The Changes
Harry awoke in two days later in the middle of the night feeling sore all over. After pulling himself upright he wiped the sweat off his brow. Opening his eyes required more effort than he thought, 'What the hell happened here?' The bed sheets were bloody and ripped looking as if a wild beast was unleashed. Looking around his room he saw his pillow lying on the other side of his room with claw marks over it. Looking at his hands harry could only look. His nails lengthened and hardened, looking more like claws than anything else. Harry also absentmindedly noted that his right hand was covered in dried blood. He quickly jumped out of his bed but landed on the other side of his room, near the door. Panicking he tried to open the door only for the doorknob to stay in his hand. Trying to control his growing panic he gently opened the door, dropping the doorknob on the floor. After managing to get to the bathroom he turned on the light only to cry out in pain as his sensitive eyes were assaulted by the bright light. Feeling around blindly for the light switch he finally managed to turn it off. When he finally arrived at the mirror he could only gape at his appearance, "Oh my god."
His previously bright emerald green eyes turned a few shades darker and were slitted. They looked as if a dark green energy was dancing within them and were reflecting the light. His attention was then drawn to the two sharp looking fangs that now jutted past his lower lip. Only after feeling his fangs with his tongue and and opening his mouth was he convinced that they were real. He then noticed his bloody shirt and the dried flakes of blood on his neck. Feeling the area with his hand he thought, 'That's where that sicko bit me.'
He started shivering, quickly threw his clothes on the ground and went to the shower. He scrubbed himself for more than two hours as if it would reverse the changes, 'I feel so dirty, used.' he thought. 'How can someones bite cause this? He wasn't a vampire was he? Vampires aren't real.' although he sounded like he wanted to convince himself. Looking at his clothes on the ground he turned off the water, dried himself and took them to the garage. He took out some gasoline and a match and burned the clothes in an old barrel in the garden shed, 'That's how the crook always gets rid of the evidence on TV.' While the fire was burning he heard something running and a fast beating sound. Feeling as if time froze he slowly turned around, instincts taking over, and with lightning quick reflexes grabbed a mouse that was running around. 'How could I hear it? Aren't they supposed to be quiet? And what the hell is that beating?' he thought before examining the mouse. With a start he realized he was hearing its heartbeat. Harry also noticed that he could smell it very clearly. Shaken, he went back into the house after releasing the mouse in the garden.
Looking at the clock he was surprised to see that it was 4am and two days after he was attacked. Going back to his room he sighed at the door and at the mess, 'I totally forgot the sheets and the pillow. I'll have to burn them too, I doubt the Dursleys would notice anyway. I'll have to repair the door though, even they will notice that.' After getting dressed he sat on the floor looking very scared, 'Whats going to happen to me? I can't hide a big change like this. The Dursleys will use this to get rid of me.' he thought with tears running down his cheeks and shivering. 'I'm too young to die or be used as a lab rat.' Harry went back into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Although he looked much better with clean clothes he still didn't know how to hide the changes to his eyes, mouth and hands. 'I have to hide these things.' he thought, unconsciously willing it to happen. Before his very eyes his pupils became round again and his eyes were no longer reflecting the meager light. His fangs shortened and when he opened his mouth he saw that they were only a little sharper than normal. He looked down and, sure enough, his claws retreated back to normal looking fingernails although he could tell that they were still harder and sharper than normal. 'OK. That was unexpected.' he thought, 'Maybe I can change again.' He wished it and his features changed again, 'Well, that's useful.' he thought and changed his features back to normal and feeling tired from all the excitement and his emotional breakdown. Harry went back to his bedroom, threw the sheets next to the pillow, closed the curtains and went to sleep after thinking, 'I'll have to experiment later.'
