A/N: I have to apologise to everyone, I changed the rating of this story to M because I felt like a mature rating would give me a lot more freedom to write about macabre situations (as the one that is about to follow) which, ultimately, seem much more befitting of this story and how I want it to be.
I'm sorry if you liked the previous chapters but don't want mature content!
Alternatively, if you don't like the rating but want to know what happens, I will attempt to warn you of the content in the A/N of each chapter.
If you don't like explicit situations, skip this chapter!

CHAPTER 3
Nuit Macabre

-FLASHBACK-

The Moon was in a crescent, but low and gigantic, and bulging red. It resembled blood stained fangs, as if to warn the world about Lord Voldemort and his twisted plans. Below the ghastly orb was Malfoy Manor, looking as ominous as the Death Eaters that were currently gathering inside it; which only added to the dismal atmosphere.

Laenaya and the two hooded lieutenants landed close to Malfoy Manor and were walking towards the almost visible path outside that lead to the entrance.
She stopped briefly to glance at her companions, reminding them not to attack any Death Eaters no matter how much they would be provoked.

Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape were kneeling at the Dark Lord's throne, heads bowed, Lucius ecstatic in, what he thought was a great honour, being chosen to host the Death Eater gatherings, and Severus already harbouring fierce emotions of guilt and regret that crept up from his stomach to his brain.

Everything that Severus had done in his life, he had to excel in, it was a matter of honour, and that included excelling in being a Death Eater.
He had completed all his missions and behaved in the way, which was expected of him, only to suddenly find that it did not give him as much satisfaction as he was previously certain it would.
The fear in his heart was already heavy from the gravity of his actions.

At first he thought that the Dark Lord's cause was great and that it would be a perfect opportunity to freely pass judgement on all that had hurt or merely annoyed him, but now…
Despite all of these feelings, it would take him a little over a year to gather his courage and ask Dumbledore for retribution under the pretense of becoming a spy.

"Lucius, Severus, I am granting you two the honour of welcoming our visitors and escorting them to me, in view of your excellent performance recently." The Dark Lord's warped tongue slithered in and out of his mouth "However, know this, I will not tolerate any mistakes, if they attempt to kill you, I will not even flinch." He narrowed his warped slit-eyes at the two men kneeling in front of him.

"We will not disappoint you my Lord!" Lucius could barely contain the pleasure in his voice.

"Never my Lord", Severus did not look up at him.

"You may go."

Both men stood up gracefully and almost in unison. Cloaks swaying, they exited the room without turning their backs to the Dark Lord.

Now in the hall, Severus and Lucius were brimming with anticipation. This would be their first encounter with this kind of Vampires.

"After tonight, the Dark Army will be unstoppable Severus!" Lucius' eyes were glowing with playful malice.

"If-" Severus smirked, taking particular care to put emphasis in the word "they join us."

"Come now, how could they not? The Dark Lord's power is growing so rapidly that he will be near invincible! They could never refuse such an offer. The Vampires have been waiting for this for thousands of years."

"Vampires, Lucius, are unpredictable creatures. They are beyond the Dark Arts. They relish the fear and hate that other beings direct at them. Some of them are of course, highly powerful. However, many of them only seem so mighty simply because most do not understand them, it is the way they gain power."

"Well, you'll get along perfectly then!" Lucius joked.

"Actually, most Elder Vampires are sophisticated beings. Although I obviously possess the intelligence and skills that you lack, it seems that, for once, your Pretty Boy attitude will benefit us both."

Lucius laughed. "Why thank you Severus!"

Laenaya and the lieutenants reached the door and before they knew it, it slowly opened. They had been waiting.

A tall man with long blonde hair and noble posture stood in the doorway. Even without reading his mind, it was obvious that he was of aristocratic descent. Laenaya quickly took a liking to him and his elegance.
After nodding towards the ever so silent lieutenants, he took Laenaya's hand in his gloved one and kissed the dorsal side.

"Welcome to Malfoy Manor, Elder." As he said this, Laenaya felt a slight flame flicker in her nether regions.

