I've been on hiatus and trying to find my creative flow again, but here we go. Back now.
-YDHP-
"Are you sure this will work?"
"Sure? Not at all. But it's our best shot."
Studying the Latin books cover to cover and delving into magic that was more theory than any solid fact, Vlad had come up with something that should be able to separate Nagini from the horcrux attached to her soul. Of course, there was absolutely zero proof it would work, they had no idea what would happen before, during or after. They still had to separate Nagini from her master.
And it all had to be done in one fell swoop. The minute they moved, it would be clear they never truly turned at all. That they'd tricked him. Not to mention losing his magically enhanced reptile and baby son, and down his Harry Potter-shaped trophy piece.
Riddle would be beyond pissed. Apoplectic would be a gentle word. He might even give Vlad's dad a run for his money in the temper department.
"I need to do an ingredients run. I'll pick up some baby supplies while I'm out... that sounds ridiculous. Fighting evil between changing a nappy and making up a bottle."
"What can I do?"
Harry was fretting, anxious about the sudden shift to their lives; it was almost Christmas, and they had been living amongst evil for near six months. They had spilled blood, both innocent and not. The wizarding world at large thought them traitors. They were forcibly separated from their friends and family, their education. They were irrevocably changed.
And it wasn't over yet. There were only days left to protect Amara.
"Check what's in your potions kit on this list. And how much."
Vlad said, trying to stay calm in the hopes Harry wouldn't pick up ambient anxiety in the room. Harry did the potions work - despite both having powerful senses, Harry seemed immune to being pelted by overpowering scents when mixing magic up in a cauldron. How Ingrid managed, Vlad would never know.
Rooting around in his case, Harry counted and checked with a quiet running commentary, Vlad running a hand through his hair, ignoring the scratching sounds inside his head. Now was not the time to argue with his reflections. They'd done enough damage already.
"Here. Anything else?"
Scanning the list, Vlad nodded at seeing Harry had the necessary things for step one.
"Make the base. It's very specific, so warn Narcissa not to disturb you and if the door knocks, ignore it. It's safe."
"How did you come up with this?"
Harry had watched - and even helped by telling Vlad that this ingredient and that wouldn't mix when they were soundboarding at three am while Harry lazed in his basilisk form. Parseltongue was pretty handy there. If repeating what Harry already knew helped his mate stay calm, Vlad would tell him a hundred times.
"Gut instinct. Hope. A bit of that weird future tingling sense I get. And ancient Latin translating. Mostly hope."
"Hey, if you're going to a Muggle neighbourhood for baby stuff, can you bring me back cheeseburgers? I have a craving."
Bemused, Vlad nodded in agreement. He needed to buy more fresh raw meat anyway. And tea leaves. Narcissa was complaining about poor quality teabags (they suited the boys fine), and Vlad felt like tea leaves were a small concession for months of imprisonment where she gave them little hassle.
"Sure. How many? A couple or a dozen?"
Harry snorted, knowing it was a perfectly sensible question when applied to him but no other solitary person. Vlad was relieved to see a brief smile at last. Making a mental to-do list, Vlad shouldered his backpack and kissed his mate. Then he was cloaked in glamour charms, loaded down with sun protection in case any 24-hour store he happened upon used a UV light. It happened, and it hurt.
"I'll be as quick as I can."
"I know. Be safe. Bring burgers."
Still smiling, Vlad popped away. Knockturn Alley was becoming all too familiar, and there were more Aurors out - hence Vlad cycling his disguising features, not wanting to be too recognisable. Even if he lacked faith in the Auror department, they had things like eyes and notebooks and pensieves.
"Hawthorn? Unicorn blood? Fillet of a Fenny Snake? What the devil are you making boy?"
"Do you have everything on the list?"
There was no self-service in this part of the apothecary. A customer had to pay ten galleons just to open the door, but almost every thing Vlad needed was either controlled or flat out illegal to sell. Hawthorn was innocuous enough, but Narcissa used it for making tea and bath infusions and they were out. He could source some from other countries, but if he could avoid popping around the planet, it would be good.
"Yes. A costly list, you know."
"I'll add ten percent if you shut up and get on with it."
