t had been almost 5 years to the day since Harry, now going by his birth name Hadley, had moved to Licking Falls, Ohio.

He had stumbled upon an old, weathered barn that had been lovingly renovated into a spacious and grand house during his search for somewhere to escape to outside of the UK. The property, sprawling over 5 acres, was filled with enchanting rows of overgrown cherry trees, their branches reaching out like welcoming arms. When he first saw the isolated location and the quaint town nearby, he knew it was meant to be his home. The peaceful serenity of the orchard seemed to call out to him, promising solace and seclusion from the chaos of the outside world and protection from those who might search for him.

While he had moved to Ohio alone, he certainly hadn't stayed that way for long.

Saint Mungos Hospital was attacked on the 1st anniversary of the end of the war by Death Eater Wannabes. Bad enough on its own, but it was also the hospital that Hermione was kept at and Ron practically lived in since Hermione was there. Both of them were fine, but it still wasn't safe enough in magical Britain. He had extended the invitation to Ron to move into his home, but he hadn't actually expected him to accept.

Their friendship had been fractured during the war and after the massacre at the Burrow, Ron had cut off pretty much all communication with Hadley having blamed him for everything that happened during and after the war, especially when Hadley had turned down a position with the Aurors.

But Ron and Hermione moved into his house in Ohio and lived off of his money. Ron rarely went out into the nearby town, but when he wasn't caring for Hermione, he fixed up the orchard.

Hadley did not tell Ron about his status as a half-vampire. It was better that way, but he did have to explain why he looked so different. Explaining to Ron that his Mother had another man's child who wasn't her husbands was an awkward situation Harry never wanted to repeat. Unfortunately for Harry, he was fate's whipping boy.

Two years after Ron and Hermione had moved into his house, Harry was taking in another stray that he hadn't wanted anything to do with. His cousin, Dudley, ironically got into a severe car crash, lost his job, and his fiance left him before he called Hadley as a last resort to keep him from living on the streets.

Even though the spiteful part of Hadley wanted to say no, he couldn't do that. So Dudley moved to Ohio and into Harry's house. More explanations were given and once Dudley recovered from his injuries he started to help Ron in the Orchard and enrolled in the local community college.

Hadley may have inherited a fair amount of money, but he was supporting three other people including Hermione's medical bills and Dudley's school costs. So he had to find a way to make money again while having only an elementary level of muggle education and an incomplete magical education. His new job fell into his lap quite by accident.

Hadley had gone out to a bar because he had not wanted to stay in the house listening to both Dudley and Ron berating him yet again. It had taken years and several bad relationships to discover that he was gay and had absolutely no desire for females. So when an attractive dark-haired man with stunning blue eyes approached him to buy him a drink, Hadley was all for it. Something niggled at him in the back of his mind but he had ignored it, trying to enjoy doing something normal like flirting.

The man, Daniel, invited Hadley to join him at a club across town and Hadley said yes ignoring the bad feeling in his gut.

They took Daniel's car since Hadley didn't know where the club was. 15 minutes into the ride, Hadley's bad feeling was getting worse. They were driving further away from the town and seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, not that that was hard to do in Ohio.

When Daniel pulled off the road and parked the car in the middle of a field, Hadley wondered how to tell the man he did not want to have sex having just met him and definitely not in his car. Unfortunately, sex was not what this man was looking for. When Daniel's eyes turned bright shining green like a streetlight, Hadley knew he was in trouble.

Daniel was a vampire, looking to snack on Hadley.

Thankfully Hadley's fighting skills weren't too rusty, he was unable to subdue the vampire though, and was forced to use a blasting curse at the vampire's chest, pulverizing Daniel's heart, followed by a cutting curse to decapitate him.

Covered in blood and shaking, Hadley sent a patronus to the nearest Auror office to report what he had done. He had expected to be questioned, maybe even arrested. But when the Aurors arrived and saw the vampire's slowly shriveling head, they instead offered to pay Hadley.

Hadley was both dumbfounded and confused. Come to find out, Daniel had a bounty on his head for having killed 3 other people. Not that MACUSA cared overly much for vampires to begin with, they had no laws against killing them. While it wasn't exactly encouraged, it wasn't frowned upon either.

An hour later Hadley had returned to his house, $3,000 richer and a license from MACUSA labeling him as a freelance bounty hunter. When he told Ron about why he was covered in blood and what his new job was, Ron smiled at him for the first time in a long time. Apparently killing vampires was the ticket back into his best friend's good graces. Dudley also seemed rather pleased that Hadley was out killing 'monsters' now.

