Harry Potter and the Blood Prophesies
By Lethe a.k.a. Garner
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters and places included in the Harry Potter books belong to J.K. Rowling and her affiliates. Unfortunately, I am not J.K. Rowling. This story will most likely contain slash by the end. For the uninitiated, this means relationships between two males. If that disgusts you, read on at your own criticism is of course welcome and encouraged.
Author's Notes: Please let me apologize in advance for any offence that might be taken in regards to Harry's thoughts on religion in this chapter. The views expressed do not necessarily correspond with mine. I was merely trying to write from what I could conceive Harry's point of view to be. Remember, it's only a story. Please don't go getting your knickers in a twist! Also, for those of you who didn't already know, I have started a Yahoo Group where I will be posting both the story and various illustrations that go with it. Please feel free to join, and you will receive emails when I post something new. The link is in my profile under homepage. Thank you for all of the fabulous reviews! Please keep reading!
(Italics indicate parseltongue or telepathic speech)
Chapter Five: House-Elves and Bathtubs
InterludeSeverus Snape was currently an extremely stressed individual. Why had he not known of the attack on the Potter-boy's house before hand? Granted, Voldemort did not see fit to divulge his each and every plan to the potions master, but for something of this magnitude, he should have at least gotten an inkling, especially as it concerned Potter. What was especially disconcerting was that even if Severus had heard nothing from Voldemort directly, he could usually count on one of the dumber Death Eaters involved in the plot, such as the elders Crabbe and Goyle, to brag or in some way leak information. Severus had heard nothing.
He stalked along the halls of the dungeons, and made his way to the headmaster's office. "Everlasting Gobstopper!" he snarled at the gargoyle, and it leapt aside. As Severus reached the top of the winding staircase, he could discern several voices coming from behind the door. He paused to listen.
"Albus, it's been over twelve hours. If he had escaped, we should have heard something by now," came the worried voice of Arthur Weasley.
"There was no sign of him with those Death Eaters that we fought, but they could have used a portkey from inside the house," intoned the gravelly voice of Alastor Moody.
It was at this point that Severus decided to make his presence known, and entered the office, ignoring Albus' bloody knowing twinkle. That man should have been in Slytherin, the crafty old codger, nothing got by him. Severus turned his attention to the Order members that occupied chairs in Albus' office. Remus Lupin, Arthur Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Alastor Moody all looked at him expectantly. Severus noted that they all looked extremely tired and worried with exception of the headmaster. The potions master raised an eyebrow at this considering that Albus' Golden Boy was missing, but the headmaster simply looked intrigued.
"Ah Severus, please have a seat. Have you been able to uncover anything in regards to our Mr. Potter?"
"I'm sorry Headmaster, but nothing has leaked as of yet. I am concerned that I knew nothing of this attack before it was carried out. The only conclusion that I can come to is that this was a test of my loyalty. The Dark Lord has been searching for the leak in his followers. If the boy truly did escape, then we can at least be thankful that my position as a spy is intact. He will look elsewhere for the leak now. However, I have not yet ascertained whether or not Potter was indeed captured. It is my belief, however, that he was not, at least not by Death Eaters. If the Dark Lord had him, he would have already summoned his followers to watch the boy be executed."
Albus nodded, thoughtfully, "Indeed, I do not believe that our Mr. Potter was taken by the Death Eaters. There are several factors that lead me to believe this. When Harry's room at the Dursley residence was searched, no trace of his personal belongings were found. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that he had time to pack and take them with him." With this the elderly wizard rose and retrieved a fist-sized cobalt blue crystal sphere with rhythmically pulsating silver veins from one of his shelves. Upon resuming his seat, he explained, "This is a monitoring crystal attuned to Harry's magical signature. The blue color indicates his good health. The silver in the veining indicates that he is sleeping peacefully, and the pulsating is representative of his heartbeat. Wherever Harry is, he does not appear to be in any immediate danger." He glanced at the slightly relieved faces in front of him. He then turned his attention to the werewolf, "Remus, please relate to those present what you told me earlier."
