up too late,"

"I did not say sleep, just come to bed, please? I do not want you to keep me up all night too, so lay with me," he explained, snuggling deeper into the pillow and huffing an inhalation of breath lightly. Harry smiled down at his boyfriend's figure and stroked his back.

Just then a heavy Advanced Transfiguration textbook floated into the room and Draco's eyes snapped open and then closed shut again as a smile flickered across his features. "You are getting better at that...damn, I am a good teacher," he smirked.

Harry just shook his head and crawled overtop of Draco making sure not to hit him on the way, he settled himself beneath the blankets and wrapped his arms around the blonde's tired form. "I love you, Harry," Draco whispered into the crook of Harry's neck before drifting back off into a dream land.

For a while Harry watched him sleep, listening closely to the sound of him breathing and his heartbeat. Harry was becoming more fascinated with this now, as Migeul said he would. This was human life, it was so frail and dependent upon natural occurances, unlike Harry's so-called-Life. The brunette contemplated his lover's existence for an hour or two before shifting one arm free of holding Draco and proping the Transfiguration book open on his lap, he had to do something productive that night.

Harry felt the sunrise twenty minutes before it did, as usual. His senses were becoming much more keen on things of that matter, it was a safety mechanism instilled in all vampires due to their vulnerability and possible death underneath sunlight. As the sun finally reached a suitable level, an owl tapped at his window.

The brunette jumped softly out of the bed, letting in the owl followed by one more. There was The Daily Prophet and Wizard's Weekly, the Sunday papers. Harry pet both owls before sending them on their way, one tawny and one white as they flapped through the early morning sky. He was surprised that the reporters kept their word, though there were more than that at the Press Conference, but he knew those papers wouldn't be delievered to school anyway.

He eyed the front page of Wizard's Weekly first, scanning over the print and checking out his picture. There stood in full colour, Draco looking luminous standing next to a dull, cold Harry in the Room of Requirment with just a brown wall as a background, Harry's eyes were empty as Draco was smirking coldly, for appearance of course. Harry's arm was slung lazily around his mate's shoulders, not the best of pictures. Above the picture was the caption; "YOU-KNOW-WHO VANQUISHED BY A VAMPIRE?"

Most of this story recalled the events of Thursday evening and Harry's peculiar state, though not mentioning his Sire as Harry did not give his name or how he came to be what he was. Though he did admit it was why he was missing over the summer holidays. The paper also recalled Voldemort's attempt to reign over the past two decades. Harry was pleased with this article, and only at the end did it mention that, "Harry Potter is now mated with Draconis Lucius Malfoy, the son of an alleged but free Death Eater,". This was quite pleasing.

With high hopes Harry looked at the first page of the Daily Prophet, not thinking he had anything to worry about. He could already tell, by the story taking up the entire page, that things would get heavy here. He could also see that it abruptly ended and continued on the next page.

"HARRY POTTER TURNS VAMPIRE!..." the main focus of this entire front page article was not only on Harry's 'cold demeanor that stank of decay' but also concentrated a lot on the lover at his side. It described Draco as a 'beautifully, well kept young man. Always the most illegible bachelor in the Hogwarts halls', and also went on to say that Harry, a half-breed, was not worthy of this relationship. Harry's eyes narrowed but he found himself not getting to angry at the report, finding a lot of it true himself.

He flicked his eyes over to the resting blonde, life bursting in every cell of his body and suddenly felt very, very bad for him. Harry has the best looking man he has ever laid eyes on, and what does Draco get? A completely lifeless vessel with a disturbed mind? Harry frowned, he reached out with his cold hand and stroked Draco's soft cheek, the blonde murmured in his sleep and nuzzled closer to the touch. Harry smiled brightly, it's not like he could give up what he had but he wished that Draco could at least have more. It made the brunette feel sick to his stomach.

On the inside page of The Daily Prophet it spoke a lot about Draco and rarely about the defeat of Voldemort, though it was quickly explained. The caption on the inside was, "MALFOY HEIR MATES DEAD BOY!", Harry snarled at it. Now he did truly feel sick to his stomach. The newspaper article even had the nerve to comment on Draco's fang marks, and how they saw them he had no idea. But they described it as; 'an obvious sign of aggression already in the new relationship'. Harry threw aside the papers onto the bedside table and watched Draco sleep for another twenty minutes, but it'd be breakfast soon and he wanted to get there before the crowd read their papers.