Hadley had been a bounty hunter for 2 years now. There was a pattern to his life now. During the weekdays he would keep track of bounties posted in his area, take notes on them, research their whereabouts, and then on the weekends he traveled to clubs and bars within a 3-hour radius of Licking Falls looking for those with a bounty on their head. Most of the time it was vampires, but Hadley had taken out two rogue witches, and a small pack of werewolves.

Hadley would drink like a fish, his vampiric genes made it very hard for him to get drunk, and wait to be picked up by that special someone. He very rarely had to go to who he was hunting, the undead were usually quite enamored of Hadley.

It was Friday night and Hadley was at a club whose loud music made it feel like the blood in his veins was vibrating to the beat. Unpleasant. He made his way carefully through the crowd, keeping his senses open for that unmistakable charge in the air that vampires seemed to put out. After wandering around for an hour and spotting no one but humans, Hadley felt disappointment stir inside of him.

With a sigh, he sat at the bar and ordered a gin and tonic. It wasn't firewhiskey, but the first vampire that tried to kill him had ordered him a gin and tonic and now it was his staple drink. Call him sentimental.

Men and women approached him periodically. Politely and somewhat impolitely Hadley turned them down, depending on how persistent they were. After his last disastrous boyfriend, Danny, Hadley never wanted to date again. If they didn't have a bounty on their head, he wasn't interested. No wonder Hadley had no love to speak of.

After three more drinks, Hadley decided to cruise the club again, since he was having no luck being bait. It was nearly midnight, and so far there has been nothing aside from the normal amount of alcohol, drugs, and dancing.

Private booths were tucked away in the corner of the club. As Hadley passed in front of them, he felt a twinge of charged air. Someone, or something, was nearby. He stopped and did a slow circle, attempting to locate the source of the energy.

Out of the light and obscured by shadows, he saw the top of a man's head bent forward. His hair was nearly white under the intermittent lighting, but his skin was unlined. Hollows and contours became features as the man looked up and spotted Hadley staring at him.

His brows were distinctly darker than his hair, which appeared to be a light blond that would have made even Malfoy's hair look yellow. His eyes were dark as well, the lighting in the club made it impossible for Hadley to be able to tell what color they were. The man's cheekbones could have been chiseled from marble, and that flawless diamonds-and-cream skin gleamed from under his shirt collar.

Bingo.

While Hadley couldn't recall the man's name, he did remember the man's face and that he had a good price on his head. He was even more handsome in person.

Pasting a false smile on his face, Hadley sauntered over with the exaggerated walk of someone drunk and plopped himself down on the opposite seat.

"Hello, handsome," Hadley purred, eyes trailing over the man's body.

"Not now."

His tone was clipped, with a distinct English accent that made Harry long for his home country. Hadley blinked stupidly for a moment, while Hadley knew he wasn't wildly attractive, he had never been turned down so quickly before either.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm busy." He sounded impatient and mildly annoyed by Hadley's presence.

Hadley was stubborn though, and not easily chased off. He reached out and ran a finger lightly over the vampire's hand, feeling the power nearly jump off of his skin. "I was wondering, um…" Hadley stumbled over his words, searching his brain for something vaguely seductive or enticing. This honestly had never happened before. Vampires especially were usually easy pickings compared to his other bounties. He didn't know how to handle a situation like a true professional might, he was self-trained after all.

"Want to fuck?"

Good going, Hadley.

The words had burst out of him before he could think to stop it, he was slightly horrified with himself for saying something so crass even if it was to a vampire.

The man glanced back with a curl of amusement on his lips, having turned away after his second refusal. Dark eyes raked Hadley appraisingly.

"Bad timing, luv. Have to wait until later. Be a good bird and fly away, I'll find you."

With a flick of his hand, he dismissed Hadley. Slightly stunned, Hadley got up and walked away, shaking his head at this turn of events. His job wasn't boring, but how was he going to corner the man if he couldn't seduce him? Maybe he was straight?

Most of the supernatural community seemed to care very little about gender and the majority had been at the very least bi-flexible. A pretty face was a pretty face. Perhaps he could watch him. Follow him whenever he tried to pick someone up, male or female. Decision made, Hadley looked behind him back at the booths.

He was gone. The table he'd been crouched over was empty and the charge in the air was gone. Keeping calm, Hadley searched the surrounding bars, the dance floor, and the booths again. Damn, tonight might end up being a bust. Hadley returned to the bar and ordered a fresh drink.

"Someone so beautiful should never drink alone," a voice next to him said.

Turning to possibly chase away another human, he stopped when he saw his new admirer. Dirty blond hair with turquoise-colored eyes. Tonight was his lucky night. Devon, a naughty vampire with a decent bounty on him as well.

