The Chronicle Tale of Two Brothers, A Lion and A Snake
What do you do if you wake up inside a story, but it's not the version you've read before?. A boy dies and wakes up in a strange place only to realize it is one of his own fan-fictions. And unbeknownst to The wizarding world, Lily and James Potter had another child, Hadrian Potter. How will Harry react when he finds out that he has a long lost brother who turns out to be a vampire.
Chapter 1: The Line Between Life and Death
-Clapham High St, Lambeth, South London July 15, 2011
'Who knows if to live is really to die, and to die is to live?'.
Hadrian had gone to the cinema with a group of friends to celebrate the closing of a chapter in their lives and the beginning of a new story in their lives. They had just finished high school, which meant they would now have to go there separate ways by going off to college or getting jobs.
It was around eight o'clock, Hadrian, shivered in the cold drizzle, as he began his short journey home. He rummaged a lighter and a carton of cigarettes out of his coat pocket. He brought the cigarette to his parted lips and with a quick flick of his lighter lit the cigarette and drew in a deep breath inhaling the smoke as he walked towards the bus stop.
When Hadrian was running across the road, he hadn't noticed the headlights of the car that was speeding out of control in his direction until it was too late. Hadrian's head snapped up at the screeching sound of breaks. For a second he was blinded by headlights, and then he went sailing through the air.
After he was hit by the swerving car, the driver took off while other people who witnessed the hit and run tried to help Hadrian. He never had given much thought to how he would die. It's amazing what ran through his head as he lay dying on the road. He'd been told to expect a white light, or that his life would flash before his eyes. But in reality death was like waking up from a dream.
When Hadrian started to regain consciousness, the darkness that had shrouded him began to recede as a bright light began to approach him from a distance. The shining light radiated something soothing.
Eventually, the light disappeared and slowly his sight returned.
-Leake Street Tunnel, Lambeth July 15th, 1992
Hadrian awoke with a gasp as he opened his eyes to blurry surroundings. He focused for the moment on regaining his orientation as he fought down the panic that rose, took a deep breath. He found himself propped up against a tunnel wall.
The empty graffitied tunnel is dimly lit by a soft orange glow from several ceiling spotlights. He couldn't for the life of him figure out how he managed to end up in Leake Street Tunnel.
Hadrian swallowed a lump in his throat as fear gripped him tightly and refused to let go. Blood drained from his face leaving a sickly pale numbness to it. His heart rate could only be compared to the thrumming wings of a caged bird as his breath quickened. He placed his head in his hands. It was only when he looked down at himself, his eyes widened as he held out his hands to ogle disbelievingly at their size. Then, he looked down at his legs. This was undoubtedly not his body that he was certain of.
His eyes widened like saucers as he pushed himself up onto his feet. Hadrian could barely stand as he stumbled backwards into the wall, where he slouched weakly. The light- headedness, weakness and fatigue was all to be expected given the sudden drop in blood pressure and decreased heart rate, but what he certainly hadn't expected is his new craving for blood.
But, before he could be given the chance to process this and without any prior warning huge amounts of information started flooding his already taxed brain. Memories flashed too fast to grab onto as he caught snippets. The edges of his vision were going grey, but he hung on through sheer strength of will as the pain he experienced from the flashbacks had gone.
'At this point I think it's safe to say that I'm either dreaming, dead or insane. I'm not sure which of those logical options I'd rather be right about now. But, I'm pretty sure it is the second option given that I was just moments ago struck down by a car and bled out on the road. So, this must be my eternal dwelling place, my personal heaven like in the television show Supernatural. I suppose I always did dream of waking up in the world of Harry Potter as my very own fandom turned canon character. I guess I should just go with the flow. It's not like I can go back. Not that I have anything to go back to. So, I might as well make the best of whatever this is' He mused to himself.
Once, he was confident enough that he would not pass out. Hadrian, slowly pushed himself upright and brushed the dirt from his clothes. He noticed lying next to him on the ground is a crumpled blood stained letter. He picked it up and waited for the head rush to subside before reading the letter.
Dear Childe,
I was nearby when death sought you out. You were near passing and unfortunately, I inadvertently lost control at the overpowering scent of your blood, young wizard. Regrettably, I fed upon you, which left me with two options; The first was to leave and let you die as you had intended or I could sire you.
I believe you know which action I acted upon. I could not bare to live knowing that I would have had a hand in your death. So, in order for you to live, you had to die a little.
