Author's Note: I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Holidays! Enjoy!
Chapter Five: The Vampire's Lair
Vivian entered a seedy-looking pub around eleven o'clock that night. She had her hood up. No one questioned her or told her to take it off. The Goblin was a notorious pub in the east end of London. The clientele consisted of witches, wizards, deatheaters, werewolves, vampires, and any other creature one could think of.
Vivian approached the bar and was able to get a seat in the middle. The boy whom she knocked off the stool didn't look older than sixteen. He glared at her and attempted to get her to move, but the wand at his throat inferred him to be silent and go on his way. From where she sat she could look directly into the mirror above the bar and see every one who was behind her and any one who entered it. She ordered a double firewhisky and tossed it back in one gulp. She sat there for a half-hour watching everyone. A couple who entered the pub caught her eye. Oh, he's bold, she thought. The man and woman sat down in a booth at the end of the room. The woman appeared enraptured with every thing the man did and said. The man smiled at the woman and begin to kiss her cheek and then her jaw. The man's face was very pale, almost transparent. His hair and eyes, however, were black. When the man reached the woman's neck, Vivian saw the elongated fangs right before they punctured the woman's skin. The woman's eyes closed and she gasped, but not out of pain. The vampire had to hold the woman up because she began to slump onto the floor. Now's my time...
Vivian walked up to the "couple" and sat across from the vampire. She swiftly kicked his shin causing him to release his hold on the woman. The woman slumped right off her chair but no one seemed to notice or care. At least, she was still breathing. The vampire growled and stared viciously at Vivian. His eyes were now a deep red and his face was flushed. Vivian smiled saucily at him.
"Vivian! What have I told you about doing that! Its dangerous!"
The vampire crossed his arms and looked cross. His lips were stained with blood.
"It's nice to see you, too, Sanguini."
She smirked at the vampire who couldn't help but smile back at her, his fangs dazzling white.
"So you escaped the death–."
"Shush! Can we go somewhere more private? I'll tell you all about it then."
"Both of them got up from their seats and made their way out of the bar. Sanguini offered Vivian his arm with the dual purpose of being polite and guiding her through the fog. The time was now approaching midnight. The fog had settled itself down onto the streets and between the buildings like a blanket. Vivian's eyes could only see a few feet but she trusted Sanguini's preternatural ones. Sanguini led them into an alley way right next to a tall decrepit building.
"Can you apparate to the top?"
She nodded and disappeared in a second. When she appeared again, Sanguini was already waiting for her.
"Show off," she muttered.
He did a mock bow and seated himself on the ledge of the building. They could see over the fog and looked out toward the east. Vivian paced nervously.
"So how did you escape the deatheaters and the Dark Lord?" he asked.
"I didn't."
"How do you mean?"
"A deatheater with the self-proclaimed title of half-blood prince saved me. I woke up before he stunned me. A half-blood in the service of the Dark Lord? Ha!"
Sanguini wasn't as amused as Vivian.
"What happened then?"
"I woke up in the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. My aunt is there, Sanguini. She told me that the prince dumped my body on the neighbor's porch because their headquarters is unplottable. He left his cloak and a letter explaining what happened after he stunned me. I never saw it but apparently the house is only a smoking pile of ashes."
They were silent for a couple of minutes in solemn reverie on what could have happened.
"And the..."
"I still have it. I told two of Potter's friends that I will surrender it to him in two days."
"But what if they can't destroy it? What if the Dark Lord tries to get it?"
"The Dark Lord hasn't been able to find it in years! A couple days won't matter. As for the destruction of it... Potter will find some way. Luck has always been with him."
Sanguini nodded, knowing to argue with the witch was no good. Out on the horizon, the sky began to lighten slightly.
"I will have to be gone soon, Vivian."
"I know. Two more questions though. How are the vampires doing?"
Sanguini's face darkened. His eyes had returned to their natural black.
"It doesn't look good. There seems to be only two factions right now; those who fight for the Dark Lord and those who don' give a damn about the war. There are only a handful of us willing to fight against him. Out of those vampires, most are fledglings, not more that a century or two old. There are only four millennia vampires willing to fight including myself. The Dark Lord has six."
Here Sanguini paused, his face turned into a look of despair.
"Vivian," he said quietly, "Radu of Transylvania is among them."
Vivian's eyes met Sanguini's. She knew of Radu. He was one of the oldest vampires undead. Most witches and wizards believed him to be a mythological vampire, just a legend. She could remember being a fifth year sitting in History of Magic, listening to Professor Binns's reedy voice.
Millennia Vampires are extremely rare. Most vampires only survive five centuries. Wizarding kind have tried to register these creatures but they are hard to track. The Ministries of the world and the International Confederation of Wizards have known of fifteen such vampires. The most notable of these are Carmilla of Ireland, Mephisto of Germany, Lilith of the Middle East, Vlad Dracul of Romania, and Radu of Transylvania. Whether these vampires really exist is uncertain.
"How do you know its him for sure?" Vivian asked.
Sanguini shook his head.
"I can feel him. I can feel the others right now, also. They want all the clans here in Britain to know they are here. I believe right before the battle they will cloak their presence. I don't know the vampire I feel is Radu for sure, but I do know that whoever it is, is very old and powerful."
"Shite," muttered Vivian.
"Exactly," agreed Sanguini.
"Who are on our side? You said there were four of vampires including yourself."
"Marius of Ancient Rome, Erik of France, and Justinia of Atlantis. She is the oldest among us."
The sky had lightened considerably while they spoke to each other. Vivian heard the muggle clocks of London chime five in the morning.
"Vivian, I have to go. The sun will be rising in another hour or so. What else did you want to ask me?"
"I need another place to stay."
The vampire looked thoughtful for a moment. He got up from the ledge and walked to stand in front of Vivian.
"I know of one more place. Do try not to be tracked down again because this time I'm taking you with me to my residence."
Vivian shut her eyes tightly as she felt Sanguini lift her from the ground. Three seconds later they landed on soft earth. Vivian noticed it was colder here, wherever here was.
"This house is my place of rest," Sanguini answered Vivian's unspoken question, "we are in the outskirts of Manchester."
Vivian looked over to the small two story house. Its once whit paint had turned into a dull gray. The shutters on the outside windows were painted black along with the trim. With a wave of his hand, Sanguini opened the door and stepped inside. Vivian crossed the threshold after. The foyer was small with a set of stairs leading to the second level. On both sides of the foyer were two adjacent rooms; one was a sitting room while the other was a dining one. Books and newspapers littered the floor in the sitting room. The dining room held one long table with only two place settings. There was another door in the dinning room that led to the kitchen. In the kitchen there was a door that led down to the basement.
"I rest in the basement because there are no windows down there. Please don't go down there, Vivian."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
Sanguini then led her upstairs where there two empty bedrooms, a bathroom with a large tub, and the furnished master bedroom. Walking over to the large windows, Sanguini pulled down the drapes. The sun was beginning to rise.
"You're welcome to stay here. I'll be awake around seven. Goodnight, my dear."
"Good morning," she corrected him and then added, "Thank you."
Sanguini nodded and disappeared. Some of the rays from the sun began to penetrate through the drapes. Vivian yawned and fell into the large bed. With a flick of her wand, all the drapes closed securely, plunging the room into total darkness.
Two more days, she thought before she fell asleep, the locket resting gently on her chest.
