AN: Ah I lied I totally lied about the regular updating-ness wails I'm sorry And I totally forgot about this story too I'm sorry again sighs This summer of 2004 I'll be attempting to work a bit on each of my stories, especially the forgotten ones that haven't been updated in a while (and aren't on hiatus or discontinued). But I'm happy to be back. I didn't know that people were still reading this story until I started getting notices of new reviews coming in. It was strange... I'm glad you guys still like the story though. Thank youuu glomps

Well, on a side note, I know that some readers are still confused about the familiarities between characters in the story, as well as what each person's roll is, but like I've said before: this is an Alternate Universe story. And no, I won't reveal any secrets. wink

Also, I'm trying to see if people like my newest HP fanfic: Heaven Forbid. It's a Harry/Draco slash fic, but my current reviewing readers seem to like it. If anyone is interested, please check it out (if you haven't already) and tell me what you think of it. The storyline, I'll warn, has been done before, but as far as I know, I was one of the earlier authors who have done it (I just had to fix it a bit and redo my old story). Anyway, please don't forget about it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from HP or else I wouldn't be writing all these fanfics. Aaand, I wouldn't be so dirt poor. (Joke.) T-T Don't sue me, cuz I don't have anything to give you And no more disclaimers cuz they're wasted space. (Ack I used 'cuz' instead of 'because' Nuoo Not more IM lang Run awaaaay)

Blood Fest

By Duchess of Darkness - Kaz

Chapter Three

Ding-dong

Get the door, brat

Harry growled inwardly and did what he was told. As always, Vernon Dursley was shouting at him to do something the man himself was too lazy (or too busy, as Vernon called it) to do so. But since it was no use in arguing, he threw open the door, about to glare at the visitor when he saw it was Ron.

Harry blinked. Ron?

The redhead grinned. Hey, Harry. Ready to go?

Go where?

Don't you remember what day it is?

Harry frowned, puzzled. Of course he didn't... Oh Looking up, he exclaimed, The festival Then groaning, he added, Oh no... You're dragging me to that, aren't you?

Ron grinned even more. Yup So c'mon, let's go. I'm sure your aunt and uncle won't mind if you skip supper today.

Harry rolled his eyes, finally letting the redhead in. Tch. They wouldn't care if I left anyhow.

Harry led up to his room that was next to his cousin's. He was careful to skip over a certain set of the stairs that squeaked loudly and annoyingly. They entered his room that used to belong to his cousin, but was now his because he didn't fit under the stairs anymore. As funny as it was, being under a flight of stairs while your fat and overweight cousin purposely thumped down them to give you a wake-up call was not that great. It was a good thing that Harry grew and became too big to fit under there, or else the staircase would've eventually fallen down on him under the weight of his cousin.

I don't see why you want me to go.

The boys sat on Harry's bed, Harry leaning against the headboard. Ron looked around the gloomy room and wrinkled his nose.

You know, I can't seem to ever get used to your room. How can you live in such a world?

Harry shrugged. He didn't see what was wrong with his room. Like his clothes, a large portion of his room was black. There was white and a few colors in the mix somehow, but not a lot. The most obvious color, probably, in his room was his bed that was always decorated with green, red, gold or silver. Most of the time, the only color present in Harry's room apart from black and white things, was green. He liked how his room was plain and yet so unusual at the same time. In fact, it was a reflection of himself with his usual dark attire and pale skin and green eyes that he gained from his mother.

Harry looked around his room, glancing at everything, even the photo album sitting on the edge of his desk.

I don't see anything wrong, he said as he rested his gaze on his redheaded friend.

Ron sighed and shook his head. Never mind, mate. Let's just find you something not intimidating for you to wear at the festival.

Harry frowned, standing up with his best friend as he dove through the closet. Intimidating? How are my clothes...?

As his voice trailed, Ron pulled out a black shirt with a skull across the back. He didn't have to say anything as he showed the owner of the shirt the piece. He lifted a brow at the black-haired male and returned the shirt before pulling out another. This shirt was also black but plain, fitted and short-sleeved.

Harry snatched the shirt from Ron. You're not going to tell me this is 'intimidating' too, are you?

Ron grinned. Actually, I pulled it out for you to wear.

Harry sighed exasperatedly. What am I, a doll?

Ron laughed this time. No, you're my girlfriend, remember? I'm helping you pick out an outfit, he added with a nod.

