Chapter one: A Gilded cage
The sunlight on the garden
Hardens and grows cold,
We cannot cage the minute
Within its nets of gold
August 10, 1984
Volterra, Italy
Harry- age 5
Jubilant peals of childish laughter could be heard echoing off of the cold marble walls of the Volturi Stronghold. The mischievous five year old that it belonged to, was currently engaged in his favorite game of run and hide from his Uncle Sev.
Of course Uncle Severus never seemed to find the game nearly as much fun as Hayden but that had never stopped the energetic child. Unknown to the green eyed trouble maker, Severus engaged in this game mainly to humor the child. It wasn't as if Hayden could ever truly hide from Severus's supernatural senses after all.
Today however Severus had waited a little too long to start looking for the boy and to his concern he had actually managed to lose the boy's scent. Normally this would not have been a problem, given the fact that Hayden was one of very few mortals who actually entered, not to mention lived inside the walled sanctum.
Severus had forgotten however that today was a 'hunting' day and there was in fact a large group of unsuspecting mortal's present inside the Volturi walls. This was most definitely not a good thing. Aro, not to mention Caius would tear him to shreds and light his remains on fire if anything were to happen to the child.
Their time in the ancient Vampire city had not been what Severus had expected. In truth as he watched Albus apparate away after basically serving him up as a sacrifice, he had been sure he wouldn't live to see the morning light.
He had never felt as helpless as he did that night, not even in the presence of Voldemort…and worse he was forced to carry a baby…Lily's child right along with him to meet his fate.
He couldn't have been more shocked when they arrived at the ancient palace and instead of being led to the slaughter; Jane had led both Severus and the child to a richly decorated room.
Without a word she had turned and locked them in. He had been terrified; sitting with nothing to do but stare at the sleeping boy in his arms and wallow in his own miserable thoughts. In all honesty, he had never been more thankful for Hayden's presence that night, without the small life depending on him, he thought he would have likely have tried to end it all right there.
But the soft gurgles and warm, talcum powdered smell of the baby boy in his arms had stopped him. And now that he had time and perspective he was thankful for his hesitation.
The next day Aro had come to him, this time accompanied by both of his brothers and told him that he had two choices; he could be turned or killed.
The look in the ancient vampire's face stated that Aro already knew which option Severus would select. Having made it through the night of Lily's murder and his subsequent enslavement to what most of the wizarding world thought of as monsters, he would not give up now.
He had made it through the worst night of his life, surely becoming a vampire could not compare? So he had agreed and he was turned. It had been excruciating….like all of Voldemort's cruciatus curses being thrown at him all at once and instead of a mere few minutes, it had been days.
When the pain finally stopped, Severus had felt such a profound feeling of relief…well until he noticed just how dry and painful his throat was feeling. The Volturi were quick to provide sustenance and after he was not so distracted by the burning pain in his throat, Severus did not have all that much trouble with adjusting to his new species and the instincts that came with.
He had few moral conflictions…he had served as a death eater under Voldemort after all. At least with the mortal's they drained, their pain was over with quickly. He had found out that his main priority would be watching and protecting Hayden….it was not a problem for him.
It seemed as though the vow he had made to Albus about protecting the boy had transferred over after his transition. It could be said that the vow had morphed and changed into his 'gift.' He was extremely protective of the child and could sense anytime he was in danger or hurt.
It had turned out to be a rather useful gift in ensuring his own survival, as he found out that the Volturi leaders were much more interested in Hayden then they were him. Apparently his selection to come along had been made on one of Aro's whims, while the child's had been thoroughly planned for.
He did not question why. He knew that Hayden was an exceptionally strong magical child but he was not sure why this mattered to the Volturi. Everyone knew that as soon as Hayden was old enough that Aro would have him turned. Severus assumed it was a combination of the boy's political standing in the wizarding world and his strong affinity to magic that made him valuable.
