Prologue
Daytime. A time for all humans to be working their insignificant little lives, believing that their existence has an effect on the world as a whole. The world, as most know, is uncaring. On this little world at this time, a man walked down the bright and cheery roads, carrying an aura of inky blackness around him, his own pocket of night.
"Why couldn't we live near any 24-hour blood banks?" the black cloaked individual groaned as he carried a large, heavy container down the street. Inside the container were packets of blood. Food for vampire.
"At least she could pick this up then," he growled. Severus Snape was a happy man, but he didn't show it. Or say it. Or let anyone besides his family know that he was content. To everyone else, he was a grumpy potions professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Snape meandered down the lane, grumbling to himself and giving off a glare at anyone who was stupid enough to look his way. He paused for a moment in an alley, taking a break and sitting on the container.
"Bloody blood. Don't know why it can't be shrunk. Contaminate it my ass," he snarled. He was so focused on his anger; he didn't even notice the small figure crawling from the shadows on the alley to attack him. A quick stunning spell and his attacker was down. With a better look, his attacker was not anything that he was expecting.
The crumpled figure was a boy, not more than six or seven, with dirty black hair and equally dirty, patched clothing. What surprised Severus was the boy's mouth, two fangs. He was a vampire. "Damn, looks like I should bring him home. If I don't Samantha will send me out later," he muttered to no one. Severus scooped the boy up in one arm, amazed at his lightness, and grabbed the container in the other. He set off for home, hoping the boy did not awake before he arrived.
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Severus Snape arrived in Snape Manor later than he had hoped. He was not surprised to see his irate wife standing in the darkened main hall. "You're late. The spell keeping that blood good for transit might have gone out by now. We need that," Samantha glared.
"I am aware of that, but I had a pressing issue," Severus explained.
"Oh, and what would that be?" she questioned.
"This," he said, flipping his cloak up and revealing the vampire boy.
"My word," she muttered. "Let's go to the sitting room."
The two left the darkened main hall and went into the equally dark sitting room. Many bright candles, giving plenty of light, lighted the room. "Shall I awaken him?" Severus said, placing the boy on the couch and the blood container on the floor behind the chair he now sat it. His wife nodded and he said a quick counter spell.
The boy awoke with a jolt, looking at his new surroundings. His two red eyes, glowing with bloodlust, wide as fear as he focused on the two people in front of him. "Don't worry, you are safe," Samantha said softly. The words did not faze him; the beast was too near to the surface. "Get him some blood from the container and give it to him," she sighed.
Severus sighed pulled a pack out of the container. It was a small bag of blood in a clear medicinal pouch. The boy jumped forward and grabbed the pouch form Severus, then retreated to a corner of the couch. He bit his fangs in the pack and downed it within moments. Not a drop was spilled in the process. "Now who might you be?" Severus asked coldly as the boy's mind begun to take hold.
"Sorry," the boy murmured, still in a ball on the couch.
"Sorry for what?" Samantha questioned kindly.
"Sorry," he repeated.
"What is your name?" she asked, moving on.
The boy just looked at her, his now green eyes lost. "Name?" he looked lost.
"I am Samantha Snape and this is my husband Severus," she said, hoping to help the boy along.
"No name," he said sadly.
"You don't have a name?" she asked. Severus remained silent, knowing that he would say something he might regret later.
"No," the boy answered.
"How long have you been a vampire?" she queried, slowly picking her words to phrase it.
"Long," he said. The boy didn't seem to have much in the way of vocabulary, stunted by lack of human contact. "Don't know."
"Do you have a home?" Samantha asked, hoping for a good answer. The boy shook his head in response and she sighed. "Well, I guess you are staying here. It doesn't seem that you don't know many words and you aren't doing so well on the streets as a vampire, so you're going to be learning under me." The boy didn't seem to understand; all he could get was that he would be at a home, not on the streets. He nearly jumped for joy.
Severus just sighed. When his wife made a decision, he had no way of changing it. That's what happens when you marry a two-decade old vampire with a lot of willpower.
"Mum, dad? What's doing on?" a weary voice came from the door. There stood a small girl, maybe six or seven, with long black hair and tired eyes lined with red.
"We have a guest Ivy, he'll be with us for a while," Samantha paused. "He's a vampire."
"Oh!" Ivy perked up. "Welcome to Snape Manor and don't enter my room." With that, she disappeared once more.
The boy didn't seem to comprehend what had happened. His mind was dazed with the idea of a home. Maybe it wasn't permanent, but it was enough for the young vampire. The boy moved into a sitting position and ran a hand through his hair, a nervous expression maybe. When he saw the two adults staring at him incredulously, he had an urge to crawl into a ball again.
"Raise you hair again," Severus choked out finally. The boy blinked and then did what he was told. He lifted his bangs to reveal a curious lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead.
A/N So I lied about quitting. I just got his idea in my head. I don't know how long this will go until I give up, but let's not hope for too short. Crimson Nights wasn't for me anymore, it was too much like a story by Kitsuneko I read a while ago and Deletion's Creations is way too much screwed up. So this is my new story for now. Oh, Clutchy has adopted CN, but others can take any of my stories to continue and modify, just tell me and give me credit. REVIEW!