AN:
English is not my native language, so it's highly probable that I make mistakes in grammar, that's why some Beta readers are helping me.
The fic is not mine, it is a translation of "Entre las sombras" by madelinegiovani.
I hope you like it.
In a week of school I only had problems in the subject of History of Magic: it is impossible to me to attend this class, it is impossible to prevent me from sleeping. The first and only class that I went to was a nightmare, as soon as Professor Binns started talking I had to leave immediately, I could feel my body beginning to become rigid as a result of the sun coming through the windows and the monotony of his speech. His classes and Ancient Runes Study, along with meal times, are the only moments that I allow myself to miss. Mainly because they are soporific, because they coincide with the hours when the sun is at it's highest and because I still can't stand the smell of food, otherwise I try to attend all the classes I can, but if they are at noon, then I usually stay in my room.
There was also the detail of the Slytherin house. My classmates didn't get used to my new attitude, I was more strange than usual, much quieter, I wasn't joking as before and I ignored the girls who gathered the courage to approach me. It is difficult to explain. On the one hand I was afraid to talk to them, to relax too much, but on the other hand, I needed all the power of concentration that I have to avoid running to my refuge when the sun rose. At the same time I wasn't in a mood to joke, it is a bit complicated to find the grace of something when you have so many things in mind: stay awake, avoid moving too fast, don't bite anyone, don't break their soft bodies, don't react violently because of a simple touch… Because that was the worst thing, not knowing my condition, they touched me at all the time. Pats on the back, arms, loving caresses, they encountered me...
My favorite subject was still Potions, despite not having the favor of Snape, something that hardly anyone had realized. It was a blessing to be under tons of stone in that damp and dark environment in which I felt so comfortable. Also, this was the last of all the classes, so as time went on I could enjoy more and more of the complexity of the potion that I was doing, my mind was releasing from all the ties that I had for the day and only focused on the cauldron, my body was liberated from the tension and relaxing as the sun was about to put on and that meant I should no longer feel the danger.
The nights were perhaps the most curious part of my new school experience. Before, I was limited by my body. I needed sleep, but now that need was different and at other hours, besides, I really didn't sleep to rest, but I needed it to not unleash a slaughter. I walked the entire castle and I found the famous Chamber of Secrets, it wasn't difficult at all to enter there. I was curious that one of my new gifts was the ability to speak Parseltongue, but I had already discovered that I understood the sounds of other animals, so I concluded that this new gift was not limited to snakes. Having discovered that chamber, I decided to convert it in my refuge, it was far below the castle and it would be much more difficult to access for other students. From what I know, the only one who spoke Parseltongue was Potter and and I don't think he wants to go back in there. I also ventured into the library and I discovered a really fascinating world, my mind registered what I read in a more efficient way than my limited mortal mind had done before, it wasn't strange to find me at the dawn engaged in some advanced magic volume. That's when I realized that someone else acted in a different way than she did before.
She was watching me, studying me... she knew what I had become. I knew she had guessed, she was so smart, so studious... of course. Granger was not fooled by rational and logical explanations when her mind registered the changes and evidences. Not that anyone could see me and say, "Hey, this guy is a vampire." But there were certain details that could expose me to people who can unite and form a puzzle of evidences. I don't eat anything, unconsciously I examine my surroundings like a predator, my reflexes are infinitely faster and even though I control myself enough, I can't avoid some too fast answers for a normal boy of seventeen. I also have the tendency of not moving for long periods of time, if I want I can look like a statue, my skin is infinitely clearer than it was before, my way of walking has changed- though I try with all my strength to walk slowly and making sounds, I often don't have any success doing that. But the most significant of all is the fact that I lost my reflection, not because I'm a vampire, but because I am one that controls the shadows. There is something that causes inconsistency between one and another. Surely she has been vigilant until she noticed that my reflection didn't appear in a window before she finished connecting the dots.
I guess I should worry about the fact that she knows my true nature, but I don't get to care. I think part of me wants everyone to know what I am now and at the same time I don't want them to know, that's a curious feeling. I wish they knew that at least that I'm not the same Draco I was before, I'm no longer funny, I have no any particular interest in annoying those who are supposed to be inferior to me... actually no one can be nothing like me. But I can't let them know what I am, because then I would be in danger, I can't allow someone to have that power over me, even though all the strength that Luc gave me with his blood, I must be cautious. But it will be funny to see what she does with her deductions. I'll be watching her to see if she says something to her friends or if by some chance she said something to the teachers.
