"We have a problem."
Harry looked up from his paperwork to see Dracka in the doorway of his office.
"Come in, Mr Dracka." Harry purred and pointed to the chair across from him with his pen. "Take a seat."
Dracka grinned as he came in and took a seat.
"How can I help you?" Harry asked.
"Cutting the teacher crap might help." Dracka muttered darkly.
Harry grinned and sat back in his seat.
"It's the office," Harry said with a wink. "What problem can I solve for you today?"
"Your message stones have stopped working with my spies in Germany," Dracka told him.
"Only Germany?" Harry asked with a frown.
"Yes," Dracka confirmed. "As soon as they cross the border the stones stop working so reports out of there have stopped as well."
"Do you have a stone with you?"
"Yes," Dracka answered and placed the stone on the table.
"Give me a moment," Harry said.
Dracka sat back in the seat as Harry picked up the stone and closed his eyes. He focused on the magic he'd placed into the stone looking at the strands leading away from the item and very slowly picked up each one and looked at it and the stone it led to. Spider webs of links reached out from each of the stones as it linked in with every other stone. The spell that he'd cast on the stones was similar to the one that he'd used to connect the mobile phones he'd adapted.
"Give me a name of a contact in Germany and touch the stone?" Harry requested, not opening his eyes.
"Del Gerta." Dracka replied, touching the stone in Harry's hand.
Harry frowned as he looked at the link. There was nothing wrong with it but there seemed to be a barrier stopping the magic of the stones getting through. He flicked the link and watched it ping out but it came back sounding wrong as it touched on something foreign.
"Another name?"
"Dolca Milter."
Harry watched as another link lit up with the same result.
"Okay," Harry replied. "I'm going to follow the link further, just give me a few minutes. Don't move or make any noise."
Harry focused on the last link and picked up the strand and the connection flared as he held it and he slowly cast his mind out, following the magic. He was glad Dracka didn't make a sound because it took all his concentration to hold onto the link. He slowed when he was close to the block and looked it over.
He would liken it to a protection ward but it seemed to be linked into the border spell around Germany. Whoever set this up was an expert in wards and charms. It took great skill to change or add to a border spell, he would have to contact Conner to see if anything had been added with the permission of the German Ministry recently. They would not be getting any reports from anyone in that country unless Harry went there and changed the ward or tried to fix the link from the other side.
He pulled back and looked up at the vampire.
"It's creepy when you do that," Dracka muttered and stepped back.
"Is that so?" Harry asked with a smile and passed the stone back.
"Yes," Dracka replied, taking his seat again. "You go all still and your fingers seem to move like you are holding something."
"I am," Harry said. "I'm holding the links and connections. So, we won't be getting anything off the stones. There is a ward worked into the border spell so that anyone that steps over the border can't use them. Neat bit of spell work, really."
"Can you fix it?" Dracka asked.
"No," Harry said. "Not without going there and changing the spell or looking at the link from the other side."
"So, they have to pass over the border to get their reports to us?" Dracka questioned.
"There is another way," Harry said with a grin, sitting back in his seat.
"No." Dracka snapped, understanding where Harry's mind was going.
"If you want those reports and to try to open the stones-" Harry started to say.
"It's not safe, Blake."
"Why?" Harry questioned quietly. "I know the language and have the skills to disappear in the country."
"You are known at the Ministry," Dracka argued.
"True," Harry confirmed. "But I'm not going to the Ministry. You can give me a list of your contacts and how to get hold of them and I can pick up their reports, easy. I can look at the message stones from that side to see if I can open them back up."
"Things are never that easy with you, Blake."
"They are our options," Harry said calmly with a grin. "Risk your men having to step over the border spell or I go there."
"We'll give it time," Dracka replied. "I'll try to get someone in place to gather the reports and step back over the border to send them."
"Simpson would have been behind this, Dracka." Harry said mildly. "He will be ready for your men."
"Or you," Dracka growled.
Harry just raised an eyebrow but both men knew what the answer would be in the end, it was just down to time and how to break the news to Severus.
xXx
"We lost another one." Dracka announced to Severus and Blake two weeks later as he came into Blake's rooms.
He was so frustrated and angry and knew that Blake was right and that annoyed him even more. The man in question looked up from the files on table and sat back in his chair as Severus looked over from the lounge.
"Another one?" Severus questioned.
"We lost contact with the men in Germany about two weeks ago," Blake explained to the other man. "The message stones stopped working and they can't send any reports out of the country."
"Why are you just telling me this now?" Severus said darkly, moving towards the table.
"Dracka thought he could solve the problem," Blake replied and looked over at the vampire.
Dracka flashed his fangs, as the demon made itself known, Blake raised an eyebrow unimpressed by the display.
"Blake thinks the only way to solve the problem is to go there himself," Dracka snarled and felt smug as Severus turned his glare on Blake.
"No," Severus snapped.
"That's what he said," Blake stated, pointing at Dracka. "How many have we lost?"
"Four!" Dracka snapped and threw himself into one of the chairs. "They are killed before they get to the border or just over the border."
"If I can get the reports and reopen the border-" Blake started to say.
"No," Severus retorted with more heat this time.
"This is important Severus," Blake snapped turning on the man, his own anger coming through. "These reports are important. We can't keep losing men or the whole network could be found out! Or they break into the stones that I charmed and trace them!"
Severus paled and Dracka couldn't agree more as he pushed the demon aside. Putting his own feelings for Blake on hold as he looked at this from the point of view of his network and command and not the man in front of him. Blake made sense and that just pissed him off even more and made the demon snarl in the back of his mind.
"We can't lose you, Blake!" Dracka snarled as he stood.
Blake slowly got to his feet and spaced his feet on the floor, a soldier's stance.
"This is important," Blake said softly. "If we don't know what Simpson's movements are, we can't work against him. Every time another one of your men are killed it exposes your network."
"And if you are killed!" Dracka yelled. "Or worse captured and tortured!"
Blake paled but did not back down as Severus stood back in shock at the vampire's show of temper and words.
"I can't be killed and you have no faith in my skills," Blake said calmly as he held his own temper. "I know nothing of your network and I will add in a spell to the list that will allow one contact to be revealed at a time and only to me. I will not hold the reports. I will not have any information on me they can take!"
Dracka stalked forward until Blake had to tilt his head back to look up at him.
"Is this worth your life!" Dracka hissed. "Is it worth your sanity!"
"Yes," Blake said calmly.
Dracka could feel the demon in him yelling in his head as he glared down at the man but those green eyes were steady and hard. He was looking at a commander and not his friend at that moment.
"We could try a different way," Dracka tried.
"When we already have a solution?" Blake asked calmly.
Dracka growled and he could see Blake bracing himself. It would take nothing to reach forward, grab the man and shake sense into him.
"Have faith in my skills," Blake stated softly. "I know the country very well."
"As you keep telling me!" Dracka snarled.
Blake's lips curved up into a grin. Dracka grabbed his shirt in his hands and pulled the smaller man closer, baring his fangs. Blake braced his feet and Dracka knew if he pushed any further it was not going to end well.
"It seems we value your life more than you do!" Dracka hissed.
Blake's face and eyes went blank and Dracka knew that he'd hit his mark but he felt no satisfaction from it.
"If you go," Dracka said softly. "You may not come back!"
"I will come back." Blake said, no feeling in his voice.
"We could not live with ourselves if you don't come back, the same way as you left!" Dracka snapped.
"An annoying idiot?" Blake said calmly.
"Bah!" Dracka yelled and released the man and stepped back before he did something he would regret.
"You think I have no value of my life?" Blake asked, his face blank. "I have faith in my skills and I have faith in you two!"
Suddenly and without warning Dracka found himself up against the wall with Blake's forearm against his throat, his magic crackling along his skin, and a silver knife close to his ribs. He tried to push forward but Blake just pushed his arm up against his neck and he stilled as he could feel that silver blade close to his skin. His shirt the only thing separating the knife from burning him.
