Disclaimer - These characters are not mine

Chapter 5 – Bad Blood

Darren awoke not long after dusk that evening to find Mr Crepsley up and waiting for him. When he saw Darren stirring he picked up a small rucksack from the floor and passed it to his assistant.

"I have packed your personal effects and now that you are awake we shall take our leave."

Darren picked up the bag and looked through it all that was in it was his diary and a set of plain clothes. This couldn't be right Mr Crepsley had already told Darren that the journey would take weeks and they would be travelling through ice and snow! In answer to the unasked question Mr Crepsley said

"The journey to and from vampire mountain is a test of endurance and strength. We shall not flit, and it is forbidden to take spare cloths or to wear footwear on the trail. Ropes and climbing gear are also forbidden, we travel as nature intended for us to."

"That's just stupid, nobody would know if we cheated" Darren muttered which made the his mentor sigh

"You still have much to learn Darren. If you disobeyed the rules you would be cheating none but yourself."

Darren sighed he was defeated. Although he did not agree with all of the vampire's customs and ways even then he was starting to accept and learn to live within them. Some of them he was even starting to see as the right way to do things. The boy had changed inside since becoming a half vampire and not just physically slowly but surely Darren was starting to think like a true vampire should. Something had changed last night when Mr Crepsley made him drink properly, suddenly he was determined to behave like a vampire should and maybe, just maybe, he wanted to earn the respect of his mentor, and make the vampire proud of him.

"Mr Crepsley, how long till Gavner gets here?" Darren asked. The older vampire's face screwed up in concentration as he searched for Gavner's mental signal. A few seconds later he spoke.

"Gavner is still a fair distance away. Even flitting it will be two hours before he reaches us."

Darren had an idea, maybe this was his chance to show Mr Crepsley his new resolve.

"Could we meet Gavner on route? I need to find a human to feed from and you said there was a town about an hour away that we would pass through on our way to Vampire Mountain."

At these words a rare smile found its way onto Mr Crepsley's face and he patted his assistant on the back. He was surprised but there was no way he was going to look a gift horse such as this in the mouth. He had fully expected to have to force Darren several more times before he relented, the boy was stubborn that way. Was Darren finally starting to accept that he was now a vampire? It certainly looked that way and Larten Crepsley silently prayed to the vampire gods that he was right.

"Come we will meet Gavner later, let us go feed."

Darren kicked off his shoes and allowed Mr Crepsley to guide him out of the tent and into the night.

There was chaos in the Hogwarts campsite the alarm charm had sounded just twenty minutes before and most of the students had still been in bed. The vampires had just left, and camp had to be taken down before the wizards could follow as a group. Harry was silently thanking the gods that the vampires were moving slowly although they were masking their trail. If he hadn't slipped out of camp, leaving Hagrid and Luna to pack up, to follow the pair he was sure they would have lost them. The two Vampires had been moving steadily in a northward direction and Harry followed behind. He had been using all his skill as an Auror to move with stealth and so far had been able to evade detection.

Harry had arrived into the outskirts of a small town by the time Hagrid's class caught up. The students were not being nearly careful enough though and Harry shot them all a quick telepathic message.

"QUIET, they don't realise we are following let's keep it that way."

They entered a small park were a homeless man lay asleep on a bench and the vampires made a beeline for him. Harry thought, of course hadn't Mr Crepsley said this morning that Darren had to feed each day for a while to heal, it looked like they were about to observe feeding number two

Mr Crepsley watched as his assistant prepared to feed and secretly wondered whether or not the boy would have the courage of his convictions. He was sure now that he would not have to force the issue, but he did wonder how much support the boy would require. Darren had after all never fed without Mr Crepsley feeding as well nor had he ever actually made the incision himself. Now that he was standing next to the sleeping human he could see that some of Darren's resolve had started to slip. This was a big step for the half vampire he had only fed twelve hours or so ago so he had very little craving for blood.

"Do you…" Mr Crepsley began but was cut as Darren took a deep breath and with a shaky hand sliced into the man's leg. He was too rough, the man had felt it. His eyes shot open and he clenched his fist.

Mr Crepsley moved forward quickly and breathed over the man's face before he could wake.

In time Darren would manage this without waking the human but for the moment he was too nervous so his hand was unsteady. Darren looked utterly horrified at what he had just done and Mr Crepsley thought he was going to shy away but to the vampires surprise Darren did not. He lowered his face to the cut and drank after a few moments he lifted his head.

"You need more. I will tell you when to stop." Mr Crepsley said.

Darren sighed and continued to drink he realised despite Mr Crepsley saying when he could stop he hadn't needed the vampire to do so.

He slowly limped over to a park bench leaving Mr Crepsley to deal with the human. A few seconds later the older vampire was sitting next to him and was wiping the small trail of blood from the boy's lips.

"I am proud of you Darren. It is obvious you struggled but you did well"

Mr Crepsley was beaming now, he was full of pride his assistant appeared to have got over his fear of blood in just one day.

"Why? I did badly," Darren asked. Mr Crepsley was shocked by this. Why would the boy be so surprised? Why was he being so hard on himself?

"You managed all by yourself with no encouragement from me. Only yesterday I had to physically force you to drink. Be proud Darren for the first time since you have been with me you acted as a true vampire."

