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

Chapter Twenty-Eight – To Unleash…

It was bloody strange being at Hogwarts with the Clans and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry had decided after just one day. And it was bloody annoying as well, he'd decided after two. Now it was a week later and Harry was officially the peacekeeper between the two factions; or rather, he was just trying to prevent bloodshed without offending anyone more powerful than himself so that he wouldn't have to suffer for it. Most of the time it was Harry apologizing for the Humans to the Vampires, not that either were particularly more or less offensive or anything, but placating the Vampires in the castle seemed to be more important than hurting any of the Human's feelings. After all, treaty or no treaty, the Vampires were a little more quick to anger and quicker still at retaliating. Not to forget that the Vampires currently in residence outnumbered the Humans almost ten to one.

Luckily or not so luckily as only time would tell, most backed down from whatever current argument was being had when he walked into the room. As seemed to be the case at the current moment. Remus and Josef seemed to butt heads more than anyone else in the entire castle. Harry didn't know what their problem was, but the Wolf and Elder Vampire were continuously at each other's throats. And he found himself wishing at times that they'd just get over whatever it was that kept them at odds. They were acting like children really.

The two moved away from each other rather quickly when Harry walked into the Great Hall. Whatever their argument was this time, it clearly wasn't heated enough to continue. Harry shook his head as he walked towards the spot Aurelius was sitting with an amused smirk on his lips.

"Encouraging them isn't going to give them any more reason to fight," Harry said dryly.

"Ah, but it amuses me."

"I'm sure. What are they arguing about now?" he asked taking a seat across from his father.

"You of course," Aurelius answered blandly.

Harry turned to look at the two, but they were both ignoring him. "Right," he muttered and then turned back to his father.

"And something or another that you did to Severus Snape?" Aurelius added, questioned really.

"Something or another?" asked Harry and then realized what that might be. "Oh, you mean nearly draining him," he said uncomfortably, but not apologetically. He still remembered vividly how Snape had reacted. He hadn't really had much contact with the man since; he'd thought it might be too awkward, for the man. He didn't feel awkward about what he'd done at all. His un-comfortableness came from the knowledge that he really wanted to do it again.

Aurelius smirked at him. "That good?"

Harry glared at his father for reading his surface thoughts, but declined from giving him a verbal response. Aurelius just laughed at him.

"So," Aurelius said after a long moment where Harry sat watching those in the Great Hall. It was not long after lunch and most had returned to whatever rooms had been assigned to them, but a few were still about, talking, playing chess, rather mundane sorts of things in the light of a war nearly at their doorstep. "What brings you here? I had thought that you and Terinnia were going to be sparring all day?" he added in amusement.

Harry shrugged, not looking at his father. "We did, we're done." He looked back to see Aurelius giving him an odd sort of look, and Harry decided to change the subject to the real reason he was here. "I probably should have mentioned this a little while ago, but there's something… odd about the dungeons. I noticed it when I was Human too," he added quickly. "Has anyone else sensed anything?" he asked carefully.

Aurelius shook his head narrowing his eyes at Harry. "And neither have I."

Harry smiled slightly. "Good, good, I probably imagined the whole thing then," he said rather unconvincingly.

"But you should check it out anyway," Aurelius said, still staring at his son.

"You think?" Harry asked and then shook his head. "It's probably nothing, a stray thought, but you know curiosity and all…"

Aurelius sighed. "Harry, you do not need my permission to go exploring Hogwarts, this is not the manor, there are no sleeping Vampires hidden away here."

Harry laughed shortly. "Right," he said remembering all too well his father's reaction upon waking his brother.

"But on the off chance that something untoward is down there, bring someone…" he paused here and a truly evil look crossed over his eyes. "Bring Severus Snape with you; he seems to be the master of the Dungeons here."

Harry stared at his father and then stood. "You're evil!" He declared and then left the Great Hall to the sound of Aurelius' laughter and the few still there staring after him.