Most likely Aro was hoping that some of this magic would transfer with the child when he was turned. Severus dreaded that day…if there was a chance he could save Hayden from the transition he would. But he knew it was futile to even consider such things…the guard and the leaders kept a very close eye on the boy.
It could even be said that the three Vampire Princes loved the child, although Severus was not sure that they were capable of such emotions.
He finally caught Hayden's scent, a mix of something spicy and sweet, it rang of innocence. Hayden had after all been kept very sheltered from the going-ons of the palace's other inhabitants. To Hayden the rest of the vampires were normal, it was he who was different.
The five year old had after all, only met one other person with soft, warm skin and non-red eyes apart from himself. And she was rather boring, just sitting behind her desk all day, not nearly as much fun as his aunt Jane or Uncle Dem.
Severus felt his dead heart sinking when he realized where Hayden's scent was leading. It was leading towards the feeding hall….a place that the boy had purposefully been kept far away from. Not good. Not good at all.
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Hayden ran as fast as his little legs could take him. He knew he shouldn't tease Uncle Sev so much, but his uncle's angry face was just so funny! Uncle Severus's glares were enough to make almost anyone cower but not Hayden. It was probably because he knew his uncle would never actually hurt him.
His pace only slowed slightly as he entered the part of the sanctuary (though Harry thought it was probably just an adult word for castle…because really that was what the sanctuary looked like) that he was normally not allowed in.
He should probably turn back now…he might not fear his uncle but he didn't want to make him TO angry….Hayden came to a stop in front of a huge set of wooden doors. Most of the doors in the Sanctuary that he wasn't suppose to go in were always closed… but one of these doors was open. Even if it was just a wee crack.
Hayden paused a minute debating what to do, he should turn around and go back to the area of the castle he was allowed in….buuttt he was a naturally curious child. He loved all of the story books about brave knights and valiant princes (not that he knew what valiant meant) that charged off into danger regardless of their fear.
And Hayden wanted to be just like them, this coupled with his innate sense of curiosity made him peak inside the room instead of turning back like he was suppose to.
At first the sight that greeted him simply left him confused…why were all of the others standing around talking to the large group of people? And why were those people like him? Hayden might be a child but he knew that he was different from everyone else in the castle.
The others were all older than him for one, but there were other differences…their skin felt like the marble walls that made up most of the inner caste, their eyes were all red, their voices sounded pretty and they reminded him of the beautiful princes and princesses from his story books. He often wondered why he was so different from everyone else.
But when he asked Uncle Severus about it, his uncle told him not to ask stupid questions. He didn't like it when his uncle said something mean to him so he didn't ask again.
But he could tell that these people were the same as him. For one their skin did not look pale and hard like all of the other's in the castle, and their eyes were different colors…like Harry's were. He wondered what Aro and the others were saying to these people to make them look so frightened. He couldn't quite hear.
He was about to push the door open wider so that he could sneak in or at least hear what was going on better when something happened that made him want to scream. One moment Aro and the others were talking quietly to the scared people and the next they were attacking them.
As the room turned into a slaughter house Hayden stumbled back in fear, he felt tears springing to his eyes as he heard the screams from the people. What was going on? What were the others doing to those people?
The smell of blood made Hayden want to vomit and he turn and ran with every ounce of strength he could manage to get as far away from the room as he could. Tears streamed down the five year olds face blurring his vision as he stumbled his way down one of the long marble halls.
Was it because those people were different? What did that mean for him? Was that going to happen to him too? Were the others just waiting until Hayden became too boring or made them angry? Hayden's panicked and frenzied thoughts flitted through his head.
So panicked was the boy that he didn't even see Severus before he ran full out into him, causing his smaller fragile body to fall back hard on the floor.
Severus took one look at the distraught child and knew what must have happened. He mentally cursed himself for not keeping a closer eye on Hayden. There was no way that the child would remain unaware of the 'other' activities that went on in these walls but he wasn't supposed to find out so early, or in this manner.