Knowing they probably wouldn't be strolling in to Gringotts for a withdrawal any time soon, Vlad had emptied large amounts of galleons out back when preparing. This trip would put quite the dent in but hey, he was gonna be dropping back by the bank soon right?
Hoping not to be incinerated by a dragon might distract Vlad from picking up some cash though.
Eager for the extra profit on such an order, the criminal began scuttling back and forth between charmed cupboards, opening jars disguised as other jars and hidden under innocuous things like lamps and crates. Vlad insisted on checking each ingredient and watching it be weighed - he didn't want to have to come back.
"That better be eclipse-picked."
Halting in scooping powdered Blood Lily petals, Vlad saw 'scandalised' clear as night in the man's face.
"I carry no other strain. Why would I?"
Well, fair point he supposed. Stacked up to check the order was complete, then placed into a specially charmed potion kit case, Vlad handed over the promised bonus on top of the hefty price.
"Pleasure doing business."
Vlad disagreed, but then he hadn't made a sizeable profit. He did have everything he needed though, so he left, meandering along until he could safely disappear. Reappearing near the late supermarket, Vlad must have looked strange collecting a stack of baby items, scanning them for information and trying to work out why some things were '0-6' and others were '3-6'. So baffled by nappies, Vlad almost forgot the tea leaves and meat. Luckily, 24-hour fast food joints were commonplace, so Harry's craving would be sated.
Back within the safety of their room, Vlad could smell cinnamon and phoenix ash providing the base - both used in potions for purifying. If he tried to pick out the others, Vlad would make himself dizzy. Harry tool the bag of cheeseburgers happily, and he expected the tins of tea leaves would be well received by Narcissa. Dumping the baby gear in a pile in the corner, Vlad returned to find Harry demolishing his junk food a safe distance from the cauldron.
"Better?"
"Mhmm."
Harry answered with a hum muffled by his mouthful of cheesy meaty monstrosities. Vlad would have given anything to have that instead of his dad trying to give him blood as a child, but now they smelled horrific. Vlad supposed he should be thankful he didn't also hate pizza.
"I'm gonna go clean up, then on with the brewing?"
Done destroying the mound of burgers, Harry stood up, burping into the back of his hand and groaning as he patted his stomach.
"Bruah your teeth? Please?"
Chuckling, his mate nodded while Vlad began organising the ingredients. His instincts wanted to hurl away the unicorn blood before it burned holes in his skin. It was only a few drops, a potent curse to counter the curse of the horcrux. The working theory from the books and their knowledge of horcruxes was that he had to make Nagini inhospitable to the horcrux, so inhospitable it was the equivalent of putting an inanimate capsule beyond magical repair.
Vlad wondered if it was ironic that it was based on Muggle chelation therapy in a way. Using poison to draw out poison. Not that a horcrux was the same as heavy metal poisoning.
"Ok. Here's the recipe. I need to not be in here when you add unicorn blood or I might throw up."
Knowing the vampires issues, Harry didn't even blink.
"Fair enough. Go ahead, I got this."
Vlad entered the tent reluctantly; he trusted Harry to get it right and couldn't be around the blood, but he was always at least a little reticent to stop looking at Harry. Despite the late hour, Narcissa was up, gleefully brewing tea and glaring over her mug at him when Vlad sat chewing on a steak so rare he had barely let it touch the heat of the fire. A second one waited for when Harry was done. Harry was never truly full anymore, merely sated for a few hours
Samael had no idea why it was changing, but Vlad mused it was at least partly psychological - his constant eating had made Harry strong, powerfully built and able to go almost toe to toe with the supernatural strength of his vampire boyfriend. They were teetering on the edge of all out war, and he would obviously want to keep that up.
"It's almost time."
Narcissa spoke softly. It wasn't a question.
Harry sometimes considered how much higher the bar was for he and Vlad on 'crazy ideas' compared to, well, everyone else. But this had to be the weirdest, biggest, maddest thing they had done so far.
Despite the variety and amount of ingredients added, the potion reduced massively until there was only two vials. Two chances. Nagini had to drink it. They had to get a small vial of liquid into a hefty, very venomous and very hostile reptile without getting poisoned or caught. Neither would die from the venom, but it wouldn't be pleasant.