"Wha-is it morning already?" Draco groaned as he was shaken awake. Harry smiled sweetly down at him.

"I'm sorry, love,"

"For what?" the blonde asked, stretching and then sitting up. This revealed his stark white chest to Harry whose eyes flickered downward and heat began to rise in his groin.

"Er...for...I'm sorry that...waking you up and, erm..well, sorry that you're with me," Harry mumbled.

Draco raised an eyebrow, "Sorry that I am with you? What are you on about, Potter?"

"Well, y'know...sorry that you're my mate. That you're with a dead guy," Harry frowned now again, he really did like how the odds played out for his love.

"Harry, oh no, Harry..." Draco cooed and stradled Harry, who was already thinking sexual thoughts and this was not helping as they had to get to Breakfast soon and Draco still had to shower and get ready. The blonde wrapped his arms around Harry's neck tightly and began to kiss all over his face, mostly ontop of his messy hair and forehead, whenever his mouth ghosted the lightning bolt scar Harry shivered involuntarily. "There is nobody I would rather be with. My Father was right, I picked an exceptional man," Draco grinned. "For once him and I agree upon something," he chuckled lightly, leaning backwards on his lovers lap and then gasping lightly.

"Er, sorry for that too..." Harry blushed deeply, he understood why Draco had gasped.

"Now that you should never apologize for," Draco winked suggestively and suddenly seemed quite awake as he shimmied his way down Harry's body and the brunette watched with an open, anticipating mouth. His emerald eyes went wide as Draco now had his mouth overtop of the bulge in Harry's pants.

Harry sighed in bliss but forced the blonde softly off of him. "Love, you need to shower. Breakfast is soon and we can't be late, not today, anyway," the brunette's mood fell again. He was nervous as hell, what was everybody's reaction going to be? Would they be thankful that Voldemort was gone or disgusted that he was a half-breed?

As Draco got ready, Harry waited nervously on the couch by the fire, it was dimly lit. Then a knocking came to the door and he already feared an onslaught of students, not realizing that they didn't know where his dormitory was in the first place. Then he recognized the smells as Hermione and Ron and relaxed slightly. He let his two, tired looking friends inside.

"So, are you ready, mate?" Ron asked unsurely, his hands in his pocket as Hermione leaned her head lightly on his upper arm. Harry always thought they were awkwardly cute together.

"Don't think I'll ever be," he sighed.

"Did you get the papers?" Hermione quipped, suddenly recalling this and it drew her attention. Harry nodded and then closed his eyes for a moments time, the two papers then glided into the room as if simply by his will, though it did take a lot of mental strength. Ron gaped his mouth at Harry and then clapped him on the arm.

"Well done!" he smirked. "You're bloody brilliant, I don't think I'll ever get bored of that one!"

Hermione rolled her eyes as she took the papers from the air as they floated there, she scanned both articles and frowned afterwards. "The Daily Prophet is always a bit off its rocker, isn't it?" she whispered and noticed the longing look in Harry's eyes. "Don't worry, I'm sure nobody will..." she cut off her sentence as Draco entered the room.

Even Ron's eyes widened at the sight of him, Harry turned to see what all the rukus was about and his mouth dropped wide open.

Draco's platinum hair was still wet and it hung around his face, shaping it and he had pulled the longer bits back into a small ponytail that hung loosely on his back. Water droplets periodically fell onto his glowing face as his eyes were shining a bright silver. He looked as if his skin was sparkling, and he was wearing something Harry had yet to see on him. His cloak had a silver fastening with an intricate snake design embedded in it, underneath was a white dress shirt that clung to his skin and was slightly see through, you could see the contours of his perfected torso, and it was unbuttoned three or four times at the top to reveal his shaped collar bones and chest. His hand was adorned with two rings, one was a Malfoy signet one, must have been given to him a while ago by his Father. The other was just a plain band, silver as well. It matched his silver ring, the two snakes coiling around the emerald heart. It was gleaming proudly overtop of his clothing.

