vampireharry the 2 - thank you!

Dark Serpent Cat - I suppose, but also would we want immortal death eaters if they got turned?

-YDHP-

It was official. Hogwarts was trying to kill them all with exams. Harry was sick of the sight of study notes, of how their professors reminded them constantly they needed to study. Hermione and Vlad were obviously, naturally breezing through revision, while the lesser mortals contemplated setting fire to their notes and going to become kneazle herders in the wild.

"I hate this."

"Here. Have some fudge."

Vlad placated him with sweets, and Harry was chagrined to realise it worked.

"Low blood sugar is not conducive to effective studying. So eat your butterbeer fudge and get back to Potions."

"Just because you and Hermione were born to be academics."

"I was born to be a bat. Academics was a choice. I just... I enjoy learning."

Hermione snorted from where she was sat next to Draco - it was only the four of them in the dorm, the other boys were off outside, swearing they would go stir crazy if they read one more list of goblin wars. So Vlad was free to crack vampire jokes.

"You're no vampire, you're a geek with fangs."

Vlad rolled his eyes, bit the head off his chocolate frog and resumed his Herbology revision - he had to skip random practicals in class, so he worried that would mean he didn't know things on the exam despite Professor Sprout giving him the accompanying study material. And Hermione always giving him an in depth account of the lesson. For a vampire, he was a real worrywort.

"Oh look, the specific type of garlic that blends best with silver to make argentalium. Why is that in a Hogwarts textbook?"

"Argen-what?"

"Argentalium. A metal made from silver and garlic. Won't affect me, but drains the power of adult vampires, does a pretty good job as a repellant too. And of course, burns adult werewolves, can kill a bitten werewolf. You can use pretty much any garlic and mix the powder into liquid silver, then let it harden, but certain strains of the plant are better than others, more effective."

Harry supposed it was a measure in trust Vlad was even telling them this, and so casually - he trusted they wouldn't use the knowledge against them. There was no question to Harry, but he still felt it important - Vlad could well be wary of Harry having more ammunition of him given his past behaviour, but he was telling him anyway.

Lost in his thoughts, Harry was jerked back to reality by a sound of pain from Draco. As it transpired, he had spent too long kissing Hermione so Vlad threw an inkpot at him. Vlad was kind enough to vanish the inky mess from Draco's platinum blond hair, but he was chuckling to himself the entire time.

"Wizard, why is there chaos whenever I awake from my nap?"

"Because the two lovebirds won't stop touching."

"Hmm. I distinctly remember the irritating witch you neglected me for was always touching you. I could smell her on you, it was most annoying."

"Are you saying I can't date because you don't like me smelling like another person?"

Lily flicked her tail, hissing unintelligibly to herself before slithering over to Vlad.

"This one smells more acceptable."

"Oh, so you want me to date Vlad for your sake? I'm sure that's how it works."

Lily rolled her little beady eyes and Vlad looked at her resting across his notes, wondering what she was doing with his work. He poked her still slightly mouse-shaped abdomen gently, trying to budge her off his notes on magical plant breeding.

"He is certainly preferable to the female witch you were with before."

"Two issues. I'm straight, and Vlad's a vampire."

"So?"

Exasperated, Harry held out his arm and Lily finally relinquished Vlad's work to wrap around his arm, loosely to allow for where she was still digesting yesterdays rodent. Vlad nodded in thanks, then went back to staring at his notes.

"He's a boy, and I don't date boys so I don't see Vlad like that. And he's a vampire, so presumably, he will date other vampires."

"Such strange conventions. What does gender matter?"

He was not having that conversation with his familiar, not even to get her to stop insisting he date Vlad. The daft serpent. He slid her into her tank, flicked on the heat charm and she all but purred, settled in the warmth and leaving him to get on with studying babbling concoctions and confusing beverages. Or maybe the other way around. His mind was a little backwards right now.

"I need a walk."

