The Blood Feast

Harry paced nervously up and down in his room. Professor Snape was at the blood feast but Harry had told the man that he didn't want to partake in the feast. Snape had frowned worriedly at Harry's words but then he said, that it was up to Harry what he wanted to do and he wouldn't force Harry to attend the feast. He also pointed out, that if Harry would change his mind, that he could join the party later and go whenever he feel unwell.

Harry had initially convinced himself that he would not attend the party but as he sat in his room when Severus had left he begun to feel uncertain in his decision. He felt strange and confused. He stopped his pacing and came to a halt at his window. He looked out into the darkness. The stars were twinkling but there was no moon to be seen, as one would expect on a new moon night.

Sighing, Harry started to pace again. He didn't want to be alone, he wanted to be with Snape. How crazy was that? He used to hate this man until recently and now he couldn't stay away from him for a few hours? Angrily, he shook his head. Why did he have a desire to go and seek the man?

As he stopped his pacing once more, Harry looked at the door. Blood feast be damned he wanted to see Snape and if he had to go to that party, then so be it. Luckily, the professor had described Harry the way to the room were the party will take place. The entrance was in the club room.

Bemused, Harry walked along the bookshelf until he stood in-front of a book called 'Hunters of the Night'. For a few minutes Harry just stared at the innocent looking book. Then he sighed frustrated and lifted his hand to the book. Carefully, he tipped it over until he heard a 'click' and a part of the bookshelf glided away to reveal the hidden passage.

Impressed and curious, Harry entered a cave-like corridor. He jerked as the door closed itself behind him. Gulping, Harry followed the small corridor. Music met his ears and the boy could hear laughter.

At the end of the corridor were two small steps down into a big cellar vault. Along one of the walls there was a long table with different kinds of snacks and drinks as well as a cauldron. The rest of the room was furnished with cosy looking small groups of sofas, hanging seats or beanbags. The room was huge and people sat in small groups talking and laughing with each other.

Overstrained, Harry sighed. He couldn't see Professor Snape and he felt like an intruder. He was about to step back and head back to his own room but before he could do so, a friendly voice greeted him.

"Hi Harry."

Harry turned in the direction of the voice and spotted Luna, who stood up from her place in one of the hanging seats.

"Hi" he greeted, while scratching the back of his neck displaying his awkwardness.

"Sev said you wouldn't come, but I'm glad you changed your mind. You shouldn't be away from us," Luna went on with a dreamy voice.

"Erm... well. Do you know where... erm... where Snape is?" Harry stammered his question, still feeling confused of his need to see the professor.

Luna smiled knowingly and then pointed to the back corner of the room. "He is over there together with Draco."

"Thank you," Harry whispered embarrassed.

"No problem. And Harry..." Harry turned back at Luna, "No reason to feel awkward. We are family."

At that, Harry forced himself to smile. If Luna had hoped to ease his worries then she had failed miserably. Nothing would make him feeling anything less than an intruder. Slowly and trying to attract not too much attention he made his way over to the sofas where Snape and Draco were talking to each other.

As came he up at them, Harry felt relief wash over him. Just being near Snape made him feel better.

"Harry!" Draco called out surprised.

Unsettled, Harry bit his lip and answered in a soft voice, "Hi"

"You are here," Severus said with a surprised smile. "I thought you didn't want to come."

Harry hung his head. He felt so nervous and insecure. He didn't understand why he finally decided to come down here, how can he explain himself to others then? Helplessly, he looked up at Snape and shrugged his shoulders.

Instead of making fun of Harry, as he would have done before the whole vampire thing, the man smiled warmly at the boy and then opened his arms. Without thinking, Harry slipped onto the man's lap and sighed as Snape closed his arms around the boy. That felt good.

"So why did you decide to come here?" Severus asked in a low voice.

Once again Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I feel strange and I wanted to see you," Harry admitted while blushing deeply.

"It's okay," Severus whispered, still hugging the boy. "It's normal to feel like that. You cannot suppress your instincts completely on a new moon night. The desire for bodily contact with your blood partner is a lot stronger than on other days and the carving for blood, too. You can try to fight it but in the end you will lose the fight and your instincts will take your body over. Therefore it's good to have a blood partner. You can still both of that needs at once," Severus explained.

"So it is okay to be here?" Harry asked finally.

Snape tightened his arms around the boy for a second, "Of course," he whispered.

After a while Harry wondered, "But Draco... doesn't he miss his father?"

"I'm fine," Draco answered instead of Severus. "I have Sev who keeps me company and of course the pepper-up potion. I will survive," with these words Draco raised his goblet to Harry and then took some big gulps.

Fascinated, Harry glanced at Draco's canine teeth which had grown as soon as the blond-haired started to drink.

As Draco lowered his goblet and met Harry's eyes he asked, "Shall I bring you a drink, too?"

Harry blushed as he had been caught staring. "Erm..."

