Disclaimer: I OWN HARRY POTTER! lawyers march in with pitchforks OKAY! I don't own Harry Potter! lawyers march off Gits. scowls after them
Warning: Might be a bit confusing as it switches from first person point of view to third person point of view frequently.
Cyfrgolledig atyn yr Dywyllwch
"Damned by the Darkness"
Chapter 4
I find it amusing that no one has yet noticed my presence at Hogwarts. Not one teacher or even the Ministry. The paintings have noticed me, as well as the house-elves and Peeves. Peeves is scared of me, the house-elves just go about they're business, and the painting's are having a right old time talking to me. Especially the Fat Lady. She's one of the few who finds it an outrage that I was kicked out of Hogwarts simply for being a vampire.
She and I are about the only beings that still think so. Anyone else that did is dead.
It's odd to see all these new teacher's in place of the one's I knew. The Headmaster is a young man named Jeremiah Westbrook. He's a cheerful looking fellow, with a twinkle in his eye like Dumbledore.
Must all the Headmaster's have twinkles?
The Transfiguration professor is middle-aged woman by the name of Melinda Bostwick who bears a resemblance to Professor Flitwick. Her twin brother Andrew teaches Charms. I wonder if they are some relation to my old Charms professor.
As Briana said, the Potions professor is a descendant of Snape. And a woman to boot. Beautiful woman by the name of Marissa. I didn't think Snape could pull off having a lovely anything.
Slimy git did it.
And no, it is not weird for me to be saying she is beautiful. Remember, I may look sixteen but I'm nearly three hundred.
Still don't understand women, though.
Anyway…
It's rather pleasant up here atop the tower. Even hanging upside down.
"Harry?"
Ah-ha. The kitten has found me.
"Harry? Why are you hanging upside down?"
"Gives an interesting view of the world," I replied, crossing my arms across my chest. "You should try it sometime."
"Maybe," said Briana. I could sense the smile in her voice.
"Something you wanted?"
"Just trying to find you. Isn't it…conspicuous for you to be up here? I mean, if someone spotted you…"
"At the moment I am invisible to the mortal eye."
I heard the whisper of her eyes blinking and knew what was coming next.
"Then how come I can see you?"
I sat up slowly, locking eyes with her lazily. "You're not exactly completely mortal anymore, are you?" I asked. To be truthful, I was curious to how she had taken that very fact.
Briana turned her gaze away from mine and shuffled her feet.
"No," she whispered after a moment. She then looked up at me with tears in her eyes and breathed, "Oh, Harry, what am I? What am I?"
I smiled gently and jumped down off the ledge, going to take her into my arms. She leaned her head against my shoulder as I ran my hand in slow circles over her back.
"You're a Weasley," I whispered. "And a damn fine witch. A little vampiric blood doesn't change that. You're still mortal, kitten.
"I know. But…doesn't even that small bit of vampire blood make me different?"
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. I don't know. I'm not sure any vampire knows."
Briana blinked and looked up at me with a frown on her delicate features.
"You mean…what you did had never been done before?"
"I have never heard of it. My sire might know…"
"Sire?"
I smiled and replied, "The one who made me, kitten. The one who made me."
"Oh."
Briana laid her head against his chest, curling up against him. After a moment, she heard a song being sung softly.
"We walk the narrow path
Beneath the smoking skies
Sometimes you can barely tell the difference
Between darkness and light
Do we have faith in what we believe?
The truest test is when we cannot see
I hear pounding feet in the streets below
And the women crying and the children know
That there's something wrong
It's hard to believe that love will prevail
It won't rain all the time
The sky won't fall forever
And though the night seems long
Your tears won't fall forever
When I'm lonely I lie awake at night
And I wish you were here, I miss you
Can you tell me
Is there something more to believe in?
Or is this all there is?
And the pounding feet in the streets below
And a window breaks and a woman falls
There's something wrong
It's hard to believe that love will prevail
It won't rain all the time
The sky won't fall forever
And though the night seems long
Your tears won't fall
Your tears won't fall
Your tears won't fall forever
Last night I had a dream
You came into my room
You took me into your arms
Whispering and kissing me
And telling me to still believe
(Within the emptiness of
The burning cities against which
We set our darkest of selves)
Until finally I felt safe and warm
I fell asleep in your arms
And when I awoke I cried again
For you were gone
Oh can you hear me?
It won't rain all the time
The sky won't fall forever
And though the night seems long
Your tears won't fall forever
It won't rain all the time
The sky won't fall forever
And though the night seems long
Your tears won't fall
Your tears won't fall
Your tears won't fall forever"
Briana tilted her head slightly upwards and asked, "Where'd you hear that?"
"An old movie. I happened to like the song."
"It's nice. So's your voice."
"Vampire's have an amazing ability to sing."
"Sing some more," pleaded Briana.
Harry smiled and began to softly sing again. His voice carried down to the grounds below, causing several students to look at each other in confusion.
"Isn't it dangerous for you to just be sitting in here?" asked Nicole a few hours later as Harry sprawled on Briana's bed. The red-haired girl was currently curled up against his side asleep. Harry was idly playing with random locks of her scarlet hair.
"Perhaps," he replied cryptically. "Perhaps not."
"Ooookay, Mister Cryptic. Be that way."
"I shall," said Harry with a wry grin. He then glanced at the door and a moment later he had vanished from Nicole's sight. She gaped for a moment then hurriedly regained her composure as Lyda entered, minus Llyr and Brittany.
