A/N: This is a multi-chapter horror story for Halloween. I'm hoping to have it finished by then, however I'm starting to post it up now to build the suspense ;) Haven't written Drarry in a while so be kind! x

Synopsis: Victoria London, 1888. Harry had just started studying medicine under Professor Snape. During the witching hour, there are some extra lectures to sign up for; lectures on supernatural biology and medicine. It seemed far-fetched at first. However, with the constant lack of sleep, and a newfound friendship with Draco Malfoy, Harry starts taking an interest in the strange events occurring throughout Whitechapel. Why is the Ripper murdering so many people? How can the police not catch him? And why is Harry helping Snape dissect the mutilated victims for his werewolf biology class? How are they connected and why does Draco seem to be caught in the middle?

Silver in the Blood

~London~

Friday 4th August 1888

The night sky was beautiful to behold. No heads bothered to turn up to look at the sweep of velvety black sky, speckled with small white stars. No heads, that is, except one young man who needed an extra breath of fresh air before heading into the hospitals theatre. The anticipation of breathing in the musk of harsh soap and ether was not something that roused his interest.

Dull orange lamplight bathed the flagstones and the porch that the other young apprentices were gathered upon. There was a cool note in the air that whispered off the Thames. It wasn't cold enough for the breath to mist up in the air, but it was enough for the man to take their overcoats –just in case. In the distance, the soft clicking of footsteps on the flagstones filled the otherwise still night. Glancing at his pocket watch, Harry determined that it was already a quarter to eight. The lecture was due to start at 9PM and they hadn't even gotten into the building yet.

"I suppose it's a good thing it hasn't gotten cold enough to snow yet," commented Ronald. Harry raised his eyebrows in agreement. Ronald was a tall, lanky man with a very thin neck. His hair was a mass of sleek ginger strands swept across. His face was spattered with freckles that drew away from his –otherwise handsome –features.

"As long as we don't freeze in December, we'll be fine," Harry said with a smile.

The truth was, despite it being the end of August, the sudden drop in temperature was a curious turn. Many elderly women lamented that it was to be the end of days, but Harry found himself tuning them out more and more as the years passed. It was only a cool night, nothing untoward. They lived in London, the land that temperate fluccuated throughout the year. His mother had even spoken of when she was a young girl, the Thames would freeze over and they would have 'Frost Fairs' on the ice that could easily reach eleven inches in thickness.

A touch of nippy weather wasn't about to make their evenings unpleasant.

No; that was a job much better left to the crook currently prowling the streets of London. There had been horrid things in the newspaper. Harry had read the articles, chills running down his spine whenever he remembered it. He caught himself speculating who could ever commit such horrid crimes, but it wasn't his place to go poking around. That was a job better left to the police.

In the courtyard, the clock struck 9PM.

A key ground the gears in the lock and the large double doors swung open. A rush of warm air enveloped the student body as they shuffled forward onto the marble-tiled floor of the auditorium-like theatre. Shuffling around the circular levels, Harry and Ronald found some seats on the lower ring of seats. As they shucked off their overcoats and hats, their professor entered through the narrow door in a sweep of his long, black robes.

Taking his books out of his bag along with a quill and ink, Harry had to take a moment to stare up at his professor, standing like a dark angel against the lecturn. He was a tall man with slick black hair, and a hooked nose. His skin was sallow but there was a hungry gleam in those dark eyes that made everyone's stomachs turn. He was a cold, calculating man, his voice deep and smooth as it resounded off the stone walls. His was a captivating presence that sank deep into the bones, and left his students enraptured with his teachings.

In short; he was a magnificent professor.

Fifteen minutes before the lecture ended -an introductory lecture to outline what they were supposed to learn over the coming months before Christmas holidays –Professor Snape turned to his array of drowsy-faced students and narrowed his eyes. So many insolent brats. It was a good thing half of them weren't paying attention, because then they wouldn't get another invite to the following lectures when the surgeries began. Most professors would relish in the extra money handed over at the end of every lecture, as a preemptive payment on the following week, however Snape was not one of them. He'd rather teach half a class of interested pupils, rather than a full class almost completely filled with hopeless socialites.

Tightening his jaw even more, he stepped behind his podium and –barely raising his leg –knocked the stand over. The crash resounding throughout the auditorium, the hundred or so students who had been slumped in their seats were suddenly on their feet and alert. Spinning around they searched for the source of the commotion. Upon finding that it had been Snape, a great many cheeks flushed bright pink with embarrassment.

Harry and Ronald shared a sly grin with one another.

