A/N: You know how it is; one minute you're browsing the HP section on FF, the next minute - BAM! Inspiration! A snippet from one summary of a fic, a word from another, add in the movie you watched last night and - WHAM! New fic! This is my first HP fanfic, so bear with me :)

The story so far (because apparently my muse likes to start in the middle):

Firstly (and very importantly), Draco Malfoy never attended Hogwarts due to their stringent rule not allowing... his kind... into the school as students (yes, this will be a creature fic).

Secondly, Harry Potter had a boring and rather uneventful first 5 years at Hogwarts. Okay, so there was that incident with the Stone in his first year, the basilisk in his second, [A/N to the A/N: without Draco to further the plot in year three, nothing happens (Yes, I AM ignoring the whole book. Sirius escapes Azkaban, but doesn't attempt to contact Harry; that happens in the summer between third and fourth years). The skip IS deliberate :)], the Triwizard Tournament in fourth year where Cedric Diggory was killed after grabbing the cup just before Harry, and the whole nastiness at the Ministry at the end of fifth year where Sirius nearly died after an encounter with his crazed cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. Otherwise, Harry's years at Hogwarts have been relatively carefree, save for homework, exams and the constant bickering between his two best friends, Ron and Hermione.

Thirdly, this story is rated M for a REASON. There will (eventually) be scenes unsuitable for some readers (and unsavory to others) so proceed with caution and no flames! (I mean, if I had you in a chair with teeth- I mean, a knife to your neck and forced you to read it, then flame me by all means; until then, if you don't like it, don't read it!) That being said, I can't guarantee that this fic will be very M rated (I've never written anything like this before so this will be an experiment for me), but I will do my best. Constructive criticism is always appreciated!

Lastly, this will be M/M (boy on boy for those of you who don't know), so if that squicks you, "just keep walkin', Preacher Man!"

On with the story!


His lips moved closer, and Harry could sense His body suspended in the air over him. The atmosphere between them crackled, enlivening the air even as Harry felt Him move even more slowly than before. Just as Harry was about to open his eyes to see what was taking Him so long, His lips touched his right eyelid, then his left. "Leave your eyes closed," He said, His voice like dark chocolate covered strawberries - sweet as ever but infinitely more rich. Harry opened his mouth to protest, but he suddenly found himself being kissed; as always, the kiss stole his breath away, leaving him gasping for air when it ended. The voice above him chuckled. "If that's your reaction to a simple kiss, I can't wait to see how you react to more indecent activities."

Harry felt himself blush from his scalp all the way down his neck. The chuckle turned to a purr. "Oh, Harry, do you have any idea how gorgeous you are when you blush like that? I could just eat." His lips closed over Harry's mouth again. "You." Another kiss, this time on the edge of Harry's jaw. "Up." A nip this time, right over Harry's jugular. Harry felt the energy in the room begin to pulse, beating in time with his heart. Another nip, harder this time, sent jolts of pleasure through his entire body. He pressed his neck into His hot mouth, silently begging for more. Just when he thought he might not be able to wait any longer the teeth pierced his flesh. Harry cried out in both pain and ecstasy-

-and awoke, gasping for breath. He peered into the darkness which surrounded his bed, searching for the being in his dreams, even though he knew He wouldn't be there. Every night he had the same dream. Well, not the same dream, exactly. There were certain common elements - his inability to see his lover, for starters - but lately, the dreams had been getting more and more intense. He still remembered the first dream he'd ever had about his faceless companion, on the night of his

16th birthday. Every night since he'd dreamed about his concealed lover, and he remembered each dream in vivid detail. He ran a hand through his damp hair - the closed curtains around his bed made him feel like he was sleeping in a sauna - and groped around under his pillow for his wand. He cast TEMPUS and nearly groaned out loud when he saw that it was just past 3 o'clock in the morning. He replaced his wand under his pillow and laid down again, pushing his quilt to the foot of the bed. He covered himself with just the sheet and closed his eyes, hoping for sleep but knowing it wouldn't come.


Hermione frowned at him across the table at breakfast. "Harry, are you sure you're feeling alright? You're white as a ghost. No offense!" she added quickly to Nearly Headless Nick who had chosen that exact moment to float upwards through the table in front of her.

"None taken, Miss Granger," he reassured her. "If I took offense every time I heard that expression now that I'm dead, I would be eternally offended!"

