A/N: Thank you for reading :)

Chapter 2: Water

Even before he fell into his troubled sleep, Harry knew he would not be getting a good rest that night. Number Twelve Grimmauld Place was quiet except for the creaks of the building, and it lulled Harry into his unconciousness, where once again he saw the world through the eyes of the monster who murdered his parents.

"You had the boy in your hands and he…slipped away?" The Dark Lord's voice was dangerously venomous.

"I didn't realize it was going to be so chaotic," Melroy responded angrily, "some brat tried to stupefy me. By the time I got back they had apparated away. Next time-"

"Next time?" The Dark Lord interrupted. "And what makes you think there will be a next time? Why shouldn't I just send you to join your dearly departed Lord Huskil?" A flash of fear entered Melroy's eyes. "Fortunately for you there will be another chance. The Den. They will go there."

Melroy's eyes widened. "You really think they'll go to see her?"

Anger flared in Voldemort. "I don't think. I know. They will have to, she's the only one who can give them the answers they so desperately crave. You will go to the Den and you will wait for them." Melroy looked as though he'd rather be told to do anything else, but regardless he nodded his head and left the room. Voldemort had taken up residence at the vampire's castle, Valhier. A twisted feeling of satisfaction spread through the Dark Lord. He was happy. Everything was going as he hoped.


Harry woke, once again, covered in cold sweat. His scar pulsed in a dull ache, and his fists were white from being clenched so tightly. He was sleeping in Sirius' old room, and when he finally remembered where he was, a sense of comfort washed over him. There was a soft knock at the door.

"Harry?" Hermione's voice drifted softly into the room. The door creaked open and he saw her face poke into the room.

"Hey Hermione." He tried not to let on that he was feeling uneasy, but there was an unmistakable shake to his voice.

"Another nightmare?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Another vision," he replied. There was a look of concern on her face as she opened the door the rest of the way and entered the room. She was dressed in sweatshorts and a shirt and it was clear she had been asleep just moments ago.

"Did I wake you up?" Harry asked, suddenly feeling guilty. "Sorry, I didn't even realize but I must have been making all kinds of noise." He looked around at the state of his bed. The sheets had been pulled and twisted, the pillows had been knocked to the floor. It was clear he had been thrashing around, and he wouldn't be surprised if he had been yelling as well.

"Honestly Harry," Hermione said sternly, "that should be the least of your worries. Besides I'd rather be woken up, at least then you don't have to suffer through this alone."

She approached the bed and he sat up, his back against the headboard. She climbed onto the bed and he turned. They were both cross legged, facing each other. She smelled intoxicating, like lavender perfume, and he realized she must have been wearing it for the wedding they had been at just hours before. It was terribly distracting.

"Harry," Hermione said, snapping him out of his daze. "Are you going to tell me what happened in this vision?" Harry exhaled and once again divulged to Hermione what he had seen in his sleep.

"Really," Hermione said when he had finished, huffing, "Vampires. Why vampires? Don't we have enough on our plate? Why couldn't Voldemort be recruiting an army of butterflies?" Harry chuckled softly, then yawned. Watching the world through the Dark Lord's eyes was draining, reliving it right after was downright exhausting. His eyelids were heavy, and the intoxicating smell coming from Hermione was lulling Harry into a state of complete relaxation.

"You should get back to sleep Harry," She said, a hint of concern in her voice. "I'll stay with you until you can."

"Mmm," he responded, distracted. He had been watching her lips move as she spoke to him and noticed how soft they looked. Very. He thought it would be nice to just lean forward and press his lips to hers. So he did. She gave a small squeak of surprise, but almost instantly her lips were moving against his. It was warm, slow, and calming. The only part of them that touched was their lips, but the warmth spread throughout their whole bodies.

It could have been two minutes later or twenty, Harry couldn't tell, but they broke apart slowly, their faces still only an inch apart. Harry hadn't opened his eyes and he wasn't planning on it. He wanted to stay in the blissful world that they had created for as long as possible.

"Come on Harry, let's try to get some sleep," Hermione said softly, gently pushing Harry until he was lying down, grabbing a pillow off the ground and placing it under his head. She placed one more long, gentle kiss on his lips. "Goodnight Harry," she practically whispered. If he had the willpower to open his eyes at that moment he would have seen that she was blushing profusely. As it was he simply drifted off to a mercifully dreamless sleep.