"I trust you and Severus to have my back," Blake hissed, his eyes shining green. "That if I am in danger, that you two will follow my orders."
Dracka's mouth went dry and as he looked into the man's green eyes, remembering once again how dangerous this man could be as he tasted his magic on the air and in some way, he needed the reminder.
"Blake." Severus whispered.
Blake eased back on his hold and stepped back as the silver knife disappeared from his hand. Dracka glanced over to Severus. The man was pale as he stared at the two of them.
"We have your back," Severus said, answering for the both of them.
"Thank you," Blake said, without taking his eyes off Dracka.
Dracka stared the man down for a few minutes, the ticking of the clock the only sound in the room. He tilted his head to the side slightly, to the screaming of his demon before nodding his head.
"Thank you." Blake repeated, then turned on his heel and limped out of his rooms.
Dracka leaned back against the wall behind him, thoughts running through his head. His eyes locked onto Severus's dark ones.
"That was…" The man trailed off.
Dracka snorted and pushed off from the wall.
"I forget sometimes how much of a warrior he is," Dracka admitted. "And how bloody fast he can move when he wants to."
"You're not the only one," Severus said in agreement as he sat back down at the table.
"Biggest problem is he knows how to deal with vampires," Dracka grudgingly admitted. "He could easily stand in a Coven and be respected. Damn the man!"
"He's going to go, isn't he?" Severus asked softly.
"Yes," Dracka agreed. "And we are going to give him as much support that we can."
Severus sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.
"I don't like this plan," Severus whispered.
"I hate to admit it," Dracka said softly. "But he's right."
"I know," Severus agreed. "Doesn't mean that I have to like it."
Both men shared a look over the table, a message passing between them without words. Thoughts of the same man running through their minds.
xXx
Harry leaned into his cane as he stood in the tower that Albus would have fallen from and looked out at the darkness of the clear night. The light of the moon shining down on the landscape and making the great lake look like a puddle of silver before him. His heart was still beating too fast and his hands shook slightly as the adrenaline wore off. He could understand where Dracka was coming from but it still hurt that he didn't trust him and his skills.
That was the problem with this time. They didn't know his history. They only saw an old man with a cane that sometimes acted and moved like a commander. They didn't know his training or what he could do and it frustrated him. The vampire did have a point but they couldn't keep losing men.
Harry knew he had to go. He had to collect the reports and look at the ward added to the border spell. He just hoped that Dracka and Severus would have his back. He had a lot of planning to put into place before he could go to Germany and he felt like he had a ticking clock in the back of his mind and he was already running late.
They had already been delayed while he let Dracka think through the plan and four people had lost their lives because of it. He tapped his silver knife against his leg in thought of what he would need. Running through lists and plans.
"What are you doing up here, my boy?" Albus asked softly, coming into the room.
Harry looked over at the man.
"Needed some air," Harry muttered as he turned back to the view.
"I would have thought there were too many stairs to get up here?" Albus pointed out.
"There are," Harry replied. "My leg counted ever second one."
Albus huffed a laugh and stepped up to the shorter man, both men looking out at the view as a light breeze reached them.
"Do you ever think you have lived too long?" Harry asked suddenly, unsure where the question had come from.
"Sometimes," Albus replied. "But it passes."
Harry smirked.
"It helps having younger people around," Albus said into the silence. "To remind me what it's like to see the world for the first time. To see the joy the first time a child sees a spell or the castle."
"You know," Harry said slowly, turning to the other man. "I never asked. Do you have any children?"
"No." Albus replied, and then added with a wink. "I like to think of the students as my children."
Harry barked a laugh as the twinkle in Albus's eyes increased.
"What about you, Blake?" Albus asked softly. "Besides Ry of course."
"Ah, yes." Harry replied. "I had two boys and a girl to my wife and two boys to another partner. All gone now. Lots of grandkids though."
"So, lots more Potters running around with messy hair?" Albus said with a twinkle in his eyes.
Harry laughed. "Not all of them were that unlucky."
The two men lapsed back into silence as they took in the view, each of them comforted and yet burdened by their own thoughts.
xXx
Harry rolled up a shirt tightly and pushed it to the bottom of his bag before he picked up the next one as he packed his bag. He was only taking what he needed and had already been to see the goblins to get some Euros to take with him. The bag was a plain muggle bag with no magic on it and made from a good waterproof fabric.
He had let a few of his students kick it around for a while to give it a well-worn look and to get some dirt on it so that it didn't look brand new before he started filling it. He had laid everything out on the bed first to make sure he had everything he was going to need before he started.
He could always buy anything else he wanted but wanted to keep out of any big towns and cities as he worked through Dracka's list. He had already spelled a leather pouch so he could send the reports to Dracka and it had been a pain in the ass to pierce a very small hole in the border spell for the leather bag to work without leaving too much of a signature of magic on the pouch itself. He also had an unaltered mobile phone, that he was not looking forward to using, due to lack of signal towers since he would be working off the muggle network.
Harry carefully placed a first aid kit into the bag hoping he wouldn't be needed as he placed a lightweight raincoat and pants next to it as he finished packing the rest of the bag. He pulled on an old well-worn pair of jeans and a shirt with a scruffy jacket over the top. He left his elder wand on his bedside table and slipped the cherry wand into the special pocket he had sewn into the jacket.
His silver knife went into his pocket with his mobile phone and in his other pocket went his department badge. He had hesitated about the badge but if he ran into trouble it could help with the German military and the Ministry but if he was captured it could mean his death. He placed a couple of pens and a packet of cigarettes away and he was done.
He patted himself down to make sure everything was in place and ran through the list of things in his head as he ran a hand over his hair. He hadn't shaved in the last three days as he'd gotten everything together and already his dark hair had taken over. For the first time glad for the Potter hair and how quickly it grew.
Harry glanced in the mirror and saw a slightly different man looking back at him as he moved to the bedroom door and stepped out. Severus and Dracka looked up. It had been tense between the three of them but Dracka had done everything he had asked without protest.
Harry moved into the room and stood with his backpack over his left shoulder as he leaned into his cane.
"I have a portkey waiting for me at the International Portkey Platform," Harry said softly. "Dracka you have my code words and I have your list. Severus…"
Harry trailed off as the man got up and stepped towards him. Severus took him in a hard hug and captured his lips in a kiss. Harry rested his hands on the man's back. They pulled back and Severus rested his forehead on his, his dark eyes intense.
"Stay safe," Severus whispered.
"Always," Harry replied and pulled him in for another kiss.
Harry stepped back and Dracka took him in a hug.
"You kiss me, you die." Harry growled and the vampire laughed as he released him.
Harry looked between the two men committing the image to his mind before he nodded and slipped out of the room without another word as he made his way to the front gates of the school. He apparated to the British International Portkey Platform and quickly picked up his Portkey for Germany.
xXx
Severus sat down on Blake's bed and carefully picked up the man's dark wand in his hand, he still wasn't sure why Blake had left it behind when he left for Germany over two months ago. He had taken the cherry wand but not this one, he remembered him telling them that he could call the wand to him but Severus worried about the distance that separated them at the moment.
He reached out to the ring that the man had and could only just faintly feel him and knew he wasn't in danger. It was the only comfort he'd had that the man was alive. Well that, and the reports coming in from Blake. Dracka was always quick to show him the reports as soon as they turned up and Blake's neat writing was a comfort to him. He had managed to open up some of the message stones as reports and communications with the country were starting to come back through.
But damn, did he miss the man.
It had been a long time since they had been apart for so long and the tension between them all before Blake left didn't help his mind as he sat in the room alone. He was kicking himself he hadn't said more to the man and told him that he trusted him and loved him but it was too late now.