"Want me to come with?"

It was automatic - Vlad didn't even look up, just responded instantly, almost instinctively. Harry shook his head.

"Nah, just need to stretch my legs and get out of these four walls. I'll be careful, don't worry."

He felt bad by the time he had gotten out of the portrait hole, because Vlad always looked a little... not disappointed, but worried, with Marked students in the school. Harry had multiple security measures on him - joy buzzer in one pocket, Marauders Map in another and Invisibility cloak tucked in his bag. Plus his wand, and he had mastered silent stunners and shield charms weeks ago.

Halfway through his planned walk Harry realised he was being followed, ducking into the nearest boys bathroom and charming the door locked behind him. It rattled, but Harry was already under his cloak and peering at the Map under said cloak. It was one of the Marked students outside the door, but there was a passageway hidden behind the permanently 'broken' toilet in here.

His charm wouldn't hold - he wasn't paying much attention at the time, and the door was still rattling. He tapped his wand on the right spot, whispering "bathroom break-out" (who came up with these passwords?) and the wall slid away like it was never there. On the other side was a small switch, which he flicked to close the wall just as the bathroom door finally opened.

Heart pounding, Harry checked where the tunnel would come out, a side door in the Entrance Hall that looked like a broom cupboard from the other side spitting him out at the other end. He slipped the cloak and Map in his bag before he opened the door, blinking at the sudden early summer sunshine.

"Mr Potter?"

Harry jumped, looking up to see Severus eyeing him strangely.

"I uh, fell through a trick door. Ended up here. Changing staircases, exam stress. Gotta go!"

He knew he couldn't be seen acting friendly toward the Professor, particularly not in public and hurried off, sticking to the open space of the Grand Staircase until he made it back to the Tower. Vlad was hovering anxiously in the common room, face relaxing at the sight of Harry. He tilted his head to the dormitory, and the vampire followed immediately.

"Are you alright? You look a little flushed."

"Just dodged a body chomper, escaped down a secret tunnel in a bathroom. Ended up all the way in the Entrance Hall, made like a bat outta hell up the stairs. Here I am."

"Are you ok?"

"Fine, I got away unscathed. See?"

Harry held out his arms, Vlad's eyes raking over his body before he was satisfied Harry was unharmed. Again with the worrying.

"Vlad, calm down. I'm fine."

"You forget I can hear your heartbeat, and it's unnaturally high. You were scared."

He glared for good measure, but didn't deny it. He had been a little scared.

"Please don't go wandering right now, I'm worried Riddle will pull something this close to summer. I told you, I want to keep you safe."

Not thrilled at the coddling and restriction, but irritatingly he had to agree, Harry nodded. Vlad hugged him, finally comfortable initiating such contact again and Harry patted his back in an attempt at soothing.

Over Vlad's shoulder, he caught Lily looking at the two of them, a knowing smirk somehow on her cheeky little snout. Stupid snake.

Harry was going to age him prematurely. A big statement for someone with a chronically impaired aging process. Only Vlad could have a mate who was simultaneously going for a walk and risking getting kidnapped or cursed.

Thankfully, a mix of needing to study and Harry apparently wanting to appease Vlad's concerns meant he didn't disappear alone much, and if he wanted a walk Vlad got to go with him. If he squinted past Harry's heterosexuality, Vlad could pretend they were possibly doing couple things. Which, now he thought about it, was utterly pathetic. He did it anyway.

Ingrid's transformation appeared to be going unnoticed, as nobody was asking Vlad if he was a vampire too, and she hadn't blown up the school due to the stress of OWLs. The worst he had seen her do was threaten one of the seventh year Slytherins with "carving out their spleen and eating it as a side dish". Which wasn't much different to Ingrid's idea of a regular conversation really.

