"There are two kinds of light - the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures"
~James Thurber

Harry scanned his Hogwarts letter whilst absentmindedly stroking Hedwig. He should have known that she would find him, she seemed to have a sixth sense and was able to hone in on the location of any person she needed to get to. Harry smiled as she cooed softly in his ear. She seemed like a slice of normalcy that had appeared when he had needed it most. The shift of realms was one thing, however the shift of ideals was a whole other thing entirely. He had mulled over what Tom had told him and he surprised himself by believing him. Before he would have scoffed and called it ridiculous but Tom never lied about his vampyrism, why couldn't this be true as well? Maybe Dumbledore really was that manipulative, it wouldn't come as a huge shock, over the years he had been aware that half of the things he had been through could have been prevented by the aged wizard. But where would that leave Ron and Hermione? Would they side with him or against him? It was painful to think that he could be going against his bestfriends... maybe if he just told them the truth they would be more open minded? It was always something to consider. Hearing a knock on his door Harry strode over to it, tossing the letter onto his bed. Opening the door he looked up to see Tom, his features made Harry see that he was annoyed about something and before Harry could fathom what he found Tom had pushed past him, taking a seat on the couch. Flopping down next to him he could see the older vampyre roll his eyes at his pupil's lack of elegance. Not caring in the slightest, Harry turned to look at him, curiosity shining in his eyes.

"I see that you received your Hogwarts letter" remarked Tom, looking at the parchment on the bed clearly displaying the Hogwarts emblem.

"Yes, Hedwig managed to find me and deliver it" said Harry, feeling pride in his familiar's capabilities.

"She's a very clever owl. Alderan informed me that Blaise, Zacharias, Hannah and Luna had also received theirs. However they shall be accompanying their families and it would look suspicious if Harry Potter went along..." Tom seemed unwilling to continue.

"What does he want me to do?" asked Harry, diving straight into the heart of the matter.

"He wishes me to accompany you, both of us disguised however. He is as old as he is paranoid, although in this case I believe he has a right" answered Tom evenly.

"Why can't I go on my own?"

"Alderan is worried that the Light forces will sense your change and so you will need someone to keep you from harm."

"Why you?" It really never made sense why their Lord would send Tom to, in essence, baby-sit him.

"I am the strongest dueller in this realm and your protection is paramount" replied Tom, his voice was still steady but Harry could hear the annoyance that lightly laced the words.

"I suppose we better get going then" sighed Harry, it was clear Tom never wanted to go and sometimes he wished he could just say 'no' to Alderan but no, the stupid Lord had to order everyone about regardless of personal feelings!

"It isn't that I do not enjoy spending time with you, I had just had other matters that I wished to attend to today" said Tom, hearing the dejection in Harry's voice.

"How are we going to be disguised? I'm assuming a fake beard won't cut it" asked Harry, his mood lifted slightly at Tom's statement.

"I'm afraid not" chuckled Tom, "Glamours will have to do". At this Tom raised his wand and walked over to Harry. One by one Harry felt his features changing slightly, it was a little disconcerting but thankfully Tom was finished quickly. Conjuring a mirror he glanced at his appearance. Instead of short, messy and black, his hair was now honey blond and brushed his shoulders, reminding Harry slightly of Lysander. His face was now more pointy and Harry had brief flashes of Malfoy before cringing slightly and directing his attention elsewhere. Instead of bright viridian his eyes were now a deep blue with little specks of green. Other than that his features were the same but they seemed drowned out by Tom's modifications. Glancing at his forehead he saw that his scar had disappeared as well. Yes, he was sure no one would realise that he was Harry Potter. Turning to Tom he saw that the man's hair was now chestnut brown and short, his eyes too were still blue and his face was a little more rounder. However, he still retained the elegant and slightly dangerous air about him that reminded Harry who the man underneath the mask truly was.

Opening his wardrobe Harry rummaged around until he found his summer cloak, it was still daylight and he wanted to be as protected as possible from the rays of the sun. Even in the castle he felt a little fatigued and it would only worsen when he was outside. Tom had assured him however that he would become accustomed to this with time, but he just hoped it never hindered him in Hogwarts. Fastening his cloak, he checked to make sure he still had his sack of the remaining money from last year. Walking over to Tom, the elder vampyre held out his arm. Holding onto it Harry was once again filled with the unpleasant sensation of disintegrating before he reformed in an alleyway near the Leaky Caldron.

Stepping into the pub Harry was hit by a barrage of sensations. He wrinkled his nose as the scent of human filth mixed with stale beer was registered by his nostrils, resisting, with difficultly, the urge to gag.

Then there was the noise.

