Harry stared down at the closed file in front of him, ignoring the feeling of Severus's dark eyes watching him. He hadn't even touched the coffee the man had placed before him on the table as he gathered his thoughts together. Harry looked up and met Severus's eyes before glancing at the Headmaster then Dracka. His eyes lingered on the vampire until the man raised an eyebrow in question.
"So, yeah." Harry said quietly. "We have a knew Dark Lord."
Dracka cursed as Severus and the Headmaster paled.
"We were called to Germany after the Ministry got a phone call from the police about a mass murder in a small village." Harry said softly and opened the file. "The Ministry moved in and a man call Conner Fritz called me. They quickly realised that dark arts had been used and placed a protection charm around the area. I'm still waiting for the full report…"
"When we got there, the Ministry was set up outside the protection circle," Severus continued, when Harry just looked at the file. "Minister Fritz informed us there were misty forms floating around the village. They waited for Blake to arrive before they could go in to collect the bodies."
"I left Severus outside the wards," Harry took up the story. "The dark magic was coating the ground, the ghosts of the dead roaming the streets. The crows took them."
Harry stopped talking, he could still feel the dusting of dark magic on his arms. The corrupted feeling of dark arts.
"Crows?" Severus whispered.
"The crows are half in this world and half in the spirit world," Dracka explained. "They can ferry spirits from this world to the next, for a price."
Three sets of eyes landed on Harry.
"It was a small offering," Harry said softly. "They took the spirits with them when they left."
"That was enough for them?" Dracka asked with a frown.
"Um," Harry muttered, without looking up as he rubbed his arm. "It was from me."
"What does that mean, Blake?" Severus asked softly.
Harry cupped the back of his head before running them forward over his hair, spiking it up.
"Plus, a token." Harry said reluctantly. "They were happy with the agreement."
"So," Albus said changing the topic. "Graham Simpson has become a Dark Lord?"
"Yes," Harry confirmed. "But it will take him time to get used to the power. So, we have that on our side. With the amount of dark magic floating around from the ritual, his power is going to be strong. I just hope it gives us enough time to plan."
"What kind of time frame?" Albus asked.
"Um," Harry replied as he sat back in his seat. "Maybe six months if he pushes it. Longer, if we are lucky."
"The students leave in about four months," Albus said absentmindedly.
"Yes," Harry agreed. "The Dark Lord will probably attack before then and as bad as it seems we may not have to face two Dark Lords at the same time. If everything goes to plan."
Severus shivered at those words and Harry shared a look with him, facing Voldemort would be enough.
"I will get my people out to see if we can pick up Simpson's trail," Dracka suggested.
"He will pick up on their dark curse first," Harry said softly, then added without thought. "Dark power, pulls dark power."
"What's that, my boy?" Albus asked, sitting forward in his seat.
Dracka coughed and looked away and Harry felt the same, he hadn't meant to say that out loud.
"Blake?" Severus asked softly.
Harry got up and moved over to the kitchen.
"Hey!" Dracka yelped. "I'm not fielding this one!"
Harry dropped a bowl onto the table loudly and glared at the vampire. Dracka flinched back then gave him a sly smile that put Severus on edge. Harry pulled his cherry wand and held it to his temple as he pulled away a silver strand and placed it into the bowl.
"It's easier to show you," Harry said softly. "Vampires first."
Dracka grinned and touched the silver strand and disappeared.
"Well," Harry said softly to the others "Off you go."
Severus hesitantly touched the memory and disappeared along with the Headmaster. Harry sighed and reached forward.
xXx
Severus looked around at the battlefield in interest, a large dragon roared to the left of them, its green scales shining under the full moon. Werewolves, vampires and wizards fought around them, looking like chaos to Severus's untrained eye. There was a forest to his right as snarls and yells echoed around the grounds. He could see people moving through the trees behind them and a mansion slightly up on a hill in front of them.
A group of about twenty people appeared at the tree line and formed up.
"Alpha right," A short man with shaggy black hair ordered and Severus frowned.
The man stood at the head of the group in only a dragon hide vest and pants. The pants clinging like a second skin to the man's legs as he looked over his men. At his belt hung a silver sword, a muggle gun and a wand. On the other side were a leather pouch and a silver dagger. The power in the man's body clear to see, every time he moved, as he directed people into place. The man's skin seemed to glow slightly in the moonlight as they watched the scene from a slight distance. The man looking slightly familiar to Severus and he frowned as he looked the man over.
"Beta left," The man ordered. "Echo, Delta stay as back up. Charlie with me. Keep in contact at all times."
"Yes, sir!"
Four people peeled off to the left along the tree line as the other team of four moved to the right. The lean man stepped forward and pulled his sword as a force lined up before them. Severus could see their red eyes flashing from where he stood next to Dracka. He glanced at the vampire but the man was focused on the man giving orders, a glint in his eyes.
"Beta in position?" The man asked. "Beta confirmed. Alpha?"
Suddenly the man looked up and towards Severus and he froze as those green eyes looked through them. He was looking at a young version of his lover. The dark messy hair around his head reminding him of Ry and as he ran a hand over his head, he caught sight of the faint line of the curse scar and he gasped as his eyes widened. He looked closer and could just make out a few thin lines of scaring on the man's upper arms.