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'I hate the sun' decided Harry. After being waken up by a cacophony of loud noises, mostly cars, he jumped out of bed only to hit the wall after underestimating his own strength. But the worst thing is that he accidentally opened the curtains when he jumped, which allowed sunlight to stream into the room. At first Harry was afraid that he would disintegrate into dust as vampires were prone to do in movies but he soon discovered that the worst thing was the suns brightness, which irritated his eyes and gave him a mayor headache. After managing to close the curtains Harry sat behind his desk, took out some paper and started making a list of changes. 'Let's see, besides the obvious changes I had last night I can see everything perfectly without my glasses and in the dark. Hell, I can even see the cracks on the wall and I'm pretty certain that I shouldn't be able to do that. I could hear that mouse yesterday even though they are usually far too quiet. Not to mention that I could hear its heartbeat.' he shivered, 'That was creepy. I could smell it too. Catching it was instinct so maybe that's a change too. I can even smell the paint on the walls, and that dried blood on the sheets. Strange that I didn't smell the fire last night. Although I guess I was a little preoccupied to notice. I also noticed that those bite marks that sicko gave me were already gone when I was in the shower. Does it mean that I heal very quickly now or was it a one-time thing? I hope its permanent, it would be awesome to heal that fast. I think I have increased strength too.' he looked at the doorknob that was still lying on the floor, 'I think I'm gonna have to practice so I'm gentler. I don't think Petunia would like it if I broke all her dishes.' he chuckled. 'I'm probably faster too but I'll have to experiment with that.'
'I'm gonna have a lot of work, I hope my eyes will get used to sunlight soon, I guess it's a good thing I live in England. I read that in some places the weather is sunny most of the time.' Noticing that he was hungry he went downstairs, closed the curtains in the whole house (with difficulty), cooked himself a couple of eggs and poured himself a glass of milk. He was very surprised at how quickly he was sated, 'It's as if I don't have to eat as much now.' Noticing how he still seemed to crave something he frowned but thought it inconsequential.
Going to the garage, he took out a couple of tools and went back to his bedroom to repair the doorknob. After fiddling with the doorknob for thirty minutes he managed to reattach it to the door with some special glue, 'At least those times of helping Vernon fix things were good for something.' He went to his desk and started thinking of exercises to find out his limits, 'Strength is easy. I just need to find things to lift. Speed is a little more difficult. I can't just go to someone and ask them to time me while I run. The same with endurance. If I really have supernatural powers then that would look really odd. The healing test should be easy. I'll just make a small cut on my arm and pay attention to it while it heals. Reflexes should be a little more difficult but I'll think of something.'
'I think I'm going to have the most trouble with my senses and new instincts. I'll have to think of a way to adapt my eyesight to daylight and I can't jump 10ft in the air every time a loud noise surprises me. I also noticed many new smells today but didn't know what most of them meant so I'm going to have to experiment a bit. The worst thing, though, was garlic. It just stinks so much. I doubt it's poisonous to me but I'm sure it would knock me out if the scent was too powerful. The same thing would probably happen with other things that have a strong scent at least until I get used to it. Oh! That reminds me. Vampires are said to be really cold so I'll have to take my body temperature.'
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The days leading up to the Dursleys return were very informative and exciting to Harry. He found that he only needed around three hours sleep a day. After measuring his body temperature and heartbeat he was relieved to see they were both within the normal range. The thing that puzzled him the most, though, was the fact that he didn't have to use the bathroom, 'I guess my body is working more efficiently now.' he thought with a shrug. He still perspired although not as much as before.
He spent a lot of time trying to identify different smells that could be found in Number Four Private Drive. He still didn't go out during the day because he had no idea how he would react near any humans. His eyes at least partially adjusted to strong sources of light although they still burned if he looked directly at the sun or at the light, 'I definitely prefer moonlight and starlight to sunlight and artificial sources of light.' But he noticed that as long as the light was reasonably soft he didn't have any trouble looking at it, 'I liked that fire I burned the sheets in last night. It was mesmerising even though it smelled.'