Severus bent over swiftly picking up the trembling body and hugging the boy closer to him. "Shhh…its okay Hayden, I've got you…you're alright" he murmured into Hayden's silky black locks. The boy didn't even try to protest at being picked up (something he had been doing more and more as he grew older) clinging to Severus like he was a life line.
Severus carried the boy in his arms back towards their quarters, not worrying for once about the state of his robes as Hayden's tears soaked them. He rubbed the frightened child's back in soothing circles.
"You're alright my child….I won't let anything hurt you" he whispered again as the boy finally succumbed to the emotional toll of the day and fell into an uneasy sleep.
"I promise"
August 1, 1990
Volterra, Italy
Harry- age 11
Hayden gritted his teeth against the pain; strengthening his resolve… he willed away the ache from his strained muscles and held on. Just as he felt his fingers starting to slip he heard the blessed whistle.
"Better" Jane's lovely voice rang throughout the room, as Hayden let go in relief dropping gracefully to the floor. He wiped his hands against the pair of sweats he was wearing, grimacing slightly as the raw spots on his palms brushed against the fabric.
"Don't listen to her love; you did marvelously" Alec purred, dancing up behind the wizard, letting his long delicate fingers trail across the boy's aching shoulders, "much better than last time"
Harry shot the young looking vampire a thankful grin before plopping down on the floor. "Don't get cocky" Jane snapped, though there was no real bite to her reprimand.
They had been in the training room for the past five hours and Hayden was exhausted. Jane and Alec had been tasked with helping him learn to control his latent powers. It was not unheard of, although rather unusual for someone human to demonstrate abilities before their turn. Although, no one seemed overly surprised with the fact that Hayden did.
He always had as far as he was aware. Hayden closed his eyes and leaned back against the padded wall letting his thoughts drift to something he had once overheard.
It was just a week after his sixth birthday and he had managed to follow Severus's instructions well enough that he could wrap a shield around him that both muffled the sound of his heart beat as well as his smell.
Severus had been slowly teaching him how to use and control his magic ever since the disastrous event when he was five. Hayden had been a nervous wreck for weeks after, regardless of the amount of times that Aro and the rest of the guard reassured him that he would never become dinner…that he was special to them.
The only thing that seemed to help him regain any sense of security was through the use of his undeveloped magic. Severus had simply been trying to distract him with small, easy to learn tricks…such as levitating a feather. Hayden had been so delighted by this wondrous thing called magic that he had promptly forgotten about his terror of being dinner for his 'uncle' and the rest of the palace guard.
Aro, too had been thrilled with Hayden's ability to do magic so early and had promptly instructed Severus to continue his lessons. It was because of these lessons that Hayden was now experimenting with his ability to sneak up on the royal guards.
It was Corrine and one of the newer guards, whom Hayden did not recognize that he chose to test his abilities on. He snuck close enough to hear the tail end of their conversation. Much to his chagrin it was about him; about him and what happened when he first arrived in Volterra to be exact.
"I don't understand what is so special about the boy…why do they keep him?" the unknown male asked, his voice skeptical over whatever Corrine had told him prior.
"Shhh…do not speak out of turn Geon! It is a good way to end up dead" Corrine hissed back at him angrily, "the child is the kings' favorite…you would do well to remember that fact"
Geon looked exceptionally put out, "yes…but why? " he asked again ignoring her warning.
"The child will be incredibly powerful…he already demonstrates great power…power beyond his magic as a wizard" Corrine stated.
Hayden's ears perked at this statement, what was she talking about? He had no power….maybe he was wrong and they were talking about another child? The thought made his insides squirm uncomfortably; he hated the thought of Aro and his brothers loving someone other than him….even if it meant he might have another person to play with.
"Yes, the night that he and Severus arrived…the boy was barely over a year old. Aro won them in some sort of deal with the idiotic magical bloodbags… you know of Aro's ability…yes?" Corrine paused and waited for Geon to nod his head, acknowledging that yes he knew how Aro could read your every thought and memory at one touch.