"Alpha Confirmed," The man asked, his voice carrying.
"This might get confusing," Blake said next to him startling Severus. "We are talking between each team via a small device in our ear that we use to communicate with each other. You are looking at Harry Potter in action."
Blake winked at Severus, when he looked over at him with wide eyes. Blake sounded like he was talking about another person and not himself and he frowned. Was this the way Blake thought of his younger self, as a different person?
"Charlie ready?" Harry Potter questioned, drawing Severus's attention back to the scene.
"Yes, sir."
Potter held the silver sword in his right hand as he palmed his dark wand in the other and stepped forward.
"Alpha, Beta now!" Potter shouted as he moved forward with a grace Severus had never seen before, his team of four behind him.
The vampires jumped forward, red eyes and fangs flashing. Potter moved right into the middle of them without pause with his silver sword flashing in the night and they lost him for a few minutes as he clashed with the vampires, with sword and magic.
"Holy fuck," Dracka muttered next to him.
Potter appeared again as he ran a vampire through and danced back, light on his feet as he ducked and thrust his sword into the next vampire, gutting him. He moved like he had been born with the sword in his hand. Always moving, never missing a step as his team backed him up, but gave him space to work. A vampire lunged at Potter and he danced to the side as he brought his sword's hilt down on the back of the man's head with a loud crack. His other two teams moving in on the sides while the vampires were distracted by Potter.
Wizards and witches started to notice the teams and tried to get through to back up the vampires. One wizard got through Potter's left-hand team and pulled his wand, a green light forming at the tip. In one fluid movement, without breaking off his fight with a vampire, Potter dropped his wand and pulled the gun at his belt and shot the man dead. Bullet through the head before he jumped back into the fray again.
Severus sucked in a breath at the move and glanced over at Dracka to see his shock reflexed there. He was seeing his lover in a different light as the man fought. There was a coldness in the way that Potter acted, almost in a detached way as he took down another vampire. Severus could only guess at what point in time they were seeing this scene but he knew from the sight of the scars that is was after the man had been tortured. So, after he had retried from being an Auror and the fact that he didn't recognise anyone else, he was sure that it was further in the future than he'd first believed. Severus also got the feeling this was nearing the end of the time that Blake would go by the name Harry Potter.
Suddenly a ripple went through the ground and people as the dragon roared in the distance. The fighting seemed to pause around them, like everyone had taken a breath and were waiting for something. Except Potter, he never stopped moving.
"Retreat!" Potter barked, eyes wide. "Retreat! Dark teams pull back, Light teams cover! Move!"
Potter swung his sword to the side pushing a vampire back as his teams broke and retreated but the vampires moved in quickly to block him. The man barred his teeth and jumped forward, his wand appearing in his hand as he flicked it out sending a lash of fire towards the vampires but the wizards were starting to gain ground. Moving in to support the vampires.
A wizard stepped into Potter's path bringing him up short.
Potter flicked the fire lash towards the wizard but he just hit a shield. Potter dropped his wand and slashed through the man's shield with his sword, dropping it, just to run into the knife the man was holding in wait. Potter kept going, smashing his swords hilt into the man's chin dropping him. The man was surrounded, his teams holding ground but not moving forward to help him. Potter stepped back and Severus could see the blood running down his side just below his rib cage. The man's green eyes flicking around, assessing everything around him and Severus's gut clenched at the wild look in the man's eyes. He knew he was trapped and was willing to go down fighting.
"Now, now boys." A woman's voice called out and everyone froze.
Severus turned to see a woman in a tight red dress walking calmly across the battlefield. Her pale blonde hair glowing in the moonlight with a werewolf padded along at her heels, as if they were just out for an evening stroll and not on a battle ground. The woman would have been in her late sixties but no one would say she wasn't beautiful as he walked along calmly with a power around her that Severus could almost feel.
Everything stilled around them as all eyes turned in the woman's direction and it seemed that everyone took a breath, waiting.
The woman smiled showing perfect teeth as her green eyes focused on the scene before her. The smile alone, making people around her lower their weapons and the dark creatures' eyes to glow red in the night as they stepped back.
"Harry, dear." The woman said softly as she moved closer, people parting before her, heads slightly bowed. "I didn't realise you were coming, love."
Potter stood up straighter, his sword held loosely in his hand. A cold look in his eyes as he watched the woman.
"Melissa," The man whispered, looking pale and shaky but there was also a hardness.
"Have you come to join me?" The woman asked as if asking for a dance at a ball.
Potter slowly placed the sword back through the loop on his belt and stepped forward. The woman waved her hand and the people around them moved back without question, leaving a space between them and everyone else. Potter's teams slipping further back into the tree line.
"No," Potter replied calmly to the woman's question.
Melissa laughed lightly before her green eyes locked onto Potter and the man tensed.
"Dark power, pulls dark power. Harry, my love." The woman said softly, her voice carrying on the air. "You will come to me eventually, it's in your nature as a Dark Wizard."
Potter stepped forward until he stood toe to toe with the woman both almost the same height. Melissa gave him a tender smile and Severus shivered at the look in the woman's eyes.
