Disclaimer: I do not own, wish I did, but I don't. Anything recognizable including all characters, places, and images are under trademark through JKR and the companies that publish the books and make the movies. I only own my plot line.
Author: ShaeLynn Teelle
Warning: Disregards DH, Slash, Vampire
If someone wants to archive, please ask first. You won't be turned down, but I would like to know where it's going. Thank you.
Polite constructive criticism is welcome; FLAMES WILL BE FED TO THE DRAGON IN MY BED.
Harry woke to find himself lying on his back in the park near his relatives' home. He didn't remember falling asleep and only vaguely remembered the walk from number 4 Privet Drive. Carefully he sat up and shook his head to clear the last vestiges of the odd dream from his senses. It wasn't the normal dream he'd been having since his sixth year ended. Instead, this one had been about a dark figure kneeling above him, face close, and a strange sensation running through him.
He sighed as he realized that he had no one he could ask or tell about the dream. His mentor was dead. Killed in front of Harry's eyes by a man the Headmaster had claimed to trust implicitly. That was before said man had Albus Dumbledore before him, weakened, as he cast the killing curse, begging for his life. And that was something that bothered Harry more than anything else about that night, Albus had begged and Snape had coldly killed the man.
Harry stood, upset at himself for having left the Dursley's house and leaving himself out in the open after everything that so many people had done for him. Silently he returned to Privet Drive and his bedroom in the smallest room on the second floor. He felt strangely energized for it being the early hours before sunrise and wondered how long he had lain out in the park asleep.
It wasn't until the sun had risen and he was called down to breakfast by his aunt that Harry began to feel lethargic. He didn't think it felt like tiredness so much as a weakness or heaviness to his limbs. As he sat down to his scrambled eggs and grapefruit, Harry had a craving for something more substantial, but wasn't able to identify what it was he wanted. While the day seemed to drag on for Harry, he became more lethargic than ever until finally, after a mildly satisfying lunch, he lay down and slept.
He set his alarm to go off two hours later, but when the buzzing came, he didn't wake, simply turned the noise off and continued sleeping. The call for supper from his aunt was what finally woke Harry from the deep sleep he had been in. He hadn't slept that long, barely five hours, but in the dimness of his room, he felt like he'd slept for nine. He looked out at the colorful horizon and saw the shape of Hedwig and the tiny Pigwidgeon approaching.
Hedwig glided gracefully into the room, but instead of landing on Harry's arm, she flew to perch on the top of her cage. Harry looked at her in confusion, but the second owl captured his attention quickly. It was Ron's over-hyperactive owl, but he wasn't hooting and flying about like he normally would. Instead, he had landed on the window ledge and cocked his head to the side while staring at Harry.
Confused, Harry opened his mouth when his name was called again by his aunt to come down for supper. He gave one last glance at the two owls before leaving the room. Supper was a quiet affair, Vernon asking how Dudley's day went and the fat boy, that Harry could tell was still high from whatever he had taken, mumbled something about spending the day with a group of friends at a park in London. Petunia spent the meal quietly, only asking if Harry or Dudley would like more of the meal.
It wasn't long before Harry escaped and made his way back up the stairs to his room. There he found the owls still where they had been, neither looked to have moved a muscle. He approached Pig as he expected the envelope attached to his leg was rather heavy for the small owl. As he got closer Pig hooted once at him, but didn't twitch. Harry slowly reached out to take the letter, his eyes never leaving the owls.
"Are you feeling okay, Pig? You're never this calm," he asked after the letter was in his hand.
Pig hopped a little on the window ledge, but did nothing else so Harry ignored him for the moment and opened the letter. Ron was just writing to confirm that Harry would be going to the Burrow at the end of two weeks and to let him know Hermione would be showing up with one of their other friends that refused to be left behind, but Ron didn't know whom it was.
