Well, I got so excited about posting my first chapter that I decided to post another. It is still un'beta but if anyone has a problem with the grammatical errors, do leave a review and I'll consider getting one.

Warning: This could end up Slash, it might not. I am just going to see where the story takes me naturally. But you can't say I didn't warn you if something pops up later in chapters.

This most defiantly doesn't follow the Harry Potter story line.

Summary: AU, Potential DM/HP or TMR/HP. Vampire!Draco, Vampire!Harry. A collector's greatest passion is too complete their collection. An Heir's greatest wish is too impress their Father. A lonely boys greatest want is for attention and love. The Wizarding World is in a violent war against the Creatures, led by Vampires and the infamous Vampire King. One young boy has the opportunity to change the direction of the war, but when manipulation and loyalty come into question… The future becomes clouded.

I tend to switch about POV quite a bit, so be warned for that. I don't clearly label it but it's done in an obvious manner.

Italics – Harry's Thoughts.

The Body of the Beast

"When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching - they are your family."

― Jim Butcher

Chapter Two – In Loving Arms, We Trust

Harry Potter departed the Hogwarts Express with his head down and his shoulders slumped. His currently crusty, messy black hair looked wilder than usual; the boy had fallen into a fitful yet short sleep on the comfortable seats of his compartment and had immediately tumbled into the unwelcomed embrace of nightmares. Harry was anything but a stranger to this, but normally the honour of particularly heinous dreams was reserved for the night. Never had he had such dreams during a midday nap, nor had he ever had one in the company of his friends. He was always careful to use a silencing charm when he went to bed in the boy's dorms… And a sticking charm for the curtains AND occasionally a minor Notice-me-not charm just to be on the safe side.

It was rather embarrassing waking up to the concerned, pale faces hovering just above his nose; Sweat sticking his hair to his forehead and his eyes as bloodshot as a sixth year during the exam period. Never had he been so thankful to bypass his Father's bad-eyesight, everything would have been blurry and that would have added to his shock upon rousing.

He hadn't known what to say, hadn't know how to explain to his friends that it was nothing to worry about. He had had these nightmares for as long as he could remember. His parents had always had a hard time waking him up in his early days, but they had come to terms with the routine of holding their son down until he awoke naturally on his own… that was whenever they were present in the house to do so. Mrs Figg had always tended to scream and rattle him until he woke with sore ears and pulled muscles in his aching shoulders.

After talking Hermione down and glaring Ron back into his seat, the young Potter calmly explained his night-terror diagnosis, curtsy of his Mothers muggle doctor friend. Yes, he was supposed to grow out of it years ago, but sometimes things didn't happen as the books dictated. Ron seemed to be pacified by the rather vague explanation but sadly the redheads on/off girlfriend didn't seem to be as susceptible towards his explanation. She knew he was skirting around the details and as always, wanted to know more. The why, the what and the how.

It had been with a heavy heart, that the black-haired boy had left his friends; no doubt walking towards certain doom. Harry looked considerably worse than before, if that were possible and now sported a sweaty bedhead as well as his battle scars. His parents were going to freak. Freak then rage and then freak some more. If his Father sent another strongly worded letter to Lucius Malfoy, then Harry would surely never live down the embarrassment when Draco paraded it around on September 1st. Stupid Malfoy.

From his position on the station floor, Harry stopped dead and wondered why everything bad had to happen to him. Seriously, was he not first in line for some good luck? Any form of luck would be great, he honestly didn't mind.

James and Lily Potter stood not too far away from where he now stood, they're hands interlocked and their faces alight with rage. They had seen him leaving the train and had already witnessed his bloodied form, be it only for a second, as he hoped off and onto the concrete. His Father swept his eyes over to the pitiless Malfoy couple as they formally welcomed their son home and his blue eyes promised retaliation. The Malfoys were always so proper in public, so measured and calculated. Harry had to wonder if they were ever loving and affectionate with their son. Maybe that's why Draco is the way he is.

His Mother on the other hand, now sported several fresh tears as she pulled away from her Husband and swept him up into a tight embrace; a silent cleaning spell washing over him as she did so.

"What happened, baby?" She wept into his shoulders, hands smoothing any surface they possibly could reach. She was always so affectionate. Secretly, Harry really loved that about her. He would deny it to his grave, but a little hug and comfort was just what he needed.

"It was that bloody Malfoy brat again, Lils. He was giving Harry that weird sneery thing… Seriously, does he not realize he looks like he needs a really big shi— "

"-JAMES POTTER!"

"—t when he does that?"