It's Friday. Classes are over and everyone goes to dinner, I guess I can't let it go for tonight and I should also feed a little. Almost a week, I managed to withstand all temptations. I was able to contain myself... until this afternoon in Herbology, I could hear the hearts of my colleagues, feel the blood flowing through each of the superficial veins… When I saw Professor Sprout with a large knife I knew someone could cut and then I will jump over that person to lick the precious liquid... I walked out the door quickly, I only care to get away from any possibility of exposing myself. I ran to my room without slowing my speed, because despite the weakness that the day caused me, I'm able to run so fast that the human eye is not able to see me. I locked myself in the four walls of my room, I was no longer feeling the power of the sun on my muscles, and I lay down in my bed to sleep until evening.
Now I walk around the hallway, waiting for everyone to be locked in the safety of the castle so I can go out and hunt ... not that I'm hungry, but I'm starting to feel a throbbing necessity in my throat to enjoy the magnificent pleasure of blood. I walk quietly into the lobby, not that I necessarily have to go out through the door, I could just jump through any window, the fall will not affect me at all, but I want to make sure everyone is inside the castle, that nobody is ending some practice outside. I arrive in time to see the last students entering the castle, it was Potter's small group... and she looks at me in a way that I can't decipher...
For that one moment, I don't care. My throat reminds me that I can't waste my time and that I can't go into the dining room to find out what that curious look means. I leave the castle and I walk with apparent slowness towards the forest. I felt the darkness waiting for me in the woods, but I rejected it in order to hunt, my prey didn't have to know that I'm there and the shadows would alert them. I can't hunt humans, I have to be careful with the other supernatural creatures of the forest and I just hope I find some of the animals that now populate the forest. Dumbledore has asked Hagrid to fill the forest with 'normal' animals such as bears, wolves, foxes, elk and deer, so I can hunt. Hagrid may have put something of his own, because I heard a roar that doesn't resemble the roar of none of those predators, I can't help smiling when the aroma of a large feline reaches my nostrils. I think I'll start with that animal.
Anyway this is my first night of hunting alone and in addition in a completely unknown territory, this forest has dangers even for me. I stand still after advancing two steps and I focus on all my senses. The smell of the animals tells me where I should look, my eyes detect the slow movement and my ears record the gentle sound of padded feet against the humus that covers the floor. But I need to know before the situation of my opponents and I use the shadows to my advantage... yes, now I can see the whole forest, I know where the centaurs, the giant, the unicorns and every one of the creatures that inhabit it are. I even see the real extension of the forest... I want to explore each corner of the forest, those in which no one would even put a finger, but my thirst reminds me again that I didn't come here to play. On the contrary, I'm here to hunt... although I take note of the lair of werewolves to avoid it carefully, because it is too close to where the bears are .
Now that I've decided that my targets will be the lions, I begin a totally silent career, it may seem odd, but my feet make no noise when I jump through the wreckage of fallen trees, even though they are wrapped in expensive Italian shoes. My body is fully tensioned, ready to attack. The lion is also taking a walk through the forest, recognizing his new territory, just like me, but he hasn't located any prey yet and I already have. I jump over him and I put my arms around him, like iron pliers, while he fights hard under my weight, but I do not give him any options, he can't escape and he stops moving as soon as my fangs pierce his skin. I am surprised to note that his blood is completely different from human blood, it doesn't have the same taste, it feeds me and gives me strength, but it doesn't provides me with the pleasure that even a single drop of human blood can give me, however it has a wild savor that gives me a different satisfaction. I lick the wound when I finish to prevent his teammates from attacking him. I caress his hair while he is calm and I play with the possibility of giving him some of my blood so that he might be more docile with me, but I don't want that, I prefer to let him go free from any ties. I get up and I go with a renewed strength towards the castle, thinking how well I'm going to pass hunting at night. It is then that I hear the scream.
I focus my eyes on the direction from which the scream came. I perceive the scent of a human and a werewolf out of their hunting area. The shadows allow me to discern a figure lying on the ground and another moving towards her. There is no doubt about what is happening. I sighed mentally as I start a desperate race, I can't allow any student to be eaten in the forest while it is dark and I am suppose to be hunting, even if Dumbledore was with me, everyone who knows my condition would immediately accuse me of breaking the stupid rule that allows me to study my last year.