Ron leaned over from his place next to Harry. "Are you going to try to join in the Headless Hunt again this year?"The ghost sniffed. "I have already attempted entry, young Mister Weasley, and I was once again rebuffed. One of these years they'll understand that a small strip of skin isn't enough to keep me away from the hunt. Unfortunately, it is not this year." He floated away down the table, scaring one of the first years so badly she spilled her pumpkin juice down the front of the boy sitting next to her.

Ignoring the commotion at the other end of the table, Hermione refocused her attention on Harry. "You really are quite pale, Harry. Are you sure you shouldn't go see Madame Pomfrey?" She reached out a hand to feel his forehead, but he batted her hand away irritably.

"I'm fine, Hermione! I just haven't gotten much sleep, that's all."

She sighed. "You've been saying that for almost two months now, Harry. It's not normal! If you won't talk to Madame Pomfrey, talk to someone. Even Sirius-" she broke off after Harry sent a glare sour enough to curdle milk in her direction.

"Hermione, if I wanted to talk to someone, don't you think I would have? Why don't you just-" he bit off what he had been about to say. He was exhausted, not stupid. He closed his eyes and counted to five before opening them again and looking at Hermione. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I know you were just trying to help, but I think I can make my own decision on this."

Harry rose from the table. "I forgot to grab my books for class this morning. I'll see you in Transfiguration." He walked toward the doors of the Great Hall, ignoring Hermione's attempt to call him back. Just as he reached the doors, Dumbledore tapped a spoon to his goblet, bringing a halt to both the usual morning chatter and Harry's escape. Dumbledore stood, folding his hands in front of him. "I hope you have all had an enjoyable breakfast. I know the house elves worked especially

hard on the pumpkin pancakes, so be sure to thank the next house elf you see." Most of the older students rolled their eyes; everyone knew that Hogwarts' house elves didn't allow themselves to be seen, especially thanked. Harry saw Hermione narrow her eyes; she was most likely trying to figure out how many extra hats she could knit this week to leave for the unsuspecting house elves in 'thanks.'

Dumbledore continued, the expression on his face more serious now. "Beginning tomorrow, Hogwarts will be the host to a group of emissaries from a very dangerous race. They have sworn not to harm any of the students, but do not push your luck. They will be given quarters in the east wing of the seventh floor and should keep to themselves during their stay. If you do happen to meet any of them in the hallway, do not attempt to provoke them in any way; simply follow the procedure you have learned in your Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. As a precaution, the entire seventh floor will be declared off limits to all students while our guests are in the castle. I will repeat this warning over supper tonight, but if you know of any classmates who are not present, please pass this warning along.

Now, I believe you all have classes to be getting to, so I will end with this: cornucopia!"

Dumbledore retook his seat and many students began to gather their bags, shaking their heads at Dumbledore's nonsense. Harry had to run to the tower to get his book bag and run nearly all the way to the Transfiguration classroom in order to be on time.

He sat heavily in his seat beside Ron; he had been exhausted all morning and the run hadn't done him any favors. Hermione turned in her seat to ask, "what do you think Professor Dumbledore meant by a 'dangerous race' staying in Hogwarts? If they really are so dangerous, they shouldn't be in the castle at all!"

Harry sighed, fighting the urge to lay his head on his desk and never move again. "I'm sure Dumbledore knows what he's doing, Hermione. After all, they did promise not to harm any students and they shouldn't even be anywhere near us while they're here." Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but Harry was saved by the timely arrival of McGonagall. Harry managed to avoid Hermione and her debate over the safety of Hogwarts for the rest of the day, completing his homework

for the next day in the 6th year boy's dorm and taking his dinner in the kitchen with the house elves.

That night, Harry stumbled into bed, more tired than he could ever remember being before. He closed his eyes, wondering how long he would be able to sleep before that wonderful, terrible dream came.


Harry awoke to the sound of his dorm-mates stumbling around in their usual pre-breakfast daze. He laid in bed for a few moments, trying to make sense of what had just happened - or not happened, as the case may be. He sat up and grabbed his wand; casting TEMPUS and gasped when he saw that it was 7:20 in the morning. He had actually slept through an entire night! He shook his head, trying to figure out why last night had been so different - he hadn't done anything out of the ordinary that he could recall. Harry decided to leave his pondering for later; if he wanted any breakfast, he had to get up NOW.

Ron actually did a double take as Harry emerged from behind the curtains around his bed. "Oi, what are you doing in bed? Usually you're up and about before any of us!"

Harry grinned at him as he made his way into the bathroom. "Sleeping, Ron! Actually sleeping! I feel great!"

