Title: Immortal Weapon
Author: Azure the Dragonlady
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter or Twilight.
Summary: Harry Potter / Twilight Crossover. AU. Wizards begin to slaughter Vampires for their involvement in the war. The Volturi intervene and retaliate. In order to obtain peace between the two, the Wizards hand over their greatest weapon, Harry Potter.
Alternative Summary: He had hoped for some peace, now that the war was over and Voldemort was gone forever, but Harry now finds himself a pawn once more. His dream of finding a family where he truly belongs is lost to him now; all that is left is an unachievable desire. Will he ever escape, or will he always be used as a weapon for someone else?
Spoilers: All books of both series are fair game.
Author's Notes: This chapter is unbeta'ed. I will repost this chapter once it is.
Chapter Four: The Feeding Room
Since the initial meeting with the Volturi, Harry was left to his own devices inside the room for several days. After all, what were a few days when one lived for eternity?
Vampires didn't need to sleep, so Harry had a lot too think about, especially since he could think faster then he would be capable of if he were still human. This allowed him to think through several different scenarios, constantly forming escape plans. He mentally calculated the likelihood of these scenarios succeeding; however, it didn't seem very likely. He was well acquainted with against the odds situations, though.
He only knew that he was at one of the rooms at the end of a long hallway, judging by the sounds of the vampires walking up and down the place. He could hear the guards positioned at the end of this hallway and assumed this to be the only exit. When he finally made his escape, he would have to judge his timing well. One mistake could ruin everything and he'd be back to square one. Not only that, but he would have to take the chance to navigate blindly in an area he knew nothing about. He'd been confined to this room and could only judge by the sounds of the Guards and of course their footsteps in the hallway outside, but, apart from that, he would be going in blind. If he did this, it would have to be a risk he'd have to take.
If he was in a building that was anything like Hogwarts, which he seemed to be in, he knew that there would be multiple paths he could take. Each one could lead deeper into the place or it could equally lead out of the place. Meanwhile, he had all the vampires in this place to contend with. Every step out could be a step closer to being free, but it also could just as likely be a step closer to getting caught, should he run into anyone.
He felt like he was confined, which was something he did not appreciate feeling at all. It reminded him of the shackles the Ministry and the prophecy placed him in. He had to do something about it. The urge for freedom was almost as overwhelming and consuming as his thirst for blood.
He had not been free in his life, not for as long as he could remember. Not with the Dursley's treating him like a slave. Not with the numerous adventures he went on with Ron and Hermione in order to prevent Voldemort from regaining his former power and thus saving lives. Not with the burden of the prophecy that had weighed heavily upon his mind - neither can live while the other survives. And especially not with the Ministry, or more specifically, Minister Fudge, treating him like a weapon. Now, once again he was being used, only this time was going to be different from all the others. This time, he would be escaping this situation to finally be free to do what he wanted to do. No one else would tell him what to do.
He didn't know what his life would be like being free, he'd only dreamed of it - of being somewhere where be belonged, he longed for it, only to have to push it back into the deeper corridors of his mind, where it had trouble getting back to the forefront again because that kind of thinking and anything along those lines was distraction in the bigger picture of things, that being the war.
The only thing standing in his way now was the unknown number of vampires, all with enhanced senses and strength and possibly with extremely powerful abilities at their disposal.
Harry paced up and down the room, debating to himself whether to take this opportunity – it could be the only one he may have in awhile – to escape, or at least attempt to, anyway. He wasn't getting his hopes up, not yet.
He swallowed some of his venom, trying to alleviate the burning pain that had been increasing in the back of his throat these past few days. It didn't work, not that he'd thought it would in the first place. He sighed, frustrated.
The sound of crunching reached his ears as he treaded through the remains of the demolished mirror. He had destroyed the mirror just hours after the Volturi left, in a bout of extreme rage at the whole situation. He had heard sniggering in the hallway outside and realised that the guards heard his lapse in control, which had caused him to growl in anger. It had only heightened his rage. Luckily, though, he had managed to calm himself down to avoid the confrontation that would have been soon to come.
He paused from his pacing, and crouched down, observing himself in the shards of the mirror. Vivid bright red eyes stare back at him from the mirror. He closed his eyes and stood up, turning away from the shards.
He refused to be locked up in this cell any longer, and so decided he would take advantage of this opportunity – perhaps the only one he will have – and leave the room. He stood at the closed door, looking intensely at the knob, like it could unlock the secrets and tell him whether to do this.