"Now that I have your attention," Snape intoned, his black glassy eyes passing over the pale faces staring up at him. "I'm sure you will be all interested to know what the curriculum will be consisting of, for those of you who can stomach it." He gave a pointed look to a small cluster of young men on the third row who had looked dangerously close to falling asleep. "Now, for those of you who wish to excel your studies, I shall have it be known that for one week every month, there will be classes every night between 10PM to 1AM. For those of you who are interested, stay behind after this lecture and I shall inform you of what it entails."

Harry caught himself before he was leaning against the brass pole that ran around the mahogany wall in front of him. Swallowing, he readjusted himself and straightened his shoulders. He'd almost dropped his notes. Ronald looked a little pale beside him and he couldn't help but suppress a chuckle. The red-haired man was not good with blood. He needed to do this series of lessons and hands-on study to actually get used to it, otherwise he'd have a hard time finding decent work in the field of medicine.

As Snape continued to wrap up his lecture, his voice a deep baritone. Ronald leaned over and, dropping his voice to a whisper, asked; "Are you going to wait behind to learn about the extra-curriculum lessons?"

Harry shrugged. He couldn't deny that it filled him with a dizzying excitement to know what the man deemed worthy to extend lessons outside of time. "I think so. Even just to see what it's about."

Ronald nodded. "I don't think I could handle much more of this man, even if it were to guarantee me a job as soon as I graduated."

Harry suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Ronald managed when it came to academia but he wasn't the brightest candle on the altar. At long last, the clock struck 12AM and they were dismissed an hour early, since it was only an introductory lecture.

"Okay that's midnight. Get out," he enunciated his words, before turning his back on the students. He never left any room for questions, and at this late hour it didn't seem as though anyone had any.

Ronald stood up and, after gathering his books, he shot Harry a strained look. "Are you sure you want to stay? You'll be walking home almost alone."
Harry gave his friend a patient smile. "I'm sure I'll manage."

With a thin-lipped smile, the ginger man nodded quietly and then shuffled along the tight circular row of chairs towards the main doors. A soft breeze shuffled around their ankles as they made the rest of the class went back out into the breathable air and made their way home. Harry and ten other students were left.

When he turned back around, Snape was pleasantly surprised that he had as many as eleven pupils staying behind for the extra lectures. He knew it wasn't going to be popular with half the current student body, and he'd probably only have three men turn up by the following week, but it was a risk he took every year. It was a risk that needed to be undertaken, because one day –despite his efforts –he wouldn't be there to carry these lessons through.

Stepping up to the lectern, he grasped the mahogany wood and smoothed his long, pale fingers over the varnished grain. "Now the rest of you have stayed behind this evening because you are either intrigue by the unknown subject matter yet to be disclosed, or you're thinking that this will mean you have to put less effort into your regular studying of the human body and its internals. On the latter, you are wrong; you will have to dedicate perhaps even more of your time to passing these extra lectures.

"You will all need to swear a declaration that whatever you witness within these four walls between the time the lectures start and end, will not be repeated to the outside world. This is of the utmost importance to the nation's security and the Queen herself is adamant for discretion."

Harry furrowed his brown. Utmost security declared by the Her Majesty? That didn't seem at all likely. Why would the Queen have any interest in the medical sciences? He shifted uncomfortably, the hard wood eating into the back of his thighs. His quill trembled in his hand as he prepared to take notes.

"Now a lot of you may have heard rumours about some of the subjects I like to teach?" he drawled, his narrow, dark eyes surveying the room. A few young men squirmed in his peripheral vision, but he ignored them. He knew what people said about him, often when they thought he was nowhere near. He didn't care, though. "You may have been told not to bother wasting your time, that elements of the supernatural have no place in the world of science, medicine and our way of life. However, I am here to tell you that you're wrong."

A buzzing of hushed voices rippled through the room.

Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"There are very few scientifically acclaimed accounts of strange and otherworldly diseases or dangers. Reports indicate that there are far more out there in the world that simply are ignored, given no treatment or a chance to recover and join society."
A hand raised near the middle of the fifth row of seats. Snape narrowed his eyes but inclined his head. The voice that spoke was nasally and sounded rather

pompous. "If there aren't any recorded cases then why are you bothering to tell us all of this?"

"One day, Mr. Renham, doctors will need to know of ways to cure such ailments. That is why the task has befallen whomever chooses to study these lectures, to create as many detailed notes and diagrams to be printed into a new volume for the medical sciences journals in Oxford."