"Lucius Malfoy, what a pleasure." Her translucent green eyes pierced him.

Behind him, Severus Snape pictured rolling his eyes, too cautious to attempt it in reality.
Laenaya instantly shifted her gaze towards him as he thought this and smirked at him. Where he not Severus Snape, he would have been startled. He simply looked back at her and bowed, taking great care to make it low enough, taking a mental note to improve on his Occlumency skills.

Lucius, noticing this but not knowing what had happened, for he could not read minds, forced a chuckle and lightly nudged Severus, who responded by introducing himself.
"Severus Snape Elder, it is an honour to meet you."

"I'm sure it is." Laenaya replied, unimpressed.

He was attractive, with his long slightly dishevelled hair and polished shoes.
Perhaps it was his youth, which made him seem slightly coarse, for she detected that he had a clever air and was ostentatious in his own reserved way.

However, he could not compete with Lucius and his highborn air.

" I must remember to compliment Lord Voldemort for his excellent taste." Laenaya was looking at Lucius' neck now. "Although I would prefer to stand here a little longer with you, I'm sure your master is waiting. "

Lucius, flattered and honoured by her compliment regretfully agreed.
"Perhaps my Lady, we will, in future, have more opportunity to enjoy one another's company," he knew it was risky to have made such a suggestion, but he kept his composure and held out his arm for her to hook hers into it. She was clearly attracted towards his nobility so he figured that she would appreciate the simple yet respectful gesture of leading her through his house, arm in arm, as the aristocracy often did.

She laughed her dark laugh, obviously delighted. Lucius breathed deeply in relief. She took his arm while Severus and Laenaya's lieutenants silently followed as they made their way through the house, passing a frowning Narcissa who did not even introduce herself to Laenaya, towards the Dark Lord.

"Welcome General!" Voldemort's attempt at displaying respect was not a very good one; it sounded like he was hissing at her.

"Thank you Lord Voldemort" the lieutenants at her sides kneeled in front of Voldemort and remained that way.

The fact that he had called Laenaya 'General' showed her that he was mainly interested in military strength. She smirked at the thought.

They exchanged pointless small talk, human foreplay, as Laenaya liked to call it, just another form of procrastination; until Voldemort finally decided to get to the point.
His eagerness was apparent.

"I have a gift for you" Nagini slithered and hissed around Voldemort's throne as he gestured for his Death Eaters to bring in her present.

Two Death Eaters, who would later be known by Harry Potter to be the fathers of his classmates Crabbe and Goyle, emerged from a room in the corner bringing with them, something that was meant to show Laenaya how humbled Voldemort was by her and the Lieutenants' presence.

Crabbe held a thick heavy chain, which was attached to a collar around a young girl's neck, while Goyle was unmercifully kicking her towards Laenaya.

The girl, a Muggle, was completely naked, save for the collar around her neck, her pale blonde hair stuck to her face as tears streamed down it.
She was dirty and bruised and was sobbing, sensing the horror about to await her.

She had been so badly hurt that she could not get up fast enough, which was why Goyle was kicking her. She wasn't even crawling fast enough.

One of the Lieutenants made to get up but Laenaya quickly shoved him back down.
Voldemort seemed to know that it was Vampire custom to give gifts, humans, to each other, but he had failed to note that it was considered a grave offence to give such a damaged gift, especially to someone of elevated rank and status.

It was customary, to give humans that were exceptional in some way, whether in beauty or in ability, and they were often trained beforehand, to suppress their hysterical cries while being ravished. It was an art form to the Children of the Night.

Vampires of great importance, were used to receiving beautiful young witches, dressed in expensive clothes and resisting only very slightly, although Laenaya particularly enjoyed at least a little bit of resistance.
But what Voldemort had just done was simply outrageous. If she had not been instructed otherwise, she would have killed him on the spot. Politics.

'Lucius Malfoy would have made a much more adequate gift…'

The Lieutenants could barely control their anger at this massive error but Laenaya tried her best to quickly compose herself.

"Thank you my Lord." she smiled and nodded her head.

