Fearing you
loving you
I won't let you hold me down

Interactions between Harry and Severus became far less strained after Harry's hesitant confession as to why he really bolted after they're little adventure in the first potions session. Gradually they had started talking over steaming cauldrons of whichever potions they were making and Harry had discovered a lot more about his potions master. Such as, that despite the fact he coveted the Defence against the dark arts position with a passion, he did have a great skill and love for the art of potion making and likewise cooking.

To his surprise and subsequent pleasure he also discovered that Snape didn't at all mind discussing his private life and what he enjoyed doing in his spare time. He had found out titbits over a lengthy discussion about magical history that Snape loved to read and would often spend an evening reading historical or potions texts before the fire and his favourite listening material was – surprisingly Beethoven. Apparently despite the fact that he was a muggle Snape admired his work and likened him a little to himself who had been almost a Dark arts and potions genius in his educational years at Hogwarts.

But Snape was not all about the quiet life as Harry had discovered in their fourth session when they'd been chatting about Harry's summer holidays.

Flashback:

"And then Fred fell off his broom just as I caught the snitch! Oh he was so gutted because if he hadn't of fallen off he'd have scored the goal that would have meant his team would win instead of the game ending in a tie!"

Severus chuckled lowly and there was a comfortable silence, then. "So…you don't go to clubs then?"

Harry frowned as he carefully tipped in a small amount of puffapod seeds. "Clubs? What you mean like sports clubs or…"

Severus chuckled again, "No silly boy, nightclubs!"

Harry's eyes widened and his mouth formed a small round O. "Night clubs? Well no…I mean you have to be eighteen don't you?"

"Not in the magical community" Severus smiled thinking fondly of some of his own excursions into nightclubs. Of course he'd been considerably older than Harry was and had tended to frequent Blood bars more than nightclubs although they were essentially the same thing except that it was not only alcohol you could purchase at the bar.

"In the magical community of course wizards and witches come of age at seventeen." Severus said after reflection of his own adventures.

"Oh" Harry whispered, "Should I be frequenting nightclubs then?"

Severus smirked, "Not if you don't want to, though I can say with personal experience that one such as yourself would not regret it if you did."

Harry's eyes widened.

"What? You think me too…quiet, old…sensible perhaps? To go to nightclubs?"

Harry averted his gaze, "No, no not at all."

"Liar."

"Perhaps it is more that you would admit that you did go that has me shocked." Harry said quietly stirring shavings of Thestral hoof into the potion he was working on.

"Remember four stirs in an anti clockwise direction is best. Perhaps it does have something to do with that. But I am no fool, I know what the students think and say about me and a 'greasy git' and nightclubs do not mix well."

Harry thought it best that he didn't answer that seeing as he had called Severus that himself and for a while after that there was a companionable silence as they worked on their respective potions before a completely different topic had been introduced.

:End Flashback:

But Harry was becoming increasingly confused, what with his strange reactions to Severus (which try as he might he could not bring any light to) and their budding friendship and of course his now frequent wank sessions to the image of his professor, he was beginning to worry that he might actually be beginning to fall for Snape.

And much as his heart told him this was something to be happy about…his head did not.

Symptoms to look for to out a vampire

Vampires are not considered to be wizards, although many wizards have and continue to be 'bitten' so many of the undead do have wizard's powers.
Most of the vampire's powers increase with age and experience

Vampires may appear to age if they go sometime without feeding however, the vampire can also undergo a rejuvenate of youth with a blood supply or feeding. Vampires may go through almost PMT like symptoms once a month if they do not feed for the entirety of month. If they go for eight months or longer without attaining blood then these symptoms will become constant and the vampire is either forced to feed or face death.

During the day in light, the vampire is severely weakened. Most will not leave the dark but the experienced vampire is able to move and act as a human. Nevertheless, he loses his supernatural abilities except smell and mortal weapons may harm him.

Hermione stared at the page before her in breathless excitement. "Yes, yes I've done it!"

At a fierce "Shh" from the librarian, Hermione ducked her head but her eyes retained their excitable glow.

Hermione had in no way believed that she had had a 'funny turn' the day that Harry had cut his finger. She was knowledgeable enough to know one did not just lose a portion of their memory suddenly or fade out completely from a conversation. So of course like the sensible witch she was, she had immediately looked up the famous memory charm that the golden trio had come across so many times before and had deduced that she had had a mild obliviate charm cast upon her.

At first she had been outraged, how dare somebody…most likely the Potions master, remove a portion of her memory without her consent!

But after a cooling off period and some careful deliberation she had deduced that yes, it had to have been the Potions Professor that had cast the charm on her and that it had something to do with Harry or perhaps his cut as she had no memory of what happened after that up to the time when she had been conversing with their professor, except a hazy memory of banking and freezing their project.

Therefore obviously something had happened that only she had witnessed in that period of time that the professor had wanted to hide. But what was it?