He only ever left the house at night to go test his physical abilities. He found that he was reasonably stronger and faster than the average adult. But he discovered the most fun thing completely on accident. He found that he could climb even steep surfaces easily and was playing around in the neighborhood when he tripped and fell down two stories. While he was panicking his body reacted on instinct and landed on all fours with a grace he didn't know he possessed. Harry was, of course, ecstatic. He also tried out his healing powers by making a small cut on his arm although, 'Ugh. My blood looks disgusting. All blackish, ugh.' but he needed to apply more pressure than usual, 'Seems my skin is harder to pierce now. Sweet!' The cut healed in thirty minutes and left his arm without a mark. Harry wondered how long it would take for bones to heal but he wasn't about to try that out.
Because he didn't have to eat as much now, he used the remaining money to buy a few delicate pieces of glass to try and control his grip. After a few hours of breaking everything to pieces he managed to tone down his strength to a reasonable level. He also managed to somewhat control his reaction to loud noises but he knew he was going to have to practice it more. He was fine as long as he expected the noise but still became very nervous and twitchy if it surprised him although he didn't lash out anymore. He still felt that strange craving but didn't have an idea what it could be.
His biggest shock came when he visited his magic core.
Flashback
Harry was experiencing a rare emotion. He was disappointed at himself. In all the excitement of him turning into a vampire (which he was sure he is) he forgot to practice his power. Slipping into a meditative trance he tried to find his magical core. What he found left him speechless. Instead of a basketball sized ball of bright green energy he found a smaller black ball with tendrils of dark green energy encircling it. Touching it with caution his eyes opened in shock, 'This feeling. It's so much more intense than before.' Whereas before the feeling was pleasant it could be considered addictive now, 'Although it's smaller I get the feeling it's more compact, ... Whats the word again? Ah yes... potent. It's like I needed a tendril of power to make a pencil move I need less now to make the same thing happen.' Trying it out he noticed that although his power increased he lost any semblance of control he ever had which was obvious by the book that hit the ceiling.
'I'll have to practice my control.' he thought. Trying to summon a ball of light on his fingertip he could only cry out in pain as the whole room was bathed in light and his eyes started to burn, 'I'm not trying that again anytime soon.' Calming down he reached down to his core and tried to carefully make a book float. While it was floating he decided to try another thing he was thinking about before he was turned. He thought that using his powers in different ways might help him later on. Levitating a pencil along with a book was significantly harder than just levitating a book. It wasn't very power intensive but it was difficult mentally because you had to focus on two things at the same time. It was only more difficult because the pencil had a different shape than the book. Barely managing to keep both of them afloat for ten seconds before either letting them fall or making them shoot up into the ceiling. Wiping his sweat off his brow he resolved to practice this further.
He tried an exercises to improve his power next. He tried to levitate his desk and although he managed to get it floating he had to release it after about two seconds because it was too heavy and exhausted him magically. Although he was tired he managed to smile a bit, 'I barely managed to keep a book floating for more than thirty seconds before and couldn't even move my desk vertically. That's right, I have to practice moving things. It definitely came in handy when that guy attacked me.' he thought, still shivering from the phantom sensation of the guy biting him. Harry was hesitant to start banishing things in his room because he didn't know his limits and could possibly destroy his bedroom, 'I'll practice it at night somewhere else. It shouldn't be too much trouble to sneak out of my room.'
He also found out a very interesting new power. When the mailman delivered a parcel for Mr. Dursley Harry had to sign to confirm that the parcel was delivered. He accidentally looked into the mailman's eyes and heard, 'Leaving such young children at home alone. What is the world coming to? I'd like to give these people a piece of my mind.' in his mind.
Blinking, harry asked, "Excuse me, sir. Did you say something?"
Looking puzzled the mailman answered, "No, I didn't."
"Oh, my mistake then. I though I heard something" answered Harry with an embarrassed smile.