And they had to kidnap Amara. Or rescue. The jury would sway depending on their side of the war he supposed.
Plus breaking into Gringotts... Harry felt a bit dizzy when they thought of that. One of the very, crrg first things he had learned in the magical world was that nobody ever broke into Gringotts. Of course, Quirrel had then done it later that day, but the vault in question was empty and far, far less secure than the Lestrange vault would be.
Hopefully he could still befriend dragons. Because there would definitely be those.
"Amara is down for his nap."
Vlad returned from a 'friendly chat' with Riddle, which was mostly about how to ruin Christmas apparently.
"So... now?"
"Five minutes. Riddle has business to attend to and I don't think he's planning on taking Nagini."
Harry raised an eyebrow, curious.
"What kind of business could he possibly have? Shares in hair growth potions?"
Vlad snorted, shaking his head.
"Meeting the corrupt Ministry workers mostly. I think he intends to see in the New Year with at least one place totally taken. It's possible he's intending to acquire some potions for Amara too."
Narcissa was going to get Amara, and Vlad had gotten around the portkey wards by giving her an internal one - it would bring her only back to their room, where she could easily be safe. Harry had trusted her with his Invisibility Cloak, which was a big deal in itself.
Meanwhile, Harry and Vlad had to force horcrux-removal down Nagini's throat and hope for it to work. Without getting noticed. Bag packed up - including the tent at last - Vlad pocketed his backpack, checked they were all ready, and they closed the door behind them, sliding along the halls silently and swiftly.
Harry could hear Nagini before he saw her, thrumming dark beat inside her that they intended to remove. She was sleeping, but stirred when they entered.
"Do not trust..."
She hissed, and Harry wasn't surprised. They weren't exactly friends with her. She uncoiled, beginning to stretch out and they knew it needed to be a quick motion. Vlad nodded at him, so Harry went for it and leapt on her. Nagini was torn between eyeing Vlad and throwing Harry off, only brute strength helping Harry hold on and hold her down as Vlad uncorked the vial.
Nagini bucked wildly, and the vial soared, smashed against the wall with a violent hiss and a billow of silvery smoke. Luckily, they had two.
"It's for your own good!"
The surprise of Vlad hissing made Nagini freeze for just a heartbeat, but that was all the vampire needed. Second vial poured down her throat, Harry backed up immediately, Vlad following suit as Nagini began shaking, hissing and writhing violently. There was no smoke from her mouth as he'd expected, but Harry could hear the beat of a horcrux ticking faster and faster. He began to fear that they'd miscalculated, and that Nagini wouldn't even survive the extraction.
Nagini reared up, thick black muck pouring from her mouth and filling the room with a foul stench. Fighting not to gag, Harry watched her fall flat on her side. Clearly holding his breath, Vlad circled the reptile, cocking his head
"She's alive."
Harry strained his ears, finding he could only hear two heartbeats. One was his own.
"It worked?"
"Yeah."
The vampire squatted down, eyeing the toxic mess left on the floor. It looked like some incredibly sticky, viscous tar, but smelled infinitely worse. Pulling a fresh vial from his pocket, Vlad actually scooped up a sample. Harry honestly expected it to dissolve the glass.
"I'm curious what's in this. But we shouldn't leave a big mess."
Harry watched Nagini, wanting her to move. The connection she had with Riddle couldn't solely be the horcrux at work, so if she woke they may well have an extremely peeved poisonous snake. Vlad vanished the mess, pocketing his sample. The snake began to stir, Nagini moving more slowly and methodically than Harry was used to - she was oft quick-strike.
"I feel strange."
He imagined so; it must weigh heavily to be possessed that way.
"Hopefully you start feeling better. You're free now."
Nagini turned toward Harry, blinking slowly as she observed him. He waited with bated breath to dodge a mauling, but instead she turned toward him properly, then twisted her head in a display of submission - Harry had seen Lily do it to Samael before.
"Uh..."
"Is she recognising what you are?"
