Author's Note: Sorry about the delay. The betas disappeared, so if there are any glaring mistakes or typos, just let me know on the forums. Enjoy!
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Harry looked up at Bleys and smiled. They had taken their magic lessons outside today. Both had naturally gravitated towards the stream that ran behind the cottage and now sat on the bank, their feet hanging in the water like children. Of course, Harry's body was at the age of ten, but he wasn't concerned with that. He was more fascinated with the concept Bleys had just introduced.
"So, magic influences other magic?" Harry asked as he kicked one foot in the water.
"Bleys studied the water for a minute before nodding. "In a way, Harry," Bleys reached out with a hand and pointed to the rings. "What happens to the water, Harry?"
"I kick it and then ripples start up," Harry said, demonstrating the point by kicking one of his feet.
"Magic is much the same way," Bleys admitted as he picked up a nearby stick and started to push the water. "You cast a spell and it travels from you and goes out into the world. Sooner or later, the magic comes back to you, either through the earth, another spell cast on you, and so on. It's a balance."
"So, every spell I cast will have to come back to me some day?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Bleys answered. "Every spell cast on you will be returned to the caster, sooner or later, even indirectly." Bleys fell silent for a few minutes, one foot idly playing with the water.
Harry stared at the water ripples for a minute and frowned. One hand reached up to rub at his scar. His hand faltered and then fell back to the grass. "Bleys?"
"Hmm?" Bleys looked up and over at Harry.
"What about this spell?" Harry lifted the fringe and pointed at his scar.
"Ah, the Killing Curse," Bleys stared down at his feet. "Same thing." He folded his hands into his robes and closed his eyes.
Harry sighed and kicked the water again. "What about the connection we share?"
Bleys opened one eye and frowned. "I was afraid you would ask about that."
"I want to know," Harry said and stared at his teacher.
"Are you sure that you want to know?" Bleys asked.
"No. I don't want to know," Harry said with a shrug and a dejected sigh.
"Ah, good," Bleys closed his and appeared ready to start napping in the sunshine.
Harry reached out and pulled up a long blade of grass. He folded it between his thumbs and started whistling. He threw the grass away and sighed as he pulled up his feet from the water. He crossed his legs and sighed again. "But I need to know."
"Blast," Bleys cursed and opened his eyes again. "The gods are laughing at me, you know."
"Could be worse," Harry muttered. "They could have made you me."
Bleys snorted and then smiled at his student. "True, my child." Bleys stood and stared down at the water for a few minutes as the water fell and tumbled over the tiny stones on the bottom.
Harry looked up at him and smiled. He knew Bleys would explain as soon as he figured out how he wanted to say it. It was only a matter of time for him.
"The curse scar you have is different from the Killing Curse, Harry," Bleys said as he folded his feet beneath him and sat down. "In fact, it is from the deepest magic that exists in the world."
"Deep magic?" Harry asked in confusion.
"Please," Bleys held out a hand, interrupting Harry's question. "This is going to be extremely difficult for me to explain as it is. Could you hold your questions until the end?"
"Sure," Harry decided that his question wasn't too important. He could ask what Bleys meant by "deep magic" later in the day, if necessary.
"There is some magic we do instinctively," Bleys started as he visibly struggled to put his thoughts into words. "Magic that we're not even aware of doing until after the fact," He paused for a moment before continuing. "for instance, when your mother gave her life for yours, she didn't say a spell or incantation, stop to perform a rite, or call on any power other than her profound love for you." Bleys stopped again. "You did the same thing when Voldemort tried to kill you."
Bleys lifted a stone and dropped it into the water, staring at the ripples it made in silence. "This is very difficult to explain, Harry. When your mother died, she used her deepest magic, the very thing that made her magic, to protect you. When Voldemort cast the Killing Curse, you used the primal magic you have to protect your life, for you already knew your mother was dead and why she died."
Harry opened his mouth to protest and Bleys cut him off again. "Trust me, Harry. Children that young know when their mothers die, even before most other people do. I've seen it happen. So, when you protected your life at a time when innocence should have been the only thing you knew, you gave up a part of yourself."
Harry's brow knit with confusion. He gave up a part of himself? How was that possible? Did Bleys mean literally? Or metaphorically?