"But I didn't!" Darren was shouting now "I woke him up, the cut was far too large, I hurt that man, and then I pulled away too soon."

"Darren, do not go there, you did him no harm. You were nervous, you did very well. In time you will not wake up a human, but that takes practice. Take pride in your achievement and do not expect too much of yourself. As I have said you have made me proud tonight."

Gavner Purl had watched from a distance as Darren fed, he was pleasantly surprised to see the half vampire was now feeding independently. He thought that although the princes might take some convincing it would soon become clear to them that Darren would make a fine vampire despite his tender age. The young general snuck up behind the boy as he and Larten talked. He raised his hands to grasp the boy's shoulders fully intending to make Darren jump with fright but as he did so Larten's arm which had been around Darren's back moved upwards hit him hard on the nose sending him sprawling on the ground. The two full vampires burst into laughter at this and Darren who had jumped into a fighting stance relaxed when he saw it was Gavner.

"Gavner, why were you sneaking up on us?" Darren asked and Mr Crepsley let out a derisive snort.

"Sneaking up on us," he laughed, "Gavner I could hear your heavy breathing from a mile away."

"Darren didn't hear me though, did he?" Gavner shot back

"Oh congratulations Gavner, you can sneak up on a child who is not even fully blooded! If ever the generals need to infiltrate a school I will make sure I recommend you." Mr Crepsley laughed.

Gavner blushed so deeply if not for his eyes you could have mistaken him for a vampaneze he was so embarrassed. But before long all three vampires were laughing merrily as they set off into the country side.

It had been three weeks since the vampires had left the town and the wizards had been tracking them all the time. They had watched the vampires feed four times now. Once Darren and Mr Crepsley, and then the next two times only Darren had fed. The young vampire had been very nervous the first time and had woken his victim. His mentor had stepped in and somehow knocked the victim unconscious again. Everyone had been surprised to see that Darren seemed to have developed a taste for blood. The students had been theorising that the first feed develops the desire to feed. This was a good theory but unfortunately Harry, Luna and Hagrid knew it to be wrong. They had seen the child feed when they had been observing him alone and that had not made him want to feed anymore. Harry wondered what had caused Darren's sudden change of heart and hoped that somehow they would find out.

The vampires had seemed very on edge today. They were jumping at the slightest movement and had Darren so close to them you would have thought he was surgically attached. When the two adults started fashioning makeshift weapons for themselves Harry had come to the decision that it was too dangerous for the students to continue their fieldwork and much to Hagrid's chagrin Harry had sent the students back to Hogwarts on health and safety grounds. The three adults had decided to continue the study though and were following much closer than before.

The three vampires came to a sudden stop, well two of them did the third, Darren, walked straight into his master earning himself a clip around the ear. "What the heck was that for?" Darren shouted but was immediately silenced when both full vampires struck him.

"Darren, pay attention to your surroundings," Mr Crepsley snapped

"Larten his senses are not as sharp as ours since he is only a half vampire." Gavner said, his voice was low as he was trying not to be overheard. Darren started sniffing the air and soon he locked onto a smell. Human but with something else added.

"I know that smell, but I can't place it."

"There are two smells on the wind boy, one has been following us since before we left the cirque but the other I have only just smelt. It is the latter that concerns me more." Mr Crepsley was saying.

At this point Gavner snatched at a branch.

"Definitely Vampaneze Larten." Gavner said.

Meanwhile in a bush watching the vampires Hagrid crept further forwards. He was trying to see what the vampire had in his hand. Suddenly the cub was being held back and the vampire that wasn't holding him was slowly moving towards them, on full alert, arms held defensively in front of him.

Mr Crepsley slowly approached the bushes where he had heard movement. It was the ones that had kidnapped Darren he was sure of it. and now was the time for answers. He reached into the bushes and pulled out a young man. The man went to pull something from his pocket but Mr Crepsley was too fast. Quick as a flash the man's arms were pinned to his sides such that he couldn't defend himself and the vampire breathed in his face. Two more people pulled out of the bushes brandishing sticks. Mr Crepsley dropped the man who was now unconscious and with one fluid motion knocked out a young women.

"Don' kill 'em," the third man shouted he was utterly vast both in width and height but you wouldn't have called him overweight, he was just massive. "And why should I not?" Mr Crepsley retorted as Gavner and Darren arrived at his side.

"You" Darren squawked, a glimmer of recognition shooting into his eyes and then he just sat down.

"They didn't hurt me Mr Crepsley," Darren stammered "they let me go." Gavner rushed forwards breathing into the giants face and he fell with a resounding crash.

"These two are human and Darren's leg is deteriorating again since we have been short of human blood. He should feed." Gavner said and Darren knowing he was right went to feed on the young women. Her blood tasted strange but Darren needed it so he drank anyway.

An older more experienced vampire would have realised her blood was undrinkable but Darren was neither old nor experienced.

His vision started to cloud and he collapsed in a heap next to the three wizards screaming at the stabbing pains that were now piercing his stomach.

For anyone that has been wondering the events of the saga don't play out as they did originally in this story. Darren has left for Vampire mountain but has not yet met Mr Tiny. As such Harkat does not travel with them nor has darren met a Murlough. Crepsley has left before council because of the wizards following them. Hope you like the cliff hanger and please remember I like reviews.