Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. Sorry I kept you guys on edge, waiting. You get to see more of Draco, and his motives are finally explained, though!

Chapter Fourteen

By the next day, Harry was worse. He limply hung against his bonds, shaking. The cramps wouldn't go away, and he felt drained. He had been up all day and night. Even through the entire Battle of Hogwarts he had felt more awake. Every part of him was sore; just shifting made his muscles groan and complain.

Harry had given up being angry at Draco. He had no energy to be angry. "Draco..." he muttered. A small whimper left his lips. There was nothing comparable to this. The level of betrayal and pain sliced right through him. It made it impossible to think of anything else. Harry would picture Draco kissing him, but then the blond's face would melt into a sneer as he pulled out a stake.

Why hadn't Draco just done it to his face? That would have at least been quick. Harry could imagine the tip pressed against his chest. "Fun's over," Draco muttered in his mind. And then there was nothing but pain slicing through him. Harry screamed until his throat was raw.

There was the sound of footsteps, and Harry lifted his head. Ron and Hermione appeared. Hermione held a small knife in her hand while Ron held a wooden bowl. "Are you sure you can do this?" she asked. Ron nodded. "Just remember don't break your concentration." She tussled Ron's hair and gave a mirthless smile.

Harry's hello died on his lips, but he continued staring at his two friends with dead eyes. Ron pulled out his wand. "Wingardium Leviosa!" The bowl in front of him remained in the air. Harry wondered what they were doing when Hermione lifted her sleeve and pressed the knife against her arm. Harry saw the blade press into her skin and shook his head wildly, trying to find the words.

Blood was the only thing that would – The coppery smell filled his senses and harry suddenly felt as if his nerves were on fire. His anger at Draco flared up once again. How dare he tell anyone! Harry struggled against the chains, snarling. He didn't notice as Ron started crying or the way the bowl wavered unsteadily. All he could think about was the taste of the blood dripping down his throat. And it was fresh, too. Warm. Another growl overtook him, and he convulsed. That blood was his!

The moment the bowl was in his reach, he crashed into it, slurping up as much as he could. A bit fell to the floor, but Harry didn't notice. Instead his tongue flickered out as he tried to lick the red smeared all over his face. He didn't see Ron stare wide-eyed and horrified or hear Hermione say, "I can't do this anymore," as she stormed away. The subsequent retching sound from the bathroom was only caught by Ron, who left almost immediately afterwards, tinted green.

The taste of blood lulled Harry towards a sleep. For once he felt satisfied and his stomach mumbled contentedly. If only Draco hadn't left him... The moment he was free of these bonds, Harry vowed to get his revenge.

It was only an hour later that Harry became aware of what else was going on. His eyes opened, as he coughed and gagged, acid burning the inside of his mouth. He just knew that Kingsley had been right; he was a threat to everyone. It would be better if he just told Ron and Hermione to turn him in. They would object, though.

It wasn't even remotely likely that they would turn him into the Ministry. He'd have to find his own way to get there. He couldn't do this anymore. Not without Draco, and not with the constant looks of pain and fear on their faces. He was a fucking monster. It had been a mistake to let it go on for even this long.

His thoughts were interrupted as the doorbell rang. Ron rushed over and opened it. Before he saw, Harry knew it was Draco. That irresistible smell drifted over and Harry stiffened. What was he going to do now? Hadn't he already done enough damage? Maybe the Ministry was hiding, waiting for an invite and a confession. The moment Ron saw Draco's face, his fist swung out. Draco barely had time to avoid it.

"You bastard. How dare you even try to come back! Fuck you!" He took another swing, missing by centimetres as Draco ducked again. Hermione came running, and she gasped as Draco came into view. Harry's heart shrunk and grew – patched together and tore apart. He didn't know what to think or do – whether to love him hate him.

"Weasley, stop! Let me explain." But Ron now had his wand pointed at Draco's head.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't do it." Harry wasn't sure he'd ever seen Ron so angry. He shook, and his eyes became slits. Harry could hear how loudly he was panting. This wasn't a joke. But to kill someone – it wasn't in Ron's nature. Still, the threat hung, and Draco's hands instinctively raised so that Ron could see he wasn't holding his wand, wasn't trying any tricks.

"Ron, no!" Hermione tried to reach forward, but Ron shook her off.

"Granger, do a truth spell. I swear I had nothing to do with the Ministry knowing about Harry." He shuddered as Ron refused to lower his wand. Harry didn't know what to say or do, but he watched as Hermione instead pulled out her wand and muttered a spell.

"Say it again, Malfoy, and we'll see whether you're really telling the truth," Hermione said. She sounded sceptical.

"I had nothing to do with the Ministry finding out. My father knew already." It seemed to be true. There wasn't any indication from the spell that he was telling a lie.

"But how?" Hermione asked. "If you're trying to pull my leg – if you told your father, and this is your way of avoiding the truth..."

"I'm pretty sure he asked a vampire to bite Harry," Draco replied after a pause. "I didn't want them to find out. I didn't tell anyone." Harry froze, and Ron and Hermione's faces screwed up in confusion. "Please, just let me see him." Hermione nodded and moved aside. Ron continued staring, but he must have been processing it still because he let Draco move his hand away and point the wand at the floor.