'What a sweet kid.' thought the mailman and said, "No problem. Well I better go now. Goodbye."
"Goodbye." said Harry and closed the door. 'OK, that was creepy. I'm sure that he didn't say that thing at the end so the only logical conclusion is that I read his thoughts. But how is that possible. My whole life is impossible. I can teleport, not consciously but I can do it. I can move things with a power that only I have. No to mention the whole vampire thing. I need to get some answers.' but not even Harry's genius mind could come up with an answer. 'Everyone I know or have heard of would either not believe me and would send me to a psychologist or believe me and sell me to the government or some other wealthy organization. Argh!' he thought while sitting on the stairs and holding his head. 'It's all getting too much for me to handle.' He wished he had someone to talk to, 'But I don't have anyone. I can only count on myself. I'm special, different than all others.' He started thinking about what he needs to make his life easier, 'I have to think of a way to get some money, I definitely don't want to wear Dudley's old clothes forever and I need to start some kind of activity to help me with my new grace and excellent sense of balance. I wanted to start training karate or something similar before but I could hurt someone now. Wait, that's it! I'll start dancing. It's perfect. The only problem is that I need money to pay for new clothes and to pay for the dancing lessons. The Dursleys will never pay for it.' With that in mind he went back to his room while leaving the parcel on the kitchen counter.
End flashback
The Dursleys came back home six days after Harry was bitten.
"Boy!" yelled Vernon as he came through the front door.
Harry went down and asked, "Yes, uncle Vernon?"
"Marge made me see reason, boy." said Vernon, "It's not right that you live here without doing something to repay our generosity. From now on you will help with the chores and if you don't, you will find yourself on the street."
'How dare he?' thought Harry and prepared to give his uncle another lesson but had a better idea, "I'll do something better uncle. If you pay me 50 pounds a month I will do all the yard-work and wash all the dishes in this house. Oh, and buy me some decent clothes, please." he said and prepared to defend himself should Vernon react badly to his demands.
Vernon's face coloured purple as he yelled, "WHAT! Dudley's clothes not good enough for you boy? Just like your parents, living off the generosity of good people like us. Freaks, the lot of you!"
Harry forcefully calmed himself and said in a voice that sent chills down Vernon's spine, "It's not that, uncle. Dudley is a lot bigger than I am. What do you think the neighbors think. I look like a street rat. Surely that doesn't reflect well on my loving family."
Petunia paled and looked out the window to see if any neighbors were watching, "Maybe he's right Vernon. A freak he may be but the others don't know that. We will be the laughing stock of the neighborhood if he doesn't look presentable. Emily has already asked me why he doesn't have any new clothes."
Vernon quickly composed himself and said, "Perhaps it is reasonable but I won't pay you for doing things that you should do, you hear me boy?"
"Crystal, but what of the rumours?" Harry asked while grinning on the inside.
Petunia looked confused and asked, "Rumours?"
"Why, of course, dear aunt. Mrs. Simons has already asked me a year ago why she never saw Dudley working half as much as me." this was a calculated lie on his part 'Hook, line and sinker. And I didn't even have to read their minds.' he thought, smiling internally, "People might think you're not doing everything you can to civilize me."
If possible Petunia paled even more and said, "Think about it Vernon. Maybe you could make a deal with him."
"Quite right, Petunia." said Vernon, "All right, boy. I'll pay you 30 quid a month to tell good things to our neighbors about us. But if you spread any lies in the neighborhood ..." he raised his fist threateningly.
"No problem, uncle. Thirty quid is plenty. I'll keep my end of the deal." he said, 'For now.'
"You better." said Vernon, "Now, did anything happen while we were away?"
'Your nephew was turned into a vampire and found out that he could read minds' he thought but said, "The mailman brought a parcel for you uncle Vernon. It's on the kitchen counter."
"Anything else?" asked Vernon.
Harry shook his head and said, "No, nothing."
