The Leader

Chapter 24

"Have you seen the news today?" Rick asked, entering the bedroom, but avoiding looking over at the bed; he knew the wizard wouldn't like knowing he'd seen him anything other than at his strongest. Severus reminded him of Harry and incidentally of himself; he would fit in very well with the group when the process was complete. He did admit quietly to himself, though, that it was going to be disconcerting to see him as young looking as Harry, after seeing him, well, the age he had been for a while. This wasn't what was primarily on his mind. No, Callahan was; he was creating chaos that the vampires hadn't seen in their community for years now.

"Yes," Harry stated, his green eyes glinting coldly; he wasn't impressed at all.

"I know you wouldn't want to delegate the attack…but I have to ask. Can we do something before it's too late?" Rick asked, his expression a cross between furious and desperate. He might be a vampire and have to drink blood, but he had never killed a human on purpose ―or even accidentally― since he was a fledgling. He hadn't had a Sire; he'd woken up alone, turned and terrified, but he had learned, and met a few of his own kind along the way. Never had he imagined, even back then, that he would see such a gathering of vampires all on one side... or working together, in fact.

"I won't delegate the attack," Harry hissed, angry that Rick was even asking such a thing. He never asked the others to get their hands dirty. He did such deeds himself; he wasn't afraid to. Never once had he asked the others to do something like kill one of their own; defending themselves from an attack was a completely different situation.

Rick just nodded; it was what he'd expected to hear― he'd known the answer before he asked. Innocent Muggles were being killed; while vampires and other magical beings didn't like them per se, it didn't mean they wanted them killed. They had their uses; it might sound callous, but humans thought that way about the animals they ate― it was the natural order of things. He knew better than to try and talk to Harry about his decision, his word was always the law of the group. You didn't go against him unless you wanted to be out on your backside with no coven or pack. He doubted Harry would do that to him, at least, due to the fact that Kai had been his best friend, but he wasn't taking any chances when Harry was in one of those moods.

"Gather up the best fighters, immediately," Harry ordered sharply. He couldn't risk the Ministry going on a hunt to kill all the vampires. He was trying to build bridges; killing Ministry workers wasn't going to achieve that. He would need to break his promise to Severus for a few hours... if it even required that long. They had to act now before things spiralled out of control, in fact he should have acted much sooner. He just hadn't thought the idiot would try anything so stupid. Of course he was only making assumptions, but he was probably right about them. The opposing vampire was trying to build a coven, without using a bit of bloody tact or intelligence. Who tried to build up a coven by killing Muggles and leaving their bodies in the street? If Callahan had been smart, he would have made sure his victims survived so no attention was drawn to his group, or that their bodies disappeared without trace. Nothing was unusual about people going missing; it was murder that was a big thing ― in either world. The worst thing. "Dobby?"

"Yes Sir," both Rick and Dobby said in unison, one in understanding, the other in enquiry. Rick however, Apparated away, the scent of surprise still wafting in the air as he did.

"Stay by his side; if anything happens, you know where to go; the manor will lock itself down," Harry stated sharply. The house was rigged; whoever tried to get in would find themselves trapped with no way out. Dobby knew to collect the most important things and Apparate straight to Kai's manor. It was Harry's property, but it couldn't be connected to him, which was why it was his exit strategy.

"Dobby will protect Master Severus," Dobby solemnly said.

"Good," Harry said , his voice stern. He didn't like breaking his word, even if he had only vowed it to himself. Unfortunately, this was just no longer a situation he could put aside for a few more days. A week, really, since it was still seven days before the change would be complete. Once Severus drank undiluted blood from him, he would become a vampire. He didn't understand how it worked; after all, Snape was already drinking his blood in a potion. It shouldn't make a difference, but it did. Even Kai didn't understand it; he'd written that in the journal. Even investigating the phenomenon further hadn't brought anything tangible up. The only possible explanation was the potion changed the properties in the blood enough that it wasn't capable of a fast turning.

Cursing under his breath, Harry looked at Severus and knew the wizard would understand why he had to do this. Hopefully he would remain unconscious during his time away; it was the best thing for him right now since the pain was debilitating. Twitching his hand, he silently summoned his favourite cloak to himself, one that obscured him from view. He was rarely seen when he was participating in a fight.. The others didn't, but that was purely through choice.