Severus sighed and placed the wand back on the table and stripped down and slipped into the bed. He breathed in the faint scent of his lover but sleep didn't come easy for him that night.
xXx
Harry made his way through the woods silently. He had been travelling rough for the last two days after leaving Dracka's last contact. His leg was protesting but he ignored the slight pain grateful to Severus for the umpteenth time for repairing a lot of the muscle in his leg but it still gave him trouble now and again. He would have to stop in at the next town for painkillers, his own supply having run out, and there was no way he could get a hold of any potions.
He paused when he came across a small cottage along the country road he was moving beside and could feel the wards from where he stood. He moved towards the house carefully and knocked on the front door.
"Ja?"
A short man answered the door, keeping out of the light as he peered up at Harry with gold eyes.
"The snake in the grass," Harry said in German.
The man looked him over from his shaggy hair and rough face until he focused on his green eyes and stepped back from the door.
"Come in," The man said softly also in German.
Harry stepped into the house and the man quickly shut the door, plunging them into darkness. He could feel the man moving beside him, the darkness of his magic clear to Harry.
"Don't even think about it," Harry hissed, his silver knife in his hand and the man floated away from him and down the hall.
"Do you have the report?" Harry called after him not moving from the hall and the safety of the front door.
"Ja, ja." The man called from another room. "Give me a minute."
Harry tapped the knife against his leg, as he waited for the other man to return. The vampire moved back towards him silently and if it weren't for Harry's ability to sense magic he probably wouldn't have noticed him.
"Message stone please," Harry asked, holding out his hand.
The man hesitated slightly before he placed the stone in Harry's hand. Harry focused on it slightly and pushed a little hole through the barrier from stopping the messages getting through. He had worked out that he could do that from this side easily but not from outside of Germany. He passed the stone back to the vampire.
"You will be able to get messages through to outside of Germany again," Harry said stiffly. "Anything you need passed along?"
"Nein," The man replied.
"Peter Glover," Harry reported. "Needs more support on his side."
"Bah," The vampire cursed. "He is always wanting support. We can't help him. Simpson has been taking our children."
Harry stood up straighter at the information.
"Fledglings?" Harry asked.
"Ja," The man confirmed. "And some that are older. Dark power pulls dark power."
Harry shivered, he was starting to get more proof of the man becoming a strong Dark Lord and he was starting to use his power. He had yet to lay eyes on the man to confirm it in his mind, but the reports were falling that way.
"Ja," Harry agreed and took the report the man held out. "Thank you."
The vampire stepped closer and took a sniff of Harry, which he didn't take offence at. He had come to know it was a vampire thing and yet couldn't get anything out of Dracka about what it meant.
"You go now," The man announced, stepping back.
"Ja," Harry agreed and turned his back on the vampire.
His shoulder blades itching as he opened the door to blinding sunlight as he stepped out into the light and shut the door firmly behind him. The wards flaring back to life as he stepped away from the house. He turned off the country road and into the forest for a while before stopping.
He sat on a large rock and pulled a sandwich out of his bag and the leather pouch. He read through the report and quickly wrote the time, date and his location along with any information he had been told as well as anything else he needed to pass along to Dracka and the others.
'Creepy ass Vampire,' Harry wrote on the front of the file for Dracka, before placing it into the leather pouch and it disappeared.
The report would appear in a leather pouch in Dracka's office at Hogwarts so that Harry didn't have any reports on him as he worked through Dracka's contacts. He finished the sandwich and placed everything back in his backpack before pushing away from the rock and moving into the forest around him. He didn't have too many more contacts on the list to work through now.
xXx
Severus was enjoying a very nice dinner at the Head Table before Dracka came along and dropped a file next to his plate. The words 'Creepy ass vampire' in Blake's writing on the front of it.
"Referring to you?" Severus asked. "Or some other 'Creepy ass vampire'?"
McGonagall snorted as she leaned towards them to read the words.
"Blake?" The woman asked.
Dracka took a seat between them.
"Who else?" Dracka asked. "Not sure who he is referring to. Can't send him a message back, now can I?"
Severus nodded, it still chaffed him that he couldn't contact the man. He did have his phone but had kept it off, due to trying to keep the battery life. He would call when he could find a landline or charge his phone and get a signal but they were few and far between.
Minerva nodded with soft eyes, knowing how much the two men loved Blake. Even if the vampire was a little less obvious and was surprised by Severus's behaviour towards him. The Severus she taught had been very possessive. Lily Potter was a good example of that and yet he worked so well with Dracka with only slightly disagreements now and again.
Severus opened the file and read his lover's writing of location and time, Blake always wrote that into each report and it made Severus feel that bit better knowing his lover was making sure they knew where he was.
"This one wasn't on your list?" Severus asked, showing the vampire.
Dracka frowned and pulled out his list of contacts.
"You're right," Dracka said. "What lead him over there?"
The Headmaster arrived behind them and laid his hands on the back of Severus and Dracka's chairs, as he read through the report. Severus flicked the file closed to show Blake's writing on the front. Albus chuckled as Severus opened the file again.
"This is concerning about Simpson recruiting young vampires," Albus said softly.
"Yes," Dracka agreed. "I've already sent out messages to the Covens about keeping our children closer and to keep an eye on them. They are drawn so much easier to a Dark Lord."
"He mentions a compound," Severus said reading through the report. "No wait, he's written 'unconfirmed, will try and find out more.' He wouldn't try to get into a compound without support?"
Severus turned to Dracka.
"He can be an idiot," Dracka agreed. "But not that much of one."
Speak of the devil. Severus's phone rang.
"Snape," Severus answered.
"Hey," Blake said down the line.
"Who is the creepy ass vampire?" Severus asked with a smirk in Dracka's direction.
Blake's laughter rolled down the phone, easing the tension in his shoulders, as Dracka kicked him under the table.
"The contact," Blake said softly, there was a lot of noise in the background. "Ein raum."
"Where are you?" Severus asked. "I'll put you on speaker."
Albus put up a silencing charm around them and Severus placed the phone on the table.
"At a tavern," Blake replied. "Trying to get a room. It's really busy here, something about a festival or something. Nein, ein raum. They let me use the phone, I think I might end up in the stable at this rate."
Dracka snorted.
"Is everything quiet back there?" Blake asked.
"Nothing on this end, Blake." Albus said.
"Your advanced students are missing you, Mr Sun." Minerva mentioned.
"They aren't the only ones," Severus muttered.
"Happy to know I'm missed," Blake said with a laugh. "Nein, Wenn du nichts hast, gehe ich woanders hin-"
The phone cracked for a second.
"Blake?" Severus asked.
"Yeah, sorry." Blake said through the phone. "Not a great connection. They don't have anything here I have to go. Ja, ja. Ich bezahle, ja."
Loud noises came down the phone drowning out Blake for a second.
"Blake?" Dracka asked.
"Ja. Sorry, yes." Blake said. "Still here, bloody noisy lot. I'll call when I can. Have to go. Bye."
The phone clicked before anyone could say anything and Severus ended the call with a sigh.
"He wasn't having any luck getting a room," Dracka explained. "I could hear the other man on the line. He was saying they were full and wasn't happy that Blake called England and wanted payment for the call."
Severus chuckled.
"The man was saying that the whole town had been booked out for months," Dracka continued. "I don't think Blake was kidding when he said he was going to end up in the stable."
Severus's heart clenched at the words.
"I think he is used to living rough," Albus replied with a sigh.
"Yes," Dracka agreed. "Soldier to the core that one."
Minerva looked at the men in interest but had seen Blake fight and knew that he had skills and the talent of a warrior, it was just odd to connect that man with the man who worked with students and walked with a cane.
"He'll be fine, Severus." Albus said softly, placing a hand on Severus's shoulder.