The 'girlfriend' threw Ron a disgusted look before changing shirts, pushing the redhead aside to pick out his own pair of pants. He managed with black pants that had several pockets on the side, all lined with a strip of red, the bottom of the pants having red drawstring to close it. After so, he went through his dresser for accessories. A single thumb ring adorned his left thumb; Harry thought of nothing else to wear with his things.

Turning to face his best friend, he posed comically, rolling his eyes afterwards as his friend laughed, falling back on his bed.

Shut up, Ron, it's not that funny.

Ron flapped a hand in the air and slowly got back to his feet, a grin on his face. Well, since you're done, let's get out of here. I'm sure you can't wait to get out of this house, right?

Harry scoffed. Not if it means getting dragged by you to some event. I've told you time and time again that I don't do those things, Ron.

Ron kept grinning. Then why are you dressed? You could've very well just have kicked me out. Your willingness is your acceptance. So, let's go.

Without waiting for the other to reply, the redhead dragged him out and down the stairs, out of the house without much of a word. It wasn't like Harry's family cared about him. Though it was harsh, it was true. The three never treated him like an equal individual. (But then again, they didn't treat anyone else besides themselves equally.) Ron hated how Harry grew up, with no real father and mother, nor sister or brother to take care of or take care of him. It felt like his duty to help his friend, especially with the way he turned out. Ron didn't meet Harry until they were starting Junior High, crossing paths in the cafeteria where they would find their schedules. Though treated indifferently and almost coldly, Ron was attracted to Harry and wormed his way into his life, learning about him and becoming his best friend. Ever since, they seemed like an odd, but inseparable pair. They currently attended the same High School and it was only by coincidence that they ended up with almost all the same classes. The only main difference, really, was their electives; Harry sat in front of a computer for an hour while Ron kicked a ball across the field to score goals. Much to say, they were almost the exact opposite, from appearance to attire to likes and dislikes to attitude and personality. But that didn't change the fact that they also rubbed off on each other after so many years. Harry, finally, began to open up a little, talking to others other than Ron and teachers. Ron learned a bit about keeping his mouth closed, though that didn't stop his emotions from flaring when they could.

Now, Ron shoved Harry in the car and climbed in on the driver's side, starting it up and driving to the festival.

A yawn followed by a leisured stretch broke the silence in the air. Blue eyes blinked several times before landing on the figure next to him. He watched as green eyes stayed on the night's sky, shifting every once in a while as if looking for something. For the first time since he'd known the green-eyed male, he had never seen such a simple look of wonder and curiosity. Smiling, he averted his gaze to the near empty lot. Litter covered the floor, a show of people's gratitude and manners. Of course, there was no one present other than a few workers from the festival to take care of the mess left behind.

Ron glanced back at Harry and grinned. You know, that's the least solemn I've seen you in all my years knowing you.

Harry tore his eyes away from the sky and looked questioningly at his best friend.

You actually look... calm and a bit happy, Ron explained.

The corner of the boy's lips twitched upwardly forming a hint of a smile. He turned back the sky and continued to reminisce, drowning once more in his thoughts. It was several long moments until he got up and excused himself, leaving his friend by the bench to find a lavatory. He didn't know where one was, but he was certain that the 24-hour general store had one. Heading toward it across the street, Harry entered and took care of his business with no distractions except for buying a small bottle of red Gatorade.

As he exited the store, he opened his drink, putting it up to his lips and about to sip when he heard it. It was muffled whimpering, coming from... behind the building? Harry froze, eyes looking off to the side for a moment. He took his sip and slowly lowered the bottle as he heard the whimpering again, only louder.

Harry glanced around him. Was he supposed to go over and see what was going on? Or just walk away like he didn't hear a thing? Wait, what was he thinking? A cold man he may be, but he couldn't leave someone alone if they were really in trouble. Capping his drink, he slowly approached the side of the building, peeking over the side to see no one there. But even so, he caught the shadow of several people around the very back of the store. As he slid around to get closer to the scene, his silence let him hear hushed voices.

Just take her already

No, one hissed. She's still not here yet.

Why do we have to wait for her just to take this one?

Because I'd kill you if you did, was a new voice, feminine compared to the previous two. Another shadow appeared by the group.