"You think that?" Potter hissed.
"I can feel the dark power under your skin, love." The woman said with a smile, running a finger up the man's arm. "It's already reaching out to me as we stand here."
Potter reached forward and cupped the woman's cheek, a very intimate move on a battlefield. Potter's body language closed as he looked into the woman's eyes and even Severus couldn't pick up on what the man was feeling and he felt a coldness in his stomach at the thought. He felt like he was looking at a stranger and not a man that he knew intimately.
"You think that?" Potter repeated, no emotion in his voice.
"You will come to me," The woman said softly, with conviction. "Your dark power will pull you."
Potter let his hand fall as his lips twisted up in a dark smile as he looked up through his hair at the woman with shining green eyes. The breath caught in Severus's throat at the sight.
"You forget, Melissa." Potter said softly.
"What is that, my love?"
"I have light power too!" Potter hissed.
"No!"
The woman screamed as Potter flicked his hand and a sword of light magic appeared arching towards her. A dark shield flared to life and Potter pushed forward with his light sword against the dark shield as his teams broke cover. Gunshots ringing out on the night air.
Suddenly the memory ended and Severus found himself back in Blake's room with the others.
xXx
"Dark power, pulls dark power," Harry said softly. "Every Dark Lord falls into the same trap."
Dracka wouldn't meet his eye and even Severus and the Headmaster looked shaken by the scene.
"They all believe that anyone with dark power will come to them," Harry said into the silence. "That they will shed their humanity to follow them. For that's what they did to get their power. Yes, dark power does pull on those that have dark magic, but it's will power that separates them from blindly following a Dark Lord."
"Blake," Dracka rumbled.
"Um, well." Harry stuttered. "The more dark power they have, the harder it is to resist. Don't get it into your heads that it's just people with dark magic either, light magic can be pulled just as easily, it's just they have a better defence. The woman you saw…"
Harry trailed off trying to gather his thoughts together as the others waited him out.
"She had the darkest power I have ever felt," Harry said softly. "You could taste it on the air and feel it moving under your skin. Your knees would shake and your hand waver and she knew how to wield it. She had worked with that dark power for a long time, perfecting the art of being a Dark Lord. She'd been in no hurry to get to her goals. She didn't care if it took her ten years or a hundred to get what she wanted."
Severus reached out and placed a hand on Harry's arm, offering his silent support.
"What happened to her?" Albus asked softly.
"Um," Harry stuttered and looked away from Severus. "A man named Ben Cooper. He came up with a light spell…"
"What did it do?" Dracka questioned.
"It sent her mad," Harry replied, still remembering the woman's dying screams. "It allowed the spirits of all the people she had killed to attack her mind."
"You and her…" Dracka let the sentence trail off.
Harry sat back in his seat with a raised eyebrow.
"You seemed to be close…" Dracka leered.
"I have that effect on people," Harry smirked. "Must be my rugged good looks."
"Maybe when you were younger," Dracka muttered. "I have that image in my head now."
Harry kicked him under the table and felt satisfied when the man yelped.
xXx
Dracka glanced over at Blake as they entered the Ministry of Magic a week after Simpson had done his Ritual. The man may have looked calm as they made their way to the reception desk but Dracka knew the man well and could see the tension in the man's body and the sharp look in his eyes as he looked over the crowds. The last week had been hard for the man.
"I hate coming in this way," Blake muttered softly beside him and Dracka noticed his eyes were on the statute of the wizard lording it over everyone else. "I swear that a Malfoy had something to do with that."
Dracka snorted.
"Where do you normally come in?" Dracka asked in interest.
"Straight into the Department," Blake replied. "Can't do that with you with me."
Dracka tensed at those words and Blake glanced over at him and gave him a grin.
"Due to you not having a badge," Blake expanded.
Dracka flashed his fangs at the man and a few wizards and witches gave them space. They quickly handed their wands over to the wizard on duty and the man looked his wand over for a while before passing it back to Dracka. Blake just glared at the man and they were through quickly after that.
There were more than a few whispers as they made their way to the Minister of Magic's office and Dracka wasn't sure if it was him or Blake that drew the stares. They came to the Minister's outer office and Blake paused when he spotted a rough looking man with blonde hair and a scar running across his face.
"That's my boss," Blake said. "Dylan Dogwood. I'll just be a minute."
Dracka waited as Blake limped forward and he could tell that Blake had pulled up a silencing charm around them. He looked the other man over, he was heavy set and a head taller than Blake making the other man look small as he stood next to him as the man glared down at Blake with a dark look in his eyes.
Dracka had to hold himself back as he could tell that Dogwood wasn't happy with Blake and he was sure that more than a few swearwords were being thrown at the smaller man from the one time that he had heard Dogwood on the phone. Blake just leaned on his cane and gave a nod now and again as they spoke.
"Better him than me." Sergeant Miller said as he moved towards Dracka. "He's been growling at everyone since Blake called us last week. How are you Mr Dracka?"
"I'm well," Dracka replied, his eyes not leaving Blake and Dogwood. "Are you staying for the meeting?"
