Love Bites 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series. I merely own copies of the books.

Warnings: This fic contains yaoi (boy love, homosexuality of the male variety, male on male, etc.), mpreg, foul language, death, and adult themes. If ANY of these things offend you, please save yourself the trouble of reading this fic and find something else to read. If you are under 18 you should not be reading this anyway… but I won't tell your parents if you don't. *insert ninja face here*

Opening Notes: Alright, so I've gotten into another fic. However, this does NOT mean that I've forgotten about Taming the Beast by ANY stretch of the imagination!!! I've just misplaced my disc for Twilight Princess and therefore have nothing to pull ideas from… Also, I am currently in search of a Beta, seeing as none of my works have been Beta-read. If you would like to Beta for me, please send me a message. Spell check can only do so much for me, and it's not very good with grammatical mistakes.

Chapter 1

Nostalgia

Harry Potter was the wizarding world's savior, having killed Lord Voldemort for the last time in late spring of 1998. He was allowed to re-enter Hogwarts to complete his seventh year, but was still considered as part of the graduating class of 1998 along with everyone else that had opted to repeat their seventh year. He completed his Auror training in four of the usual six years that it took average wizards to complete it, but grew bored with the profession and quit after four more years of working under the Ministry.

Ginny had died in the final battle as he was facing Voldemort, having been hit by an Avada Kedavra curse fired by Bellatrix Lestrange. Since then, his love life had been nonexistent. He simply did not want to put anyone in that kind of danger ever again, seeing as danger seemed to follow him wherever he went. Many witches, and even a few wizards, had tried to make their way into Harry's heart, and, consequently, his bed, only to be turned down and turned away when Harry felt that things were moving beyond plutonic friendship.

Harry never did enjoy being the center of attention, and was therefore in a very awkward position after Voldemort's defeat. The fame was unwanted and unwelcome, and everyone and their cousin had suddenly become his best friend. The Death Eater trials went on for months, and he had almost missed the first day of his returning year.

Now, ten years after Voldemort's defeat, Harry Potter was living alone in Number Twelve Grimmauld Place with his new snowy owl Lily as his only company. Ron and Hermione got married while Harry was out of Britain for his Auror training, and Hermione was now the Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts, having followed in McGonagall's footsteps. Ron had almost passed up on re-entering Hogwarts for his final year, but Hermione would have no word of it. After their graduation, Ron joined the Chudley Cannons as a reserve Keeper, having always dreamed of playing for their team.

On this particular day, Harry was enjoying the quiet of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. It was the middle of July, and his birthday was coming up in a week and a half. He didn't really care, though, considering that there were only three people left in the world that actually cared: Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid.

Harry was just about to lie down for an afternoon nap when a rather familiar grey owl flew in through one of the open windows and landed on the arm of the couch Harry had lain on. In its beak was an envelope with familiar emerald green writing on the front, and an even more familiar wax seal on the back. He took the letter from the owl's beak and it flittered around the room happily.

Dear Mr. Potter,

You are invited to the class reunion for the Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry class of 1998. The celebration is scheduled to be held at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry the entire day of Tuesday August 12, 2008. Formal attire is preferred, but not required. If you are able to attend, please send a letter with the owl that delivered your invitation and arrive at Platform 9 ¾ by no later than ten o'clock on August 11th.

Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

P.S. Mr. Potter, please reconsider my proposal for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professorship. The students could learn a great deal more from a wizard that has firsthand experience in the subject, rather than a witch or wizard that has never seen actual combat. Also, it would give Mrs. Granger-Weasley someone else to talk to. She is a brilliant witch in her own right, but she is beginning to wear my nerves thin in her current state.

Harry couldn't help but chuckle at his former professor's comment about his friend's demeanor. He had already heard from Ron that Hermione was now pregnant with their first child and that she wasn't taking it too well emotionally, but to bring even McGonagall to complain about her behavior…

"Pigwidgeon, will you calm down for once in your life so that I can tie this note to your leg?" Harry said as he wrote a small reply on a piece of parchment he had on the table next to the sofa. The grey owl landed almost gracefully on the arm of the sofa and stuck its leg out for Harry to tie on the letter. Once the reply was secure, however, he took off to return to Hogwarts without even waiting for Harry to move out of the way.

August 11, 2008

A nostalgic feeling surrounded Harry as he gazed upon the bright red train that would once again take him to the one place where he felt safest. He hurried onto the train and took a seat in a compartment towards the rear car.

