A Different Kind of Pure Blood- By Ceilidh Clemens, Characters © JKR
Thank you so much, reviewers Let's see, who shall I POKE this time!
Ura-Hd: Next chapter, dear friend, NEXT CHAPTER. Patience is a virtue.
Kakisensei: Sorry, no Harry slapping Hermione... you'll have to settle for the next best thing X3
Argo: Erk. I'm trying to play out Harry's Gryffindor courage, now that most of the secrecy is blown. His slytherin side will show it's face soon enough, don't worry. Harry won't be Draco's TOY...
Curlytop: WOW, that's the longest review I've ever seen! Hermione's suffering will not lead to begging for forgiveness, but she's done more damage thanyou realize. She'll make up for it. Still, please realize that all she did was walk into a room and see Harry being eaten alive by somebody she's hated for years. What else did you expect her to do? Put away the torch and pitchfork!... and Harry's gonna stop pussing out real soon.
Rockstarhobbit: It's not really AU... The reasons for Draco being a vampire and pretending to date Harry don't really fly out of the boundaries JKR set in her books...
Silver-Draega: In case you haven't noticed, Hermione has a knack of figuring things out after only two or three hints that nobody else boths to connect. She only just figured it out before she rushed in, though.
Krip: OO Do not obsess, it is bad for the sanity, just like yogurt!
Morena Evensong: Congradulations, you've found evidence that Harry's a Gryffindor that nobody else noticed
Just me: More... slash? ummmmm... We'll just see, k?
Part 10- Untwisting Visions
Drip.
Where am I?
Drip.
What's that noise?
Drip.
Oh, Merlin, I know that smell. Somebody's bleeding.
"Yes, you are." Harry opened his eyes and found that they didn't want to be opened just yet. He was as exhausted as that one time in fifth year when he stayed away for nearly a week, after… Not going to think of it. He was in the bathroom at the Leaky Cauldron, and upon further inspection, he found himself in the bathtub wearing nothing but his boxers. There was about an inch of cold water in the bottom of the tub. The dripping noises continued right next to his listening ears.
"Draco?" Harry murmured. He didn't dare move his head, remembering how his body felt after his last vampire bite. A pale arm moved into the tub. Harry flinched; but Draco had only moved down to stroke Harry's forehead. A moment later, the blond knelt over the tub so Harry could see him. His eyes were gray again, and though his skin had a healthier glow to it, there were tremendous bags under his eyes, and his muscles were all drawn in a stressful manner. "What happened when Hermione-"
"Hush," the Slytherin sighed. "Don't talk. Don't move. You're not fixed up yet." Harry blinked tiredly and confusedly up at the vampire, who was wearing one of Ron's old hand-me-down bathrobes. "When Granger so rudely yanked you away from me, a few horrible things happened." Harry's confused look became a questioning one. Horrible things? The blond looked very upset for a moment, but he continued to absently stroke Harry's forehead. "My fangs broke off and got stuck inside you."
"What-!"
"Shh!" Draco hissed, pressing Harry's mouth shut. "Don't worry, we eventually got them out… with luck and a pair of tweezers…" Harry grimaced at the thought of his friends digging at his throat with tweezers. "And my abnormal healing abilities allowed me to grow a new set for myself. However, there are a few things you ought to know about vampire fangs…" Draco definitely looked queasy by this time. Harry's breath caught in his throat, with concern. The vampire looked over his shoulder, blond hair swaying slightly. "Granger? Please, back me up."
"Well, for one thing, they secrete an anticoagulant, and that's why you're still bleeding," Hermione's voice echoed through the bathroom. Harry could tell she was annoyed. Draco smirked and leaned towards Harry, to whisper.
"Beware the hybrid's temper, Harry… She got worse than beer dumped on her head for her idiocy," the pale young man whispered. His gray eyes glinted in a mischievous sort of way.
"What did you do?" Harry asked slowly, his eyes widening slightly. He had obviously forgotten to whisper, because Hermione heard and answered.
"He decided I needed to become better acquainted with the inside of a toilet," Hermione sniffed, walking closer. Harry saw that her bushy brown hair was wet, and she reeked of human waste. "I think I've paid for my mistake. Anyway, we gave you a blood replenishing potion and we're still trying to stop your neck from bleeding. If it doesn't stop soon, we might have to take you to St. Mungo's."
Harry sighed. It could have been worse. He felt some grim satisfaction, knowing Draco had wreaked heavy vengeance upon her for the painful intrusion. The continued bleeding explained why he was in the bathtub. But it didn't quite explain why Draco and Hermione looked ready to fall over and die of exhaustion.
"We had a bit of a row," Draco explained softly. "Granger was livid. She didn't seem to appreciate the fact that almost everything I've ever said to her was a lie." Hermione snorted. "Don't worry, she's not going to turn me in- after all, there's no case against me now, and you volunteered for that bite! I told her a bit about my summer and how I was turned…" The blond leaned forward, about an inch from Harry's face. "And I told her just how much I love you for everything you've done. It's so surprising, how fast affections can grow. Just one week… and BAM. If I hadn't found you, I don't know where I'd be."
