Author's Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Wizarding World belong to Rowling.

Chapter Twelve – Doubt

Harry quite literally was bored out of his mind. He was sitting beside Aurelius in the Council Chambers at the Danwin Estate. The Clan leaders and their respective Heirs were sitting around the large table discussing future plans, contracts and treaties and such. If it weren't for Terin, every once in a while nudging him under the table, Harry thought he would have zoned out long ago.

He understood the importance of these meetings, really he did, but it would be another fifty years before his voice would be heard among the Clans. Until then it was Aurelius' words and opinions that mattered, not his. To be honest the Heirs were only present so that the Clan leaders didn't have to repeat themselves. He supposed it was prudent to learn where each of the Clans stood before the leaders' slept and how everyday matters were handled, but couldn't he learn that without feeling like an insignificant insect on a wall?

Terin nudged him again and then glanced down the table to the Tormen Elder and his two sons. Harry followed her gaze. Leas was glaring at him as usual, but his older brother was doing much the opposite. Harry smirked back as the Vampire raised an elegant eyebrow in challenge. He wasn't nearly as pretty as his brother, but he certainly wasn't unattractive either.

Terin leaned into Harry's shoulder. "I think you've got yourself an admirer," she barely whispered into his ear. "I wonder what he's like beneath the sheets."

Harry had to wonder too. He blushed lightly and looked away as the other Vampire licked his lips and continued to stare at him as if he was the most tasty morsel he'd ever savored. Leas noticed the interaction between Harry and his brother and rolled his eyes in disgust.

Terin chuckled silently and nudged Harry in the ribs again. "I think someone's jealous."

Harry couldn't help glancing playfully up again, but the small smile he wore left him and he sat up straighter as a figure slipped through the door behind them.

Harry may have been the first to notice him, but the others took notice just as quickly. The Vampires on that end of the table turned and the figure stepped out of the shadows and bowed. "Forgive me for interrupting Council, Masters, but I have just received intelligence that you all should be aware of."

Terin's father stood up and nodded. "What is it you have found, Liam?"

"We have not yet been able to confirm, Master, but we believe the Ashwood Coven has come into possession of large amount of Dark Silver."

"When did you find this out? Do you know where they possibly could have gotten it?" Aurelius asked with a hard voice, as he too stood and the others muttered amongst themselves.

"We were informed by our spy within the Borsnik Coven only moments ago, Master. He is trying to confirm without getting caught, but he believes the Dark Silver came in from Budapest."

Harry felt the blood drain out of his face as the others turned to look at him.

"You said you had taken all of the Dark Silver they had," Leas spoke up from next to his father.

"I said I thought I had, I didn't exactly have time to search the other buildings," Harry defended himself heatedly. Aurelius placed his hand on Harry's shoulder to calm him.

"I had others search the area after Harry returned. There was nothing left but rubble and ash," Aurelius stated calmly. "This Dark Silver may have come from the same area, but I doubt it is from the same source. Can your spy confirm without revealing himself?" Aurelius asked.

Liam nodded. "I believe so, Master. He was only alerted of its possibility because the Borsnik Coven was called to a meeting from the Ashwood. Apparently, the Ashwood Coven has been trying to organize the European Covens to form one larger Coven, but the smaller Covens are still hesitant to do so. My spy wasn't in the room when the leaders met, but he told me they were all speaking of a weapon and new advantages when they came out."

"I move that we send our best and purge the Ashwood Coven before they become a problem," the leader of the Smaloth Clan announced from the other end of the table.

"I second that, you all are aware what the rogue Coven in Budapest did to us with the liquid Dark Silver. They could destroyed hundreds of us in that fashion if they are allowed to become organized enough," the Mistress of the Farmel Clan stated and others nodded in agreement.

Harry frowned. Did they not see the risk in that, to go in with no further knowledge? The Coven in Budapest had slaughtered all but three of the Clan's best Hunters, and though they had lost many on their own side, there were still dozens more of them. A thought suddenly occurred to him, what if there was a Prowler behind the Ashwood Coven's movements as well. New advantages, the Budapest Coven certainly had those after they were turned by Djaq into Shifters.

Harry stood up before he realized what he was doing. "Did your spy mention anything of a turning or Shifters?" Harry asked Liam hesitantly.

"What is your Heir suggesting, Aurelius, that another Prowler could be behind this?" the leader of the Makah Clan demanded to know from across from them.