Harry wrote a reply quickly that told Ron the day he would arrive on the Knight Bus and that he wished Hermione had never mentioned their plans to anyone else. He broke an owl treat in half and approached Pig again. The time the little owl flew up and landed on his shoulder. Harry gave him one half of the owl treat at a time, knowing Pig would try to eat it all at once otherwise. While the tiny creature was eating the second half, Harry tied the return letter to his leg and told Pig to take it back to Ron.
The owl flew off after it finished the treat and Harry turned back to his own owl. Hedwig hooted at him much like Pig had, but she still didn't come any closer to him. He dug out another owl treat and held it up to her. She took it from his fingers and let him stroke her head and back. She had been gone for a day and a half delivering a letter to Hermione and Harry wondered at both the owls odd reactions to him.
He shrugged it off and pulled out one of his schoolbooks from his truck. Harry had decided at the start of summer to review everything in his books to help him prepare for finding the Horcruxes. He remembered the note that had been in the locket and knew a third party had been hunting and destroying the Horcruxes beyond Dumbledore and himself, but he had no idea who it was. He only hoped they were a friend and not a different form of an enemy.
Harry read through his charms book until well after midnight before forcing himself to try to sleep. Eventually he managed to get a few hours of rest before he was awoken by his aunt calling him down for breakfast. Again, the meal was less than satisfying, but Harry couldn't think of why.
The days continued to drag on with Harry feeling tired until evening set in when he had more energy than normal. All meals he took with his relatives were continually less satisfying than the ones before. He felt full, but the cravings for something else never went away and near the end of the time he was to spend there, they grew stronger.
The last two days before Harry left he refused to leave his bedroom for dinner. The cravings were strongest around when the sun sank below the horizon and Harry had found himself eyeing his relatives more than the food on his plate. When he realized what he was doing, he panicked and had not left his room again while evening was there.
Instead he had spent the time scouring through all his defense books for something that could explain what was happening. Harry had even gone so far as to look through The Monster Book of Monsters from his third year class with Hagrid.
He found several vague references to a blood disease, but it caused the victim to lose blood every time it ate. There was nothing that caused food to be unsatisfying and a craving for something very different to take its place. Harry was worried and frightened. He didn't know if there was anyone he could ask about what was happening to him that wouldn't be disgusted if he was turning into something horrible.
Then, the morning came when he was to leave and he was no closer to knowing what was changing him than he had been. He paid the Knight Bus and fell into one of the armchairs half-asleep for the forty-minute ride to the Burrow. He was woken by the conductor when they reached the destination and Harry was confused when he stumbled off the Knight Bus until he looked and saw Ron waiting for him.
The red head had grown a bit again and while Harry had been close in height the last time they saw each other, that distance had grown by several inches. Harry felt the bright purple, triple-decker bus leave behind him as Ron moved closer. He grabbed hold of Harry's trunk and looked at his friend in concern.
"Alright there, Harry?"
"I don't know, Ron," Harry answered quietly, the lethargy hadn't left him. "I've felt so tired lately."
"Well, let's get you inside. Mum and Dad left for a meeting-" Ron stressed the word with a knowing look and Harry nodded his head. "-and Ginny's staying with Luna for a few days. Hermione and whomever she's bringing with her won't be here for a week yet. You can get some rest today before anyone gets here. You're staying in my room again this year."
Harry followed his friend into the house as Ron talked, only half listening to what he said. When they got up to Ron's room Harry nearly collapsed onto the spare cot. Ron set Harry's trunk down at the end of the cot, a strange expression on his face as he looked at his best-friend.
"I'll come get you later for lunch, okay?" There was no response. "Harry?" The other made an affirmative sound, but didn't even twitch.
Ron left the room quietly, his thoughts shifting rapidly. He left the door partly opened and went down to the ground floor of the house. Nearly four hours later he returned to his room to wake Harry. He found him in exactly the same position as when he had left.
"Harry?"
The only reply Ron got was a muffled question. He waited a moment, watching his best-friend.
