A/N: Sorry this took a while. University life is killing me slowly and painfully. :(

Ch. 24: Blood Thirst

She was looking at Harry. Her heart was bursting with joy from seeing him there, in front of her, smiling at her. She started to approach him. Her only wish was to trap him in her arms and never letting go, but right when she was in front of him his smile faded and his body started to crystallize. Ginny screamed as Harry turned into a statue made out of glass. The statue shattered into a million pieces and Ginny tried running after the pieces of her loved one, but the pieces disappeared as she tried to embrace the remaining ones, only embracing crystal dust.

Wailing and screaming wouldn't bring him back. She would never see him again; her heart kept telling her that. Her screams wouldn't fade and the hot tears kept bathing her cheeks. She could hear her name being called, but she didn't want to leave the place where her loved one had been standing just seconds before. Still, the ones calling her won the battle.

"No! I don't want to! I want Harry back! I only want Harry back!" Ginny was struggling beneath her sheets while Miosotis chanted a cooling spell over Ginny's forehead.

"Is she still burning?" Cassius asked raising an eyebrow.

"A little," Miosotis replied quickly. "I think she's dreaming."

"Must be one hell of a dream to get like that…" Cassius replied disapprovingly.

Theseus stroke Ginny's hair and leapt back when Ginny's brown eyes snapped open. Ginny straightened herself in bed and her eyes got fixed on Miosotis'. "We leave. Now!"

"We can't just leave, Ginny! He told us to wait!" Miosotis snapped back.

"I don't care! I have to find Harry! That vampire will probably talk to us in riddles if he ever comes back! Plus what guarantee do we have that he didn't get killed already by Death Eaters?"

The others remained silent after what Ginny said and Miosotis shook her head annoyingly, but didn't say anything to Ginny.

"So?" asked Cassius. "Do we really leave this place? I don't like being around vampires anyway. We centaurs don't like vampires very much."

"Shouldn't we at least leave a letter to him, Ginny?" Miosotis managed to ask as softly as she could.

"I don't think so," Ginny answered unsure. "In fact, I think it will be a relief for him if he doesn't find us here."

Theseus walked out of the room first and the rest followed the odd looking boy. He opened the door and smiled at them, making Ginny smile back. In that way, not even knowing where they would go to, the small group left Yapheth's house.

XxXxX

Severus didn't look very happy when he found out Yapheth had agreed to accompany them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione wondered why as Severus had described Yapheth as such a wonderful vampire and all... It was odd how he somehow didn't want his old vampire friend to be with them, but at the same time recognised that Yapheth could be of great help.

First thing in the morning of October 27, the group went to Connemara via Portkey. They arrived at the house where they were supposed to leave Reginald, who had been complaining all along, but were horrified at what they found. The Dark Mark was majestically hovering over Margaret's house.

Severus quickly grabbed the three teens and looked at Yapheth. If the ancient vampire was shocked, he didn't show it. Silently he entered the house, leaving them all outside.

"What's that thing? Why is that over Aunt Margaret's house? Aunt Margaret is no witch! She is one of the most normal human beings you could ever meet!" The child was confused looking at the magical green skull with its serpent's tongue. "Is Aunt Margaret all right?"

Ron grabbed the child by the shoulders, trying to somehow not just calm the small child, but also to reassure himself and get rid of the fears that were sending chills down his own spine. "We will just wait, but that is the Dark Mark, Reginald. Your aunt..." Ron sighed. He couldn't just state that the child's aunt could be dead.

Yapheth came out of the house and shook his head, a gesture only Severus seemed to understand, but that the teens suspected the meaning. "We have to leave this place. Wizards could come here anytime soon because of the sighting of the mark. Reginald, you will have to remain with us. Your aunt is dead. I'm very sorry."

The little boy looked shocked and started to shake his head in denial. "She can't be dead! They couldn't have known about her! She can't be dead!" Before even Yapheth could react by grabbing Reginald, the little boy ran into the house.

"Reginald! Reginald!" Yapheth ran towards the house to look for the boy and the rest followed.

