To Believe, To Desire, To Trust.
CHAPTER ONE – Dark Creature Liaison
x...x
A fast, joyful melody was played on the violin and the piano by the musicians accompanying the vocals of Celestina Warbeck. Madame Warbeck was a tall woman with broad shoulders and smooth dark skin. Her brown hair was pinned back with gold hair accessories and she wore a long dress of red silk that sparked in the light of the many candles in the room. While her sweet voice echoed through the room, people danced along to it or stood around just conversing and listening.
The room was a large ballroom, lit by the candles that levitated above the dance floor. The floor was made out of dark wood, while the walls were covered in satin sheets of the colours white and gold. The ceiling imitated the sky outside; silver sparkling stars on the canvas of midnight blue. People of varying ages, dressed in fine cloths were walking around the room, gaining allies and talking to people in power, with power.
That is what really happened at gatherings like this, the Ministry Summer Ball was no exception. People came, acting like they were law-abiding citizens who came to meet people from the Ministry and some foreign ambassadors with their families, but in reality they came to gain allies. It was all part of the political game. People here were the masters of the game, the kings and queens of chess. But they weren't the ones who were the Taskmasters, and thus, they manipulated their way to becoming one. But, almost always these people fail and die as a pawn to the Taskmasters. They were leeches, pulled towards people who have power and try to surround them, as if being around this kind of people would make them more powerful.
Amongst the crowd, there was a man with the name of Cornelius Fudge. He was the current British Minister for Magic and a man who became one because of the lies he implanted in his voters' minds. He may be sly and cunning, but the most important thing about him was the fact that he got where he is now in life because he feared. He feared not being powerful, not having power. He was never powerful in terms of magical cores, but he knew enough people with enough money to be able to live a comfortable and safe life, in power.
Minister Fudge always thought that he was the King of the chess game. But in reality, he was nothing more than a pawn to certain other people. He never realised. He thought that he was all-powerful. But to certain others – he was nothing more than a short wizard in a navy dress robe.
Currently, Minister Fudge was talking to a witch who worked for the French Ministry of Magic. She was a witch of not much importance, apart from the fact that she knew almost everything that went on within the borders of her country. She had some kind of spy network but that fact did not matter.
"How is the British Ministry, Minister Fudge?" She asked while drinking some of the champagne from her glass.
"Very well, actually. How is the French?" Minister replied, with little interest in the conversation. He was too busy looking around, trying to see who else came to the gathering.
"Our Ministry is fantastic!" Replied the enthusiastic witch. "Just yesterday we passed this new law..." The witch threw herself into explaining every bit of the new law. Of course, Minister Fudge didn't listen but only politely nodded and agreed with something or other once in a while.
Fudge, while looking around, has spotted his French equivalent talking to a boy. Yes, a boy. Minister Fudge was wondering what a person so young was doing here. So he did the smartest thing he could think of, he asked.
"Madame?" he asked the French witch. "Do you know who the French Minister's companion is?"
"Oh? " The witch glanced at the French Minister and smiled brightly. "Why, Minister Bessette is talking to our Dark Creature Liaison Ciarán Valentine."
"Ciarán Valentine?" Minister Fudge echoed as he got a good look at the boy.
Ciarán was a tall, lean boy with skin as white as first snow. He had a thin face with high cheekbones and a pair of bright emerald eyes framed with long eyelashes. His hair was obsidian black and reached his shoulders in beautiful curls. He wore a dress robe of black silk, which behaved similarly to the one of Severus Snape's. When he talked and smiled, two long pointy fangs were seen between his perfect white teeth.
"Yes, Ciarán Valentine. He became the Dark Creature Liaison two years ago, I believe. He hasn't aged a day since. That's expected through. He is a vampire after all." The witch continued, not hiding the admiration that she held to the boy she spoke about.
Minister Fudge's eyes widened. "Vampire?" he echoed the witch's words.
"Yes, Mr Valentine is a quite respected vampire – by both humans and his own kind. I think that's what made him become the Liaison but I am not sure. Not much is known about him previous to his appearance." The witch gave him a look. "Are you scared of vampires, Minister Fudge?"
