Title: Opacre
Author: Shades
Rating: PG – 13 with maybe some R
Summary: Harry Potter had no friends until Hogwarts…or so he thought. Darkness engulfs Harry at age 5…but not evil. This is the past, and of a secret Harry held close without knowing it…SLASH
Disclaimers: Do I need to tell you that I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters? I do? Well, it belongs to J.K. Rowling, a wonderful author. I only own Lest Opacre, his family, and anything related to him. The rest belong to her.
Author's Notes: This will be slash. Between two boys. Not the shagging kind, all sex but feeling. Harry will be 10 when feelings of that sort come around, but nothing before that. NO NO NO! No pedophile!! No shagging in this story! Clear? No flames against that, OK? Flames against plot maybe but none of pedophile because I don't endorse that, constructive criticism and reviews welcome.
------- = Change of Scene
~~~~~~ = Flashback
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Chapter 15
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"I is free, I is free!" Harry crowed gleefully when Lest came over on his last day of school. He was grinning widely and bouncing on his cot, looking extremely pleased with himself, not to mention a little relieved. Lest raised an eyebrow.
"Lose more of your sanity today?" inquired the blond vampire as he settled down, staring at Harry bemusedly. 'What's got him so happy?' Lest thought, watching the eight-year-old smile happily at him. Usually when he came to visit the boy was either annoyed with something or the other, or hurt and trying to cover it up with sharp words and sarcastic remarks. The teenage vampire had never seen him look happy when he came through the cupboard door but Lest made sure he was before he left through the door.
Instead of glaring or scowling as his usual response to Lest's teases, Harry merely stuck out his tongue and grinned more. "Nope," the young boy said cheerfully, settling down a bit and beaming at the vampire. "Today probably constituted as one of the best days of my life because I never have to see the cow's, a.k.a. Mrs. Furan, face again." Harry grinned. "Not to mention I got her back for the hell she's put me through this year."
Lest smiled slightly, knowing how much Harry disliked the blond teacher that seemed to dislike him even more after the "blue-haired incident" that he had told the vampire about. "Dare I ask?" Lest grinned back.
Harry's smile grew broader and a wicked gleam entered his green eyes. Leaning forward, he began to whisper about all the horrid things he had done to her hair accessories and how she would only find out after she put them on. Lest leaned closer, listening and laughing occasionally as the young boy told him about a particular trick he had done to an often-used accessory. His mind, however, was dimly thinking about how he and the black-haired boy had become closer.
'I certainly never expected this type of relationship when I approached him,' Lest thought in the back of his mind as he laughed at Harry's pranks on his unsuspecting ex-teacher. 'I thought it would only last a couple of weeks, maybe some months…has it really been almost four years since I've met him? It feels like just yesterday he was threatening me with me with a 'stick up the arse,' as he so subtly put it.' Lest grinned more. 'Not that he doesn't still do it…'
~~~~~~
Lest was calmly reading one of his textbooks in the library when Harry burst in, slamming the door behind him and leaning against it, breathing heavily. Startled, Lest looked up to see what was the matter…
…and bit his lip to keep from cracking up. Harry had rogue, eyeliner and what appeared to be a shiny pink lip-gloss while his hair had bows in it. What made it more ridiculous was the fact that he had a pink sweater half on while having on a male's t-shirt underneath and jeans.
"If I hear so much as a cough from you Lest," the young boy said in a deadly snarl, glaring at the boy vampire whose shoulders were shaking from suppressed mirth, "I'll stick a damn stake up your bloody arse."
Lest coughed.
~~~~~~
"SPIDER!"
Lest didn't bat an eyelash. He just glared at the grinning green-eyed boy. "You know the story of the boy who cried wolf, don't you?" he growled, crossing his arms and looking mock-sternly at the younger boy. Harry just grinned and shook his head.
"Nope," he said cheerfully. "Maybe you should tell me? Like a bedtime story?" He grinned even wider.
Lest eyed him. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked bemusedly. "I've never seen you this…active…before." He paused. "Well, except when Myn was chasing you with her paints and doll's clothes." That wiped the grin off Harry's face, replaced by a pout.
"Shut up," he muttered, crossing his arms and leaning up against one of the walls of his cupboard. "And you run just as much as me." Lest rolled his eyes and raised himself to his full sitting height.
"I don't always run," he said smugly. "I, unlike you, rebel against the grief that Myn puts us through. So…" He stuck out his tongue at the younger boy, making him laugh. He smiled and his mind wandered again.