Satisfied with his answer she continued, "Well Aro went to touch the child out of curiosity I suppose….and something happened! He became completely still before falling to the floor unconscious!" she whispered her story taking on a conspiratal air.
Geon to his credit, looked appropriately horrified and awed at this information, "Why? What happened?" he asked in a whisper, unconsciously edging forward (some human instincts were harder to forget then others).
"When Aro woke up he said that instead of seeing everything of Hayden's young life, he was besieged with everything from his own life….all of his own secrets and all of the knowledge he had taken from others….the sudden influx of information caused his brain to overload and essentially stroke…he said that had he been mortal it would have killed him…" Corrine explained her face serious.
"B-but how? What did the boy do?" Geon asked
"Aro believes that his ability lies in rebounding. He thinks the child can turn one's power on its user or create the opposite effect of said power in some cases… so far his theory has proven correct…when Marcus touched the boy, instead of seeing all of the bonds that existed in the present between the guard, he saw all the bonds that no longer existed…Jane and Alec experienced the effects of their own 'gifts', Instead of Demetri being able to find Hayden, Hayden essentially placed a tracking device of sorts on the vampire…and the list goes on" Corrine rallied off the numerous guards who had tested their abilities against Hayden. "Even if he did not have this ability…the child is believed to be a very strong wizard, Aro would treasure him for that alone….do not mess with the child"
"…try on Alec" Jane's soft voice interrupted his reminiscing.
Hayden's gaze shot up to the blond vampire, "Pardon?" he asked grimacing at the look of displeasure his question brought to Jane's face. She hated being ignored.
"You have finished the physical training planned for today…why don't you try your control by practicing on Alec?" Jane repeated a tad more coldly.
Hayden nodded quickly, not willing to further piss her off. Outside of training his reflexes and physical stamina, the twins were helping him learn better control over his 'gift'. Caius had wanted him to be able to turn it on and off at will, rather than having it happen whenever he touched someone. He admitted he too would like this…as of now most gifted vampires (aka everyone of the Volturi) tended to avoid skin to skin contact. The only person so far that his gift did not work on was Severus.
And while he understood why, it still made him feel like even more of a freak. Not that he would ever tell them that…the last time he called himself a freak he thought Caius would skin him alive.
Hayden closed his eyes again and tried to concentrate on his core just like Severus instructed him to when he was doing magic. Essentially controlling his other gift should work in a similar manner. Severus had theorized that he had two twisted cores instead of one.
One dedicated to his wizarding magic, and one dedicated to his ability…Severus stated that the reason most wizards lost their magic when they were turned was because their magical core either transitioned to give them a gift or was consumed with the vampire venom. All in all, not a pleasant experience.
He believed that for whatever reason some muggles were born with a different type of core that allowed for a gift to manifest early, when they were changed it usually strengthened.
Whatever the reason for his gift, Hayden did not care. He just wanted to be able to control it. He concentrated on his breathing while continuing to delve into where he felt his magical core. Reassured by the brilliant green pulsing light that he found, he slowly stretched his mental fingers trying to locate something else.
It might have been seconds, minutes or hours he wasn't sure…but finally; finally he came upon a brilliant gold thread which had wrapped itself around the larger green cylindrical light. He gave a mental gasp of astonishment… he had found it!
Unfortunately his excitement over finding his second core caused him to lose focus and therefore let the location and feel of the second core slip away from him. His mind slowly emerged from its meditative state coming back to the present.
Jane was clapping gleefully, "You did it Haddie! Well sort of….for about a second or so….but still! Alec did not feel his gift for a moment" she exclaimed giggling in a rather un-Jane like manner.
Hayden didn't even try to smother his proud grin. Sure he still had eons to go before he could claim control, but at least it was a start…and if it got Jane to act her body's physical age for once he knew it had to be big.