Harry awoke to find himself once again alone in his bed. There was an indent beside him in the mattress which confirmed the events of the previous night were real. Harry had a goofy grin on his face as he climbed out of bed and got ready for the day.

When he went downstairs and entered the kitchen he found that Ron and Hermione were already awake. Ron was standing over a sizzling pan of sausages, watching them cook and gazing at them longingly. Hermione was busy making the rest of their breakfast and didn't notice Harry entering the room.

"Hiya Harry," Ron said, taking a moment away from watching the sausages cook to look at his best friend. Hermione looked around when he said this and gave Harry a warm smile making him feel relieved. No regrets. "Hermione was telling me about the dream you had last night. Scary stuff."

"Yeah well, at least I didn't have to watch him kill anyone this time." Harry didn't actually find this much consolation. He'd much rather simply not have a link directly into the mind of the most powerful dark wizard to ever live. Too much to ask?

"So this Melroy bloke, he was the one from the wedding?" Ron looked apprehensive when he said this, as though the vampire might burst into the room at the mention of his name.

"Yeah that's him," Harry replied, rubbing his neck as he remembered being slammed against the tent pole. "I just wish I knew what this Den place they were talking about was."

"Actually Harry I've been doing some reading-" "Shocker," Ron interrupted. Hermione narrowed her eyes and continued. "I've been doing some reading and I think I might know what they were talking about. You're not going to like it though."

"Just tell me Hermione," Harry said, steeling himself. He suddenly felt cold.

"Well, in every book on vampires I read there's one place that keeps coming up. It's some kind of…I don't know. They aren't very specific about it. It's supposed to be a safe haven where vampires can go if they don't want to live the whole, you know, vampire life. They can feed there without killing people and live in peace. I don't really understand how it works, they're frustratingly vague about it. The thing that scares me is the one thing they all do say about it. Harry, all of the books I've read say exactly where it is. They aren't trying to hide it at all."

"Perfect, I'm going."

"Harry it's not that simple," Hermione sounded frustrated. "If they're willing to put the location out there freely it means they don't care who finds it. That means they're confident they can protect it from anything. We can't just march in there. It's too dangerous."

"We aren't marching anywhere. I'm going there alone." Harry knew this was something he had to do. He couldn't explain it, but there was a feeling deep within him that he needed to go alone.

"Don't be ridiculous mate, we're in this together. You can't get rid of us now. Face it, you need us there."

"Ron's right Harry, you can't go on your own. It'd be dangerous for us all to go but it would be suicide to go alone. If you're going to insist on going, we're coming with you."

Harry could see that there was no point in arguing, but he knew that he had to go alone. He sighed in resignation.

"Alright, we'll go together." Ron looked satisfied with this answer, and went back to watch the sausages cook. Hermione still looked troubled and kept her eyes on Harry, but he wouldn't bring his up to meet hers.


They spent the rest of the day discussing where they were going to start looking for horcruxes, all of them seemed eager to avoid the topic of vampires. That night Harry was sitting in his room when a familiar knock came from the door.

"Come in." Harry didn't allow any emotion to seep into his voice. Hermione couldn't know what he was planning to do.

"Hey Harry." She looked tired. She closed the door behind her and made her way over to the bed, sitting facing the door. Harry moved so that they were sitting next to each other.

"You look exhausted, Hermione." Sitting next to her it was even more apparent how tired she was. Her whole body seemed to sink into the bed, as if it was begging to go to sleep and her mind was forcing it to stay awake.

Hermione smiled weakly. "I could probably catch up on some sleep. I've just been feeling uneasy, especially since the wedding. I really don't like this idea of going to this Den place as well. And who is this woman they think you're going to see? What answers does she have? I just don't like it Harry."

"It's alright Hermione, we can figure this all out tomorrow. Our problems aren't going anywhere. For now let's just get some sleep. We earned it, especially you. If Ron and I didn't have you we wouldn't be here, and we certainly wouldn't think to read up on things." That put a proud look on Hermione's face.

"Just Harry-" He interrupted her by pressing his lips against hers. He really didn't feel like arguing and honestly they just looked too inviting. She leaned into the kiss and her whole body seemed to relax. Her hands pressed lightly against his chest and his found her waist. They shifted and he pushed her lightly so that she was lying on her back. He continued to press soft, warm kisses against her lips.

