Disclaimer: I don't own anything regarding Harry Potter. I do have a wonderful collection of origami bats though.
A/N: I apologise to all of my readers for taking so long getting this chapter out. My life has been, in a word, crazy. Next week is finals week, and then after that, I will be free. SO after next weeks, so long as the muse keeps me on my toes, you should be seeing faster updates.
Severus could not help but roll his eyes at the elder vampire. Sometimes, the man was simply too ridiculous. If the entity that Erasmus had been keeping for all of these years was this dangerous, then why did the idiotic elder vampire insist on keeping it?
Erasmus turned to Severus and glared at the younger vampire with a look that seemed to scream that he had just heard Severus' every thought. "So, that is what you think of me?" Erasmus snarled.
Severus stood for a moment, glaring at his elder. Why he ever bothered to get out of the proverbial coffin some days was beyond him. "Sometimes it seems as if you go out of your way to be infuriating." Severus stated with a smirk.
Erasmus looked over Severus carefully. Yes…the events were going as planned. His Severus has decided concern for both the Potter child and for his own son. Yes…things were going beautifully. "Sometimes Severus, I need to remind myself why I bothered with you in the first place." Erasmus said with a hint of amusement.
Severus sighed. "Are we simply going to spend the rest of the evening having mock arguments in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, or are we going to save the Potter boy? Either way, it makes no difference to me."
Erasmus laughed, and with a twinkle in his eye, he snapped his fingers, and suddenly, both vampires disappeared.
Harry simply stared at the wall, letting the portrait tell him things…many things. It seemed as if he had entered another dimension entirely, although nothing had changed outwardly. It was almost as if Harry had become a part of the place, instead of a mere visitor.
To a certain extent, Harry felt that he truly understood now. The world was not for him to save, but rather, he had to choose to decide if he merely wanted to help. Nothing more. If he so chose, he could create a rain of death that wizarding Britain had never seen. In a way, it was almost tempting to do just that.
"Child, you must be hungry. You have been here for hours." The portrait said with a twinkle in its eye.
Harry looked up and into the bright eyes of the alternate Erasmus and smiled. In the blink of an eye, Harry had snatched another rat from the room and had sucked it dry. It no longer mattered to Harry that he had just eaten a rat. Nothing much mattered anymore but death and his will to live.
He crouched down into the corner to listen once again to the truths the portrait had to tell.
Draco paced through his father's rooms. They were gone….all of them. He could hardly curtail the anger and rage. He thought that everything would be different now that he spent that time with his father. But, once again, he ended up disappointed. He truly wondered why he even bothered. All everyone in the Wizarding world ever seemed to care about was the precious Boy-Who-Lived. If it wasn't for the fact that the man had made his life hell, he would give Potter up to Voldemort himself.
Draco grabbed the books from his father's bookcase and threw them to the floor. He snatched the bottle of fire whiskey from the table and threw himself down on the sofa. If that was the way his father wanted it…fine.
Draco tipped the bottle and drank deeply. He just didn't care anymore.
Erasmus threw open the doors to his secret hideaway. He didn't bother to wait for Severus, his rage was far too great. He stormed into the room which housed the portrait only to find Harry huddled against the wall like a crab. The house had already affected the boy.
Erasmus turned to the portrait and yelled. "What do you think you are doing?"
The portrait turned to look at its master. "I am merely doing what you are afraid of. The boy was weak; haunted by his self-loathing nature. I have cured him."
Severus raised an eyebrow. It was not everyday that one had the chance to witness someone literally argue with themselves.
"No, you have tainted him. If you weren't a part of myself, I would destroy you utterly." Erasmus snarled.
The portrait smiled. "Ahhh, so you do still fear me."
Erasmus snorted in laughter. "Fear you? I know you. Behind the rough exterior and capacity for murder, you are nothing. Leave the boy alone. If you cease to do so, you may just find yourself amidst the fires of hell."
Erasmus waved a hand and stunned Harry who had been watching the exchange with widened eyes. "Severus, collect your charge. We must get him home."
Suddenly, the portrait began to laugh. "But, dear friends, the boy is home."
Severus glared at the portrait. "What in Merlin's name are you talking about?" Severus asked, annoyed.
The portrait smirked. "The boy belongs to me now. He's not going anywhere."
Erasmus seemed to have had enough. "Get on with it. Explain your demands."
The portrait laughed. "There are no demands. Only facts. The boy ate something that belonged to the house, so he has become the house. He is home."
Erasmus turned to Severus and poked Harry in the side, waking him from the daze the elder vampire had placed him under. "What did you eat? Tell me now!"
Harry rolled his eyes. "What there was here to eat. Rats."
Erasmus rubbed his temples with his fingertips. "What a mess." He turned to the portrait and slashed his claws across its face. Both vampires howled in pain, bearing the same marks. Erasmus composed himself and held out his hand, the portrait began to stretch and undulate. Erasmus' counterpart howled in protest, but in a moment, all that remained was the frame of the portrait. The likeness of Erasmus was no more.
Severus looked at Erasmus puzzled. "What is going on?"
"I have taken him back. He was left out entirely too long. Come. Let's take the boy home."
Severus rolled his eyes. "What then was all of that fuss dealing with Potter eating a few rats?"
Erasmus patted Severus on the shoulder. "If I had left the portrait here, Harry would have had to remain close to it. The part of myself that I am not proud of had latched itself onto the poor boy through the blood of those rats. If that part of myself had remained here, Harry would have never been able to truly stay away from it for long. And that, I fear, would have had dire consequences. Now that I have reclaimed the dark part of my soul, I severed that connection. Harry Potter is no longer bound to this place."
The two vampires wrapped Harry into their cloaks and flew off into the night. The long journey was just beginning, and the following dawn would bring more surprises than they could fathom. The end of days was getting closer, and it was up to a small boy to save them all.