"It's time for lunch, Harry. Are you going to come downstairs?"
Again, Harry only made a vague affirmative noise, but he still hadn't moved. Ron frowned and went closer to the cot. He looked at Harry's face and shook the shoulder closest to him. Harry's eyelids flickered a bit, but did nothing else. Ron went to his trunk and dug around for a bit before he pulled out a small, well-worn book. He looked at his friend one more time before he nodded and left he room, leaving Harry to his slumber.
No one disturbed the room again until the sun began setting. Ron entered the room almost cautiously and saw that Harry was just waking up. He quickly closed the door and cast a locking spell and silencing charm. Then, he tossed the book he carried with him onto his bed and waited.
Harry groaned as he struggled to stand on unsteady legs. He felt weak, very weak, and the craving that had been plaguing him was like a gnawing ache in his entire body. Then, a scent hit him and the craving spiked as his mouth watered. The next few moments were fuzzy until he found himself pinning his best friend against the door of the room, his mouth open and close to Ron's neck.
Frantically he pushed away from the door, stumbling as he scrambled to put distance between them. He stared at Ron in horror, the craving still present, but slightly muffled. Ron just looked back at him calmly, understanding and acceptance on his face.
"What's happening to me, Ron?" Harry rasped in panic, his eyes wide.
"It's okay, Harry. I know what's wrong. I don't need to ask anyone on this. I know how to help you. Will you trust me enough to get to the point where you can control it? I'll explain everything I know, but it won't help until you can control the craving."
"I trust you, Ron," Harry croaked from where he sat on the floor, hands clenched at his sides as he stopped himself by sheer will from attacking his best friend again.
"Close your eyes, Harry."
He did as Ron said and heard the red head's movements as he stepped closer. Harry could feel the heat from Ron's body next to him and he felt the craving spike again. Just before he lost control he heard Ron speak and felt something against his mouth.
"Follow your craving, Harry. I trust you."
Then, Harry was no longer entirely aware of what he was doing. He clutched at what was in front of him and bit hard. Spicy, coppery liquid filled his mouth and he swallowed heavily, the craving slowly lessening with each mouthful of the thick liquid.
Barely a minute later Harry became aware of himself and what was around him. This time everything was sharper and clearer than it had ever been except for his eyes which were fuzzy. He never realized that he had let go of what he had just bitten into until his glasses were pulled away and he could see clearly. Then, he saw Ron standing in front of him, paler than normal. He held Harry's glasses in one hand and that arm had two thin lines of red slowly sliding down the wrist. Harry stared at Ron in confusion which slowly turned into shock.
"Harry, it's not as bad as you think. You need to listen to me before you do anything rash. You haven't become a monster. They don't teach the truth in regards to vampires. It's not what you think. Calm down, okay?" Ron said, all in a rush.
He nodded slowly, horror still in his eyes, "I'm… I'm a…"
"Yes, Harry, but it's not what you think. You haven't become a monster."
"I'm drinking blood, Ron! How have I not become a monster!?" Harry managed to say through a throat half-closed in terror.
"Ignore everything you know about vampires, Harry. It's probably completely wrong. You, you need to drink blood, but it's not that bad. You can still eat food and you'll probably still like it, but…"
"But I still have to drink blood!"
"Harry, please," Ron said, trying to calm his best friend down. "I can explain things. I know a lot about vampires, Harry, please just let me explain."
Eventually Harry nodded and calmed down enough that he could understand what Ron was saying.
"A lot of vampires, you wouldn't know. Most of them are out everywhere and no one knows what they are. What is written in most books are only what a few vampires are like and do. Harry, one of my great-grandfathers was bitten by a vampire. The twins and I were always very close to him before he left. He's the one that encouraged their pranks and that. We were never in any danger around him."
"How?" Harry began, calming down even further.
