AN: Many of the characters of this story belong to the ever lovely Jo. The plot and other vampires you meet later, I can claim credit for.

September, 2003.

Since the war had ended, Harry had been spending every free moment continuing the purge of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place and restoring it to a home of great prestige. Now, five years later, the entire house had been made hospitable and cheerful, a feat that many said couldn't be done. He had even been able to remove the awful portrait of Walburga Black. The only exception had been the attic. Thus far, Harry had avoided it as he figured that was where the Blacks had stored all of their heirlooms and more questionable possessions.

Now however, he was on leave from the auror office after his last case, Ginny was out of town for a while with the Harpies, and Ron and Hermione were on their honeymoon. With nothing better to do for the next week, Harry entered the attic and determined that if he couldn't finish clearing everything within the week, he would seal the door and leave it be. Harry sighed and started his methodical sweeping of the garbage in front of him, constantly alert for the feel of dark magic or traps that would likely permeate the room.

The first few days of cleaning were uneventful with nothing more serious than seventh year level hexes and curses that Harry disarmed or deflected easily. He had cleared more than half the room by this point and he could see the wall on the other side, when he realized that he was not the only one in the room. In the corner farthest from the door, stood a figure so surrounded by objects that it seemed to be trapped there without even room to sit down. Harry wouldn't have realized that the figure was a living being if he hadn't noticed the glowing yellow eyes following him as he moved about the room.

Curiosity prompted him forward to investigate. His wards would have told him if anyone had been coming or going from any part of his house even if he was away for work. This meant that whoever was in his attic had to have been living there for at least the last five years, probably more. This concerned Harry, because if it was true, whoever it was, was most likely more than just human to have survived. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure, who was definitely male, had a body so frail that he seemed to be held together only by magic. The only reason the man had not collapsed yet was that the debris surrounding him had kept him propped up.

As Harry registered more of the man's appearance, it became more obvious that he definitely wasn't human. Despite this, years of knowing and respecting Remus Lupin had left Harry with a respect for all Beings, human or otherwise and he was determined to help the man.

"Can you hear me?" Harry asked and the man nodded. "I'm going to help you get out of here, and then we will find out where you are supposed to be okay?" The man nodded again and Harry started shifting stuff around.

Once a path had been cleared, the man started to slide and Harry had to support his weight. Together they made their way to where the door was hidden on the opposite side of the room, but in his weakened state, the man couldn't manage even that and Harry thought he could feel the man crumbling next to him. Deciding that it would be better for him to make the trip in short increments, Harry stopped and helped the man to sit down and rest. The man kept ahold of Harry's hand, and now that Harry was looking at him, he decided that the man wasn't crumbling so much as disintegrating.

Caught up in his thoughts about what could cause a being to fall apart in that manner, Harry didn't realize what the man was doing until he felt a sharp pain in his wrist. Startled, Harry looked up in time to see what was left of the man with Harry's wrist in his mouth before he faded away completely.

Well that's just great, Harry thought. There was a bloody vampire in my attic. Slightly frightened now, Harry fled out of the room and sealed the door behind him. He doubted that there would be anything else considerably dangerous in there anymore, but he didn't want to take that chance. Looking down at his wrist, Harry sealed the bleeding puncture wounds with a charm. Harry knew that he would have to report what he found to Kingsley eventually, but all he wanted to do right now was sleep and see if he could forget what happened, so Harry made his way down the stairs to his room where he climbed into the bed he shared with Ginny and fell promptly asleep.

When Harry woke, it was to a soft touch and beautiful flowery smell. Before he was even fully awake, he realized that he was hungry and briefly wondered how long he had been asleep. He was still tired, but he knew that if he wanted to get back to sleep, he would have to find something to eat. At the thought of food however, Harry was taken aback to realize that it didn't sound even remotely appealing. With a sigh, he started to get up. Even if it didn't sound good, Harry knew that he should eat something.

"Oh good, you're awake. I was starting to get worried" Harry spun around to look at the source of the voice. Ginny wasn't supposed to be home for another two or three days.

"Kingsley called me. He said you didn't make in for work yesterday. I just got here a few hours ago and you were sound asleep."

"Yesterday? I wasn't supposed to be back at work until Monday."

"Harry, today is Tuesday. Are you telling me that you have been asleep for the past two days?" Ginny came around the bed to stand in front of Harry bringing the same scent he had woken up to closer to him. It made his mouth water. "You know that when you're not feeling well you need to go to St. Mungos."

"I didn't think there was anything wrong, I had just come out of the attic and fancied a nap. I didn't know I would be out for so long."

"Honestly Harry," Ginny sighed. She came forward and wrapped her arms around him. "You need to take better care of yourself. No one else can do that for you."

"I know." Harry hugged her back and went to bury his face in her hair the way he always did when she came home from long training sessions. However, Harry was overcome by her delicious scent and on an impulse sank his teeth into her neck. Ginny screamed at the pain but the taste of her blood soothed his hunger and he was lost as baser instincts took control of his actions.