'I've grown so affectionate,' he though as he watched Harry laugh at his childish antics, which he only performed for him though he doubted the boy knew it. 'Two years ago, I would have scoffed at someone sticking out their tongue – especially at my age! – but now…I do things that I would never have done before.' Lest was confused. He didn't know when his attitude began to change. And what's more, he didn't know why he felt so strongly for his companion. And he knew he did…
~~~~~~
Lest looked up at the knock on his door. He glanced at his clock and blinked. 'It's 3:45 in the morning,' he thought as he put down his book and walked to his door. 'Who in the world…Myn is with Mother at a girls' gathering, Father is at a Council with the other heads and Harry - '
Harry was right outside his door.
Blinking in shock, Lest looked at the boy who was looking down at his shuffling feet, dressed in some of Lest's old nightclothes and not looking at the teenager.
"Harry?" he asked softly, and a little worried. When the boy didn't answer, he furrowed his brow and felt even more worried. "Shouldn't you be in bed? It's late."
"I couldn't sleep," Harry muttered, still looking at his feet. "I mean, I was asleep but the night - " He stopped before he could finish. Taking a deep breath, he looked up and slightly frightened green eyes that were trying to be brave met Lest's. "Can I sleep with you?" the young boy whispered, a slight blush growing on his pale face.
Taken aback, Lest stared at wordlessly at the child. The silence grew and the blush grew more on Harry's face. He looked down and mumbled, "M'sorry, I'll go back to my room now." He turned to go and Lest snapped out of his stupor.
"No, wait, Qye," he said, grabbing one of the boy's arms. Harry turned around, still looking at the ground. Lest pulled him into his room. "You can sleep here if you want. I have no problem with it."
Harry raised his eyes from the ground, the emerald orbs growing in shock before relief and gratitude filled them. He opened his mouth but Lest pushed him towards his bed.
"I hardly sleep at night," the vampire said gruffly, pushing Harry onto his bed. It was a pure lie. Lest had been just about to go to bed when the black-haired boy had knocked…but Harry wasn't going to know that. "You can take my bed." The young boy protested but Lest could see the fatigue in Harry's sleepy eyes and he quickly overrode the resistance.
Once Lest made sure Harry was tucked in and sound asleep, he settled back in his armchair, picking up his book but not opening it. Instead, he stared at the sleeping boy. 'You were going to say nightmares,' he thought, studying Harry's peaceful sleeping face. 'What scares you so much in those nightmares that you come to me?' For some reason, the thought that Harry had come to him for comfort from the nightmares warmed him. Of course, no one else was home but still. Lest continued to study the younger boy for a few more moments before sighing and opening his book.
Lest made sure Harry slept peacefully that entire night.
~~~~~~
"Are you on this planet or what?"
Lest blinked. Then he yelped when he noticed that Harry's face was mere centimeters from his own, the twinkling green eyes staring into his own. He scrambled backwards, breathing heavily, as Harry snickered.
"Don't do that," Lest wheezed, clutching his chest. Harry snickered more. "What the hell is the matter with you? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
"Oh, I stopped trying years ago when you wouldn't die," Harry said cheerfully. "And I've been like that for about a minute and you just barely noticed when I spoke." The smile faded and Harry looked quizzically at Lest. "Something wrong?"
"Besides green-eyed midgets trying to scare me to death?" Lest muttered under his breath. He ducked a swing from Harry, his lips twitching as he tried to force back a grin. "I'm fine, thank you. Can't a person think?"
"You can think?" quipped Harry. Now he ducked a swing from Lest. "Sorry." He tilted his head and looked curiously at Lest. "What were you thinking about?"
Lest shrugged. "Nothing big. Little things that randomly burst into my head." He glanced at his watch and sighed regretfully.
"You have to go?" Harry asked before Lest could open his mouth. He nodded and the green-eyed boy sighed, looking a little regretful himself. "Okay then," Harry muttered, laying on his cot and watching Lest as he stood up and dusted himself off. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"
Lest nodded and shot a quick smile at Harry before exiting. After closing the door, he waited outside for a few minutes, reading Harry's mind and making sure that his thoughts would lead him to pleasant dreams. Then he reached into his pocket and went home.
-------
Weeks passed and Harry greeted Lest with a "Happy Birthday, you damn nosferatu git" on July 31. Lest replied with a "Happy Birthday to you too Qye, you bloody annoying brat." As Lest closed the cupboard door, Harry noticed that the blonde vampire seemed a little depressed. Before he could comment on it though, Lest handed over a silver wrapped and red tied present. Harry handed over his own brown wrapped present before he eagerly opened his gift.