Although she was very reluctant, it was customary and considered respectful to partake of the gift upon reception, fresh goods as it were, unless the gift was intended as a pet, but this girl clearly was not, so she grabbed the chain and pulled the girl towards her, dragging her along on the floor.

Usually, the vampire receiving the gift would play with the victim for a while, the longer the 'foreplay' the more honoured the giver of the gift would be because it showed that his choice of human was well made.
Despite her disgust, Laenaya decided that it would not be wise to test whether Voldemort knew this or not.

She grabbed the girl's face, gently but firmly. If she had not been so dirty and abused, she would be pretty. It disgusted Laenaya to think that the Death Eaters had probably raped her beforehand.

"What is your name child?" She asked her, looking down at her face.

The girl was sobbing uncontrollably, seeing Laenaya's fangs had apparently increased her despair.

"Stop crying." Laenayas voice was quiet but harsh and the girl ceased immediately, seemingly entranced.

"That's better. Now let's try again. What is your name?"

"J-Jenny" she sniffed loudly.

Laenaya smirked, what a distasteful gift indeed.

"Get up."

The girl slowly started to lift herself off the ground, knees shaking and eyes watery. She could not control her movements, yet here she was standing up.

Laenaya grabbed the girl's left breast in a swift and silent movement, and after squeezing it tightly for a moment, used it to pull the girl closer.

The girl squealed in pain, she was badly hurt, but even worse she was confused. Why was this thing touching her like that? Despite being a Muggle, she knew from the moment she saw them that Laenaya and her companions were not human, especially after all she'd seen the Death Eaters do. Had she not gone through enough already? She was certain she was going to die, but even so, despite all the pain; it felt so good being there. She couldn't help but want this creature that was touching her so inappropriately to do more.
She couldn't understand what was happening and wished with all her might to be taken home.

Laenaya lightly stroked the girl and after taking in the scent of her neck, she kissed her. A moment passed and she lowered her head before sinking her fangs into her victim's breast. She delighted at hearing the sound of the girl's bewildered and embarrassed moans. A sign of mixed despair and pleasure.

Behind Laenaya, where the Death Eaters were standing, Lucius watched in obvious excitement. This being which was openly giving this macabre erotic display had flirted with him less than an hour ago. How could Severus have any doubts about any of this? It was all so wonderful! He prayed to be able to meet her again soon.

Severus' feelings of arousal conflicted with his feelings of dread and disgust.
He didn't feel pity for the girl, no he was too bitter for that. But the very fact that this was happening at all and that he was part of a group that condoned such activity signified that the chaos growing in the world was much more powerful than he had previously thought.
Of course he had done things that were just as bad as what was happening in front of him but this was like a fresh view of reality.

He had known that it was offensive for Vampires to be given plain humans and was slightly shocked when he saw Crabbe and Goyle emerging with this girl. Why did the Dark Lord not know about that? The minute that thought occurred to him, he answered his question. Lord Voldemort knew, he was the Dark Lord after all. He was putting his own life on the line to show the Vampires who he thought would be in control should they join forces.

The fact that General Darkstrom had pretended that this was a perfect present, meant that she was probably going to accept Voldemort's offer after all…

Sighing, Laenaya decided to end it. She turned the girl around, hand still on her breast, which she was now lightly massaging. The blood from the puncture wounds was slowly forming a small pool in Laenaya's hand.
She brushed the victim's hair aside and after lightly stroking her neck she bit into it with the force from her jaw.

Jenny could no longer stand and slowly fell to the ground, almost fully drained of her blood.
Laenaya licked her lips and after subtly pressing her hand on the girl's forehead, and casting a spell to liberate her soul, she passed the almost dead girl to her lieutenants, who drained the rest of her blood with vigour.

"Now let us talk business, I trust you have good news for me?" Voldemort sniggered in the darkness of his throne. He was pleased with his mini-triumph.

Laenaya stepped forward.

"Lord Voldemort, I thank you for the honourable gift, but I am afraid that I do not bear good news."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed and the tension in the room instantly rose.