When Harry came back to himself, he was not immediately aware of what he had done. He was stood facing the bed and he turned away from it, his desire to sleep suddenly gone. As he turned, he glimpsed the fire red of Ginny's hair and he froze. Looking at her, he noticed that she was much paler than he had ever seen her. It was as he reached towards her to see if she was alright he remembered the tang of blood and the feel of her neck against his face.

"Shit." Horrified, Harry acted on impulse and apparated away.

Harry appeared on the doorstep of his best friends' house. It wasn't until he noticed the light in the kitchen window that he remembered that they were supposed to be away on their honeymoon. Feeling guilty, he knocked on the door.

"Harry! How did you know we were home already?" Hermione had opened the door and stood aside to let him come into the house.

"Um, I didn't. I panicked and apparated here without thinking first. But I need to talk to you. Both of you." Harry rushed the words out and both of his friends immediately knew something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Alright mate, you know where the couch is. I'll grab us a beer and then we'll talk." As Ron turned back into the kitchen, Harry made a face at the mention of beer that he didn't think went unnoticed by Hermione. Soon they were settled in the living room, each with their drink.

"What's wrong Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I killed her" Harry blurted. He had wanted to find another way to say it, especially since Ginny was Ron's sister but he hadn't thought of anything else in time.

"WHAT?" Ron's enraged shout echoed around the room, while Hermione sat there with an expression of disbelief.

"I'm sure it wasn't your fault Harry. Why don't you tell us what happened?" Hermione said as she placed a hand on her husband's arm to prevent him from jumping up after Harry.

"I didn't mean to, but I did. And you're going to need more than just what happened." With that, Harry started with his plan to cleanse the attic that had gone so drastically wrong. When he mentioned the man in the attic, Hermione clapped her hand to her mouth.

"He bit you didn't he Harry? What happened to him?"

"Er, yeah he did. Then he kind of disintegrated. He just fell apart."

"He must have been really old and not eaten for a very long time for that to happen. That's one of the few ways they can actually die. Well, you now too I suppose."

"Wait, what? What's this got to do with Harry killing my sister? Who was the creepy dude in the attic, mate?"

"He was a vampire, Ronald. He bit Harry and now he's one too. It still wasn't your fault she died, Harry. All newborn vampires have difficulty controlling their thirst and that's when they know what's going on. You wouldn't have known enough to even think about controlling yourself around her."

"Blimey mate. I'd like to be right pissed at you, but I'm not. I'm pissed with the vampire that bit you, and whoever had him trapped in the attic, but not at you. Well, maybe a bit for going near him in the first place, but knowing you, you probably did it because of Remus and Teddy."

At that Harry could only nod. He was thankful that his friends didn't blame him for the death of his girlfriend, but that still left him coming to terms with the fact that he was no longer human. He was a vampire, a monster that almost all wizards feared and he didn't think that his fame would change how the public saw him once they found out. He had come here with a halfhearted hope that Hermione would tell him that he was wrong, that he wasn't a vampire now, but as one of the senior executives in the Department for the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures, she was never wrong.

"Harry, we need to tell Kingsley. He'll know more about what to do. And, at some point, you will have to register with the department too." Harry groaned and Ron started.

"But what about mum and the rest of the family? We have to tell them too."

"I know Ron, but Hermione is right, we need to talk with Kingsley first. None of us are exactly low profile." Ron just sat back and nodded as Hermione strode over to the fireplace and activated the floo.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt's office" The minister's slow voice answered her call.

"We have a situation that we need your immediate help with Kingsley. It would be best if you came through to our end."

"Very well Hermione, I will be there in a moment." The floo cut out momentarily before it flared back to life, revealing the Minister of Magic.

"Ah, Harry good to see you. Am I to assume that this meeting has something to do with your absence from work?"

"Yes sir."

"Really Harry, we're not at work, there is no need to call me sir all the time."

"Sorry Kingsley, force of habit I guess. But yes, the problem involves the reason I was not at work yesterday, or today for that matter. It started with my decision to begin the cleaning of my attic while I was on leave." And with that Harry launched into his story, this time including all of the details that hadn't been necessary when Hermione had figured out that he had been bit. He felt guilty once again when he got to how Ginny had died and he glanced over at Ron to see how he was taking the more detailed version of his sister's death. To his credit, while he seemed upset, Ron was able to keep his temper with the vampire, and Harry, in check.

"First things first, Harry, with your new status you will need to remain apart from the majority of people, at least until you are able to control your new instincts. Also, I am sure you will agree, that this should not get out to the public for just about every reason imaginable. Which means that we will need a plausible cover story for both the death of Ginny and your sudden departure from the auror department. My guess is that the cause of death that is least likely to be questioned is a miscarriage as that can result in significant blood loss, which will give you a window of about a week before people would expect you to reappear at work."

"There is always Polymorphus Light Eruption. It's better known as sun allergy. That way it will help to explain some of the physical characteristics that come with being a vampire. Some other concerns, Kingsley, are what to do about listing Harry on the registry as that is available to everyone and appointing him a handler since his creator died."

"What about a handler? I don't need a baby sitter." Harry sputtered.

