Author's note: This story Like Wicked Game, is going to feature Mina Chakano. They are part of an Alternate universe and are semi cannon. This is not the case of a prequel or sequel scenario. When I originally wrote 'Wicked Game' I liked the chemistry between Mina and some of the other characters but as that was a Severus Snape Fiction I could not compromise that original romance. 'Heartache Every Moment' is a retelling alternate of Mina's story within the Harry Potter verse. There will be one more in what I am calling the H.I.M trilogy. The name comes from the story titles, which share their titles with the H.I.M songs. For those who aren't a fan of Severus I hope you enjoy this one as it is dedicated to Sirius Black. Please leave reviews because they make my heart (and my fingers) warm. Now on with the story…
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; if I did you would know it. Story title is a song by H.I.M. Chapter title is song by Metallica.
The trees were bright even in the darkness as the pale light of the moon danced across leaves and bark. There was no breeze, no sound of the nocturnal, excepting the rabid growls and frantic thudding of running, booted feet. A man tripped and stumbled into a pale clearing. Howls rent the nighttime air, clutching his twisted booted ankle, he jerked up. His neck popping as he jerked his head around to peer behind him. He saw nothing but this did not ease his clearly panicked state. He forced himself to his feet and staggered before steadying himself, his weight nearly causing him to buckle to the ground on his weak ankle. He stifled another cry of pain and began to move as quickly as his newest injury would allow. He had only gone a few steps when a deep-throated growl carried over him from behind.
He attempted to lurch forward again but slipped his ankle giving out on him. He fell and let out a loud scream of pain when an upstanding stick stabbed through his lower back. He gazed up in terror as a large, man-sized wolf raised itself over him. His screams fell quiet as terror rushed through his blood when the beast's saliva fell down on his face. The animal reared back, clearly intending to attack. He closed his dark eyes fully expecting to feel teeth crush through bone. It was several minutes before he realized that silence had fallen. Cautiously, he eased his nearly black eyes open and found his gaze arrested in one of red. He felt a new wave of fear wash through him when his gaze shifted from the ruby orbs to find fangs stained black with blood in the pale moonlight. The fangs shifted into a semblance of a smile before husky words caressed him.
"You are a wizard?" It was as much a question as a statement and the man found a flush of heat roll down his leg even as he lifted his dark eyes back to the ones of red. He felt shock that the red had been replaced by and a pale gold. "I am." He rasped. Nervously he licked his lips and swallowed before continuing. "I… please; don't kill me, I'll give you whatever you want." The dark man nodded and set his hand against his forehead. "If I wanted you dead, Merikano, you already would be, but we will talk later. Your blood runs and I have uses for you." Merikano shivered as his horrifying savior's voice washed over him, caressed him, and in its wake...numbness followed. "For now, sleep." Those were the last words Merikano heard as darkness seeped into his vision; the last thing he saw were amused, golden, eyes.
When next he opened his eyes he found himself naked, and in a warm bed; automatically he jolted up and jerked from the pain in his lower back. "Your wand has been badly damaged, but we have had a wand maker in, he is working on a replacement for you." This voice was soft and sounded like nightingales. He turned and found himself absorbed with a truly beautiful woman. She was a golden skinned beauty, with long black hair held back by a single plat and vibrant green eyes. Eyes that seemed amused and concerned at the same time. He found himself wishing to be closer to those eyes, to see how green they were. Almost as if she had heard his thoughts, her eyes dropped to the ground as she got gracefully to her feet. "You should not move too much. I have healed your kidney but if you tear it again you run the risk of death." She glided around the bed and headed towards the door.
"Wait! Where am I?" She stopped and turned her eyes rising to his. "Kalimantra Manor, located in Chandrala. Drago brought you here, said you were attacked by feral. I will go get him." Her answer was kindly but she did not give him the chance to respond and turned, her long black braid dancing around her caves as she exited the room. Merikano shifted slowly to the end of the bed, he did not want to meet the vampire in such a weakened position. His feet had barely touched the floor when the door opened again. This time Drago, the golden-eyed vampire, glided into the room with his arm around the waist of another honey skinned female with black hair. Hers fell to the middle of her back and was loose, the gentle curls dancing with each graceful glide. When she looked at him, he found himself looking into pair of amethyst eyes. The female smirked and turned from him to kiss her lover and then sashayed from the room. A deep chuckle drew his attention back to the eyes of Drago. "She's a flirt, pay no mind to her. You and I, however, have business to discuss."
Merikano felt a sense of foreboding but assumed the look of polite attention in an effort to hide his fear. His thoughts danced along his skull and Merikano found himself missing his wand. Drago smiled, as if he could read the thoughts and sat at the table across from the bed. "You are an interesting sort, Merikano Chakano. I thought you were an innocent wizard caught in a scrape. Instead, I have learned you are a hunter of the ministry." Merikano felt his dark eyes narrow and his jaw tightened as he watched the amusement grow in the vampire's eyes. Drago studied the hunter before him and felt his own amusement grow it danced along his deep, husky voice. "I can't help but point out the satisfaction I feel, knowing I have a life debt owed me by one of the Ministry's Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures employees." Merikano felt his temper flash, his voice carried, angrily curt in his denial. "I owe you nothing, you have merely assisted the Ministry in a matter of rouge beasts. That is all." Drago smiled and got gracefully to his feet and crossed the room stopping just in front of the hunter and stooping to put his gold eyes level with the dark brown ones of the human.