It was the first time he wasn't tucking it under his shirt in public. His slacks were slightly tight to his thighs but the black billowed out around his anckles. He looked like a sex God, pure and simple. "Draco...you look...wow," Harry blinked once, twice, and a third time. Hermione was blushing heavily.

"I thought I might as well try my best for our first day as mates in public," he winked and that almost made Harry jump him, the brunette had to physically stop himself.

"That necklace...it's beautiful," Hermione whispered in awe as Draco approached the stilled group due to his presence. This made the couple smile.

"Harry gave that to me," he smiled. "Hey, speaking of...why aren't you wearing my gift?" Draco scowled lightly, crossing his arms and Harry realized that this was probably a bad situation to be in. Quickly he concentrated on the ring in his bedside table drawrer and everybody heard it suddenly slide open and then shut again.

"Here it is, couldn't where it before...y'know why, people would've asked," Harry blushed lightly and took the ring from the air. The Bloodstone shown even brighter than the emerald on Draco's necklace did, especially when Harry slipped it onto his left index finger. Hermione's eyes widened.

"Is that...a Bloodstone?"

"Why yes it is," Draco boasted, "Near impossibility to find, and they did not feel comfortable selling it to me either. They thought things,"

"Who wouldn't? It's a sign of a truly strong Vampire!" Ron added in, looking down at the ring with admiration and then up at Harry whose eyes seemed nervous. "Must've cost a fortune," he shrugged.

Draco grinned at that, he loved showing off his money and now he got to do that for Harry in front of everybody else. This made him happy. "Listen guys, can we just get onto breakfast to get this all bloody over with?" Harry groaned.

"Fine, fine, do not start being such a pratty-puss," Draco shooed everybody out of the room and closed the door lightly behind him as the foursome continued down the hallway.

"Why are you looking so much...I don't know, lighter than usual?" Ron quipped from in front of the couple, they were walking down the empty corridors in two.

"It is the reaction from being mated with a vampire, Malfoy will increase in physicality until they are fully bonded by matrimony," Hermione explained matter-of-factly, as always. "You should really read up about a vampire's mate,"

"I have, thank you very much," Draco snapped. Harry looked at him with a warning, he knew he had to play nice with the Gryffindors as the Slytherin's would most definitely not accept him back into their House after this. Was it really all worth it? Draco took a sidelong glance at Harry and immediately decided that yes, it definitely was.

"Just because I am in love with and mated to Harry does not mean I must tolerate the two of you anymore than this. If you start coming around looking to play, you will be surely disappointed. I already have enough Gryffindor filth on my robes," Draco snarled, sounding much like his old self.

"How can you like a prat like this, mate?" Ron growled as their pace slowed down slightly, Hermione was clutching the redhead's hand in hopes that a fight didn't start.

"At least I am not a Weasley, I actually have standards," Draco huffed.

"Enough," Harry firmly growled and Ron huffed as Draco whined like a puppy who didn't get his treat. "Draco, you don't have to like my friends but you have to remember they're my friends. And Ron, you don't have to like Draco but you have to remember that he is my mate. Vampire's usually only mate once,"

"Yeah yeah," Ron grumbled as the submurged now from the dungeons, a few groups of students were scattered around the Entrance Hall and some were descending the stairs. All eyes were on them now. "Wait, did you say usually? You know, you've always been quite unusual, mate," Ron hopefully said, and Harry could tell he was being honest in his opinions and thoughts.

"You forget I can read your mind," Harry snarled, shutting his best friend up immediately.

As the four walked into the Great Hall, hand-in-hand as couples, they took the same seats as yesterday but this time there were a scarce amount of students in the room. But it was silenced anyway.

"Oh, we forgot to mention," Hermione blushed, leaning across the table on her elbows as Draco and Ron began to fill their plates. Harry need not to this morning or any other meal time, the entire school was about to find out about his 'condition'. "Colin's been running around trying to convince everybody that you're a Vampire, not one person has believed him so far,"

"Well, they will soon," Harry grumbled. His nerves were racked and he folded his hands neatly on the table top as he watched the students pour in. "What have they been saying about us?"

"No, I do not want to know how much my reputation has been ruined," Draco snapped immediately. Harry didn't blame him, it would ruin his own reputation too but the difference was he didn't care about it, but he knew fully well that his boyfriend did.