I have given you a new life...even if it is considered a cursed one at that. It's not so bad, Hadrian, you can see better… Hear more clearly, move faster than any human could ever hope? You've been given something that most non-magical humans would kill for. The embrace is a gift. You might not think that it is now, but trust me you will.
I know that it is quite selfish of me to have abandoned you, especially at a time when you need me the most. But, frankly you would be a hindrance to my hedonist lifestyle. Believe me when I say that I am in no position to raise a child, a Potter no less let alone a newborn vampire. I wouldn't even know where to begin.
As a gesture of goodwill I have left you a sum of money back at the safe-house. It is an old abandoned grounds-keeper's shack at the Mount Cemetery in Guildford. I resided there with my sire for a short while. It's not much to look at, but it was my home. Now it is yours, Hadrian, for as long as you have need of it.
Perhaps, one day our paths shall become entwine again, until then take care of yourself, Childe.
Your Sire,
Barrett Beaumont
Hadrian just stood there as a statue, like a monument frozen for eternity as it dawned on him. 'Bloody hell, so I'm not only the twin brother of Harry Potter, now I'm a frickin vampire, too. This just keeps getting better and better' He thought overcoming his mind numbing shock. After a long moment, he began searching his pockets, he found a few coins, an old fashioned tobacco tin, rolling papers, filters and a box of matches.
He was feeling excited and eager to explore this new world and find his place within it. But, first he needed to adjust and get to the safe house that Barrett spoke of. He needed time to process things and recuperate from his ordeal. It was within walking distance and would roughly take him just a little under an hour to get there.
-Mount Cemetery, Weyside Road, Guildford
As Hadrian walked past the muggles, he found much to his surprise that the colours had become sharper, smells were clearer; he could hear the blood pumping around their bodies. It is maddening to say the least. His head was pounding and he felt a little overwhelmed by the sensory overload as his senses ran a mock.
Hadrian swallowed thickly, his teeth were itching and wanted nothing more than to sink into something warm and alive. He kept his eyes fixated on the ground when he saw the carotid arteries pulsing in their necks. His body was desperate to replenish the blood that he had lost. Which, only made his thirst grow stronger and more difficult to resist the compulsion he felt to feed.
He took a deep breath and made sure to stop breathing through his nose as his vision became infrared bat sonar. That motivated him to move faster. Amongst the crowd, Hadrian zips through the streets at a strange preternatural speed. He almost seems invisible to the point that he looked like a blur.
Hadrian had become a rare breed of vampire commonly known to wizard-kind as living vampires which are also referred to as a day-walkers by their lesser cousins, the living dead due to their tolerance to sunlight. Not even garlic is capable of keeping a living vampire away, though Hadrian would have a strong aversion to it, due to the unpleasant skin crawling sensation that is experienced when living vampires are around it.
No, Hadrian's biggest weakness would be silver. Silver is painful and debilitating to vampires, but is not lethal unless ingested or introduced into the bloodstream. The mere touch of silver burns a vampire's skin, which can also temporarily hinder their natural ability to heal that is twice as fast as a normal wizard.
And although both living and living dead vampires tend to sleep during the day and stay awake at night, vampires do not need much sleep; most vampires do not like the daytime so they sleep it off, but some living vampires do stay awake in the daytime as well and can stay awake for 48 hours with only a two or three hour rest in between.
Fortunately, unlike their lesser cousin, the living dead also referred as night stalkers by living vampires do not need blood to survive. However when left without blood for over a period of a couple of weeks, living vampires begin to weaken and descend into a dangerous crazed state that makes them hunt for blood by any means necessary be it animal or human. Also, living vampires do not have to eat normal food to survive, but most do as they quite like the taste of food and indulge in feasts often, preferring to feast on rare red meats.
While it is true that living vampires can afflict humans with the curse known as the embrace, which is the act of transforming a human into a living vampire. It is untrue that biting and sucking a human's blood is the way in which the other person is afflicted. To successfully turn a human into a living vampire, one must bite a normal human on the neck and imbue them with the curse, wherein the human will be clinically dead and then will wake up as a newly-transformed living vampire.
Hadrian shook his head to clear his thoughts, and distracted himself with a cigarette. He'd have to ration out his cigarettes as he knew that it would prove difficult to acquire more. When he arrived at Mount Cemetery in Guildford.