Not saying another word to Dobby, he Apparated out, confident that he would be back in a few hours. If not, the back-up was already in place; Dobby knew what to do, he'd written everything down for the house-elf. There was also a vial of his blood in the drawer; self-consciously he'd done it two days into the process, 'just in case'. He was optimistic, but a realist... especially with Dumbledore's sudden reappearance in his life. The old fool might not know it was him, but he was a danger that Harry had to be on his toes around. Both as a vampire and as 'Harry Potter', the absent saviour of the useless cowards who would rather sit on their asses pretending to be superior... rubbing their riches in the noses of less fortunate. Ignoring the plights of those they deemed 'creatures', making it impossible for them to live, have families, or get jobs. He would change all that; he wouldn't let his people suffer.

"Wyatt, Rick, Dale, Rachel," Harry acknowledged the waiting vampires grimly in greeting. "Do you know where Caron is?"

"No, I assumed he was still on assignment," Rick told him, a small frown appearing on his face.

"Then we will meet him there, he will be nearby," Harry replied, knowing Caron wouldn't waver from his duty to him. He was unwaveringly loyal; Harry had saved not only his life, but the lives of his wife and child. That kind of act inspired a loyalty that couldn't be broken unless handled badly. Harry never would take advantage of a follower; each person's loyalty actually meant something to him, and he would never risk jeopardizing it.

"Where is he?" Wyatt enquired, he knew what Caron's assignment was, he just didn't know where.

"Stay still," Harry told them coolly as he wrapped his magic around them without physically touching them, and Apparated them all to where Caron had last reported being.

"What the fuck?!" Dale mouthed, still trying to recover from the fact he'd been forcefully Apparated by his Leader, who hadn't even touched him. The others were all practically in the same state, trying to acclimate to their surroundings.

Rachel shook her head; she didn't know any more than he did, but the power levels Harry had…were much greater than she'd realised. She almost pitied the fools down there who had decided to mess with him. Callahan should have stayed away, she realized; he didn't even have the slightest chance. Side-long Apparation, if it could be called that, without being touched; all of them were shocked so it must have been a first.

"Callahan is mine," Harry said viciously; he should never have let him live the first time around. That was one mistake he wouldn't make again; the other vampire would die for his actions tonight.

Rachel shivered; tonight was going to be a bloody night, figuratively speaking, since they didn't bleed all that much. Oh yes, Callahan was going to be wishing for death by the time Harry was through with him. Knowing him as she did, he probably wouldn't even use magic. They would get down and dirty like the vampires they were; magic would be forgotten in the rush of adrenaline and the fight for their lives. Her leader wasn't just vicious with magic; he was vindictive and extremely fast without it. He knew where to land blows; he was quite frankly untouchable. Despite that they all protected him, even her, all the while knowing he could take down his opponent without touching them. He gave them a fair fight regardless, and that, that made her and everyone respect him.

"They're inside," Caron said, shimmering out of nowhere. Jacks, Trey, and Shade were all doing another job for Harry; he was alone since he was the best at his job. Everyone other than Harry jumped in fright at his sudden appearance.

"How many?" Harry demanded, his attention solely on Caron who wasn't the slightest bit perturbed by his leader's agitation.

"Five came out. Four of them were boxing the fifth in; whoever it is... is feral," Caron grimly said. "He or she has only just been turned, and is not cooperating with them," he added. It wasn't really fair ― but life didn't turn out that way. He wouldn't stop his Leader if he chose to kill them all, but he had to say the truth as he saw it. They could potentially save that person and give them a better life. Then again, considering what Callahan had done after Harry had spared him…he wasn't going to hold his breath. It wouldn't be the first time someone had been turned and begged for death, unable to live with what they were.

A growl forced its way out of Harry's throat when he heard that. Turning people was one thing, but forcing them? Oh, it was all too familiar, quite a few of his own people had less than ideal turnings. Two of them Harry had killed when they asked for it, even after spending time with his people; some minds just couldn't adjust after losing their humanity. He'd made it quick and painless, and had given them what they wanted when it became obvious nothing could or would change their minds. The rate of forced turnings had fallen down below ten percent, at least in London and the immediate area. He would estimate that over sixty percent of the turnings had been forced before he took over.