Harry rolled his eyes, but his destination was indeed in search of the Potions Master. His father may have been teasing him, but he had a point, Snape did know the dungeons. And things couldn't remain awkward between them forever. So what if he enjoyed it, he wasn't going to do it again, or at least he had no plans to.

It was a pity though that the one place Snape was at the moment was the one place in the entire castle, Harry had been avoiding. He had found that since he'd become a full-blooded Vampire, he could sense where anyone was in the entire castle so long as he knew them.

Harry concentrated, well not so much, really just thought it and in the next moment, he was appearing though a thin cloud of black in the Headmaster's cluttered office. That was another thing he'd come to notice, Vanishing himself had become so much more easy.

"Apparently, in answer to your question, Albus, yes, he is a typical Vampire," Snape sneered dryly, tea cup halfway to his lips and Harry snorted as he walked across the room and helped himself to a seat in one of the two chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk without being invited.

He turned to Severus, ignoring the Headmaster for the moment. "Not so typical, but I do indulge in the pleasures of my race from time to time," Harry said honestly and then finally looked at Dumbledore. "And why is it that whenever I enter a room, it seems like someone's talking about me?" he added and then shook his head. "Never mind, I did not come up here to talk about me; I want to know about the Dungeons."

"The Dungeons?" asked Dumbledore. "What about them?"

Snape only raised an eyebrow at Dumbledore's question. "Are you referring to that feeling you had?" he asked Harry.

"Feeling?" Dumbledore asked, repeated.

Harry smirked and thought briefly at how long he and Snape could make the old man repeat everything said and then shook his head again. It was not the time or place really. "Yes, feeling. While I was Human wasn't the only time I'd felt it though," he added for Snape. "The first time I was down there with you, I was nearly overwhelmed by the scent of blood, old blood, and lots of it. And it wasn't Human; it was Vampire, Born Vampire."

"It can't be," Snape said, shaking his head. "Born Vampires have not been seen here in Britain for centuries, and even longer at Hogwarts. If something had happened here to a Born Vampire, I would know; the book would have given me the history near the moment I brought it to Hogwarts, as I told you before."

"Well something happened here, something terrible. I was down there earlier; I didn't follow it to its source, but I was getting phantom memories," Harry said seriously. "I don't normally have that gift. Visions sure, but not someone's old memories, and I don't think I should, even after everything. So the blood had to have been charged by magic, which means that the Vampire must have been very strong."

"Are you certain, Harry?" Dumbledore asked. "Hogwarts has always been a school; the Dungeons have always been used as they are now. There would have been a recorded history if a Born Vampire had been killed here."

Harry only nodded. "With your permission, Headmaster, I would like to explore some more, to see if I can ascertain what happened." He didn't really need the headmaster's permission, and would still go even if he said no, but he thought he'd show him that he was at least still polite, if not blood thirsty, he didn't think he'd ever get the Humans in his life over that stigma.

Dumbledore hesitated, but then nodded. "I don't see the harm in it, but don't go alone, bring Severus with you."

Harry almost snorted at the irony. Maybe the old man had noticed that Harry had been avoiding Severus too. He glanced at the Slayer. "If you think that's wise," he said.

"Like I have said, Potter, if I were going to kill you, I would have done so the moment I saw you," Snape said dryly.

Harry snorted as he stood from his seat. He leaned over so that his lips were close to Severus' ear. "That's not what I'm worried about," he said simply and Snape glared at him. He leaned back, smirking at the man. "Well, if you aren't doing anything at the moment, we can go now, if you'd like."

"I'll meet you in the entrance hall in twenty minutes," Snape said, not looking at Harry as he turned back to Dumbledore, clearly dismissing him. Harry gave the man's back a feral smile as he Vanished. He could swear he heard the man grinding his teeth.

Once Harry and Severus had reached the Dungeons, they walked in the direction that, from here, the dim scent was emanating from. As they approached and then passed Severus' quarters, the odor became more pronounce and the atmosphere became heavily charge as if they were standing beside several electrical conductors.

"How can you not feel that?" Harry asked. "Anything with magic should be able to feel how charged the air is down here."