Professor Lupin was showing the strain of an upcoming full moon as he congratulated them on every single one passing their Defence Against the Dark Arts exam, their third year tests set by their professor - Lupin had set them a bizarre obstacle course against multiple creatures. Vlad couldn't even take the 'test' when half the creatures would try and tear his face off, nor was he about to face the Boggart at the end.

Even Lupin had given passes to the students with extraordinarily traumatic boggarts, making each of them write a short essay on correct ways of dealing with the creature. Vlad's entire DADA grade was theory based, but he got full marks on the essay, proving he knew how to deal with every creature, even the ones who wanted to assault his species more violently.

Care Of Magical Creatures was a joke of a test - they sat watching a barrels worth of flobberworms slime across the grass while enjoying the June sunshine. Vlad wasn't even really thinking about his birthday, focused on Harry and tests as he was.

Ingrid had every intention of dropping DADA because she hated the werewolf professor, but Dracula pride meant she wouldn't tank the exam - Vlad was prepared to bet she got the top score on the vampire bats question. She did have to take her Potions and Herbology practical tests separately however, to account for 'allergies', as the public excuse went. The same would go for him fifth year, though luckily (or unluckily) his exams came just before his sixteenth.

He wouldn't have gone before the Blood Mirror before his tests, so at least there was no risk of a Fail for eating the examiner. He thought Bertrand was winding him up about that, but he couldn't be sure.

Arithmancy and Ancient Runes tests on the same day were a cruel joke, equations and symbols leaving Vlad with a brain like a slime pit as he slumped across his bed that evening, Phantom licking at his face where it was in easy reach.

"If I see another bandage in my lifetime, unless I'm bleeding from at least three orifices, it will be too soon."

The ones taking Healing were back, and Vlad got a groaning complaint that told of how they had to treat an infected cut, repair a broken limb, identify the correct antivenom for a poisonous bite and how to correctly bandage a dragon burn. Their test dummies had remarkable realism apparently.

"Divination was easy. Make up some stuff about weird dreams, and stare deeply into a crystal ball talking about the future being mysterious. Professor Trelawney likes to ramble about Harry, apparently her 'inner eye' sees much in his future."

"Unless we die in the next week, everyone probably has a lot in their future. Divination is a very woolly subject, you only took it because you expected it to be easy."

"Hermione, how could you? I'll have you know I thought I was a seer when I was three. Turned out I had taken too much cough medicine."

Seamus started laughing at his own story, then jumped up and declared it was dinner time. Eyeing his lunar calendar, Vlad realised it was the full moon. So he didn't expect Professor Lupin to be at dinner.

Harry was still devouring meat and large portions at every meal, but he was also filling out - Vlad frequently found himself watching the developing muscles roll beneath Harry's skin. And he had started eating vegetables again. Most days. Today he went through a whole meat pizza himself, only out-performed by Seamus who ate a whole pizza, then an entire garlic bread and managed to force down a couple of chicken legs too. Vlad felt stuffed just watching them, and ate his shepherds pie quietly while Hermione shot them both disgusted looks.

"He's finally eating properly, don't knock it."

Vlad hissed to her under cover of reaching for a jug of chocolate sauce, and her eyes flicked to Harry before nodding.

"Sorry."

She mouthed back, and Vlad smiled, all forgiven. The summer evening meant the moon wasn't gracing the ceiling of the Great Hall by the time they were done eating, gooey ice cream blocks reduced to sticky stains as everyone tried to ward off the warm weather inside. Chewing absently on a liquorice wand, Vlad realised they were short two students.

As everyone got up to leave, he chanced a look at Slytherin table. Not there either. Ingrid raised an eyebrow, and Vlad mouthed "outside at dusk", getting a quick nod. He yanked Hermione to one side, Harry not quite done with his apple pie so safely still at Gryffindor table.

"Where's Draco?"

"Went to see his godfather."

"You mean the one at the table now?"

Hermione twisted around, looking up at the table. Her face drained of colour when she saw Vlad was right, and panic edged in.