Lest's gifts were always amazing and never ceased to awe him with their magical qualities. This year's gift was no exception. As he finally pulled away the last of the wrapping, a black notebook with gold-trimmed paper was revealed, along with a tawny quill that's tip was a dark green. As Harry watched, the dark green changed to a midnight blue, then to a blood red, a bright orange, a sky blue and finally stopping on a calm purple.
"The ink changes to the color of whatever the writer wishes it to be while that notebook never runs out of paper but always manages to keep the same size," Lest said quietly, still unwrapping his present.
"Where in the world do you get all these things Lest?" Harry asked curiously, noting that the vampire still seemed to be depressed about something. He also noted that at his question, Lest seemed to tense up and look slightly uneasy.
"Someplace," Lest replied evasively. The teenager's eyes widened when he finished unwrapping his gift. Harry looked proudly at his gift, pleased he could give something to his friend that wasn't a trinket or cheap-looking. The choker was made out of interlocking steel circles that felt as soft as silk but as hard as diamond.
"Qye," Lest said in a hushed voice, still looking shocked at the necklace. "Where on earth did you get this? And how the hell did you pay for it?"
"The Dursleys give me pocket money sometimes when they're in an extremely good mood," Harry said. "I've been saving it up and I was looking through a store while Aunt Petunia was with Dudley, trying to find trousers big enough to fit him for school. This clerk girl came up to me and shook my hand, blushing. After I stared at her – she's the bloody 3rd person to do that this week! - she blushed more and asked me if I wanted anything. I wasn't going to say anything but I saw that and I remembered Myn telling me you that you always wanted a choker. I first thought I couldn't afford it but the clerk girl asked me how much I had. I apparently had enough so I bought it and she wrapped it for me."
Lest was silent, still staring at the choker in his hand. 'Doesn't he like it?' Harry thought, his pride at finding a good enough gift beginning to fade into nervousness and embarrassment. 'I thought he would like it…'
"I do like it," Lest said, lifting up his head and giving a small smile to him. "Stop being such a worrywart, Qye, it doesn't become you." He unclasped the choker, put it around his neck and reclasped it. Harry was relieved to see that the choker was apparently a perfect size.
"So you do like it?" he asked happily, forgetting to scowl at the vampire for reading his mind. Lest nodded, still smiling a small smile and Harry grinned. His grin faded however when he saw that depression was deep in the other boy's eyes. He frowned and leaned forward. Lest raised an eyebrow but Harry was determined to find out what was bothering his friend.
"Alright, spill Lest," Harry growled, looking intensely at the older boy. "What's wrong?"
Lest opened up his mouth, obviously to deny anything wrong but Harry just gave him a look that said 'give up, you're not leaving until you tell me' and he sighed. "Do you really want to know?" the vampire muttered, leaning against the door of the cupboard and closing his eyes. Now that he wasn't hiding his feelings, Harry saw that the other boy looked complete tired and upset, drained emotionally.
Harry scooted closer to the boy, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them while looking at Lest. "Tell me Lest," he said quietly.
The older boy was silent for a few moments then he sighed again and opened his eyes. Harry reeled as he saw how much bitterness and misery lay in the tired blue eyes of his friend. 'What could cause him this much pain?' Harry thought as he stared into the defeated eyes. Then he felt a surge of anger at the cause. 'I'll kill whoever did this to him, vampire or no.'
"My 15th birthday is next year," Lest murmured, breaking eye contact with Harry. "I won't be able to be here because I have to - " - his lips twisted as if tasting something foul – " – I have to bond with my mate."
"What?" Harry asked, shocked. He felt a flash of…something…but he quickly ignored it and looked at Lest. "What do you mean mate?"
"Don't you know what 'mate' is?" Lest asked. Harry looked at him in annoyance. "Right. Sorry, forget who I was talking to." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well I have to bond with one next year. Every vampire goes through this process when they find the one they want to be with. In my case, I have to do it at fifteen for three reasons. One, I'm from a leading family of vampires – don't ask Qye, I can't tell you a thing about it unless you're a vampire or part of the family by marriage. Two, I'm the eldest son which means it's my 'duty' to preserve the line so I have to have a mate. And three…I come from a very traditional family and Father would kill me if I didn't perform this damn ceremony. Literally."