"Enough of that!" Lily wailed as Harry snickered into her flaming hair and red face. His Father really didn't have a filter. But, come to think of it, it was kind of true! It's not like he was lying. The happy families around them seemed to agree too, if the sniggering and slight nods were anything to go by. The Malfoy's really didn't seem to be as well liked as they thought they were.

"That's a good one, Dad. I might have to use it next time I see him."

Lily pulled back sharply in reprimand, "You certainly will not, Harry James Potter. Your Father is a bad influence on you, you'll get in trouble if you say that." Good Merlin the full names are out, mum is mad. She turned to glare at James, his expression turning meek and his hands lifting in surrender. He flashed a lopsided smile and his wife immediately thawed, it looked kind of funny to see the feared 'Head Auror' backing down from his slip of a wife. "He knows exactly how to get out of trouble too."

Harry really wished he had inherited that talent. He was a master of finding trouble, it was just the getting back out of said trouble that seemed to have passed him by. "I didn't know you guys would be here. I thought you would be too busy with your work. Y'know being in the middle of a war and stuff." Thought… hoped and prayed. Begged the god of Parents! Why did they have to be here today!

Lily threw her hands around her boy's shoulders once again, feeling suddenly emotional once more; James on the other hand looked guilty and just a tiny bit melancholy. "We realized how distant we've been and wanted to spend some time with you, kiddo. There might be a war on, but family should come first. Uncle Remus and Sirius are coming over later too. Thought we would have a welcome home party, just the five of us?"

"I-I'd like that. I'd like that a lot." Even with a war against the dark creatures raging across Wizarding Britain, his family had managed to find time to spend with him. It didn't happen often, the last time had been almost a year ago, but when it did happen, they were times that Harry cherished above all else.

"Come on, let's get you home and cleaned up before they arrive." His mother murmured into his hair and ushered him off towards the Muggle exit, clearly Dad was driving today. Harry couldn't wait to be rolling around in the back seat when James's road rage kicked in, it really was a spectacle to behold. And really it was another big reason why Pure-blooded Wizards should leave muggle inventions well alone.

Harry looked around his bedroom and sighed, why did he have to leave it in such a mess every time he left for Hogwarts. The place was a dump! Books littered the floor and notebooks lay in-between the sheets of his bed, which was also unmade. Old cups and plates lay abandoned on his desk, as well as old clothes basically lying on everything. His Mother had made a rule when he had turned 13, that once he had become a teenager Harry's space was his own. His own little flat if you will, where only he himself, was responsible for its cleanliness. Obviously, he never learned that lesson.

Picking up a stray sock form the absurdly red rug located in the centre of his room, Harry went about correcting the room. It's not like it was huge or anything! It was just a regular sized room, in his regular sized house in Godric's Hollow. But damn, it was hard to keep clean.

Three hours later, Harry collapsed onto his newly made bed, as sweat once again poured off his brow. He could be bothered having another wash. Because as soon as the Potter Family had walked through the front door, Harry had been order toward the nearest shower to clean-up and then was promptly covered head to toe in salves, creams and then a potion for good luck. He was clean, just a little wet around the edges. A new set of clothes and a lot of deodorant would sort out the issue easily enough.

It was now approaching dinner time and Harry's stomach would not stop growling. It had already started getting dark outside, which was unusual for the summer months, but meant that his Uncles would be arriving at any minute now. His excitement had promptly spiked sky high, as he threw himself back off his bed and into the closet. Green... Green was good? It was also a Slytherin colour, but unlike his Dad, he had no issue with them. Except for Malfoy, of course. He had almost landed himself in Slytherin house, so wearing the colours really wasn't much of a big deal. According to his Mother it really brought out his eyes. Okay, green shirt it is and maybe the black slacks? Yeah, black slacks and a black robe.

"HARRY!"

His Uncles had arrived! Decorum was blown to the wind, as he ran out the door without deodorant applied and down the stairs into the open arms of Sirius Black. The tall Pureblood was dress as elegantly as always but his face betrayed the image. He was grinning like a lunatic and his eyes sparkled with glee. Behind him, Remus Lupin grinned and placed his hand onto his best friend's shoulder and used the other to mess up his pup's hair.

"Look how much you've grown, stranger! What on earth do they feed you in that great hall nowadays!?" That was Remus, always the moderately polite adult in his life.

"You're the height of a real fifteen-year-old now, pup. Congrats! Too bad your almost sixteen eh?"

The youngest Potter huffed in Blacks arms and proceeded to stamp on his foot, hard. The elder yelped and let go, but not before swearing like a sailor. Lily quickly reprimanded him from the kitchen and Harry descended into laughter, as did his fellow Marauders. It was always a laugh and a joke when they were together, like they were still schoolboys without a care in the world. It really was nice, considering the times they now lived in.

