"Though originally from the mainland countries of Southeast Asia, the Veela owe their name to a team of Polish researchers in the mid-17th century, the first to observe and come into contact with these creatures in their natural environment."

"The long-upheld traditions of Veela culture have remained virtually unchanged despite centuries of growth and migration. Though nearly all half-breed Veela have integrated themselves into wizarding society, full-blooded Veela still hold strongly to their roots, all of which are centred around the elusive figures of the Veela Kings, the rare and as yet unobserved specimens of male Veela. These male Veela are indeed treated like kings in every respect, and to each is assigned a flock of Veela to rule over. A Veela King is only relieved of his role when another male Veela within the flock comes of age."

Harry paused on those words, reading them over again. Over the past few days, he'd spent his nights in the stillness of the library, studying and researching, sure that leaving Hogwarts behind would be the most adequate solution to his boredom.

The main object of his interest was the Veela species, their habits, their history. He'd learned a lot of uninteresting things about them, but the latest piece of information he'd uncovered had given him pause. To his slight surprise, full-blooded Veela were said to act much more like creatures than humans, driven by physical needs, and often seekers of instant gratification.

It made sense, when he stopped to consider it. The nature of the Veela was to be sensual; their greatest power was the ability to ensnare the mind of wizards and bend them to their will purely through their sex appeal. He'd encountered the same effect when he'd drank Gabrielle's blood, though he was not so easily controlled.

The notion of male Veela perplexed him, and he had half a mind to dismiss it all as fiction. The author of the book claimed that they were unobserved, yet seemed to know an awful lot about them. If what he wrote was true, though…

Whoever this 'Veela King' is, he's one lucky guy.

Harry considered the idea. He saw himself sitting on a throne in his dark castle—a must-have for any proper vampire—with a flock of dozens of full-blooded Veela, with which he could do as he pleased.

Suddenly, he felt as though the scales had fallen from his eyes. He recalled reading the pamphlet for the Vampirism Crash Course when he was just a little boy, scared and alone, mere weeks after becoming a vampire. He'd nicked it from a small library on the corner of Knockturn Alley, and it had firstly said that all vampires were blessed and cursed with the gift of a long lifespan, and that any vampire who didn't wish to live in boredom should find a goal to work towards, as to craft themselves a life they could enjoy for hundreds of years. In that moment, Harry knew he'd found his way.

"Veela King it is," he said out loud. Berating himself, he checked to make sure that Pince hadn't overheard. She tended to be on the prowl at that time of night.

Sure that he had not been found out, he shelved the book, threw the Invisibility Cloak over his head, and left. There wasn't any need for him to stop by the Slytherin common room; he had a cloak over his head and a wand in his hand, and that was all he needed. He navigated the corridors expertly until he found his way out onto the grounds. The crisp breeze was pleasant on his skin, and for a moment he let his cloak fall, so that it could sway menacingly in the wind.

Like a true vampire.

He again made himself invisible, considering the possible paths. Straight through the Forbidden Forest was a valid and fitting option, but needlessly risky. He could have taken the Hogsmeade route, but he was worried that a villager would tell on him. With the cloak, he had no real reason to worry, but it was best to stay safe.

He walked leisurely along the perimeter of Hogwarts, past Hagrid's hut and the greenhouses. A pair of carriages was parked in an enclosed courtyard near the Ravenclaw tower, where the Beauxbatons students had elected to stay. The unicorns they'd brought along were sleeping in a handful of make-shift stables that Hagrid had no doubt helped to construct.

A thought struck him then. He paused and observed the carriages. The trip he was preparing to embark on was a long one indeed, if the Veela truly had their roots in Asia as the book had said. Even if they didn't, he would have most likely looked for them there anyway, as Christian symbolism was hard to come by in that part of the world. Why not, then, grab a little companion for the journey?

With his mind made up, he headed for the courtyard, wondering which of the decorated carriages to check first.

"Expelliarmus!"

The incantation had caught him off-guard. His wand was wrenched from his grip and pulled towards an alcove. The silhouette of a student stepped out into the courtyard, picked up his wand, then ran back into Hogwarts and down the length of a corridor.

Huh. How did they know I was here?