Bleys's smile was sad when he looked at Harry. "Yes, the sacrifice was so great that it left its mark." He reached out with one rough finger and tapped the scar on Harry's forehead. "You gave up a part of yourself to survive, invariably tying yourself to Voldemort so long as he survived." Bleys smoothed Harry's hair and held back the fringe Harry used to hide the scar from prying eyes. "It's not a mark of shame. It's a mark of survival."
"I gave something of myself to Voldemort?" Harry asked in disbelief. "How did I do that? I was just a baby!"
"Your mother gave her life to enable you to have enough power to defend yourself. Her magic went to you. Combine that with the fact that you are already a wizard of immense power and that was enough to ensure your survival." Bleys petted Harry's hair again as he smiled. "The scar you have is a sign that you needed to defend yourself and that you succeeded."
"So, how do I get that part of myself back?" Harry wondered aloud. "Can I get it back?"
"Oh, yes. It's possible." Bleys assured him as he drew Harry closer to him and wrapped an arm around him. "It is extremely possible. It's just a matter of getting Voldemort to give something of himself to you. It completes the ripples, if you will allow me to use the analogy."
"The Parseltongue-"Harry stopped when he saw Bleys shaking his head.
"That is yours and yours alone, Harry. A gift of the gods, I would call it. Or a joke on you, considering your enemy has the same talent." Bleys told him.
Harry sat within the circle of Bleys's arms and sighed. "So, my scar doesn't mean what everyone thinks it means."
"No, everyone thinks it means that you survived the Killing Curse, which you did. Just not in the way that everyone thinks you did."
"Oh," Harry said in puzzlement. "So, Voldemort has to give something of himself to me," Harry almost snorted, amused at the thought that Voldemort would ever do something like that.
"He'll have to," Bleys said calmly. "The Killing Curse is one of those spells that must have a rejoinder. He'll give something of himself eventually."
"Why?" Harry asked. "If he knew what he did and then what I did..."
"He has no choice, Harry. He will have to finish what you started so long ago," Bleys said as he stood and placed Harry on his feet. "It started a circle. That circle must be closed before either of you can hope to continue on with your lives. Some of your talent is being drained by sustaining him and he cannot live on his own. The two of you are connected, but it's a wide stretch and one or the other will have to close that circle."
"He'll probably try to kill me sooner or later," Harry said darkly.
"He won't be able to kill you," Bleys said as he handed Harry his socks and boots. "Your protection you put up against him still protects you." Bleys pointed at the scar and smirked. "That protection will continue for as long as he survives."
"Oh," Harry started pulling on one sock and hopped to keep his balance.
"Close the circle, Harry. That's all you need to do, and then you'll finish what you started when you were just a baby."
"What I started?"
"The Killing Curse. He tried to kill you, so you used your mother's magic and a bit of yourself to create a shield so powerful that you managed to send the curse back at him. Unfortunately, the link you share with him also kept him from dying."
"It's my fault that he's still alive?" Harry felt his face drain of blood.
"No," Bleys said so firmly that Harry had to believe him. "It is not your fault."
Harry studied his teacher curiously. "How can you be so sure?"
"Self-defense is just that. Had he not tried to kill you, had he left you alone, his soul would not have been ripped from his first body." Harry shuddered for a moment as he remembered the ritual Voldemort had used to return him to corporeal form.
"I gave something else of myself when he got a new body," Harry rolled up his sleeve and showed Bleys the scar he had from that night. "He took some of my blood to create a new body."
"Then you and he are tied closer than I thought. Blood magic is very powerful." Bleys pursed his lips and sighed. "The part that he gives you, Harry, must be very deep magic, coming from what makes him magical as well. Do you think you can get him to do that?"
"I'm not sure," Harry said in confusion. "I'll have to think about it. What could he possibly give me?"
"Hmm, we'll have to think on that, won't we?" Bleys said in a thoughtful tone. "Come along, now. It's almost time for our next meal, and I know that your stomach won't let you forget something like that!"
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Khalid stood and studied the boy on the bed. Something was going on with the child. Death Eater robes and a mask told him everything he needed to know. The only confusing part of this all was that the child did not have a Dark Mark. Khalid sniffed and fought off a hungry urge. Yes, the blood was calling to him, but he did not want to violate the trust the boy harbored for him. Very few people would trust a vampire when they were conscious, much less unconscious. Harry would not be asleep if he didn't feel safe around the vampire.
