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: Yes, I know, this chapter is a long time coming. Bad author! Bad! Hides behind Severus This was a really tough chapter to get right. gives sad puppy eyes This chapter has not been beta-read yet. I'll update it once I get the final corrections back.

(Italics indicate parseltongue, telepathic speech or visions)

Chapter Seven: Nightmares and Decisions

In a dim cavernous room sat the grotesquely skeletal form of Voldemort on a throne like chair, which was the sole piece of furniture in sight. His ruby-eyed gaze balefully took in the room's other occupants. Before him stood two-dozen black-robed figures. The faint light glinted off the silver masks, which hid their down turned faces. Between them and their master, a figure lay in a cringing heap. Her long, matted hair was visible behind her mask. Voldemort had his wand lazily pointing at the pathetic creature, and she was screaming. As she twitched convulsively, her mask fell away to reveal none other than Bellatrix Lestrange. Her face was filthy with blood and grime, and a deranged light shown in her bloodshot eyes.

The observing youth felt a surge of rank hatred at the sight of her, Sirius' killer. He found no pity in himself for her wretchedness. Later, that fact would worry him, but now his attention was focused on the scene at hand and the phantom pain he was feeling.

With a last scream, the woman collapsed in a sobbing heap as Voldemort released the Cruciatus that had been frying her nerve endings. Ignoring the still twitching mass he turned his attention towards his other followers. His sibilant hiss of a voice sent chills of fear down the spines of even the stoniest Death Eaters. "I will not tolerate failure. My dear Bella has always been among my most faithful, and for that I spare her life, this time. Severus, step forward." A tall figure separated itself from the throng and glided to a stop beside the fallen Lestrange. "Severus, what news of Harry Potter?"

"News, my lord? Is Potter not with his aunt and uncle for the summer?"

"Crucio!"

The potion master's knees buckled, but he somehow remained both standing and silent. The observing boy cringed in sympathy, and felt a tug that was not part of the painful echo that he felt from the curse. How many times had this man endured such pain for the sake of the Order? Dozens? Hundreds, more likely. "Don't lie to me Severus. I'm certain that a man with your resources has heard of his disappearance."

"Please forgive me, my lord. I have been involved with a potions experiment the last few days, and have thought of little else. I did see Dumbledore for a moment yesterday evening, and noted that he seemed quite distressed. I was, however, unaware of the reason for his agitation. If the Potter brat is missing, that would explain it."

"Indeed, he seems to have vanished. We were able to finally bypass those annoying wards that the muggle-loving fool had placed around the boy's house. However, when my dear Bella lead a group of my servants to capture the brat, they discovered that he was nowhere to be found. Why do you think that is, Severus?"

"I am not sure, my lord. I do know that Dumbledore had instructed the boy to remain within the wards at all times. Also, I do not believe that the boy is at Hogwarts. If the old fool's distress is any indication, he does not know where the brat is either."

"I see. In the future, Severus, you will be sure to inform me promptly of the old fool's moments of worry?"

"Of course, my lord."

The red gaze lifted from the potions master to observe the rest of the rooms occupants, "I want everyone to use all of the resources at your disposal to find. out. where. he. is!" Severus started to move back into the throng when the fiery gaze swung back to him, "Oh, Severus? Crucio!"

This time the potions master was not expecting the attack, and it brought him silently to his knees. The youth forgot that they could not hear him, and threw himself at the fallen man, "No!" he screamed. Abruptly the curse was lifted.

The teen gulped when he realized that Voldemort's gaze was now focused directly on him. "Well, well, well... So you've decided to join our little party, Mr. Potter. How kind of you." The teen felt Voldemort attempting to get a grasp on his mind, and fled.

He awoke with a start, panting and sweating. "Oh, shit!"

As he slowly regained control of his pounding heart and ragged breathing, Harry became aware of a small pair of shining black eyes peering at him in the pre-dawn light. The owner of said eyes was Lethe, who was regarding him worriedly. "Are you alright, Harry?"

The teen shook his head, and replied, "No. I think I just made a huge mistake."

"What do you mean?"

Harry described the vision to the snake, and proceeded to explain, "I think I may have just blown Professor Snape's cover as a spy. Voldemort will wonder why I was worried about Snape, but more importantly, he will believe that Snape's identity as a Death Eater has been exposed. You see Voldemort believes that Professor Snape is his spy on the headmaster. If Voldemort thinks that his spy's position at Hogwarts is compromised, he may decide that the Snape is more trouble than he is worth. Also, if he remains at the school after this with no recriminations from Dumbledore, then Voldemort will discover his true loyalties."