"Follow me," Hermione said. Her mouth still hung open, but she strode over to the bookcase.

"A little cliché, Granger, don't you think?" Draco attempted a laugh, but it stuck in his throat. When he finally stepped through and saw Harry, he froze. Harry's breath caught in his throat as everything fell into place. All of a sudden the pain began to fade. The fear and hurt ebbed away as well. The room seemed to dim as Draco stood before him, and the blond trembled.

"Draco..." He choked on his mate's name and smiled. "I'm so glad it wasn't you." It was impossible to explain how exactly he felt, but Draco's eyes began to water as he managed a weak smile as well. Everything was alright. Well, almost everything. As he approached, Harry threw himself back against the invisible bonds, gasping. For whatever reason, Draco's neck suddenly stuck out, and he knew that if Draco got any close, he'd try to drink his blood.

"What?" Draco stopped, suddenly alarmed. Harry could feel his fear and uncertainty.

"I'm going to bite you if you come any closer. My – my instincts are stronger than usual. I don't think I'll be able to resist."

"You don't have to." Draco took another step forward, but Harry snarled in warning.

"I don't want to hurt you." Ron and Hermione watched quietly, leaning forward as if they wanted to help but didn't know what to say or do.

"You won't. Trust me. It'll be okay." He moved forward, extending his neck and ignoring Ron and Hermione's sudden screams of protest. Harry wavered before lunging forward. The smell of Draco's blood, the rhythmic thud of his heart – it all swelled in his ears. It was impossible to push it away. His teeth made contact with Draco's skin, and he bit down. The taste overwhelmed him.

It seemed to hit every single taste bud; it had no distinct flavour, but instead managed to fulfil them all simultaneously. It was neither salty nor sweet or tangy nor – Harry moaned, and he noticed that Draco did too, leaning into him and wrapping his arms around Harry. But the feeling as if he had been jolted into seeing everything in colour... He panted as his toes curled. It was beyond kissing. Every bit of him screamed Draco Draco Draco as he gulped desperately.

All it took was a light push from Draco to get him to stop. With a single touch from his hands, Harry suddenly felt no urge to keep on drinking, and he pulled back, gasping for breath. Draco was breathing heavily as well, and his face was flushed. His eyes closed as he smiled and stumbled backwards.

Hermione handed him a blood-replenishing potions, which he eagerly swallowed. He had gotten the last drop, he straightened himself up and pulled out his wand. Immediately Harry felt the invisible chains disappear, and he dropped to the floor. It only took moments before Harry had picked himself up and wrapped his arms around Draco. Little pinpricks of warmth seemed through his skin, and he nuzzled against Draco's shoulder.

"You still need to explain what's going on," Hermione said, unsure how to handle the sudden change in Harry's behaviour. One moment he was an unstable monster, and the next he was acting like a cat, practically purring at Draco's touch.

"Right. Now would be a good time to explain William, then," Draco said with a sigh.

"William?" Ron asked. "Here, let's move to the living room."

"Draco's love..." Harry seemed uncomfortable. In fact he was. As welcoming as Draco was being, he still had William on his mind. It stung. But then, why was William relevant to the truth? It made no sense.

"William was a vampire, and I was his mate," Draco finally said. Harry's breath hitched; the infamous William had been a vampire? The thought hadn't even crossed his mind. "I thought – Maybe I should start at the beginning."

"That's always a good place to start," Hermione said quietly. Harry's fingers moved downward, and he took Draco's hand into his. When he squeezed, Draco shakily smiled and squeezed back.

"I was just back home for summer break between fourth and fifth years when my Father wanted to show me something. I mean, I had seen it several times before, but it was more like glimpses since I was six. I guess he finally decided I was old enough. He took me downstairs to a separate room where there were a lot of vampires feeding on willing victims and just lounging about."

"Willing victims?" It was a contradiction. Hermione was just the first one to say anything.

"They want the thrill of it. Don't tell me you didn't feel it when Harry bit you. And beyond that, there's the danger, the adventure in it. Will they go too far? Will this time be your last? It's addictive." All three of them shuddered, and waited for Draco to continue. "Anyway, they occasionally stayed there. Of course, Mother didn't know. Father told me if I told anyone he'd kill me..." Harry's fingers tightened and Draco leaned against his shoulder for a moment.

"But I saw a bunch of vampires, and I went back upstairs. Father explained to me that they actually were in control. At least a group of them were. It's kind of like a vampire government. People only think vampires are dangerous because the oldest ones want it like that, and they're able to get what they want."

"How does that work exactly?" It was Hermione again.

"They keep them – the new ones – locked up, away from their mate and blood for a while. Then they release them. They attack people because they've basically been tortured and have gone insane." Draco's face twisted up and he pulled his hand away from Harry's fist clenching. Harry felt sick. He couldn't imagine anyone keeping them apart just for some sick sense of fun.

"That's awful..."

