Title: Blood
Author: Artemis Luna Diana
E-Mail: artemislunadiana@yahoo.com
Rating: R (eventual NC-17)
Pairing: HP/SS
Disclaimer: I own not a thing.
Summary: Thrust into the distant past and turned into a vampire against his will, Harry struggles to understand what he has become and tries to fill his one desire: to get home.
WARNING!!!!
THIS STORY CONTAINS ELEMENTS OF SLASH!!!!
IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT OR WITH THIS PARTICULAR PAIRING… LEAVE NOW!!!!
Thanks to: snapeysnapesnape for the excellent beta.
My beta and I both agree, this chapter is very angsty and sad for Harry. A tissue might be required. I repeat! Tissue Warning!
Chapter Three: Tears of Blood
last time…
"Harry!" he heard a familiar voice shout.
"Jason!"
"What happened?" Jason ran towards him, but he paused a few feet away. "By the Goddess. You're the Rector Lamia."
***
Harry, Donny, and Jason – who wouldn't let Harry out of his sight – stared down at the three bodies in the chamber. Harry had laid Alcoyne down on her back with her hands upon her chest. Eric and the woman – whom Harry vaguely recognized as someone who had only recently entered the transition – still lay in a bloody mess where they had fallen.
"You performed the ritual together," Donny said after inspecting Alcoyne's body. He looked at Harry's neck. "And you haven't sealed her bite yet," he admonished.
Harry lifted a hand to his neck in surprise, pulling away bloody fingers from the wound. He quickly sucked the blood from his fingers and swiped the saliva-coated tips across the wound. It sealed instantly.
"I knew you would eventually become the Rector Lamia, Harry, but I never thought it would be so soon. You haven't even fought in battle yet," Donny said concerned. "Thankfully, you have the respect of almost everyone in the coven. Your willingness to teach the young ones has paid off. I don't suspect that anyone will demand you hand over your position to someone else."
The three were silent a moment. "Damn," Jason swore softly.
Harry glanced over at him.
"Sorry. It's just such a big shock. I kind of figured you'd become the Rector Lamia, too, but like Donny said. Not this soon."
"Well it's not like I wanted it to happen this way," Harry snapped. "Matter of fact, I didn't want it at all!"
There was a moment of awkward silence before Donny spoke again. "We need to take the bodies above to be burned."
"No, wait!" Harry said, stopping Donny from leaving the room. "I don't want Eric or Alcoyne's bodies burned."
"Why not?" Donny asked shocked.
"I want them buried. I didn't like the idea of Quentin being burned either, but I had no say. I have a say in this. I don't want them burned. Take the girl, but leave them here for now."
"What are you going to do?" Jason asked.
"I'm going to go down to the lowest level and add on a bit," Harry replied.
"Add on?" Donny asked. "How? It takes months to create a new cave."
"Don't move them. I should be done soon," he said and left the room.
"What is he going to do?" Donny demanded.
"Why are you asking me?" Jason snapped. "How am I supposed to know?"
"You are his friend aren't you?"
"That doesn't mean I know what he's doing!"
Donny growled and stalked from the room.
Jason sighed. "What in the Goddess's name is he planning on doing?" he muttered. "Honestly. Burying bodies."
***
The coven was divided into two parts: one above ground and one below. Due to the nature of vampires, the largest area was the one below ground. The smaller, upper area contained a few dwellings for those of Daylight Years, the above ground home of the Rector Lamia, the clearing – where most celebrations were held – and a few recreational areas.
Below ground was the large common area where all meetings and meals – for those in the birthing – took place. Beneath the common area were the training chambers. There was also one classroom on this level that Harry and Quentin had set up while the latter had still been alive. Beneath that level were some of the recreational areas, the healing areas, and the religious centers. Below them were the beginning of the dwelling levels. There were twenty levels set aside for living space. Some were large for those with mates and children, others were smaller for those with students – turned vampires – and the smallest rooms were for those who were on their own in the transition. Beneath the living levels were the last of the recreational areas, the underground lake, and the underground home of the Rector Lamia.
Harry quickly descended down to the cavern containing the lake. He stopped at the water's edge. He frowned. He was worried that if he pulled the rocks from beneath the lake up to form an island, that it would cause damage to the structure of the entire coven. Which left him one option: conjuring, turning the magic around him into something solid and permanent.
He walked into the lake, stopping when the water reached his waist. The water was freezing, already numbing his toes. He closed his eyes to concentrate better. He could feel the magic pulsing around him. For whatever reason, it was easier to do familiar magic the closer you were to the Earth's core. The deeper underground you were, the more powerful the spells you could do. Wand magic was just the opposite. The higher up the spell caster, the stronger the spell.