Aurelius' hand clamped down on Harry's shoulder. "I assure you, Tanice, he is doing no such thing," he replied coolly, glaring at Harry.

"But I am," Harry insisted before he could stop himself, and all eyes turned on him. Harry tried not to shrink back at the Elders' intense gazes, and pushed aside the pain that was now shooting down his arm as his Master growled at him. "What if there is another Prowler? What if he's already turned the Ashwood Coven into Shifters? Anyone sent to destroy the Coven could be walking into a repeat of what happened in Budapest!"

"Enough, Harry," Aurelius growled warningly and Terin looked up to Harry uncertainly and with her own caution in her eyes.

But Harry pushed his Master's warning aside. "Please Masters, I urge you to at least look into the possibility before you act."

"Your Heir's concern is amusing, Aurelius," scoffed the leader of the Azathose Clan. "Most of us were present at the purging of the Prowlers, Childe. It is no more than a bizarre twist of fate that one was able to survive. That a second could have possibly escaped as well is impossible."

"If I have learned anything in my life, Masters, nothing is impossible," Harry growled.

"That is enough, Harry, silence yourself," Aurelius hissed angrily and attempted to push Harry down into his seat.

Harry shrugged his hand from his sore shoulder and stood firm. Terin and the other Heirs looked up at him as if he'd lost his mind, and perhaps he had because he pushed on. "If you are so sure of yourselves that another Prowler could not exist, then by all means send in your best to the slaughter, because that's what they'll be walking into! But if you even have a smudge of doubt, then maybe you should look into your own memories and realize that they could be faulty. After all, one did escape, and a year ago you would not have believed otherwise!" Harry shouted.

"I said be silent!" Aurelius roared and backhanded Harry, knocking him back into his seat. Harry bowed his head in submission and did as commanded. Aurelius glared hard down at him and then looked up at the other. "I apologize for my Heir's disobedience, Masters. I was unaware he still harbored adverse feelings about his capture. I assure you his concerns are fabricated."

Harry dared to glare up at Aurelius angrily, but remained silent. He should not have spoken out as he did, it wasn't his place, and he certainly should not have insulted the Elder's memories like that, but why couldn't they see reason? Terin touched his arm, but he pulled away, looking away from her. He was already going to be punished for his behavior when they left here; he didn't need Terin's pity on top of that.

"It is perfectly understandable, Aurelius, he is very young still, he will understand in time," Terin's father said dismissively. "I too agree we should purge the Ashwood Coven, however a small amount of caution should be taken regardless."

Harry looked to the head of Terin's Clan. If the Elders would listen to anyone it would be Aeolian. The Danwin Clan were among the few Vampire Clans still left in the world that were strictly born and not turned. It was a known fact that the Danwin Clan was not only one of the oldest Clans, but also they were not entirely Vampire. The oldest of the Clan were Elvin Vampires, a rather deadly combination, which was why the Clan produced some of the best assassins in the world, and why others avoided challenging Terin like she had the plague. Even Aurelius admired them as much as he grouched about the Clan and its members.

"You don't seriously believe in Aurelius' Heir's fears?" the leader of the Tormen Clan asked.

"Of course not," he said with amusement in his voice and Harry looked away from the Elder. "I too believe it not possible for there to be another Prowler, however they could have liquefied the Dark Silver already and that is threat enough."

Several others nodded in agreement. Harry sighed at least they were going to take some precautions, even if they thought his opinions preposterous.

"Pardon, Masters, but what if intelligence suggests that there is a Prowler?" Terin asked timidly and the Elders turned their eyes on her in disbelief. "I've, of course, read the history, Masters, and I don't believe there could be either," she added glancing at Harry regretfully. "But what is to be done if there is? I only bring this concern up, for the safety of the Clans. I've heard Harry's story many times. His description of the Prowler and his Shifters, I fear collectively, they are stronger than all of us, and that is alone without the Covenants support."

"Forgive me Lady Terinnia, but I too have heard Harry's story, and I've come to see it as nothing more than that, a story," Leas sneered, glaring smugly at Harry. Harry growled lightly in response, but remained silent at Aurelius' glare.

"You do not believe his recounting is true?"

"Forgive me, Father, but I believe it is possible that it's nothing more than a fabrication. Perhaps maybe he believes it. By his own admittance, he was starved for several days. Maybe he made it up in his delirium. Or maybe he fabricated it to save himself in the face of the ridicule of his failure to protect Terinnia and allowing himself to be captured."