"You owe me a Life Debt, Merikano Chakano, I saved you from the group of feral that you failed to subdue. If I had not shown up when I did, you would be digested pup food by now." The vampires voice was soft, condescension dancing through every syllable. Merikano leaned back and felt his temper simmer again but he remained quiet, as he had nothing he could say to that. Drago smirked and nodded before straightening up again and continued factually. "Exactly, and you did promise to do anything I asked. Which is why I saved you." Merikano opened his mouth to speak but Drago raised his hand to silence the hunter. "I don't want anything to do with your ministry. I don't plan to compromise your standing with your hunters… and I don't want to embrace you." He stopped here and turned looking out the window and paused thinking, as if he wasn't sure what he wanted to say. Silence carried for several long minutes and Merikano had opened his mouth to ask what, when the vampire's voice filled the room.
"I have an… acquaintance, that has asked a favor of me; a favor that has been difficult to fulfill. I shall use you to pay this favor." Merikano felt his chest tighten with anger and revulsion, both easily discernable in his voice. "You're going to slave me out?" Gold eyes found his and Merikano felt his skin turn clammy even as the husky amusement returned. "No, you have a young wife, yes?" Merikano felt panic raise its head his throat tightened as he answered. "I can't give her to you. She's… delicate." Drago smirked though his eyes held a threat; the levity in his voice was clearly feigned. "If you do not cooperate with me, Merikano I will just make you a thrall and accomplish what I want anyway." Merikano felt his rage flash and on its heels, fear and shame. He knew then, in that moment, that there was nothing he could do. His wife would go to this monster with or with out his consent. With a feeling of hopelessness his eyes dropped to the ground and he asked in a defeat-ridden voice. "What do you want with my wife?" A husky chuckle from behind him caused him to jump and shift in an effort to turn and find the vampire who responded with calm certainty "I want her pregnant, and when she is, I will exchange blood with her. For the span of her pregnancy."
Merikano felt shock wash over him and ignoring the pain in his lower back he turned swiftly his dark eyes seeking out the vampires and gasped out. "You want her to birth a tainted child?" Drago smiled darkly his husky voice suddenly layered. "After the child is born, I will take it and you need never see it again." Merikano considered the possibilities and repercussions. "My wife will die." His voice seemed to shrink in tone as he said this, as he was certain that it would happen. Drago studied him and responded matter-of-factly. "I could save her, but that would make her a thrall, she would be answerable to me, as any willing servant." Merikano sighed and dropped his eyes. "So I would loose her either way." Again it wasn't a question, acceptance and defeat heard clearly. Drago glided closer and slipped onto the bed and wound his arm around Merikano pulling him closer, as if they were lovers. He lowered his mouth to the hunter's neck and Merikano tried to jerk back in startled horror at the realization of how Drago held him. Drago laughed his gold eyes shifting red his husky voice deepened with annoyance. "Make your decision Merikano Chakano, my patience is wearing thin."
Merikano jerked from the vampire's arms and struggled off the bed, panic back in his tone. "Fine, have the woman and the child." He struggled to stay on his feet and Drago chuckled before climbing leisurely from the bed. "You can keep the child if I save the wife until she graduates from Hogwarts, if you would like." Merikano shook his head, fighting the sudden insight that the vampire was disappointed. "I will not raise that… that monstrous creation… if Mira survives, then perhaps we can try again." Drago smiled as if pleased but his tone carried a sudden darkness to it. "If that is what you wish." Merikano nodded firmly and Drago pushed him lightly back onto the bed. "You can stay here until you heal but I will watch your progress until your wife is pregnant." Merikano narrowed his eyes astutely and disdainfully responded. "I will not have you courting her." Drago laughed then the amusement returning to his voice. "I can watch without being seen Merikano… only you will know that I am keeping track." Merikano watched him as he glided from the room. When he found himself alone again he lay back on the bed and let anguish and disgust wash over him.
Merikano was stuck for several days. He did write his wife, to let her know he was alive, and he did report to his boss about what happened and that he was staying with 'friends' until he got better. It was about two weeks later when Drago handed him his newly repaired wand and sent him home to his wife. Mira was a pretty woman with gray lambent eyes and olive skin. She was beautiful and Merikano knew he would loose her. As such he spent as much time as he could with her and less time on the streets. Somehow he never found the time to tell her about the deal that he made. As a result, when she was found to be with child, he was forced to acknowledge the distasteful agreement. He was careful to leave out the fact that his wife might die. She was not happy with the news but she loved her husband and agreed to the blood exchange. Twenty-four hours later Drago was there.
From the moment Drago's fangs sank into his wife's tender neck, Merikano knew he would never touch her again. She felt immediately bound to the vampire, and for those nine months she found herself desiring the vampire far more then the hunter. She knew, by the time her child arrived, that she would die, but found she no longer cared and so embraced the time she had left. Even as it meant the absence of her husband, she took to writing journals to her daughter. She wanted to pass on all the things she would never get to say, all the family secrets she would need to know, and most of all, to warn against the darkness she saw looming in the future.
Short start but that was the point. A very Sweet Review would hasten this magic dream. ;)
DJR