"Most vampires find a donor. They don't have to drink someone dry. They only need a certain amount depending on what they are doing. They never get to where they have a bloodlust where they attack people if they don't have a donor. My great-grandmother, Mum's grandmum, was her husband's donor. We never knew about it until we were older," Ron said quietly, sitting against the bed near this friend.
"Why would anyone do that? To be something's food willingly…" Harry was confused, trying to take everything in and understand.
"Many times it's someone in their family, a lover, or a close friend. It was an act of my great-grandmother's love that allowed her to accept him as he was and be his donor. The donor has to trust the other completely and then even if they are separated for weeks, the vampire can never drink the donor dry. There are benefits to the donor as well. They have a very long life, even by wizarding standards and a constant pleasant outlook. The donor is rarely ever sick and any wounds heal twice as fast as they normally would. There's a bond between them that allows the donors blood to always satisfy the craving they have."
By that time it was nearing midnight and Harry was calm. The two sat side-by-side against Ron's bed. Neither said much for a while and Ron could feel his eyelids start to droop, Finally Harry broke the silence.
"How does the bond get formed?"
Ron could feel his face heating up at the question. He had purposely not told his best friend because he had no idea how Harry would react. "The feeding is different for the donor than it is for the vampire from what I know. The bond is formed when the donor… um…"
"What's wrong? What is it, Ron?'
"The donor has to orgasm while the vampire is feeding."
"But… doesn't feeding hurt?"
Ron's voice had nearly reached a squeak when he answered that. "Not really. Only when you bite it's like getting poked, but nothing else. It's nice. The longer you feed… the better it's supposed to be."
"Oh," Harry was blushing almost as badly as Ron at that. "Was… When I bit… you… Did…?" Harry sputtered.
"No, it… You didn't feed long enough."
"Oh. Ron, how do you know so much about this?"
"Um, before my great-grandmother died, she gave me her journal she kept after she became a donor for her husband. I had seen him feed once when I was young and they explained to me what I saw and I started to read anything I could find about vampires after that. They had a lot of books on it because they had wanted to know what to expect. The books were separated by what was completely untrue and what was actually fact. Her journal has a lot of the main points about vampires that most people have wrong."
Ron paused as a large yawn overtook him and he shook his head to stay awake. "Ron, why don't you get some sleep. I never sleep until early morning anymore. Could… Can I read her journal while you're sleeping?"
"Yeah, I tossed it on my bed. I thought you might want to read it." Ron pulled himself to his feet and retrieved the book. He handed the small journal to his friend and began to strip his clothes, pulling on his nightclothes and crawling into his bed. "Wake me before you sleep, Harry. I think you'll need to feed a little before you sleep or tomorrow you'll be just as tired."
Harry nodded, the blush returning before he opened the book, letting his friend sleep, and learning about just what had happened to him.
\/\/\/\/\/
A week later, Hermione arrived with her guest, the one she refused to tell anyone about. It turned out to be Neville, whom Harry greeted warmly, not really minding that he was the one she brought. Neville had grown up and he knew that the other young man would be a good asset to their group for his additional courage and his knowledge. Harry's only trepidation was how the two were going to react to what had happened to him.
Ron's great-grandmother's journal had been very informative and had helped incredibly. Harry only really needed a few hours sleep at about midday, when the sun was at its worst. The rest of the time, he could stay awake and alert without problems providing he was feeding on a daily basis. The book had also cautioned that at the beginning, feeding multiple times a day with only small amounts allowed the donor to adjust to the continued blood loss faster.
The two had pulled Mrs. Weasley to the side the first night she came home and told her what had happened. Harry had been terrified about her reaction, but she had known about her grandparent's unique situation and accepted it providing the two were careful about it and to return there immediately if they ever encountered a problem about it, whether from a situation or someone finding out.
They didn't tell Mr. Weasley as he had never known and the twins figured it out on their first visit back to the Burrow after Harry had arrived. They had supplied the two with an enormous supply of blood pops, the kind that weren't sold at Honeydukes to children. The sweets were already packed into their two rucksacks they had for when they set out, knowing that if something happened to Ron, they would give him enough blood to get back to the Burrow, even if he had to walk there.