Khalid reached down and wrestled the oblivious boy out of the Death Eater robes. He studied the half-healed marks before him and grimaced. It appeared as though someone had been at the boy with a belt or something similar. The little one does not deserve such things after his childhood.
The vampire reached out one hand and held it over the child's back, allowing some healing energy to go to the boy's wounds. Khalid had told the child he hadn't cared for his secrets when he was in Harry's mind, but he had noticed some things that he had seen before. The child was extremely defensive about his emotions; only children who had suffered through abuse would so effectively defend their emotions from others. The mind part labeled family had almost completely removed any male presence outside of the boy's mentors.
A few questions to a semi-conscious Harry about his home life had revealed that Harry was a very fragile person wrapped in layers of strength and defense. It was admirable, that a person as young as Harry would be so prepared to give his life for others and fight for what he thought was right. Admirable, and extremely heartbreaking. Khalid had been tempted to turn the boy there and then in the Chamber of Secrets and whisk him away from the petty mortals that didn't know what a precious gift Harry was to the world. He had held Harry in position and had his fangs bared, the child mumbling all the while, until he heard the words "Aunt Petunia" drop from the child's mouth. A quick question to the boy about his aunt revealed the fledgling relationship the two shared and how much Harry wanted that relationship now that he had it. Who was Khalid to deny him such happiness?
He pondered the child and his actions. Would Harry actually join the Dark Lord? For what purpose?
Harry's eyes fluttered open and Khalid leaned down to look Harry in the face. "Hello, little magus!" He said brightly.
"Where?" Where had Bleys and the cottage gone? He had just been there. Harry looked around for a few seconds before his mind caught up with him. "Oh, it was a dream." Harry said to himself as he fought for a sitting position with Khalid so close to him. "Why are you here?"
"Oh, I was in the neighborhood and decided to drop in, only to find no peacefully sleeping little magus, but an empty and cold bed." Khalid straightened and tried to look his most menacing. "Care to tell me where my little magus was and why he returned dressed in Death Eater robes and mask, flogged on his back, and barely conscious?"
"Not really," Harry answered. "Thanks for healing my back the rest of the way."
"You did not answer my question," Khalid said, plainly put out at having his answers denied to him. "I fear I may have to fetch that therapist of yours and you may explain it to him...or your aunt. I'm not sure which would receive an answer from you."
"Khalid, please. Not Paul or my aunt. I'll never see the light of day again if either of them found out about it."
Khalid sniffed. "It's not so bad, being in the dark. I quite enjoyed it when I was first turned." Khalid said in a sulk.
"That's not what I meant! They'll just smother me or something like that. They're overprotective." Harry stood up and gathered his robes and mask in his arms. He crossed the room to his dresser and folded the garment before putting it back into place. He hid the mask again and covered his face with his hands for a brief second before lacing his fingers behind his head and holding them there. "This is really hard to explain and I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about it."
"Hmm, alright. I agree to keep your secret if you agree to tell either Paul or your aunt about this," Khalid said.
Harry thought about what Khalid said for a second before nodding. "I agree to your terms." Harry said calmly. "Please take a seat. I'm going to get into some nightclothes before I return to bed."
"Very well," Khalid perched on the chair at Harry's desk and waited while Harry took some pajamas into the bathroom and changed. Khalid smiled when Harry returned. "Tell me now. I very much want to know."
"Well, it all started right after my godfather died," Harry told Khalid everything. The fights inside his head, Voldemort exhausting him so Harry would be easier to manage, the kind words, the offers, the tea, the start of involuntary lessons, Harry's portkey and required lessons, Zareh teaching him. All of it.
"Oh, William would love to know that he's been teaching you all these months! He would turn as red as blood with embarrassment!"
"You can't tell him!" Harry said sharply. "This plan of mine needs to be kept secret. Voldemort trusts me more with each passing day. He keeps telling me things. Sooner or later, he'll slip up with a weakness or something that will give us an edge."