"Good." said Vernon and went into the kitchen.
Harry looked at Petunia and Dudley, shrugged and went upstairs.
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The next couple of weeks passed quickly for Harry. He worked in the yard every morning, tending to the flowers, managing the grass and the couple of trees that lay scattered in the Dursleys' yard. Petunia kept her promise and took him shopping for new clothes. She bought him many T-shirts, a couple of pants, a few shirts and some underwear. She told him, "This is the last time I am going to buy clothes for you. Vernon is paying you now so you'll have to use that money to buy clothes as you need them The shopping center is not too far from Surrey so you should be able to go by foot. Don't trouble us with this from now on."
Harry seethed at her tone but said, "Alright, aunt." He was still happy though. For the first time in his life he had clothes that were his and fit him. He used the money Vernon paid him to join daily dancing lessons at the nearby recreation center. It cost only twenty pounds a month which left him with more than enough money for anything else he wanted, which wasn't much. His dancing instructor said he was a natural. She even suggested that he takes some etiquette lessons with his dancing. Harry was hesitant but once he found out that they cost only an extra 4 pounds he was quickly convinced.
Uncle Vernon left him alone now. He seemed pleased with the arrangement and Harry kept his part of the deal. He told anyone who asked about how he and his uncle made a deal. Vernon's reputation hit an all time high, even getting him promoted at his job at the Grunning's drill factory. He was now an assistant manager which included a big raise in his salary.
Harry also found out a useful side effect to his mind reading abilities. He could tell when a person was lying to him or was trying to trick him. Although that was not the only way he could do that. Their heartbeats increased, they started to sweat and released certain pheromones. Basically, they started to get nervous and Harry could smell the deceit and nervousness. He could smell when a person was angry, nervous, scared and aroused. He got headaches near young couples because they constantly released pheromones but he was getting better at handling sensory overloads. His body finally adapted to his senses and he could control his reaction, for the most part.
There were a couple of things that were giving him trouble. He found that he gets sunburns quickly and had to be covered during the midday sun because sun cream didn't work for some reason. The Dursleys still fed him scraps and leftovers but he didn't mind now that it was more than enough to fully sate him. What he did mind was the craving that was quickly growing in strength. He didn't know what he wanted but he wanted it, badly. It was hard to think straight and his performance suffered. He regularly lost control of his powers during practice, shooting books and pencils all over the place. His magic was fluctuating and he didn't know why. His instinctive urges were also more difficult to keep under control but he managed, for now.
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Harry was working in the yard today but his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, 'Why the hell am I feeling like this? What is wrong with me? It's like I'm hungry but not for food.' He then heard a heartbeat and noticed Emily Wilson, the Dursleys' next door neighbor, sunbathing in her yard. More importantly he noticed the vein pulsing on her neck. He suddenly felt an almost uncontrollable urge to bite and suck. He wanted to attack, to rip her apart, suck her dry of blood and leave her dried husk for the world to see. Already starting to transform he took a couple of steps towards her before catching himself. Barely managing to keep himself from transforming he ran into his room hoping that no-one saw him.
He sat down on the floor and hugged his knees as realization seeped in, 'I wanted to bite, to kill her.' he thought before correcting himself, 'No, I wanted to drink her blood.' He started to laugh manically, 'How could I be so stupid? Vampire 101, they drink blood.' Suddenly he became quiet and started sobbing and shivering, 'Does that mean that I have to kill someone. I don't exactly care for them but I still don't want to kill to live. I don't want to turn them into vampires either. Maybe I don't have to turn or kill them to feed and they won't have any side effects. But how will I keep them from telling everyone about me?'
Harry didn't know what to do, he didn't want to die but neither did he want to kill to survive or be used as a lab rat in some top secret laboratory. 'Maybe if I bite them from behind so they don't see me and keep watching them for the next couple of days. They may turn or not. But what will I do if they do turn? I don't know if I have it in me to kill.' He spent the next few hours thinking about every possibility but it was getting difficult to think because his desire for blood kept getting stronger and stronger. Harry finally decided to go hunting in the night.