"Yeah," Dracka agreed. "It's just a matter of time before the government catches up with him and sends him back here with a note saying; 'No returns'."
xXx
Harry was sick of sleeping rough, the last week he'd had to stay out of towns and move deeper into the forests. When he did venture into towns they were busy for some festival. Something about beer or food, all he knew was that every motel had been full and he'd had to move back out into the camping grounds or bush camps.
He quickly set up camp in a small campground with his swag, ignoring everyone around him as he sat out the front of his tent and pulled out his mobile phone. He turned it on and sighed in relief when he picked up a signal and quickly listened to any messages he had before turning it back off again, it was running low on battery and he would have to try and find somewhere he could charge it.
"Hello."
Harry looked up to see a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes looking down at him with a slight smile.
"Hello," Harry replied in English.
"Are you here for the festival?" The man asked nervously with a British accent.
"Nein," Harry replied. "Just passing through."
"Oh," The man replied. "Are you walking?"
"Ja." Harry replied as the man's eyes flicked to the cane beside Harry. "My name is Blake Sun, take a seat."
The young man smiled and took a seat next to him on the blanket he had laid out.
"Ben Cooper," The man replied, holding out a hand.
Harry smiled and took the young man's hand.
"Do you work for the German Ministry?" Harry asked, leaning back on his hands.
The other man started then smiled.
"I'm on loan from the British Ministry," The man replied with an easy grin on his face. "You?"
"Department of Mysteries," Harry replied.
Harry looked the young man over, remembering a similar man from his time with an easy smile and such joy with the world around him. The young man in front of him gave him a smile and the two sat for a while as the man spoke about his work as Harry just listened.
xXx
Dracka frowned when a file appeared in the pouch in front of him. It had been over a week since anyone had heard from Blake and Severus was a pain in the ass to work with at the moment. He opened the pouch and pulled out a couple of pieces of paper.
Blake's neat writing was at the top with time, date and location but then the rest of the report was in another person's hand and was about the German ministry. He grew concerned as he read through the report than his heart froze as he read in Blake's hand at the bottom. 'Dark power, pulls dark power.'
He bolted from his office and headed straight to Severus's classroom. He banged straight in, interrupting the man's class.
"Severus!" Dracka hissed, holding up the papers.
"Class dismissed," Severus called. "Everyone out, now!"
The students packed up and were out the door quickly. Dracka moved forward and gave Severus the papers, he could see the other man paling when he got to the end.
"This is dated today," Severus noted.
"Yes," Dracka replied. "He would have gone to ground by now. Something has gone wrong."
Just at that moment Severus's phone rang.
"Snape."
"Severus there is a young man here in my office asking for you and Mr Dracka," The Headmaster reported, but Severus could hear the strain in the man's voice. "He used Blake's portkey."
"We'll be right up," Severus said, looking even paler.
Dracka didn't feel much better after hearing the Headmaster words. The two men made good time getting up to the Headmaster's office using as many secret pathways they knew.
"Golden snaps," Dracka called out to the griffin as they got there and they took the stairs two at a time.
A young man sat in the chair in front of the Headmaster looking around nervously. He shot to his feet when Dracka and Severus entered, his eyes widening when he looked at Dracka and the vampire knew that the other man was well aware of what he was, which put him on edge.
"Gentlemen," Albus said calmly. "This is Ben Cooper. Mr Cooper this is Severus Snape and Rolf Dracka."
"Um," The man said and held out a piece of paper. "I am to give this to Mr Snape."
Severus reached forward and took the paper.
'Trust this man, Blake.' Severus read then passed the paper to Dracka.
"And this," Cooper said holding out a small bag to Severus.
Severus took the bag and opened it feeling faint. Blake's cherry wood wand stood out on the top as Severus moved toward the Headmaster's table, his eye catching on the glass mouse, as Cooper stood nervously.
"Take a seat, Mr Cooper." Albus said gently to the young man.
Severus upended the bag on the table and Dracka swore. Along with Blake's cherry wand there was a badge, silver knife and a phone. Severus picked up the phone and passed it to Dracka. The vampire placed the papers in his hand as well as the note on the table for Albus as he took the phone and turned it on. Albus picked up the papers to read through them.
"There is a password lock on the phone," Dracka said. "And it's not the one he normally uses."
"Oh sorry," Copper piped up. "He wrote the code on the note."
"There is nothing on here, my boy." Albus said, holding out the paper.
Cooper jumped to his feet and grabbed the paper.
"Oh, oops." Cooper said blushing slightly. "He wrote it in magic, I forget that sometimes. It's 4571."
Dracka started and stared at the young man, he looked to be just out of school and was still in that gangly teenage stage, so didn't look like much and yet Blake had just confirmed that he trusted this boy in one go.
"Wrote it in magic?" Severus said slowly.
"Yeah," Cooper said quickly. "It's an old charm trick. When you look into the magic of the paper you can see it. I forget that not everyone can do that."
The three men shared a look, thinking the same thing that this teenager had the same talent that Blake did. They were starting to think it was just a Blake thing, the way he could look into magic and sense it, and wondered if this boy could also do what Blake could with his magic.
"So, um." Cooper continued, stepping from one foot to the other. "He said that he put a timer on his phone, said to 'Hold until it went off.' Not sure what that means."
"Sit down," Severus ordered.
Cooper sat and started fiddling with his hands. Severus picked up the badge, he had never seen it before and wasn't sure if it was Blake's or not.
"What is this?" Severus asked.
"Department of Mysteries, Special Division badge." Cooper replied quickly. "It's Blake's, it's keyed to his magic."
"Who are you?" Dracka asked softly, the man flinched as he looked at the vampire.
"Um, I'm Ben Cooper." The man said in the same way that Blake said his name when asked. "I work for the Ministry of Magic in the Charms Department. I was on loan to the German Ministry. That's where I met Blake."
Severus placed Blake's things back in the bag and slipped them into his robes along with the glass mouse.
"Did you write this?" Dracka asked and held out the papers.
Cooper took them in his hand looking them over.
"Yes," Ben said. "This is my writing, but the date is wrong. How did you get these?"
"Blake sent them," Dracka replied. "What is wrong with the date?"
"Well," Cooper said. "This is today's date but I gave these to Blake two days ago."
Dracka swore as he took the papers back.
"He has two days on us and the timer is saying about twenty-four hours," Dracka announced. "That will be almost three days in total."
"Did he say anything else?" Albus asked softly.
"Well he says a lot," Cooper said.
Severus snorted but could feel his patience thinning.
"Anything for us to know?" Dracka growled.
Cooper started and looked at the vampire with wide eyes.
"Um, no." The man said nervously. "Give you the bag and note, tell you about the timer and the message. I think that's it."
"How did you meet Blake?" Severus asked.
"His magic," Cooper said. "It was very faint but it was odd so I followed it to a camp ground. He was there. It was odd though."
"How so, my boy?" Albus asked.
"I had never met him before," Cooper said slowly. "But he seemed to act like he already knew me."
The three men shared a look as the man looked at them confusion.
"His magic is really strange," Cooper continued. "Never seen anything like it before."
Dracka laid a hand on Severus's arm as the man tensed and was ready to snap at young man.
"I'll have a House Elf show you to a room, Mr Cooper." Albus said softly, knowing Severus well.
"Um, yeah." Cooper said. "Thank you."
Dracka pulled Severus to the side of the room.
"Just calm down," Dracka snapped at him. "Can you feel anything wrong through the ring?"
Severus sighed. "No, but I can only just feel him. If I was better with sensing magic maybe."
Dracka clapped a hand to the man's shoulder.
"Blake knows how to look after himself but I have to admit this doesn't look good." Dracka whispered with a sigh.
Severus leaned back against the wall behind him as Dracka watched him, seeing the tension in his shoulders and back.
"What do we do now?" Severus asked after a few minutes.
"We wait, Severus." Dracka said softly. "Blake gave us a count down for a reason. He wants us to wait."
"I can't just wait!" Severus hissed.