He painted the image of the cavern into his mind, taking the time to make sure that the image was the best he could do. He could feel pinpricks in his legs, but did not hurry the process. Keeping that image firmly in mind, he began a new picture: how the cavern would look after the magic was done. He made sure to deepen the lake, so the water being displaced by the island wouldn't flood the coven. Once the image was firmly in his mind, he began to merge them together. He could feel the magic pushing against him, fighting the change.
He couldn't say how long he stood there molding the magic into his image, but when he next opened his eyes, the cavern was just how he'd imagined it. He looked down at himself, unable to feel his body. The water was up to his chest. He'd misjudged the depth. His body was shivering, and when he turned to swim back to the shore, his muscles burned.
When he emerged from the water, he cast a drying charm on himself as well as a few warming charms. He turned and looked back at the island. There were no structures on it, just a gentle almost sloping surface rising above the water. It was at least a hundred feet across and about twice as long. It was low enough to appear to be floating on the water, yet high enough so that it didn't look as though it was sinking.
The warming charms were doing wonders for him, and he readied himself to continue. He had to make the path to the island as well as the structures and the dirt and grass. Carefully taking in the image of the cavern as it was, he added into his head the crystal path across the water. The path was flat and looked like ice, but was not slick or wet. It did not stretch down into the water, but floated on top of it, connecting at the shore of the island and the shore of the cavern to keep it in place. He opened his eyes. He studied the newly created path before giving an unconscious nod of approval. He cast strengthening charms on the path to prevent it from breaking or moving.
Once he was done he walked onto the path. He stopped a few feet away from the island's edge. He conjured dirt, grass, trees, and moss, then spelled them to not require sunlight to survive. Next he conjured tall torches to bring light to the island, as well as columns and arches and paths to bring beauty to the final resting place of the vampire leaders. He brought no flowers, no superficial items of beauty. The island did not need it.
He walked towards the far end of the island and conjured two stone coffins that rested side by side above ground. He did not create the lids; he wanted to wait for the bodies to be placed inside first. He looked around. He could add more later if he desired, but this would do for now. He turned and walked towards the crystal path. He would add something for Quentin later, when he had more strength, and was better suited to the task.
***
Harry walked back up to the upper living levels where the home of the woman had been. He walked in and found two healers working on the bodies of the two former Rector Lamias. It was custom to ready the bodies for the battles in the afterlife, and as such, the bodies must be healed of all injuries. They were then dressed in their battle armor and robes, and laid with their weapons upon a pyre. They would lay upon the pyre for one day and one night, with elven spells cast to prevent decay, as the vampires paid their respects to their fallen leaders. After that day and night had passed, the bodies would be burned. Elven spells insured that the weapons were burned as well.
This time instead of lying on a pyre, they would be placed in the stone coffins. After the day and night had passed, the lids would be created and sealed over to prevent anything or anyone from getting to the bodies. The two healers looked at their new Rector with expressions of curiosity on their faces. Not only because of his young age, but because he was breaking with custom.
If Harry had tried this only three hundred years before, he would have met with much resistance. The vampires had believed that the soul must be set free from the body's shell, hence the burning. However, the soul must be prepared to face the battles of the afterlife so the armor and the weapons must be burned. The vampires believed that after so many years of being with someone that a weapon becomes a part of that person. The souls of the weapons and armor must be freed from their physical shells as well.
Now, with the passage of time, that system of belief had somewhat fallen apart, as the vampires whom had left the coven returned with tales of other cultures. Coming as he did from the future, Harry's system of belief followed one of burying the leaders of a people in state, not burning them. Also, during the hundred some odd years that Harry had been in the past, he had influenced those around him with hints of his own beliefs and customs, though he'd never come out and said what his people believed or where he was from.
The coven had become very open about religion, though most vampires chose to follow either the Norse way of thinking or the Earth Goddess – the original beliefs of the vampires. There was a small following for the Greek gods, and a small group that followed the Warrior's Way. Those two were the second largest religions. There were even a few Jews.
Harry waited patiently until the healers were done, then levitated the bodies and took them down to their final resting place. Once the bodies were secure in their stone coffins – minus the lids of course – Harry left to find Donny. It was odd, and Harry wondered if all the Rector Lamias had been able to do it. He instinctively knew exactly where the oldest vampire was. There was no searching involved. He wondered who he could ask about this.
Harry told Donny to announce that the bodies were ready for viewing in the lake cavern. Donny gave him a curious, slightly confused look, and then did what he was told. Harry retreated to his new underground home; he had much to think about.
***
The underground home of the Rector Lamia consisted of three rooms: a bedroom, a receiving room, and what passed for an office in this time period. The receiving room was like a waiting room for those who wished to speak to the Rector. It also served as a meeting room. The Rector could discuss issues with the religious leaders of the coven there for example. The office area is where Quentin had kept records of things he'd done in his capacity as Rector Lamia. Stepping into the room, Harry got the impression that Eric hadn't used it much. The bedroom contained a simple wooden bed and a bureau that reached about waist-height and was about four feet long.