"That is bad, Harry, but there is still some time before your professor is exposed, I believe."

"How so?"

"Well does Voldemort believe that you are in contact with Dumbledore?"

"No... I don't think so. Snape told him that he didn't believe Dumbledore knew where I was."

"The perhaps Voldemort will wait to do something about your professor. It makes more sense to use Snape as long as possible in hopes of locating you before Dumbledore does. Once you leave this place, it would probably be best for Snape to not return to Voldemort."

"I hope you're right. I can't believe that I lost the Order its spy, though. Snape is going to kill me. I've got to get this Occlumency thing under control. I wonder if Tullius has anyone here that can help me."

"You could ask him. The man is telepathic after all."

"That's true. The must have some way of closing off their minds to one another, or else that could get awfully embarrassing. I think I should also ask him about contacting the Order somehow, and letting them know that I am okay. I should have thought of it before now, but with all that's happened, I let it slip my mind."

A glance at the clock told Harry that it was just after 5:30 a.m., "Ugh... well I don't think I'm getting anymore sleep tonight. I think I'll pay a visit to that bathtub again."

"Humph... speak for yourself, human. I'm going back to sleep like a decent snake."

Harry rose with a chuckle and shake of his head. He stretched and headed to the bathroom.

An hour later saw him bathed, dressed and sitting in what he'd come to call his spot on the window seat. As Harry watched the dawn slowly creep across the island he turned his thoughts to the conversation that he and Lethe had had the night before after dinner.

Flashback

"I think this is a good opportunity for you. Granted, there are some drawbacks, but they are vastly outweighed by the benefits."

"I know, but what about Dumbledore and the Order, not to mention my friends? What if they despise me for being a so-called 'Dark Creature'?"

"If this Dumbledore is as crafty as you say he is, then I would think that he would want you to have every advantage. The Order follows him, do the not? As for your friends, if they are truly loyal to you, they will support whichever decision you make. Harry, none of that really matters anyways. You must think about yourself in this. You seem to get so caught up in what the rest of the world expects of you that you do not give enough thought to what you want. What is best for Harry? There is no shame in a little selfishness every now and then. I understand duty to the cause and all, but if you only join the Senef' Mesha for the added powers or to keep them from allying with Voldemort, you are setting yourself for some extreme unhappiness later. What happens after you defeat Voldemort? You will still be a vampire. What then? I think you would do well with the Senef Mesha', but only you know what will make you happy."

Harry stared at the patterns on the rug for a long moment, and then turned back to the snake, "Thank you. I think I needed to hear that. You're right. I promised myself that I would take firmer control of my destiny, and not let people and circumstances control me anymore. I guess it takes practice."

End Flashback

It was true, Harry thought, this was a decision that he had to make alone. In a way, he was glad that he was away from his friends and the Order. He cared about them, but had he been with them, he knew that he would have been influenced by their opinions. The teen stood abruptly, and strode towards his study. Hermione had always claimed that writing out a list was the best way to make an organized decision.

Harry crossed his study to the desk, and sat, reaching for quill and parchment. He wrote sporadically for a few moments, then sat back, and studied the parchment thoughtfully.

Reasons Not to Join the Senef' Mesha
· would face prejudice in the outside world
· would have to watch friends age and die
· inability to have biological children
· need to drink blood

Reasons to Join the Senef' Mesha
· enhanced physical and magical powers
· ability to defeat Voldemort
· insurance that the Senef' Mesha won't side with Voldemort
· would help the Senef Mesha with reunification
· immortality
· would have allies outside the wizarding world
· permanent home on Pax Castellum
· parent in Tullius?

After a few moments he sighed and crumbled the parchment. He needed to walk that always helped him think. He remembered that Tullius mentioned something about battlements yesterday. Maybe be could take a look. After all... if he was staying here for any length of time, he should get to know the castle.

Harry reentered the main room and extracted Sirius' trench coat from his trunk. After donning the coat, he pocketed his wand, and called out to Lethe, "I'm going for a walk, do you want to come?"

The small snake blearily poked her head out from under her pillow and replied, "Are those pockets warm?"

"Umm... I think so."

"I guess I'd better come with you, but I'm going back to sleep in your pocket."

"Very well Oh Lazy One," Harry replied as he pocketed the grumbling creature.