"Good to see you to Padfoot, Remus." James remarked from behind his son, both men beamed widely and clapped him on the back… Sirius still from a squatted position. "You really shouldn't rile my son up about his height, y'know. Especially considering you get the same punishment every single time. "

Sirius grunted in reply, but his boyish grin didn't move. It was the usual welcome for the man, so he really couldn't expect much else. The group moved into the dining room and sat around the table as Lily joined them. The house elves rushed around them, a flurry of activity, while Lily sat at the head of table looking as serene as could be. Being a muggleborn, Lily always did like to help with the cooking and cleaning. She felt it was her right to do so and would thank the elves profusely each day. She hadn't grown up with tiny helpers and didn't want everything done for her.

"Smells amazing, Lily." Remus commented from beside Sirius, and everyone joined in on a nod. It really did smell delicious. His mother smiled and watched as her tiny helpers served food in its piles. They really had outdone themselves tonight. The family were ready to enjoy their meal, and enjoy it they shall.

"So, Harry, how have you enjoyed Hogwarts this year?" Once again, it was Remus who had spoken. The elder always wanted to know what was going on with Harry's academic life. Of the three pranksters, Remus was by far more interested in his studies. Sirius always wanted to know about any new lady friends and his Dad wanted to know about the pranks he played on Severus Snape. What his family didn't know was that he got on quite well with his Potions Professor and he really didn't know if he liked any girls in his school, let alone the year.

"Well, I'm top of the year in almost every class— "

"Auror POTTER! AUROR POTTER!" The harsh screech, echoed around the dining room and brought every adult too attention. James rushed over to the fireplace and thrust his head within the green flames. After a few minutes, his pale face re-emerged.

"Sirius, we need to go, Wimbourne is under attack. Remus, they need you there too, its led by the Gamma Werewolves. I need you to gather your wolves and be ready to negotiate as soon as you can. Lily they're going to need as many healing potions as you can take, we have many injured already."

Harry continued to sit at the table, the food steaming before his face, yet his plate was untouched. His eyes slowly swelled with tears as the adults rushed around him, Remus already disappearing through the flo, a sad smile sent in Harry's direction.

"But—we just sat down to dinner." Harry trailed off. He knew he was acting selfish but his emotions were simply too strong. This was all he had ever wanted. A family meal and a good chat, but it had been taken away from him. They hadn't even been sitting down for 5 minutes! "Please don't leave me. I just got back."

The sad thing about the whole situation was his parents didn't even seem to hear him. They rushed about to get everything together, clothes going flying as they put together their official robes. Sirius gave Harry a short hug and he could see how torn-up the man was before one after the other, they all disappeared through the green flames. Harry sat for a few seconds longer, watching the steam flowing into the air from the unconsumed food, before he pushed his chair back and bolted out the back door of his family home.

His tears fell freely as his legs pumped in a fast run through the trees surrounding his house. Sometimes he really hated his life, hated the war… hated everything. He hated Malfoy, he abhorred his parent's stupid jobs… but most of all, he hated being alone. This was his special night and it was torn away from him. Yes, there was a war going on but bloody hell! He deserved a little of his family's attention. But alas, that was not meant to be.

So, he ran. Ran right into the main square of Godric's Hollow, right up to the fountain. It looked beautiful reflected in the moonlit night. The water made a steady sound and Harry found himself lagging onto the rim, his feelings finally getting the best of him. He openly cried into the darkness, his cheeks flushed and his heart aching. It just wasn't fair! He wanted his Mum and Dad, he wanted everything that had been taken from him; but most of all he wanted—

"What brings you here at this hour of the night, young one?" A silky voice broke his melancholy. The boy was confused, it wasn't even that late. Bloody townies and their weird ways!

"It's only 8 o'clock?" He replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Ahh, but the night is dark and the danger is near. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I don't care! I don't care about any of that! The danger is in sodding Wimbourne if you must know, not here."

The women grew closer, she was younger than Harry had expected her to be from her voice. But he did not move.

"Ah, but that was only one sect my dear. Have you forgotten about the Vampires so soon?"

Harry froze. His whole body tensing as the unknown women sniffed at his neck and placed her bone white hands on his shoulders.

"But you, my young one, should not fear." She purred directly into his ear, "You would be the perfect addition to my collect. So, powerful, so beautiful…your eyes so green."

That was the last thing he remembered before red flared above his now closed eyelids and a wrist was forced into his mouth as his neck was set on fire.

Next time… Harry returns home. As does his Parents.