To find out she had returned to her faithful books and discovered that being as the memory charm that had been cast on her was only mild, she could in fact probe lightly at it and break through it partially without suffering any brain damage through a process of very concentrated meditation and certain appropriate charms. After a few nights of this she had finally managed to remember a small fragment of the memory she had lost, which was a single sentence spoken in the smooth, deep and admittedly silky terms of Snape.

'Had I known you were taking such an interest in my daily activities I would not have been so obvious, although of course anyone less nosy wouldn't have been paying that much attention to me in the first place.'

This had puzzled her greatly, why would she admit to noticing anything about the professor? Being naturally inquisitive she noticed many different things about many different people but what was it she had noticed about Snape that warranted having her memory modified?

But the fragment of memory HAD provided her with a clue and so she had watched the professor closely over a period of a couple of weeks.

This had been enough for her to start questioning a number of things such as,

-When, if ever did the professor leave Hogwarts?

-How was it that he appeared weary and slightly haggard one day and then on the day after he appeared almost youthful in appearance?

-When did he eat the amount he should be eating for a fully-grown wizard, because he certainly didn't eat that much at meals?

Armed with these questions and a few other smaller clues she had holed herself up in the library and had started with curses. Finding no luck there she had moved on to magical illnesses. Finally she had looked up magical, part human creatures for she knew via Harry that they did indeed have different lifestyles.

Finally, finally, she had come upon this page on vampires and finally she had her answer. Harry's cut must have triggered a blood lust or something and obviously the professor would not want anyone to know that he was a vampire because he was a danger to his…

Suddenly her head flew up and she dropped the book on the table with a resounding thud.

"Harry!"

"Well Mr Potter it appears we have a free half an hour to while away before the next ingredients need to be added. Would you care to partake in some tea in my office?"

Harry bit his lip, an office was much smaller than a classroom…what if?

Pushing his doubts aside and instantly quashing the idea that he might not be adverse to being in a more intimate space with Snape… no matter what the outcome, Harry smiled. "Okay"

Nodding Snape led them through the interconnecting door to his office and waved to the seat opposite his desk.

Snapping his pale slender fingers he sank back, with a sigh, into his chair.

"Yes Mr Snape sir?" Harry recognised the elf when it arrived to be Winky and smiled at her, there was no noticeable sign that she'd acknowledged him but he thought he saw a small lifting of the corner of her mouth before her gaze was once more trained on the professor.

"Tea, for two please."

"Would you be wantin' your usual as well Professor sir?"

"No, no thank you, just tea."

She curtsied and then apparated away with a crack in the way that only house elves can.

In a moment she was back again with a tray holding two cups and saucers, sugar, milk and a steaming pot of tea upon it. Harry was pleased to note that there was also a plate of biscuits too. Potions making could make one dreadfully hungry, as on occasion appetising smells would arise form the cauldrons at different stages of the brewing process.

After helping themselves to refreshment Harry sipped on his tea and nibbled on a biscuit as his eyes travelled about the office.

He had of course been there before for occlumency lessons and the like, but never before had he really taken in his surroundings and he did so now with interest.

It was unsurprisingly, quite bare of personal artefacts or much personal input at all really. The walls were left as rough grey stone bricks and they shone in the lamp light from the moisture droplets filming lightly over them. There was a threadbare carpet covering a portion of the floor and of course the worn mahogany desk with untidy piles of parchment and empty inkwells sprawled across it.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the room was the wall behind Snape's head on which a rack of potions hung. But not just any potions, these potions glowed luminescent oranges, greens and blues and their intermingled light cast an eerie glow on Snapes features, making him seem almost…supernatural. Harry chuckled to himself at this, what was he thinking? Hogwarts WAS supernatural, along with the whole wizarding world.

Snape's hand paused its journey to his mouth as he raised an eyebrow in question.

"And what Mr Potter, do you find so amusing?"

" Oh nothing much and it's 'Harry' by the way."

Again the eyebrow was suspended higher than the other, "Oh? Am I to suppose that we are…friends, now Mr Potter? Does this mean I shall be sitting on the Gryffindor side of the stands and cheering you on despite my duties to my own house? Am I to…" Here he shuddered delicately, setting down his cup and leaning in closer to Harry, lowering his voice almost seductively, "God forbid, start conversing with Weasley over hyper-active owls and joining in group activities with the Harry Potter fan club?"

Harry giggled helplessly at the image of Snape doing any of these things whilst firmly denying to himself that the tingling that had consumed almost his entire body was anything to do with the professor's sudden close proximity.

Straightening his face he looked Snape in the eye and said seriously, "Would you like to be my friend then?" Breaking into a teasing smile he pretended to pose like a super model, raising one hand up to the back of his head, turning his face slightly to the side whilst plastering a simpering smile to his lips. "Can you forgive me for bearing an uncanny resemblance to one Mr James Potter? Your once mortal enemy?"

Snape smiled and then it to faded to be replaced by an intensely dark look, "Oh I think I could forgive you many things… Mr Potter."

"H-Harry" Harry stuttered his body beginning to tremble under the almost predatory gaze the dark man before him was giving him.