"No," Miller replied simply. "I'm just here to get the reports off Blake. We've been on alert since Blake called which Dylan isn't impressed with."
The two men looked over as Blake and Dogwood came towards them.
"Miller," Blake greeted and pulled the man in for a quick hug. "How are you?"
"Still kicking around," Miller replied with a grin. "Do you have those files."
"Yes," Blake replied and pulled out a small box from his pocket and held it out.
"Thanks, Blake." Miller said with a smile as he took the box and slipped it away in his pocket.
"Dylan, this is Rolf Dracka." Blake introduced. "Dracka this is Dylan Dogwood the Head of the Department of Mysteries."
Dracka took the man's hand, his grip strong and hand rough in his. He resisted the urge to flash his fangs at the man, a vampire response, as they looked each other over. Sizing each other up.
"I hear you have been scaring the children at Hogwarts?" Dylan growled. "After a werewolf and a Death Eater, a vampire must have been the logical progression from there for that position."
Dracka wasn't sure what way to take that.
"Dylan," Blake warned and Dogwood barked a laugh with a glint in his eyes.
"I hope you like the Squirts I sent your way," Dylan said with a smirk. "Better than sipping on the students, I tell you. More fun to wrangle as well, they give you more of a fight than any student. If you can keep away from their bloody claws."
Dracka's eyes darted between Dogwood and Blake.
"Don't mind him, Dracka." Blake said softly. "He just wanted to get rid of the animals and thought they would make a good snack for a vampire."
"Good luck," Miller whispered in Dracka's ear and clapped his hand to his shoulder before bidding them goodbye and walking off.
Dracka looked after the man before looking back at Blake and Dogwood and felt envy for Miller for being able to walk away.
"Right," Dylan growled. "Is it time to scare the shit out of the Minister? We can send the vampire in first…no wait. Blake you go first."
Blake groaned as Dracka glanced between the two men.
"Um, sir?"
The three men turned to Percy Weasley standing there, nervously fiddling with his hands and looking pale under his freckles.
"The Minister is ready for you," Percy announced timidly.
"Perfect!" Dylan barked. "I hope you got my coffee right this time, Weasley!"
"Yes, sir." Percy replied quickly. "Please follow me."
"We know where his bloody office is!" Dylan snapped.
"Thank you, Percy." Blake said softly.
Percy quickly nodded and dashed off as Dylan watched him.
"Shame he didn't take after Arthur," Dylan muttered as Blake fell into step with him.
Dracka followed behind the two as the spoke quietly. He was unsure about Blake's relationship with the other man but they seemed to know each other very well. Not even Severus knew how long that Blake had worked for the Department. Since Blake didn't or couldn't talk about the work he'd done for them.
They came to the Minister's door and Dylan just barged through the door without knocking with Blake sighing and sharing a look with Dracka as he closed the door behind them. Dracka could feel it when Blake pulled up some wards around the room and he tensed slightly.
"It's called knocking, Dogwood!" The Minister snapped from behind his desk and Dracka could tell this meeting had already started out on the wrong foot.
"Weasley said that you were ready for us," Dylan replied mildly. "I didn't believe knocking was needed."
Blake looked over at Dracka and gave him a wink as he came to stand next to the man.
"It's called manners," Minister Rufus Scrimgeour countered. "Something you missed in your training, amongst other subjects."
Dylan gave a laugh as he moved to the long table and took a seat as he pulled out a few files and resized them. The Minister moved around his desk to stand in front of Dracka and Blake.
"Mr Blake Sun," Scrimgeour greeted as his gold eyes looked Blake over before he glanced at him. "And Mr Rolf Dracka."
"Thank you for meeting with us, Minister." Blake said calmly as he held out his hand and the Minister took it.
"Dogwood didn't give me much of a choice in the matter," Scrimgeour replied sourly before shaking Dracka's hand.
"He can be convincing," Blake agreed.
"He can be inpatient as well," Dylan growled over at them from the table.
Blake gave a laugh as he moved over to sit next to the man while Dracka sat next to him and the Minister took a seat on the other side of the table and looked them over.
"I'm assuming this is about Graham Simpson?" The Minister questioned, once everyone was comfortable with their drinks in front of them and all the files had been resized and sorted out.
Blake picked up a file that Dracka noticed had his number on it as well as Blake's name and the Gringotts's crest and seal. He flicked it over to the Minister. The man frowned as he placed his hand on it.
"In part," Blake replied. "You should have received the files about the dark ritual in Germany that Deputy Minster Conner Fritz called me about last week."
The Minister picked up a file and held it up in answer.
"Not a pleasant read," Blake said softly and Dracka could see the haunted look in the man's eyes. "We now have two Dark Lords to contend with and you know they don't care about borders."
"We have enough problems with you-know-who," Scrimgeour muttered. "Than having to worry about a Dark Lord in Germany."
"Ha!" Dylan barked. "Simpson already made an attack in France before he even became a Dark Lord and he had giants backing him up. There is nothing stopping him from striking here. The man was originally from the States, borders mean nothing to him."
"Yes, his attack against the Council of Magical Creatures," Scrimgeour said softly as his eyes moved to Dracka. "Which the Department and Aurors helped with by the way. I've read the reports."