"Is it worth it?" Khalid said, suddenly appearing behind Harry when he had been directly in front of him. Khalid laid a soft hand on Harry's back. "Is it worth the pain you are suffering?"
"More than worth it," Harry said finally. "I'd do almost anything to see that man gone from this earth."
"Very well," Khalid folded his arms and sniffed. "You said this Sensei person knows."
"Yes, he caught me. Otherwise, he wouldn't know at all." Harry admitted.
"And you trust him to treat any injuries you incur during your little promenade as a Death Eater."
"Yes, I do." Harry answered calmly. "He doesn't agree with what I'm doing, but he understands why I have to do it."
"Fine. I won't tell anyone. Just remember to tell your therapist or your aunt, yes?"
"Certainly," Harry said. He yawned suddenly and blinked in surprise.
"You should get some more sleep. I know they like to wake you early. You have a little while before the dawn comes." Khalid said as he went over to the bed and pulled the blankets back. "In," he ordered with a large smile.
"No problem." Harry crawled into his bed and lay down. Khalid pulled the blankets over him and tucked him in.
"Do not leave this bed before daylight or I will take you to Transylvania and allow Dracula himself to look after you." Khalid said as he tucked the blankets under the mattress.
"That doesn't sound very reassuring," Harry ventured.
"It was not meant to be," Khalid said with a smile. "It is a threat of the most serious kind." Khalid reached out one finger and touched Harry on the forehead. "Sleep, now, my little magus."
"Hate when," Harry yawned. "You do that." He finished tiredly.
"Just go to sleep," Khalid stroked the hair on Harry's head and Harry found himself drifting off to sleep. A faint humming reached his ears and he would have blushed if he hadn't been so tired; Khalid was humming what could only be a lullaby.
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A faint knock on the door was all the warning Harry had to disarm the spells he had cast the night before. He threw out one hand and the door unsealed. "Weird. The door stuck." Paul's voice said from the other side. "Good morning, Harry. Ready for opening night?" He asked, a little too cheerfully for Harry's tastes, as he entered the room.
Harry collapsed backwards in bed and pulled the blankets over his head before moaning. "Go away, Paul. Great actors need their beauty sleep." Harry tried to sound serious, but he end up sounding like a petulant teenager. "Isn't Sensei supposed to wake me at the crack of dawn?" He asked from under his blanket.
"Yes, but I decided to take his turn today. It's time to wake up. Breakfast is being served in thirty minutes."
"I got to sleep in?" Harry asked as he pulled the blanket down a bit.
"All the way until seven in the morning. It's already light out. Amazing, isn't it?" Paul asked in good humor.
"Yeah," Harry said. He must have been more tired than he thought. Of course, that was normal after a Voldemort lesson. "Guess I should get up."
"Also, putting a sign on your door that says 'Quiet Please – Boys Need Their Sleep' was a great idea. Boggled your bodyguards' minds when they couldn't figure out how the sign got there."
"I didn't put a sign up...Khalid!"
"Pardon?" Paul asked in confusion.
"Khalid was here last night. He must have done it."
"Did he check himself into the visitor log?" Paul asked with his mouth threatening to smile.
"Funny, Paul. Really hysterical. I can't breathe, I'm laughing that hard. Ha ha ha." Harry glared at Paul.
"You know something, Harry?" Paul said as he turned towards the door.
"What's that?" Harry asked as he fought his way free from the covers and stood.
"You need to have some caffeine. You just can't take a joke in the morning!" Paul fled as Harry's pillow was launched at him.
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Harry sat down at one of the huge mirrors and turned on the lights that surrounded it. His make-up was already laid out for him and he grimaced. This was his least favorite part about acting. The make-up. He reached for the first pot of color he was supposed to use and opened it. The brilliant thing about the make-up for Dracula was that Bevie had a make-up artist friend of his come into the school and teach Harry how to do the special effects he needed to look dead and alive at the same time. It was all a matter of subtle shading and lines. It had been a lot of fun working with Sarah, and now he knew how to apply everything on his own.
