Disclaimer: Can be found in the first chapter.
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Chapter 12: New Surroundings
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Harry found himself sitting by the lake after his last class. His mind was teeming with ways to get back at Ron. He couldn't believe that his one-time best friend would go this low.
"Fucking asshole," he muttered, whipping a stone into the lake. "He's gone to far. There is no going back."
Harry had to focus to keep his Vampire under control while he was in class. He had nearly every class with Ron today, and every glimpse of his red hair would set Harry off anew.
~*~
Hermione did her best to keep her friend calm, but only so much would work for him. She knew how badly Harry had taken Ron's actions.
After classes, she found Ron in the common room. She went over to him, her anger evident in her movements and voice.
"What were you thinking?" she yelled, right in Ron's face.
"He's a two-faced bastard," he answered, calmly sitting on the sofa in the Gryffindor common room.
"You're the two-faced bastard. You had to fucking do this to him, didn't you?" she hollered, getting within inches of Ron's face. "You had to do the petty thing and completely over react."
"I didn't over react," he answered, before getting slapped across the face.
"Like hell you didn't over react," she spat, slapping him a second time. "You can forget about me, Ron. I'm on Harry's side. He deserves friendships that he can be happy in. Not ones where he has to be stupid so the friend can understand him."
Hermione left the common room, knowing exactly where to find Harry.
~*~
Severus had been seething all day.
"That insolent little brat had absolutely no right to do that to Harry," he thought, gripping his quill much harder than necessary. "I cannot believe that Albus allowed this."
He had started writing his own article, about the blind-eye Dumbledore had been turning to Harry's well being. It was nearly common knowledge that Harry was unhappy at the Dursley's yet he had to continue going there every summer. It was common knowledge that Harry was having problems with nightmares, yet Dumbledore did nothing to help him.
"The old fool has gone on like this long enough," Severus said, looking over the article. "It's time he has some problems with his treatment of Harry from the public."
He finished the article, cast a slight modification spell on his handwriting, and anonymously sent an owl to the Prophet. If he had any luck, it would make it into tomorrow's issue, counteracting the article today.
~*~
"Harry," Hermione said, seeing the silhouette on the horizon.
"Hey, Mione," Harry said, turning to look at her. "What's up?"
"I slapped Ron twice," she said, sitting on a rock near Harry's.
"Why?" he asked, looking at her.
"He's a bastard and doesn't deserve friends," she said, simply. "The sunset is beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is," he said, a smile on his face. "The last one I watched, Severus was with me. I gave him a necklace."
"That's nice," she said, smiling to her friend. "Why don't you go find him?"
"I was thinking of going to his quarters after the sunset, but I think I'll go now," he said, getting up. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mione. I don't know when I'll be back."
"Have a good night," she said, staying on her rock.
~*~
Severus looked up at the knock on his door.
"Enter," he said, dropping into teacher mode. When he saw Harry, his features softened slightly.
"Hey, Sev," Harry said, taking the familiar seat in the professor's office.
"Hey," Severus said, setting his quill down. "I wrote a rather scathing owl to the prophet about a certain beloved headmaster. It should make the morning edition."
"Won't they know it's from you?" Harry asked, suddenly aware of his need to have Severus in the same area.
"Of course not, Harry," Severus said, noting the sudden tensing. "I cast a simple charm that changed the handwriting to prevent it being brought back to me."
"Okay," Harry said, relaxing a bit. "Have you got anything going on tonight?"
"Just some marking that I can put off if need be," Severus said, leaning back in his chair. "Why do you ask?"
"I can't go back to Gryffindor Tower anymore," Harry said, putting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. "Since Ron's stunt, I can't even see his hair without almost losing control. Today was a bitch because he was in almost every class. Hermione did her best to help me, but I can tell this whole ordeal is taking its toll on her."
"Come with me," Severus said, getting up. He offered his hand to Harry, who hesitantly took it.
"God, his warmth is so inviting," Harry thought, as his cool skin met Severus' warm palm.
The two made their way into Severus' quarters, where they sat on the sofa. Severus had grabbed the now customary bottle of Firewhiskey and two glasses. He poured a small amount into his own glass but gave Harry a liberal amount. He kept an eye on the younger man, relaxing as he saw the Firewhiskey relax Harry.
"Where do you want to go, Harry?" Severus asked, setting his glass on the coffee table.
"I was thinking about asking for rooms down here," Harry said. "I'd like two bedrooms, so Hermione would be able to come if she'd like."
"I'm sure there is another set of rooms down here," Severus said, watching Harry carefully.
"If that wouldn't be a big deal, would you mind adding a second bedroom to your rooms?" Harry asked, looking at Severus. "I mean if it's not too much hassle."
"I wouldn't mind you moving down here at all," Severus said, his eyes showing intense joy. "I'm sure Albus could be talked into allowing it after tomorrow. He'll do anything to get back into the good graces of everyone."
Harry noted the joy in Severus' eyes, and he compelled to continue the feeling. He moved himself to kiss the older man, placing gentle kisses on his lips. He knew that even a tiny bit more could cause him to lose control.
