AN: I know, I know, it's been nearly a moth since I updated. I'm very sorry, but if you knew what happened to me, you would be sympathetic. But its my birthday so I figured that I'd finish this chapter and update it for you guys. Anyway, this chapter introduces one new character, and you don't have to worry, she's not a Sue, she's a supporting character to help me explain vampires… so no flames please. And Ron, Hermione, and Ginny make their appearance. They're quite important in this story so if you don't like them, sorry. Anyway, Disclaimer: not mine… etc etc.

Onwards!


Destroy Me

Chapter 4 Sterling Slytherin

Harry stood in front of the mirror and smiled at his reflection. Black pvc pants, a forest green wifebeater and black pumas. Yes, he'd be cold while he walked through the June night air, but once he got into the club, it would be raging hot. He took off his glasses and placed them on the night side table. He hardly ever wore them anymore - vampirism improved his vision - but he liked them and wore them out of habit.

He was going to Sterling, the hot new vampire nightclub. It was all hush-hush from the Wizards, so getting in was a real pain, but it was the place that Harry was most certain to find the Lady. And maybe a tasty snack too.

Sterling was a notch in the belt of the new craze. It started in France, where the Vampire Council convened, so vampire activity there was higher than any other country. A vampire by the name of Frost opened a nightclub where humans could come to get bitten. It was their new fascination, cavorting with vampires, and most vampires tried to only feed on those that were willing, and this was a good option for both parties.

A few times there were 'accidents', but this is bound to happen when blood is being willingly splashed around. The vampires try to keep a good business, after all, without humans, they have nothing to munch on.

Harry got out of the Coop and stepped out into the cold night. It was summer in London, but it was still chilly at night. Harry could instantly feel goose bumps rising on his arms, so he briskly walked the six blocks to the warehouse district. This area was filled with old houses that were used mainly for surplus storage of big factories. There were a few stores and hotels crammed in, but it was a quiet area. Except for the parties.

Harry recognized a few of the vampires walking down the street and waved. They were laughing and talking animatedly with a few humans, their arms around the humans' waists and with drinks in hand. The light from the streetlights made silhouettes of the figures but Harry could see how the humans were falling over their own feet, obviously drunk. The Vampires waved back and pointed Harry towards the left alley.

On the outside it looked like a warehouse. It was about the size of a large supermarket, except that the linoleum that was covering the walls was peeling away to show the rotten walls underneath like some cheap hooker. Rusty rivers were pouring down the metal frames from the leaky pipes, making it seem like the whole building was a crying old woman. There were holes in the walls and the light coming from inside was flashing out into the night like some sort of sick SOS light. The beams that supported the drooping ceiling were graffitied with tags of the local gangs and Vampire symbols. Only someone who knew the Vampires knew what those signs really did. There was a set of doors propped open, something that a random passerby wouldn't notice unless he was looking for it. The air around the warehouse was suppressed like a hand squeezing the atmosphere; there was less noise than usual here.

Harry walked through the doors and saw the bouncer. A stereotypical bald man with ham-like arms crossed over his chest, or as far as he could cross his arms. Harry smiled, showing pointed teeth and the man waved him through.

Once he stepped over the threshold, the music hit him like a physical force. It was pumping, driving, moving him like he was a puppet on strings. There were bodies everywhere, swaying and grinding to the music. The place was covered in a thick cotton-candy-like fog, but the techno lights still managed to slice through, casting a green glow on the skin of the people dancing. It was fast, furious, but at the same time, slow-motion, as if the strobe-lights only caught flashes of moments in time. The mass was moving together, but made up of hundreds of individuals. No one stood out here, no matter how crazy they looked.

Above, through the smoky fog, Harry could see the railing that wound around the top level. This was the VIP lounge. That would be where the Lady was. Where all the vampires were, watching over the humans and picking the ones they want, like some sort of sick buffet.

Harry wound through the bodies, dancing and gyrating along with them so that he could move, and made it to the other side, where the staircase wound up to the second level. A boy with bright pink hair sticking up in every direction bumped into him and laughed. He danced on as if nothing had happened, his laughter disintegrating into the sound of the music and people.