"I thank you for your generous offer to give us ultimate freedom in return for our military strength as well counsel in the Dark Arts and our support in other minor matters. However, and I have taken the time to personally come to your audience chamber and bear this message, in the name of all Vampires, I must respectfully decline your offer."

The Death Eaters all seemed to take a step back.

Voldemort, though obviously angered, did not interrupt her. He gestured towards a near Death Eater who then levitated Jenny's corpse, which had been lying in front of the Lieutenants for the past few seconds, to the far corner of the room. No one even flinched when her body fell to the ground with a loud thumping noise.

"It appears that, as of tomorrow when it will be publicly announced, the Ministry of Magic will officially recognize Vampires as Beings, giving us the same rights as Wizards and other Magical or even Non-Magical Beings. For this reason, we do not deem it necessary to risk our newly gained status for a cause that does not concern us."

"You have accepted the same rights! It does concern you!" Lord Voldemort did not try to hide his contempt.

"I humbly apologize my Lord, we Vampires have merely been classed as Magical Beings with rights and not as Humans. We drink blood, be it Wizard or Muggle. We do not distinguish."

Voldemort was now fuming inside; the heat and tension in the room could no longer be denied or controlled.

"Despite my best efforts to accommodate you, do not forget that I permitted you to enter these Headquarters armed, you deny me? I have offered you a powerful allegiance, an opportunity of a lifetime!" Voldemort was standing up now.

Severus felt the dread in his stomach grow; surely the Dark Lord would not attempt to fight the General?
Even in the slim chance that Voldemort would defeat her with the help of the Death Eaters, they could not possibly kill a General and two Lieutenants! Killing her would cause a war. They could not win a war against the Vampires, especially now that they were on good terms with the Wizarding world.

"With all due respect sir, a lifetime to you is to us but the blink of an eye. We do not distinguish between Humans, Muggle, Wizard or Squib, yet you plan to eradicate all but Wizard, meaning less sources for us." She casually rested her arm on the hilt of her sword. "Blood is blood. Your request has been declined."

She turned around and the Lieutenants got up, they began to leave.

"Fools!" Voldemort shouted and got up "They will never allow you to drink their blood!"

Laenaya turned to face him. She took a cherry coloured lollipop out of her pocket and after unwrapping it, put it in her mouth. "We do not need to drink their blood. Goodbye Lord Voldemort."

That was too much; Voldemort could not stand being so humiliated in front of his followers, he pointed his wand at her.

"My Lord," Lucius emerged from the circle of Death Eaters "perhaps it would be wise t-" he flew in to the wall after being hit by a Cruciatus Curse. He would never question his Master's actions again.

Voldemort threw a Fiendfyre curse at the Vampires and watched as the fiendish fire transformed into a giant snake.

"You will not win this battle. Stop now!" One of the Lieutenants finally spoke.

The fiery snake began to advance but the door slammed open and a howling wind began to stir.

"Apprehend them!" Voldemort shouted at the Death Eaters who reluctantly sprinted towards the Vampires. Mist was now gathering and the three walked into the hall. They weren't even running.

The windows in the hall flew open and the three Vampires jumped, and began to fly away. Although Severus Snape would one day acquire the ability to fly without a broom, he did not yet possess this skill and neither did any of the other Death Eaters. Lord Voldemort, who did possess this skill, knew better than to chase them alone and come back empty handed.

Enraged beyond control, Voldemort fired the Cruciatus Curse on Severus and levitated him next to a writhing Lucius.

"You two have disappointed me!" he bellowed. "I instructed you to do a simple thing which you have failed to do!"

The other Death Eaters sighed in relief at not being punished, which of course Voldemort sensed. He sent the fiery snake, which was still present, towards them burning a few in the process.

The flames died down and Voldemort angrily removed the Cruciatus Curse from Lucius and Severus.

This would be forever known among Death Eaters as the night in which the Vampires almost joined the Dark Army but declined because of Snape and Malfoy's miserable performance.
Although it was obvious, only very few would have the courage to admit that their Dark Lord only pretended it was due to their failure to impress the Vampires, to hide his own shame, and that Severus and Lucius had done nothing wrong.

-END FLASHBACK-