Shrugging off his cloak, which apparently did him no good, he followed the unknown assailant down the corridor. His superior vampire-enhanced speed would make catching his prey an easy job, and if he was being honest, he did appreciate the distraction. It wasn't often that he killed in self-defence, and he hadn't drank any blood for nearly two days.

Portraits and sconces whizzed past him as he ran at a full sprint. The assailant hadn't even managed to clear the length of the corridor before he was right behind them. Whoever it was, it was most likely a girl, with dishevelled brown hair and—

"Oh, for fuck's sake." He grabbed Granger by the back of her robes and stopped suddenly, pulling her back. She lost her balance and fell on the stone floor, scrambling back to her feet right away..

"What do you want with me?" he asked. She answered by turning around and running away. In a second, he was in front of her, and she looked at him in shock. The situation was thoroughly entertaining.

He stared at her, unblinking. Her eyes darted around, looking for escape routes, but it was clear that there was nowhere to run. She stared back at him and opened her mouth to speak, but he was quicker.

"You know what, I don't even care," he said. "Just give me back my wand and you'll be out of my hair forever."

Digging into her robes, she held his wand out, but pointed it straight at him along with her own. "You're a vampire."

Her accusation silenced him, and she seemed to take it as a victory, if her smug smile was anything to go by.

"I am," he said. "How did you find out?"

"Dennis Creevey," she said, and her voice was like acid.

"Oh, he was great." The first-year Gryffindor had been his latest meal, and his navel blood had tasted unusually good. Something to do with his diet, he suspected. He'd left him unconscious in a hidden passage. "Are you telling me he survived? I was sure I'd bled him out."

"I found him with the map," she said. He didn't know which map she was referring to. "You took him to the passage behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy and bit him, didn't you?"

"…yes. I did. How did you—"

"Stupefy!"

The red Stunner covered the distance between them in an instant, but this time he was ready. Calling upon one of his many vampire abilities, he made the area around his chest immaterial. When the spell flew through him, his chest blurred into transparency, sending an uncomfortably warm sensation through his body. It was like the opposite of touching a ghost.

"W-what?"

"No, seriously, how did you know? Have you been stalking me that much?"

"You—what just—"

"Oh, that?" He pointed at his chest. "Yeah, took me a really long time to get that working with spells. It's lucky it's night, or that probably would have hit me."

Granger didn't say anything. Likely she was realizing futility of engaging in a confrontation. She pocketed her own wand, but held Harry's high and tried another Stunner. Despite her using the wrong wand, it worked, but the spell simply phased through him again.

"Look, that's not gonna work," he said. "Good job with my wand and all, but you might as well hand it over now before I—"

Suddenly, Granger reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a metallic object he couldn't identify, and held his wand up to it. "Lumos!"

The light was blindingly bright, and he knew in an instant that she'd armed herself with something horrific. It was a crucifix, horribly Christian and horribly glossy. The light bounced straight onto his face, and it was like someone had forced his face into a roaring fireplace.

He screamed and staggered back, shielding his face. "Agh! You bitch!"

He hadn't been prepared for religion, and there was the possibility that it would be his undoing. His eyes were pressed shut, but he could feel the burn growing, a sure sign that Granger was coming closer. He considered running, but there was no doubt that she'd go mouthing off to Dumbledore, and then everything would be over. There was only one thing for it.

Struggling through the pain, he lowered his hands and looked at her. In a single motion, he leapt and tackled her to the ground. The crucifix flew from her hand, and suddenly the burning was gone. He was on top of her, pinning her to the ground, but she still held his want trained on him, her eyes determined. Reaching into another pocket, she grabbed something and shoved it in his face. It had a doughy feel and smelled absolutely foul. When Granger realized that it had no effect, she pulled the object back, now looking unsure of herself.

Harry was almost insulted when he saw the object she'd used. "Sacramental bread and garlic? Are you fucking serious?"

"What—but I thought that all vampires had an aversion to these things!"

"Okay, racist, if you must know, not all vampires are the same," said Harry. Now he really was insulted. "What, did you have a couple wooden stakes lying around just in case? Were you planning to lock yourself in your dorm and not invite me in?"

"Bombarda!"