Yui hadn't said anything since they had returned to the coven; she had remained coiled about his arm as was her preference while he had done his tasks. Now he set her upon the bureau and turned to study the bed.
'Are you alright?' she asked quietly.
'Yes,' he replied after a moment. Making up his mind quickly, he decided to clean out the rooms and change things to his liking. He stripped the bed of its coarse sheets and blankets, carried them out to the receiving room, and dumped them on the floor. He transfigured the bed itself into one a little more stable made of cherry wood, though it remained simple looking. He transfigured the straw mattress to a more modern one, then conjured some cotton sheets and a comforter – all a dark, navy blue. He conjured four soft, feather pillows – as apparently Eric and Alcoyne hadn't used pillows – then conjured matching pillow cases to cover them.
He emptied the bureau, tossing all the clothes on top of the pile of sheets in the receiving room. He left his rooms and walked up to his old rooms on the fourteenth level. He gathered all of the belongings he'd left behind when he'd begun his journey and carted them down to his new home. He put all of his clothes away, and set his few keepsakes on top of the bureau beside Yui: a throwing knife from Lorna, two scrolls of Greek writings from Quentin, a dream ball from Newt, and a vial of the Waters of Raveya from Illiona and Skya.
Harry touched the tiny dream ball and a slight smile crossed his face. He believed this was the beginning of the pensive; a ball full of liquid that was used to store dreams. You place the ball underneath your pillow or place it on a chain around your neck before you fall asleep and the ball records your dreams. The dreams can be viewed with a simple thought. Harry figured that once wands were invented, the dream ball would become obsolete. He frowned, wondering when the switch from familiar to wand was going to take place.
He picked up Yui and placed her on the bed. It would be easier for her to get down from the bed than it was to get down from the bureau – besides the bed was more comfortable anyway.
Next, he emptied out his pockets and resized his belongings. He leaned his staff against the bureau, and walked into the office. He had placed his journals in six stacks on the floor while he finished with the bedroom. When he walked in, he added the journals from his travels to one of the stacks and began going through the scrolls and bound parchments that Quentin had left. He sorted through them, placing the more personal writings aside to be stored elsewhere.
He conjured several ceiling-tall bookcases and placed charms on them to prevent decay and destruction. Then he sorted through his own writings, placing his journals apart from his studies. He created a safe of sorts and stored Quentin's personal writings inside, with charms to preserve them, then sealed it. He transfigured one of the tables into a desk and placed it up against one of the walls. He put his writing materials away. He enlarged the remaining table and placed it in the center of the room. He transfigured the three chairs to more comfortable and sturdy ones – pushing two up to the center table and the other to his desk.
Just as he finished, he sensed someone walk into the room. He turned and a slight smile crossed his face. "Hello, Illiona."
"Hello, Harry."
"I guess someone told you what happened."
"Yes."
Harry sighed and sat down at the table. He gestured toward the other seat and Illiona sat down. He rubbed his hands over his face then stared at the elf. "I'm so unprepared for this."
Illiona smiled slightly. "I'm sure that all the Rector Lamias before you have felt the same way."
"I don't know how to lead them."
"You already lead them. You have always been an important figure to every vampire in the coven. They all knew that eventually you would lead them. You are their teacher, their guide. You have already done this. Becoming the Rector Lamia just makes it official."
"Teaching the younger ones is not the only duty of the Rector Lamia," Harry replied. "I have never been in a battle, yet I will be required to lead them when it becomes necessary. I also have the task of making sure that we don't end up at war with anyone. The werewolves are a lost cause, and I don't want anyone else to feel the same way they do."
Illiona shook her head. "No one could. The hatred between werewolves and vampires is legendary."
Harry gave an amused smile. "I know. You know the legend, right?"
Illiona smiled slightly. "Something about a human princess. The Rector Lamia and one of the Council were fighting over her?"
Harry grinned. "Quentin told me the tale. He said that most vampires and werewolves don't like to think about why we are fighting because it's so embarrassing. And they should be embarrassed, we are basically fighting over a woman that died over six hundred years ago. She didn't even choose either one of them. She chose a wizard." Harry sighed. "I wish that I could stop the war, but after over six hundred years of fighting, too much blood has been shed."
"That is unfortunately true," Illiona agreed.
"You know, at home, I have a friend that is a werewolf."
"Oh?" Illiona prompted. Harry didn't usually talk about his home.