"Why don't you go and tell Aro, Marcus and Caius? They are in the library…I'm sure they will be delighted with your progress" Alec suggested softly, his voice as soothing as ever.
Hayden grinned at the twins before nodding his agreement and all but skipping out of the training room to head towards the library. If Severus was like an Uncle to him, then the three Vampire Kings each held their own places in his life.
Aro, was like a father to him…a rather demanding and ambitious father but one he loved none the less. Caius, while cruel at times was incredibly protective and possessive over him, if anything he was like what he imagined a god father would be. Indulgent with Hayden, while vicious to anyone he saw as a threat to the pre-teen.
Finally Marcus acted as a grandfather towards the raven haired wizard, kind and patient. He was the calming factor of the three. The older vampire had an air of wisdom about him that one associated with age (even if he was technically the same age as his two brothers…Hayden thought the grief of losing his mate offered him the distant perspective that Aro and Caius lacked).
Hayden slowed his pace as he approached the huge library….he couldn't even fathom a guess at the number of books, not to mention rare tombs that were stored in the circular room.
When he arrived in the room the three brothers seemed to be in a deep discussion. Deep enough that Marcus did not hide the letter that he was holding before Hayden managed to read the outside of the envelope.
In Green elegant cursive it read:
Harry Potter,
Volturi Palace, prince's chambers.
Hayden's eyes widened at the sight….who in the world would be writing to him, and using his birth name? (One that Aro claimed was far too common for him…hence Hayden).
"What is that?" He asked curious.
"Ahhh…my childe, you are here…that is nothing to concern yourself with…now how did your lesson go?" Aro redirected his question.
Still young, Hayden fell for it and immediately started his exuberant sharing of his latest lesson and progress. It was not until later, shortly before he fell asleep that night, that he realized that Aro had never answered his question.
He sighed to himself and placed it amongst the many other things that he would not get an answer too…
It was the price he paid, living amongst the merchants of manipulation.
April 25, 1995
Volterra, Italy
Harry- age 14
Hayden made sure that he was carefully pressed up against the wall, keeping his face hidden under the large hood and his body concealed in the darkened alley way. He could not help but thrill at being outside the palace gates for once.
He felt the cold, constant drizzle slowly soaking through the thick red Volturi cape he was wearing but shrugged the discomfort off as unimportant. He was not about to complain about something as insignificant as being cold to Jane or Alec. Not when they were risking so much to allow him a brief moment of freedom.
He could not help but be fascinated with the sight in front of him. Despite the rain and cold weather, Volterra was swamped with tourists and locals alike. It was St. Marcus's day after all (or rather St. Mark's but time and habit had changed the name) and as tradition demanded, people flocked to pay their respects to the saint that rid the town of evil.
For Hayden it was the first time he had ever witnessed the festivities. Usually Caius, Aro and Marcus were far too protective of him to allow him to commune with the local population. It was as if they feared that if they allowed him out of the gated sanctuary, that he would fail to return. Hayden for one thought that they were being ridiculous.
Then again they were often a tad neurotic when it came to him. When he was ten, he had wandered across a visiting coven and one of the members had made the mistake of believing Hayden to be just another mortal who was there to serve as substance to the Volturi guard. He foolishly decided that he too would like a bite before meeting with the royals.
Safe to say he never got that bite…or any other for that matter. After that day Aro made it clear to the guard that should Hayden be attacked again inside the palace walls that not only would the perpetrator meet their death but the guard assigned to the boy who failed to prevent it would join them in their demise.
The amount of protection and number of smothering restrictions Hayden was under had tripled after that day… much to the teens chagrin. It was to the point that he left the restrictive compound perhaps once a year if he was lucky and only then with a large entourage of guards.
Why the Volturi heads felt that he needed this amount of protection was beyond him. Severus had stated it was because they had started to see him as a son of their own, rather than just another acquisition… though by the tone he said it in, made Hayden wonder if that was a good thing or not.
