Now let us sport us while we may,

And now, like am'rous birds of prey,

---

Harry waited for almost a day before moving forward with his plan. Draco would not win this.

He went to Hogwarts. It was early in the morning and the sun had risen only a short time ago. He knew it was enough to stop Draco from coming after him. No one was moving in the halls. He would have heard them. And frankly, he was glad to avoid them. He wasn't sure if he could see his old friends and still maintain his purpose.

He wanted his life back desperately - but he knew that he could never have it. Never.

Harry simply brushed past the gargoyle when he reached it, and was at the door of the Headmaster's office in a few more seconds. He tried the doorknob. It was unlocked. Harry walked in to be confronted by Albus Dumbledore, staring at him in shock.

It was almost worth it, in that moment, just to see the look on Dumbledore's face. But Harry had a story to weave, so he pushed his own pleasure aside. He smiled a very relieved smile and moved quickly into the office. "Headmaster."

He paused tentatively before the Headmaster's desk, but the man had stood and made his way around to the other side, and engulfed Harry in a huge hug.

Harry was sinking into Dumbledore's hug when the older man stepped back. It had been a very long time since he had been embraced so. Dumbledore stared at him for a long moment. "Harry. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I am, Professor" He exhaled noisily and flung himself down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Dumbledore settled back into his desk chair but leaned forward, white beard streaming over his desk and eyes grave. "I know you want to know where I've been, but I'm really not sure." Harry began. He exhaled noisily and leaned forward, interlacing his hands. The Headmaster ha to believe that he was still a young boy. He had decided to go with something close to the truth - or very far from it, depending on your point of view.

"What happened, Harry? I has been almost a month since your disappearance." The Headmaster seemed to be barely containing his desperation to know. He paused, as if wondering whether or not to take up a delicate subject. "And Mr. Malfoy's disappearance."

"We were suddenly in a forest. There was a painting of a…a forest...but I don't know what happened. I mean, we were looking at the painting, then it was like we were in the painting. That's not normal, is it, professor?"

"Not at all, my dear boy," the Headmaster responded, relaxing into the conversation a bit. Harry was glad to see that he being taken in by Harry's attitude. "Where was this painting, Harry?"

"In the castle sir, but I don't know where. I was following Malfoy, and then there was the painting, and then we were in the painting."

"Hmmm." The Heaadmaster frowned slightly and tugged at his beard.

"Well, after that we had a row, and Malfoy stalked off, and I didn't see him for a while." Harry paused but decided that diving in was the only way to go. "He came back later though. I don't know, I mean, I found some people who fed me at the edge of the forest. And let me live there and all." Harry cursed inwardly. He was messing the entire tale up - but he supposed that that was natural for him. Dumbledore certainly seemed to believe him and was listening intently.

"I wanted to get back here, but the people I met were Muggles, so I couldn't ask them, and I couldn't actually apparate because I had no idea were I was. Well, I figured it out eventually, and I'm fine, but that's not the problem." Harry managed to all of this with nearly one breath, then looked coyly at the Headmaster.

Dumbledore seemed to know exactly what was wrong. "Harry, what happened to Mr. Malfoy?"

Harry looked at him silently for a moment. "He found me last night. I hadn't seen him since... Well, he showed up at the front door of the house I was staying at. He'd changed." Harry paused, then rushed ahead, forcing the next words out as if they were painful. "He's a vampire, Headmaster. I don't know what happened, but he's a vampire. He tried to kill me," Harry said as he rubbed his neck subconsciously. "I figured out how to Apparate pretty quick, then. I got to Hogsmeade."

"Professor, he's after me, and he's completely mad. He came after me, yelling about me being a vampire too and something about his family. Professor, I think that he killed them." Harry huddled up in his seat. Dumbledore believed him, he could feel it.

"Oh, Harry. You always have to bear so much." Dumbledore sighed and looked more serious than Harry had ever seen him before. "I assume, from your urgency, that you believe that Draco is following you?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, Professor. He's going to come after me. And probably everyone that I know, too. We need to stop him, but he's so fast. He's…he's…I don't know what to do." He looked up, pleadingly, at the older man

"Don't worry, Harry. This burden is not yours to bear." Dumbledore looked grim, so Harry smiled faintly up at him. "Stay here for the moment. I will fetch Professor McGonagall and we'll see about getting you reinstalled in the Tower." All of his joviality returned quickly. "You deserve your rest."

Harry nodded gratefully at the professor as Dumbledore left the room. Pleasure seethed within. The Headmaster believed him. Draco would find no sanctuary here. He kept his face tightly controlled and tried to figure out what to tell his friends.