When I reach the tiny clearing I deal with the situation. The werewolf is in front of me, but maybe the huge trunk that is between us doesn't allow him to perceive me, the wind is in my favor and at the same time his prey is in front of me. I jump in the middle of the race and I throw myself against his body giving him a hard blow that knocks him to the ground. I get up quickly and I move back to put myself between him and what he believed would be his food, I can't turn around to see the damn insane human yet because I have to be aware of the claws and jaws of the werewolf. It's my first real fight and I hate that it has to be with one of the few creatures that can get to harm me, if I lose blood there was only one source of blood close that would allow me to recover and that would be quite counterproductive to my position at school. The werewolf has risen in the second that has lasted my analysis of the situation, his roar is of anger and frustration, he is alone, I know that because otherwise I would already be torn into small pieces... I will not give him any more opportunities to recover. The shadows swirl around me and I feel how they want to help, yes, I don't want to get close to those claws again, my mind knows what to do in a fraction of a millisecond. I make the shadows attack the werewolf with all the anger that I've accumulated inside me towards the idiot human who dared to enter the woods but I can't attack him, I don't care that the werewolfe has to suffer in his place. I hit him hard on each point to which the tentacles of the shadows have access. I don't want to kill him, I know that tomorrow, when he wakes up as a man, he will regret what has happened tonight. After several attacks he falls unconscious. I don't want to know how long he needs to wake up, I turn to catch the student, my mind just registers that it is a girl while I pick her up quickly and run off to the castle.
When we are several meters from the forest I stop running and I begin to walk with tranquility, I suppose that she will be unconscious because of the things she has seen, the shock or because she has not said anything, even a brief "thank you". I looked down and I find her watching me with curiosity, she had to be her... Granger.
"Hello." She says in a thin voice, her cheeks flushed again in a very delicious way "Thanks for saving me from the werewolf."
"Sure." I sigh with a bit of annoyance. "Can you tell what the hell were you doing in the forest, Granger?" I want to know why I had to get her out from the forest.
"I was following you." She is still blushing, more and more "I'm sorry. I didn't want to give you any problems..."
"And I suppose that you didn't want me to know that you followed me, right?" I looked at her with amusement "Why did you follow me?"
"I saw you leaving the castle and I wondered what you would do, when I saw that you went into the woods... I was afraid that…" she stopped.
"What were you afraid of?" I urged her.
"That you were going to feed from a human or a centaur." She whispered in a very low volume, I wouldn't have heard it if my senses weren't so sharp.
"Sure. I guess that you didn't remember what Dumbledore said in the welcome dinner, right?" She bit her lip and the blood filled them instantly "I think I remember that he said that this year it was vitally important that any student does not enter the Forbidden Forest... If you also join the fact that Dumbledore isn't as crazy as people believe, you should have figured out that he is aware of my new condition and that he would be aware of my needs." I couldn't help laughing, "I can't believe you didn't realized that he would never allow me to be here if I was planning to kill someone in the surroundings."
"You have not killed anyone?" She asked with a tone similar to hope.
"No. Nobody or anything." I sighed. We were already arriving at the castle "I don't need to kill anyone to feed, Granger." I looked into her eyes but night prevented me from seeing that delicious amber tone "Are you happy?" She nodded. "Now I'd appreciate if you don't say anything to anybody, okay?"
"Yes, I promise I will not say anything. Can you put me down please?" She asked flustered "It's a bit embarrassing to..."
"Sorry." Lowering her being careful not to hurt her. "I didn't realize." The truth is that she weighs nothing.
"Although I'm not saying anything to anyone..." She thought for a while, "Would you mind a lot if I ask you some questions about...?"
"I guess that you will not let me rest until I say yes, right?" She blushes again, this woman would be a nightmare for any vampire. "Okay, but in return you will have to do me a favor..." I was amused to see how she paralyzed, what she would think I was going to ask? "Sometimes I can't attend some lessons and I can't depend on the notes that Goyle and Crabbe take... if they remember to take them... would you mind letting me use yours?" I smiled because of her amazement, it took her several seconds to reply.
"Of course, of course... no problem." I guess she was not expecting something so... human.
"What do you want to ask?" I couldn't stop smiling, I was amused by the way she was looking at me.
"Well... I don't know..." she looked around. We were on the stairs to the entrance "Can we go to another place a little warmer and less inhospitable first?" She hugged herself searching for warmth. I hadn't noticed, I don't feel the cold like them, my body temperature is usually similar to the temperature of a dead person, but when I just drink blood my body temperature approaches the temperature of a human, but my body doesn't register the temperature changes in the same way a human's nervous system would. If I take into account that it is night in a mountainous area in the middle of Great Britain and the adrenaline was gone from her blood, she was freezing.
"Of course, sorry for not realizing it before." I took off my jacket and I put it on her shoulders while I pick her up again to reach the castle faster. "Better?" I put her down again.
"Yes, thank you." Now I could see her eyes better and her flushed cheeks "Do you know some place where we can sit and talk whilst being warm?"
"Yes." I couldn't help but smile because of how she was acting, I smelled fear in her skin and yet she wanted to be with me, a vampire and her old biggest enemy... alone. "Do you mind if I take you back in my arms, to avoid wasting time and that no one sees you with me in the process?" She looked at me with frightened eyes "I can wander around the castle but at this time you should be in your bedroom... in bed." I reminded her.
"Yes, of course. No problem."
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