"Yes. He had been one of my father's best friends as well as one of my teachers." He was silent a moment. "I wonder how he would react if he knew I was a vampire." Harry focused on the elvish princess. "To his senses, I would smell almost exactly the same. I would look the same. In every way that matters, I would appear to be exactly as I did before, but something would seem off about me. It might take him ages to figure it out, but eventually he would understand what that feeling meant. That sense that warned of danger." Harry studied his hands. "How would I react to him? Someone who looks like a friend, but smells like a werewolf. I've been trained to kill on sight. If I smell the blood of a werewolf, I attack. I've probably killed a dozen or so."
Illiona remained quiet.
"But what is the point in thinking about it? I can't go home. My responsibilities weigh me down. If I leave, the vampires will die. The power now within me would be lost and nothing could save them. Eventually they would all die."
"Harry…"
"No." Harry held up a hand, stopping her words. "I have things I must do." He gave a slight smile. "Of course, I have to figure out what they are first."
Illiona gave him a sad smile. "Of course."
***
Illiona watched him, giving occasional comments, as he arranged the receiving room to his liking. He added chairs, made the existing ones more comfortable. He conjured a coffee table and two sofas. For kicks, he added a chaise lounge – one of his favorite pieces of furniture. The room was decorated in dark reds and soft beige colors. The wood used was a soft, light brown.
He had just finished when he received more guests: Donny McGregor – the oldest vampire, Rachael – Head Priestess of one of the religions dominate in the coven, Mikhail – Chief Healer of the coven, Viktor Dombrowski – Head Priest of the second dominate religion in the coven, and Elsa – Eric's second. These vampires were his staff of sorts, minus Elsa. She would be replaced by someone of his choosing.
Illiona stood. "I can see you have things to do, Rector. I shall return when you are finished." She gave a slight bow and left.
Harry watched his guests, slightly apprehensive.
"Hello, Rector Lamia Harry. I knew this day would come," Rachael said softly.
"Hello, Priestess."
"We've come to tell you what has happened since you left as well as what is to be expected of you as the Rector Lamia," Donny said.
"Alright, please sit." Harry curled up at the end of the chaise lounge, and his guests chose various seats around him.
"I'll begin," Elsa spoke after a moment. "Not long after you left, Eric and Alcoyne began having problems. It stemmed from the loss of their daughter, Alexia, to a werewolf."
Harry's eyes closed on a sigh. "What happened?" he asked opening his eyes.
"Alexia was on a hunt. They were on their way back to the coven when they were attacked. Alcoyne was in charge of the group," Elsa paused for a moment, trying to sort out her thoughts. "She blamed herself for not protecting Alexia, and Eric blamed her too. I don't know when Eric took up with that child, but once his affair had become known… no one wanted to tell Alcoyne. Eric had been sleeping with her for at least a year when Alcoyne found them last night."
"Alcoyne spent much of her time in her room above ground. She only came down when she needed to feed," Donny added. "Who knows why she came down last night."
"No one was happy with what was happening, but no one knew what to do about it either," Viktor said quietly. "I don't think that anyone is really surprised by the result."
"Eric had it coming," Mikhail said, daring anyone to disagree.
"Thank you for telling me," Harry said before an argument could break out. "That just leaves my new responsibilities."
"You will need to go over the hunting schedules, the werewolf watches, and the list of vampires to see who has been added since you've been gone," Elsa informed him.
"You'll also need to choose your second and your mate," Donny continued.
Harry's head snapped to Donny. "My what?"
"Your second and your mate," Donny repeated, slightly confused at Harry's surprise.
"I've already chosen my second," Harry dismissed that with a wave of his hand. "My mate?"
"Yes. You must take a mate and produce an heir," Rachael replied. "You didn't realize this? Alcoyne and Eric mated immediately after Eric became the Rector Lamia. Michael took a mate after he became the Rector Lamia. Quentin was already mated when he became the Rector Lamia."
"To be honest, I didn't think anything of it," Harry snapped. "Why the hell do I need to be mated? The position of Rector Lamia isn't passed down through any one line."
"But the position of prince or princess is an important one, as you well know," Viktor answered. "With the death of Eric and Alcoyne's child, then Alcoyne becoming the Rector and her death, we only have Michael's child, Charles, and you. Only you are now the Rector Lamia. It is the duty of the Rector Lamia to take a mate and produce an heir: creating two princesses or princes. If the Rector's mate and heir are lost, he must turn a human to create a new prince or princess."
"How could you not realize this?" Mikhail asked. "You had to have realized that being a Vampire Prince wasn't just a title. Didn't Quentin tell you anything?"
"No! He told me nothing of this!" Harry replied angrily. "If I had some task I was supposed to be performing, I sure as hell haven't been doing it!"
"But you have been," Donny replied shocked. "A prince or princess is supposed to take charge of the training of twenty transition vampires. We thought you really enjoyed teaching and that's why you taught so many."
Harry closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands.
"Most princes and princesses eventually become the Rector Lamia. Teaching the younger ones lays the groundwork of trust that the vampires must have in their leader," Mikhail explained delicately.