Harry gasped when they entered the house. It was like there had been a tornado in that place, but that wasn't the worst part. There were three dead bodies. One of the bodies had to be Margaret's and was eerily hanging from the ceiling, Harry not wanting to gaze at what held the the woman in such a dangling way. The body was in nurse uniform as the woman had been a midwife, dripping what had once been the fluid of life in her. The second body, that of a man's that had been possibly Margaret's husband, had huge slashes everywhere and was crumpled in a puddle of blood. The slashes reminded Harry of the Sectumsempra and he noticed that the man had been wearing a black suit. The third body was that of a teenaged boy in school uniform, possibly fifteen, and that body was unspoiled. Harry could easily guess that the boy had died from the killing curse. It was obvious that the family had been getting ready for a new day, to go to work and to school respectively. The attack had been just that morning. He and the others had probably arrived only minutes after the Death Eaters had left.

Reginald started to cry and scream, but Yapheth lifted the little boy. Both Severus and Yapheth looked at each other and spoke at the same time: "The wizards are here." They had to leave fast. There were wizards outside already.

Yapheth suddenly moved his long black cape over them confusing the whole group, but in a flash, they had disappeared from inside of the house.

XxXxX

They appeared in some woods full of confusion, except for Yapheth who wore no expression. Hermione showed fear in her eyes and was trembling while Ron emptied his breakfast on the soil. Severus rubbed Ronald Weasley's back and after the teen was finished, the wizard gave him a vial. In silence, Severus gave a vial to Hermione and one to Harry even though Harry didn't want it. He gave Yapheth a questioning look and the vampire nodded. That was all Snape required to also provide Reginald with a vial. The little boy didn't react, but Yapheth opened the little one's lips and poured the contents of the calming draught.

There was a sepulchral silence as they all sat on the soil. Shock adorned the features of the three teens and the child while Severus and Yapheth were simply expressionless. Severus decided to finally speak. The teens so far hadn't seen anything during their quest. They had never seen a death scene like the one they had just experienced and they had to get over it for they might see worse things. "I know that you youngsters had never seen something like that, but you will have to forget about it and go on. That was probably the first time you saw something like that, but the truth is you will see more. I do not know what kind of fantasies you had in your innocent and carefree little minds when you started to look for the Horcruxes and the Dark Lord, but this is reality. That is what Death Eaters do. They know no mercy and kill for fun, especially when it comes to Muggles. They do not care if it is an elderly person or a newborn baby. They kill and they enjoy it. I am very sorry I didn't prepare you for such a thing, but in fact, I am glad you saw it. It might at least bring some sense unto you."

Yapheth suddenly looked angry and his usually soft tenor voice came in a way that made them all jump even when he wasn't yelling: "You pretend to look for Voldemort and just that leaves you mute? How do you expect to fight the darkness when you are obviously children that haven't seen anything? Didn't you even prepare? When I saw your determination I thought you knew what you were getting yourselves into. It is obvious I was wrong! What you saw was nothing! Nothing! That was child's play compared to what I've seen before, compared to other killings they have committed. You will have to forget it and keep going unless you have decided to give up now."

Harry's voice came out broken, but still determined: "We'll keep going, no matter what." After saying this, he broke down into sobs. It was true that it was the first time he had seen something like that. When Cedric died, it had been clean. Same with Sirius. It made him feel almost glad Sirius hadn't suffered when he died. That poor family had obviously been tortured before being murdered.

Reginald was crying too and his little voice came out high-pitched and hurt: "Why Aunt Margaret? How could they know? They also killed Uncle Theodore and my cousin, Teddy. Why? Did they know about me? Is it all my fault?"

Yapheth cradled the child. "It is not your fault little one. The Death Eaters probably didn't even know what they were looking for. Renard would have never revealed your location or what you are to him. They probably intercepted a letter from your father to your aunt or from her to him."

Reginald was scared and his eyes opened wide. "Do you think they have my father?"

"Not yet, little one, but I fear sooner or later they will capture him. Here."

Reginald accepted a sealed and transparent hospital bag full of what was obviously blood and quickly inserted his fangs into it and drank the whole contents.

Hermione looked at this with obvious thirst, but tried with all her might to not think about it. She couldn't possibly desire to drink blood, but the urge was there and it was only the first day. "Yapheth... Next time... Can you give him the blood when I am not present?"

"I'm sorry, but if you do not want to completely become a vampire you will have to fight it yourself. Your friends are also here and your thirst might tempt you to attack them. Not giving the blood to Reginald in front of you won't make a difference, I assure you."

Severus laid his hand on Harry's left shoulder and Harry quickly calmed and looked at Hermione, softly brushing Severus' hand. Hermione was having a terrible dilemma in which they couldn't really help her. She looked frustrated and Ron, with a pale face, looked at her with a mixture of concern and horror. The young Weasley hugged her, but she pushed him away as she could smell the fresh blood running though his veins. She could feel the pulse that meant the pumping of the dark red liquid and she couldn't stand it.