It was like he had walked right into a wall of sound and his head throbbed, feeling like it was going to split open. He hadn't realised before now how graceful and elegant people were in the Midnight Realm and it was quite a complete shock to his system. Feeling Tom grab his arm he allowed himself to be dragged out the back and into the alley. It was even worse here and Harry resisted the urge to run out of there in an effort to escape the crippling pain. Numbly he noticed Tom had taken him to the side in an empty close but was too lost in the sensations to care.

"Are you okay?" asked Tom, his voice tinged with concern.

"It hurts" gasped Harry, crumbling to the ground and hugging his knees to his chest. He hated how weak he was being but he hadn't expected that at all. How would he survive at Hogwarts if he couldn't even last a few minutes outside his realm! As if reading his mind Tom hauled him up and supported him whilst he weaved his wand in intricate patterns. Soon the voices dimmed until they were at 'normal' volume.

"How did you do that?" asked Harry, feeling a little dazed at the sudden absence of pain.

"I performed the Quietis Charm, it lowers your sensory receptors in your ears but I'm afraid that I can do nothing about the smell" explained Tom impassively, if Harry hadn't been looking right at him he would have missed the apologetic look that quickly flashed in his eyes. However he felt too grateful to ponder on this for more than a moments. Glancing at the list he groaned when he saw how much he would need this term, feeling his heart sink he realised that he would probably have to go to Gringotts.

"Alderan already contacted Gringotts and they have agreed not to reveal your identity" said Tom, Harry was beginning to get freaked out at how easily the man read him, maybe it was something to do with his heightened legillimency…

"How did they agree to that?" asked Harry.

"Alderan and the goblins formed an alliance a few centuries ago, they have long been oppressed by the Light rulers and respect Alderan's cause so they would be more inclined to trust his word, even if they have chosen to remain neutral in the war. All we ask of them is discretion and commission them to create various metalwork for us, in fact at the moment they are creating a bronze statue of Apollo for the temple, Alderan is quite enthusiastic about it" answered Tom calmly, Harry knew he had just added the part about the statue to make it clear the goblins never just made them weapons.

Moving to go back into the street, Harry suddenly became aware of how close they were. Tom's hands were still on his arms from when he had pulled him up and Harry could feel Tom's breath ghost on his face. Shivering slightly he tried to suppress the irrational desire welling in his gut. He shouldn't be affected like this by Tom, it was wrong! He was The Golden Boy, The Chosen One, The-Boy-Who-Lived-

'No you're not' came the pesky voice from the back of his mind.

'What?'

'You are no longer Light therefore you do not have to conform to their rules'

'But its wrong!'

'Why?'

'It just is!'

'Be that as it may it doesn't change anything'

Harry ignored that last remark and pulled out of Tom's grasp. He barely noticed the elder vampyre as he followed his charge back into the alley. Breaking into the stream of shoppers, Harry breathed a sigh of relief as his now dulled hearing proved to be a success, and headed for the very familiar white building, looming over its shabby neighbours. Entering through the bronze and silver doors, Harry made his way through the desks to the main counter. Approaching a free goblin, Harry felt rather uncomfortable as it's beady eyes raked up and down his body.

"Good afternoon, I am Zxunok, how may I help you?" his voice was aged but his eyes gave an impression that was anything but weak.

"We would like to withdraw some money from this vault" answered Tom smoothly, handing over Harry's key. Analysing it the goblin's eyes seemed to light up as he realised who he was really serving and, without further adieu, led them over to one of the many carts. Stepping in, Harry was suddenly taken back to his first time with Hagrid. He had had little need to return to Gringotts after that and so this was his first time since. It seemed so long ago that he had went whizzing through these tunnels with the half-giant, another life in fact. Here he was sitting in the cart once more except with, what his younger self then believed to be, his enemy. It was strange that the first time he had entered this place it was his introduction to the world of deception and that he was only breaking free of now he rode in it once more. It seemed almost fitting. Coming to a stop Harry was wrenched out of his musings as Zxunok called them over. The door looked as if it were made of iron and was bare except for the small keyhole in the centre. The goblin, seeing he had their attention, inserted the key into the lock and turned it thrice clockwise. Clicking sounds emanated from the walls and Harry stepped back as the iron-like substance seemed to melt away, displaying the room behind it. Entering, Harry was almost blinded by the golden light, gleaming from the piles of galleons placed haphazardly around the room. Not knowing where to begin, he helplessly glanced at Zxunok.

"Take this," said the goblin, holding out a magenta velvet sack, "Place as many galleons as you need in the sack and once they are depleted more will be automatically drawn from your vault, this way you will not have to keep returning."

Gratefully, Harry took the bag and began scooping money into it. When he felt he had enough, he drew the gold drawstrings and tied them together, hearing a clinking noise as the money was bunched up. Normally Harry would have had trouble carrying it but his new found strength made it seem almost feather light. Zxunok raise a white eyebrow at this but never said anything. Walking over to Tom, they made their way back to the cart and began the tumultuous ride back to the surface. Before going back into the lobby however Zxunok pulled them both aside.