"I feel nothing, Potter, perhaps you are hallucinating," Severus said with a smirk.

Harry shook off a phantom memory and cleared his mind, raising his barriers against them. "I do not hallucinate," he said coolly and they walked on in silence for quite a long while. They went down corridors and up corridors and then finally they found a hall that ended in a plain stonewall, that looked exactly like all the other walls in the Dungeons.

Harry frowned as he looked over it. It seemed as if it were a regular wall, but Harry knew that there was something behind it. The memories were trying to press into his mind and Harry was having a hard time pushing them away. There was so much pain, so much anger…

"A dead end, wonderful, Potter," Snape sneered, bringing Harry sharply out of a phantom memory that had slipped his shields. Harry glared at him and then his glare turned to pure mirth at Snape's next suspicious words. "You didn't bring me down here to get another taste did you, because…"

Harry laughed lowly, his voice echoing of the walls. "Tempting Severus," he almost purred. "Very tempting," he added, sliding towards the man.

Snape stepped back. "You are riotous Potter, really," he said sardonically. "There's nothing here," he added and started to stalk back down the hall.

"There's something behind this wall. And there must be a way through. Perhaps we missed a turn…" Harry muttered to himself.

Severus raised his wand, holding a Lumos Charm so he could see more clearly back the way they had come. "There are no turns, no paintings, and if I'm not mistaken, this entire area is devoid of magic with the exception of the torches. There is nothing here, Harry."

"You are mistaken," Harry whispered as he suddenly realized something he should have immediately and then he shouted sharply. Snape looked at him as if he were crazy. Harry's voice echoed around them, but not from the wall in front of them. Harry didn't hesitate to point that out. "No echo!" He said excitedly and then stepped straight through the wall.

"Harry!" yelled Severus as he disappeared.

Harry turn back and saw that the wall looked just as solid on this side. Evidently, it was like the wall onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, yet he was clearly not in another location, as with the platform at Kings Cross. He could still hear Severus' voice, though it was muffled as if there was a wooden door between them. Fascinating.

"Just walk through it!" Harry yelled back at Severus' shouts and he looked around the hallway he was in. It got darker as it went on since the torches stopped just where he was standing.

"If I could walk through the blasted wall you imbecilic boy, I'd have done so by now!" Severus shouted, with a clear sneer in place, but also clear anxiousness. Was he worried about him?

Harry chuckled in amusement and then made to walk back through again to see if pulling the man through would work. He abruptly found the wall completely solid. He tried Vanishing, but nothing happened. "Shite, Aurelius is going to kill me," Harry muttered and then raised his voice in what he hoped was a nonchalant sort of manner. "I seem to have a problem. I can't get back through."

"What do you mean you can't get back through?" Snape's muffled voice came back to Harry.

"Just that, the wall is solid now!" Harry shouted. "Uh, look, stay there, or get Dumbledore, or Father or something. I'm going to continue on, I think there maybe something down here with me…" And it sure felt that way.

"What? What do you mean you think there is something down there with you?" Harry didn't answer as he cautiously started to move away and down the darkened hallway. "Potter. Potter! Harry! Get back here this instant you fool and talk to me!" Harry stopped listening.

The hallway got even darker as Harry continued down it and it soon became too dark for even his enhanced eyes. He brought forth a rune and formed it to create a ball of fire that floated beside him as he walked. "Hello," Harry called hesitantly as he continued down the corridor towards what he now realized was a very large room. Nothing answered him, but his own dimmed echo.

It was then that Harry realized that the memories had stopped, stopped almost the moment he'd stepped through the wall in fact. He finally reached the room and stepped through the archway into it. He looked around the smooth round walls and saw several torches at evenly spaced intervals.

"Convenient," he muttered and then raised his fist and then opened his hand, splitting the fireball into many small ones and sent them towards each of the torches. Each burst into flame and the room was lit up brightly.