Jumping from his window he landed on his feet. He ran around Private Drive in search of an open window. He finally found an open window in Number Nine Private Drive, just across the street from the Dursleys. Scaling the wall with little difficulty he prowled around quietly using his sense of smell and his hearing as guides. He homed onto the loudest and most powerful heartbeat and entered the master bedroom, where the couple slept. With stealth he didn't know he possessed he came next to the husband.
He had shoulder length rich brown hair that was probably kept in a ponytail during the day. Harry couldn't see his features because he was turned away from him. He had a muscled torso and was probably considered handsome. Harry carefully removed the hair from his neck and his eyes immediately went to the pumping vein. Harry subconsciously transformed into his feral form and licked his long fangs in anticipation. Grinning and looking demonic he slowly lowered his head all the while inhaling the man's scent. For Harry every second lasted an eternity and it seemed that time itself stopped as he gently licked the man's vein. He lowered his fangs to the man's vein and gently punctured the skin and licked the small amount of blood that leaked out with his tongue.
Blood. The rich liquid of life. Every creature has it. Blood is one of the most vital components in our bodies. It supplies the whole body with food absorbed from the stomach and with oxygen absorbed from the lungs. Without it we would survive less than a second. People say that blood has a metallic taste and is not good at all. And yet blood has the ability to awaken the killer instincts in a dog. Once a dog tastes blood for the first time he is more similar to a wolf than a domesticated dog. That reaction is nothing compared to a vampire's.
To a vampire blood means life. They cannot survive without it. It has everything they need to survive. It is so important in their daily lives that some sects even worship it as a deity. For a vampire, blood is the most heavenly thing in the world. It's taste is addictive and awakes their most primal instincts. The instincts to feed and kill. Vampires also guard their own blood zealously. Wizards can use it to invoke powerful wards and to concoct magnificent and terrible potions. If willingly given it is a key part in most rituals involving immortality and possesses powerful healing abilities dwarfed only by those of phoenix tears. If forcefully taken it is a ferocious poison capable of bringing even giants to their knees and a key part of many powerful poisons.
As soon as Harry tasted blood for the first time he lost all semblance of sanity. He instantly bit down with all his might and started sucking. Harry was in heaven. Its aroma was addictive and definitely the best thing he has ever smelt. Its taste was heavenly. It was as thick as honey and even better tasting. He never tasted anything like it before. He was gripping the man with both his hands to prevent him from turning and yet the man did not wake. He looked perfectly peaceful as if he didn't have a care in the world. As soon as harry was full he raised his head and licked the blood off his fangs. He then noticed the small trickle of blood running down his victim's neck. Not wanting to loose such an opportunity Harry started licking the wound and the blood around it. The enzymes in his saliva not only prevented the blood from coagulating but also counteracted the poison that coated his fangs. This poison was the reason that people turned into vampires after they've been bitten. It also acted as a painkiller and sleep agent to prevent the victim from waking up if they were asleep and make them unable to fight if they were awake. A vampire's saliva also contains a minor healing agent that closes small wounds such as bite marks and helps the victim replenish his lost blood. As the bite marks closed and slowly started to fade from view Harry slowly regained himself.
Feeling giddy and a little horrified at the same time he quietly left the bedroom and made his way to the open window. Jumping down and quickly running to his own window he entered his room and lay on the bed thinking, 'That was the best feeling ever. I've never felt so good in my life.' he sighed happily, 'I wonder if other people's blood tastes the same or are there different tastes. I also have to control myself when I'm feeding. I lost control today and although he looked alright I might accidentally kill someone if I don't watch out.' Harry then thought seriously, 'I'll have to watch him the next few days if he exhibits any changes but I hope he'll be alright 'cause I don't know what I'd do if he changed.' Feeling tired from all the excitement, of his first hunt and still coming down from his blood high, Harry went to bed.