Harry swallowed thickly. To become published alone would be a huge achievement, the royalties wouldn't be amazing however it would certainly escalate his future career threefold if he was published in journals approved by the Queen herself. However, the was a strange feeling inside him, curling around like a snake, sending chills running up and down his limbs. His brain argued that it was merely the late hour and the unusually cool evening that awaited him outside the large oak doors. However … what of the subject matter? Clearly it had not done Professor Snape any harm, though Harry did wonder if it had done the man any favours, being so involved in things of the occult.

Another hand rose.

"Professor, why exactly is there interest in the medical side of the occult?" the young man asked. Harry felt some relief ebb into his chest. He was glad he didn't have to ask the question, no doubt, all of them were wondering.

"The reason, Mr. Fielding, is that there have been some strange and gruesome murders up and down the country. You may have noticed that even the police here in London are stretched pretty thin. It is my hopes that we shall have fresh corpses from any new murders. You young men are to help me research these bodies and determine if there were committed by a supernatural entity, and if not, why not? What else could it be? How do you know it is something else? Have you, yourself, discovered a new disease that will transform the medical world? We won't know. Not yet, at least. However, within the next fortnight I shall have more news regarding any autopsies."

Harry bit his lip. His palms were clammy as he glanced back down at his notes. Was this really an enterprise he wanted to be involved in? He had a week to completely make his mind up and find the money for the tuition for the extra classes.

Snape turned to eye them all with a flourish of his robes. "Alright men. If you wish to participate in these extra lectures, stay after your original lecture next Monday night. That is one week to make the decision. Dismissed!"

Stepping out into the dark street, Harry drew in a deep breath. The crisp note in the air stung his lungs and the back of his throat, but it was a welcomed change from the oppressing atmosphere of the lecture room. Raking a hand through his hair, he looked up and down the street, the few young men who had stayed behind already ghosting along the pavement, their silver-headed staffs gleaming whenever they passed under a streetlamp. Harry turned left and started making his way up the road, the rustling of leaves following him.

Walking home alone had never been an issue for him. He actually preferred when the streets were empty; it meant he could move with freedom and not have to worry about knocking into someone. He was grateful that he didn't have to walk for more than forty minutes to get to the hospital. It wasn't an issue now, however when the weather started to turn cold, he would need to find a short cut so that he didn't get ill.

Upon arriving at his front porch, he slipped his key into the lock and went inside. Climbing the staircase, he didn't take his cloak off nor his hat until he was inside his room. His lodgings were small but homely. Living so far away from his parents was a disheartening truth to come home to every night, however Harry had to keep thinking of how good his opportunity was. It was many people who got a fully paid scholarship to study under the renowned Professor Severus Snape. Perhaps that was another reason spurring him towards the extra activities. He hoped it would aid him in becoming the Professors protegee once the class had graduated. He liked to write to his parents every week to let them know how things were progressing for him. Normally, he wouldn't have written so often, however not only did his mother worry but the postal service could take a while between London and Sheffield. He just wanted to make sure that if it did stop for whatever reason –perhaps a strike or bad weather –they'd have a flock of new letters to read.

Within half an hour, Harry had a small iron kettle heating up over his fire and had managed to make up a dinner of cold meat cuts, warmed soup and half a loaf of bread from earlier that afternoon. It wasn't much –not like his mothers cooking –but it would suffice until morning.

Sat in his chair with nothing but the creaks and groans of the old house around him, Harry finally let himself relax. He was disappointed that Ron hadn't wanted to learn about the exciting new lectures. Perhaps it was the late hour of said lectures, but Harry knew better. Ronald was squeamish. Why the red-haired man wanted to go into the profession at all still remained a mystery to Harry but he admired his friend's spirit. Unfastening his buttons Harry felt a cold weight settle in his chest as he pulled his chair closer to the low fire, his legs stretched out before him. It would be increasingly lonely if he were to study throughout the early hours of the morning and not have a companion alongside. He liked knowing his classmates. Sadly, the only ones who had stayed behind were not people Harry tended to talk to.
Twisting the small ring on his right ring finger, Harry sighed and glanced out of the window. The faintest hint of daylight was already bleaching the black from the sky. Vague shapes took on a sharper life.

'I need to get some sleep,' he thought as he banked the fire. A yawn rubbed his throat raw as he sluggishly shucked off his clothes and dropped down into his narrow bed. It creaked under his weight. Sighing softly, Harry resolved to watch daylight slowly waken the city.

He drifted off to sleep before the sun had been risen.

A/N: So ... Thoughts? x