"Prat," Ron muttered as he shoved his first forkful of eggs into his mouth. Once most of the student body had filed in, many eyes and whispers directed at the couple, the four had ended up sitting completely detatched from everybody else as it seemed nobody wanted to come near them without a ten-foot pole.

Just as everybody was beginning to eat, Professor Dumbledore stood up from the High Table. "Good morning, everybody!" he began cheerily and Harry lowered his head as much as possible and despite Draco's comforting touch on his back, he was not prepared for this. "I have a few very, VERY important announcements to make to you all this morning. Please, before we begin listen to what I must tell you. For it is great, wondrous news," the students whispered and Dumbledore waited for them all to quiet down.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle was murdered on Thursday night by a very brave student, though he acted upon rash thoughts all was prevailed. With the helping hands of certain friends," Dumbledore nodded his head towards the teachers doorway and to Harry's surprise there stood Migeul and Maija, standing stark and all students hushed completely by their presence. A few whispers rang and Harry ignored them. Miguel smirked a couple of times, having listened into the reactions. Draco was noting the very outraged look on the Slytherin's faces, and the passive ones of those who must have found out already from their parents imprisonment. How he dreaded returning to the Slytherin House, but he knew he had to eventually, and probably that evening.

"Now most of you know Tom Riddle as Lord Voldemort, or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," he continued and many students gasped now. Loud whispers sang the name and questioned the old man. "I would like us all to greatly thank Harry Potter for his bravery in finally ending the War, and of course add another amount of thanks to his Sire Migeul and his Maija. Thank you all, for your greatest contribution to the Wizarding World!" Dumbledore smiled brightly but the Great Hall was stilled.

Then, the Purebloods and Slytherin's spoke first; "Sire?? That only means one thing, vampire! Harry Potter, a vampire?" many different students began to abruptly yell things, and to Harry they were incoherent as he blocked them out as much as possible. A shiver was going down his spine, he would give anything to be back in his dormitory bed with Draco asleep.

Then Harry heard what he had not expected to hear. Clapping. It had started out at the Ravenclaw Table by Luna Lovegood, who was standing upon the bench and clapping quite animatedly with a large smile gracing her face. Harry looked over his shoulder at her and thanked her with a small smile, but he caught the faces of those other students as well. The disapproving and confused ones. Luna's clapping erupted amongst the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Tables, and then came the Slytherins. It was quite surprising that even they clapped for him, and as he looked over at the other House many of them were grinning.

"I think your House has gone mad. Never would they clap for me in a million years," Harry whispered to his lover, who was grinning as well now.

"Read their thoughts Harry, I already know what they are thinking," the blonde returned. Harry concentrated and read a couple of the Houses thoughts as the Gryffindor Table began clapping as well.

"They like me because they know I'm a vampire now and that means I'm dark and powerful? That's certainly messed up," Harry shook his head and felt heat rising to his cheeks from the applause of the room.

"Stand up!" Hermione hissed under her breath.

Harry then jumped to his feet and put his hand in the air to silence the clapping, it worked rather well. "Er, thank you everybody," he awkwardly condoned them all. "I would just like to add that I wouldn't have been able to do anything if it weren't for Ron, 'Mione and Draco," he said and a few more claps sounded and then died away quickly. Harry awkwardly sat down and flashed another thankful smile at Luna who winked in return. Harry had a whole life of saving her arse to return all her favours to him.

"Power is the way to a Slytherin's heart, Harry," Draco whispered with a smirk, responding to the Slytherin's reactions to Harry's state. "They might even accept me as their Housemate again since I am mated to the most powerful Wizard and creature on this Earth,"

"Don't say that, you know that's not true," Harry swatted his hand as he sensed Migeul and Maija descending down the aisle towards him. The students were beginning to resume their breakfasts as the papers flew in, but there was nothing in there that would harm their view on the couple now anyway.

"But it is true, Harry," Migeul silkily spoke from behind his 'Son'.

"What do you mean?" Harry turned around with a furrowed eyebrows.

"I have tasted your blood and know that you are now the most powerful Wizard to walk these Earths, at least out of the ones I have encountered. Voldemort was caught unawares, but if he was still living this would not be so," he explained and Harry found himself blushing despite his disbelief in what was being said. He couldn't be the most powerful Wizard, Hermione could do loads of spells better than he could!

