Lets hope I got back on track!

(no. I didn't. I had terrible writers block and this moved at about 300 words a day that felt like I had to get blood from a stone.)

(also there's debauchery)

-YDHP-

Harry consulted the Moon chart still on the wall, to be certain.

"It was a week ago."

"Itchy!"

Draco protested, attempting to get to the bleeding skin. Bertrand gently restrained him, frowning.

"He doesn't smell canine either. So what's causing this?"

Harry scanned Draco passively, slid the bracelet from his bleeding wrist and unbuttoned his sleeve. A scaly rash extended along much of his forearm, and the smell of something sickly and iron-like hit Harry's senses.

"Ah. The freshening charms on your clothes prevented me from detecting the scent of illness. Severus?"

Severus placed Raven back in her high chair and instructed an elf to watch she didn't make an escape attempt, crossed over to his boyfriend and outright vanished Draco's shirt. The rash extended across his torso, and now the air was irritating it Draco was struggling against Bertrand's restraints to reach and scratch more.

"Dragon pox. My understanding is the Weasley family have all suffered from it, whilst any non-human genetics will act as a protection of sorts so Vladimir is fine. Harry, I would contact Hermione and inform Vlad to check on his younger sister."

Harry did as bidden, grabbing his three way diary and anxiously awaiting answers, tapping his pen against his knee and leaving biro ink dots on the fabric of his bottoms.

"Hermione is fine. George isn't. Rash and scratching when Vlad got there."

"Tell Vlad to come here for a remedy he can take to her. She'll not be permitted back at Hogwarts until she recovers."

"Which is when?"

"Usual length from onset is a week."

Harry relayed the information to Vlad, who flamed in a minute later.

"How did anyone even get dragon pox? I mean, who could have brought it in?"

Severus pondered as he searched through a Potions case for a big blue bottle, which he handed to Bertrand before passing another to Vlad.

"Anyone could have brought the virus in, without succumbing themselves if they had already contracted it previously. I imagine if you were to ask William or Charles Weasley, they will know somebody who is sick themselves."

"Right. I better go give this to George. Dosage?"

"One capful mixed with a glass of water, three times daily. Overdosing will cause symptoms to worsen, should your little sister feel the urge to try and accelerate her recovery."

"Thanks. I better go."

Vlad kissed Harry first, then popped away to take relief to his sister. Harry was left to help keep Draco from scratching until the medicine kicked in, at which point he was almost instantly sleepy. Fever, nausea and fatigue were common side effects of dragon pox, Harry remembered from his Healing textbooks.

"I'll not be surprised if you find several students not returning immediately to begin the new term if the pox is circulating. Be sure to say you contracted it previously during the start of summer Harry, lest anybody notice you are not quite..."

Severus didn't need to finish.

"Human."

"Quite."

Harry had been through similar symptoms on his way to changing his state from full- to part-human. He certainly didn't miss the incessant itching, shedding of his 'scales' or the crippling pain in his teeth. Harry ran his tongue over his sharpened teeth, tapped his foot and was struck with inspiration.

"Harry?"

Bertrand quizzed as he watched the young wizard pull the Slytherin pendant from it's hiding place. He felt the pulsing magic, dark and destructive inside it. Closing his eyes, Harry raised the pendant to his mouth and bit down on it.

His sharpened teeth sliced through it easily, shattering a thin sheet of glass before a violent hissing sound could be heard. Harry practically spat it out, watched the small locket pitch and toss itself around on the ground before black gunk began to ooze from it. A high screech escaped like the soul fragment itself was being tortured and Harry's head throbbed with pain.

Then it was all over, and the rattling faded until the locket just laid on the floor in a puddle of goo. Cringing, Harry leant down, picked it up. The ticking sound was gone, only a gloopy dripping sound coming from it as ooze slid down, splashed into the thick puddle.

"Nice party trick. Please explain that insanity I just witnessed."

"Basilisk venom. Guess mine works on a horcrux."

Bertrand took it from him gingerly, frowning at the mess and ensuring none risked staining his clothing.

"So it would seem. Now you just need to find the rest of them."

"Details, details. A way to destroy them is a damn good start."

"True. Would you mind cleaning that up?"

Harry nodded and vanished the muck, leaving Bertrand with the wrecked locket.

"I wonder if the maker knows one is destroyed."

"I've wondered that. I mean if you only had one I expect you would feel it, but he's got six or seven at best guess. I'm amazed there's anything left in him."

Bertrand hummed, placed the locket in a box provided to him by his lover. Harry left them to it - it was dead, that was all that mattered to him. When they returned to the room, Draco was no longer trying to peel off his skin and was instead examining the violent rash.

"This had better not scar. Lycanthropy was bad enough for my skin."