He took a deep and unnecessary breath, before turning the knob on the door. It wasn't locked – they all knew it wouldn't keep Harry in the room – only the guards did keep him imprisoned.
He didn't quite know his on strength yet, it seemed, as he was now looking at the remnants of the door knob in his hand.
Oops.
Harry stared at it for a moment, before looking back at the door. The only good news was that it happened after the door had been opened a little, so he didn't have to break the door down. He opened it a slight fraction more, just enough to peak out and see the deserted hallway, just like his ears had assured him. But, one can never be too careful, especially with vampires who seemed to have mastered silent approaches like an art form most of the time.
Harry opened the door just wide enough to slip out and carefully closed it, just as quietly. If anyone came looking it wouldn't do to have an open door, which would have alerted them immediately to his escape.
The hallway was about twice the length of the Great Hall at Hogwarts and could fit about three maybe four people shoulder to shoulder, although Harry cleared the length of it within seconds.
The door at the end of the hallway was fully opened, like someone was in too much of a hurry to properly close it and Harry soon found himself at the doorway, looking up at the rising staircase. It was made of the same sort of stone that the walls were made of and spiralled upwards. He immediately climbed up as fast as he could, making as little noise as possible. They must have placed him in the basement or maybe even the dungeons. This part of the building looked to be built ages ago.
Harry went through yet another doorway, which opened up to quite a large hall. It didn't look to be one of the main ones – rather, a hall that looks to be off to the side. There were two doors on either side and one on the opposite end to him.
On a whim decision, Harry took the door opposite the top of the staircase, where he was.
That choice turned out to be a massive mistake.
As soon as he opened the door, he was overwhelmed by the mouth watering scent of fresh blood. Instantly, venom pooled into his mouth and he was intensely aware of the pain in his throat. Once again, Harry felt himself losing to the blood thirsty primal desire for the blood.
He did what his instincts urged him to do and rushed forwards to bite one of the remaining prey.
Just like his first victim, several days ago, the blood quenched the burn in the back of his throat. This caused him to bite harder, in order to drain the blood faster. The blood was as tantalising as ever. In that instant, he didn't know why he ever thought he should be guilty. The blood was brilliant – all he could ever want.
Once all the blood was drained, Harry tossed his prey to the side. He took the opportunity to survey the scene around him. He couldn't let the guilt at taking another life, yet again overpower him at the moment, not when he was in unknown territory and in danger – his attempt to flee had failed horribly.
The large room he was in was quite obviously the one the Volturi fed in. The scent of old blood was prominent. There were very little stains of blood – the vampires clearly spilled and wasted very small amount of it.
Well, Harry mused, they would've had centuries of experience of it.
Harry examined the spot where he had fed. It was messy. All he'd cared about was getting the blood in his mouth in as little time as possible, not caring if some spilled, only that at least some ended up in his mouth.
The sound of a chuckle came from behind, causing Harry to turn around.
He came face to face with Aro, Marcus and Caius, as well as what seemed to be most of the Volturi Guard.
Sweet Merlin!
What a disaster his escape was turning out to be! Harry inwardly cursed. It was just his sort of luck. That just proved that he should act on impulse, rather then think things through – things seem to work out better when it is done that way.
He swallowed reflexively and with a hint of nervousness. He was in a situation that was entirely new to him. With Voldemort, he knew how the Dark Lord worked and knew his strengths and his weakness; as such he knew how to respond to a given situation. This, however, was something completely different.
"What the hell are you doing out?" Jane demanded with a malicious look on her face. The male twin walked up next to her, as if to calm her down.
Harry ignored her and looked directly at Aro, in order to gauge his reaction. Much to his surprise, the leader looked amused, as if this was all very entertaining.
"Jane," Aro reprimanded, although Harry could tell it was only for show. He suspected that Jane's snide comments happened quite often.
"Yes Master," Jane responded dutifully.
Aro turned back to Harry. "Although, I am rather curious as to what you were doing wondering around." His eyebrows were raised questioningly. "Now, it would be rather foolish, don't you think - to leave, quite foolish indeed. You are a newborn, unable to control your thirst or your emotions," he continued, without letting Harry answer. Not that he had anything to say.
Harry realised that he could not escape the confines of this building, especially without at least one of the Guard noticing. It seemed he had, once again, failed to think things through.
Harry had noticed, from what Aro had said, that the Volturi leader seemed to think very light of things, as if they were all entertaining and humorous, like one of the television shows his cousin had been glued to.