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The next few days were the best in Harry's life. He didn't crave for blood although he had no idea how long it would last before he needed to feed again. Not that he minded. He was aching for a chance to taste blood again but decided to only feed when his body needed it. He didn't want to become addicted. His victim made a complete recovery. He felt a little strange the next few days because of blood-loss but thought it was just a small cold.
Harry analyzed everything of that night to make future hunts easier. He decided to always lick the wounds after causing them because to him it was quite obvious that his saliva healed the marks. Harry also knew he was going to have a problem once the weather cooled and people will close all their windows. He needed another way to gain access to his victims.
His dancing lessons finally paid off. He was more self-conscious and had better control of the space around him, 'That's bound to be useful' Harry also noticed that he was lighter on his feet and had a better range of motions. He deemed the etiquette lessons useless but they amused him so he continued to attend. They weren't very useful in modern times but if he ever saw the queen at least he'd know how to behave himself. The only useful thing that came out of them was his precision and grace when it came to smaller movements, that and he was becoming quite the sweet talker, 'This is a class for politicians.' he often thought, chuckling.
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Harry fed again in two weeks when the craving became difficult to handle. It was just a few days after his birthday, which was ignored by the Dursleys. He thought of a way to open doors. He tried to pick the lock on a door or window. The first time he tried it he managed to get it open but left a few marks that could be incriminating so he spent every night perfecting his technique until he finally managed it perfectly in the middle of August. The second time he tasted blood he managed to keep control although it was still a fight every step of the way. He even tried a couple drops of animal blood. It sated him but tasted disgusting. Harry only fed on humans since that day.
He found out that he couldn't feed on Vernon or Dudley. Trying to drink their blood was like trying to drink lard. It left him disgusted but he couldn't help but find humor in the situation, 'They're so fat not even a vampire can drink their blood. Seriously, how fat can you get?' He made sure to drink from a different person each time to find out if blood tasted any different. The difference was there but it was minuscule.
Soon enough school began again and Harry decided to keep being average and to blend into the background. He was a nobody to his schoolmates. He also found an interesting little tidbit about his mind reading powers. He managed to plant compulsions in the subconsciousness of his peers and teachers. He had a lot of fun making his schoolmates cough every-time they cheated. He also managed to cause a person to go into a trance like state where they would do anything he asked. He called this skill Hypnosis.
The progress with his magical powers was very slow though. It took him six months to get his control up to the level it was before he was turned. The most progress he made was that he managed to keep his desk afloat for more than 10 seconds. After reading somewhere about a healthy spirit residing in a healthy body he started working out in his room. Although it wasn't noticeable, his strength and speed did increase a little bit.
The summer after his third school-year was spent on improving his existing abilities. He added summoning things too him on a whim. He managed to keep three items of different shapes fly around him in different directions but hit a block as soon as he added a fourth item. He also got into the habit of juggling small balls of light between his hands. He was lucky the Dursleys never caught him.
Speaking of the Dursleys, they left him alone. The bargain they made last year was keeping both sides happy. Vernon was happy with his new job and used every bit of the money on comforts. He bought a new car every year, bought piles of presents on Dudley's birthday and on Christmas. Dudley was looking more like the pig he is every day and was still the terror of the neighborhood with his little gang. His best friend Piers Polkiss (or rat-face as Harry liked to call him) usually held the victim while Dudley beat him up. They left Harry alone because Dudley still remembered Harry's little presentation when he was seven years old. Petunia was still the queen of gossip but at least she no longer spread lies about Harry because it would reflect badly on her entire family.
