Bill glanced over to Blake and Severus, sitting close together on the ground, near the fire. They could have sat in the chairs around them but he knew that Blake like to feel the ground under him. He looked both men over and was relieved to see they were both healing from what had happened with Malfoy. He would still see that haunted look in Blake's eyes now and again but it was nothing compared to how it had been.

The two men may seem like an odd couple, to outsiders, and had raised a more than a few eyebrows when it began but Bill knew that it worked well for them. They could be complete opposites to the other and yet Bill knew that they would support the other. He wasn't sure how Blake would be without Severus and visa versa. The third partner in their relationship is what threw him.

Bill smirked as he walked back towards his tent and picked up his guitar before making his way back to the fire. Blake glanced over at him and he held it up while Severus frowned. A few other people around the camp started to drift over while he started to strum away on the guitar. He noticed Melissa sitting a little further away from the others, closer to Blake.

"Blake?" Bill asked when he paused. "Have any requests?"

Blake gave him a lopsided grin; the man could sing but it was hard to get him to. From the look that Severus was giving him, he was sure that man hadn't sung for him. Blake stood and came over to stand beside him and Bill started a song that he knew the man had sung before. Blake joined in, his voice coming out perfect and they soon had the camp around the fire and joining in. Bill felt eyes on him and glanced over to see Severus watching them with a smile and Bill gave the man a wink. Severus gave him a grin and a nod. Blake needed moments like this.

xXx

Severus looked down at the sprawled out form of Blake fondly, the man always found a way to surprise him. He'd had no idea that the man could sing so well, he had heard him every now and again but it was mostly under his breath. He'd heard Ry sing, but to hear Blake was a different story.

"How's it been going here?" Dracka asked as he stepped into the tent.

"Quiet so far," Severus whispered back. "How did you go with the hellhounds?"

Dracka groaned and sat down on the other bed in the large tent.

"I don't think they will be annoying Blake for a while," Dracka commented. "They are just lucky that his spell wore off and they could reform into their hound form."

Severus quirked a lip up in amusement as he looked down at the other man sleeping.

"He's sleeping deeply?" Dracka asked in concern.

"He spent all day yesterday linking in the wards with those stones he used to draw off the dark magic at the Malfoy manor," Severus explained. "You should have seen the shocked look on Sharman's face."

Dracka frowned at the mention of the woman's name.

"Has he worked out what he's going to do with her?" Dracka asked as Severus sat down next to him on the bed.

"When he first saw her work," Severus remarked. "He said she wasn't advanced enough for him to work with her. This will give him a better understanding of her skills."

"And what she may become?" Dracka pressed

"Is still to be written," Blake muttered, sleepily from the other bed as he sat up with the blanket around his waist with a yawn. "Her dark power is a concern. It's on par with Callum's level of power."

Dracka and Severus tensed at those words. They both knew how dark Callum's power was since the man didn't hide it.

"Callum Genger," Severus said slowly. "Can you remember him from before?"

Blake frowned and they could see his eyes get distance.

"I don't think I knew him," Blake answered. "Knowing his history…anything could have happened."

Severus cringed at those words, Callum could be an ass but he was a good man and he respected those that gained his trust and would stand up for them. Blake had made a large impact in his life when he'd taken him on after he'd confided in him about the child abuse that he had suffered under his father. Callum had also made his mark on the Ministry as a Dark Wizard working for Blake in the Department. More than a few people had found out about the man's temper when they had said the wrong word to him.

"Are you hoping to have the same impact on Melissa?" Severus inquired. "Is that why you are considering this?"

"Those are the questions," Blake replied as he rubbed his face in thought then winced when he touched on the bruise.

xXx

Harry found himself at the front gates of the Lestrange house, two days later, as he picked up the wards again. He had tied in the permission to enter from Sirius Black but it hadn't given them as much leeway as Harry was hoping for. Since, Sirius was only linked via marriage and not blood. He'd been hoping, since Bellatrix died after her husband, that the wards would have recognised the Black family as the next in line and since Sirius was the Head of House of Black family. It had given him more than anyone else would have but it still wasn't enough to pass over the wards.

"Could you just tear them down?" Bill asked as he crouched down beside him.