Not too long after he got settled, the familiar worried face of Neville Longbottom peered into his compartment. "Harry? Is that you?" Neville asked with a broad grin on his face at the sight of his former dorm-mate. Harry looked up from his copy of Broomsticks Monthly and smiled back at his old friend. "Yeah, it's me, Neville. You're looking awfully well. Would you like to join me?" Harry said. "That would be lovely," came the voice of Luna Lovegood. Both she and Neville sat down in the seats opposite Harry, holding hands the entire time. Noticing this, Harry raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you two going out?" Luna merely giggled and Neville blushed and said, "Actually, I just proposed to her last month. We're getting married in October."

The rest of the train ride was spent with the three of them catching up with each other. Apparently Neville was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts for the past six years, but had retired at the end of the previous school year so that he could propose to Luna. "That explains why McGonagall has been so insistent about me taking on the professorship next year," was what Harry had to say about that.

Once they arrived at the castle, Harry was seriously beginning to rethink McGonagall's offer on the professorship. He hadn't been back to the castle since the end of the war, and was beginning to wonder how he could have stayed away for so long. Even the thestrals, which nearly everyone that had been present during the final battle could see now, were a welcome sight to him. As the castle itself came into view, Harry felt a feeling of security wash over his entire being, almost as if he were enveloped in a large, overly fluffy blanket.

There was a feast awaiting the nearly fifty former students when they arrived at the castle, and everyone sat at the tables that had belonged to their respective houses when they were still students. When Hermione caught sight of Harry she nearly knocked him over in her monstrously crushing hug. Ron hadn't been able to make it to the reunion; the Cannons were having a match in Ireland on the fourteenth and their regular Keeper had caught a particularly nasty case of dragon pox.

By the time dessert came around, Headmistress McGonagall rose from her seat at the faculty table and the rest of the hall fell silent. "Good evening, former students. I am pleased to see that so many of you were able to attend this celebratory event. This evening, you are all welcome to stay either here at the castle or at one of the inns in Hogsmeade after the feast has concluded. All day tomorrow you are all welcome back to the castle to catch up with your former classmates. All of your former professors that were able to make it here will be in their classrooms from when you were attending classes here if you wish to see them. Now, I hope you all enjoy your dessert, and that I might hear from at least a few of you tomorrow. Welcome back, Hogwarts Class of nineteen ninety-eight," professor McGonagall said with a smile before sitting back down to enjoy some of the sweets that had just appeared on all of the tables.

"What have you been up to since you stopped working for the Ministry, Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry put down his forkful of apple cobbler and sighed. "Not very much, really, except for enjoying the peace and quiet for once," Harry said with what seemed like a fake smile on his face. However, Hermione did not miss this and said, "You're bored, aren't you? Harry, honestly, you should take the Dark Arts job here next term. It would keep you busy, and I wouldn't have to worry about you all the time." "Hermione, it's not that simple. If I decide to take the job, then what's to stop next year's students from gawking at me like some kind of animal on display at the zoo?" he asked with a glare to the general area around them, remembering how his fellow classmates used to do the exact thing when they were still in school. Hermione gave Harry a sympathetic look and put her hand comfortingly over his. "I'm not saying you have to, Harry, but I do want you to consider it. You've lost that spark for life you used to have when we were teenagers, and I don't want to see you sink into a state of depression," Hermione said with a knowing look. "Alright, Hermione, I'll think about it. If McGonagall bugs me about it one more time while I'm here, though, you can forget it," Harry said with a playful smile.

Two tables over, at the Slytherin table, a very anxious Draco Malfoy hadn't even touched anything on his plate throughout the entire feast. This was not amiss with his classmates, as Pansy Parkinson, now Pansy Goyle, asked him, "Drake, what's the matter? You haven't eaten a thing all night." He merely glared at the pug-faced girl and spat, "None of your bloody business." Dessert was only half way over, but he stood up from the table and stormed off in the direction of the dungeons, and his office as Potions Master.

Once he was within the confines of his office he let his glamour charms diminish. His hair took on a limp, lifeless quality, deep, dark circles appeared under his stormy grey eyes, and his skin paled drastically, even for the already pale man. "I wish this bloody venom would just kill me already and get it over with," Draco groaned as he slumped down into the chair behind his desk. The portrait behind him of his deceased godfather replied to this with a sneer.