He picked up a sponge and started applying the base. It went everywhere, face, neck, hands up to just past his wrist, back of the neck. He needed a hot shower to remove every trace of it, but it was still a lot of fun. He looked completely different in just that. He smirked to himself and started on his lines. He made them dark for now, knowing that they would blend into the rest of what he had to put on. "Shadows" went into the hollow of his cheeks, eyes, and under his chin. He was already thin and those shadows would give him a look of gauntness. "I am...Professor Snape," he muttered to himself, practicing one of the man's glares in the mirror. He outlined his eyes and looked up in the mirror to see Bevie standing behind him. "I'm okay, Bevie. I'm not nervous, my make-up is almost done, and I know all my lines. Don't worry."
"Ah, good. Good. One thing is going right." Bevie moved away and Harry snickered to himself. Bevie never did handle opening night well. He was always a massive bundle of nerves and too much coffee and tea.
Harry finished with the eyeliner and pondered the rest of the make-up he was supposed to use. He loathed lipstick but he had to admit the face looked strange with no lipstick. He sighed and picked it up.
"Evan!" He turned to his right and had just enough time to smile as the camera flashed in his face. "Gotcha!" Bug announced, triumphant at having captured a picture of a smiling Harry.
"Alright, you got me, Bug. Now, you go do whatever you are supposed to be doing and let me finish my make-up." Harry told him while waving an imperial hand.
Bug rolled his eyes and snapped off a quick bow in Harry's direction. "Of course, Lord Dracula. Whatever you say, Lord Dracula." Bug continued bowing until he was out of sight.
"What a strange boy," One of Harry's bodyguards said from his place in the corner.
"He's been worse," Harry said as he turned back to the mirror. "If you would like to go sit down in the audience, you may. I don't think anyone is going to attack me here." Harry said in a low voice. The bodyguard only gave him a look and he sighed. They were getting too good at the game of "Let's get rid of the Bodyguards". It was quite frustrating.
Dress call went up and Harry smiled. His make-up was finished just in time. He left the mirror and went to retrieve his costume from the crew. Murmurs from the seats told him the audience size was starting to grow and he hoped that everyone would keep their nerves in check. Susan handed him his costume and Harry slipped behind one of the changing curtains. He heard girls giggling again and he stuck his head out to face them. "Ah, ladies." He drawled in his accent. "I've been expecting you. Let's have dinner, yes?" He reached out one hand and lightly touched one girl's wrist. She and the others fled and Harry could hear their giggling from wherever they landed. Being Dracula just called the girls to him. Now, if only he could manage to attract them like that when he wasn't in costume...
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Harry crept through the stone arches, blending in with the fog that hung about his love's garden. It suited his purposes and masked his arrival from all but her. He stopped beneath her window and stared up at it longingly, chary to move forward and startle her, but also afraid not to continue and miss her company for the evening. He raised one hand towards the glass and beckoned her. He could hear her heartbeat singing through the night. He gestured again, impatient to see her face and hold her in his arms, to nurture her growing fascination with the night.
The window opened and the curtains parted to reveal her face. She was confused, as though unsure what had called her to the window. Her smile transformed her face and Harry felt his silent heart lift; she was happy to see him. She turned away from the window and doused the light within before she returned to climb out. He rushed forward to help her through so she wouldn't be hurt and pulled her to him as soon as she was steady on her feet.
"Good evening, my Lucy," Harry said as he brushed her hair from her face. Lucy smiled up at him as he wrapped his cloak around her and guided her to a stone arch. Wolves howled in the distance and Harry's own smile faded at the noise. He tightened his hold on the girl underneath his arm. "Listen to them, the children of the night. What sad music they make."
"Do you think it's sad?" Lucy asked as she trailed a finger alongside his cloak as she twisted to face him.
Harry nodded. "So lonely, like weeping,"
"I think it's a wonderful sound," Lucy said, her face brightening once again. Harry was surprised and pleased. There was always something new to discover when he was with her. "I really love the night. It's so simple..."
"So deceptive," Harry told her as he pulled her against him.
"So exciting," Lucy ran her hands up his arms to link around his neck.
Harry smiled and reached up to take hold of her hands. He pulled them in front of them and held them in his own. He lifted each one to his mouth and dropped a light kiss on the back of each one. "You take the dawn for granted," he said, dropping one hand and trailing one finger up the inside of her wrist. "The warm, hot sunlight." He kissed her palm and lifted the corners of his mouth. "Ah, but the night..."
