Hey peeps, I know, I know it's a little late but here you are, this should be a good chapter or at least what you've all been waiting for so...

Enjoy!

Frozen inside without your touch,
Without your love,darling
Only you are the life among the dead

The three figures ran at a terrifying speed through the corridors of Hogwarts, up stairs, round twists and bends and past curious suits of armour. Harry was in the lead, tears streaming down his face and his body operating on automatic pilot as his brain whirled in confusing turmoil.

Hermione, believing that Severus was after their blood…literally, was running faster then she ever had before, her heart pounding somewhere in her throat as she skidded round a corner after Harry.

Severus was gaining on Granger and closing in at a fast pace…but it wasn't her he was interested in, so on the next corner he gained momentum and sped past her.

"Harry!" Hermione barely had time to wonder where she found the breath to speak as the cry was torn from her throat when she saw the vampire closing in on him. Harry however paid her no mind, his brain had numbed over in shock and the only thought in his head was that he must get to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore would sort it all out…he had to.

Suddenly the toe of his shoe brushed the ground before it was supposed to and the air was punched form his lungs as he lunged forward, arms outstretched as he desperately fought to right himself by trying to grip onto thin air.

The ground came speeding up to meet him as his limbs flailed in panic and in that moment he was certain that his nose would be crushed against unrelenting stone and burst in an awful shower of blood.

But just as that very event was about to occur, the tip of his nose hovering barely inches above stone, strong arms slid about his middle and after a pause lifted him back to stand upright against a soft black wall of comfort.

Inhaling deeply Harry's nose registered the smell of Christmas pine and a hint of Rosemary. The arms about his back were strong and close, keeping him in a haven of heaven.

"Let him go!" Severus dragged his eyes from his mate to the girl now staring before him. Her wand was pointing straight at his heart and was held firm in her sweating grip. Her lower lip however, wobbled dramatically and he sneered in disbelief.

"Or what?" His brow lifted and he huffed disbelievingly, "Or you'll Avada Karada me? Is that it?"

She gulped but stood firm, her body arranged in the classic duelling stance, "W-what do you want with him? Y- you can't eat him you know, he's the, the boy that l-ived."

She inhaled deeply once she'd finished, trying to force herself to calm down.

Severus shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Miss Granger calm yourself, I assure you I have no plans to…" His top lip curled derisively, "Eat him."

"You can't suck his blood then!" She shouted, her face red and her voice hasty and panicked. "Just let him go!"

"Does he look unhappy?" He asked calmly.

"No but-"

"Does it look like I wish to harm him?" Her gaze flitted to Harry, who was purring happily, his face buried in Severus's neck.

"No…" Her eyes narrowed, "What are you playing at?"

"MISS GRANGER! I may be an inhuman blood sucking fiend," He said, his voice low and his teeth clenched, "But I am STILL your professor! Show a little respect! Now unless you leave and go back to your common room right now, you will be serving detention for the next month and I shall be seeing your house into negative points!"

Something flickered in her eyes and she faltered. He could tell she was torn between house loyalties, keeping her reputation intact and making sure her best friend would be okay.

Apparently coming to a decision she said, "I'm going to Professor Dumbledore right now." She slowly backed away, her wand still raised. "He'll stop you!"

Rolling his eyes again he waited until his innate hearing could no longer pick up her hurried footfalls and then he looked back down at the figure in his arms.

"Harry?" The boy gave no response. Moving backwards a little he tugged his head up via his chin and said again softly, "Harry?".

The dazed look in his mate's eyes cleared a little, then he frowned, realization dawned and he quickly pushed Severus away from him.

"What…I-" Frustrated he dragged his hair back from his forehead and moving further away from Severus and began to pace.

Without looking up he began speaking brokenly, trying to voice the confusion clouding in his brain.

"I don't, don't understand what's going on here, why is it that you're the only one I can't resist despite taking the potion? How come I can't get close to you without becoming befuddled by your scent and touch? How come you BIT me? Why didn't you TELL me you were a vampire for that matter? I thought we were friends."

Coming to a stop before Severus he let out a frustrated exclamation, "What's going ON?"

Severus watched his mate helplessly, upset by his growing panic and confusion.

Sighing he said, "Harry I-"

"Ah Severus, Miss Granger has come to me with a disturbing tale of vampire's and helpless students? Would you like to enlighten me of the events of this past evening with Mr Potter?"

Severus sighed and went to thrust his hand through his own hair but stopped when he remembered how quickly it became greasy.

"I am afraid that this conversation is to delicate for a corridor where unwelcome ears may listen."

"Then by all means let us adjourn to my office."

The party was silent as it ascended the revolving staircase to Dumbledore's domain. There was a weight that lay heavy upon Severus's heart and he could not help but
watch his mate as he walked quietly ahead. He hoped desperately that he wouldn't have to reveal to Harry that he was his mate in that office. This was not the way he wanted Harry to find out.