Sometimes, his brother was just a little bit vain, Harry noted with an inward laugh.

"It will only scar if you scratch. I'll treat your wrist when the rash has faded."

Draco glared at Severus, clearly having been thinking about doing some scratching prior to the chastising. He gingerly put on his shirt again, frowning.

"Want to be revolutionary? Invent a bubble bath I can use to help this heal."

"By which time you will have healed and never be susceptible again."

The Malfoy teen pouted petulantly.

"Damn."

Harry headed up to bed not much later, after ensuring Draco understood the very real threat of soft mittens stuck to his hand with Permanent Sticking Charms, and found Vlad sat on his bed reading one of Harry's Healing textbooks. He didn't need much of a guess to know Vlad was reading up on Dragon Pox.

"How's your sister?"

He asked as he went to brush his teeth, and Vlad came to lean on the doorframe so Harry could hear his response.

"Annoyed she'll be off school for a week. Annoyed! She's-"

Harry spat out toothpaste and finished Vlad's sentence.

"Definitely your sister. Dorks."

Vlad laughed while Harry rinsed, gargled and spat again

"Can't argue there I guess, but it makes a change from Ingrid who pretends she doesn't even know what a book is while maintaining perfect grades."

"Fair point."

The vampires eyes were roving over Harry's half-naked body, flicking occasionally over to the bath. Harry could take a hint. Especially one he quite wanted the end result of.

"Bath?"

Vlad grinned, waved his hand and the taps turned on. Harry rapped the bubbles tap until his favourite lemongrass-scented mixture poured out, and when he looked up Vlad was undressing. It was hugely pleasant his boyfriend was no longer shy to strip off in front of him. The hot water enveloped the cool skin of half-biter and half-basilisk, smelling pleasant and feeling silky.

Harry couldn't complain for a second about having such a constantly needy, wanting lover in Vlad. Slender legs wrapped around his body as Vlad gripped the side of the bath, arched his hips just so and Harry gasped as he pressed into the primal heat of his boyfriend. Vlad keened, face taut with pleasure already. It didn't seem to matter what Harry actually did; Vlad responded to the touch of his mate like he was in ecstasy from the start.

Still, that didn't stop Harry from making an effort. He loved how responsive Vlad was to each touch, bucking and moaning with every thrust, lithe torso stretching to look almost impossibly long as his back arched. The muscles in his arm tensed and Harry felt Vlad's erection rut against his belly, dragging across the flexing muscles there and aided by slippery water. The charm Vlad used to skip preparation left him slick, let Harry slide in and out with ease.

Vlad had been raised to speak eloquently, though he relaxed around Harry moreso than anybody. It was still a thrill to reduce Vlad to filth and swearing, true proof his lover was in a state of total loss of control. Harry did that, he was the cause of the coiled muscles and parted lips, gasping breaths as Vlad tried to grip him, hands slipping in the water so he tightened strong thighs around Harry's hips for purchase.

"F-fuck Harry... harder!"

It was a welcome invitation, Harry bracing a hand against the side of the bath himself to help him move faster, harder and successfully turn Vlad into a writhing mess. It was a beautiful sight, the vampires pleasure an exquisite image on porcelain skin. Vlad bore his mate's mark already, the little scars far more alluring to look at than the brand on his chest.

"Six months."

Harry growled, knowing Vlad would understand he was referencing the vampires sixteenth birthday.

"Mhmm. T-then you'll be m-mine forever."

When Vlad got his fangs, Harry was wholly expecting to be his mates First Bite. Quite probably his only, but he'd told his boyfriend in no uncertain terms that he expected the First. Being asked to mark his mate always made Vlad hot; Harry could bring up the subject as a precursor to sex and Vlad would be aroused and ready to go in a matter of minutes.

"Guh... gonna come!"

Vlad hissed out, back arching to what looked like painful proportions before he was shuddering against Harry, biting at his shoulder and quaking through the climax. Harry wasn't far behind, a few more thrusts before he came inside Vlad, hips pressing again and again to sustain the high. Vlad took it all perfectly, holding Harry tight and stroking the sweat from his jaw as they relaxed.

"I'm so glad it was you."

Vlad often beat Harry back to coherence, though physically he would be soft and pliant for several hours now with the satisfaction of his mate.

"Hm?"

"I'm happy the bond picked you. You're perfect."

They cleaned up in the bathwater and headed to bed, curling around each other comfortably until sleep came for both. He left early the following morning, but they were only a single day from Hogwarts reuniting them. Draco was pouting over breakfast when Harry descended from his shower, and he banked on his brother having been scolded for scratching. There was a specially assigned elf following him around to clean up the shed skin from his scaly rash; by tomorrow Draco ought to be bedbound from his symptoms, which would only annoy him further.

"Be sure to owl me any homework."