That night they were planning to tell their two travel companions what had happened and Mrs. Weasley was already prepared to be in living room on the chance things turned sour between the four. She refused to allow one of her sons to be hurt and Harry was just another part of the family to her.
After supper and when the rest of the house was sleeping save Mrs. Weasley, Harry and Ron invited Hermione and Neville into Ron's room so they could discuss things. Hermione went first. It seemed that her and Neville had decided to see each other after her and Ron had broken up at the beginning of the summer. They had been just too close to actually consider being a couple without having continuous arguments.
Then, it was Harry and Ron's turn. Harry explained what he remembered happening to him at the beginning of the summer without mentioning yet what he had become. Surprising them, it wasn't Hermione that figured it out first. Neville had a confused look on his face for only a moment before it cleared into shock. He looked away for a moment before meeting Harry's eyes and nodding.
"Have you managed to find a donor yet?"
In shock Harry could only nod. He hadn't expected the simple acceptance from Neville and had certainly not expected the other to know much about vampires that was actual truth. Ron pointed to himself with a nod and Neville nodded in return. Hermione looked between the three of them with complete confusion on her face.
"What are you three talking about?"
"Harry was turned, Hermione. He's a vampire."
Hermione stood up in shock, her hand going to her wand before she stopped. "That's impossible."
"It's true, Hermione," Ron said quietly and showed her his wrist that he had kept covered, where the neat puncture marks could be easily seen. "Harry's been feeding from me in the morning and at night."
"How can you be so calm about this?" Hermione began, her voice starting to take on a panicked edge to it. "He's… He's…"
"Just say it, Hermione. I can see it in your eyes. Just say it," Harry said rather coldly, but also with defeat in his voice.
"A monster."
"He is not, Hermione!" Neville nearly shouted, jumping to his feet in Harry's defense. "Do you call Professor Lupin a monster? They rate the same in the Wizarding World, but I have heard you defend him because it's nothing he chose. Harry's the same way! As long as he has a donor he will be no more dangerous to any of us than Professor Lupin is when it's not the full moon."
"I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione said sadly and the three men feared that she was rejected him. "I never thought of it that way. I only know what the defense books say about vampires. They don't say anything about donors. I need to know before…"
Harry nodded, "Okay, Hermione. You're in the right place. Ron has tons of books on vampires and," he paused and looked to his friend whom nodded and went to his rucksack, pulling the small book out from the top. "Ron has a journal that was written by a donor. It'll tell you almost everything you need to know."
Hermione nodded and accepted the book from Ron. Then, she left the room, quietly and without another word to any of them. Neville looked after her sadly, afraid that she wouldn't be able to accept Harry. The three seventeen year olds bid their goodnights to each other and Neville left for Percy's old room where he was staying while there.
Ron pulled Harry over to his bed and they both sat down, Ron offering his wrist to Harry without hesitation. They locked eyes for a moment and then Harry brought the offered wrist to his mouth, biting down gently and savoring the taste of the blood that meant more to him than a simple meal now. To him it meant acceptance and proved that Ron's caring was genuine and more than perhaps it should be. A thought that at first had bothered Harry, but now he relished in it, having not received enough love in his short life.
Each night he took a little more blood and less during the day. The night gave Ron's body more time to recover and produce the extra that would be gone the next day. Ron had never told Harry, not wanting to upset his friend, but after that very first feeding, Ron had felt faint stirrings of desire each time his friend fed. At night was always far worse and the previous night Ron had been forced to excuse himself to the loo since his reaction was more than he could hide from Harry in the small room.
But with this feeding, as Harry fed the bit more than he had before, Ron was unable to smother the quiet moan that bubbled out of his throat. Harry pulled away abruptly, thinking something was wrong, and looked at Ron, his eyes searching. He noticed the flush that covered Ron's face, heard the accelerated breathing, and his eyes trained on the bitten lower lip from Ron holding in his desire.