"We stopped him that time," Blake said softly. "Since he didn't expect us to come to their aid. We then did a scouting mission on one of his compounds which resulted in a lot of intel and a dark artefact being retrieved that will help us against the Dark Lord."
"The down side to that was the fact that the man knew we had been there," Dylan remarked and Dracka started unaware that the man knew about that. "We've been working with the information that we gained but this Simpson is a slippery son of a bitch."
"We lost him," Blake said. "We knew he had the knowledge to do a Dark Ritual but he made no waves or moves to act on that until I received the call from Conner."
"The bastard gave us no warning," Dylan growled. "We were aware he had the information but there were no whispers before he acted. The bastard was able to blindside us."
"Dracka?" Blake asked turning to him. "Please tell the Minister what your contacts have said."
"Mr Dogwood is correct," Dracka said carefully. "We had no warning until Blake received the phone call. He has now dropped off the map and we haven't been able to pick up on him."
"We can only assume that he has something or someone blocking him so that we can't find him," Blake summed up. "Since if there is a dark power to find, a vampire will be able to sniff it out. Like a blood hound."
Dracka flashed his fangs at Blake and the man gave him a grin as the Minister pulled back in his seat from them.
"However," Blake said turning back to the Minister. "We also have another Dark Lord to focus on. We are getting plans in place at Hogwarts."
The Minister snorted.
"Dumbledore playing soldier," Scrimgeour scoffed.
"And has a valid reason to," Dylan growled and the Minister paled as his eyes flicked between them.
"Explain," Scrimgeour demanded.
"The Dark Lord will attack Hogwarts," Blake said softly and Dracka watched in interest as the Minister's gold eyes locked onto Blake.
"How would you know this?" Scrimgeour asked slowly.
"For I have already lived this time," Blake replied and Dracka froze.
"What is this!" Scrimgeour snapped as he rose to his feet with his hands planted on the table. "The use of a time turner is restricted, Sun! Dogwood explain!"
"This has nothing to do with me," Dylan said mildly as he sat back in his chair.
The Minister's eyes locked onto Blake and Dracka could feel the tension in the room. Blake just looked back calmly at the man before him.
"My birth name is Harry James Potter," Blake said softly and the Minister paled. "I was born on the thirty-first of July 1980 to James and Lily Potter. I am from a future timeline."
The Minister fell back in his seat in shock, then his eyes were drawn to the file that Blake had flicked at him earlier, he opened it and swore. He looked up at Blake with wide gold eyes.
"I also hold the Deathly Hallows," Blake said softly and Dylan swore this time.
"Why are you telling me this now?" Scrimgeour questioned after a few minutes of silence.
"You have to understand what is at stake here, Minister." Blake said calmly. "What could have happened and hasn't and what will happen if we don't act correctly."
Blake reached into his jacket and pulled out a vial and placed it on the table, a silver liquid swirling inside of it and Dracka sucked in a breath. Blake had placed a memory in that vial. Blake gave it a soft flick and it rolled across the table to the Minister.
"When we met that first time," Blake said softly. "I gave you a warning. This is what would have happened if you have not heeded it. We'll wait here for you."
Scrimgeour looked them over as he picked up the vial in his hand, his gold eyes looking each of them over.
"I haven't got all day, Minister." Dylan growled. "I have a Department to yell at. They don't motivate themselves."
Scrimgeour lips twisted up in a smile before he moved over to his desk and placed the memory in the bowl before disappearing.
"I hope this works, Blake." Dylan snapped.
"Self-preservation is a good motivator," Blake said calmly but Dracka could see the tension in the man. "We need his support for this to work."
Dracka looked the man over and Blake raised his eyebrow in question.
"What are you hoping to achieve?" Dracka asked softly.
"We need all the support we can get," Blake replied. "Every time we make a hit against the Dark Lord he gains support again. For a half blood, he knows how to stir up the pure bloods."
Dylan swore at him, putting Dracka on edge.
"Except you, Dylan." Blake added in amusement. "You are a shining beacon of what a pure blood can be."
"Don't you forget it, Sun." Dylan growled as he gave the man a smile.
The three men fell into silence until the Minster appeared looking pale with wide eyes as he scooped up the memory and placed it away in the vial. The man made his way around the table and held the vial out.
"Let me make one thing clear, Sun." Scrimgeour growled. "I think you are arrogant and have no respect for people in power. A Dark Wizard making waves here in the Ministry and the magical world."
Dracka growled slightly and Blake placed a hand on his knee and he settled as the Minister glared at Blake. This was between the two wizards.
"You have placed yourself in a position of power," Scrimgeour went on. "You have power in the Department and the Auror department and you hold the Ministry to ransom with your contracts. You have Albus Dumbledore's ear and the goblins of Gringotts in your pocket. You also have the Council of Magical Creatures on your side. You work like a Dark Lord, Sun."
Blake's hand tightened on Dracka's knee but he said nothing.
"Minister," Dylan warned in a growl, his own eyes flashing.
"Except for your goals. Your work speaks for itself and so far has been a benefit to this Ministry and the magical world in general," Scrimgeour said reluctantly. "You nudge people to make their own choices and I now know why."