Hermione was glad none of them had noticed that she hadn't reacted much to the scene they had observed before, except for being somewhat scared. She hadn't retched like Ron and she hadn't shed a tear like Harry and even Reginald. In fact, the smell of blood had left her a huge sense of thirst, but there was no way she could reveal that. It made her feel like she was some sort of monster. She felt even worse when crimson eyes looked at her with concern and sympathy. It made her wonder if it was true that in a former life she had loved that vampire. Yapheth seemed to be on their side, but she knew better. He had lots of secrets and she knew that even if he was going to help them just being with that man was going to be almost like being with Lucifer himself. She remembered the horrible monster with horns from that aisle in the ruins. "Master, I mean, Yapheth... Were you the monster?" Hermione, even though she had seen Yapheth transform from monster to man before, she hadn't really registered such a thing very well. It was like she wondered if it had been her imagination and there was also the fact that she had never witnessed Yapheth's transformation when they were struggling with the Horcrux as she had been unconscious.

Ron's eyes went wide. He clearly remembered Yapheth's transformation in front of his eyes when the Manticores and the basilisk appeared. Just the memory haunted him, but he concentrated on the Manticores because he knew the demon was Yapheth. Although for a moment, he had feared that Yapheth had been affected by the Horcrux and turned into that creature to kill them all.

"I do not like to speak about it. As I have said before, I am cursed. I am no saint although I try to do what is right, but that does not mean that I am good, Hermione. If it scares you too much, I will avoid taking that form as much as I can, but sometimes it will be necessary as I am stronger that way. I apologise if I scared you two days ago. Follow me. I will take you somewhere safe in these woods. Do not be afraid. This is part of my domains."

It was obvious Yapheth had sensed their mild fears and hesitation when it came to walking through the woods. After their experience with Snape's cottage in the enchanted forest, the trio and the ex-teacher didn't like the fact of being in some lost woods again, but they followed the tall vampire.

The group reached a building that didn't look as abandoned as the ruins and they got inside. The place looked completely abandoned for a minute, but suddenly it was illuminated and everything changed. It was beautiful then and they all wondered what kind of magic was that. Yapheth answered their unvoiced question: "It was an illusion. Now I am showing you what it really looks like. This is my real home."

"Sir?" Yapheth looked at Ron. "You stroll through the light of day and it doesn't affect you?"

"Humans are quite amusing, fiery one. They make up these stories about vampires not being able to stand the light of day, but it is true that what they call 'lower rank' vampires cannot stand it. I can and Reginald also can. In fact, I think most vampires can walk in daylight, but it can make us weaker."

"Err, please call me Ron." There were silent laughs from Hermione, Harry, and even Reginald.

"Then call me Yapheth." The vampire gave Ron a warm smile that made him flush.

Harry was looking around and started to call the name he had been yearning to call. "Ginny! Ginny? Are you here? Ginny? Ginny!" Harry turned to Yapheth. "Where is she? You told me she was here!"

Harry was getting desperate as Yapheth scanned his house, only to shake his head."She's gone. She was an impatient fiery headed one…"

Ron stared at Yapheth in disbelief and Harry dropped himself into a couch and buried his face in his hands. "Why couldn't she wait just a little longer?"

"She didn't know I would bring you here, young Potter. She ignores the fact that I encountered you people. Remember that." Yapheth gave a sympathetic glance to his guests and then disappeared into one of the rooms to see if there was some sort of message left behind by his previous guests, but there wasn't any trace of why they had left.

XxXxX

During the next three days, Severus started to train the teens in non-verbal spells, but so far the only one progressing had been Hermione. Ron and Harry were having problems concentrating and haven't managed anything. Ron was one that kept angering the again teacher by whispering the spells as that wasn't the purpose of the training.

The only female had been doing an astounding job with non-verbal spells, but she was having other problems that her two friends just couldn't understand. She found that she had to avoid her friends because her thirst had increased. At night, she couldn't sleep anymore and she even asked to sleep separated. The same night of the day they had found the dead family, she had almost bit Harry in the middle of the night. The-Boy-Who-Lived completely ignored that little detail in his slumber and Hermione was terribly scared of telling them what she had almost done. By the second night she asked to sleep in another room and Yapheth moved her to a room with Reginald in obvious understanding. Ron complained and no one answered why Hermione was being moved. Yapheth had simply told Ron that it was Hermione who had to decide whether she wanted to state what was wrong.