Slowly they separated, and Hermione kept her eyes closed, savoring the feeling. Harry lay down beside her and she moved to rest her head on his chest. They stayed that way until Harry heard her breathing pattern even out. He eased her head off of him and on to a pillow, careful not to move too quickly. Her chest was rising and falling slowly, and her lips were slightly parted. Harry thought she looked like some kind of angel. He knew it was time to leave. He stepped gingerly around the bed and out of the room, shutting the door softly behind him.

If there was one thing that Hermione was absolutely right about, it was that just about every book that spoke about vampires mentioned the same place, and that's where Harry was headed.


The night air was warm and the gentle breeze made for an almost surreal calmness. There was a full moon in the sky and the street basked in it's gentle light. Harry stood on one side of the road, on the other was a peculiar sight. There was a long red carpet with dozens of people walking along it, all wearing suits or dresses and fine jewelry. This in itself wasn't particularly odd, but where they were going was. The red carpet led towards the side of the cliff, and at its end was a waterfall. Not a light drizzling one but a full, heavy, crushing waterfall. This didn't seem to faze the people though, they merely continued on and walked right into the waterfall, disappearing from sight.

Harry wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but this wasn't it. Regardless, he knew what he had to do. He crossed the street and fell in with the crowd of people walking along the carpet. They didn't pay him any mind, but he took the chance to get a closer look at them. They all had pale complexions and striking, vividly bright eyes. Harry saw a hunger deep within each of them that confirmed what he had already suspected. He was surrounded by vampires. He followed the flow of the crowd and eventually he was faced with the wall of water crushing down right in front of him.

With no time for hesitation, Harry stepped forward and into the waterfall. A wave of warmth washed through him, starting at the top of his head and traveling all the way down to the tips of his toes. When he emerged he looked around, taking in his surroundings. If he had to describe it, Harry would say it was the most extravagant looking club he could possibly imagine. Music filled the space, and Harry saw in a distant corner that there was a stage with a band playing sparkling jazz that spread through the cave. And it was a cave, though the only real indication of this was the roof.

Looking up, Harry saw a dark, almost black rock made up the roof. The floor was covered in the same red carpet that Harry had followed into the waterfall. To his left there were two small steps down that led to a wide open area with people swaying to music. There were long, red, velvety sofas surrounding the dance floor, and behind that there was a huge glass swimming pool. The pool had people splashing around in it, and all of them seemed to be in their underwear. There were men in boxers and women in lacy lingerie.

The thing that caught Harry's attention more than any of this was the small, open mouthed gargoyles that seemed to be on all of the walls. Out of each of their mouths came a steady stream of what Harry could only assume was blood. He watched as a couple of people mid conversation went over to one. A tall, lean man in the group with a glass in his hand held it out and placed it under the gargoyle's mouth. The glass filled and he pulled it away. He smelled the liquid before taking a sip, and instantly his face grew flush. A smile spread across his face and he went back to his conversation.

Harry felt a tap on his shoulder and looked to see who it was. Looking up at him was an astonishingly beautiful woman wearing a dazzling blue dress. Harry's eyes met hers and suddenly he forgot what he was there for. He knew it was important but it didn't seem to him that anything could be more important than spending as much possible time with this woman as possible. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled. His feet followed as though they had a will of their own, and soon she was pressing herself close to him on one of the couches.

He turned to face her and a deep sense of lust overcame him. It was as if he had a debilitating condition and she was his own personal cure. He needed her. He moved to touch her but his hand was stopped. He looked to see who was robbing him of the experience and found a large bouncer looming over him in a black suit and tie. He made a beckoning gesture with his hand and Harry stood to follow. He looked down to see the woman in the blue dress looking positively put out.

As Harry followed the bouncer through the club he became more and more uneasy, until he was absolutely repulsed by what he had been feeling with the mysterious woman. A dull headache thudded lightly within his head, as though he had just woken up from a disorienting nap. Vampire's seduction, he thought. It had been in one of the books he had read when he was looking for the Den's location. The bouncer led Harry to a room next to the stage where the band was still performing. Harry found that he was quite impressed with the music, but before he could dwell on it too long the bouncer was pushing him through a set of heavy doors, which he promptly closed behind Harry, remaining outside.

Harry found himself alone in one of the most peculiar rooms he had ever seen. It was a large room completely covered in tile. The colour of the tile couldn't be described simply because it wasn't one colour. The whole room shifted slowly from one colour to the next, not all at once but starting from the center and spreading out. It went from a deep purple to a soft blue, a warm red to a jungle green.