"No, not at all "He replied. "But just recently I had a run in with a not-so good one."
The witch's eyes sparkled with curiosity, "Really? Oh please, do tell."
Without a second thought, Minister Fudge started to tell a tale about how he single-handedly fought with a vampire, and it was all a lie.
…
Lily Potter née Evans did not want to attend the stupid gathering they call a Ministry Ball. She never liked the social events of the purebloods and she never will, considering that she is a muggleborn. Of course, she was a powerful witch in her own right but not enough to become acknowledged by the pureblood circles.
Lily was a pretty witch. She had long fiery red hair and beautiful emerald green eyes. Her skin was ivory white and she had a nice hourglass figure. Tonight, she wore a dress the colour of the night sky which looked amazing on her. Lily was one of those women who men would die for, but people here, they wouldn't even spare her a glance after finding out her blood status.
Sighing, she helped herself with a drink. She was currently walking around without a purpose as her husband James was entertaining the crowd with the stories of his old times at school. As she walked past him, she heard the one about how she turned his hair Slytherin green for insulting Severus who was still her friend at the time. She smiled at the memory; it was one of those that managed to make her smile. After that happened, she wasn't the happy Gryffindor witch she once was. Only recently she was slowly becoming herself once again.
As she walked around the ballroom aimlessly, Lily suddenly heard a laugh. Of course it was perfectly normal as she was in a room full of people but that laugh sounded just like James' … who was on the other side of the room talking to the Head of Aurors. She turned to see where the laugh was coming from to see a boy with black hair and emerald green eyes talking to Minister Fudge and Minister Bessette.
That would be perfectly normal if it weren't for the fact that the boy had her emerald green eyes. She suppressed a gasp. She couldn't believe it. Could it be? Could it be her baby boy whom she lost so many years ago?
As the boy left the two Ministers, he seemed to be walking in the general direction of hers. Lily couldn't help herself when she saw him walk past her.
"Harry?"
The boy turned and with a confused expression he faced her. "Excuse me, Madame. Were you talking to me?"
A crimson blush appeared on Lily's cheeks. I'm sorry sir. I seemed to have mistaken you with someone I used to know." She said quickly.
"No need to apologise, Madame. May I ask what your name is?" The boy smiled warmly at her.
"Lily Potter. And who are you, sir?"
"I have many names but I go by Ciarán Valentine. I am pleased to meet you." He took her hand, and gracefully let his lips brush against her skin.
"As am I. May I ask, what is a young man doing at such uptight pureblood gathering?" Lily asked Ciarán. He seemed a nice boy, someone she hoped her little boy could grow into. But he can't now, he's dead after all.
Ciarán laughed. "I am the Dark Creature Liaison for the French Ministry. As much as I dislike being here, I have to or Minister Bessette would stake me personally."
"Stake you?" Lily echoed. She was not used to people saying something like that, usually it was 'he/she would have my head' but she never heard of someone worrying about being staked, especially a Dark Creature Liaison.
"I am a vampire. Although the whole staking thing is not real, it sure would hurt!" He said. "But Minister doesn't have to know that, he still believes that staking would kill me."
"Monsieur Valentine!" They heard someone yell.
Ciarán smiled sadly. "I am very sorry Madame, but I must take my leave. I hope to see you again." He bowed politely. "Just one quick question, if I may. Who did I remind you of?"
Lily's eyes lowered and her lips turned into a sad smile. "My son," she replied.
Before he left, Ciarán said. "I am sure that he is out there somewhere - alive. Goodbye Mrs Potter."
As he disappeared into the crowd, Lily realised what he said. "How did you know?" She cried out after him.
But the question was left unanswered as the vampire was no longer there.
…
Being on the list of Minister Bessette's favourite people had its good points. You were denied nothing while out on official business and held a lot of power. While the Minister was cheerful and liked people a lot, only the few special ones had the advantages of being his friends, or allies. Ciarán Valentine was one of those people. Well, creatures.
Currently, the said youth was coming back from one of the Ministry Parties and back to his own apartment in muggle Paris. It wasn't magically enlarged to the size of a mansion – like many wizards did to their homes – but it was still quite large and perfect for his needs.