"I would rather not," Harry replied. "These dark homes are tricky. The whole house could just collapse if I break through the wards."

"Like your house did?" Ry pointed out as he walked over.

Harry glared over at his son and the man gave him a grin as he stood there in his Auror uniform.

"Are you heading out on a mission?" Harry questioned as he looked him over.

"How could you guess?" Ry asked with his hands wide.

Harry got to his feet and took the man in a hug, feeling the flak vest under his uniform. He pulled back and looked the taller man over with a grin.

"Good luck," Harry offered and Ry gave him a lopsided grin.

"I could say the same to you," Ry returned with a laugh and looked over the items scattered around the front gate and the house in the background. "Making yourself at home?"

"He likes to take over," Bill remarked, dryly.

"He works to his talents," Ry observed with a grin, then looked around.

"They went home," Harry replied to Ry's silent question. "Severus has been teaching some advanced potions students and Dracka has been working with Hermione and Michael with the vampire laws."

"Good to see you have them working," Ry said with a smirk.

"Keeps the vampire out of trouble here," Bill remarked and Harry barked a laugh.

"Dracka got Bill a good one the other night," Harry expanded and Bill shivered.

"It's the glowing red eyes in the dark," Bill muttered. "Bloody vampire. Silent bastard, didn't see him until he was right behind me."

Harry and Ry gave a laugh, well aware what the vampire could get up to.

"He got me once at Hogwarts," Ry admitted. "He thought I was Dad and scared the shit out of me."

Harry barked a laugh and clapped a hand to Ry's shoulder.

"I should get going," Ry said softly. "Good luck with the house, I should be back in about a week to see what kind of mess you have gotten into."

Harry gave his son a grin and a last hug before the man walked away before they looked back at the house.

"I think I should be able to bend the wards out of the way," Harry said to Bill. "How does tomorrow morning sound? We should bring in enough supplies for a few days, just in case."

"Do you think that the wards will close behind us?" Bill asked with a frown.

"I'm not sure," Harry admitted. "There are a couple of wards that are tied in with the rest that I'm unsure what they do. I've worked around them so far, since I don't want to break through them."

"Show me," Bill requested.

Harry gave the man a grin and they settled before the front gate for Harry to show the red head what he'd been working on.

xXx

Melissa looked the two men over as they sat next to each other at the front gate of the mansion. She walked over to them until she was close enough to feel the magic they were working with. She still hadn't learnt how to look into the magic as Bill and other curse breakers could. Unless the man linked his magic with hers as she looked them over, while they were distracted. She could work out what type of magic and faintly see it but not to the degree of others. Bill had told her that it took time to learn but she was frustrated with how long it was taking.

Blake suddenly glanced over at her and she shivered at the slight glow to his green eyes and knew he was seeing the magic.

"Come here and I'll show you what we have been working on," Blake requested and patted the ground next to him.

Melissa cringed at the thought that she would get her black pants dirty as she settled down next to him and went to pull her wand out.

"Don't bother with that," Blake said with a slight grin. "You won't need it."

She started at the words with a frown before releasing the wand. Blake pulled out a silver knife and she tensed.

"I haven't shown her that yet," Bill said quickly on the other side of Blake.

"What?" Blake exclaimed as he looked at the other man. "Idiot."

Bill didn't take offense and just gave the man a grin and Blake sighed.

"Fine," Blake snapped. "We'll do this the hard way then."

"What were you going to do?" Melissa questioned as she got comfortable on the ground, wishing she could conjure a pillow but knew it would muck up with the magic around them.

"He was going to open your mind to the magic," Bill replied for him. "That can be a little overwhelming the first time. Better to do that in a place that doesn't have a lot of magic around you."

"And since Bill hasn't gotten to that part of your education," Blake drawled with a glare in Bill's direction. "We'll do it a different way."

"Not everyone does magic your way, Blake." Bill countered, mildly.

Melissa tensed, waiting for the fight, but Blake just grinned over at the other man before he held his hand out to her. She hesitant briefly before she grasped his hand and could feel the roughness under her palm. That gave her an idea of the fact that Blake worked with his hands enough to leave calluses.

"Reach out with your magic but don't grab mine," Blake ordered. "Close your eyes and focus on the magic you can feel. Don't grab anything unless I pass it to you. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." Melissa replied.