So far be it for him to complain now that he had finally convinced the twins to sneak him out with them to observe the festivities. He could not help but wonder what the lives of the people they were watching were like. What did they do on a day to day basis? Where they happy? Did they feel lonely or were they content and loved?
He could not help but feel slightly jealous at the freedom they appeared to have. As much as he loved the guard and everyone inside the palace, he could not help but wonder what he would do and where he would go if he was allowed.
But, that was not to be. He had to content himself by living vicariously through the books and stories he could convince Chelsea to bring him (Aro and his brothers did not approve of his fascination with mortal fantasy).
He was not sure for how long they stood in the rain quietly observing the people around them. But all too soon Jane touched his now soaked through shoulder and stated in her calm, musical voice "It is time to head back Haddie, we do not want the other's to notice you are missing"
Hayden sighed but nodded reluctantly, what she said was true if anyone outside the twins realized that he managed to leave the gates unnoticed (even if it was only through the help of the twins) his guard would double yet again. "Ok, lead the way princesa"
Jane grimaced at the use of his favorite nickname but otherwise ignored him. Alec who was a surprisingly cheerful and bubbly vampire skipped up next to Hayden and playfully bumped his shoulder. "Should we pick up a souvenir or two?" he asked leering at a group of dithering college girls not far from them.
Hayden rolled his eyes at Alex's terrible attempt at humor, "I didn't know that was your type lexxie" he teased raising an eyebrow.
"ohh….it's not" Alec agreed trolling his eyes up and down the teen suggestively.
Jane sighed in irritation, "oh grow up" she stated and at Hayden's gleeful snicker she added, "Both of you."
This time it was Alec's turn to smirk. "Plus brother dearest just think what Aro would say should he find you coveting our dear Haddie" she stated smiling smugly at the horrified expression on her brother's face. "That's what I thought"
The trio fell silent as they carefully maneuvered through one of the many tunnels entering the hidden palace. It was one of the lesser used ones and they were relatively confidant that it should remain empty…especially today, with most of the guard getting ready for another feeding. Only the twins were excused from the bloodbath, since they were supposed to be guarding Hayden and making sure he stayed out of trouble.
Once they were all back inside, Hayden retreated to his rooms and made short work of his soaked robes sinking thankfully into a steaming bath. He was glad that he had today off from his usual training; it was nice to not have to learn something new for a day.
He had long ago perfected control over his gift and had been working more and more with Severus to increase and master his wizarding magic. At Aro's insistence he had continued learning it wandlessly, since Severus had hypothesized that this would make his magic stronger then if he had learned using the typical wizarding wand.
While Severus could no longer use magic; he still had an extremely large knowledge of the theory and spells that he had used as a wizard.
Along with his wandless magic training, he was now spending several hours a day sparring with Jane, Alec or Felix and while he could not win against the supernatural creatures, he was more then proficient at defending himself against anyone who was not a vampire.
He had wondered from time to time just who they were training him to defend himself against.
But once again it was just another question that was met with resounding silence.
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June 26, 1995
Volterra, Italy
Severus entered the throne room with a small amount of trepidation. It was not every day that one was called before the Volturi leaders and for the life of him he could not think of why he might be.
"My lords" he stated with a brief bow of his head, he had always found this addressment eerily similar to the one that the dark lord had demanded of his followers.
"Ahhh…Severus, so glad that you could join us" Aro crooned in his usual high soprano.
"May I enquire to what I owe this pleasure?" Severus asked with guarded curiosity.
"We have heard some troubling rumors from the wizarding world" Caius stated glaring ominously at the wall in front of him.
Severus felt his eyebrow rise in surprise, "about what?" he asked.
"There are rumors that Voldemort has returned" Markus stated in his usual dull, weary voice.
Severus gaped in shock, "but…how? I thought that he was dead?" he asked, he was sure if he were still human his voice would have shook.
"Apparently not as dead as everyone was led to believe….this will mean trouble for our little Hayden as I am sure you are aware" Aro answered the young vampires question, this time his voice had a note of seriousness about it.
