Avangeline Harry Potter and the Darkness Within
A/N well here is the next chapter please review tell me how I am doing ask questions I just want a word or two from you. Thank you for reading anyway hope you enjoy.
Chapter six
Hunting
The buzz of gossip continued throughout the meal setting Harry's teeth on edge. He knew it was shocking but he thought at least some of the students would be mature about it. He was lucky though his new housemates understood him and accepted him that was all he could hope for.
Dinner was soon over and the Slytherins quickly returned to their common room with their new member. Instead of the loud and boisterous Gryffindor tower the Slytherin dungeons were quiet. The novelty of a new member wore off quickly and the students spread out with homework or books. A few isolated conversations came up but otherwise it was a quiet relaxed atmosphere.
Soon Harry and Draco were drawn into a conversation with the Quidditch team.
"So Harry are you going to play for us now?" one of the chasers asked.
"If I am still allowed we just made Dumbledore really made I wouldn't be surprised if he stops me for my own safety." Harry answered. "What positions are open?" he asked.
"There is one chaser and the seeker position open now." The captain informed them.
"Tryouts are this Saturday I honestly can't see you not making the team." The keeper told them.
"I will be there," Harry assured them.
"I wouldn't mind trying out. I like Seeking but I am better at chaser." Draco told his dark friend.
"Maybe Friday if Severus allows we can go out and practice a little. You have a broom right?" Harry asked.
"I would enjoy that and yeas I have a broom. Father decided o surprise me with a Nimbus 2001 for my birthday." Draco answered.
"Cool, as you know I only have a Nimbus 2000, but I haven't lost o match on it. I have no intentions of replacing it untill I have to." Harry explained.
"As long as you win no one will care what broom you ride." Pansy said as she came over to sit with the two boys.
"Very true so I'll just stick with what I am familiar with." Harry said.
The three of them got into an avid discussion about their favorite teams. Draco and Pansy entertained Harry with descriptions of plays that happened during famous games they had seen. Harry was anxious to try a move called the Wronski feint where a seeker dives hoping the opposing team's seeker will follow and crash giving them time to look for the snitch without hindrance.
Their happy discussion was broken up by the appearance of the Slytherin head of house and Harry's Sire Severus. He held a bundle of fabric in his hands and was moving towards them.
"Harry come with me it is time I taught you to hunt properly." Severus explained.
He handed Harry the bundle of cloth witch turned out to be close fitting dragon hide clothing. "Here change into these we will be going into the forest your school uniform is unsuitable."
Harry took the bundle said," Thank you Sire." Then left to his room that he now shared with Draco to change.
Five minutes later he walked out of the room looking stunning, he certainly caught the eye of every female (and a few males) in the room. The dragon hide was pitch black and fit snuggly. The close fitting trousers showed off his wiry muscle as did the tunic like shirt. The outfit was complete with the sweeping black over robe. The dark color of the fabric highlighted the auburn streaks in his hair and made his jewel like emerald eyes pop.
"I have a question if we are going into the forest wouldn't the robe get in the way?" Harry asked.
"Normally I would say yes but this robe is charmed so it won't catch on any branches or undergrowth in fact the cloth can't be torn or cut after the charms are placed on it. It serves a purpose the creatures we hunt are on constant alert if they hear our footsteps they will know what ever is out there after them is on two legs, the cloth drags on the ground making noise to cover our footsteps." Severus explained to Harry although Draco and Pansy were close enough to listen in.
"Makes sense, so are you ready to go?" Harry asked eagerly.
"My the ever impatient Childe yes I'm ready lets go." Severus said to him with his usual snarky tone but anyone listen could tell it didn't have its usual biting edge.
"Sorry couldn't help it I am just getting thirsty." Harry explained as he walked next to his Sire.
"I know I can feel it when you thirst now. I will always know when you need blood. Hopefully either Draco or I can get to you in time before you do something foolish." Severus said to his Childe as he led the both of them out of the dungeons and into the entrance hall.
The halls were thankfully empty so they made it out of Hogwarts without trouble. Once they were outside Severus slowed his pace so that his Childe and him could enjoy the beauty of the night together.
It was clear and cloudless a half moon bathed them in its soft rays. Harry felt his spirits lighten as he breathed in the softly perfumed air the sent of lavender and other potions ingredients came from the green houses adding to the experience of the night.
Harry loved the way the moon's rays seemed to bleed all color from the earth. It left the earth in shades of grey from pitch black to pure white. It would have been breath taking to a mortal, but to a vampire a creature of the night it was an experience sweeter then the best chocolate and just as savory as the warm blood they fed on.
Once into the forest Severus became all business again. "Alright Harry in this forest there is very little we cannot hunt. We don't feed on unicorns I know you learned last year what happens when a mortal drinks unicorn blood. With us it is so pure it actually can kill us if it isn't willingly given. If the unicorn chooses to let you feed you are in no danger it burns a little but you don't die. You aren't likely to meat one tonight but for future hunting it is considered bad form to drink from an unwilling vampire that is not your Childe or your sire. I would also suggest you do not feed off anyone with Lycanthropy. The two blood based creatures don't mix well it will either kill you or cause intense pain and alter your genetic makeup." Severus explained.