"Stop your complaining, Draconis. It's your own fault for venturing into the Forbidden Forest alone in the middle of the night," he reprimanded. "Shut up, Severus. It's not like you would have asked that great oaf Hagrid for any assistance either if you were in my position. You know that crescent moon lilies can only be picked in nearly silent conditions, and that great brute would have made more noise romping through that forest than an entire horde of dragons in heat," Draco shot back at the painting. "How was I supposed to know that a convent of vampires was living in that area of the forest? If I had asked Hagrid, he would have had to accompany me, and I've already addressed that issue." To this, Severus merely nodded with a grunt of understanding.

"Tomorrow night is the new moon, Draco. Once the sun sets, your suffering will end. I must implore you to be cautious once twilight settles in. You know what to do once you feel the first pangs of death throughout your system, so I won't trouble you any longer. Try to get some rest, Draco. I know it will be difficult, but you should at least try. Good night, my godson," Severus Snape said before leaving his portrait.

August 12, 2008

Harry felt surprisingly refreshed after sleeping in his old dorm room. Even Neville's snoring in the middle of the night hadn't even bothered him. As he sat down for breakfast in the Great Hall, he couldn't help but notice how all of his classmates had matured since their graduation, most of them having opted to bring dress robes to wear today. Harry, on the other hand, had chosen to wear a tuxedo. He had decided to wear contacts today instead of his glasses, and he finally managed to somewhat tame his unruly mess of hair. To say that he got more stares than usual would be the understatement of the century; he had the attention of every living being in the room as he began eating a piece of jelly toast.

"Harry, are you wearing a glamour charm?" Hermione asked, staring up and down Harry's person. "No, why?" Harry asked, looking up and then noticing the extra stares he was receiving. "Oh…" he said, slumping down in his seat and trying to make himself disappear. He hadn't meant to draw this much attention to himself. The blush that crept its way onto his face made nearly half the women, and a couple of men, swoon. "I don't know what you did, Harry, but I think you may get molested if you ever do it again," Hermione said as she went back to her eggs and potato rounds.

Draco let out a frustrated sigh when he saw the sun rising through his enchanted window. "Well, so much for sleeping one last time before I die," he said as he put on his midnight blue pinstriped suit. He wasn't about to put on his best dress robes just to impress some peons he went to school with.

For the most part, he had been glad to rid himself of the blubbering dunderheads. However, there was one person that he wished had never left; Harry bloody Potter. Now that Potter was gone, he had nobody in the entire castle to compete with. He wouldn't deny that the raven haired little prick brought out the best in him.

He re-cast his glamour charm and smirked at his confident reflection in his full-length mirror before stalking into the Great Hall. He chuckled inwardly at the stares, swoons, and mutterings that ensued once he entered the room. Only once he sat down, though, did he realize that he wasn't the only person being gawked at. Two tables over, he noticed someone else that seemed to be causing quite a fuss amongst the crowd. He swore to himself that he'd never seen the person before, but there was something about the man that seemed increasingly familiar.

Harry had nearly finished with his breakfast when a resounding gasp sounded throughout the Great Hall. He looked up to the double doors to see a person he had first thought was Lucius Malfoy strolling over to the Slytherin table. However, the confident smirk on the wizard's face told him that it was, in fact, Draco Malfoy that had caused the Hall to stir to life once again. Harry tried very hard to not stare as his former rival made his way to the Slytherin table and sat amongst his fellow serpents.

He finally snapped out of his daze when Seamus waved his hand in front of his face. "You alright, mate? You looked like you just saw a veela walk by or something," he said. Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts and said, "No, I just spaced out. It was nothing." As Harry finished his breakfast, he felt several intent stares drilling into him from all sides. As soon as he finished the food on his plate, he exited the Great Hall faster than a snitch in a game of Quidditch.

Draco's eyes didn't leave the wizard two tables away from him until said wizard had left the Great Hall. Only then did he bother to even look at the impressive breakfast feast before him and promptly turn his nose up at it. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep anything down anyway, so here simply drank a goblet of orange juice as he conversed with his former classmates. He didn't really pay attention to what they were saying, though. He was too busy wracking his brain, trying to figure out just who that other wizard was.

Harry made his way across the school grounds and rapped on the wooden door to Hagrid's hut. The half-giant answered the door and grinned broadly when he saw Harry standing outside. "About ruddy time you came to see me. Come on in, Harry; no need to stand out there like some stranger," Hagrid said, retreating back into his hut and leaving the door open for Harry.