"I think young Harry here has learned his lesson," Aro said, holding out his hand for Harry to shake. "Haven't you?"
Harry paused.
"Yes," he answered reluctantly as he extended his own hand.
As soon as they shook hands, Harry knew that something was dreadfully wrong.
Something – Someone – was inside his head, viewing his memories – his life. Harry knew that he didn't want to his memories to be invaded like that. He tried to push whoever it was out. Only, just like the occulmency lesson with Snape, he pushed too far and he become immersed in the others mind, deep within a memory.
Aro, Marcus and a few members of the Guard stood in what Harry recognised as the Minister's Office. Fudge was cowering behind his desk, a far cry from when Harry had stood where Aro was during the long months when Voldemort and his Death Eaters were still at large. Harry snickered to himself. Fudge was practically scared shitless! What a laugh!
"How about I give our best fighter over to you?" Fudge put forth, his confident demeanour clearly amusing Aro. "He is currently in the hospital, but he may just be of some use to you. For food or something."
Aro was intriguied. Just what could be so special about this warrior? What has made him so great and yet so expendable? He had to see into the Minister's mind.
Aro shook Fudge's hand and instantly flashes of Fudge's life came into his mind, like a television program. Harry was able to see exactly what Aro saw. However, it took great skill to discern exactly what the person had done in their life from just seconds, or minutes of contact. It was dizzying, to say the least. It took some getting used to. From what Harry could gather, Fudge managed to get away with a lot in his life, especially when he was in power. What interested Harry the most was when Fudge's thoughts flittered through both Aro's – and his, by extension – mind.
Fudge thought that the vampires presented an excellent opportunity to get rid of him. Now that the war was over, they had no use for the weapon that they had created. Now they could get rid of both him and the vampires from their land. Fudge had thought that they would use him as food. Harry couldn't help but inwardly snort at that. That was as far from it as it could possibly be! Look at where he was now!
Harry glanced up at Aro as he pulled himself out of the memory, his face twisted in confusion as he let go of Aro's hand, effectively ending the handshake.
"That was interesting… and you could do that when you were a wizard? How delightful!" Aro exclaimed. "You must tell me if anything unexpected develops! It would prove to be very intriguing thing, I must admit."
Harry frowned. Aro must have the ability to read minds. It wasn't like the regular legimency that wizards often used. It only happened when they were shaking hands. His instincts were telling him that Aro would need physical contact in order to do so again. He made a mental note to avoid making any sort of physical contact with him – he didn't want to his thoughts invaded like that.
Harry put two and two together and figured that Aro must want to see if he had developed any abilities and that was the sole reason why he turned Harry.
Well, so sorry to disappoint, Harry thought sarcastically. Though, he had to admit that he was curious if any abilities would develop. What had happened to his magic? He had been overwhelmed at his sudden transformation, but he had been foolish not to think about his magic.
"Now, Demetri here will escort you back to your quarters," Aro said in dismissal.
Harry looked over at the vampire that was to take him back to his cell. Demetri was tall and lean and had black wavy hair that reached his shoulders and an olive complexion with chalky pallor.
Harry could hear a few vampires snickering as the door closed behind them. He walked about half a pace behind Demetri in silence. It was only when they were descending the stairs that the vampire turned to look at him and started speaking.
"It takes some getting used to, but you will eventually find your place here," he said.
"Sure," Harry muttered.
"You'll find it's not as bad as you think," Demetri went on. "The Guard takes down the unruly vampires. You will eventually be able to help, once you're older. From what has been said about you, it is a fairly similar task as to what you were doing when you were a wizard, yes?"
"Yeah, well, I didn't ask for this," Harry said, gesturing around him.
"And you think most of us did?" Demetri countered. Harry had to admit to himself that he didn't think about that side of things – that other people were also made unwillingly or unknowingly into vampires. It seemed the thought had escaped him.
"Yet, we make the most of it. You will learnt he same. Give it time, you do have plenty of it now," he continued. "You must remember as well, any human memories you have, will fade in time."
Memories fade? Harry thought incredulously. It only goes to show that he had a lot to learn about vampires.
"You best stay here and when it is the next time to feed, one of the Guard will come to escort you," Demetri concluded as they came to a halt outside Harry's room.
"I don't like it." He found that he at least had to get that thought out there.
