Dead or Alive by Sera
Harry politely averted his eyes as Ron lowered his lips to Hermione's for another kiss. The two of them had been keeping up their touchy-feely display all summer; well, what had passed of summer, for they were just into the second week of the holidays that would last for as long as they chose. They had just graduated from Hogwarts Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hermione, of course, had achieved better-than-excellent grades and in doing so had set a new record as the person graduating with the highest number of N.E.W.T.s ever - eight Harry thought it was, or was it nine? Ron had done well, and Harry had managed as he always did. But it hadn't been the same since Ron and Hermione had started going out - Harry was left out increasingly often, and was beginning to feel like the third wheel in the group.
He rose to his feet, muttered, "I guess you two would like to be left alone now," and stalked from the room with as much of a dramatic exit as he could manage with an audience of none. Turning out of the front door of the Burrow, he paced angrily down the pathway outside, fully intending to walk off his steam and return before it got dark.
Engrossed in his thoughts, he broke into an all out sprint. Run away from it all, he found himself thinking. The thought echoed round inside his head, growing poundingly loud, spurring him on to greater speeds. He ran without tiring, possessed by the growing madness inside him. Unwantedly, his mind continued flicking back to Ron and Hermione. They're probably about tearing each other's clothes off about this time, he scowled bitterly. It's only natural. We are eighteen. He did not notice that the sun had set long ago. With a growl, he threw himself forward -
Right onto a figure standing at the edge of the forest. "What the…" was all the person managed to say before he (Harry could tell by the pitch of the voice) was crushed beneath flailing limbs. Dazed, Harry picked himself up off the boy - then saw who it was.
"Malfoy?" he gaped disbelievingly. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Funny, I was about to ask you the same question," came the scathing reply. Malfoy seemed to have shot up in height over the blissful two weeks in which Harry had not seen him; he now towered a good three inches over Harry, which was somewhat intimidating.
"I asked you first," retorted Harry, distantly aware of how childish this sounded.
There was a snort of laughter. Harry couldn't see the expression on Malfoy's face, nor did he need to. The condescending tone of voice told him all he needed to know. "I live here, if you don't mind. Your turn."
Harry took a step backwards, disoriented. "I'm where??"
"Standing three feet away from the centre of the universe. Well, mine anyway," snapped Draco, sounding royally pissed off.
"I'm at your house??"
"That's right, Scarhead, were you even listening to anything I said? Now get out before I lose my temper and throw you out myself."
Harry pulled out his wand, and with a haughty glance at Draco, Disapparated. Simultaneously, Draco vanished in a cloud of smoke.
The two of them reappeared almost instantly in one of the bathrooms at the Burrow. Harry did a double take as he saw Draco still beside him. "Why the hell are you here?" he hissed, trying to keep things down. He could hear the Weasleys laughing at the dinner table, along with Ron and Hermione shouting, "Harry?! Where are you?"
Ron was starting the journey towards them. "Harry? Why did you run off? Where are you? Geez, man, was it something I said? Well if it was, I'm sorry. Come out now?" He sounded truly plaintive and pitiful.
"They can't find you here; they'll skin you alive," whispered Harry to Draco, who opened his mouth and drawled, "Well, technically…" but was cut off by Harry's hand clamping over his mouth. Harry shuddered involuntarily - his skin was like ice to the touch. The guy must have been standing outside for hours! He thought. As Ron entered his parent's bedroom, they skidded out of the bathroom and into Ron's room. Harry stuffed Draco unceremoniously into a closet, slamming and bolting it from the outside. He ignored the muffled protests and stepped outside.
Ron regarded him strangely as he emerged, but Harry waived his suspicions by exclaiming heartily, "I'm starved! Let's eat!"
An hour and a half later, Harry, Ron and Hermione excused themselves from the table and headed for Ron's room. Ron and Hermione entered first, Hermione giggling as something Ron had whispered in her ear. Harry almost had a heart attack as he swung the door shut and saw Draco Malfoy lounging on the bed, reading a magazine.