Remus nodded and addressed the gathered Order members, "As you know my enhanced senses allow me to detect things that are not apparent to normal human senses." At their nods he continued, "When we apparated to Privet Drive, I detected a peculiar smell, one I had never encountered before. At first I thought it was that of a vampire, but although it carried the same blood scent, it lacked the feral quality of a vampire. Whatever left that smell was both sentient and clean. Also, there was more than one individual, and they had been there over the course of several days. There was no fresh blood or corpses, near the house. That does not follow the normal behavior patterns for vampires. When I followed the scent to its largest concentration, it was the alley across the street from number 4 Privet Drive. When I entered the alley I discovered Harry's scent as well. His scent trail leading up to the alley was obscured by the battle, but it was fresh in the alley itself. There was no trail leading away from it. As you know vampires cannot apparate, and cannot produce advanced magical objects such as a portkey, so whatever took Harry, it was not a vampire."
There was an outburst of talking amongst those gathered. Arthur Weasley spoke up, "Are you saying that Harry was taken by some kind of new or unheard of creature that drinks the blood of its victims? How could such a creature be kept secret?"
Severus had a sinking feeling that he knew what had happened to the Potter-boy. He glanced at Albus, raising an eyebrow in question. The headmaster seemed to know what he was thinking, and nodded. Severus cleared his throat, "Gentlemen, if I may? I believe I have a viable theory. I have heard rumors of a high vampire race that is both sentient and highly magical."
"You believe that old-hag's tale, Snape?" groused Moody.
Severus sneered at the peg-legged ex-Auror, "Many myths are based on truths, Moody, especially in the wizarding world, but that is not what I meant. I do not know the details, but I do know that the Dark Lord has been courting an alliance with a group that he is very secret about. The rumor amongst the Death Eaters, however is that this group is comprised of some type of vampire."
The others except Dumbledore gasped collectively. Kingsley spoke up quietly, "I too have heard rumors of these vampires at the ministry. It is kept very hushed, but the ministry has apparently known of their existence for centuries. Not much is known about them besides the fact that they do exist, and are apparently very reclusive. The ministry does consider them to be extremely dangerous, though."
Arthur stood, panicked, "We have to find him, Albus. What if these vampires took him to use as a negotiating tool in their talks with You-Know-Who?"
"Do not worry Arthur. We will locate Harry," the headmaster soothed. "At least for now we know he is alive and healthy. Severus, if you would find out anything that you can about these people?"
Severus stood and nodded, "I will use every source that I have at my disposal, Headmaster."
Albus smiled benignly, and turned to the others, "Arthur and Kingsley, if you would check into anything the ministry has on vampires? Please be discreet. It would not do for Cornelius to get wind of this. It is bad enough that he knows of Harry's disappearance at all, but that cannot be helped." At their nods he continued, "Alastor, please return to Order headquarters, and bring everyone up to speed. Do not fret. We will find Harry."
With that, everyone took their leave quickly. Albus wandered over to Fawkes' perch. He stroked his head while gazing at Harry's monitoring crystal. "Be safe, Harry. It seems that we have a new player on the field, Fawkes."
End InterludeHarry gradually approached consciousness, and noticed the red glow of his eyelids. It was definitely morning then. He cracked one eye cautiously, and immediately closed it again with a groan. He rolled away from the offending light and sat up. Harry blearily peered at his surroundings, and the recollection of the events and conversations of last night hit him like a ton of bricks. He let out another more heartfelt groan.
"Is Lord Harry ill, sir?" piped a rather squeaky voice to his left.
Harry started and swung his head towards the voice. There standing on his trunk was a house-elf. She did not, however, have the appearance of any house-elf that he had ever seen. She was wearing clothes for one thing, and had a rather well groomed appearance. Her skin was smooth and unscarred, and her large blue eyes had a clear and open appearance. She wore a rich blue cotton dress with silver embroidery and a crisp white apron. She also had on smart elf-sized leather shoes. She was currently staring at Harry in some concern.
After Harry had gaped a moment longer, he shook his head and explained, "No, I'm fine. Who are you?"
"My name is Trini, sir. Lord Tullius has assigned me to take care of you. He said to tell you that he would come by before dinner, and give you a tour of Pax Castellum."
"What time is it?" Harry asked the diminutive elf.
"It is just past noon. Would you like me to bring you some lunch, sir?"
Harry marveled at Trini. She was the first house-elf that he had met who did not speak of themselves in third person. "Yes please, if you don't mind."
"Of course not. It is my pleasure to serve you, Lord Harry. If you ask me, you need a little fattening up." She gave his bare chest a critical stare, and then vanished with a pop.
"Cheeky little thing," said Harry with a grin.
"Yes, she was. Now if we could have some silence! Someone would like to continue her beauty sleep."
Harry laughed at the irritated hiss coming from underneath the pillow next to his. "Yes, Mistress Lethe!"