Harry swallowed. 'And I thought Uncle Vernon was strict,' he thought weakly, looking at Lest who had closed his eyes and leaned his head against the door. He swallowed again then asked, "Why at fifteen though? Isn't that a bit…um…young?"
"Glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks so," Lest muttered, not opening his eyes. He sighed and raised his hands to rub his face tiredly. "I don't know why at fifteen. It's something about the genetics. Myn should know. I really don't care why…it just is." He was a quiet for a moment. "I really don't want to go through it," he murmured.
"Can't you, I don't know, divorce or something?" Harry asked hopefully, trying to find a way out for the dispirited vampire. Seeing Lest look so miserable…it just wasn't right.
Lest gave a bitter laugh. "It's permanent. When a vampire bonds…it's like a wolf. You bond for life. Even if your mate dies, you can't replace them."
Harry stared at the floorboards. 'This isn't fair,' he thought dully. He felt another flash of something go through him but he was too out of it to know what it was. He didn't know of a way to get Lest out of this.
"Do you already have a mate then?" he asked quietly after a few minutes of silence, still looking at the floorboards.
"No, not yet," Lest said softly. "I have to start looking for one soon." The vampire looked at Harry. He must have been radiating distress because Lest asked in a lighter voice, "Do you know any girls or guys who want to bond a vampire for life?"
Harry jerked his head up, eyes widening. "Guys?" he squeaked.
Lest's eyes narrowed slightly but he nodded. "Yes, a mate can be male or female. It doesn't matter because the bond makes it so that the mate – if bonding a male vampire – is able to…ah…reproduce." At Harry's shocked look, he shrugged. "Don't ask me how, it just does it somehow. Of course, the mate has to be living. A vampire can't mate with another vampire."
Harry's head spinned but he managed to get another question out. "But your mum's a vampire. How can she and your dad be married if she's a vampire?"
"A mate can become a vampire after the ceremony but not before," Lest explained. "Again, don't ask, I have no clue. All I know is that after mates get turned, they receive all the privileges of being a vampire rather than just the partial ones that come with being a mate."
"Privileges?" Harry asked in a dazed voice, trying to absorb all the information.
Lest nodded. "A mate of a vampire gets some of the abilities that a full vampire gets. They have quicker reflexes, move faster, some telekinesis and a limited amount of telepathy as well as quicker healing. There might be more but that's all I know."
Harry shook his head and rubbed his temples, trying to digest all this. "With all those benefits," he muttered, "I can't see how hard it is to find a mate. Anyone would jump for a chance like that."
"That's the problem," Lest sighed. "They want the benefits, the power…they don't care about the vampire…about me." The blond looked dismally at the floor and murmured, "If I have to go through this, I want to be with someone who wants to be with me and doesn't give a damn about what the extras are." He barked a mirthless laugh. "Might as well wish that I don't have to go through this." He glanced at the time and sighed, getting up.
"Time to go?" Harry asked quietly, looking up at the older boy. Lest nodded.
"I'm sorry I brought you down on your birthday, Qye," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have told you." Harry scowled up at him.
"What kind of friend would I be if I let you down on your birthday?" Harry said indigently. Lest smiled slightly.
"I hope my mate is someone like you Qye," Lest said. Then he sighed and walked out, obviously still miserable. As the door closed, Harry looked thoughtfully at the vampire.
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AN: *looks up* O la la, do I sense the beginning of something in this chapter. Mr. Coldheart is melting...Anyway, still on about NO PEDOPHILE rule in this story. Lest just feels strong affection for Harry, like a young bro. Just needed to write that in case anyone got a bad idea from this chappie.
(Lest) STOP CHOOSING ROCK!!
(Shades) That's it! *pushes Lest and Draco* No more 'rock, paper, scissors'! You two are going in there right now and saving me poor Harry! Or I really will hook Harry up with Seamus!
(Lest and Draco) *snarl but sigh resignedly*
(Harry) *squeaking* helpmehelpmehelpme!!!
(Draco) *grimly* On the count of three, we'll break the door down. I'll scoop Harry up and take him to another fic and you'll deal with Myn.
(Lest) *begins to nod then stops* Hey! Why do I have to deal with Myn?!?
(Draco) *growls* She's your sister!
(Lest) *glares* So?
(Draco and Lest) *begin to argue again*
(Shades) *mutters* I'm going to kill them. That's all there is to it. No, wait, I'll castrate them, chop them into little pieces, give them to Kaiba and my bloody-thirsty rabbits, then I'll hand them over to Ron and Sirius and then I'll kill them…*trails off into darker mutters*