The young vampire opened the door to his apartment and went in. The keys immediately went flying onto the floor as did the dress robe. Ciarán was now standing there in only a pair of black slacks.
The apartment had a large sitting room, with one wall completely made out of glass, overlooking Paris and the Eiffel Tower. It was an amazing view, especially at night when you could see the stars and the moon over the colourfully lit tower and Paris. The room itself was decorated with whites and creams, with a large cream leather sofa and a loveseat right in the middle along with a coffee table. Posters and paintings hung on the walls, lit by the Swarovski Crystals Chandelier in the middle of the room. There was a black piano in the corner of the room, with a vase of lilies and roses sitting on top of it.
Attached to the sitting room there was a small kitchen, with marble worktops and white cabinets. There was a small refrigerator, stocked with blood from the blood bank that would keep Ciarán's blood-lust in check for many weeks.
Down the narrow corridor that was attached to the sitting area, there was a small bathroom and also Ciarán's private chamber. The chamber was a medium sized room, with two walls painted cream while the other two a chocolate brown. There was a dark wooden floor, with olive and cream carpets. Against one of the walls, stood a large four-poster bed made out of wood only a shade lighter than the floor covered in sheets of brown and cream silk and lots of cushions in shades of green and black.
Ciarán walked into the kitchen, making not a slightest sound – being a vampire sure helped. He opened the fridge and took out some blood that he stored like fine wine, in glass bottles. Ciarán poured the crimson liquid into the wine glass that he took out moments before and drank the contents, smiling in pleasure.
While Ciarán relaxed in the kitchen, a figure entered the apartment, and began to play a melancholic melody on the piano. The melody was beautiful, bitter-sweet. Ciarán closed his eyes and smiled knowingly, only one person knew how to play this flawlessly, apart from him. He poured the blood into two glasses and took them into the sitting area, where his sire was waiting.
"Ambrose. What are you doing here?" Ciarán asked as he neared the piano.
"My sweet little dark one," The other vampire laughed, using his pet name for Ciarán. "I am playing the piano, can't you see? Pass the blood here, please."
Ciarán passed one of the glasses to the older vampire. Ambrose was a tall, thin man with skin two shades darker than usual vampires. His hair was short and spiky, honey blonde in colour which was mirrored in his eyes, the same colour as his hair. He wore a simple white long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black jeans.
"As for what I am really doing here." Ambrose said, after taking a long drink from the glass. "I just wanted to visit my see my childe."
"And?" Ciarán motioned Ambrose to continue, suspiciously.
The sire sighed. "I'm also here to finally let you have my memories."
Ciarán's eyes lit up. "You mean I can finally drink your blood and become an adult vampire?"
Ambrose smiled mysteriously. "Maybe"
Ciarán smiled at his sire. When a young vampire takes his or her sire's blood, they automatically become adults in the eyes of other vampires. It is a very important thing in the lives, well, existences, of young vampires. From the moment they get their sire's memories, vampires become independent from their sires.
"It's a simple yes or no question. Why can't I get a simple yes or no answer?" Ciarán pouted.
"In my head, there are no simple answers, little dark."
Then, there was silence - no, not an awkward one. It was quite comfortable for the two vampires, really.
Ciarán may be a patient person usually, but the fact that he might get the 'First Blood' – as the taking of sire's blood was called – sometime today, he became really impatient. To kill the time, he sat down next to Ambrose and started to play a fast song on the piano before him. Soon after, Ambrose joined him and the melody filled the apartment.
"As for your question, Ciarán" Ambrose said as they played. "Yes, you may do so now."
Ciarán stopped playing. A wicked smile crept onto his lips as he leaned to his sire's neck. His fangs extended even more, now they looked like snake's fangs, thin and as sharp as needles. For a brief moment, Ciarán's eyes flashed amber before he sunk his teeth into the pale flesh of Ambrose's neck. The blood on his tongue tasted so delicious, ancient, like good wine. Flashes of Ambrose's memories made his head spin, from the overdrive of information.