She reached out with her magic and felt Blake's magic beside her. She closed her eyes and focused on the wards before them. She gasped as Blake grabbed a hold of her magic and formed a link and magic bust to life before her. She started so badly that her eyes flew open and Blake gave a chuckle at her reaction. He pulled back on the link until it was just a thin thread between them and the magic disappeared from her sight.

She looked over at Blake and he slowly strengthened the link until the magic came back into focus again. Similar to how Bill would work with her and yet different. She closed her eyes to better see the magic and had a look at what he had done and gasped again. She could understand why this man was held in such high regard. She looked at the wards and the links and connections that he had made. It was a work of art.

Bill had talent and the skills of a Master Curse Breaker but that was nothing on what Blake had done. She could understand why the goblins had asked the man to work on this house.

"Okay," Blake announced and she started, Bill normally waited until after completing the work before talking her through what they'd done. "These are the wards of the house."

Melissa watched as Blake casually picked up a bundle of wards and she could feel the magic. He gently pulled them closer to her, then just started picking through them and separating them out for her to see. She had never seen anything like it before as each strand of magic was pulled slightly until they were laid out for her. Like threads of a rope. Each strand a different ward as they twisted together. The way that Blake held them spoke of familiarity and years of knowing how far he could push and pull each ward. He gently teased each one until they lay on his palms.

"If you want, I can run through every one of them," Blake told her. "But I can't really be bothered. Let's just say that these wards are keeping the house standing and don't really matter as long as they don't break."

He let those go, once she had looked them over, then picked up a couple of dark wards that he'd tied into the stone. Tapping his fingers along them with care as he eased them out into separate strings.

"The more dangerous dark wards," Blake clarified. "Some of these are really old and were a bit tricky to connect to the stone. Since, the last of the Lestrange line are now dead, it made it a little easier. Would have taken weeks, if not months, if that magical line was still alive."

He picked up a couple of other strands and held them carefully in his hands. He had to let her hand go to do that and she was surprised that he was able to keep the connection with her while holding the wards and talking. He did it so casually, while she knew how difficult doing that would be.

"These ones," Blake pointed out. "I have no idea what they are but they are very old. I've bent them away for now and we'll just work around them. Since, I haven't set anything off, I wouldn't be too concerned with them. From their age, they are probably dormant and were placed when the first stones of the house were laid."

He let them go and picked up another set of wards.

"These are the ones we are going to work on now," Blake announced. "Watch carefully what I do. If we get this right, we should be able to pass through without a problem."

She watched in interest as he held the wards and carefully separated them out. The way that he worked, interested her. While most curse breakers would work with their more potent magic of Dark or Light power, Blake was different. The ward depended what magic he used and how much he should twist together of both wizard, dark or light magic. He wasn't selective as he picked up a dark ward and twisted it slightly with another ward and used his magic to curve it to the side. Tapping into what he needed for each one and she took careful note of what he was doing. She could tell that he was working on an instinctive level of someone that had worked with this kind of magic for a very long time.

He worked his way through the wards until she could start to see what looked like an archway before the main gates. He used two of the corrupted dark magic stones on either side of the arch and she focused on them.

"I've just used them as grounding stones to keep the magic alive," Blake explained, while he paused in what he was doing to show her. "I've used them to link in with the dark magic and curve it. Since there is no living relative, the magic in the house is free floating. It would have unravelled in time but we can't sit around for that to happen."

"And if you didn't have those stones?" She asked before she could stop herself, knowing that she shouldn't say anything while someone was working with wards.

"You can make your own," Blake answered, not the least bit concerned with her question. "It's easier if you have some on hand. These stones work better for this kind of work due to the corrupted nature of the dark arts magic. Any other questions?"

"Why is death magic better?" Melissa asked.

"Magic gained via a Dark Ritual is corrupted," Blake explained as he held the wards that he had been working on idlily. "Tainted. The magic in these stones are helping to corrupt the wards that I have tied them into. It will make it easier for when we have to rewrite the wards and cut through these ones, for it will place them in a fragile state. At the moment they are just holding the magic in place, softening them, you could say."

"And if they were just charged with dark or light power?"