"Was made to enjoy," Lucy said, drawing her hand out of his and laying it on the left side of his face. He leaned into the touch with a small sigh and closed his eyes.
"Yes," he said happily, almost beside himself with the feelings he carried at that moment. She understood. She understood the night, no, it was more than that. She wanted the night. Craved it as he craved blood. "Yes, it was. It was made to enjoy life." He whispered. "And love," he opened his eyes and could almost read what she wanted in her eyes. Her gaze faltered and dropped to the ground beneath their feet. "Look at me," he put one finger under her chin and tried to lift her face to his. "Look," he requested, tugging at her chin. Her eyes finally rose to meet his. Harry requested in Romanian that she smile for him. She gave him a light smile. "There, you do understand."
"No, really. I have no idea what you said," Lucy told him in a low tone.
"I said, 'It would be nice to see you smile',"
She smiled that smile that made him think of the last sunrise he had seen.
"You must forgive me." Harry told her as he returned the smile.
"What for?" she asked with a slight laugh in the words.
"For intruding on your life," Harry told her, wrapping one of her delicate hands in his own.
Her smile grew wider and she shook her head. "I came of my own accord," Those words alone made everything he had done worth it.
He smiled again, one of pure contentment, and folded his arms around her. She leaned against him, sheltering beneath his cloak and his arms. He opened his shirt and scratched a line open for her to feed. He hugged her close as she took his blood, happy that she was becoming so close to him, close to being immortal with him. The two stood there for some time, wrapped in mists and their own silent thoughts. He straightened after a while and drew back. "You should perhaps go."
"No, I'd rather stay," she said with some stubbornness coloring her voice.
Harry wrapped one arm around her shoulders and started to lead her back to her window. "It will be light soon," he told her as he lifted her back into her window.
"Not for hours yet," she wheedled as he kissed her hand and bowed.
"I will see you again. Now, you must go on a bit longer as a creature of the sun, only until we have left behind those who would destroy us."
"And then?" She asked as she leaned on her window sill in anticipation.
"Then you will join me on a higher plane, feeding on them. We will create more of our kind, Lucy." He told her before fading into the background and disappearing into mist.
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Harry lay in his coffin with his new bride beside him. He smiled to himself and hugged her to him. Lucy gave him an odd look, but relaxed against him. The lid flew open and someone wrenched her away from him. He exploded out of his coffin and faced the intruders. "You are now in my domain, gentlemen. And you shall not leave."
He advanced on the two men, only to have holy objects thrust in his face. He drew away from the objects and saw Lucy cowering away from them in the corner. "You fools!" he motioned for her to go out the other doorway. He saw her start to inch along the wall and decided to distract the men challenging him.
"Do you think with your crosses and your wafers you can destroy me? Me!" he folded his cloak around him and sneered at them. "You do not know how many men have come against me. I am the king of my kind." He turned to face the man who had plagued his last few decades. "You have accomplished nothing, Van Helsing." He spat the name as he would a curse. "Time is on my side. In a century, when you are dust, I will call Lucy, my queen, from her grave."
"No!" Harry only raised an eyebrow at the earnest young mortal in front of him. So young, so foolish.
"Yes," Harry affirmed. "I have in my time many brides, Mr. Harker, but I shall set Lucy above them all." That ought to upset the youngster.
"You won't get Lucy," Harker said in a fury.
Harry leaned towards him and gave the smuggest look he could manage. "She's mine already,"
"No!" Harker screamed and rushed forward with a stake and hammer. Harry twisted aside, only to find Van Helsing directly behind Harker and ready for him. A cross was shoved into his face; a movement threw a table at the offensive man. The cross clattered to the floor and he advanced again, determined to end the stalking from Van Helsing. It was growing tedious. He felt Harker coming up behind him, so he knocked Van Helsing away and turned to face Harker. He grasped the lapels of Harker's coat and lifted him into the air to decide which side of the neck was more likely to provide blood faster.
Bright light hit him in the face and he dropped Harker to shield his eyes. He screamed in agony as the sunlight burned his skin.
"No!" he heard Lucy shriek from somewhere to his right. He slunk back towards the darkness near his coffin. He needed to lay in his dirt to heal, to prepare for the next confrontation. He knocked the two advancing men aside. He heard something crack in one of their bodies and was satisfied that they were incapacitated for the moment. He crawled inside his coffin. "Lucy, come to me," he held out a hand to her. "Come, my own."