The abandoned cemetery had been consumed by mother nature. It is overgrown with forestry as old vines had woven around the crumbling tombstones and dead trees, weeds and leaves littered the ground. The path was barely visible that led to an old derelict grounds-keeper's shack that is surrounded with an old black wrought iron fence that is tipped with spikes. Two large gargoyles were perched at the front door of the shack one on either side peering at you as if to keep people away. The paint is weathered and peeling off in spots, and the slats in the shutters on the upstairs windows were mostly broken out. A slight breeze made the shutters tap against the shack and the hinges squeaked.
He pushed opened the entrance gate which swung open with a loud screech and Hadrian warily entered. He was surprised that it looked rather homely inside. The living room appeared to also be the kitchen. The flooring is made from real walnut wood with a large pentagram scorched in the centre of the room, the walls are made of cobblestone, there is a large black couch and two worn black armchairs next to the fireplace stove that has a large black cauldron that is hanging above the pile of logs on a metal hook. In the far corner of the room are two large bookcases: One filled with books both magical and muggle whilst the other has jars of potions ingredients, herbs and plants.
The room has four wall torches that he needed to light. There is a long table that has a human skull in the middle of it with a candle placed on top. He had a feeling that whoever was the prior owner performed dark magic in the shack. Not that Hadrian minded much as he had no slant towards light or dark magic.
The antique grandfather clock stilled seemed to work as it chimed letting Hadrian know that it's 7am. Hadrian noticed blocks on the wall represent all of the Beaumont Clan. The bleeding represented blood that's being spilt meaning the death of a family member.
The portraits unnerved him to say the least. They mostly depicted death, blood, war and violence. There were a few magical portraits that Hadrian assumed were blood relatives of the Beaumont Clan who are staring at him in an appraising and suspicious manner.
"And who might you be?" Questioned a portrait of a gaunt woman who wore a black veil covering her face.
"Hadrian Charlus Potter, Childe of Barrett Beaumont".
"Well, I never thought the day would finally come that Barrett would sire a childe of his own. It's about time we got some fresh blood in our lines. And a Potter no less, an excellent addition to our clan" She said in approval.
"What security measures have been taken to secure this shack?" He asked the portraits.
"The shack has a muggle repelling charm and a complex blood ward that acts in a similar fashion to the Fidelius Charm. Only those who have Beaumont blood are able to see this shack. To others who do not share our ancient blood this shack simply does not exist. It is unplottable. They'd only see a pair of wrought iron gates. In order to be permitted entry and for the shack to be made visible then you must sacrifice a drop of your blood to them and in turn they're required to make payment in blood of their own. I would strongly advise against letting anyone who isn't a Beaumont by blood to enter. This shack is to be used as a safe house only not for social gatherings" The portrait of an elderly man dressed in medieval clothing explained.
"I understand now tell me, can magical creatures such as owls even find this place?" He questioned with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Yes and no, an owl will simply drop your mail and parcels at the entrance of the wrought iron gate" Said the medieval vampire.
"What about under-age magic?".
"The Ministry will certainly detect that magic has been used in the surrounding area near an under-age witch or wizard. But they will not be able to trace back to an exact location. However, that does not mean it is safe to use. The last thing you want is for the Ministry to be sniffing around the area".
Hadrian gave a curt nod and went over to the bookshelf "Are the books safe to open?".
"Oui, they're safe for you to open, little one" Replied a French maiden.
Hadrian ran his finger lightly over the books as he glanced at the titles with fascination and curiosity. He stopped when he got to the book on Curses and Counter-Curses by Vindictus Viridian. Lifting it out he went over to the black armchair and sat down. He might as well do something worth while for a change.
-After about an hour
The grandfather clock chimed.
Hadrian proceeded into the bedroom to take a nap.
The ceiling is littered with a hundred eerie yellow eyes of bats staring at him. There is a large four poster bed and a night-stand with an old oil lamp and as promised a pouch filled with Wizarding currency. There's also one large wooden wardrobe that has a built-in mirror panel, an old writing desk with a three legged chair and an old antique trunk in the corner. The room has a musty smell and had a faint odour of death. Hadrian decided to get a better look at himself having spotted the mirror. He went over to the mirror and took a gander at his new reflection. He was obviously shocked by his new appearance.