"I never said we were going to sit idle, Severus." Dracka said with a dark smile, showing his fangs.
xXx
Harry cursed the rain for the hundredth time as he curled up in his swag. Everything was wet, from his clothes to his sleeping bag to his shoes. He couldn't risk any magic and had such a tight hold on it at the moment, that it hurt, but he had no choice. It was bad enough that he couldn't place a protection circle or even a ward around him and had been forced to hide his swag in bushland.
He wasn't sure what had gone wrong but it all started with Ben Cooper finding him, he had thought that he had a good grip on his magic but he was wrong. He knew the boy was very sensitive to magic so at least he knew that he had been doing something right but it had been a long time since he'd had to hold his magic in as tightly as he was now.
He shivered in cold as the storm lit up the night around him, Ben Cooper should have made it to the school by now after he had sent Dracka the last report. He knew the vampire would be working already and just hoped that he would be able to hold Severus back until his time was up.
He needed to get distance between him and anyone following him. He still wasn't sure what he had done, but he had been found out. Harry thought it might have been that he spent too long with Ben or one of Dracka's men had given him up or he had just slipped. He was just happy that he spotted the man outside of Ben's apartment before he was spotter first. They were smart and had used a muggle but Harry had been fooled before and knew what to look for.
He risked a lot to get to Ben without suspicions falling on the boy or being spotted. He just hoped it was enough as he listened to the storm and shivered.
xXx
"No one knows anything," Dracka said with a sigh. "I spoke to the last person he would have seen and he knows nothing."
Dracka was frustrated and finding it hard to keep his demon under control. Severus didn't look much better across the table from him, staring into his coffee. Even the Headmaster looked a bit sick and tired. They could find no trace of Blake and he didn't know if that was a good thing or not. The only comfort they had was Severus's ring and the connection he had with Blake, telling them that the man wasn't in danger and was alive.
"We have six hours on his count down," Dracka continued. "Severus and I are going over to Germany soon to be in place. I have men waiting for us and have sent men to his last location on his report but he has more than two days on us."
"Do you need the Order's support?" Albus asked softly as Severus just looked into his coffee.
"We should be good," Dracka replied. "We are restricted in our movements. I can only guess that he will be heading towards the French border."
"Why do you say that?" Albus asked.
"He will find support there," Dracka said. "He has lots of contacts there to help him. We can only hope that Simpson doesn't know that."
"Or he will have men at the border to stop him," Severus said softly.
"Yes," Dracka replied. "Or he will head to Belgium then into France. My coven is near the border of France and Belgium so he will get support there as well."
"Did Ben Cooper have anything else to say?" Severus asked Albus.
"No," The Headmaster answered. "He said that Blake stayed with him for three days then came in and said he had to get out and that his life was in danger."
Severus's hand clenched around his cup and Dracka was concerned that he was going to break it.
"He did say that he couldn't feel or sense Blake's magic when he came in before he gave him the bag and directed him how to get here," Albus said softly.
Dracka shivered at the thought. Yes, the man didn't give off much of a sense of magic but you could still find it if you went looking for it.
"Something must have tipped him off," Severus muttered. "We are hoping that once we get to Germany, we'll be able to track him by his ring."
"Do you know why Blake gave us a count down?" Albus questioned.
"No," Dracka said. "No idea at all. I've tried to keep my men back until the time is up but I already had some men close so…"
Dracka smirked but he couldn't stop the worry that Blake had already been tracked and captured. The image of the scars on the man's back and arms came to his mind and a shiver ran down his spine at the thought.
"He timed the countdown to after the sun set," Severus muttered suddenly. "Do you have the communication bag?"
Dracka pulled the leather pouch from his pocket and held it up.
"I've set up an alarm on it," Dracka said. "Just in case."
xXx
Harry shivered as he waited, watching his watch as the rain fell around him and the sky darkened. He could feel people with magic moving in the distance as he waited. He already had a note written and ready to go but he needed to lose the men hunting him first. He was sure it was only a small group but Harry couldn't fall back on his magic, since there might be more men ready to move in and they seem to be able to pick up on his used of magic. Since that is how they were able to find him again after he lost them last time.
He left his gear where it was and moved off silently to the right. Circling around the group. Wishing he had his gun at that moment in time. He moved silently as he sensed out the men and kept an eye out for any people without a magical core. The rain dripped down his face and he was soaked through as he crept closer to the group. There were three men and they were well armed and not just with wands but with guns as well. He spotted one other man without a magical core, separated and placed as a look out before he moved back into the bushes.
He crept back and looked at his watch, it was past time. He quickly pulled out the leather bag and placed the note inside. That moment of inattention cost him as he flinched back when he saw something coming towards him. A rifle butt slammed into his shoulder, instead of his head and he hit the ground hard. Pain exploded in his shoulder as he rolled quickly to the side as he got his feet under him. He wasn't quick enough as the rifle came at him again to smash into his stomach. He folded around the end and grabbed it and pulled the man forward.
The man stumbled as Harry slipped his hand down and pulled the trigger, lucky for him the safety was off. The gunshot was loud in the forest as the man in front of him stared in shock before collapsing limply to the ground. Harry quickly grabbed the rifle and ran. He had to get away before the other men descended on him. Cursing as his leg slowed him down. He skittered down the edge of an embankment and risked a look over his shoulder. No one was following yet, but he could hear shouting behind him. He crossed over the small stream and up the other side, his shoulder and stomach protesting at the movement.
He moved behind some rocks and put his back to a large boulder. He quickly checked the rifle. He had only one round. Harry cursed as he rested the gun against the rocks and waited. He could feel the men fanning out from where he had shot the other man and his mind raced with plans. He slipped the gun strap over his head and flicked the safety on and moved it to his back so that it was easy to bring to bear, if he needed it. He could feel two men moving to the left of him and one moving to the right. The rain a blessing now as it washed away his tracks.
He looked at his options and moved off to his right, weaving through the trees and using as much cover as he could get. He pushed his hair back from his eyes, wishing for his shorter hair once again. He ducked down and crawled as he spied the man he was looking for and kept an eye out for any muggles. He slipped a steel knife into his hand and waited. The man was close and moving closer. Harry's timing had to be perfect as he moved into place and waited. Harry was good at waiting.
He kept an eye out as the man stood on the other side of the tree, Harry was crouched behind. When the man came even with him, Harry grabbed the man's ankle and pulled sharply. The man yelped as he tripped and Harry was on him quickly. Slitting his throat before he could make any more noise. He quickly rolled away and crouched listening as he kept a tree at his back. He knew the muggle would be close.
A twig breaking gave the man away and Harry lunged around the tree. The man was waiting with a gun in hand. Harry twisted to the side as it went off loudly beside him and he cursed. He grabbed the man's wrist as the man swung a knife towards his side with the other hand. The knife grazed across his ribs as Harry bared his teeth, digging his fingers into the man's wrist harshly and the gun fell from numb fingers.
He grabbed the man's arm in both of his and twisted to the side before pulling the man down to the ground with his added weight. They hit the ground hard as Harry stabbed the other man between the ribs. The man made a wet gurgle as he pieced into his lung. Harry pulled the knife free and kicked the man to the side, feeling his side stinging.
He grabbed up the man's gun in his right hand as he moved the knife to the left. He panted as he pulled himself to his feet, the man already dead at his feet as he moved off trying to sense out the other two men. He checked the gun to find five rounds.
Harry tried to circle back towards his gear but was blocked by the river that had widened further downstream and cursed. He would have to move back towards the men to get across the river again. He could sense the men moving towards where he had left the man he had killed. He didn't like his choices.
Suddenly he felt two other signals that had a magical core and flicked his head to his right, hoping they weren't reinforcements. He silently moved through the bush keeping his mind open.
A gunshot rang out and Harry dropped as wood from the tree behind him splintered and he crawled forward. It seemed like they wanted him alive at least as he spotted another muggle. He quickly took sight with his gun and took him down with a bullet between the eyes, his shoulder now screaming at him.