Harry took in the room as a whole as he looked around it carefully. It appeared to be empty, there wasn't even any furniture or adornments, but Harry could feel that he wasn't alone, which was unnerving him quite a bit. And even more so because whatever or whoever was here, it felt like they were reaching for him.

He walked further into the room and then he stopped in his tracks as he suddenly realized what kind of room he was in. If the familiar, yet more elaborate design to the floor wasn't a dead giveaway, the chains that hung from the walls definitely spelled it out for him. Rusted chains for that matter, one that still had old Human blood on it if that was indeed what he was smelling. And there were barely clothed bones beneath it…

Harry immediately backed up towards the tunnel, but suddenly found a wall in his path. He spun around. "Just great," he whispered as he stared at where the doorway was supposed to be and then turned back to the rest of the room.

This Bloodletting Chamber was much larger than the one at the Manor. And there were more spots for blood bags… or Humans to hang. He looked at the center of the room again. There wasn't a slightly raised dais there, but a square indent instead. Was that what he was feeling, an Elder Vampire still asleep and trying to call to him? Like Josef had?

"What the Hell have I walked into?" he whispered to himself.

Harry supposed that it was possible there was someone asleep here, but why. Why would an Elder Vampire be hibernating inside Hogwarts, a Wizarding school? Harry slowly walked toward the middle, keeping his distance from the canals in the stone. They were stained a rusty red. This room had been used, a lot.

He stopped at the middle indented ring that circled the smooth square slab in the center of the floor and then took a nervous step back as he saw the holes that were interspersed throughout the ring and then he looked at the canals that intersected the ring. They didn't just lead to the center, but to other circles with square indents that surrounded the one in the middle. Harry quickly walked back towards the wall. He knew one thing for certain, whether or not there was an Elder Vampire here, or more than one, he was not sticking around to find out.

Harry first tried once again to Vanish from the room, but nothing happened again. Obviously, the room had wards on it that prevented even Vampires from coming and going. He ran his hand over the wall where he knew the archway had been before, but there was nothing but smooth stone. He pushed on the wall, to see if it was pressure activated, but it didn't budge and then he looked to his left and right. The wall looked exactly the same all the way around. Maybe he'd gotten turned around. He walked to the next section of wall and again tried to push on it, but nothing. He did this several more times until he finally stopped and leaned back against the wall in frustration and a little bit of fear.

He kicked the wall behind him with his foot and glared at the center of the room. He was beginning to wonder if this was a trap specifically made for Vampires, as there appeared to be no way out. Harry pushed himself off the wall and then pushed his hands against the wall one more time, this time using a bit of magic. His hands glowed and then he jumped away from the wall with a hiss of pain.

Harry looked shocked down at his right and left hands, which were now covered in blood from tiny pinpricks, and more of it was welling up from deep gashes in the center of his palms. He watched and waited, but it didn't start to heal at all. While he was waiting, he didn't notice the blood running swiftly from two small holes on the other side of his hands and onto the stone at his feet, that was, until he heard it.

He swung around as the sliding noise stopped, but was then followed by another, and then another, and another. Harry watched fearfully as slowly the squares all split in two and each half slid into the floor. It was then he noticed the blood running quickly through the canal towards the center.

"Shite!" Harry quickly ripped off his shirt and wrapped it around his hands, stanching the blood, but he was afraid that the damage had already been done.

He frantically started pushing on all the walls again, remembering his Father's words clearly, from when he'd stumbled across Josef the first time. He didn't need to look in the stone coffins to know that he had just woken several likely very starved Vampires, Vampires that at this very moment would be willing to take just about any blood they could get. He really didn't want to get his blood drained from him again, especially as it would end in his death.

Harry stilled as he felt a presence directly behind him, a very magically strong presence. A sort of familiar presence. He could feel a cool breath on his neck and he didn't dare turn around. "I thank you for releasing us, Childe," a rough voice hissed into Harry's ear and then his head was yanked to the side. Harry cried out as his neck was torn into and his blood was taken from him.