"Lord Tormen, I would believe it a possibility as well, but he brought back proof, did he not?" Tanice asked.

Leas smiled slightly at the Makah Elder. "Did he, Mistress? The only evidence that there ever was a Prowler was a pendant made of Dark Silver that he brought back with him. He could have taken it off of a Slayer who was keeping it as a protective talisman. We've seen them with them before."

A couple of the other Masters nodded in agreement and looked at Harry. Harry glared at Leas, but continued to remain silent, not further wanting to upset Aurelius by speaking out, even in his own defense.

"Harry also brought back the liquid Dark Silver that had been used against him, and the blade he was wounded with, and still bears the scars of," Terin stated, glaring at Leas.

"Yes, fortunate that, but I never saw any evidence that it was used against him, I only know his word," Leas said almost casually. "He claims he is immune to Dark Silver, but I personally never saw him touch it directly, did any of you?" he asked sitting back comfortably in his chair.

"Yes, Leas, I did!" Terin hissed coolly, standing from her seat. Her father put his hand on her arm warningly and she tempered her tone, but remained standing. "So didn't Master Donavan and Telganne over there." The Vampire, Harry recognized as one of the three who had not been killed in Budapest, nodded in agreement, when all eyes turned to him. "He was wounded by the Dark Silver blade he brought back. It was why we had to leave him in the first place," Terin explained.

Leas smirked. "I was under the impression Dark Silver poisoning kills a Vampire in seconds," he said, his eyes looking around the table as if for conformation. "Was he dead when you left?" his eyes swept from Terin to Telganne and Harry rolled his eyes.

Terin looked uncertain if she should answer that as all eyes turned on her again. "No," she said. "He wasn't. He urged us to go before we were killed too. He sacrificed himself for us."

"He was awake and aware when you left him?" the leader of the Morthanea Clan questioned and Harry narrowed his eyes, wondering where this questioning was going. Terin nodded hesitantly. "And you are absolutely certain he was poisoned by Dark Silver, and not another poison?" she asked, looking from Terin to Telganne.

"I – yes, it was a Dark Silver blade," Terin said firmly and then looked to Harry. "I pleaded for him to not fight the Slayer because of it," she said looking to her father who had growing doubt in his eyes.

"Did you see this blade, Telganne?" she asked her heir.

"No, Mistress, I did not," he answered. "I only saw him after he fell."

Harry looked around at the Masters, they were all now looking at him with doubt in their eyes, including Aurelius and he couldn't remain silent any longer. "I assure you all, my story is true," Harry said timidly. Aurelius looked down at Harry. "Please, Father, I haven't lied to you."

Aurelius' eyes darkened. "And yet you have before."

Harry felt his breath catch in his throat at his Master's words and he looked away in shame.

...

Harry sat on the floor in the middle of the Manor library. He had books and parchments strewn out around him, most of them on the old laws of the Clans. Laws that were in place back before the Clans had withdrawn from the Wizarding world, back before the Prowlers were hunted down by the Clans and Covens. Back when the Vampire nation was whole and the Court still existed. Other books held amendments to the laws and new laws that had been passed over the centuries. Harry was trying to find a loophole to the law about revealing the Clans to the Wizarding world.

He didn't want to betray his Clan; they were like his family, that's not why he was doing this. And it wasn't because he wanted to go back to his old life either; he was almost content where he was. But Harry's visions had not abated, and a new element had joined them, one that would leave both his old world and his new one in ruin.

He'd tried to talk to Aurelius about it, but his Master wouldn't hear it. He believed that Harry believed that his nighttime visions were real, but he didn't believe they were. He'd said, "Vampires have dreams and nightmares just like everyone else, they are only more vivid." Aurelius had told Harry to forget about them, push them aside and not worry about it, it was just his fear coming to life in his dreams. But Harry couldn't do that, he knew the difference between a vision and a dream. He'd learned that lesson hard in his fifth year. And yes the dreams were often times confusing and sometimes looked like they weren't even of the future, or a future that made any sense to Harry, but he knew they were real, they would be real.

The Elders might be comfortable believing that all of the Prowlers were dead. And thanks to Leas, many of them believed it was possible that there had not been one back at all to begin with. But Harry strongly believed that there could be another, maybe even more than one.