Harry took the spiral stair near his room up five stories to the rooftop and battlements(1). The teen opened one of the four doors in the small room he found himself in, and stepped out onto the flat, stone rooftop. Harry took a moment to orient himself, and moved towards a parapet(2), facing south if he was to judge by the brilliant pink light glowing in the sky to his left. Harry peered over the chest-high parapet and observed the cobblestone bailey(3) many meters below. He didn't see anybody moving about, but noted the two long, low buildings along the periphery with large doors. "Some sort of barns?" he wondered. He eyed the main entrance to the keep. A gigantic portcullis(4) and gate was built into the southwest curtain wall(5). The curtain wall soared skyward to join with the rooftop walls of the keep(6). To Harry's right he noticed a wide stair leading up to the wall-walk(7).

He reached the top and let out a small gasp as he slowly turned to take in his surroundings. He was about three meters above the main roof, and had a perfect view of the surrounding terrain. The island appeared to be about eight kilometers (five miles) long and five kilometers (three miles) wide. The castle itself was situated in the northeast corner of the island, which was the highest point of elevation. Harry was standing on the west wall-walk, and could see some of the islands major features. The north and, he assumed, west coasts of the island consisted of steep, grey rock cliffs. The island, though mountainous, slowly sloped down towards the south and west ends of the island, which was at sea level, bordered by beaches. The north half of the island was covered by verdant forest, while the southern half was moorland. Harry saw a silvery glint in the west that he assumes was a lake. Scattered about the island were maybe a dozen or so small buildings and houses. "I guess not everyone lives in the castle."

"No, some of us prefer something a little quieter."

Harry jumped, and spun around, his heart pounding in his throat, already reaching for his wand. He relaxed slightly as he took in the amused smile and white hair of Cicero Ennius. "Merlin! You startled me. I didn't expect anyone to be up and about yet."

The opal-eyed seer chuckled softly and moved to lean on the battlements. "We don't require as much sleep as ordinary wizards, though I do enjoy a good lie-in on occasion. How about you Harry? You're up awfully early. As I recall, teenagers are quite fond of sleep, especially in the mornings."

Harry smiled wanly, "Ah... well, I'm not much of a sleeper, either."

Cicero gazed at the teen for a moment, and then turned his gaze to the lightening island. "Sometimes the sleeping is more exhausting than the waking. Would you agree?"

"Yeah... that about sums it up. You see... I have these dreams... well, I guess they're more visions than dreams." Harry paused to rub his infamous scar, "This links me to Voldemort. When I sleep I can see what he's doing, and if he casts a curse on someone, I can feel it. So, as you can imagine, I'm not too fond of sleeping."

Cicero nodded without turning his head, "When I was a boy, oh many years ago, I had a similar problem. As you know, I am a seer. I was born with the gift, though as a child I thought it a curse. My parents were muggles, and had no knowledge of magic. My unusual looks are not a result of my Change, but are something I was born with. They are the outward signs of my unusual magic. As you could imagine, I was considered something of a pariah by my tribe. It is a hard thing to be different. It was actually a blessing when the pharaoh's lackeys took me for the experiments. You see, I had no control over my powers, and would go into a trance at odd times, and spout prophecy. I was especially vulnerable while sleeping. My parents thought I was mad. My trainers at the pharaoh's court taught me meditation and control. Had it not been for them, I probably would have gone mad."

Harry was not sure how to respond to that. 'Wow' seemed rather inadequate. "Do... do you think... you could teach me how to control my visions?" he asked hesitantly. "One of my professors tried to teach me Occlumency last year, but it didn't turn out very well. I think it was a failure on both our parts, but I promise I would work harder this time."

Cicero turned to eye the young man seriously, "I know you will," he said with a small smile and a chuckle.

Harry shivered as he realized the man really did know. "Thank you. You've no ide-... oh... I guess you do know what this means to me." Harry returned the smile with one of his own.

Cicero stood up and clapped his hands, "Excellent, now that that's settled, I believe the elves are serving pancakes for breakfast this morning. I am exceedingly fond of pancakes. Shall we?"

Harry nodded with a bemused smile. He was reminded eerily of Dumbledore. The opal-eyed seer led the way along the wall-walk until they reached one of the three corner towers. Inside the arched doorway was another door leading to the north wall-walk, and a spiral stair leading back down into the keep.

As the descended the stairs Cicero told him that there were similar staircases in the other two towers that led down to the ground and second levels. "You can also reach the kitchens in the basement from this stair."