A ballsy spell, he thought. The curse phased through his head and dug a substantial hole into the ceiling, sending stone and dust to the floor. Granger looked ashamed of the damage.

"Hey, some of us are trying to sleep here," grumbled a portrait. "If you two are gonna shag, do it in private."

Harry glared at the portrait, sending it scurrying out of frame. His eyes fell on Granger again, who had lost all of her bravado. He decided to have some fun, and positively leered down at her. She was looking anywhere but at him.

"Are you done playing?" he said, his voice a growl. "Give me that."

He snatched his wand from her grip with enough force to sprain her wrist. She pulled her arm back and squirmed under his hold, but she was pinned down far too strongly to break out. She was on the verge of tears.

He gave her the most wicked grin he could muster. "I guess it's my turn now…"

Granger shook her head in a panic. "No! Please, no—don't—"

"In all seriousness, I'm not gonna rape you," he said. His face settled back into neutrality. "I've got things to do. I wouldn't even want to rape you, either, you're nowhere near attractive enough. No, I'm just gonna kill you."

Her cries continued on for a few more seconds, before he decided he was bored of them.

"Avada Kedavra." The corridor flashed green, and Hermione Granger was finally silenced.

He stood up and dusted himself down. Killing her had been high on his priority list for a while now, and he was glad to have had an opportunity so graciously presented to him. He dragged her body out of the corridor and buried it in a makeshift hole a little ways away from the courtyard. With some luck, it would be a good few weeks before it was discovered, by which time he would have disappeared.

Now, where was I?

Throwing his cloak back on, he made his way to the carriages. His scuffle with Granger had been fairly loud, but it didn't seem like he'd woke anyone up. He approached a carriage and looked through the window, but all he could see was blackness. Clearly, they had been obscured so that no-one could look in, or perhaps it was a side effect of the Undetectable Extension Charm.

With a flick of the wand, he opened the door and stepped inside. As expected, the carriage was much larger than on the outside. There was a single corridor that went on for an undetermined length, with rows of numbered rooms on either side. The walls and ceiling were painted a rather ghastly light blue.

There was little he could do besides check every room. Being invisible and gifted with a naturally light step, it was easy to open every door and have a look around. There were lots of pretty girls and boys from Beauxbatons, but he had his mind set on one. He'd find Fleur Delacour and get her to take him to Gabrielle, then he'd be on his way.

He was halfway down the corridor before he found the room he was looking for. Fleur Delacour was sleeping in her bed as gracefully as she did anything else. To his immense satisfaction, he saw that she was sharing the bed and cuddling with her younger sister, a sight that he found enormously cute. He felt a bit bad for disturbing them, but he'd made plans.

Approaching the bed, he held his wand against Fleur's forehead and cast a silent Stunner. He could have killed her, but it would have been foolish. A murder followed by a disappearance would have left authorities looking for a kidnapper, but if the only person missing the next morning was Gabrielle, they'd be looking for her. They would no doubt assume a kidnapping, but only after some time.

He cast another Stunner on Gabrielle, then lifted her up and carried her out of the room. She was wearing a light blue nightgown, the traditional Beauxbatons colour, and she looked just as cute as she had under the lake. She smelled faintly of perfume, but he was rubbish with fragrances, so he didn't really know what perfume it could have been.

After about thirty seconds of this arrangement, he was stunned by the impracticality of the arrangement he'd created for himself. He couldn't exactly carry a sleeping pre-teen girl on his shoulder from Scotland to Indonesia. How was it that Muggles did it? Tying their victims up and leaving them in the boot of a car?

He didn't know how to drive, nor did he ever intend to learn, so that clearly wasn't an option. Levitating her on the way would have been easier on his shoulder, but if anything, it would have been even more conspicuous.

Damn it, this would be so much easier if I wasn't taking her unwillingly! But it's not like she'd agree to coming along…

The truth was, Harry had no clue how to handle such a situation. He'd never had a consenting victim before.

And it's not like I can just make her consent—

"Oh, right," he said to himself. "Obviously."

He set Gabrielle down on the grass, admiring how picture-perfect her every feature was. Of course, he reminded himself, that was true of any Veela. Gabrielle's sister would have been just as attractive as her, were it not for his vampirism messing with his hormones.