Scrimgeour looked Blake over from the cane beside him to Dracka and Dogwood on either side of him.
"You have power," Scrimgeour said with a cold look in his eyes. "And I don't mean the magic you hold."
"Are you done pointing out my faults?" Blake asked softly, a hard look in his eyes.
"I wouldn't count them as faults," Scrimgeour said with a twisted smile. "You have the support of the Ministry."
The Minister's gold eyes bore into Blake at those words.
"But let me make my point clear," Scrimgeour growled. "The moment you step over that line, Sun. Is the moment we put you down."
"If that day comes," Blake said softly and Dracka shivered at the tone in his voice. "Is the moment that I let you."
Scrimgeour gave him that twisted smile and held out his hand which Blake took in his.
"Thank you," Scrimgeour whispered and Dracka started in surprise. "Now, we have plans to make, let me call up the Head of the Auror department and ruin his day as well."
The Minister moved over to his desk and Dylan turned on Blake.
"What the fuck was in that memory?" Dylan hissed.
"His death," Blake said softly and both men shivered.
xXx
Harry sighed as Dracka and him moved out of the office at last, he felt wrung out but at least between the Council, Department, the Aurors and the Ministry they were finally on the same page. He glanced over at Dracka and could tell the man felt a little overwhelmed by everything and he bumped his shoulder against the vampire.
"Feel like a drink?" Harry offered as he looked at his watch. "I know a few good bars around London. Some that look the other way when someone wanders down an alley with someone in tow."
Dracka perked up at that and Harry gave him a grin. Vampires were so much easier to deal with than the Ministry.
"It's a school night," Dracka pointed out.
"I don't have classes in the morning and you have vampire healing," Harry replied mildly as they made their way back up to the main reception area of the Ministry.
"That almost sounds like a date," Dracka said with a leer.
Harry gave him a grin as they moved to the apparation point.
"I think you've been at the school for too long," Harry commented. "You can branch out you know, see other people."
Dracka barked a laugh as they stepped into the apparation room and Harry grabbed his hand and apparated them to a bar he knew. Harry lead the way to the front doors of the tavern, the sound of live music spilling out of the open doors as they moved passed the two security men at the door and into the venue.
Harry liked this place for it was over two floors with the main bar and dance floor on the first floor and more of a dining area and second bar on the second floor over-looking the stage and dance floor. It also had a roof top bar but that was only open for events. Harry weaved through the crowds with Dracka behind him and called out two beers to the man behind the bar.
They moved to a bench at the back of the room and Harry glanced over at Dracka to see him eyeing off a few people. He was sure the vampire was hungry, since he didn't get as much of a chance to feed while being at the school. Harry sipped on his beer as he let the noise roll over him and the tension in his shoulders eased. The images of what he'd found in Germany fading slightly as he let his mind wander.
It had been a hard few weeks and the mess with Simpson hadn't helped his mind. He hadn't realised how much he needed this until they had walked through the doors. To just relax and unwind since he hadn't been sleeping very well and his thoughts just wouldn't settle. He turned to Dracka but the man was eyeing off a woman across the room.
"Do you have a preference?" Harry asked in interest.
Dracka started and looked over at him and Harry nodded to the woman.
"When feeding?" Dracka whispered back.
"Yes," Harry replied as he finished off his beer.
"Depends on where I am," Dracka replied softly. "Not going to have much luck picking up a woman at a male gay bar."
Harry barked a laugh at that as he grabbed Dracka's empty bottle.
"Go on," Harry said with a smirk. "I'm going to go upstairs to get something to eat. While you have your fill."
Dracka gave him a look and Harry paused.
"It doesn't bother you?" Dracka asked.
Harry just gave him a lopsided grin before leaning close to him.
"I never forget what you are, Dracka." Harry whispered in the vampire's ear.
Dracka reeled back from him with wide eyes.
"And no," Harry said with a smirk. "It didn't bother me at the Death Eater Prison why should it bother me here."
Harry turned and moved away from the man and made his way up the stairs to order some food and call Severus.
xXx
Dracka watched the wizard walk away unsure by the man's words. Blake had a way of creeping you out and even if the man was completely human he acted more like a vampire or dark creature than Dracka would like to admit.
Dracka's eye caught on the woman that he'd spotted before as he weaved his way through the crowds. He moved with the people, dancing as the music blared and he lost himself to the smell and taste of the crowd. His demon purring as he moved closer to the woman and gave her a sly grin and she blushed nicely. He used a little magic to brush against her and she shivered.
Blake had brought them to a muggle bar as he moved closer to the woman and leaned in to whisper in her ear and she giggled as he let his hands rest on her hips as she fell under his spell. Not that it took much, with the feel of the place, the alcohol he could smell on her breath and that was before mentioning the way that she was looking him over. He glanced over at the woman's friends and gave them a grin and they turned away with a giggle.
He moved his hands on the woman's hips and slipped them under her shirt as they danced closer and the woman grabbed his ass and pulled him flush with her body as they moved to the music. It was very easy for Dracka to kiss her on the neck before with a touch of magic he gently slid his fangs into her throat and she moaned under his hands as they moved together.