As they arrived on the ground level, Cicero led the way through an open archway into the dining hall. There weren't many people in the hall this morning, but Tullius had told him that most of the clan took all meals except dinner in their own chambers. "Harry! Good morning! Hello Cicero."

"Tullius. Good morning. Young Harry here and I have been enjoying the sunrise this morning."

"Ah... a lovely morning for it at that. Come, come, have a seat! The elves are serving pancakes this morning."

Harry and Cicero shared a grin, and followed the obviously well caffeinated chieftain to the table.

Breakfast was delicious, and did indeed consist of pancakes. Afterwards, Tullius turned to the teen, and asked, "Do you ride, Harry?"

"Ride what?"

This time it was Tullius' turn to share a grin with Cicero. "Oh, you'll see. Come on."

"I have some work to do, so I'll see you two at dinner. Have fun."

The white-haired man headed for the library, while Tullius and Harry made their way to the bailey and one of the barns, or rather stables. "Horses?" Harry squeaked.

"Fantastic horses. Have you ever ridden?"

"Um, no."

"Well its time you learned. It's not all that hard once you get the hang of it. Owen! How are you this morning?"

A tall rather burly man with auburn hair and a ready smile had poked his head of a stall at their entrance. "Hello Tullius, I'm fine, as is Mercutio. You must be Harry. I wasn't able to make dinner last night, but you are the talk of the castle. Emilia went into labor yesterday, and delivered a lovely little filly during the night."

The two visitors joined Owen at the stall, and were presented with the sight of a lovely roan mare and a very wobbly black foal. "Name's Titania," the burly man said proudly.

"Harry, this is Owen Iubeo, our hostler and damn fine horse breeder. Owen, Harry Potter."

Owen held out a hand to Harry. "Pleased to meet you, Harry. Welcome to Pax Castellum."

Harry grasped the proffered hand, and with a firm shake replied, "Pleased to meet you. Are you related to Brutus?"

"Yup, he's my Sire. He and his mate adopted me when I was a baby."

Harry could see the man's fangs when he spoke. Harry wondered when the man had been turned. "Did Brutus... I mean... have you been a..."

The man grinned at Harry's stumbling, and took pity on the teen. "You're wondering if Dad turned me as a baby?"

Harry blushed and nodded his head sheepishly, "I didn't mean to be rude."

"Not at all, Harry. To answer your question, no, I did not become a vampire until I was ten. The Argentum Clan does not turn people without their consent. My parents waited until I was old enough to make the decision for myself."

Harry was relieved. The thought of someone turning a baby made him slightly ill. That just seemed wrong.

Tullius spoke up, "You remember the feeding codes that I told you about? Well a baby cannot be reasoned with. They would just feel the blood lust, and would feed on anything they could. By the time a child ten, he or she understands right from wrong, and can, we feel, make a conscious decision whether or not to undergo their change. Very few decide not to, as it is considered an honor and right of passage. However, I can remember one or two that declined. They still remained with their vampire families until their deaths."

Harry nodded his understanding feeling relieved.

"So Harry, do you know how to ride?" questioned the hostler.

"No, this is as close as I've ever been to a regular horse."

The hostler laughed, and turned to the mare, "Did you hear that Emilia, he called you regular!" The mare snorted and presented Harry with her backside.

"Well let's see if we can get you fixed up. He looked skeptically at Harry's clothes, and waved his hand. Harry looked down and saw that his slacks had been replaced with knee-high black riding boots and tan stretchy riding pants. Owen handed him a black velvet covered helmet. "Much better. Now you need a mount. Hmm... maybe Phoebe. She's rather calm. She'd make a good first horse. Come along. Owen grabbed a saddle and tack and headed down the aisle between the many stalls.

"Owen I'm going to saddle up Mercutio while you help Harry."

The hostler nodded absently as he walked. Phoebe turned out to be a placid appaloosa, who seemed to like Harry. Owen showed him how to saddle her, and they then led her out into the bailey. The found Tullius waiting similarly attired, with a large black stallion that Harry assumed was Mercutio.

"Ready Harry?" He asked with a smile.

"Um, sure." Owen helped him mount up, and instructed him on how to guide her.

"Just relax a bit, and remember the harder you squeeze with your legs, the faster she will go."