Harry stared at him with mixed feelings of alarm and flattery. Despite every slimy act and lie he'd seen from the Slytherin, Harry didn't think he was lying.
"I hate to break you out of your romantic reverie," Hermione growled, giving Draco an acidic glare as she lightly pushed the lanky boy aside, "but Harry has to drink this now." She handed Harry a cup full of red liquid, encouraging him to drink it. Harry assumed it would taste horrible, like most medicines and potions, so he grimaced and took a great gulp. Draco watched him with a very serious expression as Harry started and took another tentative sip; it actually tasted rather nice. "Do you have any idea what that is?"
"No?"
"That's my blood, Harry." Harry gulped. "We'll explain a bit later." Harry, knowing how stubborn the blond could be, surrendered and swallowed another mouthful. It really didn't taste much like blood. It was far too sweet.
"Explain now," the Gryffindor coughed. Draco and Hermione exchanged looks of exasperated nervousness. "Hello? Answer me! Why, exactly, have I just drank vampire blood?"
"It's not going to turn you, Harry," Hermione said quickly. "It's just that it might help stop the bleeding…"
"Wouldn't it be more effective to just dump it on the cuts?" Harry groaned. Experimental healing didn't appeal to him, especially when he was the patient. Hermione slapped herself on the forehead, and Draco promptly whisked the cup away, dipping the end of a washcloth in it before holding it against a sore spot on Harry's neck. "Merlin… You're both mothering me." It was Draco's turn to snort, and everybody knew Malfoys didn't snort. "You gave that blood willingly, right?"
"No," Draco drawled sarcastically. "It was taken by force for the resurrection of our new Dark Lord, Harry Potter…"
"That's not funny," Hermione hissed, walking up and giving Draco and bonk over the head with her knuckle. The blond only laughed, despite the twin glares he received from Hermione and Harry.
"Sure it is," the Slytherin chuckled. The bloody washcloth was dunked in the cup again and brought back to Harry's neck, which felt warm and somewhat tingly. "He hears voices, he speaks in tongues! He has nightmarish visions, in which he takes the role of being the Dark Lord! And that incident in fifth year… With the snake…" The vampire smirked. Harry felt a sense of impending doom. "Did he ever tell you that he saw things from the snake's point of view, and right afterwards, he almost attacked Dumbledore with his little imaginary snake fangs? Make a good vampire or Dark Lord, this one will…"
Hermione was staring emptily at Harry, so completely lost in thought that she seemed frozen. Draco continued. "Let's see… He's beginning to hate Muggles as well as the Ministry of Magic. He's had a bad past, our Harry! He's always been experimenting with magic far above his level, and he seems to master it all immediately! He learned a handy little curse from the Dark Lord in second year, through the diary. I don't even know what that spell was, but it was sure useful in fighting off the spiders in the forest, wasn't it? And from what I heard, he didn't do such a bad job when he used the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix Lestrange… It made her stop treating him like a baby…"
"Stop!" Harry hissed, remembering with a pang of guilt that he'd never told Hermione and Ron about using the Cruciatus on Bellatrix, nor about being the snake in his visions. These were some of the things he hoped his friends would never hear about. Hermione was giving him that look, the same look she'd given Harry after finding out that he as a Parsletongue and hearing voices. That frightened, suspicious look that almost asked, 'who are you and what have you done with Harry?'.
Draco smiled. "So, have you noticed that I'm a naturally skilled at Legilimency yet?"
"Yes," Harry groaned. "And you're obvious better at it then Voldemort. He hasn't managed to pick through my memories like that, without me knowing." Hermione was now looking back and forth between the two, as if they'd gone mad. "At least… I don't think he has…" He shook that grim thought out of his head.
"It happens when I bite you," Draco said lightly. "Your life flashes before my eyes. Did you know, I can only force images into your head? I tried it on Granger a minute ago, but apparently I've become… bonded to you through your snack offerings." The door suddenly slammed shut outside of Harry's vision, and he shifted slightly, despite the painful twinge in his neck. "She's gone, Harry. She probably went to snog a book on vampires and see just how special I am." Harry lay back down, trying not to smirk. Snogging a book… How delicately Draco puts it.
"My neck isn't getting any better, is it?" Harry sighed. The vampire shook his head and doused the victimized flesh of Harry's throat in more of his own blood. Harry knew he should have felt sickened by this, but he wasn't. Maybe Draco wasn't kidding when he said Harry would make a good vampire or Dark Wizard… He could never be a Dark Lord, but Dark Wizard…? The Gryffindor, sickened by his own thoughts, placed a clammy and weak hand on his face- and noticed something. "Is there anything else I should know about your fangs?" he asked slowly, now glaring at Draco.
"Not that I know of," the blond answered, looking nervous. "Why?"
"You've got a hair on your cheek."
"So what?" the Slytherin scowled, pulling that one pale, nearly invisible hair off of his face.
"I could see it."
"SO WHAT?"
"I don't have my glasses on."
HALLELUHIA, HARRY CAN SEE! HE AIN'T BLIND NO MORE!Wait, how did THAT happen!Review, or... glared at by Chatwyn or I won't read your reviews... I guess. By the way, if HBP comes out before I finish the next chapter, you might end up waiting a few days... ;;