Harry hid his amusement in his bacon, watching Draco scowl at his porridge.

"I'll send it express with Vlad."

"Ah yes, instant transportation through almost any warding magic. Lucky git."

"We don't learn to apparate until next year anyway."

Gesturing with his spoon, Draco frowned.

"That is not the point."

Harry let it go - he'd be frustrated to get sick too. Especially right before they went back to begin studying in earnest for their OWLs. And Draco was a perfectionist, so every lost day would ire him further.

By evening, the rash had begun to worsen into the inflamed bumps that slowly leeched the infection from his body. Draco was miserable, and Harry didn't really blame him - it looked painful.

"I'll send a few nights worth of EZ-Sleep to Georgina with Vlad, I think."

Harry nodded in agreement, trying to imagine falling asleep when no way was comfortable and everything ached or itched or cracked. When Vlad popped back that evening, he was grinning.

"What's got you in such a good mood?"

Draco grumbled, swallowing his medicine with a deep-set scowl and angry rash marring usually smooth features.

"I gave something a try, and George isn't cured but it seems to be helping."

"Tell me!"

"Here."

Vlad tossed a small jar to the grumpy teen, who held it up to look at the clear substance within.

"Water?"

"Phoenix tears. George added them to her bath water and said the itching and soreness was eased massively. You could rub them on like cream but you would need a lot more and it didn't make much difference to using them like bath oil."

"Vlad" Draco stood, the effort clear on his face "I love you."

"Yeah, thought you might. Go on, give it a whirl."

Considering he was grizzling about Vlad being phoenix only that morning, Harry was quite tickled by how much he suddenly loved that fact. Of course, they could get phoenix tears from Severus' lab or Fawkes, but Vlad's were fresh and easily transported via his easy apparition. Draco all but ran up toward his bedroom where a bath would undoubtedly be in order.

"Innovative. I would never have even considered it."

"It was something Charlie said about how phoenix tears are a vital ingredient in almost every dragon healing potion, and how Fawkes kindly donates a jar every few months. Not much else is magically strong enough to heal such magic-resistant creatures. So... I figured it was worth a try. My mum was a bit surprised when I transformed in the kitchen though."

"I can imagine. I dread to think what my transformation would do to her."

Vlad chuckled, thanking Severus as he handed Vlad a few vials of EZ for his little sister.

"I mean, George doesn't seem to need that much sleep but this will at least make sure she can."

Harry agreed - George was usually the first Gryffindor to the table at breakfast, and almost always the most awake person there. Often pouring together bizarre food combinations.

"I better get these to her, and you better be packed for tomorrow."

Harry felt a sheepish smile steal over his face.

"... Almost?"

Vlad rolled his eyes, kissed him and popped out again. It took Draco about an hour to come back down, looking infinitely happier despite no real change to the appearance of his skin - some of the scaly flakes had come off leaving reddened, raw patches behind but he looked unconcerned.

"That is much better."

"Indeed. Perhaps if I can find a way to preserve the tears healing capabilities, it can be sold as a treatment bath oil for the pox."

Draco hummed in agreement, picking up a peppermint hot chocolate and only wincing slightly as he raised it to his lips with a sore patch just inside his elbow.

"You would need to ensure the recipe was resistant to any Potioneers Paper, else you would need to explain the source of your tears. Nor would Vlad give them if you were to overcharge based on it's rare ingredient."

Severus already had parchment out, jotting down ideas when Vlad came back - and naturally agreed to donate his tears to the cause. Once he was done letting them drop into the receptacle, the phoenix hopped up and rubbed his plumed head against Harry with a happy trill. Samael and Fawkes were uncomfortable around each other, but Harry and Vlad never were regardless of their forms.

"I'll come back and give you more each night, since they are better fresh and I'll be out checking on George anyway."

Vlad added when he finally turned back, shaking in the same way his phoenix form would ruffle its feathers. Harry found it endearing.

"Most kind of you."

As there would likely be Auror checks before the majority of students came back, Vlad had to leave until much later when it wouldn't be unreasonable to lock the dormitory door. Harry sat on his bed, stroking the scales of his growing familiar. Lily hissed and coiled around his hand happily, rubbing her head against the inside of his forearm to flick her tongue out, tasting his scent.

"That tickles!"

Vlad landed in his room with a flicker of flames, and Lily immediately reared up to defend her wizard.

"Threat! Threat!"

"It's just Vlad Lily."

Still rearing, Lily eyed Vlad warily, flicked her tongue out.

"Phoenix smells like tasty snack."

"I would like to see you try."

Harry wasn't sure who was more stunned - him, or Vlad - by the vampires hisses that answered Lily.

"Did you just speak Parseltongue?"

-YDHP-

Sorry if it's late. I tried.