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 17
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Harry stared at his cupboard door, rubbing the pendent on his necklace nervously. 'He said he would be back the beginning of July,' he thought uncertainly. 'He didn't say the very beginning though. Maybe he meant the first week? Or maybe he's not coming at all…' Harry felt his anxiety grew and he shook his head, pushing away the worry. 'No,' he thought firmly to himself, chastising himself for thinking such thoughts. 'He promised he would be back.' Harry rubbed his pendent again, not feeling anything.
It was July 1st and school had been out for almost two weeks now. But that really didn't matter to him. He had finished school as one of the tops in his classes. But that wasn't at all important. The Dursleys had left him alone for some months now, sensing no resistance from the blank boy in the cupboard under the stairs. But he didn't care.
What mattered, what was important, what he cared about was that Lest should come tonight and keep his promise.
And if he didn't, the gods help him once Harry saw him again and gave him a piece of his mind.
He rubbed the pendent again, this time a little irritated. He still felt nothing from the pendent, unlike all the other times he had held it since December. Since Lest had left, he often held the pendent in his hand and gained comfort from the other boy's feelings. Even though most of the time the emotions were annoyed or irritated, he enjoyed knowing that he could feel the vampire's feelings. And he enjoyed it even more when Lest responded to his probes, whether with a teasing feeling or annoyance or contentment. Or anything. Sometimes he felt Lest's curious, teasing or sometimes fretful probes when he was in the middle of class but instead of becoming annoyed, as he normally would have, he responded to them joyfully. It brightened his day, knowing that Lest wondered about him at least once a week.
But right now, he was very irritated. The feelings that normally emitted from the pendent were missing, which meant that Lest had taken the necklace off. He couldn't feel anything from it and his worry and anxiety were slowly turning into annoyance and anger.
'I swear to God,' Harry seethed as he scowled at the door, 'when he walks in here, I'm going to slowly cut him up to pieces, put a stake up his arse, roast him slowly…'
"Maybe I shouldn't come in, yes?" an amused voice said from behind the door. Harry jerked, eyes widening, as the cupboard door slowly opened and in came the longtime unseen vampire…
…who was thrown back out again as Harry hurled himself at him…
…hugging him.
"Qye!" Lest gasped as he stared down in shock at the young boy who was hugging him tightly.
"Hi Lest," Harry said in a muffled voice as he hugged his missed friend as tight as he could. 'I'll kill him later,' he thought, rejoicing in the fact that he had his friend back. He felt the older boy's arms go around and hug him back gratefully.
"As much as I like this welcome," the vampire boy said amusedly, "maybe we should go back into your room in case your fat relatives come down here."
"They're asleep," Harry replied but he got off Lest and tugged him into his room, closing the door. He sat down on his cot and watched the older – and taller, he noticed – boy sit down. "So how did it go?" he asked promptly, once the vampire boy was settled.
Lest raised an eyebrow. "Hello to you," he said sarcastically.
"I gave you my hello," Harry said dismissively, still looking at the vampire. "How did it go?" he asked again.
"Straight to the point, aren't you?" the older boy muttered. Harry just continued to stare expectantly at him so he sighed and leaned against the door. "In a word, horrid."
Harry winced. Lest grimaced and nodded.
"They all either wanted power or were just plain idiots," Lest said, closing his eyes. "I could barely stand talking to them for a minute, let alone spending the rest of my life stuck with them. I swear to god, even you would have killed them."
"I don't know," Harry said, smiling slightly. "I don't try to kill you anymore, do I?" The vampire opened one eye to glare at him and he chuckled. "Sorry." He sobered quickly and looked worriedly at his tired friend. "So you have no mate?" Lest nodded, eyes still closed and looking even more desolate. Harry chewed his lip and asked, "So what'll happen?" He swallowed. "Will your dad still…um…"
"My father was just as disappointed as I was with the candidates," Lest replied easily and reassuringly without opening his eyes. "The only one that was even remotely good enough was the Malfoy heir, and like I said, I would rather die than be stuck with that brat for the rest of my life." He sighed and opened his tired blue eyes, looking completely miserable. "They've given me another week to find someone but if I don't…"
"What'll happen?" Harry asked quietly when the blond fell silent.
"The Dazains will take over," he said in a hollow voice. "My family will step down as a leading family and those bastards will take over. And I can't let that happen."
Harry looked worriedly at him. "Dazains?" he questioned softly. The other boy didn't reply and he let the question drop. He studied the vampire. Lest looked incredibly tired, drained beyond his ability. He also had an extremely depressive air around him and Harry was afraid of what might happen to him if he didn't manage to find a mate. Harry swallowed and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "Does age matter?"
Lest shook his head, eyes closed and not seeming to catch Harry's change of voice. "No," he said tiredly. "Some of the candidates were almost a year old. God knows why they give babies up as candidates. I wasn't about to accept any of them though. That family was just going to manipulate the kid to try and use the power. That's all it is to all the candidates, the chance for rare power." He gave a bitter laugh.