"I'm afraid you have little choice. You will eventually come to like it, I'd gather, in time. All it takes is time," Demetri said before leaving back the way they came. He seemed like a tolerable person. Perhaps even the only one Harry could willingly talk to.
Harry opened his door and sat on his bed, deep in thought.
He had once again slaughtered someone only to satisfy the all-consuming thirst. He hated that – hated how he had become. He needed an out.
He frowned. Aro brought him here to see if he had powers. While that thought was unsavoury, it did give him a great idea. He needed to try to see if he could access and then use his magic. He knew it was there, he felt it during the final moments of his transformations. It would certainly help.
Okay, I can do this, he coached himself.
He got up off his bed and situated himself cross-legged on the rug at the foot of his bed. Once he was settled, he got into a comfortable position and completely froze. It was like he was a statue. He hadn't realised how easy it was to be still and to not move at all if you were a vampire.
He took a big, exaggerated and unnecessary breath in and exhaled slowly out. He repeated this, while he began looking deep within himself.
He searched for his magical essence and soon found it. His magic had manifested itself like a big ball of energy with bright rainbow of colours. It was constantly moving and gave him a pleasant feeling of the upmost warmth and comfort. Harry loved the feeling. He didn't realise how much he'd missed his magic. He found himself memorised by it and the feelings it generated for him.
A knock came outside the door. It startled him out of his mediation.
"Come in!" Harry called, although he couldn't quite keep the frustration out of his voice. He quickly stood as the door swung wide open and Demetri strolled in.
"Already for your next feeding then," he said. "Good, you must be starving. It has been a few days since your last feeding. Come," he ordered.
Harry followed reluctantly, frowning. He hadn't realised how much time had passed when he had been intently focused on his magical essence.
His magic had felt stronger than ever. It seemed the intense transformation into a vampire strengthen it beyond what he considered possible.
Suddenly, Harry's vivid memory of his turning came flooding back to him, not that he'd forgotten it in the first place. He remembered the final stages of the change. His magic had helped him out a little. He must still be able to use it, but would there be any repercussions from it? Not a lot was known about wizards who turned into vampires and what then happened to their magic afterward, so it wasn't like he had anything to refer to in this type of situation. Would his spells still work properly and how he was used to? Or would a simple spell go haywire?
He frowned. He would have to do some experimenting. Simple spells first before moving on to the more advanced ones, he decided.
Demetri looked at him curiously. Harry shrugged, hopefully playing it off as impatience to feed.
"Newborns," Demetri muttered to himself. Harry gave him a hesitant smile.
When they reached the feeding room, Harry felt the tension building up inside of him as well as the guilt. Before, he didn't know when the feeding were going to be, it was all done suddenly but he could not deny the thirst, not when the pain was growing in his throat.
The guilt was tearing him up inside. It was like a deep, dark pit gnawing at his stomach, haunting him constantly. The pit grew deeper and deeper (perhaps even on the verge of being quite painful) before and after every meal, but never during and that made him even more disgusted with both himself and his actions.
Harry took a good look around the room. It seemed that all the Volturi vampires were gathered here. They were all different ages physically and there was fairly even number of males and females. He knew most of them would have devastating abilities, if anything like Aro's and Jane's were to go by.
Demetri stood next to him.
"Heidi always brings in the best prey. You're in for a treat," Demetri stated merrily.
He blanched at the statement. "Heidi?"
"Yes, she has the best power to… lure in the prey," Demetri smirked, flashing his teeth. "Tourists, mainly."
Harry only had the briefest moment to be horrified at the thought as he smelt the delicious blood before he saw it. Venom poured in his mouth and he only had a brief look at the selection of human tourists, before he sunk his teeth into the nearest one.
Afterwards, as he sat on his bed, leaning against the headboard, he put his full efforts into revising his plans to escape. He was a newborn vampire, ruled over by his thirst. He would have to wait until the thirst was manageable, otherwise he would get nowhere. They were watching him so closely now that it almost made him think it wasn't possible to flee. The botched escape was proof of that.
Almost being the keyword here, though. Harry had been in situations where the odds were stacked up against him – plenty of situations, actually. He wasn't about to let this one keep him obedient. He would just have to wait – bide his time in order to properly utilise his magic and enhanced senses and strength to his advantage.
His magic would take awhile to get used to as a vampire, but like Demetri said, Harry had plenty of time. For now though, the thirst comes before anything and so he knew he would have to satisfy it before anything. It rules everything.
Revised: 07/07/09
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-Azure the Dragonlady-