Ron shook his head at his friend. "I'll save you a spot at breakfast, Harry. I'm starving!" Harry chuckled. Leave it to Ron to think of his stomach first. He caught sight of his reflection in the mirror; he had been avoiding mirrors lately because of his deteriorating appearance due to lack of sleep. Now he actually looked halfway human. The deep purple bruises under his eyes had faded to light smudges, his skin no longer had its usual pale flatness, and his hair no longer looked like it belonged to a distant cousin of Snape's. The mirror even sighed when she saw him, saying, "much better, dearie; much better." After his morning ablutions, Harry hummed the entire way to the Great Hall. Sure, he got a few odd looks, but he didn't really care. He felt GREAT!

He dropped into his seat beside Ron, shooting Hermione a grin before helping himself to the biggest meal he'd eaten in months. Both her and Ron stared at Harry

as he started eating. Hermione hesitated before asking, "Harry, are you feeling alright?"

Harry nearly choked on his bite of toast; always the same question! He nodded at her, continuing to eat. Hermione narrowed her eyes, unconvinced. Harry finally paused, swallowing before he spoke. "Hermione, I'm fine. I just had a good night's sleep - no dreams - and I actually feel rested. That's all."

Suddenly, Hermione's hand was gripping his chin, turning his head this way and that so she could peer at his scar. "What kind of dreams, Harry? Dreams about -" she broke off, lowering her voice to a whisper "-him? Harry you should have told us - or at the very least, Dumbledore - if you're having dreams about him again."

She finally stopped twisting his head but didn't let go of his chin, looking him square in the eye. "You know better than to let Voldemort in your head! Remember what nearly happened at the Ministry? Harry, at the very least you should talk to Sirius; see what he has to sa-" Harry finally pulled away, breaking her tirade.

"Hermione, stop; it's not like that! I haven't been dreaming about Voldemort or anything to do with the war. They're just-" He searched for the best way to describe them, blushing slightly. "Weird dreams, that's all. It's nothing bad, just... kind of creepy." But not that creepy, he added mentally.

Hermione's eyes softened. "Of course. It's only natural that you should have nightmares with everything you've been through." She grabbed Harry's hand, preventing him from continuing breakfast. "But I still say you should go see Madame Pomfrey. She could give you Dreamless Sleep and you could sleep well every night, not just once in a while."

Harry sighed mentally; it was easier to allow her to believe he had nightmares that to correct her. Not to mention less embarrassing... He worked his hand free and continued to eat, emptying his plate twice before Ron was through with his first.

Towards the end of breakfast, Filch made his way through the doors of the Great Hall, jogging toward the head table. Everyone stopped to stare; Filch was a terrible sight at the best of times, and this physical exertion was doing him no favors. He finally reached Professor Dumbledore and whispered something in his ear. Dumbledore nodded in return and McGonagall stood while Filch jogged back down the Great Hall.

"Your attention please. The-" She broke off - most of the students were still watching Filch jog to the doors. McGonagall cleared her throat and the students (with the exception of a few first years and Ron) jerked their attention back to the deputy headmistress. "Ahem. As I was saying, the emissaries have arrived. Their group is quite a bit larger than we expected, so we have decided to make all of the seventh floor off-limits to students. I am sure you will all treat our guests with the respect they deserve and will not bother them in or around their quarters. Upper years, please keep an eye on the younger students in your houses, especially the first years who have not had experience with these particular individuals. Professor Drumm has been asked to give you all a refresher course in your Defense classes as to how to successfully ward off one of our guests. BUT." She raised a finger. "This method is only to be used as a last resort. Should you feel threatened in any way, please attempt to contact a professor."

The Great Hall was buzzing softly now as students tried to figure out what their visitors might be.

Everyone's attention refocused on the doors to the Great Hall because now, just inside the doors, stood three pale figures. The one on the right was female. She was tall and red-haired, and a vicious scar ran from just above her left temple and ran all the way down her neck and disappeared under the collar of her deep purple cape. The other two were male, but as different as night and day. The middle one had long black hair which flowed past his shoulders and seemed to become part of his black cloak. He was shorter than both of his companions, but he radiated a presence that demanded attention. The third figure was, in a word, beautiful. He was taller than the other two and his short, platinum blond hair seemed to glow in the Hall's torchlight. He wore a white cape, embroidered with silver thread in a pattern much like swirling snow. His gray eyes roamed the Hall before his eyes met Harry's and widened in shock. Harry felt a shiver run down his spine. Those eyes...

Across the table, Hermione gasped. "Oh," she breathed softly. "Vampires..."


End A/N: Not sure if I'm going to continue this or not. I'm completely at the mercy of my muse, at this point...