Harry glanced around the room, and noticed that Trini had apparently tidied his hastily discarded clothing from last night. He rose and quickly paid a visit to the loo, grabbing his robe off its peg in the process. He didn't fancy parading about in his boxers in front of the house-elf, even if they were silk.
Trini reappeared just as Harry reentered his bedroom. "Here you are Lord Harry," She piped as she placed a tray on the table in his sitting area. "What else can I do for you?"
Harry sat in one of the chairs. "Thank you. Would you mind sitting for a moment? I would like to ask you a few questions."
"Certainly sir. I will answer anything that I am able to."
Harry was relieved when she immediately hopped into the chair opposite him with no fuss. He recalled the first time that he had asked Dobby to sit, and almost groaned at the memory. "You are not like most of the house-elves that I have met before. Do they treat you well here?"
"Oh, yes sir, we house-elves are treated very kindly by the Clan Argentum. I have never left this island, but I know of some who have. The stories brought back about the treatment of house-elves in the outside world are appalling. We house-elves of Pax Castellum are not slaves. We are not bound to stay here. We serve the Clan Argentum because we choose to. Do you know that house-elves in the outside world are not paid, and do not wear clothes?"
"Yes, I am aware of the practice. I know a house-elf named Dobby who used to belong to a particularly cruel family. He was freed, and now works at my school. Professor Dumbledore pays Dobby and he is treated well."
Trini nodded, "House-elves are magical creatures not unlike the Senef Mesha'. We all do as our natures' dictate. House-elves like to clean and take care of others. We are not, however, any lower than any other sentient being. Those of the Clan Argentum respect us for our services, and provide for us well. We have elf-sized quarters, and Lord Tullius sees that we are well clothed and educated. We are still sworn to protect our employers' secrets, but it is something that we are glad to do anyways."
"Are house-elves treated as well by the other clans?" Harry asked.
Trini frowned for a moment. "The Crocinus Clan in the Americas and the Viridis Clan in Germany are also good to house elves. House-elves do not serve the Rutilus Clan anymore, however. Soon after the Great Rift, Lord Tullius' brother and his followers began to bleed their house elves. Since then few house-elves have willingly served them, and those who have, do not last long. As for the Niveus Clan, well after that she-devil's folly, there is nothing left of them to serve."
"I see. Tullius wants me to become one of the Argentum Clan. I haven't made up my mind yet, though."
"Lord Tullius believes that you are the Child of the Prophecy. He is very wise. Do not forget that although he looks young, he is in actuality almost 4000 years old. If Lord Tullius desires to take you as his blood child, then you should be honored, for he has not done so in all of his many years."
"Not once in nearly 4000 years?"
"No, he has been waiting for you, Lord Harry."
Harry didn't quite know what to make of that. "Thanks Trini, for answering my questions. You've helped quite a bit."
"You are most welcome Lord Harry. If you do not require anything else, then I will take my leave. Should you need me, just call out my name."
"Thanks again!" Harry called as Trini vanished with a pop. "Well, I certainly have a lot to think about. I think I'll be trying out that giant bathtub, but food first!" Harry uncovered the dishes and found green salad, spaghetti and piping hot fresh garlic bread. Accompanying it was a pot of tea and chocolate cake for dessert. "Lethe! Are you hungry?"
A groggy looking Lethe stuck her head out from under her pillow. "I ate yesterday. What I need now is another couple hours of sleep!" If snakes could glare, Harry would swear that's what she was doing. She disappeared from view with a final hiss.
"Suit yourself." Harry proceeded to devour his lunch, and ignored the grumpy snake.
Once he was satiated, Harry made his way into the bathroom, and studied the taps. Unlike the Prefects' bath, this one only had two taps, hot and cold. There were, however, several bottles of variously scented bath additives. Unlike the muggle variety, wizarding bath additives were not just for scent. They were actually potions, and would heal, sooth, relax, energize, or what ever was needed. Harry chose one that would sooth his frazzled nerves and improve his concentration. After filling the tub, he shed his robe and boxers and set aside his glasses. He allowed his body to sink down in until only his face was above the water's surface. Harry took a deep breath, and sunk to the bottom of the tub, slowly breathing out through his nose. He stayed submerged as long as he could, allowing the potion to do its work, and listening to the blood move through his veins. As he rose slowly so his nose and mouth broke the surface once more, he exhaled the remainder of the air in his lungs. When he refilled them with oxygen, the water amplified the sound. For a moment, Harry felt that it was the only sound in the world.