Harry removed his hands and opened his eyes, staring at Mikhail. "And my opinion doesn't matter. The fact that I won't love whomever I mate, doesn't matter?"
"You could mate with a friend," Elsa pointed out quietly. "Once the child is produced, you wouldn't have to remain with her as more than a friend. You could work something out between you."
"Consigning the two of us to a loveless marriage in which we seek out the beds of others," Harry responded coldly.
"Then chose someone you don't know so well," Donny replied exasperated.
"If that is all, I'd like to be left alone," Harry said.
The other vampires stood. "I'll send you the list of injured and sick," Mikhail said and left the room. Viktor and Rachael followed suit, promising their own lists as they left.
"I truly am sorry, Rector," Elsa said quietly and left.
"Before I leave, I must ask who you have chosen for your second," Donny said hesitantly. He had no wish to anger Harry. He might be young, but there was a reason why everyone believed he would be the Rector Lamia.
"Jason."
"Of course. Thank you," Donny said and left.
Harry stared down at his hands. How had things gotten so out of hand? All he had ever wanted was to go home. Now not only was he stuck here as the Rector Lamia, he must now take a mate and produce an heir. A mate he wouldn't even love. Sure he could end up falling in love with her after awhile, but it wasn't very likely. Not when he would be keeping so much of himself from her. Her. That was the other thing. To produce a child, he'd need to mate a woman. His preference was his own gender though he found both sexes attractive.
"Harry."
Harry looked up. "Illiona. Did you know?" he demanded.
"Know what?" she asked sitting down across from him.
"That I had to take a mate?"
"Yes. Didn't you?" she asked puzzled.
"No! I didn't know! How could they expect me to know when I was never told!" Harry seemed to deflate after his short tirade.
"Who will you choose?" Illiona asked after a moment.
"I don't know. I honestly don't know."
"Are you going to choose a female or a male?" she asked curiously.
Harry glanced up at her. "What?"
"Your mate. Male or female?"
"I could mate with a male and produce a child?"
"Yes." She laughed softly. "Didn't you pay any attention when Quentin explained the nature of vampires to you?" She smiled. "The mating bond combines the blood and powers of the two vampires and uses the surrounding magic to create a child. The baby is carried within the female or if the parents are the same sex, in the oldest of the two."
"I think I would have remembered that if Quentin had told me," Harry replied in a huff.
"So who will you choose?"
"I don't know. I want it to be someone I trust."
"Then chose Jason. I know you prefer males anyway."
Harry shook his head. "Can't. Jason is my second and I'm not attracted to him anyway."
"What about Olivia Waters? You've been with her before," Illiona pointed out. "And you are close friends with her. You do trust her?"
"Yes, I trust Olivia, but…"
"But?" she prompted.
"I'm not in love with her!"
"Harry, as much as it pains me to say this, you are going to have to give up on love. It is rare that a vampire mates for love. You should know this."
"I do know that, but…" he paused, looking at Illiona sadly. "You know my history, Illiona. I wanted to marry someone I loved, not mate a friend to produce a child."
Illiona stood and walked over to him. She sat down beside him, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so sorry, Harry," she whispered.
Harry fought back tears. "My home has been taken from me and now my future has been too."
***
Harry summoned Jason and Olivia. Illiona watched with a heavy heart as he informed Jason of his position and offered Olivia the position as his mate. She accepted.
***
The mating bond was fairly simple if somewhat exhausting. The couple must first have sex, then mingle their blood, have sex again, then bite each other and transfer as much blood as needed until their blood and power combine, taking the mingled blood to form the child. The parents would know instantly when the child was created as well as what sex it would be.
Harry did his best to be an enthusiastic lover, but his heart was heavy. He was looking forward to raising his child, but wished that it wasn't under these circumstances. They slashed their palms and mingled the blood in a stone bowl, then licked each other's hands to seal the wounds. He was a gentle and thorough lover. Olivia had no complaints when it came to sex. She was his friend though, and knew this had not been what he wanted. They had barely transferred any blood when they both felt themselves merge together for a brief instant. They pulled away from each other and looked at the stone bowl full of blood. It was empty. They heard soft feminine laughter. Olivia was pregnant with a baby girl.
***
The first hint that there might be a problem came two days later. Olivia had a burst of random magic that caused havoc in one of the training rooms. It left her weak and barely conscious. Harry summoned Newt McGonagall, Illiona, Skya, and Mikhail to examine her.
Harry waited in his office. When they finally left Olivia in their bedroom and joined him in the office, it had been almost six hours. Their news wasn't good.
"Well?" Harry asked when they entered.
"Harry, you might want to sit down," Skya said softly.
Harry went cold and did as his friend suggested. "Yes?"