The worst week of Harry's life was the week after his birthday when aunt Marge came to visit. Harry knew she couldn't keep her mouth shut so he didn't dare do anything. Her dog, Ripper, hated Harry and always did but this time Harry scared him. Just one show of his feral form had Ripper hiding under the couch. Marge was convinced he poisoned him and was threatening Harry with disembowelment before Petunia stopped her. It wouldn't do for the police to find her nephew dead, right? It was also the first time he found out anything about his parents because Marge asked Petunia. He found out that his parents' names were Lily and James Potter. Petunia said that they died in a car crash they committed because they were drunk but Harry didn't believe her as she smelt of deceit. He didn't have much time to think about it as Marge launched on another family smearing campaign against him. He thought that he was going to kill her many times. His instincts screamed at him to kill her every-time he saw her.
Harry's fourth year at school passed quickly. Harry spent most of it refining his stealth and subtly manipulating children around him. No-one ever noticed that they were behaving strangely. He still spent some time in the library doing homework and reading more advanced literature. His magical abilities didn't improve all that much but at least he didn't have any trouble feeding. He also became good at hiding his emotions after he read a book about psychological masks.
Harry's relationship with his family was still tense but they tolerated each other. The turning point was Dudley's eleventh birthday.
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The Dursleys decided to take him to the zoo with them. He was enjoying the experience although the animals seemed very nervous around him, 'They must sense that I'm a predator.' he thought.
The best part, in his mind, was definitely the reptile house. He and the Dursleys were walking around and for some reason he started to talk to a lazy looking snake, "I know how it is to be locked up." he said, not noticing how it came out of his mouth as a series of hisses. "In a way we're all in a prison. The only difference between us is that most people think of their prison as freedom." The snake rose up until it was looking into his eyes. Harry tried to read its mind, 'How interesting. A speaker! I never thought they existed.' Looking surprised Harry asked, "Can you understand me?" noticing for the first time how it sounded strange to his ears. The snake nodded. Harry was about to speak further when Dudley pushed him out of the way. Harry quickly maneuvered himself to fall on his feet, 'He never should have come so close without me knowing. I guess I was preoccupied by the snake.'
Harry glared at Dudley, his magic reacted with his feelings and made the glass vanish. Dudley lost his balance and fell forward into the tank. The snake quickly slithered out, looked at him, said, "Thanks, young speaker." and went outside, spreading panic wherever it went. Harry was tempted to follow it but decided to formulate a plan on how to deal with his relatives.
As Petunia calmed down Dudley, Vernon glared at him. The ride back to Private Drive was quiet. Nobody said anything as they all went back into the house. As soon as Harry went inside Vernon thundered through the door, spit flying out of his mouth, "Boy! I know you did that. We're lucky that the snake didn't bite Dudley."
Harry just said, "It was a boa constrictor, uncle. They don't bite."
Vernon just reddened and said, "That's besides the point. You endangered Dudley! Your freakishness almost killed my son!"
"I guess he shouldn't try to push me around next time. The results could be quite" Harry paused for dramatic effect, "unpleasant."
Vernon, if possible, became even angrier.
"Better watch that temper, uncle. I wouldn't want you to die of a heart attack."
Vernon paled, but said, "Are you threatening me, boy?" trying to look menacing.
Shrugging, Harry said, "Think what you want. I'm going to my room." and went upstairs.
Inside his room he sighed, 'Useles oaf. Maybe it would be better if he had an accident.' Harry sighed again and thought, 'It's going to be a long summer.'
Little did Harry know that at that very moment a flock of owls left a special castle in Scotland. Each of them had a letter tied to their leg that will change the life of a very special child.
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This chapter is a little longer then the last.
Harry doesn't think of himself as human anymore. He also accepted the change because there was nothing he could do about it and it made him more special. Harry is a genius and a realist. He hides his abilities because he knows they make him special and that people fear what they don't understand. Harry is remarkably similar to a young Tom Riddle and yet is different by trying to hide his abilities.
The next chapter will introduce a new ability and the OC.
Harry's parseltongue abilities will be explained later in the story.