"It's not like that Harry. Handler is our way of referring to the person who teaches the new vampires rules and hunting instincts and so forth. Typically it's the responsibility of the creator which they acknowledge when they make the decision to create another. But since yours is no longer able, one will need to be assigned to you, which will be difficult if we are trying to keep this quiet."

"As you work in the Department for the Control and Regulation for Magical Creatures, I believe that you are more than qualified to be Harry's handler, Hermione. In regards to the registry, I believe that it will suffice if the head of the DCRMC is aware of the situation."

"I thought we were trying to keep as few people aware of this as possible Kingsley. I don't really want to give the world another reason to stare at me," Harry interjected.

"Of course we are. Which brings me to a point that I was going to wait until later this week to bring up with you, Hermione. While you were gone, Madam Giselle, the current head for the department has expressed to me her desire to retire, leaving me with the need to find her replacement." Kingsley finished with a smile at the expressions of disbelief evident on everyone's faces.

"Congratulations, babe!" Ron was the first person to unfreeze and he jumped up and hugged his wife, knocking her off the arm of his chair as he did so. Both of them were laughing as they stood back up. Harry joined in as he realized that, maybe, this wasn't going to be the end of the world. Even Kingsley cracked a smile before continuing on.

"I believe that the remainder of the Weasley family should know the truth however, but then, as far as we are capable, the knowledge ends there. I will be involved in telling the family and making sure that the truth of Ginny's death does not get out, but I will leave it to the three of you to establish an appropriate cover for Harry. Now, I must ask you to lead me to where this all went down and then we shall inform Molly and the rest."

With a nod, Harry stood and apparated to Grimmauld Place and waited for Kingsley to follow. To his surprise both Ron and Hermione appeared as well. Silently, he led them up to the attic and unsealed it. He remained outside while both Kingsley and Hermione entered.

"Well, there doesn't seem to be anything left hiding in there." Kingsley said as he exited the door. "It also seems as if the vampire has truly expired, so there is nothing to change in where we move from here. Now, downstairs."

When they reached the bedroom, Hermione joined Ron and Harry in their avoidance of the room while Kingsley examined what happened. Every now and again, he would cast a spell that they could not tell what its purpose was. Eventually he returned to them and pronounced that he was done and that no one would be able to tell that she hadn't died of a miscarriage. Then Kingsley sent the three of them back to Ron and Hermione's while he dealt with breaking the news to the rest of the family, promising to return once he was finished.

When they returned to the house, Hermione began to explain the basic rules to Harry.

"You will have to remain indoors during the day, since sunlight is harmful. It won't kill you immediately but repeated or prolonged exposure without hunting will. Because of your status, you will want to save the times you expose yourself to sunlight for important events and the like. Also, hunting has been restricted for all vampires, which means that you are only allowed to target muggles. I don't like that but I didn't get to make the rules. Since we are trying to keep you as low profile as possible, I am going to recommend that you attempt to hunt out of the country where possible. You are able to go for long periods of time without hunting, and I can help prolong that a little bit by donating small amounts of my blood each day. Unfortunately, I will not be able to teach you how to hunt which means you will be learning on your own. Another reason to hunt away from large wizarding populations. The biggest thing that we are going to have to worry about is your self-control around people since you will still be expected to perform certain duties such as making appearances at large functions. You seem to be doing well enough right now, but we cannot expect that it will always hold."

"I know, I just don't want to hurt anyone else, if I know them or not."

"Harry, mate, you have to eat just like the rest of us. You just eat a little differently now."

"It's been over an hour, do you think Kingsley has finished talking to Molly yet?" As soon as Hermione finished speaking, the floo roared to life depositing Kingsley, quickly followed by Molly, into the living room.

"Oh, Harry!" Molly rushed forward and enveloped Harry into a hug. Harry froze, not trusting himself with her so close to him. "I'm so sorry that this happened to you. None of us blame you dear, it all happened so fast and you didn't even know."

"I bet Percy was a right prat about it" Ron scoffed.

"Yes, well, Percy has always seen things a little differently" Molly paused to catch her breath and pursed her lips before she continued speaking. "Even if he doesn't agree with how the Minister has asked us all to acknowledge the situation, he will stick to the story. He learned a thing or two about supporting his family during the war. And no matter what has happened, Harry is as much a part of this family as him or Ginny."

"He's probably just afraid that Harry'll go after him if he says anything."

"Ronald!" The shout came from both Molly Weasley and Hermione.

"Even if Harry were allowed to hunt wizards, he wouldn't go after Percy. Would you Harry?" Hermione turned to Harry with a stern glare.

"Of course not, Hermione" Harry answered her with a smile, although he sent Ron a wink once Hermione turned her back.

"Harry, you have one week off from the auror department in order to grieve for the loss of Ginny before I will expect a letter of resignation from you. Obviously, it is already in effect, but one is still needed with a reasonable excuse for the public story," Kingsley said before he stepped back into the floo and returned to his office.

"I need to get back home too, Harry dear, but make sure that you come by soon. We still like to see you around the Burrow whenever you feel like it." With that, Molly took her leave, giving the three time to talk and decide how they were going to make their new changed relationship work.