On October 30, Hermione thought she was going insane. She couldn't eat normal food with them and felt very sick. She started to drink water with salt and Yapheth stopped her because that could dehydrate her. The girl started to cry in desperate suffering and Yapheth had to cuddle her, as she didn't accept Ron's comfort making the Weasley boy feel awful.

October 31 arrived, and right before dusk, Severus' tattoo burned. Without a word, the man was gone, leaving them all worried. Ron was already expecting a new dose of curses, but Harry calmed him by telling him that he didn't think that would happen.

There were no curses to disrupt the trio, but Hermione went out of control. She almost bit Ron and Reginald was the one to stop her by yelling at her to control herself. The vampire child could barely hold the teenaged girl and when Harry tried to help the boy Hermione suddenly had fangs and like a mad animal, had almost slashed Harry's arm. Yapheth got there at that very moment and grabbed the girl in a strong grip. She couldn't free herself, but kept shrieking like some wild creature, fangs out. Harry and Ron were alarmed and scared, but that had been when they had realised why Hermione had been avoiding them. She had been afraid of biting them in her thirst for blood.

Sometime after midnight, Severus arrived and his expression was frightening. When the teenagers, Hermione with a little control then, had asked him what had happened he couldn't answer. It was Yapheth who told the wizard to tell them. They had to know the truth and at least Reginald was already in bed sleeping.

Severus took several breaths before speaking: "Three hundred and six Muggle children died tonight." Ignoring the gasps he continued: "Forty-two Muggle women were tortured and killed in ways that I will not dare describe. Fifty-four Muggle men were also tortured and murdered. Three Aurors that had been captured were sacrificed by being tortured to the death too. Several wizards and witches died, between them a complete family because both the mother witch and father wizard were Mud… Muggleborns. The Death Eaters also killed several werewolves that didn't bow obedience and several vampires. They still haven't captured Renard, but he is on the Dark Lord's most wanted list. The Dark Lord definitely knows Renard had Harry Potter hidden for quite some time, and for some reason thought that the Irish woman by the name of Margaret had Potter hidden in her home after intercepting a vague letter that confirmed that the woman had hidden someone that was special to the vampire. That is why that family was murdered. It seems that the woman didn't utter a single word about Reginald before dying so the Dark Lord suspects Harry Potter is hidden somewhere in Irish territory." With that, Severus went silent.

Harry was horrified. Once more, he had been the cause of people dying. It wasn't Reginald whom the Death Eaters were looking for in that Muggle house, it had been him, Harry. He started to tremble as he thought about this and started to project his feelings to the bonded. Ron and Hermione had terrified gazes, but Severus went furious: "STOP THAT, POTTER! YOU ARE DRIVING ME MAD!"

Harry quickly stopped. Severus had gone through a lot already. The middle-aged wizard didn't need to feel worse because of a teenager blaming himself. Yapheth quickly made Harry take deep breaths that made the boy calm down telling the boy: "It is not your fault, Harry. It is not your fault. Remember what we talked about."

Harry felt that it was easy for Yapheth to say that, but inside he was feeling devastated. He couldn't bottle it or simply forget it. That was just impossible. The real fact was that the woman named Margaret had died with her husband and son for a misunderstanding that involved him. No one could cover that or make it disappear.

Everything was forgotten when Hermione had another thirst attack. She almost threw herself on Severus and Yapheth grabbed her in seconds. Severus had reacted by having his wand in hand. The man's usually expressionless eyes had gone wide with the sudden 'attack', but those eyes then went back to normal, understanding what was wrong as Severus saw the girl fighting Yapheth's grip with her fangs ready.

Ron shook his head: "I cannot see her like this! I just can't!" With tears running down his cheeks, Ron abandoned the room to get to bed even though he knew sleep wouldn't claim him that night.

Hermione kept acting like a wild creature until three in the morning. Yapheth had sent Severus and Harry to bed and had patiently stayed with the desperate girl until she had stopped fighting and had fallen asleep from exhaustion. He took her to the room she shared with Reginald and placed her to sleep hoping that she wouldn't try attacking anyone else. The girl had to stand two more days and Yapheth wondered if she would be able to.

A/N 2: Feedback is always appreciated, especially constructive criticism and pointed mistakes so I can fix them. Thank you.