"Sir, Ragnok wished to inform you that your order is nearly complete and should be ready by next Tuesday" whispered Zxunok.

"Thank you, I shall inform Alderan when we return" said Tom, impassively.

Bowing, Zxunok then led them back to the lobby before biding them a safe journey and farewell. Exiting the bank Harry was once again thrown into the hustle and bustle of the busy street. He was almost swept away until Tom grabbed his arm and led him through the crowds. They seemed to part for him, he naturally exuded power and Harry could almost feel his magic wrap around them, almost warning others not to get close. When he was Harry Potter no one would dare barge into him, they would just gawk at him like he was some animal in the zoo. Now he was shoved about and Harry knew that without Tom's help shopping would have them a lot longer to meander through the crowd. Entering the Apothecary, Harry quickly replenished his potions kit while Tom browsed in the restricted section before purchasing a few materials. When Harry tried to see what they were, Tom turned slightly obstructing his view. They quickly made their way through the list and Harry even managed to get himself new clothes at Madam Malkins as in Tom's words his old ones were "unbefitting of a tramp". They had saved DADA till last and it was with relief that Harry entered Shifty and Shift E. R. According to Tom it was, in his day, one of the best Dark Arts shops in Britain. Of course it also had a Defence aspect but back then Tom hadn't really been interested in that particular attribute. Harry had never entered the shop before, always going to Flourish and Blotts for his books but apparently here there was a better range for extra-curricular reading material. Crossing the threshold Harry felt magic hit him, it wasn't all Dark but then it wasn't all Light, more of a balance. It felt refreshing, showing that the two could co-exist peacefully, in perfect harmony like the should. There were rows of old bookshelves, each containing old tomes that looked as if only the magic contained within their pages was the only thing keeping them together. In glass cabinets along the left wall were trinkets, Harry could spot a few foe glasses and sneakoscopes but apart from that he never had a clue what the others were.

Tom walked briskly to the counter where a pale man with greasy black hair stood. He was slightly hunched and he wore standard black robes. If Harry never knew better he would have thought he was a vampire, looking closely he saw that his canines were slightly elongated. He certainly had vampire blood in him then, perhaps his father or mother was one? Tom and the man were having a hushed conversation and Harry felt it best not to intrude. Wandering over to the bookcases he scanned the spines. Some of the titles were faded and others were gleaming brightly. One title caught his attention however, and he lifted the book down from its resting place. Opening it the smell of old books greeted his nostrils. Inhaling the scent he scanned the page. It was about Dark creatures and he had to laugh at some of the descriptions of vampyres. However through all the nonsense there was some snippets of truth and that was enough to make it interesting. Closing the volume, he saw Tom was now busy perusing the tomes and walked over to the counter, intent on buying it.

"That will be twenty galleons" said the man, his voice was sharp and carried with it unspoken promises of what would happen if he tried to haggle. Reaching into his bag he placed the money on the counter. At this moment however Tom came over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Now, now Garret I'm sure we can make that ten" said Tom, injecting some charm into his voice.

"Seventeen and that's my final offer" said Garret, his eyes locked on Tom's.

"The wording is faded and some pages are torn, I think that calls for fifteen" retorted Tom.

"Can't get past you, can we?" chuckled Garret, "Fifteen it is."

Taking back five galleons, Harry handed over the rest and shrunk the book before placing it in his bag, he was glad Tom had cast a Lightening Charm on it or else even with his superior strength he probably wouldn't have been able to carry it without some difficulty. Tom too bought a book before they made their way out of the shop. Breathing in the fresh air, Harry suppressed a sigh of relief that his school shopping was over with.

"I've known Garret for over fifty years and he still tries to haggle with me" said Tom, amusement glittering in his eyes as they made their way through the crowd.

"But wait doesn't that mean he knows who you are?" asked Harry, slightly alarmed.

"I have many faces, he doesn't have any idea who I really am, he may suspect but even then it wouldn't be an issue" said Tom.

"Is that because he is part vampire?" asked Harry.

"His father was a vampire yes, it is unusual for one to procreate but the genetic abnormalities normally fade after a few generations. Now, it is only six o'clock, when we get back I want you to rest for one hour and get something to eat before meeting me in the arena. Just because you've been out today does not mean we can slack on your training" said Tom severely.

Groaning at this Harry entered an alleyway and grabbed Tom's arm before they faded away into the shadows.

A/N: Thank you for the feedback! I'm not sure when I'll be able to update next as I have my exams next week and I really need to study *groan* but it might be sometime next week depending on how much work I get done. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

I apologise for any spelling and/or grammar mistakes contained within this chapter.

Reviews are appreciated :)