Severus seemed unaware of the precarious control Harry had as he momentarily deepened the kiss. He slid his tongue along Harry's lips, getting the younger man to open his mouth. The two kissed passionately for a moment, before Severus noticed a slight growl from Harry.
"Shit," Harry thought, feeling his control slipping. He carefully pulled away from Severus, stepping away for a few moments.
"What's wrong?" Severus asked, looking to Harry.
"My control is weak," Harry said, looking into the onyx eyes with his own deep green. "I either need to feed, or you could present a willing donation."
"What do you need?" Severus asked, wanting to do anything to help.
"Give me your wrist," Harry said, sitting next to Severus again. "Do you trust me to stop in time?"
"Of course," Severus said, offering his right wrist to Harry.
Harry took Severus hand in his. He brought the wrist to his nose, sniffing. He shuddered in pleasure when Severus' scent hit his nose. He watched Severus closely, before carefully puncturing the skin. Harry felt Severus tense at the slight pain, before gently sucking at the wound. He could hear soft whimpers from Severus.
"My venom had aphrodisiac qualities, Sev," Harry thought, hoping the bond was open.
"Really?" Severus thought, surprised at Harry's voice in his head.
"Yes, really," Harry said, after gently cleaning the wound and healing it. "Thank you, Sev. That helped a lot."
"You're welcome, Harry," Severus answered, his eyes still hooded a bit.
"I think I'm going to pay Dumbledore a visit," Harry said, his eyes back to their usual emerald shade. "I'll be back soon."
~*~
Ron sat on his bed in silence. His cheek still stung from the slaps Hermione had given him. Now, not only had he lost his best friend, he lost the chance with the love of his life. Everything was spiraling out of his control.
"It's all because Harry changed over the summer. What happened to him?" Ron asked, knowing that no one would hear him. He had the curtains drawn, and he had placed a silencing charm around his bed.
He knew that he had screwed up. He knew that there was probably nothing that he could do, but he had to try anyway.
~*~
Dumbledore sat fuming in his office. To his complete surprise, the evening Prophet had contained a painfully accurate exposé on him. It was anonymous, but there were only three people who knew about some of the things in it. He was sure that Severus would have never done it, but it was equally as unlikely that Minerva had sent it. He was angry beyond all realms when the thought that someone else had found out struck him. A knock at the door brought him back to reality.
"Come in," Dumbledore said, his anger carefully contained.
"Good evening, Professor," Harry said, stepping into the familiar office. He noted the air of anger around the headmaster and smirked.
"Good evening, Harry," Dumbledore said, cheering immensely at the sight of him. "What brings you to my office?"
"I have a request," Harry said, sitting in the familiar chair. "I'd like to be able to move into Professor Snape's quarters."
"Why is that, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, knowing exactly why.
"Professor Snape and I have a lot of learning to do about each other. I feel that it would be easier to do so if I didn't have to continually sneak out of the Gryffindor common room to do so," Harry said, his eyes hard. "Professor Snape has already expressed interest in this arrangement. We wait on your okay."
"I see no real issues with that arrangement, other than how the rest of the school would view it," Dumbledore said, eyeing Harry carefully. "How would it look to have the Gryffindor Savior going to the Slytherin Head of House's quarters every night?"
"I don't much care what the school thinks right now," Harry said, his voice hard. "It would be in the best interests of the school if a Vampire weren't running rampant through the halls, but there's nothing we can do about that now, is there? With me in Professor Snape's quarters, I would be much less likely to lose control of my Vampire, and I would be much more relaxed around him, seeing as he is my mate."
"Fine, you may move as soon as possible. Severus knows how to add a room," Dumbledore said, his anger threatening to break free.
"See you at breakfast," Harry said, before swiftly leaving the office.
His anger besting him, Dumbledore began throwing his priceless trinkets about his office, cursing any and everyone.
~*~
Harry entered the Gryffindor common room for what as sure to be the last visit for some time. He went to the dormitory and noticed Ron's curtains were drawn. He sneered at that as he collected his various belongings. He stowed them in his trunk and shrunk it to fit in his pocket. As he made his way out of the tower, he stopped to talk to Hermione.
"Hey, Mione," Harry said, sitting at the table she had overtaken in an effort to do some of her homework.
"Harry, hey," she said, glancing up from her essay. "What's up?"
"I'm moving into Sev's quarters," he said, smiling a bit.
"Really? That's great for you guys," she said, smiling to her friend.
"Yeah, I'm going to tell you now, you'll be welcome anytime. Just owl me before you come, and I'll meet you in the entrance hall to show you in," he said, before getting up.
"Alright, Harry," she said, standing and hugging her friend. "See you in class."
"See you, Mione," he said, unaware that Ron had overheard.
~*~
A/N: So, there you have the further fracturing of Ron's grip on his life. Will he be completely miserable?
Anyway, thanks for all the support. It really makes me want to continue this story.
I've been really busy as of late, so after chapter 14, there may be longer periods between chapters.
Thanks again, guys.
-KD