As Draco was still waiting for an answer Harry was unsettled again. He noticed a second goblet on the table for Snape and wondered if he would have to drink the potion, too. His body longed for the blood of his blood partner but surly Snape wouldn't allow him to bite him again. Distressed, he looked at Snape.

Severus was curious what took Harry so long to answer Draco's question. He watched Harry's face and saw the inner struggle. Was Harry still denying himself the potion? As Harry looked him strait into the eyes though, Severus was surprised to find that longing look in these green eyes.

Severus knew immediately what Harry was struggling with and so he answered for the boy. "I think he will not need the drink."

Draco gasped in surprise and looked between Harry and Severus. "Erm... okay. I... well... I'll go and see were Blaise is." He tried to hide his jealousy but didn't manage completely.

"Do you really want to do this?" Severus asked surprised.

Harry lowered his head blushing again. He was crazy, wasn't he? How could he expect Snape to agree to this? Snape will soon get enough of him if he cling to him in that way.

"Harry?" Severus said and put two fingers under the boy's chin to gain eye contact again.

"I'm sorry that I am so needy. I can understand if you don't-"

"Harry!" Severus interrupted the boy, "Stop babbling."

Harry blinked rapidly to fight down his tears that treated to flood his eyes.

"If you want to drink from me then you may do that. That is what the blood bond is there for. You may drink whenever you need it."

"But how can I do that? I can't just..." Harry started but trailed of and shook his head.

"You can," Severus reassured the boy. "Stop fight your own body's needs. I'm here for you, Meadow Moon."

Harry frowned and looked at Snape. "Meadow Moon?"

Severus smiled, "Yes, your new vampire name. Meadow, because the colour of your eyes reminds me of a green meadow and Moon, because often your eyes are so big and round like the full moon."

Once again Harry blushed but then he smiled. So Snape gave him a new name? He felt touched. Normally it is up to the parents to give a child a name. Was Snape seeing him as his child, Harry wondered. "What is your name?" he asked in an effort to distract himself from his confused feelings.

"Night Eye. My mother told me that I had my dark eyes since I was born."

"Night Eye suits you," Harry agreed.

"Well, thank you. Though most of the club just call me Sev."

As silence stretched between them, Harry's thirst increased suddenly. Longingly he looked at Snape's neck. Obviously the man caught his look because he whispered "Whenever you are ready."

"You really mean it?" Harry wondered once more.

Instead of voicing his answer, Severus tilted his head sideways giving Harry easy access to his neck. Harry couldn't hold himself back any longer. He knelt over Severus' lap and carefully sank his teeth into the delicate flesh at the base of Severus' neck.

As soon as the first drop of blood connected with the taste buds of his tongue pure joy for life run through his body. While drinking he felt one with Snape. Everything felt so right.

The feeling of happiness faded again however as soon he stopped drinking. Suddenly Harry felt guilty. The awareness that he owed Severus his own blood in return hit him full force. In his drowsy state he was about to title his own head as Severus suddenly leaned forwards grabbed his goblet and downed his potion with large gulps.

At first Harry felt hurt by the action but then he caught sight of Severus teeth and the thought that they would sink into his neck horrified Harry to no end. They were so much longer than Draco's.

Again a silence hung between Harry and Severus until Harry asked, "Doesn't it hurt, when I bite you?"

"Just a bit and only for a split second, nothing you need to worry about," Severus said but Harry still looked troubled.

"How was it for you. Do you like the taste?" Severus asked to distract the boy.

Now Harry smiled. "It's incredible," he whispered.

Severus smiled and ran his hand through Harry's hair. "As it should be," he said and his smile grew as Harry crawled back onto Severus' lap and leaned his head against his shoulder. Severus wrapped his arms protectively around the boy.

As Draco finally came back he found Severus with a sleeping Harry in his lap.

"He fell asleep?" he asked and wondered if it should worry him.

Severus looked down into the sleeping face, "Yes. It's much for him to take in and sleep will help him coming to terms with all the new impressions."

"Did he really drink from you?" Draco asked.

Severus just smiled and nodded.

"Lucky one," Draco murmured to himself but as he noticed the content look of his godfather he had to admit that Severus looked much more in peace with himself than Draco had ever seen him. It was obvious that Harry was good for his godfather.

"Do you think he will let you drink one day?"

"I don't know. He isn't ready for that step right now. Maybe never, it's hard to tell. As long as we don't complete our bond he will feel it. The question is what will be stronger: his fear of the bite or his guilt he undoubtedly feels every time he drinks from me?"

"I would let you, you know?" Draco pointed out.

"Yes, I know, Draco, but you have to understand, that I never planed that to happen and I have no idea where this will end but fact is that it had happen... and I don't regret it," Severus said and Draco couldn't help himself but smile at the protective way Severus was holding to his ward.

"Harry is lucky to have you," he said this time without any jealousy and then he stood up again to join his friends.

Severus watched him leave and than looked back down to the boy in his arms. "And I am lucky to have you," he said to himself.