If he was honest with himself he would admit that he should have never claimed Harry, as inevitably an explanation as to why would have to follow.

But not like this

…Not like this…

They passed through the recently repaired door and into the office beyond. Dumbledore waved the students to the chairs facing his desk but Severus refused to sit and remained by the door, head down and arms folded across his chest.

"Tea anyone? No? How about some lemon drops?"

Hermione, who's face had slowly been growing more ruddy by the moment could contain herself no longer, "Professor Dumbledore! Sir, I'm sorry but I must insist Professor Snape to be removed from the school at once!"

Snape snorted loudly but did not look up.

"And why should he be removed Miss Granger? I trust Professor Snape more than-"

"Because he's a vampire Sir! I told you before, if he is not removed then he will remain a danger to the students!"

Dumbledore smiled kindly at Hermione, "I know that Severus is a vampire Miss Granger, I have always known and I stress again that I trust him implicitly and he would never harm a student."

She sprang from her chair and paced, her chest heaving with the fury. "But he has harmed a student! Look!" And she sprang forward and grasped Harry's chin firmly and jerked it upwards. Harry whimpered as it pulled taught the tender skin there and closed his eyes in shame. He had not known that she'd seen it. That she knew.

Severus's head sprang up and he growled as she laid hands on HIS mate. But Dumbledore held up his hand and swept around the desk to examine the mark upon Harry's throat.

"You have marked him!" He glanced almost accusingly at Severus, "Did our discussion fall upon deaf ears?"

"I grew tired of waiting." Severus stated simply.

"Waiting for what?" Hermione asked wide-eyed, her hand falling from Harry's chin. "You mean you knew he was going to do this? Why? Have you no sense!" She spat at Dumbledore.

"Miss Granger, you grow increasingly disrespectful. But you are right and I feel the time has come for you…and more importantly Harry to know the truth."

Harry looked up hopefully. Finally was someone going to tell him what was going on?

"Harry is as you know destined for a mate as a Cupido, he has a life partner waiting for him out there somewhere. Severus," The Headmaster gestured toward the vampire. "Also awaits a mate. For a long time he has suffered through periods called, 'Circumferences,' where every ten years he is made aware as to whether his mate is alive out there somewhere in the next generation. They were…but they were not of age and so Severus was unable to claim them as such. Indeed he didn't even know of their identity. This time however his mate was of age…and it is Harry."

Harry's eyes widened and he stared at Dumbledore, "Pardon?" He said disbelievingly.

"You are his mate Harry, as he is yours. Unfortunately he has been a little hasty and claimed you ahead of schedule but in reality it doesn't make much of a difference."

Harry himself got out of his chair then and mimicked Hermione's pacing action from earlier.

"Yes, I tried to research it, the reason I could still sense his arousal, the reason I become mere putty in his arms…it all makes sense now. But I was supposed to have other partners first, you know like it said in the book. I'm too young to be bound to one person for the rest of my life already. Aren't I?"

Dumbledore sighed, "I think it is time we gave these boys some privacy." Dumbledore said guiding a strangely silent Hermione from the room. Nobody commented on the fact that the Headmaster had called Snape a boy.

There was silence after the door was quietly shut. Neither form moved until finally Harry put his head in his hands.

"I'm to young for this." He whispered quietly.

Severus shifted slightly, then his silky tenor floated across the room.

"You were to young to lose your parents, to young to become a child star and are still to young to defeat the darkest wizard of these times. But you have survived it all and become the most beautiful, strong and relatively normal teenage boy that you are. Believe me when I say that you may be too young but you are not too weak."

Harry smiled at these words, they were only too true and they comforted him, but still…

"Would it be so terrible?" Severus's voice was quiet and very slightly anxious.

Harry thought of his growing suspicions that he was falling for the austere vampire before him.

Pushing all else aside he said, "No, it wouldn't."

Severus smiled…properly smiled and said, "Come here then."

Harry got up and melted into his mate's arms, purring contentedly.

"I promise you Harry, I will treat you as you deserve."

Harry sat in potions impatiently jotting down notes from the board. Beside him Ron was doodling a snitch with fierce concentration, an ink smudge on his nose and his tongue poking out from between his lips.

On Ron's other side sat Hermione. She hadn't said much to him since she had found out that her best friend and her Professor were mates. In fact it almost seemed as if she were giving him the cold shoulder.

Sighing he turned back to his notes, glancing briefly at Snape before he did so, it seemed the vampire was not going to treat him any differently than he did his other students in class and Harry was glad. He would have been extremely disappointed in Snape had he shown him any preferential treatment in light of the new developments.

Glancing at the clock he saw that there was only eight minutes left of the lesson. It was the last lesson of the day and Snape had formerly invited him to join him in his quarters afterwards via owl this morning. He had been interested to note that upon the envelope the letter had been sent in, there were five dots, arranged to make the shape of a square, the dots being in each corner of the square with one in the middle.