"Are there alternative ways out?" Rick asked curiously, wondering if a few of them should go around the back.

"They come and go from this entrance, so it's unlikely," Caron told them.

"Let's get this over with," Harry said. He was thrumming in anticipation; he hadn't had a good fight in what felt like years. He was finally going to right a wrong that he had allowed to happen; he really should have done it before this, in fact it should have been taken care of as soon as he learned what the traitors had done. "Go!" he barked, and the vampires were gone, leaving dust from their shoes in their wake as the only proof they'd even been there. They quickly surrounded the five vampires, leaving them with no possible way to get out.

"YOU!" Callahan hissed, glaring at Rick; he was the only one that Callahan actually recognized. Fighting with him, his right hand trying to get to his left wrist, presumably to call Voldemort or get out of there... but Rick prevented that with one quick move had the bastard's arm wrestled around and twisted behind his back.

Harry looked around, observing everything while cloaked in darkness. The one Caron thought to be feral was crouched in the corner, completely terrified. Crouching in the corner was a newbie move, that of a vampire running solely on instincts that hadn't been developed. Boxing yourself in a corner was the quickest way to get killed. He moved over towards her... and yes, she was female. He crouched down besides her, forcing her to look at him by taking a hold of her neck, although he didn't apply pressure. Sliding easily into her mind, he realized his earlier thoughts were correct; Callahan and his coven been trying to turn them ― after they got their fill of blood. She had somehow survived when they'd taken far too much; she was strong, obviously. Just not as strong as the bastards that had turned her; there was evidence of bruising, not visible to the naked eye of course.

"Let me go," Callahan snarled, struggling violently with Rick, but it was no use. The vampire nearest Callahan was also snarling, hissing and spitting at Wyatt. Harry's group just kept a tight rein on them, waiting for the go ahead. It wasn't easy, but Callahan's group was less composed, very erratic, and unmatched.

The other two vampires weren't as vocal; they were struggling, but mostly seemed confused ... as if they were surprised that there were more vampires out there besides just them.

"What are you going to do to me?" she asked, trembling more fiercely. Her long blonde hair was disgusting and dishevelled. Dried blood was caked all over her face, indicating that she hadn't drunk willingly but had had her face pushed into it. Harry already knew this, due to the fact he'd seen her memories, the physical evidence just confirmed it.

"What's your name?" Harry asked, soothingly, as if he was speaking to a wounded beast. Which might be an apt description; should he risk another Callahan somewhere down the road? he thought, wondering if it wasn't just best to kill her. Unfortunately he wasn't an unfeeling bastard; if shown the right way she might just be a good asset. He could feel the magic around her, so could Rick; he'd looked at her for a few seconds before nodding his head to confirm his own suspicions.

"A-Ashley," the broken female vampire whispered, her terrified, wide blue eyes staring at his. She'd just been enjoying a night out with her friends, for the first time in a long time. Her friends had gone back into the club for a few seconds while she flagged down a taxi, but before she could get one she was attacked. What followed was the most painful time she could remember... and she was a mother, she would have preferred giving birth to the agony she'd endured. She kept trying to get away from them, to get to her family but they wouldn't let her. She just wanted to go home.

Harry sighed; he couldn't damn well kill someone who wasn't even lifting a finger to defend themselves. She was looking at him, begging for his help and completely out of her mind with fear. He would have Severus to help when this week was over, he couldn't put in the time needed to help her understand and come to terms with her new life. He didn't need to see her thoughts to know she wanted to go back to her family. From what he saw, she lived completely in the Muggle world.

"Did you attend Hogwarts?" Harry enquired, which would determine just how much work they had in front of them. The blank look on her face was all he needed to see; evidently she was one of the many Muggle-Born children that didn't attend the school. That made it even more dangerous for her to not have a wand, and harnessing her power. He didn't even respond to the wild shaking of her head.

"She's a Muggle," Callahan sneered, grunting in agony as Rick pushed his arm further up.

"You die tonight," Harry hissed, his face a mask of fury as he stood up. "Let him go."

"Who the fuck are you?" Callahan demanded, surprised when Rick did let him go.

Harry deliberately and slowly took his time removing the cloak, the promise of murder written across his face. The same look appeared on Callahan's face when he saw him, as he remembered vividly who he was. He was the reason his entire coven had been slaughtered, the reason he was alone. "I don't think introductions are necessary, do you?" Harry sneered, his green eyes glinting viciously.