Harry made a mental note to keep his legs quite relaxed. Tullius led the way through the castle gate, and they were off. Harry found after an hour or so that it wasn't so hard, although he had a feeling that his bum might be singing a different tune tomorrow. They headed due west through the forest on a dirt road that circled the island's periphery. Tullius stopped occasionally to point out some feature to Harry. Near lunch they reached a stream on the west end of the island. There was a bridge crossing it, but Tullius veered onto a smaller path that ran inland along the stream. After a few minutes, the trees opened into a large clearing with a waterfall and shimmering lagoon.

"Wow," was all Harry could think to say.

I'm glad you like it. There is a lake atop that cliff. It comes from an underground spring. I thought we could have a picnic lunch if you want."

"That sounds great. The two dismounted, and Harry walked a little funny for a moment until his muscles relaxed. "Definitely gonna feel this tomorrow," he mumbled. He placed a rather irate Lethe on the ground to hunt or bask on the rocks while warning her to stay clear of the grazing horses' hooves. She slithered off mumbling about stupid humans riding stupid horses, and depriving decent snakes of their beauty sleep.

Tullius conjured a blanket and cushions, and then summoned a picnic basket from the castle. "I asked the elves to have it ready."

The meal was delicious and they talked of inconsequential things, for which Harry was grateful. Once they were satiated, and reclining in the sun on the cushions, Harry got the nerve to ask the question that had been gnawing at him over the last two days, "Tullius? Why do you want me? I mean, I know about the prophecy and everything, but is that the only reason?" The green-eyed teen waited tensely for the man's answer, knowing that it might very well help him make his decision.

After the moment of silence, Tullius answered, "Harry I wont deny that I want you to fulfill the prophecy, and help our people, but that's not the reason I want you. I can't see how anyone could not want you. You are an amazing person, Harry. You are kind, and giving, and loyal, and brave, and resilient, and good. You have triumphed over hardship again and again, and it has not made you bitter. On the contrary, it has made you stronger!

"Harry, I was there when Cicero made the original prophecy, and afterwards he came to me. He said that I would be the one to Sire the Child of the Prophesy. He told me that I would have to wait to bring you home until the time was right. He also said that it would be hard to sit back and watch you suffer, but that it was necessary for you to become the man that you would need to be to survive. I could have taken you from the Dursley's when you were first given to them. It was the hardest thing that I have ever done to leave you with them. But you see Harry; I would have wanted to protect you from the very hardships that have shaped you into the wonderful young man that you are today. I know it was a difficult life, but you have a difficult path still to tread. I have looked in on you over the years, though you did not see me, and I know just how special you are. The Dursley's, bastards that they were, gave you one inadvertent gift. They showed you how ugly humanity can be, and how not to be. It's called compassion, Harry, and you have it in spades."

When Tullius finished, Harry had tears in his eyes. No one had ever told him such things before. Sure he had heard the accolades of The-Boy-Who-Lived from those who didn't even know him, but never in regards to just plain Harry. Could Tullius really just want him for him, and not The-Boy-Who-Lived? It hurt to think that he could have had a wonderful childhood with Tullius, which he had been denied, but he understood the point that the man was trying to make. He thought of Ron and Hermione, and their loving families. They were wonderful people, and he loved them, but they were innocents. They really had no concept of the darker side of humanity outside of the fairytale evil villain. They had not come face to face with evil and walked away. Even though they were usually with him in his misadventures, in the end it was always he and Voldemort.

Now, Tullius was offering him the one thing that he had always craved, the one thing that his lessons had cost him. A family. "Okay. I'll do it." Not for the wizarding world, not for Dumbledore, or the Order, or even the Senef' Mesha. He would do it for himself.

He was vaguely aware of Tullius pulling him into a warm embrace. "Welcome home, my child."

Castle Architectural Terms
1. Battlements – The outermost wall atop the main outer castle wall or curtain wall. Also known as crenelations. It has embrasures (indentions) with merlons (raised potions between embrasures) for defensive purposes.
2. Parapet – A solid stone railing or wall along a roof or other raised surface to prevent people from falling off.
3. Bailey – A courtyard inside castle walls (curtain walls) used for training, parade grounds, corralling animals during an attack, marshalling troops, ect.
4. Portcullis - A heavy timber or metal grill that protects the castle entrance and can be raised or lowered from within the castle. It drops vertically between grooves to block passage.
5. Curtain Wall – A protective wall surrounding the bailey.
6. Keep – The main castle building.
7. Wall-walk – The stone walkway atop the castle walls between the battlements and parapets.

I know the castle jargon is a little awkward, but it will be important later in the story. Plus, I figure since Harry has gone to school in a castle for five years, he should know most of that.