Seconds later, the young vampire fell unconscious and his limp body almost hit the floor, only to be caught by Ambrose. The ancient vampire chuckled; his little childe will have a long night sorting out the memories that went hundreds of years back.
…
The Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts was a home for many creatures of both light and dark. It was a place that spread for miles, and only a small part of it was actually familiar to humans as there was this point in the woods where it was so dark, so cold and so dangerous that those who dared to enter never came back. The forest was a place of fear, and only the Gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid dared to go into it alone, or take a class full of scared kids with him.
The orange and pink of the twilight sky behind the tree tops of the Forbidden Forest melted into the gradually darker blue of the rest of the sky. The Castle of Hogwarts stood tall and proud in its grey stone glory by the forest, the candlelight from the inside of it, lighting the rooms within it. A thin, yet noticeable layer of silvery-blue misty aura surrounded the ancient walls – magic. The place was so overrun by it that it was visible to those who cared to look. A beautiful place it was, yet those who inhabited it hardly ever noticed its beauty as they were closed-minded and too arrogant to see it.
On the edge of the forest, stood four people; they varied in age and magical power, with it being an old wizard Albus Dumbledore, a middle-aged Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, his slightly younger French counterpart Leon Bessette and a sixteen year old vampire Ciarán Valentine.
Albus Dumbledore was a tall and thin old wizard who lived for so long that no one was sure of his age. His white hair and beard reached his waist and he wore dress robes the colour of sunshine with a pattern of little blue birds and pink butterflies with a matching pointy hat. The wizard may be the all-powerful and wise Leader of the Light but many agreed that he must have been dropped on the head many times as a baby.
"So Minister Bessette, are you sure that Mr Valentine will be fine on his own?" asked Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
"Yes, he always is, Monsieur Dumbledore. Right, Ciarán?" smiled the ever-so-cheerful Leon Bessette.
It took a while for Ciarán to register that he was being talked to. He was busy admiring Hogwarts, especially the magic emitting from within it. Subconsciously he compared the view to the one he had from the memories of his sire. Truly, Hogwarts changed in the past two hundred years, yet he didn't know yet if it was for the better or the worse.
"Oh sorry? Did you say anything? I was admiring Hogwarts and got lost in thought."
Dumbledore beamed at the young man. "Hogwarts is a fascinating place, isn't it?"
"Yes it is. It's a wonderful place. Changed quite drastically since two hundred years ago, though."
The two English wizards nodded, secretly wondering just how old is Ciarán really. Bessette coughed to get the others' attention. " As I was saying, I am confident that Ciarán will be fine on his own, right?"
Ciarán nodded. " Of course."
Minister Fudge nodded. " So your job is to find the vampire that escaped into the Forbidden Forest after killing his family, reason with him and bring him back for both Ministries to deal with him as he is a citizen of France but committed the crime in Britain."
Ciarán acknowledged the information and walked towards the edge of the forest. " Don't wait for me, it might take a while." Within a split second, Ciarán broke into a run and seconds later, disappeared into the darkness of the Forbidden Forest.
…
James Potter was sat in his wife's private chambers at Hogwarts. She was in a meeting with Snape, so James being the loving and overprotective husband he was, was spying on them using the Marauders Map. His eyes were studying the two dots in the dungeons – 'Severus Snape' and 'Lily Potter'. The spot that was his wife, moved out of the dungeons and back to her chambers. James was secretly glad for that.
It was then he saw something that seemed suspicious. On the edge of the Forbidden Forest stood Albus Dumbledore, Cornelius Fudge, Leon Bessette and...
Ciarán Valentine/Harry Potter.
James' eyes went wide. Was this some kind of sick joke? Why would the map claim that his dead son was alive, and at Hogwarts under a new name? A rush of worry and excitement ran through his veins when he realised what that meant.
The map never lied. His son was alive.
Quickly, he said 'Mischief Managed' and the Map became a blank piece of parchment once again. He stood up, and wrote a quick note to Lily saying to meet him at the Headmaster's office. James pocketed the map and ran out, to wait for the Headmaster Dumbledore in the said man's office.
x...x
END OF CHAPTER ONE.
A/N: This has been edited on 20/06/2011 Hopefully for the better!