Screaming in rage Callahan flew at Harry, who grabbed him and had him flat on his back, foot digging into his chest painfully. "Instead of facing me like a man or getting on with your life, you decided to turn innocent people into vampires to build up your own coven?" Harry sneered, bending down and grabbing his neck. "This is my town; did you seriously think I wouldn't notice what you were doing?"

"Then fight like a man!" Callahan hissed.

Harry laughed in bitter amusement. "You're pathetic," Harry spat, letting him go. As soon as he did, Callahan swiped his legs at him, trying to get him on his backside, but Harry jumped to avoid him, kicking him in the side and causing him to slide along the floor and slam into the concrete pillar.

The fight after that got bloody and vicious. Callahan barely got in a few punches, and his rage was making things all too easy for Harry. He continued to let Callahan come at him, letting him tire himself out; it was quite ludicrously easy. Unfortunately it wasn't too easy to tire a vampire, since their bodies were made differently from the humans they used to be.

"You took everything from me," Callahan snarled, wrestling with Harry.

"THE COWARDS YOU HID BEHIND TOOK THE ONLY THING I GAVE A SHIT ABOUT BACK THEN!" Harry boomed, punching him in the face.

"They were never cowards!" Callahan furiously shrieked.

"Oh please," Harry hissed, watching Callahan struggling to get up. "They killed my sire ― it took a group of them to kill one man. The worms deserved a greater death than they got, but I was determined I would never be like them. They got a fighting chance; it was more than Kai got."

"Never!" Callahan said indignantly, not listening to him as he pounced for Harry again. He managed to get his hands around Harry's head, ready to rip his head off; nobody could survive that, not even a vampire. Harry put all his strength into his legs and leapt into the air, body slamming Callahan into the tunnel ceiling. They both fell towards the floor, gravity taking hold; Callahan was unable to hold onto Harry in flight since he needed his own hands to ease the fall.

In one swift movement Harry had Callahan locked between his legs, and before the vampire knew it ― Harry had twisted his head clean off his body. Harry let it go with a careless thud; tonight it had ended, once and for all. Turning to face the others, he noticed that one of the other vampires was dead at Rachel's feet.

The last two vampires still looked confused, mixed with a high dose of fear. Harry wiped the small droplets of blood down his shirt, before moving towards the group again. "How long have you been vampires?" Harry demanded coolly.

"A month, I think," Marlon answered, shrinking back when he found the attention centered on himself. "Neil was turned a week after me…he's been trying since…they told us we were the only ones."

"And that gave you the right to hurt others?" Harry snapped; he knew he shouldn't blame them, they hadn't been taught how to control their thirst.

Marlon gulped. "I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to," he repeated, just knowing he would be killed.

"You come with us; you'll learn control and do as I say or you'll die," Harry told him curtly.

"What do you want us to do?" Neil asked, weary.

"Nothing yet; you will learn what it's like to be a real vampire, with no more killing," Harry stated. Muggle or magical, once turned into vampires, they were magical creatures with or without magical abilities, hence they were allowed to know about magic itself.

Neil nodded his head in agreement. Whether it was survival instincts kicking in, or he honestly wanted something better than living in an old underground place ― only Harry could possibly know. Neil glanced at Marlon, then at Ashley with concern. But he looked at the vampire who had held him in surprise, as he was released. He was afraid that it was all a joke, that they would be killed anyway.

"Wyatt," Harry ordered, giving him a look and his head jerked just slightly.

The hybrid vampire understood what he wanted without a single word, so he nodded and made his way over to the female vampire.

"Take care of this," Harry then ordered Rick.

"I will," Rick promised, giving him a nod, allowing Harry to go back to his mate ― he was one of the lucky ones; Rick didn't begrudge him it either. Although, he would like to find his own mate, he'd been alone too long. Let's just say, with a mate…he wouldn't be so bored when the town was too quiet. It was why he tended never to stay in the same place more than a few nights; he went all over the place in hopes that he could somehow miraculously meet his match.

A crack was all that was heard of Harry leaving ― incidentally leaving behind three astonished vampires, all wanting to know how he'd done 'the trick'.

Thank you for editing this Jake and Jordre :)