"Harry, you are a fully trained wizard," Newt said calmly. "You use your magic often; you don't even think about using it most times. Your body has always contained its own magic, it has always created more magic for you to use. When you became a vampire, your magic altered slightly, then grew more powerful as you aged. I haven't examined you, but I could guarantee that when you became the Rector Lamia, your magic grew again. I don't know if you realize just how much magic is inside of you, or how much magic your body produces."
"Where are you going with this?" Harry interrupted.
"When you bonded with Olivia, your powers bonded with her. For an instant, you were completely connected," Mikhail said.
"The child within her is a combination of the two of you," Illiona continued when Mikhail fumbled. "The child will be a witch, who once grown will probably be nearly as powerful as you. That is all inside of her, Harry. All that magic. Harry, her body wasn't made to handle that."
"What are you saying?"
"She's dying, Harry," Skya said gently. "She's going to continue to have random bursts of magic throughout the pregnancy. They will leave her feeling weak and drained. By the fifth month, I doubt she'll even be able to get out of bed. If she survives till the end of the pregnancy, her body will begin to recover, but with the magic gone, she'll slowly go insane."
"If she had been out of the transition, we could probably guarantee that the baby will be born, but since she doesn't have the added strength that comes from the final transition, we can't even promise that," Newt continued.
"So what you're telling me is that because of me, my friend is going to die, and it's unlikely that the reason this all happened is going to live either?" Harry fought back angry tears.
"This would have happened to anyone you mated with Harry," Illiona said quietly. "The only one you could have successfully mated with was another wizard turned vampire, and you are the only one."
"No one knew about this," Mikhail said. "How could we know? No one would have insisted that you mated if we knew."
"I'd like to be alone with my wife," Harry said and stood. "Please excuse me." He left and entered the bedroom.
He walked over to the bed and sat down beside the sleeping Olivia. She opened her eyes and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry I couldn't be what you needed," she whispered and began to cry softly.
Harry couldn't hold back his own tears. "It's my fault. I'm sorry I did this to you," he choked out and gathered her up in his arms.
They laid there crying until both fell asleep.
***
Harry threw himself into his work. He trained the younger vampires, set up more classrooms and required every vampire to learn to read and write and to speak three languages. Most chose Gaelic – the common tongue – Elvish, and Latin. He tested his new abilities as the Rector Lamia, discovering things that he wasn't sure if any of his predecessors knew or possibly had the ability to do. For example, he discovered quite by accident that he was able to communicate telepathically with any vampire.
Jason had been sparring with one of Harry's older students, who had been losing spectacularly, when Harry had silently said, 'Lucius, why haven't you bothered to study your opponent? You should have figured out by now that if you knock his legs out from under him it will take awhile before he can manage to get up. His body isn't built to allow a speedy recovery from such a fall.'
Lucius had instantly pulled off of the defensive and tackled Jason's legs. Jason of course went down, and Lucius managed to pin him for a few moments before Jason recovered and managed to dislodge him.
"I'm sorry, Harry," Lucius said after the match was over. "I'll examine my opponents better in the future."
Harry blinked. "Good," he said, for lack of anything better. 'I said that out loud?' he questioned himself. 'I'm surprised Jason didn't kill me.'
Later on, after a similar event, Harry began to wonder if something wasn't up. Knowing she wouldn't laugh, he went to Olivia to test his theory. Afterwards, he was glad he did. Olivia had welcomed the normalcy of Harry coming to her when he was worried Jason would tease him.
He used his new found ability to play pranks on Jason until the older vampire figured out something was going on. Harry then announced it to his staff, who then spread the word around the coven. It was actually very useful, as it turned out that someone wishing to speak to him could do so as well. Warnings about werewolves could be passed around immediately. If a vampire needed assistance, he could call Harry for help, and Harry could send the closest person to aid the one in trouble. Newt and he agreed that it must be a result of his task of controlling the bloodlust and his magic combining.
With the discovery of his telepathic abilities, Harry began testing himself and the other vampires for other unknown abilities. What he found was astonishing. Vampires have four bonds. The first bond is the one of the Rector Lamia. It binds every vampire together through one person, and that person is given the task of controlling the bloodlust. With Harry's magic now filtering through the bond, they had gained the ability to speak telepathically through him. Harry also knows exactly where every vampire is in relation to himself.
The second bond is the mating bond. Other than Harry's own bond, it appears to have remained the same: just the combining of two vampires to produce a child. Because of Harry's magic, it has twisted and is killing Olivia; everyone else seems unaffected. The third bond is turning bond. The bond that connects a turned vampire and its Sire. Before it formed a telepathic bond between the Sire and the student that lasted until the student had been in the transition for twenty years. It now also allows the Sire to have some influence on the bloodlust of their student. The fourth bond is the parent-child bond of the vampire-borns. It is the one that has changed the most since Harry's ascension. Previously, it allowed only for a minimal influence upon the bloodlust of the child by both of the parents. Now it also allows conversation between the parent and the child, and knowledge of health that goes both ways on the bond. Meaning that the child knows when the parent is injured just as the parent knows when the child is injured.