"Or wizard power," Blake added in amusement. "It would just be used as a grounder. Were they all your questions for now?"

"Yes, sir."

"Perfect," Blake replied.

She watched as he went back to work and took careful note of each move he made. She could feel Bill watching on the other side of Blake. She noticed that her teacher would nudge Blake every now and again or take a strand of magic when Blake held it out. Both men had worked like this many times before and she hadn't thought of that before. She forgot sometimes that being a curse breaker was easier when there was more than one. That working with a group was better than working alone. A lone curse break could lose themselves to the magic that they were working with or be overwhelmed by it.

Blake suddenly held a ward out to her and she picked it up in her hand on instinct. She could feel the magic pulsing through the line of power. She wasn't sure what it was as she held it and focused on the magic. She felt a nudge from Blake and pulled back from the link without letting it go.

"Just hold that for me," Blake said calmly as his magic brushed against her.

She shivered at the feeling but it wasn't the same as another Dark Wizard brushing against her. It didn't grate against her skin but seemed to slide over her. Her attention was drawn back when Blake picked up the ward she held and she let it go. She looked back at the magic and could see a perfect arch of magic before her except for the one strand of magic that Blake held.

The man let that link go and it reminded her of a ribbon before a doorway before an opening ceremony. Blake let go of the link with Melissa and she lost the magic sight, she blinked open her eyes. She could still feel the magic and if she focused she could pick through each one but she didn't have the full magic sight yet. Bill had told her that it would come with time.

Melissa looked Blake over as the man finished up. Her eyes was drawn to the fading bruise on his face and the reaction that the other Dark Wizard, Callum, had had to it. She looked away when Blake glanced over at her and noticed the late hour. They had been working for a while and the tiredness caught up with her as she sat on the ground. That was another reason that curse breakers didn't work alone, it was easy to forget how tired or how much magic and energy you were using until you pulled back from what you were doing. She could feel that fatigue now.

"Right then," Blake announced. "Time for coffee."

The man made his way to his feet and Melissa noticed the slight favouring of his right leg but when he wandered off, he didn't have a limp.

"Did you enjoy your first lesson?" Bill asked in amusement.

"Umm," She stuttered then snapped her mouth shut.

Bill gave a laugh and she smiled, she wished in a way that she had found the people around her earlier in her life as she looked at Bill.

"He has that effect on people," Bill remarked with a smile.

"Can you do that?" Melissa asked in interest.

"What Blake does?" Bill questioned.

"Yes."

"I am a child to him, Melissa." Bill stated with a serious look. "I have yet to see another person with the skills that he has, it is not his power levels, you have to understand. It is the way that he works with what he has. That instinctive knowledge."

"He holds the Deathly Hallows?" Melissa questioned with a frown.

"He does," Bill confirmed with a hard look in his eyes and Melissa pulled back slightly. "He would be just as powerful without them."

Melissa started at those words.

"But he does get power from them?" Melissa insisted.

"Only the not dying part," Blake answered from behind them. Melissa started and flicked her head around, she hadn't heard him coming back. "It's a curse, not a power."

"That's not…um." She stuttered then stopped when she saw the grin on his face.

"Power is not everything," Blake told her as he looked down at them with a coffee cup in his hand. "I could have sat there and done the same thing that I just did with less than a quarter of the power I hold. It is the skills you learn that gives you power, in learning and taking your time to work out each line of magic and what you can do with it. More power doesn't solve your problems, in fact, it can cause more problems. Like your reaction with Callum. Too much dark magic to complicate things."

Melissa's eyes grew wide at those words, it had been drilled into her from a young age that power was the answer to every problem.

"Do not fall into that trap," Blake warned as if reading her mind and she shivered. "Learn your limitations and work within them. If you over reach, it could mean your death or the death of someone else. Always remember that there can be a high price to pay for both magic and knowledge."

Melissa glanced at Bill and she could tell that the other man had shocked him as well with his words.

"Now," Blake announced with a disarming smile as held up his cup. "Time for food and coffee."

xXx

Harry started badly as arms wrapped around his waist from behind. He grabbed for his magic until he felt Dracka's dark magic brush him. Harry cursed as Dracka kissed the back of his neck.