He couldn't help but lean closer as a familiar scent began to unfold and coil sensuously about him and his eyes slid shut, a whimper escaping his throat.

A sudden loud 'Bang' tore them from the intimate moment and a truly unwelcome voice called "Harry? Harry where are you?"

Running footsteps rang over flagstones drawing ever closer to their private haven and Severus growled in annoyance, so close, he had been so close to…

"Harry?" Hermione's figure barrelled to a stop at the door as she took in the scene before her and with a darting movement she grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him out of his chair, the legs screeching noisily across the floor.

"Hermione what are you-"

"He's a vampire Harry! Come on we have to go – he's a vampire!" She said shaking him before quickly dragging him behind her as Snape rose quickly to his feet in the face of the threat he perceived to his mate.

Severus growled low in his throat and his voice was gravely as he demanded, "Unhand him!"

"No!" She said defiantly standing her ground, her chest heaving from her frantic dash down to the dungeons. Her eyes alight with protective fire.

He glanced at her hand still placed on his mate and watched with growing fury as she pulled the still confused Harry into a protective embrace.

Growling once more he knocked her to the side, heedless of the resulting crash as she hurtled into a workbench, pulling Harry flush against him he slammed the door in her face.

Looking down he took a moment to smile as the boy rubbed his cheek against the vampire's robes with a contented sigh, but frowned angrily as he caught HER scent on his mate.

Turning he knocked the contents of his desk flying with one sweep of his arm, the empty potions vials smashing brutally against stone, parchment flying abruptly into the wall.

Harry gasped as his back was slammed against hard wood and in a moment of clarity he got out, "Professor what-" Before he moaned wantonly and became a gibbering pile of slush as Snape leaned over him and that infernal scent recaptured him once more.

"I think," Snape began, licking the side of Harry's neck, "That it is past time I claim you so that," another bone melting touch of tongue against pale, quivering skin. "Incidents like this are far less likely to occur."

Harry's legs fell open in need as the scent ensnared him further and he gasped in shock as two pointed canines sunk into his flesh and then…then the most wicked heat sung through his veins, drawn to that wonderful point on his neck where a moist cavern was sucking his life essence out of his body, pleasure coursing through him in a never ending stream.

Severus groaned as the sweetest crimson flow washed against his taste buds and he leaned in to suckle harder and attain the maximum he could of the salty elixir flowing over his tongue.

Vaguely, Harry noted that an obliging leg was thrust against his groin and he ground against it helplessly, his eyes sliding open to reveal deep crimson irises and wide glinting pupils.

Reluctantly Severus extracted his fangs from his mates neck, but only for a moment as he twisted his head and thrust them beneath the soft skin once more at a new angle, creating the mark he had so longed to bestow upon his mate, claiming him once and for all as his own.

A little longer of feeding and groaning and grinding and sucking and Severus felt with jubilation, a hot flow of a different kind gush against his leg.

Gently extracting his fangs he licked at the punctures to help them in the healing process, whilst a hand slipped beneath the waist band of his trousers and in a few strokes on his own throbbing member he was also granted a much needed release and he fell over his mate again with the force of it, riding on the intense waves of pleasure, his arm braced, holding him bare inches above the dazed boy below him.

Drawing in deep lungful's of air Severus stood and watched as Harry resurfaced gradually.

Blinking as his surroundings came back into focus, Harry became aware of a dull throb at his throat. Bringing his hand up he felt the newly made holes and his eyes widened in wonder…and then the recent events fully hit him.

With a cry he leapt from the desk just as the door crashed open to reveal a dishevelled and bruised Hermione. Pushing past her he ran swiftly from the room. Sparing her professor a quick glance, Hermione hastened to follow.

"Damn!"

Fell angrily from Severus's lips before he gave chase, his robes swirling in a black sea of tumultuous waves behind him.

Leviticus Lied: Oh isn't it delicious though lol. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

SilverDragonWings: Ah yes sorry you may have had to camp out for awhile lol. Um I can't tell you that but doubtless you've read it already so it won't matter lol. I know it was short this time but I hope the chapter you read just now was better, unfortunately yes, for some reason I always leave a chapter on a cliff hanger, don't ask me why for I do not know and yes I suppose it does keep readers interested. I'm glad my update cheered you up too btw.

DestinyEntwinements: Hmm dunno actually, keep reading, and why would I hit you? Chh not like you gave up my story voluntarily lol. But I'm glad you're back.

Vidalark: Yeah, me too, but um he maybe finding out soon so it's not all that bad, (wink, wink)

Kyer: No I'm afraid that like all men Severus has no clue when it comes to these things, either that or he's to horrified of the thought to acknowledge it, which ever you choose to prefer.

Parvatti: lol well I cldnt hav them fighting forever now could I? That would just be mean.

luv-blonde-bunny: I'm glad you liked it, questions are always good things I find.

Author is only vaguely hungry since demolishing an apple turn over, but her hunger for reveiws is still going strong.