***
It pained Harry to see Olivia suffering. He began to wonder if she would even make it to the third month. She was always tired, with circles under her eyes. She didn't have the energy to train, so her muscles were loosening. She was unable to hunt, so Harry went out almost every night and brought her back a live human. Time passed and Olivia's health deteriorated further.
She was confined to her bed at the beginning of her fourth month. Harry sometimes found it difficult to go to their bed at night, knowing in what condition he would find her in. By her seventh month, she rarely woke up, too exhausted to do anything but sleep. Harry took to sleeping in his office. A few weeks before her due date, Olivia went into labor.
Mikhail, Newt, and Illiona came to deliver the baby. The first thing they did was toss Harry out. Skya and Jason dragged him outside and up to the aboveground home of the Rector Lamia. The place was dusty as Harry hadn't ever gotten around to cleaning it out from Eric and Alcoyne's use. Jason and Skya set him working at cleaning the place up, figuring that if they kept him busy, he wouldn't be so worried. He finished a few hours later, but no one had come to tell them what was going on, and Harry didn't want to ask Mikhail or Olivia telepathically, worried he might distract them at a critical moment.
Dawn was breaking when Mikhail summoned Harry. Harry dashed out of the house with Jason and Skya on his heels. It didn't take him long to come thundering into his home underground, nearly crashing into Illiona who had been waiting for him in the receiving room.
"Well," he demanded.
Illiona gave him a slight smile. "The baby is fine, and Olivia is resting."
Harry smiled at her gratefully. "Thank you, Illiona," he said fighting back tears and quietly went into the bedroom.
Mikhail was cleaning up and Newt was holding the baby when he walked in. Newt smiled at him and walked over to him. Harry couldn't seem to move. Newt placed the baby in Harry's arms. "Your daughter, Rector Lamia."
Harry looked down at his daughter. If he had been any other man, he probably would have dropped her in shock. Fortunately only his jaw dropped. "Merlin," he breathed. A lightning bolt birthmark was on her forehead, right where Harry's scar was on his. He cast a concealing charm on it and the birthmark disappeared and stayed gone. Harry glanced up at Newt. "The concealing charm works on hers, but not on mine," he explained, then took off the charm. He smiled at down at her. He found himself counting fingers and toes. "She's beautiful," he whispered.
"Have you chosen her name yet?" Mikhail asked.
In this time period, it was customary for the father to choose the name without any say from the mother. Even in the coven that was true. However, Harry asked Olivia for her opinion anyway. "We decided to name her after our mothers. Her name is Lily Aluva," he replied. 'Potter,' he added silently. Olivia was a vampire-born, the daughter of the Aluva, one of the oldest vampires until she perished in the last battle with the werewolves.
"It's a beautiful name," Newt said honestly.
Harry smiled at him. "Has Olivia seen her yet?"
"Just briefly," Mikhail replied. "She fell asleep almost immediately after the birth."
Lily cooed at her father. "How long until…" Harry couldn't finish the question.
Newt sighed. "She'll probably spend the next few days sleeping," he glanced at Mikhail for confirmation and the healer nodded. "In about a week, we'll see the first symptoms of magic withdrawal."
***
Vampire-borns skip over the birthing stage that turned vampires have. They require blood immediately; however they do not drink the blood of humans, they drink the blood of their parents. They continue to drink vampire blood until they are five years old, then they are slowly weaned off of it and on to human blood. The babies feed once a day until they are two years old, when the feedings increase to twice a day. When the babies reach their fourth year, they are fed once a week. When the child is five and the weaning process begins, they are fed once a month. The babies require the turned blood because they cannot change the blood of humans yet.
Harry spent as much time as he could with his daughter. Since Olivia wasn't able to help him, Harry drafted one of the transition vampires to help. When Harry was busy teaching, Lucius cared for Lily, and when Harry was teaching Lucius, Jason watched over her. Lucius had been one of Harry's students for nearly fifty years, and Harry trusted the dark-haired child.
Many of the younger vampires followed Harry's lead of stopping their ageing at younger ages than following the older vampires who stopped somewhere between thirty and forty. Now, vampires were stopping between fifteen and twenty-five. Even Olivia had done so upon meeting Harry. She had stopped at nineteen.
Two days after the birth, Olivia woke up. She was still fairly weak, but Mikhail said she should try getting up. Harry helped her try to stand and walk about. They had done their best to keep her muscles from atrophying, but they had still wasted away quite a bit. She found it difficult and tiring to walk. She played with Lily while she could, knowing she wouldn't have much time with her daughter. Harry found it difficult to talk to her, knowing that while her body was recovering, her mind was going into a magic withdrawal that would drive her insane.