Harry grinned and stepped inside, the smell of Hagrid's awful cooking filling his nose almost at once. "Get the birthday gift I sent yeh a few weeks ago, Harry?" Hagrid asked. "I sure did. I'd never seen a hellcat before, and it's adorable. I have to know, though, what's the catch? Knowing you, it can't have been just an adorable little kitten," Harry said with a knowing smirk. Hagrid laughed and said, "Am I really tha' easy ter see through? Well, I suppose I ought ter let yah know, then. Harry, Hellcats are extremely rare creatures. Once they grow up, they can change into any kind of cat you can imagine; tiger, leopard, lion, housecat, anything. They're also frightfully protective of their masters, and have really strong protective magic. I thought of you when I saw it because, well, you have a bit of a ten'ancy of ge'in inter trouble. Now, I'll bet Hermione has a book tha'll tell yah all about how to take care of it. Enough about that, though. Wha've you been up to fer the past couple o' years?"

Draco excused himself from the meal early once again and made his way back down to his office. He had been firmly against this whole class reunion from the start, seeing as he'd rather forget most of his school years, but McGonagall said that it would do him some good to see his former classmates again. He was still firmly against the entire thing, but for different reasons now than he had been previously.

He let out a frustrated groan as he entered his office behind the potions classroom. "If you're dreading the venom's effects this much, I would suggest suicide in order to prevent the venom from running its course," the late potions master drawled from his portrait. "It's not that, Severus. I'm just frustrated because I'm trying to figure something out… say, maybe you could help me out?" Draco asked his godfather. "That all depends on what you're inquiring about, Draconis. What is it that you would have me do?" Snape said with an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"There's someone here in the castle besides me that everyone was making a fuss over at breakfast. I could've sworn that I'd never seen him before, but there was something very familiar about him. I'd like for you to spy on him for me and let me know who he is. He had black hair that fell down over his face, and he was wearing a black tuxedo with a red necktie. I didn't get a very good look at him other than that, but it irks me to no end that someone besides me could have that effect on an entire crowd of people," Draco said before slamming his fist down on his lacquered wooden desk. "I'm supposed to be the only heartthrob at this bloody castle, damn it all!" Draco shouted. Severus merely rolled his eyes and said, "Very well. I shall satisfy your narcissistic personality and find out who this person is. I warn you know, though, not to do anything rash that may speed up the effects of the venom. You wouldn't want to slaughter an innocent life, would you?" Without waiting for a reply, Snape left his portrait to roam the rest of the castle.

Harry finished his visit with Hagrid after a long chat and a small lunch. It was good to see his dear friend after ten years, and every moment he spent on the grounds only made him consider taking the professorship even more. As he entered the Main Hall, Harry was unaware of a certain deceased potions master watching him from the paintings on the wall.

He made his way to the Transfiguration classroom and was nearly startled to see Hermione sitting behind the desk rather than McGonagall. She looked up from the planner she was writing in and waved to Harry. "If you're looking for McGonagall, she's in the Headmistress's office," Hermione said. "Thanks, Hermione. I had forgotten for a moment that you were the professor. Can I sit down for a minute?" Harry asked, happy to be able to speak with Hermione face to face. "Of course you can, Harry. I'd be insulted it you didn't," she replied with a laugh and transfigured a nearby grandfather clock into a chair.

Harry sat down in the chair and grinned at his friend. "I got the bottle of wine you sent me for my birthday. How did you know I like pinot noir?" Harry asked curiously. "I just guessed. I didn't know if you would actually like it or not, but I'm glad you did. Ron wanted to give you a box of chocolates that explode when you bite into them, but he forgot what they were and ended up getting blasted instead," Hermione said, making both of them laugh. "That sounds like something Ron would do, alright. How is he, by the way? You said last night that he's actually getting to play tomorrow in Ireland?"

Draco paced his office with a scowl on his face that would have made Snape's chest swell with pride. "Who the bloody hell was that guy?! He looked so bloody familiar! If only I had gotten a better look at his face, I might have been able to tell who it was…" Draco muttered to himself as he paced. Severus returned to his portrait, having successfully learned the identity of the focus of Draco's fury. He merely stayed put, however, and watched his godson wear a hole into the stone floor of his old office. "I'm supposed to be the only person that beautiful in this castle! Ugh, and the more I think about it, the more I want to kiss him! I know, I know, I'm a ponce, but he just looked so damn good sitting there!" Draco continued to rant.

Not wanting to hear where Draco's train of thought was going, Severus cleared his throat, snapping Draco out of the trance-like state he'd been in. "Well? Did you find out who that little ponce was?" Draco asked in a tone that he hoped wasn't as anxious as he thought it was. "As a matter of fact, I did. However, you may not want to hear the results of my search," Severus said in a cautionary voice. "Don't be ridiculous, Severus. It's not like it was Harry bloody Potter causing so much of a fuss this morning," Draco scoffed.