He only took a few sips before kissing up her neck, tasting the sweat on her skin as she panted in his ear before moving back down her neck. He slid his fangs back into the same spot and she moaned louder this time as his magic washed over them. Blake's words coming back to him as the woman held him close as they moved together.
He knew how easy it was for people to forget that he was a dark creature until they saw his red eyes, when the demon was close to the surface of his thoughts, or when he showed off his fangs. Blake was different for a wizard, he was a man that knew vampires and their language as much as any other vampire. Dracka hated to admit it but he sometimes forgot that the man wasn't like him even if he could feel the man's dark magic under his skin and it wasn't until Blake would lash out that he would be reminded, normally painfully of the fact that the man was a wizard and not a vampire.
xXx
Harry had lost count of the beers he'd had when Dracka found him sprawled out in a bench seat on the second floor. The vampire gave him a leer as he moved to sprawl out beside him. His legs touching his and Harry could tell that the man had taken his fill.
"Enjoy yourself?" Harry asked with a grin.
Dracka flashed his fangs at him lazily and Harry smirked as he finished off his beer and wiggled it at the bar tender. The man gave him a grin and a nod. Harry placed the beer with the other empty bottles on the table and Dracka looked them over.
"How many of those have you had?" Dracka asked as he looked the table over before looking at him.
"Lost count," Harry replied. "I called Severus earlier to give him the heads up that we'll be back late."
"Should I avoid the man tomorrow?" Dracka asked in amusement.
"I'm thinking I might need to avoid him tonight," Harry remarked as he pulled out his wallet and pulled out a couple of bills as the bar tender placed two beers on the table. "Thank you."
The man took the bills with a grin and gave them a once over before walking off with a slight sway to his steps. Harry felt Dracka take an interest next to him.
"He's mine," Harry said blandly as he picked up the new beer. "Do you know how hard it is to train a good bar tender?"
Dracka barked a laugh as he picked up the other beer and glanced around. It was getting late and recorded music had taken over from the band. He was a little surprised by the crowd on a Thursday night but they were in London. Three women stepped off the steps and spotted Dracka and the vampire smiled as they made their way over to them.
"Dracka," One of the women said loudly. "There you are."
"You found me," Dracka replied. "Have a seat, my love."
The woman took a seat next to Dracka and glanced over at Harry, she couldn't have been older than twenty-five and her two friends would be around the same age as they moved to sit next to her and gave him a look before turning to each other. Dracka wrapped his arm around the woman's shoulders and pulled her close as he took a sip of his beer.
"This is my friend, Blake." Dracka said to the woman. "Blake this is Rebecca and her two friends. Ally and Connie."
"Nice to meet you," Blake replied as he signalled to the bar tender.
The man made his way over with a grin and took their orders and Harry gave him a card.
"Start a tab, Please." Harry said with a smile. "Add in a nice tip for yourself."
"Thank you," The man replied with a grin as he leaned forward and picked up the empty glasses making sure to keep his eyes locked on Harry as his shirt hung low.
The man finished picking up the bottles and moved off with a sly grin over his shoulder and a sway to his hips and Harry watched him casually.
"I think he likes you, Blake." Dracka said casually as the man moved back around the bar and Harry held up his hand with Severus's ring on it.
"Taken, love." Harry replied with a smirk at the vampire.
"Oh!" Rebecca cried as she looked between the bar tender and Harry before turning to her friends with a giggle.
"Really?" Harry said dryly to Dracka.
The vampire just flashed his fangs at him.
xXx
Dracka glanced over at Blake as they made their way down the street with his arm around Rebecca as the other man spoke quietly to Ally and Rebecca was talking to Connie beside her. It had surprised him how much alcohol the man could put away and he wondered if the man would still be standing if it weren't for his cane.
They came to a fancy hotel and the women moved them through the reception area and into the lift. Rebecca suddenly grabbed him and pulled him into a kiss and he returned it, tasting the alcohol as he deepened the kiss. They piled out of the lift and the woman pushed him into the wall as Blake and her friends moved off to the women's hotel room. He growled slightly as the woman grabbed him through his pants.
"I have my own room," Rebecca whispered in his ear as she rubbed him. "I'm sure Ally and Connie will keep your friend entertained for a while."
"Lead the way, my dear." Dracka purred.
She did just that, they barely made it through the door before the woman was pulling his shirt over his head and running her hands down his sides and he was unbuckling his belt as she stepped back to slip out of her shirt and pants, until they both stood naked as Dracka moved them back towards the bed.
xXx
Cut scene.
xXx
He rolled to the side as Rebecca panted and he gave her a sly smile. He ran his hand down her side feeling the soft skin under his hand before sitting on the side of the bed and carefully removing the condom. He glanced over to see Rebecca watching him with slightly glazed over eyes from a combination of alcohol, sex and his feeding and he knew that she wouldn't be awake for long. He leaned over the bed and gave her a slow kiss taking his time before pulling back. She curled up as he moved towards the bathroom to clean up.
When he moved back to the bedroom, Rebecca was asleep sprawled out across the bed. He gently moved the blanket over her and ran a hand over her hair. He was sure that he would be seeing her again as he pulled his clothes back on.