The first symptom was the disappearance of Olivia's usually sweet temper. Instead Harry found himself being yelled at and insulted every time he came into the same room as her. Harry stopped allowing Olivia to see Lily. He didn't want his mate to harm their daughter. He knew that the both of them would never forgive themselves if something happened to their daughter. Olivia's body grew stronger and she soon had the strength to walk around. However, she kept to their rooms.
Two weeks later, Harry and Lucius were returning from a training session and found the rooms empty. Harry felt uneasy and handed Lily to Lucius. He searched the rooms again, but Olivia didn't magically reappear. "Stay here," he commanded.
'Olivia?' he called to her mind. He tried to figure out where she was based upon the distance from him and began climbing up to the upper levels.
'Harry,' her soft voice replied.
'Where are you?'
'I didn't want you to remember me like this.'
Harry stopped walking abruptly. 'Olivia?'
'I had hoped that I would die in our daughter's birth. Oh, how I wanted to die…'
"Merlin," Harry breathed in shocked realization. He began to run. 'Olivia, don't do it!'
'Don't you see? It's better this way. I could cause so much trouble later, when I have no control whatsoever. I could end up killing another vampire. I could end up killing our daughter!'
Harry tried to go faster, knowing exactly where his mate was going. Olivia was still in the transition. The fastest way was to walk outside into the sunlight. Harry remembered finding his sister's burned body. The thought of doing the same with Olivia made him feel sick. He gave up talking to his mate, and sent out a message to every vampire to find Olivia and stop her from going outside.
'I'm sorry, Harry.'
Harry gasped and stumbled to a halt. He felt as though some part of him had been ripped away. And it had. The brief pain of loosing a vampire from the Rector Lamia's bond was numbed by the grief of knowing who had been lost. He began running again.
When he finally reached the surface, there were eight vampires clustered around the body, waiting for him. Olivia's blond hair was blackened, her pale skin burnt and peeling, her eyelids were open, her eye sockets empty. He couldn't stop the tears even if he tried. He kneeled down beside her, gently picking up her burnt body, cradling it to his own.
He carried her down to the Isle of the Dead, as the island he had created had come to be called. He conjured her a coffin and laid her inside. He summoned her weapons: a bow and quiver, a sword and a glaive. He laid them in with her. He summoned her armor: a wooden shield and arm braces. He laid those with her as well. He conjured the lid, creating it with her body and features carved into it. He sealed her in. He knelt down beside it and carved her name into it, in English. Her full name: Princess Olivia Waters Potter. Underneath, he wrote: wife, mother, friend.
When he was finished, he traced over the words with shaky fingers. He bit his lip, drawing blood. He rested his head on the coffin and sobbed.
***
TBC…
A/N: …anyone need a tissue? I'm sure that you all are wondering why I had Harry mate and produce an heir. You all are probably wondering if Lily is going to become a Mary Sue. *bangs readers over the head with frying pan* I already told you there will be NO Mary Sues! As I am sure most of you have already figured this out, Harry is going to live until his time comes back around. I personally don't see how in two thousand plus years he can get out of mating and producing an heir unless he has a tragic event to stop him. The above was his tragic event. We got to save him for Severus remember? *wink wink*
I'm working on pictures of Olivia and Lily, so when I'm finished with them, I'll scan them in and put them up at my group. Which reminds me, don't you all think that considering the power of Harry's curse scar that it would end up becoming a birthmark on his children? I've never seen it used that way in a story… then again I rarely read stories about Harry's children unless they are part of an Mpreg Harry/Severus fic *giggle* anyway… my Yahoo! Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/HuntressSmiles
In chapter four we are going to get the new race like I said in the previous author's notes, and two people have guessed the correct answer… I think it's two… anyway, I'll check again before I post chapter four and give the names of those who guessed correctly. However, both of the two people guessed correctly in a list of guesses. I now challenge you to guess correctly without a list! Let me think; also in chapter four we get Harry's first battle and the transition between familiars and wands. We'll also get some 'Harry as a Daddy' scenes.
As always, please feel free to ask me questions. If you're having trouble understanding something, then please let me know. Unfortunately, questions are more likely to be answered if you ask them at my group than if you ask me in an e-mail. I have the very bad habit of forgetting to respond back to e-mails. If you are one of those people who sent me an e-mail and didn't get a response back, I'm sooooo sorry. If you did get a response back… you lucky dogs!
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed or sent me an e-mail. All encouragement is appreciated.
~Artemis Luna Diana~
ps – for some dumb reason I'm sure, FF.Net keeps screwing up the formatting to my fics, i.e. making something left aligned when it should be centered. Anyway, I'll replace this with a properly formatted chapter when it begins behaving itself again.