"I don't want power," Harry said in a quivering voice. Lest stilled and opened his eyes slowly, staring at him with disbelief in his eyes. Harry was terrified, giving up his freedom…but Lest was his friend. And he had and would never have anyone else. 'Not to mention you hate the fact of anyone taking Lest from you,' a small voice said in his head and he quickly pushed it away. He swallowed and took a deep breath.
"Take me."
The silence stretched.
"Are you out of your mind?" Lest said in a low voice, still staring at him with disbelieving eyes. "Do you have any bloody idea what the hell you're asking for?"
"I've had six months to think about this Lest," Harry said calmly, only a slight quaver in his voice to show his nervousness. "You said it yourself, you want someone like me for a mate. And since you haven't found anyone else in your search…I'm the only way Lest."
"Are you fucking mad?" Lest said sharply, straightening up and looking at Harry angrily. "You have no bloody idea what the hell you're getting if you bond with me. Once you're with me, you're stuck. You'll never have a chance at being with anyone else! Is that what you want?!?"
"I don't have anyone else but you right now Lest," Harry said, still using his calm voice and looking patiently at the furious vampire. "And with the way the Dursleys are raising me, I'm not going to have anyone else. You – and your family – are the only ones I care about." He stopped and let some uneasiness show. "I'm not afraid of being bonded for life Lest. But…maybe you want to be with someone with else later on?"
"Vampires don't change mates, I told you that," Lest muttered distractedly, running a hand through his hair. "We bond for life and stick with it, not looking at anyone else. But you're not a vampire Harry!" Harry flinched, both at the use of his real name and the furious look the vampire was giving him. Lest growled, "You're a bloody human, your emotions can change. What happens if someone comes along, someone you want to be with and you're stuck with me? Huh? Once bonded, you can't go with anyone else. Is that what you want?"
"Lest," Harry growled back, his eyes flashing with irritation. " I just told you, there's never going to be anyone else. Not now, not ever. Why the hell are you resisting?" He stopped and wilted slightly as a new thought came to him. Looking down at the floor, he asked quietly, "Unless you don't want to be with me anymore?"
"Christ, Harry, that's not it!" Lest said in a frustrated voice, raising a hand to run through his hair. "I - "
The hand froze halfway up.
Harry heard a shocked "Oh my god" and looked up at Lest. He blinked.
The vampire boy had a shocked and horrified look on his face, his blue eyes wide and staring at nothing. Harry's brow furrowed and he touched Lest's arm.
"Lest?" he asked worriedly.
The other boy continued to stare wordlessly at nothing before coming out of it. He blinked and stared at Harry. The horror in his eyes grew. Harry grew even more worried. Before he could say anything though, the vampire stood up quickly and fled out the door, leaving Harry staring in bewilderment after him.
"Lest?" Harry repeated softly, confused by his friend.
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"Lest?" Myn asked softly, walking closer to her younger brother's bed and sitting down on it. She looked worriedly at her brother's curled position and laid a hand on her brother's back. She felt a shudder run through him and he curled up even tighter.
Her brother had her worried. He had come running through the front doors, too early from his visit to Qye, and had not even said a word to her or Mother. Worried, she reassured her mother and had come up to find out was wrong only to find him like this. Rubbing his back like she used to do when he was younger, she waited patiently for him to confide in her.
Minutes passed, her still rubbing his back and him still curled up, when he finally spoke.
"I'm a terrible friend, Soror," Lest whispered, still curled up. Myn's worry increased. Lest only called her Soror, "sister" in Latin, when he was really upset.
"What's wrong, Frater?" she asked gently, using her equivalent of "brother" in Latin. Lest said nothing for a few moments then uncurled and shuffled toward her, not meeting her eyes. Myn moved her hand from his back to his hair when he laid his head in her lap. He buried his face in her skirt.
"I should have never told Qye about this entire damn thing," he said in a muffled voice. "I should have made something up, kept him out of this entire damn thing. I'm such an idiot."
"Sometimes," she said, smiling slightly and stroking his hair. "But not in this. Qye would have been hurt if you hadn't told him. And he would find out…our little Qye is too smart to not find out."
"Please don't tell me his good attributes right now," Lest's muffled voice said. "I don't think I can handle that right now."
Myn's brow furrowed. "Why?" she asked, puzzled. Lest didn't say anything and she sighed quietly. "What happened?" she asked quietly.
Lest was silent then sighed and clutched her skirt tightly. "I told him I couldn't find a mate," he said and Myn heard how tired he sounded. She felt a momentary flash of anger at her father and the families for putting her baby brother through all this but she quickly pushed it down. Now wasn't the time for negativity. "I told him how much I wished my mate would be like him and how I needed to find one. And…he offered himself."
Myn's eyes widened. Lest wasn't done though.
"I tried talking him out of him. He didn't know what he was getting himself into." Lest's hand tightened more on her skirt. "I gave him so many reasons for why that was the stupidest thing to do but he just kept arguing, telling me - " He stopped and took a deep breath. "I told him he would find someone else and he asked me if I didn't want to be with him. And…" Lest's voice broke off and Myn heard him take a muffled shuddering breath. She didn't stop stroking his hair.