Ron made to pull away, to put space between them, but was stopped by Harry's tight hold on his arm. Harry called his name in question and when Ron looked, he saw that Harry held his wrist just below his mouth, as though waiting for permission to continue feeding. Ron searched his best-friend's eyes and nodded once.
Then, Harry turned on the bed so he was facing the red head and gently bit into the flesh again. Ron watched him this time, for the first time since Harry had begun feeding, and he couldn't hold in the harshness of his breathing as he watched Harry's throat working as he drank. His eyes closed and he concentrated on the feeling of his blood being drawn through his veins.
He felt a hand brush his stomach and he started a bit, his muscles clenching at the unexpected contact. Ron looked up and saw Harry watching him as his fingers undid the opening of his trousers. Ron's breathing increased and he moaned quietly when those fingers reached into the opening of his pants and tentatively moved over him.
"Harry," Ron breathed out, his eyes closing again as Harry's hand curled around him and pulled.
Harry had realized that Ron thought he didn't want what he knew was going to happen, but he did. He wanted the bond and as he watched Ron's expression when he touched him, he knew that he wanted Ron as well. Harry knew he couldn't feed too much longer or he might take more blood than Ron's body could handle yet, but he wanted the bond and he wanted to watch Ron's face when it happened, to see it twisted in pleasure.
His hand moved over Ron's member with surety, and though it was a thrill to be touching someone else's penis instead of his own, he did nothing different. Harry pulled at the hot flesh in his hand, squeezing just how he liked to be squeezed. He ran his thumb over the head as best he could in the tight confines of Ron's clothes, collecting the pre-cum and smoothing it over the shaft as his hand ran down again, the sweat increasing the slickness.
Then, he felt Ron's body tense further, his hips canting forward on the bed stiffly and a few moments later, Harry felt a thick liquid coat his hand and Ron sagged a bit where he sat, his breathing heavy, but slowing from the pace it had been. Harry pulled his mouth away from Ron's wrist, noticing that even as he watched, he could see the blood begin to stop already as it healed faster than ever.
Then, Ron called his name and he looked up at the other, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth as he pulled his hand out from Ron's pants. He eyed the milky liquid on the appendage and curiously brought it to his mouth, tasting it. Harry knew what he tasted like, being curious about it nearly a year ago, but didn't know if he should expect Ron to taste the same. It was different, but not unpleasant and after his curiosity was assuaged he looked up to see Ron watching him intently, lust in his eyes even after the orgasm he'd just had.
Harry smiled and cleaned them up with his wand before pulling Ron to him for a kiss, the first one they had ever shared. Then, Harry was pushed backwards until he lay on the bed and Ron was braced above him, a question on his face. Harry nodded and smiled eagerly accepting the next kiss, and the next, and the next.
\/\/\/\/\/
The following morning Ginny asked where Ron was when she came downstairs from her room. The twins were both already there and Ron was normally the first one awake once food could be smelled, but he wasn't there and it was long past the start of breakfast.
"Harry and Ron were up late talking with Hermione and Neville. I don't really expect them to be downstairs for a while yet so just let them sleep. Plans are going to be made soon and they won't have time to relax once that happens," Mrs. Weasley stated from near the stove where she was just finishing the last of the pancakes.
Ginny shrugged and went back up to her room, not concerned if her brother was allowed to sleep in late one day out of the summer or not. Luna and her hadn't risen before 10:00 the entire time she had stayed at her friend's house.
When Ginny left the room, the twins looked at each other, and one could almost see the thoughts passing between them without being spoken. Then, Fred and George looked to their mother questioningly. She nodded and the two smiled brightly, but it wasn't the typical 'We're going to prank them silly' smile. It was the same one that their mother shared as she glanced at them, one of happiness and acceptance.
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