Harry shrugged, wary of a ploy but knowing they were short on time with Narcissa's theft of Amara. He reached a hand out, confident at least she couldn't kill him, the venom in his blood protective, and touched her. Her scales felt rougher than he expected, but there was a stripe of soft, delicate tissue beneath his fingers. He wondered if it was like a mark to say she'd been turned into a horcrux, or perhaps Riddle's incessant need to mark and possess his property.
Nagini stayed perfectly still, moving only to lean into his touch. It was risky, but his instincts demanded Nagini have a chance. Samael had been nothing but a pain in the butt and basically a best friend since he was freed.
"If you want to, you can come with us."
Waiting with bated breath, Harry saw her nod. Vlad gave him a fond, exasperated look, then gestured to the door.
"Fine. But keep her under control. We need to go."
In a truly surreal moment, Harry and Vlad ran along the halls with Nagini slithering alongside them. The corridors were relatively empty, but they would still paint quite a picture. Narcissa was in their room, bundle in her arms and an eyeroll waiting when she saw the snake alongside them.
"Seriously?"
"What? He likes snakes."
As they spoke, a terrible sound wrent the air and Vlad almost keeled over, clutching his ears. Harry didn't need to ask - someone had noticed. That was the sound of an alarm. Everyone grabbed a hold of nearly debilitated vampire, and Vlad popped them out of the room.
Out of the country, as it turned out. They landed amongst mountainous rocks, the air a little thin and a lot cold.
"Where on earth-"
Narcissa quizzed, shivering.
"The Carpathian Mountains. Nobody is gonna look for us here."
"Because it's barely compatible with life?"
"Because it's vampire turf. You'll be fine in a minute."
Vlad pointed them to a cave cut into the rocks, explaining as they moved that it was an old vampire hideout from slayers, angled to avoid sunlight and high enough only the most determined would come looking.
"My uncle and dad used to lead slayers up here for kicks. I climbed this mountain for my tenth birthday."
Before the elements caused harm to the warm-blooded full-humans, Vlad had the tent out and they chivvied in. Nagini had followed quietly, but Harry knew it was a matter of safety she be relocated to the trunk with Samael. He seemed pleasantly surprised for more company, and Lily slithered over his torso to complain he had been neglecting her.
"I'm sorry. Life is hectic. I'll have much more time for you when this is over, I promise."
Climbing out to see Narcissa immediately working on making both tea and baby formula, Harry spotted Vlad was missing. He found the vampire outside, putting up vampire-repellent spells amongst other protective measures.
"Interesting choice for a hideaway."
"Well, it's not somewhere anyone is going to find them. And when we're talking about the magical equivalent of the Anti Christ, I think that's important."
"Fair point."
When Vlad was done setting up the defenses, Harry wrapped his arms around the vampire, needing an anchor against the madness around them.
"What now?"
"Gringotts."
"Really? Like, right now?"
"Couple of hours. He might be a moron, but our dearly upset Dork Lard isn't stupid. Nagini is gone. He's probably going to do a horcrux check."
"Are you worried he'll make new ones?"
Vlad shook his head, creating a cubby hole in the cave wall with the bluebell flame Hermione taught them years ago burning away in there like a rudimentary light.
"He's not stable or strong enough and he knows it. The magic needed to seal your soul... it's very precise. If he tried, it might destroy his current body. He won't risk that. Anyway... want to stretch your scales?"
"Huh?"
"There's a lot of wild game up in the mountains, and it's dark enough nobody will be climbing. We're both hungry."
Letting Narcissa know she was safe and they were off hunting, Harry transformed, sighing in relief at the feeling of his form stretching. The rocks beneath barely registered as he and the vampire made a matching pace no human could hope to touch, taking a breath of fresh air and taking down a dozen deer and a handful of bears. Vlad took the bears, tearing the flesh around his bite marks to remove the twin holes. Harry dragged several deer back with them for the other reptiles, and Narcissa tutted and tsked at the mess they made - both of themselves and the rapidly-cleaned floor.
"Better bear blood than human. I need to clean up, but we're off to break into Gringotts in a few minutes."
Harry overheard Vlad as he dumped deer corpses into his Samael-trunk, smiling at the grateful hisses. Fresh air and fresh meat in his system, Harry felt bolstered, strong.
Ready.
-YDHP-
Ah, finally! Thank you eternally for your patience.