He moved to the door when he heard a soft knock and opened it to see Blake on the other side, leaning his shoulder into the door jam. The man glanced over to the bed before turning his green eyes on him. Nothing in his expression.
"Finished?" Blake asked quietly.
Dracka gave him a sly smile and Blake raised an eyebrow. Dracka could see the glazed look in the other man's eyes from the alcohol he'd consumed. They moved into the hall and Dracka closed the door behind him. The two men fell into step with each other and Dracka glanced over at Blake.
"What did you show the Minister?" Dracka asked.
Blake stopped in the hallway and leaned back against the wall, Dracka wasn't sure if it was because Blake needed the support or not.
"He would have been tortured and killed by the Dark Lord," Blake said with a slight slur to his words. "I showed him what could have happened. With the threat of both Simpson and the Dark Lord. We needed him on board."
Dracka stepped closer to the man and took in his scent and the smell of alcohol on him as Blake looked up at him. He reached forward and cupped the man's face and Blake tensed.
"I believe you did that," Dracka replied with a leer.
Blake reached up and grabbed his wrist, then in one movement Dracka found himself pushed face first into the wall that Blake had been resting against. He froze as Blake held his arm up behind his back and he could smell the man's scent around him. Blake growled low in his throat and Dracka tilted his head to the side.
The man held him in that position for a couple of seconds more before releasing him and stepping back. Dracka turned back to him warily but Blake just gave him a slight smile before reaching down and picking up the cane he'd dropped.
"There's too much of a vampire in you," Dracka remarked and Blake barked a laugh.
"Oh, god." Blake said as he paled. "Don't make me laugh. I think I might be sick."
Dracka gave him a smile and Blake shared a look with him before looking at his watch.
"Do you think we could find a coffee shop open at two in the morning?" Blake asked. "I don't want to throw up when we have to apparate back to the school."
Dracka barked a laugh as he moved closer to the other man and they moved off down the hallway together.
xXx
Severus dropped the thick potion's text book right next to the vampire's head, that was resting on the Head Table. Dracka groaned loudly and grabbed his skull as Minerva thinned her lips while Albus looked over in amusement. Severus then dropped the next book he held, with a loud bang and Dracka swore at him.
Severus smirked and held up the third book.
"You drop that one, Severus." Dracka hissed, his eyes flashing. "And I'll snap."
"I'm just placing the books I need for my morning lesson on the table," Severus remarked with a smirk. "Hardly my fault that you are hungover from taking my partner out until the early hours of the morning."
Severus then dropped the last book in his hand onto the table and Dracka flinched at the loud sound. Cursing his vampire hearing as his head pounded.
"I hope you gave Blake the same treatment," Dracka groaned as he rubbed his temples. He knew the pain would be gone by lunch time, due to his healing, but that didn't help him now.
"The Department called him early this morning," Severus replied as he took a seat next to the vampire. "I'm sure he only got a couple of hours of sleep after your adventures last night."
"You two are worse than teenagers," Minerva snapped and Dracka winched again.
"Feeling like one too. A hungover one," Dracka muttered. "Bloody, Blake Sun."
Severus snorted in amusement.
"God, that man can drink." Dracka groaned. "For a small man he can put it away and still be standing. I still reckon it was only his cane keeping him up."
Severus snorted as Minerva's lips tightened even more as she looked at him in disapproval.
"Speak of the devil," Albus muttered.
They all looked up as Blake walked into the hall. Dracka looked him over but he didn't seem to be showing the effects of the drinking that he'd done the night before.
"Don't tell me that you gave him a potion," Dracka accused Severus.
"Not me," Severus replied with a smirk. "I don't want to encourage him into a repeat performance."
"Like Blake needs encouragement to act like a child." Minerva stated as they watched him work his way through the students before moving to the Head Table.
"Morning, everyone." Blake chirped with a grin.
Dracka groaned and grabbed his head as Blake moved around the table and picked up one of the books.
"Hey, this one is mine." Blake said as he looked over the titles.
"They were the thickest ones I could find," Severus replied with a smirk and they shared a look.
"Ah," Blake said with a smirk then let the book fall with a loud bang and Dracka groaned before swearing at the two men.
"You two are as bad as each other," Dracka moaned.
"Think of it as building up your resistance to snapping," Blake said. "See, your demon isn't even showing."
"It's betrayed me," Dracka muttered. "It's left me to deal with you two alone, the bastard."
Blake barked a laugh and Dracka let his head rest on the table as he cursed them, not looking forward to his first class.
"Keep up that language Mr Dracka," Minerva said sternly. "And you'll lose points."
"Bloody Blake Sun," Dracka muttered and Minerva huffed.
"I agree," Blake said with a smirk. "Very bad, Blake Sun. But think of it this way Dracka, you didn't have Dogwood yelling at you earlier."
Dracka snickered.
"I'm thinking a Friday night might be a better night next time," Blake stated mildly as he took a seat and grabbed the whole pot of coffee and pulled it closer. "Dylan doesn't work Saturdays."
Dracka and Severus groaned as Blake gave them a grin.