He flicked his wand, waking her up. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up groggily. There was a moment in which she looked immensely confused, then her eyes wandered up to meet his own and her face reddened.

He kneeled down so that they were eye level. "Hello."

"Um… hi," she said. Her voice couldn't have been more fitting of her appearance. "Are—are you Harry Potter?"

"That's me," he said. When she didn't say anything, he continued. "How come you were sleeping on the grass?"

"I'm… um… waz I?" she asked. Her accent wasn't much better than her sister's. "I don't remember…"

"Yeah, it's a good thing I found you," he said, standing up. He offered her his hand, which she took gingerly. He thought about what to say next.

"Thank you," she said, her voice small. She wouldn't meet his eye.

"Hey, are you Fleur Delacour's sister?" he asked, and for a moment she looked up at him, surprised. "I think I remember seeing you after the second task."

She smiled slightly. "Yes, that waz me!"

"Yeah, I remember seeing you under the lake. It was pretty scary," he said. "So, er—I… guess we should be going back to—ah, you know what, fuck this."

He crouched down again and grabbed her by the shoulders, staring at her. "Listen. I'm about ready to leave this shithole school, and I'd like you to come with me."

"What?"

"I'll give you food, water, clothes, anything. All you have to do is let me drink your blood and have sex with you every so often."

"W-what?! No!"

"See, I thought you might say that." Harry stood up and pointed his wand at her. "Imperio!"

Suddenly, Gabrielle went glassy-eyed. Her posture straightened and she stared into nothingness, her mind and face blank.

Ah, children… so easy to control. "You want to come with me, and you'll let me do whatever I want with you."

Gabrielle nodded.

"Good. Off we go, then," he said. Gabrielle's motions relaxed, and she smiled brightly. Harry walked towards the edge of the forest with Gabrielle clinging to his robes.

"So where are we going, then?" she asked.

"I haven't quite decided yet. Somewhere in Cambodia or Thailand, probably," he said, looking down at her. "Do you know where that is?"

She frowned, thinking. "Somewhere in Asia. I'm not sure where."

"That's about right," he said. He noticed that her accent was much more subtle than before—possibly a side effect of the Imperius Curse.

As they approached the edge of the forest, Gabrielle's steps became more hesitant, and she pulled on his robes to slow him down. "We don't have to go in there, do we?"

"It's the quickest way out of Hogwarts," he said, "unless you have a better idea."

Her face reddened, and she looked down at her feet. "Well… I was thinking… maybe we could take one of the unicorns?"

Harry blinked. "You know what? That's a brilliant idea."

He meant it. Stealing a unicorn was simple, right in line with what a particularly mischievous little girl might do, and it would make the journey a hell of a lot easier. He wondered if Gabrielle had always had a thieving side to begin with, or if the Imperius Curse had hit her so hard that her morality had been warped to his benefit.

Her unfocused eyes all but sparkled when, a few minutes later, he gently woke one of the unicorns and pulled it out into the field. Gabrielle hid behind his robe hesitantly. It was clear she wanted to approach it.

He stepped aside and nudged her forward. "Go on! You can pet it if you want. You'll be riding it soon enough."

It couldn't have been more than ten seconds after her first tentative pat that she was hugging the unicorn's head. The poor animal looked like it needed more sleep, but he knew unicorns to be very gentle creatures, so he wasn't worried.

With some effort, he managed to separate Gabrielle from the unicorn and hoisted her up on its back. He then swiftly joined her with an elegant leap, sitting behind her. It wouldn't do to forget his theatrics at a time like this.

He leaned forward and rubbed the unicorn behind the head. "Take us away. Go east."

Gabrielle gave an excited squeal when the unicorn took flight, an act which it performed with every ounce of elegance that was to be expected of a creature like it. Soon, Hogwarts was but a fading image in the distance, and he had to give it credit: from up in the sky, it looked rather nice.

Harry and Gabrielle settled into the flight. She dozed off after maybe ten minutes, and he put up a couple of spells to make sure neither of them lost their balance and fell. On the grounds that he was a vampire, Harry didn't get tired, but he did eventually grow bored of the Scottish Highlands mountains over which they were flying. Eventually, he too closed his eyes, and filled his head with thoughts of what he would do in the coming days.