Harry walked up the staircase, and nobody noticed. It was invisible to the humans, they just saw a wall. As Harry rose higher, the music became quieter and quieter, finally just staying at a low murmur in the background.

Here, it was darker, the strobe lights not reaching this high, the only sound was the low hum of the music, the murmur of ancient voices and the clinking of glass as the Vampires drank. There was a scattering of vampires leaning over the railing and talking amongst themselves. Some were sitting on the plush couches that were up against the wall, wine glasses of red liquid in their delicate, pale hands.

Harry walked along the side, checking for any sign of his mentor. Finally he saw the trademark dress that made her instantly recognizable.

It was a nineteenth century plum purple ball gown that looked like someone had cut off most of the skirt. The corset and some of the petticoat was still there, but it was cut so short that it was barely appropriate. Coupled with purple stockings and high heeled boots, she looked like something that had stepped out of the past and got cut up by beasts with a fashion sense.

"Lady Charlotte." Harry said.

She looked up from the conversation she was having with the vampire boy sitting next to her and smiled. It was a brilliant smile, a child's smile. There was something perpetually childlike about the Lady.

"Harry." She gasped. "I didn't know you were in town."

"I came to settle a grudge." Harry replied. "I knew you were in town so I thought I'd find you."

"Oh, thank you Harry. You have no idea how boring it's been here." She relied in a breathy tone. "London just isn't as interesting as it was a century ago."

"Thank God for the clubs, right?"

"Hmm… yes." She said thoughtfully.

She looked Harry up and down, her eyes worried.

"You look different. Your aura is terrible." She finally said, her usual child's voice a low whisper.

"I'm mad." Harry replied truthfully. There was no point in hiding anything from Charlotte. She was an old vampire. One of the Originals. And with age comes power. She knew everything. Especially about him.

"Ah, the grudge." She said knowingly.

"Yeah." Harry relied.

"Well, lets go for a walk then, I find it helps me figure things out."

Harry knew perfectly well that this was a ploy to find out more about him. Charlotte was very curious about him. For someone so old and powerful she wasn't someone that dealt with the young vampires. But there was something about Harry that drew him to her. She was always curious for more information about him. Harry found this to be a blessing because Charlotte knew the right people, people who usually don't associate themselves with such young vampires. But getting into these elder circles was very advantageous, so Harry felt extremely lucky.

So they walked through the night streets of London, Harry telling her all about Draco and their past. Somehow the night air was even colder than it was before…

OoO

Ron, Hermione and Ginny have been stuck in the Burrow for what seemed like an eternity.

They left only to go to work or to see relatives. Live had become monotonous. They all wanted to do something, but what was there to do. They had played Quiddich with the twins so many times that it had actually bored Ron, something Hermione thought could never happen.

They all knew why it was this way. They were all waiting.

Waiting for some news about Harry.

Two years ago he was living on his own at Grimmauld Place, and one day, when they went to go visit, he was gone. The house was coated in a layer of dust and there was nothing there. Kreacher just said that Master Harry left one day on an errand and never returned.

Since then, they hadn't heard a single word from anyone. There were a few people who 'claimed' to have seen him, but these were unreliable at best. There wasn't news of his death so the trio still held out hope that Harry was alive somewhere, with a bad case of amnesia.

They stayed at the Burrow and repeated the same things they do everyday for the past two years.

"Ron, we need to do something." Hermione said. This had become like a saying that she kept repeating over and over, hoping that the more she said it, the more ideas would come.

"Like what?" came the standard reply.

"I think we should move into Grimmauld Place." She said after a pause.

This was unexpected. Hermione never came up with an idea before, she just asked the question.

Ron looked up from the sports section of his evening prophet and crinkled his eyebrows.

"Ginny, what do you think?" Hermione asked the little redhead sitting at the table next to her brother.

"I think that's an excellent idea." She said.

Ginny didn't seem surprised at Hermione's suggestion, a fact that didn't pass over Ron.

"You two planned this?" he said.

"Well," Hermione stalled, "we considered it a while ago, but we didn't think you were ready."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron said, injured.

"You talk in your sleep, Ron." Hermione answered innocently.