"And what, Frater?" she probed gently. He was silent for another moment.
Then he whispered, "I love him."
Myn's hand didn't stop stroking. "You just barely figured it out tonight, did you?" she murmured gently.
Lest sprung up and stared in shock at her. She just smiled gently at him as he gaped at her.
"What do you mean, 'I just barely figured it out tonight'?" he said shrilly.
Myn folded her hands in her lap. "Brother, I've known you've loved Qye since the minute you brought him into this house."
Lest continued to gape at her. "I don't mean a brother's love Myn," he said after he managed to regain some of his composure, which he lost again when Myn nodded.
"I know Lest," she said calmly. "You care about him for more than a brother or friend would. I'm not surprised you just figured it out. You always were a little dull when dealing with emotions."
Lest opened his mouth, then closed it and shook his head. He dropped his head into his hands and whispered, "What am I going to do Myn?"
"You're going to accept Qye's offer, of course, and deal with what comes after."
Lest's head snapped up when she told him to accept and he stared at her incredulously. "Are you mad?" he snarled. "He's just a kid, he doesn't know what he's committing himself to!"
"I think you and I both know that Harry is more than just a kid, Lest," Myn said dryly. "And I think he knows what he's committing himself to. He's older than his age Lest, I think you can trust his decisions."
"I'm not accepting!" Lest snapped, his eyes flashing. "I won't do that to him."
Myn shrugged. "You want to leave him with his relatives, watch him grow up abused and give himself over to someone else who will hurt him intentionally, making him believe that they love him? Because that's what's going to happen, brother of mine. All that abuse is going to twist his idea of love. And if it doesn't, are you willing to watch him become happy with someone else, forgetting about you?"
Lest stared down at his coverlet then looked up and met her straight in the eye. "You're horrid Marylin," he said quietly, his blue eyes looking accusingly at her. "The guilt trip, the jealousy…I won't forgive you if he gets hurt because of this. And I'll do my best to make your life a living hell."
"And I'll let you," she replied quietly. Her brother sighed and collapsed on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
"I'll talk to him tomorrow," he said dully. "Maybe I can convince him to take back his offer."
"Good luck," she said and stood up, smoothing her skirts. "You'll need it to change his mind." With that, she left his room.
Once outside, she collapsed against one of the walls and stared at a painting, watching it with tears in her eyes. 'Are you happy now Father?' she thought viciously as she watched the vampires fight over a terrified human. 'Are all of you families happy now?'
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Harry was already in his cot when Lest came in. The boy jerked and blinked, staring in shock as the vampire knelt down beside him.
"Lest?" Harry asked in confusion. The older boy was studying with an odd look in his eyes. Harry met his eyes uncertainly.
"Are you sure you want to do this Harry?" Lest asked him quietly, his blue eyes glowing with a strange intensity as they looked into Harry's.
Harry opened his mouth to ask him what he was talking about but then he closed his mouth. He knew what it was about. Meeting Lest's eyes firmly, he nodded and Lest closed his eyes.
"Do you know what you're giving up?" Lest asked wearily. "You're going to be stuck with vampires for the rest of your life, you won't be able to go with anyone, you'll have to - "
"I know what I'm getting involved with Lest," Harry interrupted. "And it's ok." The vampire boy sighed again and looked at him. "You can always say no, you know," Harry said quietly.
"I know," Lest replied just as quietly. "But I'm not going to."
Harry blinked. Then his eyes widened as he realized what Lest meant. Some unknown weight lifted from his heart and he breathed out a sigh of relief. "What made you change your mind?"
"A lot of things," the teenager sighed, sitting down next to Harry's cot. "Myn being one of them." Harry made a mental note to thank the vampire's sister later.
"Lest?" The older boy looked down at him. "Why did you run out yesterday?"
For a moment, the blond boy said nothing, just looking at him with something new in his eyes. Harry met his eyes evenly, wondering what the other boy was thinking.
"I'll tell you when you're older," Lest finally said. He smiled when Harry pouted, and proceeded to change the conversation to something else.
And for some odd reason, Harry was happier than he had ever been before that night.
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AN: *peers* Um…heh. Draco's going to kill me. *grins sheepishly* I still don't consider this at all pedophiliac. Lest loves Harry, yeah, but he's not doing anything. He's innocent I tells you! *coughs* Um, if you don't like, m'sorry. Please don't stop reading? *gives puppy dog eyes*
(Draco) *lunges for Shades* YOU MUDBLOOD!
(Shades) *eeps and hides behind Harry*
(Harry) *glares at Draco, finally out of bunny costume* I don't know why you're so jealous, you didn't help me from Myn you prat!
(Draco) *winces* B..but it's Myn! *points to Myn who's chasing Lest around with a poodle skirt*
(Harry)…*sighs* You're forgiven. *joins in watching Lest running*