The lonely sound made him wonder how many breaths he had left. How much longer did he have to spend on the planet before his death? Four times he had faced Voldemort, five if you counted when he was a baby. Each time Death had passed within a breath of his fingertips. How many more times would Death allow his escape? Tullius had called him a Child of Fate, someone to balance the evils of the world. Did this mean that Fate would continue to protect him, and could he afford to take that chance? It certainly seemed that he possessed an inordinate amount of luck in sticky situations. Maybe it was Fate's way of compensating for his crappy luck concerning every other aspect of his life.
Harry wondered what would happen if he was to die before Voldemort was destroyed. If that batty Trelawney's prophesy was to be believed then his death before that of old Tommy-boy would spell blood and death for most of the world, both wizarding and muggle alike. Was it true that out of the entire wizarding population only Harry had the power to destroy that monster completely? And for that matter, what was completely? Did Voldemort even have a soul? He had some sort of presence after his body was destroyed when Harry was a baby. Wizarding society had a huge variety of beliefs on religion that incorporated various beliefs from all over the world. Some believed in the quintessential soul. Some believed in a life-force that was present in every living thing, which upon a creature's death moved on to a newborn creature, rather like reincarnation. Some even believed that the soul was actually the embodiment of the magical signature of a wizard, though what that meant for muggles Harry did not know. Maybe people just died, only to live on in the memories of those left behind. He remembered his conversation with Nearly-Headless Nick at the end of last term. Even he did not know what really happened when a person died because he had chosen to remain in-between life and death.
Harry had never put much stock in most muggle religions. The Dursleys had attended church only on high holidays. Harry himself had only been a handful of times as a young child when the Dursleys could not get a sitter. He hadn't really been impressed on those occasions. There was a copy of the Bible among the discarded books in Dudley's second bedroom. Harry had read it, and had found most of it to be quite bigoted and intolerant. It basically said to love your fellow humans as long as they are male and share the beliefs and practices set out in the Bible. There were however parts of it that he liked. These parts reminded him of Aesop's Fables. If you looked past the religious propaganda, you cold find some good morals. Not that it really mattered what Harry thought. According to the Judeo-Christian religions, he and the rest of the wizarding world were going to Hell anyways.
Harry also did not put too much sway into any of the so-called miracles in the Bible, as much more amazing stuff occurred in the wizarding world on a daily basis. In fact he had to wonder about some of the heroes of the bible. If the stories of Moses and Jesus were actually based in fact, he had to wonder if they hadn't been wizards themselves. To a muggle who knew nothing of true magic, it might very well seem miraculous. Wouldn't that just upset a few things?
Harry supposed that it did not matter who was correct, as it would be resolved upon death anyways. Harry only cared that Voldemort was destroyed completely, and he was willing to do almost anything to accomplish this.
So what of Tullius' proposal? Did Harry want to become one of the Senef Mesha'? He could not deny the considerable advantages that would come with the enhancements. The added magical energy could be what was necessary to defeat Voldemort. That was the problem with prophesies, they told him what he needed to do, but not how to go about it. What would the wizarding world do if it were discovered that their 'savior' was a dark creature? Harry figured that it would all depend on who won, him or Riddle. Harry also had to consider whether or not he wanted to be immortal. The selfish part of his mind noted that it would mean seeing many of his friends and loved ones grow old and die, while he remained forever young. Then the unselfish part of his mind piped up with the fact that at least they might get a chance to do so without the looming threat of Voldemort. Harry also could not deny that the prospect of being able to observe the changes in humanity throughout the ages had its appeal. He would have all of the time in the world to travel and explore perhaps satiating is inexhaustible curiosity. Tullius had also said that the Senef Mesha' could not have children, at least not naturally. Harry had always thought that it would be wonderful to have a real family, and provide everything that he himself had been denied to a child.
It was a decision that he could not make lightly. It was times like these when Harry's Slytherin traits reared their heads. He needed to weigh things carefully and suppress his Gryffindor instinct to rush right in. Harry decided that he needed more information before he could make a decision. Hopefully his meeting with Tullius this evening would provide him with some more insight.
With that thought in mind, Harry pulled the drain plug, and reached for a towel. After wiping the steam from his glasses, and replacing them on his face, he thought aloud, "At least I wouldn't have to mess with these damn glasses anymore." He dressed in another extremely expensive outfit, and returned to his perch on the window seat. In the daylight he could see past the trees where there was the smooth line of the sea on the horizon. Evening would come soon enough, and with it hopefully some more answers.