When Severus didn't answer, however, his face paled almost to the point where it looked like his glamour charm was failing. "Severus Snape, this is no time for you to have developed a sense of humor. Potter hasn't been seen in over two years. Now tell me, Severus, who was it that caused such a raucous this morning?!" Draco fumed. "As much as I hate to burst your proverbial bubble, Draco, it was indeed Potter that has been turning heads all day. As of right now he is finishing up a chat with Mrs. Granger-Weasley in her office. I overheard him say that he was en route to the Headmistress's office once he concluded his business there. Again, Draco, I implore you to not do anything rash, for it may accelerate the course of the venom running through you veins. Now, I shall leave you to fume as you see fit. I shall return close to dusk to check on you," Snape said coldly before once again leaving his dumbstruck godson to his own devices.

Harry said his goodbyes to Hermione and made his way to the familiar gargoyle statue that led to the Headmistress's office. "May I speak with Headmistress McGonagall?" he asked the statue. "Certainly, master Potter. Welcome back," the statue replied and moved aside to allow Harry access to the office above.

Harry knocked on the solid oak door to McGonagall's office and waited for her friendly reply of "Come in" before entering. McGonagall smiled when she saw Harry step into the office and sit in the chair opposite her desk. "Good afternoon, mister Potter. To what do I owe this visit?" she said with a knowing look behind her circular spectacles. "Good afternoon, Headmistress. I thought that I should say hello to my former Head of House while I was here. Also, Headmistress, I wanted to let you know that I've decided to accept your offer of the Defense against the Dark Arts professorship," Harry said with a smile. McGonagall's own smile brightened.

"Well, it's about time you accepted my proposal. If you had waited much longer, I would have had to give the position to Seamus Finnigan, and we both know what a disaster that would have been," McGonagall said, making both of them laugh.

"If you don't mind my asking, what made you change your mind? You seemed so adamantly against the position when I asked you about it seven months ago," she asked. "Well, it was a tough decision, but coming back here for this little reunion is what really changed my mind. I didn't realize how much I missed this place until I came back after nearly ten years," Harry explained.

They arranged for Harry to move into his new office the following week, and Harry left her office with a spring in his step that hadn't been there before. Unbeknownst to him, he was being followed in the shadows by a very pissed off Draco Malfoy.

Harry noticed that the sun was about to start setting, and decided to head out to the greenhouses. When he reached Greenhouse Three he turned to the stone wall opposite the back door and stacked some bags of potting soil against it. He climbed over the wall and landed in a small courtyard that was overgrown with ivy and flowers of all kinds. Harry smiled as he looked around the overgrown courtyard and said, "I can't believe it's still here." He sat down on one of the segments of pillars that were littered across the area. He was still completely unaware that he was being stalked by a now dying Draco Malfoy.

As the sun began to dip down below the horizon, Draco felt a surge of pain throughout his body. "Not yet. Please, not yet," Draco pleaded as he silently leapt into the courtyard behind Harry. Draco stared in amazement at the beautiful courtyard, unable to believe that he had never known of its existence. However, his joy was cut short as another surge of pain coursed through him, almost causing him to cry out. He sank into the corner against the wall, blending in almost completely with the shadows.

Harry stopped in his tracks when he felt a change in the magic around him. He glanced around the courtyard, but saw nothing, until he heard the pained shouts coming from the direction of the greenhouses. The sun had half set already, and Draco could feel his heart slowing to a crawl. His lungs were shutting down, and the world seemed to be spinning before his eyes. Harry saw a person fall to the ground in the corner and rushed over to investigate. However, he hadn't expected to see Draco Malfoy lying in the grass with his life slipping away with the sun.

"Malfoy?! Malfoy, what's the matter with you?!" Harry shouted, trying to figure out what he should do.

Draco could feel someone next to him, but he couldn't think straight enough to figure out what they were saying. As the last bit of sunlight vanished from the horizon, Draco let out one last cry of anguish with his last living breath.

Harry was at a loss for words. His school rival had just died in his arms. The first thing his mind resorted to was denial. "Malfoy? Come on, stop fooling around… Malfoy, this isn't funny… Malfoy?" Harry said, trying to bring the deceased wizard in his arms back to life with useless words.

Closing Notes

Okay, bring on the hate mail! I promise to update this story again once I get 5 reviews on this story. That shouldn't be too hard for you guys, should it?