Lucy crawled in beside him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled tightly against the pain and closed his eyes. He just needed a few minutes. The lid flew open and he screamed his fury just as the stake pierced through his body. Lucy was wrenched away from him. He held out his hand in entreaty, begging whatever power there was not to take his sun away from him. She left his sight and the stake was twisted. One hand held onto the side of the coffin as he fought against the oncoming darkness. One last twist caused his entire body to jerk and he lost his grip. His hand dropped and he lay still.
Van Helsing stood up and took a deep breath as he turned and walked away. Voices chattered as they led the now weeping Lucy away from "the dreadful ordeal". He couldn't hear anything as he raised one hand and gripped the side of the coffin. Fools they were indeed, to think he could be so easily defeated.
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The curtain dropped and Harry scrambled out of the coffin to disappear backstage. He waved to the girl playing Lucy on the other side of the stage and she stuck out her tongue. He rolled his eyes as Bug patted him on the back. The crew went out on stage for curtain call first and Harry waited for his turn. He heard the applause increase for each new section of the cast and he nearly fell over in laughter as Lucy nearly tripped when the applause increase startled her.
Finally, it was Harry's turn. He jumped in place for a second before going onstage. His smile only grew wider when the applause thundered around the auditorium. He made it to the center mark and bowed, unable to control the smile spreading across his face. He heard a few girls screaming from the audience and tentatively identified one as Hermione, though he couldn't be sure. He bowed again and motioned to the entire cast and crew. The applause increased again and they all bowed as one. He laughed a little and waved. Everyone else on stage joined in before the curtain fell.
Harry didn't need to be told to run out to the main hallway. He and the rest of the cast bolted from the stage and out the stage door to line up in the hallway. Harry's bodyguards appeared behind them and put on their intimidation faces.
He grinned at the rest of the cast, almost too hyper to stand still. It was a rush, this performance, the lines. He loved it. The doors to the auditorium opened and Harry braced himself for a crowd of people. He took a deep breath and plastered on a smile. "You did so well!" One woman said. "Gave me chills!" She shuddered dramatically and moved on.
Harry greeted each person that stopped in front of him and answered the same questions and compliments over and over. He nodded several times and shook many hands. This was not as fun as performing, but it was okay. It was nice to have his acting appreciated.
"There he is!" He heard Khalid say from his right. Harry turned and only had time to process the fact that Khalid was there before he was picked up and swung around. "There's my little one!"
"Hello, Khalid," Harry said as he squirmed out of the man's arms. "Did you enjoy the show?"
"Did I enjoy the show?" Khalid asked in disbelief. "It was amazing. Simply amazing. Oh, there is someone I want you to meet!" Khalid waved over a man and Harry felt his eyes grow wide. "May I present the boy I told you about?" Khalid said to the man. The man nodded and Harry's mouth went dry. "This is..." Khalid looked around and leaned over to whisper something to the man. "This is Vlad Tepes, Voivod of Wallachia." Khalid whispered the sentence into Harry's ear.
"It's an honor to meet you, sir." Harry said weakly as Dracula himself shook his hand.
"Likewise," Dracula said as he smiled at Harry. "I have not seen such a good performance in some time." The lightly accented voice told Harry that this was not a fake Dracula by any road. This was the real Dracula. "You must come visit me sometime soon. I would love to show you my home, child. You will learn about the reality of Transylvania there."
"I'd love to," Harry found himself saying. "As long as my aunt agrees."
"Oh, I'm sure she will, given time. I look forward to seeing you again." Dracula smirked and patted Harry on the shoulder. "Khalid, we have other actors to congratulate." Khalid settled for a quick pat on Harry's head before disappearing down the line.
"Evan!" Harry didn't even have time to prepare; Hermione slammed into him full force and proceeded to strangle him. "Evan! Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you drop a hint? That was amazing!" Hermione jumped up and down in excitement and then returned to squeezing the breath from his body.
"Mi!" Harry separated her hands and put his hands on her shoulders to hold her in one place. "Calm down."
"Calm down? After seeing the best play ever? That's impossible!" Hermione actually squealed and hugged him again.
