Author Note: This was written long before HBP or DH and is the first time I introduced Adam Sweetmeats. But, he's not a vamp. Yet. lol. So this is Adam's original history, although I've adapted him to fit other stories. This is the Original Adam in all his glory.
Prologue ~ First Contact
Vashti exited the catacombs, her dark eyes focused on the moon drifting through the night sky. It was her illumination, her sun, her only light after centuries of darkness. She wrapped her cloak around her slender pale body, transformed and flapped away into the night. Her years of constant vigilance were about to pay off. The object of her desire would be within her reach tonight.
Forty-eight year old Severus Snape strode across the grounds of Hogwarts, tall, pale, dour and draped in a disillusionment charm. He carried his short sword and harvesting utensils, along with his ever-present wand. He was on an important mission tonight.
Finally, after waiting seven years, he was going to harvest the valuable Agstani Plant, a powerful herb of great value, that only blossomed once every seven years on the night of the full moon. He had stumbled across the plant one night in the Forbidden forest when the tender shoots first broke earth. He couldn't believe it. The plant was so rare, and its usages so varied, the price even a pinch of the bloom would bring was worth several years' salary. He had solicitously watched its growth over the ensuing years, protecting it from discovery with wards and curses. Anyone coming near the plant would break out in itching hives. Now it was about to bloom.
Severus made his way through the thickets of the Forbidden Forest, very aware that the night sounds were still diminished. He had been coming here every night for the past month, just in case his calculations were off. They weren't, but he noticed a distinct reduction in the activity of the forest's nightlife. Possibly, a new predator had entered the chain…that was why he had his short sword. Just in case there was something evil lurking among the trees. He had been able to divine nothing, however. Just the decrease in activity.
The Potions Master approached the location of the plant, and lifted the disillusionment spell that hid it from the sight of the errant visitor. His black eyes rested on the single, unopened bud that rested at the top of the tall leafy plant. There was a bit of pink sticking out from the top of the pod, heralding that the flowering was soon to come.
The Professor set out his harvesting tools, collection bag and short sword, kneeling before the plant expectantly as the clouds drifted overhead, beginning to part. He held his breath. The blossoming would happen soon as the moonlight hit the plant, and the Agstani blossom would become a part of his personal stores. It would make him a very wealthy wizard as well as allow him to brew potions others only dreamt of.
Yellow eyes looked down on the kneeling wizard from the protection of the upper branches of the tree where the creature hung. He was here. The constant surveillance had paid off. Severus Snape was within reach after years of waiting, watching and planning.
The full moon broke over the silent clearing. Severus and the set of yellow eyes both watched as the Agstani plant blossomed, the bud breaking open and the pink flower spreading its petals, soaking up the light of the moon.
Severus hissed, and grasped the delicate bloom, carefully snipping it and depositing the flower into the waiting bag. He was ecstatic. Acquiring the plant was quite a coup. Notoriety was sure to follow, the kind of attention that he craved from among his peers. No one had managed to harvest the Agstani plant in the past thirty years. So little was known about it other than the magnificent properties of the flower. Even how the plant propagated itself was a mystery. It had no seeds, and the root system did not spread.
But Severus had it now, and that was all that mattered. The dark wizard's patience had paid off, and he was going to reap the rewards of his vigilance.
The Potions Master didn't hear the flutter of wings as the creature in the upper boughs launched itself at him. It was made to fly silently after all. Even its bite was numbed when it found the veins of its victims, if it chose it to be. Sometimes the screams and rip and tear fed a darker need. It dipped low and crashed into the unsuspecting wizard, sinking its fangs deep into his pale throat.
Severus felt the impact, if not the pain, knocked to the ground and tearing at the thing locked against his neck, pulling it away and staring at it as it writhed in his pale hands.
It was a bat, a large one.
The Potions Master tried to keep a grip on the creature as he reached for his short sword, intent on cleaving the creature's head from its shoulders, and carrying the carcass back to Poppy for examination. But the bat wrested away unscathed, flapping strongly toward the pale, full moon, then disappeared from sight.
Severus clapped his hand to his throat, then pulled it away, examining it. His palm was covered in blood.
The pale wizard cursed, then gathered up his things, heading back to Hogwarts. He'd been bitten by a bat, no doubt because of the mysterious lack of creatures available in the Forbidden forest. The nocturnal creatures needed to eat after all and preyed on the animals of the wood. But only he was available, and so the bat had gone for the easy meal.
He hoped it didn't carry any diseases.
Vashti returned to the catacombs, still tasting the sweet blood of her victim. She could have transformed and killed him, but that wasn't her purpose. Ever since she had seen him at the Final Battle, and witnessed his strength and bloodthirstiness, he had been her focus. No human or vampire had moved her so much in centuries.
The pale wizard reminded her of another, one she had loved. Perhaps she would love again.
Yet, she did not want a servant. A servant could be had in a single, thorough bite. But it took time and patience to turn a king, time and patience to keep his spirit whole.
Vashti had plenty of both.
A/N: Ooh, this is an interesting start. Like my other stories…I don't have a plot for this, so no idea where and how far this will go. Severus is older in this fic, but still in his prime. Looks a bit promising though. We'll see. Let me know what you think of this beginning. Please review.