Harry felt strong arms encircle his torso as he grew weaker and was unable to support himself any longer. "Please," Harry found himself whispering as darkness began to cloud is vision. "Please stop, I don't want to die."

Harry was just seeing red when the Vampire withdrew his fangs from his neck. "Then you shall not," he whispered and then lifted Harry into his arms.

Harry tried to struggle as he saw where he was being carried to. "No," he pleaded as he was lowered down into the stone coffin. "Please!"

"Hush, Childe." The Vampire bit into his wrist and held it out to Harry. "Drink, it will make you stronger." Harry shook his head, but the pale wrist was shoved into his mouth, forcing Harry to feed as his instincts took over for his starved mind. "Good, take what you need," he said soothingly.

Harry instinctively brought his hands up to cup the wrist as he drank, he didn't get more than a few mouthfuls of the intoxicating blood before he started to feel drowsy. His hands limply fell to his sides as darkness crept further into his vision and the wrist was removed from his lips.

"Now sleep, my love, I shall return for you," he promised and Harry couldn't fight the compulsion as his eyes closed and he slipped into oblivion.

...

Terin was reading in the sitting room off the rooms meant for her Clan, the Hufflepuff Wing, as the old Wizard Dumbledore had called it. She was rather bored out of her mind and a bit irritated. Harry said that he'd spar with her, and they had for a little while, but the moment she made a motion to initiate something a little more fun than sparring, he had left without so much as a word of excuse. Didn't even look at her.

She wouldn't be the first to admit aloud that the action concerned her slightly, but it did. There was something off about Harry, and had been since he'd nearly died at Lel. Or maybe since he'd woken. Everyone had thought that the amount of Dark Silver he'd been saturated in should have done him in, not that anyone had actually said anything to that fact or she was sure Master Aurelius would have torn their heads off. And then he'd recovered and not only that, but he hadn't even scarred. It was as if it had never happened. Even Master Aurelius bore the scars of the Dark Silver he'd touched. It was very strange.

Terin closed her book calling it a lost cause. She wanted to know what exactly was going on with her friend. She would think it stress or something, but she'd known him a while and even when he was angry he'd never treated her like she was nothing to him, like she wasn't his friend.

She would have asked him earlier, had thought about asking him, but he'd left so fast. But the more she thought on it, the more she'd convinced herself not to wait for him to come back to her. Terin nodded to herself decisively. She was going to go looking for Harry right now and demand answers even if it made him angry.

She was just putting the book she'd been reading back on the low shelf next to her seat when she felt a surge of magic. And then a young man, no older looking then she was appeared in front of her. He wore white tattered robes, and had really long tangled dark brown hair, and his skin was a bit dusty, but it took away from his too ethereal beauty absolutely nothing. She dropped the book and scrambled to stand as the Elder Vampire stepped towards her.

"You are his friend," the Vampire hissed lightly, raising his hands to cup her face, Terin flinched slightly. She could feel the Vampire's magic wash over her skin as he touched her. "Do not fear me, Childe, I will not harm you. He released us from our prison and he, all of you, shall be rewarded."

"Forgive me, Master, please where is Harry?" Terin asked trembling slightly.

The Elder released her and stepped away. "He is resting now. I will awaken him again when I am back to my full strength," he said as he looked around the room. "This castle has changed much. What year is it?" he demanded.

"Nineteen Ninety-Eight, Master," Terin answered timidly.

"Too many years, I have been imprisoned," he growled. "Curse you Cantus!"

Terin flinched back and then sighed in relief when the Elder disappeared. She'd never been in the presence of an Elder so powerful before and that was saying something since she was quite often in Master Aurelius' presence. What had Harry done? What had he unleashed? Terin stilled as he recalled what he'd said. Harry was resting… Sleeping!

Terin tore out of the room in search of her father or Aurelius, or anyone who knew where in Hogwarts a sleeping chamber might be, because that was surely where they'd find Harry. She didn't have to go far and ran into Severus Snape running from the opposite direction, but clearly, like her, towards the stairs that lead to the Great Hall.

Author's Note: To Be Continued…