"Well, I'm glad you liked it. Have you seen Aunt Petunia?" He asked as he patted her back.
"She was right behind me," Hermione said as her good sense reasserted itself. She pulled away and turned around. "Ah, here she comes!"
Petunia and Remus pushed their way through the people crowding around Harry. "Excuse me, yes, my nephew, pardon me." Petunia chanted as Remus found an opening and pulled Petunia through the people and towards Harry.
"Hi, Aunt Petunia!" Harry said brightly.
"Oh my goodness!" Petunia pulled Harry into a hug and managed a fairly good imitation of Hermione's Operation Squeeze All Air Out of Harry. "That was so good! You did such a wonderful job and I can't say enough how wonderful that was!" All of her words came out in a rush as she held his face where she could see it. "I couldn't believe that was you up there! You looked and sounded so different!" Harry relaxed into the hugging and smiled as he rested his head against his aunt's shoulder. This was nice.
"Easy, Petunia," Remus said with a chuckle. "The boy has to breathe."
Petunia released Harry with a smile and Remus stepped forward to pull Harry into a hug. "We're both very proud of you, Harry." Remus whispered into his ear. "You have an amazing gift."
"Thank you, Remus," Harry said happily.
A group of giggling girls stopped to his right. One girl looked extremely nervous while the rest were egging her on. Remus gave Harry a significant look before stepping back. Hermione glared at them and Petunia only shrugged. She had no idea what was going on.
The first girl stepped forward and took a deep breath. "Could we have our picture taken with you?" She said in a rush.
Harry shot a quick glance at his bodyguards and one of them nodded. The girls were just that: girls.
"Sure," Harry smiled at her. The entire group squealed when they saw his fangs still in his mouth. He motioned for them to step closer and Petunia took a camera from one of them to snap a photograph. The flash blinded him for only a second before Petunia said it was alright to move.
Several thank yous and one snatched hug later left Harry alone to greet other audience members. Petunia, Remus, Hermione and her parents (they had gotten lost around a corner...Harry suspected they had been snogging) all stood by him, fending off the more enthusiastic audience members.
"Brilliant, Potter." He heard a voice say lightly from his right. He turned and saw Draco Malfoy dressed in a Muggle suit. "I never thought you would find something you were good at."
"Is that a compliment, Malfoy?" Harry asked sharply.
"What a silly idea, me complimenting a Gryffindor." Malfoy said as he held out his hand.
Harry only rolled his eyes and shook Draco's hand. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?"
"Julie invited me," Draco said with a smirk. "Just to let you know, I understand that you needed to touch her in a familiar manner tonight. Take care not to do it again." Malfoy smirked at Harry in a 'Master of the Universe' way.
"Drake!" Julie brushed past Harry and threw herself into Draco's arms. "You made it!"
"Yes, I promised I would," Draco said as he returned the hug and brushed hair out of her face.
Harry's brain shut down. "Mi, am I seeing Draco Malfoy kissing a girl?" He whispered to Hermione.
"Hmm?" Hermione asked. "Oh, that. Yes, you are." Hermione said absently. "Drake's been sneaking out for weeks to see her."
"How did I not know about this?" Harry demanded.
"Oh, it must have slipped my mind. That and you were extremely busy with everything Dumbledore was doing," Hermione told him.
"Well, how does he get out of Hogwarts?" Harry asked.
"Professor Snape has very high levels of concentration when working on a potion. Drake has a very light step. You do the math." Hermione told him with a smile.
The crowds started to thin and Bevie motioned for everyone to go to the dining hall. The kitchen staff had set up refreshments for the actors...and their friends and family. Harry had a feeling mint chocolate chip ice cream was on the menu.
He smiled when he felt one of Petunia's arms drop around his shoulders and squeeze a little bit. So Draco Malfoy was dating a Muggle? It didn't matter so long as Harry and Petunia could spend a little family time together. He smiled. Family was good.
"Skywalker!" Hermione screeched. "They have your favorite ice cream!" She called out.
Yes, life was good.
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Author's Note 2: Wow, what a response! Thanks to everyone that told me more than just Americans read fanfiction. My professor was a little surprised when I showed her the answers I received, so I definitely won the bet!