"Yeah. So, I went to my room, but pretty soon there was a knock. I opened the door and there was a vampire there. At first I thought he was going to kill me, but he quickly explained that I was his mate. I didn't really know what to say to that." There was a pause as Draco took an unsteady breath. From the way he shook, Harry could tell he was holding back tears. But with a final heave, he continued.

"Er, well, he came every night. The clan stayed, so he could. Of course, they didn't notice his absences, or if they did, they probably thought he was out hunting. A lot of them are allowed to do that at first."

"And you just let him come every night?" Ron asked.

"He was someone to talk to. I didn't have that other than with Pansy, Blaise, and Theo, and I couldn't even tell them everything. He never once forced himself onto me, if that's what you're wondering. We just discussed things. He had a lot to say, but he listened to me, waited patiently when I'd scream and go on long rants. Or he'd simply hug me, and everything would – It took a while to realise..." He choked, and tears started to leak out of the corners of his eyes. He stubbornly tried to push them back. "I'm sorry," Draco muttered, wiping them away with his sleeve. Harry leaned toward him, wrapping his arm around Draco and kissing his neck.

"It's okay, love." Draco gave a strangled laugh through his sob.

"It just took a while to realise that I loved him. But then soon afterwards... They – um – well, they killed him." Draco shuddered, and his eyes closed. His voice broke and wavered. "It was right in front of me. His last words were asking me to help, and I – I couldn't do anything. I couldn't stop them."

He finally broke down, his fingers digging into Harry's side, and his face buried in his shoulder. The tears soaked through Harry's shirt, and he quickly wrapped his other arm around Draco, rocking him like a child. A choked sound escaped Draco as Harry ran his fingers through Draco's hair.

It hurt to hear those shattered sounds coming from his mate. Harry's eyes clenched shut; he was unable to help. Draco leaned forward and his lips lightly brushed against Harry's. Unsure whether this was an accident, Harry didn't kiss him. But then Draco's fingers dug again into his skin as he pressed their lips together and desperately kissed him.

He bit at Harry's lips, and his fingers moved up, yanking through Harry's hair. Draco's taste melted with the saltiness of tears, and – though confused – Harry soon reciprocated the action. The kiss was sloppy, but Draco's movements were forceful, almost feverous. The nips drew blood from Harry, and they actually hurt, but Harry was afraid to say anything or pull back. When Draco finally pulled back – no longer crying, Harry noted – his lips were swollen and smeared with Harry's blood.

"Er..." Ron first broke the silence, and Draco jumped.

"You remind me of William, sometimes," Draco whispered, looking at Harry with frightened eyes. Harry was sure it was meant to be a compliment, but the words stung. The only reason Draco kissed him with any emotions was probably the same reason Draco's eyes closed whenever they did anything remotely intimate; he was imagining William in his place. Still, now wasn't the time to break down in self-pity. Harry swallowed his hurt and instead smiled as Draco leaned against him again.

"What does this have to do with Harry?" Hermione asked. "Not that I'm not sorry..." Her voice was sincere, and she gave a small, supportive smile.

"He killed William to teach me a lesson. It was his warning that if I ever told, he'd do the same to me." He took a breath and wiped away his dried tears. "But then you told me about Harry. I thought that I could build up my courage to tell you this. I thought you'd be able to help me, and that I could help you. Help William..." Only Harry heard the last part, and he shivered.

"Help us? How could that possibly help us?" Hermione asked.

"Like I said, my father, when he wanted revenge, was sure to get it. He probably commanded some vampire to bite you."

"But we have no proof." Hermione looked unconvinced.

"I know. I'm going to talk with him about this. He thinks I hate all of you guys, so I probably will be able to get him to admit to it. Just can I do this tomorrow? I'm utterly exhausted."

"I think we all are," Ron muttered. "You're not nearly as much of a git as I thought you were." Ron smiled groggily and pulled Hermione away with him. "Oh, you can sleep on the couch if you want. Or you can go home. Really, whatever you want is fine." Draco stood up and was about to pull out the couch when Harry went behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Or you could sleep with me. Please, Draco, after everything that's –" Draco cut him off by turning around and lightly kissing him.

"Of course, I will. I can't imagine how these last few days must have been for you. But I came as soon as I heard the news. I didn't even finish the photo shoot." Harry smiled and pressed his head into Draco's neck. There was no temptation to bite him. It was nice just to be there with him. Draco was probably thinking only of William, and the thought made Harry flinch, but at least Draco cared enough about him. He was trying to help.

Harry pressed himself against the wall as he leaned on his bed. Draco moved toward the bed, then paused. "Let me try something." He waved his wand, and the room stretched a little. More importantly, where the portal to the living room was, now was a door. "It'll still look like a bookcase on the outside, but once they get past those spells, they'll still have to knock. I'm sure you want your privacy."

He smiled as Draco stretched out and snugly pressed against him. Wrapping his arms around Draco, Harry heard a contented sigh. When Draco's breath had deepened, and Harry could tell he was on the verge of falling asleep, Harry ventured to say what he had been holding back since Draco had come. "I love you, Draco."

"Love you too, William." For an hour after he had fallen asleep, Harry lay there trying to pretend he hadn't heard the last word.

Now who do you pity more?