This was the same mark that was upon Harry's throat, currently concealed by a glamour charm except for the dot in the middle.

The mark interested him greatly, he knew it was a claiming mark of course but he wondered if his was special. Did every mate have the same mark? Was it a universal claiming mark… to mean one has been claimed? He'd have to ask Snape later.

He was a little annoyed that he could not mark his mate in a similar way though, after all this was meant to be an equal relationship. He vowed to do something about that after more thought on the matter too.

He was still uneasy about this new development, he didn't like the fact that he was bound to one person for the rest of his life already. But he'd decided to take the mature approach, He could have screamed and shouted, he could have had a proper tantrum. But what was the point? These things happened, especially to him and he was just going to see how it went.

"You may pack up." Sighing with relief he packed his parchment and quills away and noted down the homework.

The rest of the class filed out of the classroom and Harry moved shyly over to his mate. When the last person's footfalls had faded, Snape gestured to the door and they walked a little way down the hall and after saying the password Snape lead them through into his quarters.

To his left a large fireplace sat, before it a green velvet couch and scarlet armchair off to the side. There was a distinct green colour scheme to the room and deep oak coffee tables and side cabinets were placed here and there throughout the room.

At Snape's invitation Harry sank down on to the edge of the couch edgily and watched as Snape poured himself what looked like a tumbler of scotch.

Nervously he fingered the mark he could still feel through the glamour on his neck. It had quickly become an unconscious habit and it was only Hermione who glared at him knowledgeably when he did so.

"Does it still hurt?" Harry jumped as Snape spoke and the shook his head.

"No."

"It's not finished you know, there should be a puncture mark in the middle." With a wave of his wand Snape took off the glamour and Harry felt cold tingle over his skin briefly.

"Right here." His fingers brushed the space between the already made puncture holes reverently and Harry's skin tingled in the wake of his mate's fingers.

Looking up and willing Snape to stay where he was Harry asked, "Is it the mark all vampires make when they claim their mates?"

Severus shook his head and drained his scotch in one before saying, "No, each vampire has his own individual mark, usually left on first kills, important victims and of course their mates."

"Oh."

"I would very much like you to call me Severus…Harry"

"Ok" Harry dropped his head as craning up to look at Sn- Severus was hurting the back of his neck.

There was a silence and Severus moved off to the side to replace his tumbler back on the drinks cabinet it came from.

Before Harry had time to miss him he was back and kneeling before him on the floor.

"Would you like me to complete it now?" Severus asked softly.

Harry's eyes widened, "Um, well if you want." He said uncertainly.

Severus chuckled lowly. "It would help if you wanted me to."

Harry shivered in the wake of that chuckle and remembering the last time he'd been bitten by Severus he said barely audibly, "Yes…yes I want it!"

Severus smirked and leant forward slowly, breathing softly on Harry's throat and sending warm tingles across his skin.

"Only the puncture I make in the square will be permanent." He said in his deep, silken tones, sending even more tingles across the quivering flesh on Harry's neck.

Harry nodded impatiently and leaned toward Severus, offering himself to him wantonly.

Severus breathed in deeply and plunged forward, sinking his teeth beneath skin with a deep groan.

Harry's eyes slid back as once more he felt his blood answering the call to his mate, slinking insidiously through his veins and flowing into the hot chasm latched onto his neck.

He felt the pleasure coil around his very soul and he clung to his mate helplessly, moaning, panting and quietly writhing in intense ecstasy.

He felt a pale, slender hand creep up his thigh, cup him and squeeze gently. Three fondles later and his cock pulsed, spilling his seed warmly against that wicked hand.

Severus detached himself from his mate and watched as he fell in a pleasurable stupor back onto the couch. Glancing at the mark he smiled, watching the unneeded puncture close up before his eyes.

"Mine!" He growled.

"All mine."

DestinyEntwinements: Yes a little as you've probably read lol.

MeaghanPotter: lol I did.

Vidalark: Lol minus ten points for letting him get away. I like that.

Kin Pandun: No she rushed to his rescue because he's a vampire; remember when Snape first talked to her about him being a vampire? She threatened to tell Dumbledore because it was too dangerouse? Well that's why she rushed to Harry's aid, because she thought Severus would kill him. You probably gathered all that from this chapter but yer…there you go.

Silvermane1: Thanks.

SilverDragonWings: Lol no need to say sorry, yes he did indeed, I hope this chapter was just as good for you.

Silver Tears 11: Aha! I bet you call it PMS don't you, as in pre menstrual stress? You know cramps, bad temper and stuff; well in my neck of the woods we call it PMT - pre menstrual tension. And yes I said PMT LIKE! Lol but yes there you are.

Leviticus Lied: Lol there very sexual magical creatures…of course they have stamina. wink

darkmistwolf1991: Aww no need to whimper, you're updates here.