He cursed as he felt the four people moving towards his location and ran in a crouch, the stream to his right as he tried to find a way across. The two signals on his side closer than the ones on the other as he worked his way through the thick bushes. The two men on his side of the river had spilt up as Harry moved further upstream. Finally, he was able to get across and he broke cover. He dashed across the shallow river towards the other side.
"Blake, behind!"
Harry's head shot up and he twisted around, bringing the rifle to bear as a shot rang out. The bullet tore into him and he grunted as he felt his back hitting the embankment as he sighted along the rifle and pulled the trigger.
The man standing on the other side, clear in the moonlight, dropped where he stood as Harry panted, the pain not quite catching up with him yet as he felt warm blood running down his side. He held the rifle where it was and looked up.
Severus and Dracka looked down at him and he sighed.
"No magic," Harry called. "One more, Dracka! Keep a look out for muggles."
Harry held a hand to the wound in his side as Dracka leaped down easily.
"To the left," Harry panted. "Getting closer."
Dracka nodded red eyes flashing as Severus slid his way down.
"Blake?" Severus whispered, face pale.
Harry slid down to his knees, keeping the rifle pointed even if it didn't have a round in it.
"Move back," Harry ordered.
"No," Severus snapped.
Harry grabbed his arm.
"Get cover, Severus!" Harry hissed.
Harry pulled himself to his feet, swaying slightly and Severus grabbed his arm.
"Move!" Harry growled and pushed the man.
Severus looked shocked for a moment, then he was stepping back and scrambling up the embankment. Harry used the rifle to hull himself up, handgun tucked into his belt as he kept an eye on the other side of the bank.
Once he reached the top, he glanced over his shoulder to see Severus further back in the tree line.
"There could be muggles," Harry hissed. "Keep a look out."
Severus nodded and crouched down beside the tree. Harry moved towards him and passed him the rifle.
"I don't know how to use this," Severus whispered.
"No problems," Harry grinned. "It's empty. Stay here and keep a look out."
Harry moved back to the bank and laid out on the ground at the edge, the handgun in his hands. His side and shoulder were screaming as he focused his sights on the other side of the bank. He could hear Severus's quick breathing behind him and tried to hold his hands still.
Suddenly two men broke cover, one man punching the other hard. Harry waited, he wasn't sure which one was Dracka. He reached out with his senses as much as he could and could feel a darker power in one of the figures as they struggled on the ground. He held his gun steady and timed his breathing, ignoring everything else around him as he breathed in and out and sighted along the gun, waiting. As one of the men pulled back he took his shot.
The sound of the gunshot loud in his ears as the man dropped where he knelt and the other man turned in surprise, giving Harry a good look at him and he sighed. The gun dropped from his hands as the pain rushed in.
Dracka moved back towards him, leaving the dead man where he'd fallen. Harry rolled over onto his back, his breathing coming in pants as he pushed his hair back from his face. Dracka looked down at him.
"Need a hand up?" Dracka asked with a grin, holding his hand out.
Harry shook his head.
"Check for muggles," He ordered, holding his side.
Dracka looked unsure before moving off into the bushland. Severus moved towards him and crouched down, rifle held in his hands.
"Blake?" Severus whispered, saying so much in one word.
"Hey," Harry whispered. "Just give me a minute."
"You can't move, can you?" Severus asked, placing a hand on his cheek.
"I can try," Harry said with a grin, but it fell short. "Pass me the handgun."
Severus picked the gun up and passed it over to Harry. Harry checked it over and clicked the safety on before painfully sitting up, Severus giving him a hand. He made it to his knees and looked around. The night was quiet around them and he knew they had to get into cover.
He staggered to his feet and Severus tried to move in to help him but Harry pushed him back. Severus moved back, but wasn't happy as Harry stumbled forward.
"Get to cover," Harry whispered.
Suddenly a man appeared to Harry's right and he lunged without thinking, instinct taking over. The man went down with a grunt and Harry grabbed the hand with the knife and held it tightly. The man struggled then brought a knee up into Harry's side. He yelped and flinched to the side allowing the man to get the upper hand as he rolled them, knife held above him. Harry held tight to the man's wrist with both hands and cursed when the man punched him in his good side.
Suddenly the man grunted and went limp, his whole body weight landing on him. Harry grunted as he twisted the knife so it didn't impale him. The man's weight was pulled off him and pushed to the side as Severus's pale face looked down at him.
"Thanks," Harry whispered and pushed the man further so he could move away from him.
Harry checked the man's pulse and found one, he looked over his shoulder at Severus, unsure.
"We can't leave him alive, Severus." Harry whispered.
"Do it," Severus replied, no feeling in his voice.
Harry turned back and quickly slit the man's throat and pulled himself to his feet, swaying. He limped to the closest tree and leaned his weight back into it. He tried to sense out Dracka but couldn't focus his mind. Severus moved to his side but gave him space as they waited, the rifle held in his hands.
Harry's knees suddenly gave out and he slid to the ground as he held his side. Severus stayed standing as he kept scanning around them. Harry held the knife in his right hand, his eyes also keeping watch.
Dracka appeared silently in front of them, his eyes briefly flicking to the dead man on the ground.
"There was one more," Dracka whispered as he moved forward and knelt in front of Harry. "It's clear now."
Harry nodded, too tried and in pain to say anything.
"Blake?" Dracka asked, hand reaching for his shirt.
Severus tensed but kept a look out.
"We need to move," Harry whispered and tried to get his feet under him.
They wouldn't hold him as he panted. He laid his head back against the tree for a couple of seconds. Just focusing on his breathing. He felt Dracka beside him as the vampire gently moved his hand from his side and pulled up his shirt. Harry hissed as it pulled at the wound.
"It didn't go through," Dracka said softly.
Harry closed his eyes as Dracka gently bound the wound with bandages Severus gave him as he knelt next to the tree.
"We need to get him to the hospital, Severus." Dracka said softly. "They have to get the bullet out, before an infection sets in."
Harry didn't say anything just trying to focus as Dracka finished off the bandaging as he tried to master up the energy to stand. He could already feel his hands shaking as the adrenaline worn off and reality set in and the pain.
"Anything else, Blake?" Dracka asked softly.
Harry was just trying to hold onto consciousness as he focused on his breathing.
"Come on, Severus." Dracka said getting under his left arm. "Let's get him up."
"Stop," Harry whispered. "Just give me a moment. Right shoulder."
Dracka slipped out from under his arm and moved to his right side. Harry could feel a knife at his shoulder and he flinched to the side. Pain exploded in his side and he hissed as his vision greyed.
"Sh," Dracka whispered. "I just need cut your shirt to look at your shoulder, unless you can take it off?"
Harry shook his head feeling sick as Severus kneeled down and took his weight as Dracka sliced into the fabric and peeled it away. He cursed when he saw his shoulder.
"That's going hurt for a while, Blake." Dracka said softly as he started to bind it up carefully.
xXx
Severus looked down at his lover, his heart clenching. He was a mess and he could tell he was slipping as he took his weight as Dracka worked. He gently moved the man's arm over his shoulders in case they needed to move quickly. It still amazed him how quickly the man could move, even in the state he was in now.
"Done?" Severus whispered.
Dracka nodded as Blake started to shiver.
"We have to move," Dracka repeated. "Blake?"
Blake nodded and Dracka and Severus shared a look before Severus pulled the man to his feet. He grunted and leaned into Severus but he was on his feet.
"Bag," Blake hissed. "Dracka?"
The vampire nodded and moved off, Severus getting further under him making Blake hiss when he bumped the gunshot wound on his side but he kept his feet under him. Severus was amazed the man was still standing, the pain he must be in.
"Can I give you anything?" Severus asked.
"No," Blake breathed.