A gulp was heard as the previous spoke, stuttering. A-ah... I-I'm sorry. I just don't see what the r-reason is to wait. Can't we just...?

The female voice snorted and from her shadow, she shook her head, waving a hand. Don't worry about it. Just watch and learn.

The shadows of the others nodded, stepping back as the female approached a quivering person who stood alone. Harry frowned as the whimpering person's scared sounds increased, becoming even louder. He cautiously approached the corner of the building and pressed his back to the wall, turning his head to witness the attack. When he saw a cloaked figure brush a gloved hand through a young woman's hair and circle around to rest behind her head, lowing their own to the woman's neck, his eyes widened in shock. Though he couldn't tell for sure who this person was, they opened their mouth to reveal sharp canines. They titled the quivering woman's head back, the woman unsure of how to escape, gasping and crying as the cloaked figure latched their mouth to her neck, the sound of something piercing flesh almost echoing in the silent air. Harry only gaped, mouth hanging open. He watched as the figure kept their head to the woman's neck, blood dripping from the side of her neck as the person finally pulled away. The woman closed her eyes, crying still.

The cloaked figure gripped the woman's hair and held her up as the woman slumped, her legs unable to support her. The cloaked figure turned to three other cloaked persons and said, revealing to be the female from earlier, There. It's not that hard. But if you want to have fun, you don't have to be so lenient and kind. I could show you, but I don't do that. She dragged the woman to the others, letting them catch her as she wiped her mouth. She continued. You can do as you wish. Feed.

A dull thud interrupted her, drawing all four heads to jerk in one direction, spotting a black-haired, green-eyed male. The cloaked female growled and gestured to two of the others.

Kill him.

At that command, they ran toward the male.

Harry jerked as they spotted him, two rushing toward him. Immediately, he turned and ran as fast as he could, not bothering to look over his shoulder to see how close they were behind him. He closed his eyes briefly and didn't bother glancing both ways of the street as he crossed, a car nearly running into him, blaring its horn. It was only when he was on the other side did he open his eyes again and look over his shoulder, not daring to stop or slow down until he was within Ron's line of vision, the redhead still sitting on the bench.

Ron frowned slightly as he watched the green-eyed male jog toward him, falling heavily on the bench with a big sigh. Looking sideways at him, he inquired, What did you do, run across a busy freeway?

Harry glanced at him. Sorta.

He wiped his mouth and rubbed his fingers together before running a hand through his hair. He looked around him, watching for any cloaked figures to come at him with anger flaring in their eyes and baring their teeth. The workers were still there trying to clean up, but he didn't feel safe enough with their small company. Standing up, he faced the redhead and suggested going home already.

Ron eyed his friend curiously but didn't question. He yawned and stretched. Ah, I'm tired anyway. Let's go.

The two walked back to the redhead's car, Ron starting up the car and heading back to Harry's house without much of a question to the other's urgency. He was, though, interested in what made the other's usually calm expression turn wild and frantic, fear and confusion deep within his eyes. When he bid the black-haired male goodnight, he couldn't help but pause and stare after his friend before driving off, not at all paying attention to two cloaked figures at the corner of the street.

Once the redhead's car was out of sight, one of the cloaked figures shifted, stepping forward a bit. That one's eyes are strange... such a rare color for someone like him.

The other figure snorted and spoke, revealing to be the female voice before. Tch. Just another brat sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. He was probably there for the whole performance." She paused to hit the first on the back of the head. It's your fault. You didn't shut her up. It can only explain how he was there. Idiot

At that moment, a third cloaked figure appeared next to them, a smile in their voice. Don't worry, we'll kill him. If not, we can always take him to him.

The female snorted. He has too much fun. We shouldn't be given another toy.

The first male chuckled. But you have to admit, that boy there is rather... interesting.

Oh, shut up. Let's go. The female gestured over her shoulder before walking around the corner. The two males followed soon after in silence, each taking their turn in glancing back at the house the black-haired boy entered.

AN: Well, that's it for my chapter. I hope you guys like it. A lot of new things going on, don't you think? And who attacked that innocent woman? What's in store for dead Harry now? Who knows Let's just see how far this goes and how fast I'll update. I look forward to many wonderful reviews Cheers

Updated: 7/03/04 (I'm gonna try and keep track of when I update this story...)

PS: Thanks to Sax who mentioned that something was wrong with the chapter when I first updated it. I hope that it's fixed now.