"Oh."

Ginny laughed at the look on her brother's face.

"I think we should do it as soon as possible. I need something to break this rut we've managed to work ourselves into." Ginny said.

Ron looked from one girl to the other. For the first time in a long while, they looked genuinely pleased. Maybe this was the answer. Maybe they could figure out what happened to Harry if they lived in his house. Maybe he's been locked in a closet somewhere this whole time…

"OK." Ron said, "but we have to tell Mom – "

"Already have. She was very happy to hear it." Ginny interrupted.

"Oh, OK, then we have to start packing, I guess – "

Again, he was interrupted, "Done that too. I called it spring cleaning." Hermione said with a smile.

"You know, now that you mention it, I was wondering why you put everything in boxes." Ron said, cocking an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Yes, well…" Hermione muttered, blushing.

"Anything else I should know about?" Ron said with a sigh.

"I called your work to tell them of the address change, and Hermione called the movers. We'll need to clean up the house before we shove our stuff inside, but that should be pretty easy since Kreacher has been cleaning a bit." Ginny said, listing things off her fingers.

Hermione nodded along with the younger girl. Ron just shook his head; this was the first time the girls have been this excited about anything, and if it made them this animated, he was willing to go along with all their usual crazy girl antics.

Hermione and Ginny were chatting on and on about the move, planning the layout of the house and what to put where.

"…and we have to have a moving party, of course."

"Definitely. We'll have maybe three days to clean and put everything in place, and we can have the party the next week… probably the Saturday."

The chitchat continued and both girls didn't notice the small smile that played on Ron's face. Maybe things would finally get back on track.

Ron picked up his abandoned Prophet and buried himself in the latest Quiddich stats.

oOo

Draco smiled at the letter he got from Blaise. He could always count on his friend to send quick replies and to be up for any kind of new adventure.

Draco told him that he was in London and had nothing to do. Blaise relied with:

No worries D,

I'll be down in London in three days time. Find something to do in the meantime, I'll find you and we'll party.

BLZ

Quick, short and informative. Just how Draco liked his letters. No emotional crap to get in the way of the point.

Now the blonde had something to look forward to. He just had to fill the void of three days time.

It was dark outside. The view outside Draco's window was of the Ministry of Education's secret entrance. It was closer to the Leaky Cauldron than Draco would have liked, but this Hotel was one of the few that let him pay with Galleons. He wanted to stay away from the Wizarding World. They didn't look too kindly upon the Malfoy's anymore.

Draco got up from the desk and walked to stare out the window. It was open, and the chill was getting into the room. It was an unusually cold time for England. It was summer after all. But instead of the usual unbearable heat, it was wet and cold. It even rained that night, leaving wet puddles on the cracked cement and prompting the citizens of the city to stay indoors.

Draco sighed and closed the window. It was too cold.

There was nothing for him to do. He had gotten everything he wanted from London, his research and his revenge. Now he was left with the silence and the creeping thoughts that kept running through his mind.

Coming of age… maybe… no it couldn't be, Draco thought. He couldn't have become a mature Veela; it required some sort of ritual magical awakening. But why was his magic so much stronger than usual? He wasn't supposed to be this strong. He could feel the energy coursing through his veins like something foreign. It was snaking through him like poison… but the good kind of poison. The kind of poison that you would gladly give in to.

And Harry. Why did Harry have this strange effect of him? Why did last night, when he held the dark-haired boy in his arms, feel like the most peaceful time in his life? The feeling of being totally alone finally surrounded him and Draco slid down to the floor, wrapped his arms around his knees and rocked back and forth. He was hyperventilating, not letting the tears out, because he had too much pride to cry about a boy.

The darkness that pressed against the window surrounded him like a cold wet blanket. Unwanted and depressing, it wrapped itself around Draco and transported him into a night of restless dreams that all involved a boy with the greenest eyes.


AN: I have no actual knowledge of the London city so forgive my bad directions… Other than that, thank you for the 12 reviews and 21 alerts and 8 favs. You guys rock, and you kept me motivated during the stagnant days of non-writing. :) PS: this is not betaed. Sorry.