He stands about the average height for his age with a very slim figure. Bangs of obsidian hair were spiked upright, highlights of dark green sowed within the particular region. His emerald green eyes can flicker in colouration to what he could only compare to the flash of a killing curse. The dark circles under his eyes are so pronounced it gives the impression that he hasn't had a decent nights sleep in a very long time. He has a pallid complexion, very pale some might say. His neck has a chunk of flesh ripped out which has scarred white. It looks like something or someone had tried to tear out his throat with their teeth. His fingernails are painted black, his eyes have a thick layer of black eyeliner underneath and he wears a smidgen of lip gloss that gives him a flamboyant touch. He is impeccably dressed, his fashion sense was one that would be hard to rival and easy to envy. He wears a black double-breasted gothic military style short jacket, a pair of black skinny ripped jeans fitted with a potions belt, a pair of worn black boots and a steel skull ring that was worn on his left thumb.
Hadrian couldn't help, but to admire himself for a few more minutes, before kicking off his shoes and stripped down to his undergarments. Throwing back the blankets he laid down and shivered from the cool air. Yawning, he curled into a ball and drifted off to sleep.
-A Few Hours Later
Hadrian awoke late in the afternoon. He felt much better than he had this morning. He was more alert and had also regained his energy and stamina back. He was actually looking forward to what the future holds for him. Although Hadrian had to admit the prospect of what was to come frightened him. But, he knew the ending before the story had truly even begun. If he was right, he had arrived just in time for The Chamber's Secrets. Hadrian didn't need to do much to the story-line except save a few lives that needn't have been lost and offer support and advise whenever it was possible for him to do so without over complicating things. The main thing was not to be discovered as a being from a parallel universe. It had the potential to cause catastrophic effects on time here. He would have to be subtle when revealing important info in fear of evoking the butterfly effect. And although he planned to help Harry, he wouldn't go as far as to replace Harry as the protagonist. Hadrian was much more comfortable with following in Snape's footsteps as a hidden protector or maybe a fourth wheel to the golden trio.
Flinging the blankets back Hadrian got out of bed and headed into the bathroom. He was relieved to find that the toilet still functioned and the cold water worked. He quickly used the facilities and splashed cold water on his face from the basin to wake himself up a bit and gave himself a quick wash using a wash-rag like they did in the army and got dressed.
He returned to his bedroom and fixed his bed before headed back into the living room. He lit the fireplace and walked over to the bookcase. His hunger for blood was starting to bother him. He would have to go out later and feed.
Hadrian returned the book he had been reading earlier to the shelf. He decided that a trip into Diagon Alley was called for. He needed to pick up some supplies. Hadrian went to his bedroom and grabbed the money pouch. He emptied it on the table in the living room and began stacking the coins into neat piles. Barrett had left Hadrian 2,952 Galleons and 3 Knuts, which is the equivalent of £14,701 in Muggle currency.
He placed the wizard money back into the money pouch and headed to the nearest bus stop. Hadrian had found a few muggle coins in his pocket that would get him at least half-way. He could easily walk the rest of the way to Charing Cross.
When the bus eventually came he got on. Hadrian stubbed out his cigarette out and sat down at the front of the bus. He noticed a man sitting across from him, blatantly staring at his scarred neck.
Hadrian couldn't blame him. It was pretty nasty, but he liked it. It was his first battle scar, of many that was to come. When he stepped off the bus Hadrian was only twenty minutes away from his destination. He stopped every now and then to take in the sights of 1992 London. It wasn't long before he came across The Leaky Cauldron.
Hadrian entered the pub and noticed right away that a few of the occupants were staring at him with wary, suspicious looks on their faces. Hadrian smiled darkly revealing a pair of small subtle fangs as his eyes flashed Avada Kedavra green.
He could hear them whispering amongst each other as he made his way to the bar.
Tom set his rag down and peered over at the boy and said, "I don't want any trouble in here, lad. You keep those fangs of yours in check and we won't have a problem. I'm Tom. The landlord, innkeeper, and barman of The Leaky Cauldron. Is there something I can do yeh for?".
"I can assure you, I'm not here looking for trouble, Tom. If it isn't too much trouble could you, open the brick wall as I haven't gotten the chance to acquire my wand yet as this will be my first time in Diagon Alley".
"Filthy blood-sucking parasite" He heard someone mutter underneath their breath.
Hadrian's face darkened as he clicked his tongue "Shall we?" He gestured to Tom.
"Just follow me, I'll show yeh how to enter, Diagon Alley" Said, Tom as he came around from the bar and led Hadrian to the courtyard.