From what he'd read, not since the time of the Prowlers, had the Covens organized themselves as a whole. They'd never coexisted peacefully with the Clans, but they didn't actively seek out to destroy all of them either. They were a low key, mostly family run organization. They actively sot to destroy those individuals who had wronged their family in the past, an eye for an eye deal, but otherwise only killed those Vampires who came across their path or were causing trouble to the rest of society. They weren't into mass destruction like the Coven in Budapest had been.

The organizing of themselves and obtaining the Dark Silver suggested that decimating all of the Clans was exactly what they were planning. It didn't make any sense to Harry, that they would suddenly decide this on their own. There had to be a catalyst. The Prowlers had to be that catalyst. They had more than ample reason to want to destroy the Vampire Clans. After all, it was the Clan's decision to destroy them; they'd only enlisted the help of the Covens. It would only make sense for the Prowlers to do the same, a slap in the face.

And even if Harry didn't have all that to go on, there was another thing that nagged at him. He'd dealt with bad guys on a regular basis for the last several years of his life, and if he'd discovered anything about them, it was that they liked to gloat, especially when they were the one in control. Djaq had boasted about his creation of the Shifters, about him being faster and stronger than Harry. He'd even once gloated, while he was taking him, that he could make Harry beg to be his willing slave. But not once did he brag about being the last of the Prowlers in existence. Harry would think that surviving the purging of his race, while supposedly none other had, would give Djaq plentiful reason to be proud of himself, and yet he'd said nothing about it.

So Harry was planning. He didn't want to get involved in another bloodbath, but he also didn't want to see his Clan destroyed when he could possibly prevent it. The Clans were sending in their hunting party that night and Harry prayed that everything went well for them and that he was wrong about the Prowlers, but he wasn't going to hold his breath. He only hoped Santo returned safely.

Harry pushed aside one book and pulled another towards him. He'd realized something about the Covens who were gathering, they were all Muggle based. There wasn't a single Wizard among them. Now it could be that the Wizards kept to themselves, but during the purge, the Wizarding Covens had been even more help to the Clans than the Muggle ones had, simply because they could do magic. If it turned out he was correct about the Prowlers, the Clans were going to need their help, but the only way to get the Wizarding Covens attention was to expose themselves. Like all other Wizards, they too believed that the day-wandering Vampire Clans were extinct. Harry was sure there must be a few who knew, but they were all under the same Penalty of Death oaths that all of the Covens were. It was part of the magical pact that made them Covenant Slayers.

A shadow suddenly covered the lamp behind Harry and he quickly looked up in time to see Vantesh about to tap him on the shoulder. He had been so immersed, he hadn't even sensed the other Vampire enter the room. He looked up at him curiously.

"Sorry to interrupt, Harry, but I have found something."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Something… as in something, something?" he ask as he stood fluidly, when he realized what he meant.

Vantesh smiled slightly. "Yes, I believe I have finally found something out about your immunity to Dark Silver."

"Excellent, tell me," Harry said excitedly. Not only could he finally prove his story real to the Elders, but he could rub it in Leas' face.

Vantesh raised a finger to his lips and looked around almost warily. "Not here. Come, others should not overhear."

Harry frowned slightly, but nodded and followed the man, leaving his books where they were. At first, he thought Vantesh was taking him out of the Manor, but then he turned down a familiar hall. Harry backed a step away when the Vampire stopped in front of the door to the basement, opened it and entered without so much as hesitating. Harry stared into the darkness uncertainly, he could feel Josef strongly and he'd sworn to Aurelius he'd stay away.

Vantesh looked back briefly, rolled his eyes and then grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him forward, closing the door behind them. He led him down the stairs, not letting go of him, and just as Harry thought they were going to the Chamber, Vantesh stopped, halfway between the stairs and the door. He pressed his hand into the wall and the wall slid open revealing another dark hallway Harry never would have guessed was there.

Vantesh continued to lead Harry down the hall until they came to a door. He slid the bolt on the outside and then pushed the door inward. He pulled Harry into the room and the door closed behind them as florescent lights sprung on overhead. Harry looked around, they were in some sort of lab, but nothing like Harry had ever seen before. It almost looked like a cross between a Chemistry lab and a Potions lab and it had the most extensive set up of Muggle testing equipment that Harry had ever seen.

"Welcome to my sanctuary," announced Vantesh grandly. "Do not touch anything," he said seriously.

Harry nodded numbly, still looking around. He would never have guessed something like this was in the Manor. The rest of the Manor, minus the really nice cars and electric lightning, just seemed so archaic. Harry shook his head. "Right, so what did you find out?"