"You're jumpy tonight," Dracka purred and kissed his neck again as his hands slipped lower.

"I was thinking," Harry drawled as he turned in Dracka's arms. "Maybe you should try it, unless you like to be cursed."

Dracka gave him a fond look and just held him. They could hear the sounds of the camp further to their right and Harry had been enjoying the darkness around him.

"Not often that I get to sneak up on you," Dracka purred. "I couldn't resist the temptation."

Harry quirked a smile and looked the man over and how relaxed he was. He stepped back and Dracka let him.

"We'll be passing over the wards tomorrow," Harry told him.

"Yes," Dracka said as he looked at him.

Harry's lips curled up as he took in the glint in Dracka's eyes.

"Is Severus working late?" Harry asked, sweetly.

"Yes," Dracka repeated and closed the distance between them.

Harry tilted his head to the side as Dracka took him back into his arms and sniffed his neck. Harry shivered as Dracka licked up his neck as his hands curled around his ass. Harry let his arms circle around the vampire and just held him as Dracka slowly licked his skin. He wasn't sure why vampires did that but he let him. He started slightly as Dracka scrapped his fangs over his skin then moaned as the other man slowly lapped up his blood.

He could feel himself hardening at the feeling as Dracka took his time and Harry panted. Harry didn't hold back on his magic and Dracka groaned as he held him close but didn't bite down completely. He was taking his time as Harry's hands slipped under his shirt and felt his skin. Dracka kissed down his neck before moving back up and lapping at his blood.

"Right there?" Dracka whispered and Harry shivered as his breath ghosted across his neck.

"Yeah," Harry panted and bucked his hips slightly.

Dracka growled and it went right through him. The vampire pulled back slightly and looked at him with dark eyes. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife. He held the hilt of it out to Harry in offer. Harry's eyes darkened as he took the hilt and Dracka tilted his head to the side. He nicked his skin and passed the knife back.

Harry leaned forward and closed his mouth over the cut. The slight coopery taste of blood touched his tongue. He moaned at the taste of Dracka's blood and magic as it washed over him. It was like a drug to the system or twenty coffees in one. He had to be careful as he gently took in the vampire's blood and felt his own dark magic responding to it. Like any drug, he could overdose if he wasn't careful.

He came down from the high with Dracka holding him close with his hands curled around his ass as he sagged into the vampire. Dracka took his weight easily as he licked his neck and Harry rocked his hips. He dipped his head forward and licked up the blood that had dripped down Dracka's collarbone and the vampire growled and bit down sharply on his neck.

Harry gasped as he arched his back and pushed himself into Dracka, his hold around the vampire tight. Dracka flicked his belt open and slipped his hand into his pants and Harry groaned as his hand wrapped around him. He bucked up into Dracka's hand and came hard as Dracka sucked on his neck. He could feel his head spinning from the combination of sensations as Dracka held him.

"Dracka," Harry gasped and the vampire pulled back.

Harry healed the cut on Dracka's neck before shifting as the vampire cast the cleaning spell. He could feel Dracka's interest between them as the vampire lapped up his blood. Harry groaned at the feeling and Dracka shifted again before pulling back and healing the bite mark and pulled him close. He would have liked to have helped Dracka with his little problem but at the moment. He was having trouble just keeping his feet under him with Dracka's arms the only thing keeping him up.

"Okay?" Dracka rumbled.

"Hmm," Harry replied, feeling heavy.

"Severus was asking about tasting my blood," Dracka remarked.

"Did he?" Harry muttered. "It would probably knock him out."

Dracka chuckled as Harry felt the vampire's blood in his system as the Hallows burned, responding to Dracka's dark curse.

"He would get used to it," Dracka remarked. "Or hate it."

Harry snorted before he cupped Dracka through his pants and rubbed his hard on and Dracka moaned. Harry pulled back enough to undo the man's pants and slip his hand around him.

"Blake," Dracka whispered and Harry looked up into his dark eyes.

Harry stepped the man back to a tree before slipping down to his knees. Dracka started at the move. Harry quirked a smile before tugging his pants down and taking his cock into his mouth. Dracka moaned as he leaned back into the tree behind him as Harry held his hips.

"Anyone could come along," Dracka hissed before moaning as Harry flicked his tongue over the top of his cock.