"Alright all those things make sense now what?" Harry asked.
"Alright we only feed off of warm blooded creatures you were given much stronger senses so you could feel it when a prey item was near. We our desined to be trackers.
The first thing we go by is smell a warm blooded creature has a metallic sent with a sweet over tone while cold blooded creatures have a bitter smell to it. You follow that trail until you can follow it the second way. Through sight you can follow the tracks left by the creature or by actually seeing the creature in the distance. Once you are close enough to hear the creature's heart beating you are close enough to pounce. The speed of the heart will warn you if the creature knows your there.
Since this is your first hunt I will be tailing you after this you will be mainly on your own but I'm only a call away." With that Harry watched his Sire melt into the shadows. Harry knew he was there but he blended so well no one else would know.
Harry then stopped focusing on his sire and started actually hunting. He stalked through the trees all of his senses open he moved almost dead silent what little sound his feet did make was covered by the faint rustling of his cloak.
He moved like this for forty minutes until he picked up a sent. It was the sweetly metallic sent Severus had described. He thought by the strength of the smell that it was some sort of large mammal.
He followed that intoxicating smell deep into the heart of the forest. He began to see little signs of a large creature passing through. A broken branch here a clump of soft hair here, he could tell by the hair he was probably following a deer.
Slowly as the night drew on he got closer to his prey. He began to see fresh hoof prints on the ground cover. Finally near midnight when the moon was reaching its Zenith overhead, he caught his first sight of his quarry.
It was a beautiful stag its rack of antlers was at its prime with at least 15 points. It had stopped to drink at a pool. Harry was entranced by the creature's elegant beauty. The play of muscles under the tan hide. Harry just kept creeping closer and closer. Soon he could begin to hear a faint heart beat. He waited until he could distinguish each beat the rhythm hadn't been disturbed so he knew he was safe.
He took one more step and just as the stag lifted its beautiful head Harry pounced. He managed to land directly on the large animals back. He felt his fangs lengthen then sunk them deep into the flesh of the stag's neck.
The first searing gulp transported Harry from the world of reality into a world that was filled with blood hot sweet and metallic. The blood was savory filling and absolutely alive. Harry was swooning in delight. His only other time drinking from a living being he had been in a blood rage and unable to experience it the way it should have been.
Finally Harry was filled and he hadn't taken enough to kill the massive animal. He liked the wounds in the stag's neck the special agents in his saliva numbed the pain and helped the wound heal.
It was only after he had seen to the stag's wound that he looked up to see his Sire watching him. Harry could see the pride hidden deep within those obsidian pools. "Well done my childe." He said quietly.
"Thank you Sire." Harry replied the blood still heavy on his tongue.
"I must hunt for myself now you may follow if you wish." Severus said then melted back into the trees.
Harry followed his Sire with difficulty. Most of the time he relied on smell he only rarely saw him and heard him even less. Finally even he caught the sent of the prey his Sire was tracking.
He followed Severus doggedly until they made it to a clearing in the woods. There he saw his Sire creeping up on a group of what looked like wild boar. Severus went for the one that looked older and weak its time was near anyway.
Harry watched as Severus leaped at the poor creature and buried his fangs deep into the warm struggling flesh. The creature was small enough and Severus needed so much that he didn't have a choice but to kill the thing.
Even after it was dead Severus used his saliva to close the wound. At Harry's questioning look he explained. "If you must kill let the creature have some dignity in death. Always close the marks you leave, if you happen to ever feed on a human a memory charm is a good idea or when your older and stronger you'll be able to hypnotize with your eyes. Make it as pain free as possible for them. Never forget you were once one of them that could have been you who lay dead in their arms. Treat their death like you would treat your own." With that Severus stopped speaking and just led his silently thinking childe out of the forbidden forest and into the castle it had been a long night for both of them.
Once they got back to the common room Harry did something that surprised Severus a little. He bared his neck in an open invitation to share some blood. They both knew it would accomplish two things it strengthens the bond between Sire and Childe and it showed Harry's thanks.
Severus swooped down and took a few searing gulps into him as well as baring his own wrist to the child returning the favor.
Harry loved the taste of his Sires blood it contained something mortal blood didn't, it was like it had an electric charge.
When the exchange of blood was over Harry bid his Sire goodnight then when to his room. He collapsed onto his bed the fresh blood of both the stag and his Sire left his mind fuzzy and his body pleasantly warm. With that Harry dropped off into the best sleep he had gotten in a long time.
His Sire however did not immediately seek his bed. The bond between his childe and him was strong. For now it remained that of a close father son bond but he knew not to trust it. As both Sire and Childe grew the bond changed, some bonds dissolved and left the childe to go out into the world and turn their own fledgling otherwise the bond grew stronger into a lover or father son bond that never broke and never wanted to be broken. He hoped whatever their bond changed into it would not hurt his Childe any more then necessary. With that Severus sunk into brooding thoughts for yet another sleepless night.
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