"It's simple enough…Three up...two across" Tom explained as he tapped the wall three times with his wand.
The brick he touched quivered and wriggled in the middle, a small hole appeared that grew wider until it had become large enough for a half-giant like Hagrid to fit through.
Tom and Hadrian stepped through an archway onto a cobbled street which, is twisted and turned out of sight. "Welcome," said Tom. "To Diagon Alley," He said smiling lightly at the genuine look of wonder and excitement that came over Hadrian's face.
"I'll be fine from here, Tom". The alley is just as brilliant and magical as the HP books described.
He wanted to acquire a wand at some point, but it wasn't on top of his priority list.
Being a Living Vampire gives him a few nifty powers and abilities. Every vampire was different their power depended on two important things their bloodline and breed.
All Living Vampires possessed night to infrared bat sonar vision, heightened senses, superhuman strength, superhuman agility, accelerated healing, natural Legilimens, mesmerism, gliding, healing saliva, enhanced durability and extended lifespan. However, living vampires from noble clans are also gifted with more rarer and unique abilities that are passed down through the bloodline.
Hadrian was from such bloodline that gives him limited elemental control over darkness and shadows which, is referred to as Shadow Magic or Umbrakinesis. He just needed to learn how to utilize his new-found powers. He also had an advantage of being a natural Occlumens due to his pain filled past as he had learned to dissociate at a young age which became an effective way to emptying him of thought and emotion.
He wandered around for a bit before stopping into the butcher shop. Hadrian purchased a couple of magpie pies, some sort of stew, a few slices of raw steak, a skinned wild hare, freshly made bread, carrots, parsnip, stock, potatoes, butter and a barrel of pumpkin juice.
Afterwards, Hadrian went into Knockturn Alley to The Skeleton Closet, a wizarding clothes store. He needed a whole new wardrobe since he didn't have a spare change of clothes.
Once, he was done Hadrian went to Gringotts Money Exchange and had 41 Galleons and1 Knut changed to £199.21. He then stopped by Jellied Eel Shop for an old-style deli sandwich and a butter beer before heading home.
-Back to Mount Cemetery, Weyside Road, Guildford
'Humans are not the only animals trying to survive each day. It really is survival of the fittest'.
Hadrian decided he had waited long enough to quench his thirst.
Despite, being an animal lover his hunger and humanity switch made it easier to do what he needed to.
Becoming a vampire had changed Hadrian. He knew that it would as humans that are turned into a vampires, the way they feel about people change. They sense the feelings they had, the things they loved, but those feelings had become distant. In his opinion becoming a vampire is similar to a wizard going dark.
It is said that upon their transition that a newly turned vampire will feel cold and powerful. That it is quite common for there to be an initial lack of control over their emotions as it would take time to regulate. But, apparently living vampires coped with this stage better than living dead vampires did because they are more in touch with their human side.
However, unlike most humans, both living and living dead vampires have the benefit of being able to control their emotions by simply turning them off. A vampire who has completely turned off their emotions is also said to have completely shut down their humanity, making them carefree and remorseless about their actions and impervious to guilt and conscience turning them into remorseless calculated killers who are incapable of love.
Lurking in the shadows, Hadrian went into hunting mode and not before long he spotted a fox.
Without further provocation Hadrian listened intently to its heart and took in a deep whiff of the air. His emerald green eyes and sclera became pure black that have a distinctive feral and ravenous gleam to them as faint black spider-like veins crept beneath them. His upper canines and two outer incisors extended beyond his human teeth becoming a pair of razor-sharp fangs. And without further ado, Hadrian acted instinctively as he grabbed the fox and humanely broke its neck. The fox's death as quick and painless, which was a small comfort to him as he tore into its throat.
Hadrian had to admit at first, it felt strange, the metallic taste. But, then, it was like electricity coursing through his body, a million stars exploding in his mind all at once. It's like nothing he'd ever felt before. It was amazing. And all he could think of now is doing it again.
He couldn't remember the last time he felt so alive.
Once, Hadrian had finished with his meal he discarded the corpse and wiped his blood smeared mouth with his sleeve as his fangs retracted yet an eerie emerald glow remained as the black in his eyes faded. He couldn't help his thoughts straying to what human blood would taste like.
He headed back inside and went over to his book shelf. A book on runes and symbolic magic caught his eye. Lifting it off the shelf he sat down in the armchair and cracked it open.