Lyda blinked at her and said, "Oh. I didn't know anyone was in here."
Nicole crossed her arms over her chest and glared.
"Well we are."
"You don't have to be so snappy," spat Lyda. "Despite what Brittany and Llyr think, you both have the right to be here. I've got nothing against either of you."
"Then why'd you hang out with those chits?" spat Nicole.
"Because," said Harry's voice from out of nowhere, "she wanted acceptance and they are the popular crowd."
"Bloody hell!" yelped Lyda. "Who was that?"
Nicole rolled her eyes and growled, "Harry, stay out of this!"
"When I can give a little advice? No, no, my dear."
"Advice, eh? What would you know about this?"
Lyda stared at Nicole as though she was crazy. Which she probably looked like being as she was talking to someone neither of them could see.
Harry just chuckled and said, "You do recall that I am nearly three hundred years old, do you not?"
"So?"
"So I have seen much in my life. Ah, yes…" Harry suddenly shimmered into view – still lying beside Briana on her bed – and waved at Lyda. "Hello there. I believe your name is Lyda, correct?"
Lyda stared at him and nodded slowly.
"An interesting name. I'm Harry." He grinned wryly as he added, "Harry Potter."
Lyda's jaw dropped and her eyes bugged out.
"H-Harry P-Potter? THE Harry Potter?"
"Unless there is another Harry Potter running around out there that I don't know about."
"Harry Potter the vampire," gasped Lyda. "Wicked!"
Harry just laughed at that and Lyda blinked.
"What?"
"My dear, I have never in my existence had someone that has found out that I am a vampire say 'wicked'."
Lyda shrugged and said, "My great-great-great-something grandfather was a vampire. I've got nothing against them."
Nicole blinked and stared at Harry.
"Vampire's can breed?"
"Yes," replied Harry. "It's a rarity to see it but there are some Halflings out there."
"Why's it a rarity?"
Harry sighed and closed his eyes, one hand curling a lock of Briana's hair around his finger. He said softly, "Some species of vampire's do not look at breeding with humans with a smile. They find it…wrong. An abomination. Most Halflings and their parents are killed."
"Whoa, there!" snapped Nicole. "Some species of vampire's? You mean there is more than one?"
Both Harry and Lyda gave her a Look.
"There are several species of vampire's," said Lyda, her voice taking on the tone of a professor. "I distinctly remember my grandfather telling me about five of them. The Courts, the Covens, the Lines, the Clans, and the…oh, I can't remember the last."
"The Damned," whispered Harry. "The worst of the vampire kin."
"Why?" asked Nicole, easing herself down onto the end of Briana's bed.
"They are cursed, not bitten," explained Harry. "Technically they are not true vampires. The first of them were a couple that were cursed centuries ago by a Saint. I have never been told which. This Saint cursed them because they had been committing atrocious murders. Cursed them to a life as a creature to be feared."
He took a breath before continuing, "They do not look human like the rest of us. They are…monstrous, hence the reason they are called the Damned. Like…I cannot describe them. But they are not immortal. They breed and feed only on the blood of things that come into their territory."
"So their basically like big, ugly dogs," said Nicole.
"Something like that."
"What sort of vampire are you?" asked Lyda. "You aren't of the Damned, we know that. And you can't be a Court."
"Why's that?" asked Nicole.
Harry sighed and said, "Court vampire's are somewhat like the Damned, only they are immortal. They are monstrous beasts who hide underneath a flesh mask of sorts. They appear human, but they are far from it. And they have a hard time resisting the blood urge."
"Oh. What about the other three?"
"Ah. Well, the Covens are…imbued with magic."
"Like you?" asked Nicole.
"I am a wizard, my dear. The Covens are vampires who have the ability to perform magic without being wizards beforehand."
"Oh."
Lyda suddenly said, "I know the Clans feed off energies instead of blood. They're also the smallest of the vampire kin."
Harry gave her a look and he said, "And they are also in your bloodline. I can smell the Black Clan on you."
Lyda nodded slowly as Nicole said, "So you've got to be the last one. The Lines."
"I'm of the Cyclaryn Line."
"Hold on. Don't tell me." Nicole gave him a Look. "There are sections within these different kin?"
Harry nodded.
"With the exception of the Damned. Within the Court there are the four Courts: Blood, Bane, Breath, and Bone. There are five Coven, one for each element: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Soul."
"Two Clan," interrupted Lyda. "Black and Silver."
Harry nodded and finished, "The Line are the largest of the vampire kin. There are six Lines: Cyclaryn, Tehran, Drier, Voschlaq, Jifar, and Kivana. I'm of the strongest of them."
"That's some history lesson," said Nicole, running a hand back through her hair. She was about to ask another question when the door opened and Brittany and Llyr entered.
Lyda and Nicole looked at Briana's bed in fear and found a black cat with brilliant green eyes staring at them. A white lightning bolt scar slashed across its right eye.
The two girls looked at each other then back at the cat, which curled up in Briana's arms and began to purr loudly.
"Don't you tell anyone," hissed Nicole to Lyda. "If anyone finds out he's here…"
"I know," whispered Lyda. "What do you think would happen to me if it was found out that I had vampirism in my bloodline?"
She turned away and Nicole blinked after her for a moment before she smiled.
They could trust her.
Song is "It Won't Rain All the Time" by Jane Siberry from the movie "The Crow"
The Court vampires are inspired by the Red Court vampires in Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files
The Clan vampires are inspired by the White Court vampires in The Dresden Files
The Line vampires belong to me and are from my original vampire series