"Evening, all," Draco purred, raising himself up on his elbows and tossing aside the magazine. Ron made a strangled noise and moved away from him.
Hermione, reciprocally, edged towards Draco and pouted darkly. "And you are here, because…" she growled, staring ferociously. Draco looked dispassionately back. Meanwhile, Harry was remembering that breathing was an issue. To break the silence, Draco sat up slightly; in the corner of Harry's eye was a swirl of red as Ron flung himself at Draco, knocking him into a supine position and pinning his wrists.
"Don't … even … try … anything … Malfoy," he hissed through clenched teeth, spitting the final word out like a curse; and brandishing a balled fist inches away from Draco's nose. Draco wasn't completely nonplussed, but on the other hand he wasn't exactly plussed either.
"I'm not clear on what it was I was going to try," he drawled, looking amused at this turn of events. "But if you get off my chest, I'll promise not to."
Ron, looking embarrassed, shifted off the bed, while Draco sat up and massaged his wrist. "Weasley, if you had any brains, you'd be asking why I'm here right about now."
Silence.
"Well?" queried Draco, head tilted to one side as he surveyed the three of them through narrowed eyes. From that angle, Harry noted, they were not more than pale slits in paler skin. Malfoy had always looked as if he'd never set foot outdoors in his life, but at this time the shade of his skin had surpassed anything he'd ever witnessed…
His heart raced as the realization struck him that he had indeed seen that tint of flesh before; it was the colour of Cedric's face, right after the Dark Lord had uttered the two words that would end his short and unfulfilled life.
"Malfoy," he stated into the silence. "You're a vampire."
Draco looked surprised and pleased. "Ooh, well spotted, Potter. Glad to see you're not as incredibly stupid as you pretend to be."
Feedback, people! One of these days I will try writing a complete story… probably not sometime soon. Bfn --Sera
Disclaimer: All things Potter belong to the Supreme High J.K. I also adapted a quote from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Don't sue me.
Harry politely averted his eyes as Ron lowered his lips to Hermione's for another kiss. The two of them had been keeping up their touchy-feely display all summer; well, what had passed of summer, for they were just into the second week of the holidays that would last for as long as they chose. They had just graduated from Hogwarts Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hermione, of course, had achieved better-than-excellent grades and in doing so had set a new record as the person graduating with the highest number of N.E.W.T.s ever - eight Harry thought it was, or was it nine? Ron had done well, and Harry had managed as he always did. But it hadn't been the same since Ron and Hermione had started going out - Harry was left out increasingly often, and was beginning to feel like the third wheel in the group.
He rose to his feet, muttered, "I guess you two would like to be left alone now," and stalked from the room with as much of a dramatic exit as he could manage with an audience of none. Turning out of the front door of the Burrow, he paced angrily down the pathway outside, fully intending to walk off his steam and return before it got dark.
Engrossed in his thoughts, he broke into an all out sprint. Run away from it all, he found himself thinking. The thought echoed round inside his head, growing poundingly loud, spurring him on to greater speeds. He ran without tiring, possessed by the growing madness inside him. Unwantedly, his mind continued flicking back to Ron and Hermione. They're probably about tearing each other's clothes off about this time, he scowled bitterly. It's only natural. We are eighteen. He did not notice that the sun had set long ago. With a growl, he threw himself forward -
Right onto a figure standing at the edge of the forest. "What the…" was all the person managed to say before he (Harry could tell by the pitch of the voice) was crushed beneath flailing limbs. Dazed, Harry picked himself up off the boy - then saw who it was.
"Malfoy?" he gaped disbelievingly. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Funny, I was about to ask you the same question," came the scathing reply. Malfoy seemed to have shot up in height over the blissful two weeks in which Harry had not seen him; he now towered a good three inches over Harry, which was somewhat intimidating.
"I asked you first," retorted Harry, distantly aware of how childish this sounded.