Sinking into the ground directly in the middle of the room was what looked like a ginormous stone basin. Harry realized that it was some kind of hot tub and noticed, much to his surprise, that he wasn't as alone as he thought. First all he saw was a pair of eyes peering at him from the water, but as he approached he saw a woman emerge.

Whatever beauty Harry had seen in the woman in the club, it was nothing compared to the one in front of him. She had smooth, dark, tantalizing skin. Her hair fell over the front of her shoulders so that just the ends were touching the surface of the water. Harry could tell by her bright eyes that she was a vampire, but she didn't have the same hunger, there was something more within them. It was as though all of the knowledge in the world was sitting right behind the vale of her eyes.

"Harry Potter," her voice was hypnotizing, it soothed and pushed any stress to the back of Harry's mind.

"I know why you are here. You, however, haven't the faintest idea." And Harry found himself nodding, he didn't know what he was there for. He had been sure that he wanted answers, but they seemed so unimportant all of a sudden. He didn't really care about the visions he was having. He wasn't particularly worried about the prophecy Voldemort had mentioned. He simply knew that he was where he needed to be, and that he would give anything to stay there forever.

"Come here my child." As she said it she opened her arms, ready to hold him in a loving embrace. Her fangs were prominently visible but they didn't worry Harry. He stepped forward, allowing himself to sink into the water until he stood within arms reach of the woman.

"The woman? No Harry Potter, my name is Circe. I am a confidant and a mother to all who seek my guidance. Now come here." She pulled him in and lay his head on her chest. There wasn't a problem in the world that entered his mind, he had found complete bliss. He knew he had questions to ask, but he had a feeling she would answer them without him uttering a word.

"You wish to know about the prophecy. I cannot tell you much, but I will reveal what I can. The Dark Lord and his followers of the castle Valhier wish to turn you towards a different path. I will not lie to you child , it is in my interest for you to follow that path. It would benefit all of my kind, granting us something we haven't had in many centuries. If you do follow this path, vampires would be able to walk freely, they would be unhindered by the Sun's light. This is a future I would very much like to see"

She shook her head as if dismissing the thought, and continued. "Now, you must know something. Your life is tied to two very important stories, but only one of them will come to be. If you wish to escape the destiny that you are bound for I can grant you that wish. You are set on a course that is murky, and not a soul alive could tell you what the outcome will be."

She lifted his head and looked into his eyes, and Harry finally saw her hunger. It was a bottomless chasm, nothing could quench her thirst or sate her appetite.

"All it would take to turn you to a clearer path is one drop of my blood. Did you know, Harry Potter, that a vampire's bite isn't what turns you? If it was then all of those we feed on would become another mouth to feed themselves. You see, a vampire must make a conscious choice to turn those they bite, and they do so by giving a little of their blood to the recipient through the bite."

Harry finally found his voice. "So your saying," he started slowly, making sure he understood her correctly, "that if I let you turn me, I can escape the prophecy that I've been connected to since I was born?"

"Yes," she said nodding, her eyes shifting to his neck. She moved her head slowly towards it, still embracing Harry closely.

"Just one bite," she whispered soothingly, "painless really."

She closed her eyes and pressed a soft kiss to Harry's neck. It sent a trillion volts of electricity shooting through him. He could escape the prophecy, the one that said he would either kill or be killed. It seemed impossible, and yet here was the opportunity. All he had to do was let this woman, Circe, change his fate.

But he knew he couldn't. It wasn't because of some prophecy that he and Voldemort were tied together in life, it was because of a conscious decision Tom Riddle had made. The decision to kill his parents. Harry knew he would never be satisfied until this war raging between them was over and a victor had emerged. He placed his hands gently on the vampire's shoulders and pushed her away.

She looked at him curiously, and he thought he saw a hint of admiration. It was obvious he wasn't making the decision she expected. Suddenly the room was filled with the sound of jazz accompanied by the crash of the doors being thrown open. Circe let go of Harry and fell back into the water, vanishing. Harry turned to see who was at the door and when he did he knew instantly that Hermione was going to kill him. Only if I live through this Harry thought.

Standing in the doorway with blood on his lips and a grin on his face was Harry's old friend Melroy.

"Hello, boy."