Severus kept an eye out for Dracka as Blake pointed out the way. The vampire appeared quickly with a bag and swag over his shoulders.
"No magic," Blake said softly. "They can track it. They would have picked up on you apparating. We need to make it to the Border."
"Blake," Dracka growled.
"That way," Blake hissed back, green eyes locking with the vampire.
Dracka bared his teeth at the man as Blake just stared back and tried to stand up straighter. Severus adjusted his weight across his shoulders and Blake hissed, looking away.
"Unless you can apparate over Borders, Dracka" Blake drawled. "We walk."
Dracka looked away and very carefully got under the man's injured shoulder. Blake lost his footing for a second and groaned until the vampire was settled. Blake's head dropped and all they could hear was his harsh breathing, unsure if he was still with them or had passed out.
"Blake?" Severus asked softly.
Blake nodded his head and got his feet under him again and started moving, the two men beside him, holding his weight.
They moved like that for the next few hours. When Blake stumbled for the third time they stopped. Blake was breathing hard as he hung between them.
"We can't keep going," Dracka whispered. "We have to stop."
Blake nodded, the rain still falling like mist around them. They gently lowered him to the ground onto his right side as Severus rolled up his coat and placed it under his head. Dracka rolled out the swag close to some bushes and moved them around until it disappeared. He glanced over to the still figure of Blake as Severus ran fingers through the man's longer hair. He looked like he was out. Severus met his eyes and nodded.
"Will that protect you?" Severus asked softly.
Dracka looked back to the swag and slipped inside, he could smell Blake's scent all around him and was sure his eyes were shinning red.
"Well?" Severus asked from outside.
Dracka got his demon under control and slipped back out.
"Yes," He said. "It should do."
He moved towards Severus and slid Blake's shirt up to check the wound. It had stopped bleeding at least. The biggest problem was the bullet was still in there, he was just lucky with where it had hit, just above his hip and not any higher or further over. He had found another smaller cut on the man's other side but it wasn't much to worry about. He placed the back of his hand to the man's forehead and couldn't feel any heat, yet.
"Do you know how far we are from the Border?" Severus whispered.
"Not sure," Dracka replied. "Blake would know."
Severus gently ran his hands through the man's hair.
"He looks a lot more like Harry Potter with that hair," Dracka said softly.
Severus nodded.
"He does." Severus agreed. "I don't think he likes it."
"Looking like his son?" Dracka asked. "Or looking like Harry Potter?"
Severus snorted.
"He never hides who he is," Severus said softly. "Who would be looking for Harry Potter in his father?"
Dracka grinned then frowned down at the man.
"Severus," Dracka whispered and the other man tensed. "I can't feel his magic. I keep reaching for it, but there's nothing there."
Severus paled. "The Hallows…"
Dracka didn't have an answer to that as he placed his hand on Blake's shoulder, trying to feel out the dark magic he could normally feel but nothing was there, he just felt like a muggle, it was very unsettling.
"We better clean up and rewrap that wound since the rain has stopped," Dracka said. "I'll keep watch tonight if you need to sleep."
Severus nodded in agreement as he ran his fingers through the man's hair, his eyes locked on Blake.
xXx
Harry woke feeling warm for the first time in a long time. He could feel sun on his back as he laid on his side with something soft under his head. The pain in his side a dull ache as he lay there listening to the birds around him. He could spy his bag within his reach with a bottle of water next to it and a couple of potions. He smiled at the sight and slowly pulled himself into a sitting position.
He looked up at the sun to see it was late afternoon before looking around. He couldn't see Severus but knew the man would be close by and Dracka would be in the swag, probably sleeping as he waited for the sun to set. He opened up his bag and pulled out the pill bottle and swallowed down two tablets with the water before taking one of the pain potions and placing the others in his pocket.
His shirt was cut on one side and he struggled out of it and slipped on a new one, wishing for a shower as he moved back to lean against one of the trees. He pulled out a small kettle and placed it to the side and a couple of add water meals.
"Hey," Severus said as he walked back with a plastic container with berries and a couple of other things in it. "How are you feeling?"
"Next question," Harry replied roughly.
Severus's lips twitched in a smile but his dark eyes showed his concern as he placed the berries next to Harry and took a seat next to him on the ground, touching his shoulder gently with the other man.
"If we can get a fire going," Harry said. "We can eat."
"Is that safe?" Severus asked.
"Yeah," Harry replied. "They seem to be tracking magic, I'm sure we have enough distance that they won't see a small fire."
"What happened?" Severus asked, resting a hand on Harry's knee.
"I was made," Harry said. "I'm not sure how, I may have stayed with Ben for too long. I spotted the man watching his apartment."
"Ben Cooper?" Severus questioned, tense.
"Yes," Harry confirmed, leaning his head back against the tree as the pain killers kicked in. "I had been staying there for a few days while he found out what he could from the Ministry."
"The last report you sent?"
"Yes, Simpson has been gathering support in the Ministry." Harry replied. "He hasn't tipped the scales yet but he is working through them."
"What happened after you spotted the man at Cooper's apartment?"
"I had to get in to Ben," Harry said faintly. "I had to get him out without it looking like he was helping me. Plus, all my stuff was there, I thought I was safe."
Severus hand tightened on his knee and Harry placed his hand over his.
"I think I slipped," Harry continued. "Ben was able to find me, I hadn't held my magic back as much as I should have but the possibility is also that one of Dracka's men has turned. You hear that vampire?"
"I heard you," Dracka said from the shadows of the swag.
"How are they tracking the magic?" Severus asked with a frown.
"I don't know," Harry said softly and it was annoying the crap out of him. "There are spells and charms but this feels slightly different to them. They seem to be able to pick up my magic, the only thing I can think of is they have my blood and it would have to be fresh blood for it to work, which makes no sense."
Severus shivered.
"But you told us not to use magic," Dracka called.
"Yes," Harry agreed. "I'm not sure if the spell they are using can pick up on it. They were able to lock onto my magic and I don't know if they will be able to do the same with yours. There is a spell they can use to detect magic use but it normally can't be spread over such a large area. I just don't know what spell they are using."
Severus ran his hand up and down Harry's leg as the man rested his head back against the tree for a while.
"I'll go find some wood," Severus said, jolting Harry from a light sleep. "Not sure it will catch after the rain we have had."
"Thanks," Harry muttered, rubbing a hand down his face.
Severus cupped his face and Harry looked up at him with glassy green eyes and gave him a small smile.
"I'll be back in a few minutes," Severus muttered.
Harry nodded and the man disappeared into the bush. He looked over to the swag and could see Dracka watching him from the shadowed entrance and gave him a nod. With a groan he got to his knees and moved forward slightly. Clearing off a small area of ground. Picking up the twigs he could reach as the pain in his side throbbed. Dracka's dark eyes watching him the whole time.
xXx
Severus picked up another stick and added it to the bundle he had, before turning back to camp as he kept an eye out around him but the bush was quiet except for the birds. He slipped back into camp to find Blake kneeling on the ground waiting for him. He placed the sticks down and moved off again as Blake started piling them up. He wasn't sure how the man was going to start a fire with everything so wet but he would rather be doing something than nothing.
He had felt so useless when they arrived and he couldn't use magic, he knew no way to defend himself that didn't use magic and he was kicking himself now that he had never asked Blake to teach him more. The image of the man above Blake with the knife came to his mind as he had brought the butt of the rifle down on the man's head. He still felt sick with the way Blake had slit the man's throat but knew it had to be done.
They had come across the other men Blake had killed and he'd had to swallow back bile. Magic killed so cleanly, and in some cases like the killing curse, left no evidence except death. He was prone to forgetting that Blake was a solider and would use the skills he had to take someone out whatever means necessary and he shivered.