"You will come to full knowledge in time," Maija added in for him, sensing his confusion and disbelief.

"Well I can't be the most powerful creature!" Harry protested under a hiss, slightly aware of the students nearby that were attempting to listen in. The three vampires dropped their voices so low that only they could now hear. Not even Draco could.

"But you can, and you will come to see this in time," Maija smiled down at him her first real smile towards Migeul's 'Son'. At that the two shared a quick look before turning down to Harry.

"Come, hug us, Son," Migeul demanded softly, "We must set out for our homeland now, and we will come to visit you in the next coming months to see of your progession. If you need anything, do write," he smiled artfully and the brunette got up from his seat and awkwardly hugged Maija who barely accepted it. Then he turned to Migeul and the two stared at one another for a moment, they usually kissed goodbye instead.

Harry looked quickly at Draco and then back at Migeul who was smirking, then the brunette wrapped his arms around his Maker and they embraced for a few minutes. A couple of camera flashes went off. "Be safe in the sunlight," Harry added in quickly before pecking Migeul on the knuckle of his right hand.

"Beautiful ring, Draco," Migeul said to the blonde who merely nodded. With that, the couple were gone quite vastly from the Hall. This caused more students murmurs.

Harry sat back down beside his lover and across from his best friends, and it was then that he realized everybody was going to be alright. He had everything he needed and it didn't matter what everybody else thought or would say, they would get through it. As long as Ron and Hermione stuck by his side and Draco always loved him. He didn't doubt his love or his lover's love, he knew it was strong enough to withstand anything now. Everything was going to be more than alright, everything was going to be bloody perfect. Harry brightly smiled now, which almost alarmed his three friends.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Hermione questioned with concern.

"You do look a little off," Draco added in, with equal worry.

Ron, with his mouth full of sausage, looked upwards and mumbled through his food, "What's up?"

"I'm just happy, that's all," Harry smiled large enough now for both of his fangs to be gleaming at whoever was looking.

"You mean you've gone raving mad, right?" Ron had swallowed his food and asked, the smile was truly starting to scare him as it looked almost sinister with the fangs added in.

Just then an owl swooped down overhead and dropped a piece of parchment onto Draco's plate, the blonde picked it up and shook off the egg yolk that was on it. "Bloody pigeons, have no respect for a persons breakfast! First meal of the day, ruined by messenger bird!" he exclaimed to himself.

"Shove it Ron, I'm just bloody happy!" Harry was laughing now, his cheeks almost hurt from the amount he was smiling. Everything was going to be wonderful. He was free now, free to live in complete happiness. All his secrets out, he had nothing to hide anymore and nothing to worry about. He could live in the open with Draco, the love of his life, while constantly enjoying the company of his accepting friends. He had never felt like this since Sirius had died, rest his soul, but now Harry could once again feel this complete happiness.

"I doubt you will be this happy this evening," Draco whispered with a smile.

"What, why not?" Harry's face fell almost immediately, but there was still the hint of that happiness.

"Change of plans, we are Flooing to have dinner off the grounds," he said with an even larger smile now, it seemed he was happier than Harry.

"Dinner with who and where?" Ron budged in, Hermione elbowed him lightly in the side causing him to flinch.

"At my house..."

"With your parents?" Hermione was the one to interject now, Ron dropped his fork with a clatter.

"You're having dinner with Lucius Malfoy and his wife?! THIS I can't believe and I simply won't," Ron folded his arms, and this amused Harry into more a smile though it fell quickly.

"I'm having dinner with your parents?"

"Mmhmm, love," Draco nodded and began slicing up his sausages with a smirk.

"Great...just great," Harry huffed. Okay, maybe everything was going to be a disaster. But it'd be a beautiful one.

~*~

A/N: THANK YOU to all my reviewers, sorry I rushed this chapter! For those who have requested a one chapter continuation of this story you will recieve it within the next week in the form of a PM! If you still want to request one, fine by me! You can request the outcome of;

a) Marriage

b) Draco's Death (Nobody's chosen this one, it's rather an interesting one)!

c) Marriage+Children

I hope you all enjoyed the show, stick around for my next installment - a thoroughly planned story!!! - to the world of Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy SLASH Fan-Fiction! WootWoot!!!