"They will come for him" Severus stated it not as a question but a surety.
"Yes, when the rest of the idiotic magic wielders realize that the Dark lord has returned they will try and force us to return their savior to them. I would guess when they find out they might still need him, they will not give him up so easily" Caius snorted derisively.
"But the contract?" Severus asked
"While the contract is still in effect, it has essentially already been fulfilled. They gave you and Hayden to us all those years ago so technically they have been true to their word. Unfortunately, nowhere in the contract did it say that you must both remain with us…you who are now a vampire will hold little interest to them, but Hayden who is still mortal and their savior will no doubt be someone they would be incredibly interested in getting back. I have no doubt that they wish to use him to defeat Voldemort once again and will toss him aside when he has finished" Aro explained.
If Severus could have paled he would have, "We cannot allow that to happen" he stated vehemently momentarily forgetting just who he was speaking too.
The three vampires in front of him chose to ignore his impertinence for the moment.
Caius turned so that he was finally facing Severus, a look of pure hatred on his face,
"If they want him they will have more than one war on their hands".
July 30, 1996
11pm
Volterra, Italy
Harry- age 15 (almost 16)
Hayden forced his face to remain blank, even with his occlumency shields at their highest he could not hide the slight shaking of his hands. The truth of the matter was he was a nervous wreck. He had two hours left…just two hours left of what he could call his mortal existence.
Oh, sure technically he wouldn't be dying per say…well whatever allowed him to think wouldn't be dying even though his body would be. But he wouldn't be the same. He was not stupid, he had been living with the Volturi long enough to have witnessed just what was involved with the 'turning' process.
There would be pain…lots of pain. And while he wasn't exactly looking forward to the pain, it wasn't what truly scared him. What scared him was the thought of losing his mind.
Not literally of course, but he had seen what newborn vampires where like…he had seen their lack of control, the want…no need for blood regardless of the consequences of getting it. The empty black eyes that spoke of a complete void of intelligent thought process.
Severus and the others had reassured him that this blind blood lust would not last for long, it might not even happen. In Severus's case his gift…the promise to care for Hayden no matter what, had taken precedent over the insanity of being a new vampire. Despite their reassurances, Hayden somehow doubted that this would be the case for him.
And as much as the mindless bloodlust terrified the teen, there was something he feared worse. And this fear was what was currently plaguing his thoughts.
What if his magic did not translate when he was turned? What if his gift was no longer present? For as long as he could recall these were the things that made him special in the eyes of the Volturi Kings. These attributes were the reason that he did not end up just another soon-to-be dead mortal….would they still want him if he didn't have these things?
The thought of being tossed aside or abandoned terrified him. Sure, there were times while living in the palace that he was lonely…lonely for another being such as himself, someone his age and maturity. But he was never truly alone.
Jane and Alec where there, Severus, Demetri, Felix….the three kings…what if after he was turned he was just another ungifted vampire. There were no vampires in the Volturi guard who did not possess a talent of some sort…would they send him away?
Losing his magic was a huge possibility…he had never met a wizard turned vampire that had managed to keep it after they turned.
So, yes he was terrified.
He was interrupted from his morose thoughts by a sharp knock on the door; he barely managed to croak out a "come in."
The doors swung open to reveal Severus waiting for him, the young vampire's face was full of despair. Hayden knew how much Severus lamented his own loss of magic. A horrific thought crossed his mind, would Severus hate him if Hayden had no magic? He wanted to belief he wouldn't, but deep within his own insecurities he could not help but fear it.
"It's time" Severus stated his voice flat, devoid of all emotion.
Hayden swallowed dryly and shakily stood up, "W-who?" he croaked out too scared to be embarrassed over his wavering voice.
"Caius…in case you can't control your gift while in the presence of something your subconscious sees as a threat" Severus answered
Hayden nodded his understanding and squared his shoulders despite the nausea that was threatening to take over him.
It was time.