Harry held his hips as he worked on Dracka until he was hard and panting. Harry looked up to see those slightly red tinted eyes watching him. He licked up the underside of his cock before swallowing him down and Dracka moaned.

"Oh, god." Dracka groaned and Harry snorted.

He pulled back and stood as he took Dracka in a deep kiss. He wrapped his hand around Dracka's cock and stroked him. He quickened the speed as Dracka's head fell back on the tree behind him. Harry gave a smirk before kissing down the vampire's neck and Dracka tilted his head to the side. Harry then bit down sharply on Dracka's neck as he came with a groan.

Dracka suddenly growled and Harry found himself with his back to the tree. Dracka grabbed him tightly as he pushed him into the tree. Harry gasped in both pain and pleasure as Dracka plunged his fangs into his neck and held him in place. Harry's hands dug into Dracka's back and he was sure he was going to leave marks. All that fled his mind as Dracka sucked hard and he gasped. His head fell back into the tree behind him as his eyes rolled up in pleasure.

"Dracka!" Harry moaned

"Sorry," Dracka whispered when he pulled back.

Dracka licked up his neck and healed the bite mark as he cast a cleaning charm. Harry stepped back and pulled his pants up as Dracka did the same. They shared a look before they wandered over to a fallen log and took a seat. They sat close together and took in the quiet of the night. Both relaxed and satisfied while Harry still felt the high of Dracka's blood in his system.

"You've tasted Severus's blood," Harry remarked after a few minutes of silence. "Did you taste any creature-"

"No," Dracka cut in and Harry sighed. "I know where your thinking is going Blake."

"Just a thought," Harry reasoned.

"You know that turning someone can change them," Dracka replied. "For it to work there needs to be a death."

"Yes," Harry agreed with a nod as he looked at the forest around them.

"The Hallows will give him a longer life," Dracka stated as he placed a hand on his knee. "Not to mention that he is a wizard and they can live well over a hundred. You are thinking of Lucas?"

"Yes," Harry admitted. "The turning changed him and he had vampire blood in his veins."

Dracka looked at him with dark eyes and Harry could see the answer there. Dracka wouldn't turn Severus, even if the other option would be to lose him. Harry sighed and looked away and Dracka rubbed his leg. Mortally was always hard to deal with when he lived an immortal life.

"You have a strong connection to him," Dracka stated more than questioned.

"Yes," Harry consented. "Stronger than anyone before. The link between us proves that."

Harry covered Dracka's hand and looked into his eyes and gave him a soft smile. Harry could see that he wasn't the only one that loved Severus.

"You think that he might ask?" Dracka pressed and Harry sighed.

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "We were faced with the possibility of his death with the poison and I'm not sure that it crossed his mind."

"And why he wanted to start this relationship," Dracka added.

"Yes," Harry confirmed.

They fell into silence, each with their own thoughts.

"You could give up the Hallows," Dracka uttered softly.

Harry tensed and said nothing.

"A Dark Lord isn't born with dark magic but gains his potent magic from a Dark Ritual," Harry recited. "I wasn't born with dark magic but gained it from the Deathly Hallows."

Harry looked at the vampire sitting next to him.

"What does that make me?" Harry questioned.

"Who you are," Dracka replied easily.

"And what is that?"

Dracka looked at him with for a while and Harry returned his stare. Dracka reached out and cupped his face and gave him a soft smile.

"Who you are," Dracka repeated and Harry snorted. "You are a Light and Dark Wizard, Blake. A man that has lived a long life and yet still wants to help anyone that needs it. I can only guess how many Dark Lords that you have come up against. Did any of them want to help the magical communities? Use their power to aid anyone but themselves?"

Harry paused at the question, they had wanted power. Wanted control over people, magic or create whole communities in their image.

"I suppose not," Harry replied.

"What do you want to do with your power?" Dracka asked. "Why are you here now?"

Harry milled over that for a while before smiling and Dracka returned the grin.

"I believe that Severus would be closer to a Dark Lord than you are," Dracka pointed out in amusement. "I'm sure there were more than a few potion students that he would have liked to have disappeared without a trace."

Harry barked a laugh at that before pulling the vampire into a deep kiss.