Vantesh walked over to a table and picked up a modern looking vial, corked with a black rubber stopper, and held what was clearly blood. He held it up to Harry. "This is your blood," he said simply and then he held up a second vial, this one looked to be made of crystal and rather old crystal at that. Harry would guess sixteenth century old, maybe later. It was similar to what he'd seen in Snape's private stores back at Hogwarts. "This is Prowler blood and was very hard to come by." He put the two vials back in a rack at the end of the table and then motioned Harry over to two microscopes. "Take a look."

Harry looked oddly at Vantesh for a moment and then leaned down and looked through the first microscope, though he didn't understand the point, as he didn't know what he was looking for, that was until he looked through the second microscope. He looked over his shoulder at Vantesh in surprise, as he was now standing directly behind him. "The cells are the same," he finally said.

Vantesh nodded. "Not the same, but remarkably similar," he said and then leaned around Harry, and pulled one of the slides out and replaced it with another. "Look." Harry looked. This slide showed more similarities to the second one than the first, but it was slightly different also. "That is my blood, the one before was yours. Notice the difference," he said near Harry's ear.

Harry nodded. "You're missing something mine and the Prowler's blood has in common." Harry swallowed thickly before he straightened up from the microscope. "Are you saying I'm part Prowler?"

Vantesh half nodded. "Yes and no." Harry turned and looked up at him in confusion. "We do not know where the Prowlers come from, how they came into existence. We have no history on them, with the exception of just before the purging, when they started to become a problem. We do know that day-wandering Vampires and Prowlers are remarkably similar. We are both strong, fast, for the most part, immortal, and need blood to survive. At first glance, our differences are not very noticeable. Their skin is different, ours is pale, but otherwise normal looking. Theirs is pearl colored, distinctive to us. When they taste blood or are in a Blood Rage the patterns appear all over their body. Our eyes glow red. We are vulnerable to Dark Silver. Their vertebrae are weak. We can reproduce and they cannot."

Harry thought about that for a moment and then turned and looked at the slides again. "We're all the same species," he whispered. He glanced up at the wall behind the microscopes, just noticing the mirror there and blinked as he become aware of how close Vantesh was standing behind him.

Vantesh nodded, staring at him through the mirror intently. "I believe so. I think the Prowlers were once Vampires that went through a second transformation. Maybe by magic, I am not sure. But whatever happened to them, caused the bloodlust to be dominant in them, made them faster and stronger, immune to Dark Silver, and made them fragile and infertile."

"One weakness for another sounds like magic to me," Harry muttered. His eyes suddenly widened. "What if the Prowlers aren't just back, but recreated?"

Vantesh nodded. "That is what I thought as well." He frowned. "But it does not make much sense though. Why would a Vampire turn himself into a Prowler, only to turn on his own kind?"

Harry shrugged, he didn't know. He turned around again and looked up into Vantesh's eyes. "That doesn't explain why I'm immune to Dark Silver," he stated.

Vantesh smiled. "No it does not, but I did discover something else." He took a step closer to Harry, backing him against the table. "Your blood can make the rest of us immune to Dark Silver," he whispered and then quicker than Harry expected, he grabbed him and bit into his neck.

Harry hissed at the initial pierce of his skin, but then bit his lip to keep from moaning as the other Vampire covered his mind with his own. Vantesh obviously didn't want to hurt him, but Harry wasn't inclined to enjoy it either, even if his body was currently saying otherwise. He tried to push the older Vampire away as he felt himself growing weaker, but Vantesh held his upper arms locked to his sides, making it impossible to move.

Vantesh suddenly retched his mouth away forcefully. "Gods your blood is exquisite," he whispered shakily, still holding Harry tightly. He seemed to realize that, as he quickly loosened his grasp. "I am sorry, Harry, I had not meant to take so much," he said remorsefully, looking down into his eyes. He blinked in confusion at the fear he saw there.

Harry pulled away and backed himself to the other side of the room, and only stopped once his back hit the wall and then he slid down it. He shakily brought his hand to his neck and though Vantesh hadn't closed the puncture holes, they were already healing. Harry couldn't bring himself to look up at the other Vampire, as memories of Djaq came to the forefront of his mind.

Vantesh gasped and then was kneeling in front Harry not a second later. "Gods, Harry, I am so sorry. I did not even think about…"

"Leave," Harry commanded, not looking up. Vantesh was gone not a moment later.

...

Author's Note: To Be Continued…