He stopped and stood there for a moment looking around at the bushland and sighed. He reached for his connection with Blake on instinct but could barely feel the link even with the man so close and he didn't react to him reaching out and it hurt. He knew that Blake was holding the magic back but he didn't realise how much he had relied on that connection until now and how often he reached for it without thinking.
Severus shook his head and headed back to camp, they only had an hour or so until sundown before they could start moving again. He was surprised that Blake already had a small fire going and was blowing on it softly to bring the flames up. The man had skills as Blake gave him a grin, patches of dirt and blood on his face. Severus paused and the smile started to slip.
"You look a mess," Severus said stiffly as he dropped the branches down.
Dracka snorted from his spot in the cover of the swag.
"There's a river not too far from here," Blake said in reply. "We'll move towards that so we can get cleaned up and can fill up our water bottles. I don't think anyone is tracking us but I'll try and sense them out before we move off."
"That won't alert them?" Severus asked, taking a seat across the fire from the other man.
"It hasn't yet," Blake said. "It's not really a form of magic that most people understand."
"Ben Cooper," Dracka said softly. "He seems to have the same talent as you."
"Yes," Blake replied, his hands stilling. "He can do a lot of things that I can with magic but doesn't have the power levels behind him. He is very talented in sensing magic, since he was born to it, unlike me."
"You knew him from before?" Severus stated, he'd had his suspicions.
"Yes," Harry said, not looking at Severus. "I didn't meet him until he was much older than he is now. He became one of my apprentices."
Severus reeled back at that as Dracka growled.
"What?" Blake asked with wide eyes.
"That's not a light undertaking," Dracka said softly, red eyes shining.
Blake looked between the two men, looking confused.
"So, yeah." The man said slowly. "I'm not sure what you two are thinking but probably isn't what I am."
Dracka barked a laugh.
"I don't think anyone thinks like you do, Blake." Severus purred.
Blake flashed him a grin as he placed the pot over the fire held up by some type of steel device that kept it above the flames. They talked quietly as they caught Blake up on the day-to-day life at Hogwarts as they waited for the sun to set.
xXx
As soon as the sun set the men broke camp and Dracka and Blake quickly worked over the ground to make it look like they had never been there as Severus watched in interest. He picked up Blake's bag and swung it over his shoulder as Dracka carried the swag. Blake looked unsteady on his feet as he took out a compass to get his bearing before he moved out. Limping without his cane for support, not that it would have helped with his right shoulder the way it was.
Dracka disappeared ahead of them as Severus kept a close eye on Blake. The man was pale and had his arm wrapped around his stomach but once they got going he moved on steadily.
They had been walking for a while until Dracka appeared out of the darkness beside them making Severus jolt and the vampire to show his fangs in amusement.
"You need a bell," Severus snapped at him.
Blake snorted.
"The river is to our right," Dracka reported. "I hope we don't have to cross it."
"No," Blake replied and turned them towards the river. "We can start to follow it towards the border."
They made their way in silence until they came to the river. It was wide but slow moving as he looked out. Blake quickly unbuckled his belt and let his pants fall as he struggle out of his shirt. Severus saw Dracka's eyes change to red as his lover stripped down and he shoved the vampire in the shoulder as he moved towards Blake. Dracka chuckled as Severus helped Blake with the bandages around his middle. The other man not the least bit concerned with standing there naked.
"You have no shame," Severus purred in the man's ear.
"What?" Blake asked, looking up with wide eyes. "What did I do now?"
Dracaka swore as the red and inflamed wound on his side was revealed.
"We will have to get that bullet out," Dracka stated, stepping forward. "It already looks infected."
Severus barred his teeth and the vampire reeled back in surprise as Blake looked between them.
"For fuck sake," Blake muttered. "You two will be the death of me."
"I don't know Blake," Dracka drawled. "You seem to be doing a good job of that by yourself, you don't need our help."
Blake glared at the vampire. "Bag please, Severus."
The other man stared down the vampire as Dracka stepped back and titled his head to the side before Severus held the bag open for Blake. The man dug around until he came out with a small container holding soap. He patted Severus on the shoulder before moving into the water and dunking his head under using the soap to wash himself off as the two men watched him.
"You would make a good vampire," Dracka said softly.
Severus jolted and looked at the man with wide eyes.
"Don't even think about it," Severus hissed.
Dracka barked a laugh and disappeared into the bushland around them. Severus knelt on the ground and opened Blake's bag and looked through it. He pulled out some clothing for him and the first aid kit he had in there as well as a strange towel made from something he'd never felt before.
Blake took that from his hand and quickly dried himself down before ringing it out. Severus helped him clean and rebandage the wound and his shoulder before helping him with his shirt.
"Did you happen to pick up that handgun?" Blake asked.
"No, sorry." Severus replied, kicking himself that he hadn't thought of that.
Blake placed a hand on his cheek and turned his head towards him.
"Are you okay?" Blake said softly, his green eyes boring into him.
Severus tried to look away but Blake held him in place.
"What is it?" Blake asked. "Is it the men I killed? Are you injured?"
"No," Severus whispered.
Blake just held his hand against his cheek a frown between his brow as he looked into Severus's eyes before he stepped back and looked away. He knelt down and slipped two large bottles of water from his pack and held them up to Severus.
"Could you fill these, please?" Blake asked, not meeting his eyes.
Severus heart clenched as he took the bottles.
"Blake?"
"We need these filled," Blake replied softly. "Don't drink the water until I put the purifying tablets in them."
Severus reached a hand out to the man but let it drop before it touched him. He gathered up the bottles and moved towards the river to fill them up, his heart aching. Knowing he had hurt the man but not sure how or how to fix it.
Dracka was waiting beside Blake as he made his way back with the water and Blake took them placing a tablet of some kind into each bottle and giving them a shake until it dissolved. He took a couple of pills from another bottle before washing it down with the water. He passed the bottle of water to Severus.
Once everyone had had their fill, Blake packed up the bag and Severus pulled it up onto his back. He was a lot heavier than it was before and they set off again. Dracka disappearing into the forest as Severus followed close behind Blake. He was amazed all over again as the man pushed through, only stopping now and again to check the compass, as they kept the river close to them as they moved down a small valley.
Dracka would work his way back to them every now and again and Severus was getting used to him, just appearing beside them. The vampire reported that he couldn't find anyone following them or up ahead and Blake just nodded his head.
It well past midnight when Blake stumbled the first time and Severus moved up beside him but the man just waved him back and checked the compass before setting out again. Severus kept a close eye on him as his steps started to slow and his limp became more pronounced as they moved forward.
"Blake?" Severus questioned.
The man kept going without answering and Severus grew concerned.
"Dracka!" Severus called softly.
Blake flinched at the noise but kept moving forward. The vampire appeared at Severus's side, red eyes shining, as he looked around for danger.
Suddenly and without warning Blake just dropped, hitting the ground hard on his right side. Severus jumped forward his heart in his throat as he fell to his knees at his lover's side, the vampire beside him. Blake's eyes were closed and his breathing hitching as heat poured off him under Severus's hand.
"We have to get that bullet out," Dracka hissed. "I told him, bloody stubborn man."
Dracka pushed the man's shirt up and he quickly sliced through the bandages.
"We have to do this before he gains consciousness," Dracka hissed. "Do you have some antibacterial potions?"
"Yes," Severus replied, pulling out his potion's pouch.
He passed the right ones to Dracka and the man quickly poured a little on his hands and the knife before splashing some on the wound. Severus felt pale as the vampire worked. He held Blake still but the man was out of it, his breathing coming in gasps. Finally, Dracka held up the small bit of metal and quickly washed down the wound, trying to flush it out as much as he could.
"Get him sitting up so we can bind this wound," Dracka said quietly.
They worked together quietly, Blake limp between them. Dracka and Severus's eyes locked, over the man, both showing concern. Dracka looked away first.
"I'll set up camp," Dracka said softly, moving away.
Leaving Severus holding Blake in his arms.