There was a snort of laughter. Harry couldn't see the expression on Malfoy's face, nor did he need to. The condescending tone of voice told him all he needed to know. "I live here, if you don't mind. Your turn."
Harry took a step backwards, disoriented. "I'm where??"
"Standing three feet away from the centre of the universe. Well, mine anyway," snapped Draco, sounding royally pissed off.
"I'm at your house??"
"That's right, Scarhead, were you even listening to anything I said? Now get out before I lose my temper and throw you out myself."
Harry pulled out his wand, and with a haughty glance at Draco, Disapparated. Simultaneously, Draco vanished in a cloud of smoke.
The two of them reappeared almost instantly in one of the bathrooms at the Burrow. Harry did a double take as he saw Draco still beside him. "Why the hell are you here?" he hissed, trying to keep things down. He could hear the Weasleys laughing at the dinner table, along with Ron and Hermione shouting, "Harry?! Where are you?"
Ron was starting the journey towards them. "Harry? Why did you run off? Where are you? Geez, man, was it something I said? Well if it was, I'm sorry. Come out now?" He sounded truly plaintive and pitiful.
"They can't find you here; they'll skin you alive," whispered Harry to Draco, who opened his mouth and drawled, "Well, technically…" but was cut off by Harry's hand clamping over his mouth. Harry shuddered involuntarily - his skin was like ice to the touch. The guy must have been standing outside for hours! He thought. As Ron entered his parent's bedroom, they skidded out of the bathroom and into Ron's room. Harry stuffed Draco unceremoniously into a closet, slamming and bolting it from the outside. He ignored the muffled protests and stepped outside.
Ron regarded him strangely as he emerged, but Harry waived his suspicions by exclaiming heartily, "I'm starved! Let's eat!"
An hour and a half later, Harry, Ron and Hermione excused themselves from the table and headed for Ron's room. Ron and Hermione entered first, Hermione giggling as something Ron had whispered in her ear. Harry almost had a heart attack as he swung the door shut and saw Draco Malfoy lounging on the bed, reading a magazine.
"Evening, all," Draco purred, raising himself up on his elbows and tossing aside the magazine. Ron made a strangled noise and moved away from him.
Hermione, reciprocally, edged towards Draco and pouted darkly. "And you are here, because…" she growled, staring ferociously. Draco looked dispassionately back. Meanwhile, Harry was remembering that breathing was an issue. To break the silence, Draco sat up slightly; in the corner of Harry's eye was a swirl of red as Ron flung himself at Draco, knocking him into a supine position and pinning his wrists.
"Don't … even … try … anything … Malfoy," he hissed through clenched teeth, spitting the final word out like a curse; and brandishing a balled fist inches away from Draco's nose. Draco wasn't completely nonplussed, but on the other hand he wasn't exactly plussed either.
"I'm not clear on what it was I was going to try," he drawled, looking amused at this turn of events. "But if you get off my chest, I'll promise not to."
Ron, looking embarrassed, shifted off the bed, while Draco sat up and massaged his wrist. "Weasley, if you had any brains, you'd be asking why I'm here right about now."
Silence.
"Well?" queried Draco, head tilted to one side as he surveyed the three of them through narrowed eyes. From that angle, Harry noted, they were not more than pale slits in paler skin. Malfoy had always looked as if he'd never set foot outdoors in his life, but at this time the shade of his skin had surpassed anything he'd ever witnessed…
His heart raced as the realization struck him that he had indeed seen that tint of flesh before; it was the colour of Cedric's face, right after the Dark Lord had uttered the two words that would end his short and unfulfilled life.
"Malfoy," he stated into the silence. "You're a vampire."
Draco looked surprised and pleased. "Ooh, well spotted, Potter. Glad to see you're not as incredibly stupid as you pretend to be."
Feedback, people! One of these days I will try writing a complete story… probably not sometime soon. Bfn --Sera
Disclaimer: All things Potter belong to the Supreme High J.K. I also adapted a quote from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Don't sue me.