"I would say he could be anywhere, but Jacob and Jason are missing too. Coincidence maybe, but tonight? I don't like it."

Harry was done eating by now, and Vlad made Hermione come along with them - if Draco was in their dorm, he didn't want to be hunting her down to tell her. Sense of dread increasing all the same, they fought through the crowds to the tower, but Draco was nowhere to be seen. His bed was still perfectly made, so he hadn't recently vacated it.

Checking his backpack contained Harry's bag still - with Marauders Map, Vlad mentioned he had left a book in the common room and stopped on an empty stretch of staircase with Hermione.

"I have Harry's Map, I can't use it here but I'll find him on it. I need you to stay and stop Harry following me."

"What if he's... it's a full moon."

"Exactly why I'm going. Alone. They can't turn me. Ingrid's coming with me if I have to go to the forest, speed and strength. Now keep Harry here, stun him if you have to."

Hermione grimaced, but one thing Vlad loved about Hermione was that she was a rational thinker, logic a much stronger trait in her than most, and she could see the validity in his plan.

"Wait. Take this."

Hermione held out her bracelet, one Draco had given her for Valentines Day but she didn't wear regularly.

"Not really my style."

"It's silver you troll."

Vlad slipped it on, for once thankful for his slim wrists and hands as it fit snugly. He left before she could decide to follow him, jumping through the portrait hole and finding the nearest empty classroom.

"I solemly swear that I am up to no good."

Ink spread from his wand tip, filling the parchment with Hogwarts in minuature. Snape and Bertrand's quarters were both empty, and Ingrid was walking towards the main doors - dusk was falling now. He had better get a move on, because he couldn't see a thing other than 'Remus Lupin' and a name he didn't recognise - 'Fenrir Greyback' disappearing into the Forbidden Forest. This close to moonrise, that could not be a coincidence.

"Why doesn't this map cover the useful places? Damn Marauders."

Now he had to make it down seven floors to Ingrid, bolting through a secret passage, then forcing himself to walk normally down the last three flights. Ingrid was leant against one of the pillars in the stone circle, watching the moon begin to rise properly.

"So, what are you up to this time?"

He almost leapt out of his skin when Bertrand crept up behind them, still looking sort of tired but not as ill as before.

"Stroll in the moonlight."

"Well, Draco is missing and Severus is nowhere to be found. You two out at moonrise on a full moon? I believe you are up to something."

"Ever heard of someone called Fenrir Greyback?"

Bertrand froze, looking as though he had to check what Vlad was saying, then indicated they should start walking towards the Forest, cutting near by the greenhouses to cover their direction.

"He's a werewolf. Bitten, as bloodthirsty as any vampire even without a full moon. Intentionally riles up other wolves, and places himself near humans on a full moon. Sees it as his job to infect as many with the curse as possible. And he works for the big bad guy himself - Severus spoke of him. If he's here, that is very, very bad."

Reaching the line of the trees, they looked around, then set off running. Bertrand and Ingrid had to run at human speed for Vlad to keep up, following the potent scent of death and werewolf. The two fanged vampires stopped suddenly, covering their mouths and clutching their chests.

"Argentalium. The garlic keeps us out, and the silver keeps them in. Ingenious."

"Can we compliment the thought process after we're done here?"

There was nothing for it - Vlad was the only one who could cross the line of argentalium, ground up and sprinkled along the floor, he could feel it tugging at his dormant vampirism. Crossing the line, he heard a new set of sounds - the argentalium was a boundary, sectioning off this place specifcally and there were silence spells across it.

"Vladimir! Get back here now!"

Bertrand demanded, but Vlad could hear fearful sounds, human footsteps. He shrugged at the vampires, then clicked dramatically as he placed the invisibilty spell over himself, following the sounds.

Could they go a term without a deathwish?

-YDHP-

I've already written the start of next chapter and how this all goes, I just wanted to get the last cliffhanger in Year Three? Please don't hate me.