"I hate to drink alone, in fact."

The vampire smiled, showing lovely squared teeth and not a hint of fang.

"Are you here by yourself?"

"Do you want me to be?" Hadley smiled back coyly. By Merlin's balls, this one wasn't going to get away like the other one had.

"I very much want you to be." His voice was lower now, his smile deeper. Hadley had noted over the years that most vampires could double as phone sex operators.

"Well, then I was. Except now I'm with you." Hadley tilted his head to the side in a flirtatious manner that also bared his neck. Devon's eyes followed the movement, and he licked his lips.

Oh good, a hungry one.

"What's your name, my lovely British rose?" Wow, this one was laying it on a little thick.

"Catán Raven." His middle name, and the hair color of Daniel who had tried to kill him. Very sentimental, Hadley was.

The vampire's smile broadened. "Such an unusual name."

He said his name was Kevin, even though Hadley knew it was actually Devon. He was 28 and an architect, or so he claimed. Kevin was recently engaged, but his fiancee had dumped him and now he just wanted to find someone to have fun with.

Listening to this, Hadley managed to not choke on his drink in amusement. What a load of crap.

Of course, being a gentleman, Kevin couldn't let Hadley call a cab, and how inconsiderate that his fictitious friends had left without him. How kind of him to drive Hadley home, and oh, by the way, he had something to show Hadley. Well, that made two of them.

Experience had taught Hadley that a wide open space made it much easier to kill someone versus the cramped interior of a car. Therefore, he managed to open the passenger door of Kevin's Volkswagen and run screaming out of it with feigned horror when Kevin made his move. Kevin had picked a deserted area, as most of them did, so he didn't worry about a Good Samaritan hearing his cries.

Kevin followed Hadley with measured steps, delighted with Hadley's sloppy staggering. Pretending to trip, he whimpered for effect as the vampire loomed over him. Kevin's face had transformed to reflect his true nature. A sinister smile revealed upper fangs where none had been before, and his previously turquoise eyes now glowed with a terrible green light.

Hadley scrabbled around, concealing his hand slipping into his pocket. "Don't hurt me!"

Kevin knelt, grasping the back of his neck.

"It will only hurt for a moment."

Then, Hadley struck. His hand whipped out in a practiced movement and the weapon it held pierced the vampire's heart. Hadley twisted repeatedly until Kevin's mouth went slack and the light faded from his eyes. With a last wrenching shove, he pushed the limp body off of him and wiped his bloody hands on his pants.

"You were right." Hadley was slightly out of breath from his exertions. "It only hurt for a moment."

Much later when Hadley arrived home, he was whistling. The night hadn't been a total waste at least even if one had gotten away. Devon couldn't prey on anyone else now.

Hadley was in such a good mood that he decided to return to the same club the next night. Maybe the one who had gotten away the day before would still be in the area.

It was crowded again, even worse than yesterday considering it was now Saturday night. The music was just as loud and the faces just as blank. His initial sweep of the club turned up nothing, but it was still early. He headed toward the bar for a drink to occupy his hands and didn't notice the crackle in the air before he heard the voice from behind him.

"I'm ready to fuck now."

"What?" Hadley whirled around, prepared to indignantly scald the ears of the unknown creep when he stopped. It was him. An involuntary blush flooded Hadley's face when he remembered what he had said last night. Apparently, he had made an impression on the vampire.

"Ah yes, well…" Exactly how was he supposed to respond to that? "Umm, drink first? Beer or …?"

"Don't bother." He interrupted Hadley's hail of the bartender and traced a finger along Hadley's jaw. "Let's go."

"Now?" Hadley looked around, thrown off guard by this vampire's sudden 180 on his personality from yesterday.

"Yeah, now. Changed your mind, luv?" There was a challenge in the man's eyes and a gleam that Hadley couldn't decipher. Not wanting to risk losing him again, Hadley gestured to the door.

"Lead the way."

"No, no." He grinned chillingly. "Beauty before age."

With several glances over his shoulder, Hadley preceded the man into the parking lot. Once outside, he looked at Hadley expectantly.

"Well, get your ride, and let's be off."

"My ride? I'm sure your car is much nicer than mine, you don't want to ride in mine. Where's your ride?" Hadley's face remained cool, but inside he was slightly rattled. This man was going far off script from anyone he had hunted before and it left him uncomfortable.

"Took a taxi here." The man said with an unrepentant grin.

"Ah okay then… My truck is over here." As Hadley walked to the truck, he had to remind himself to stagger. Vampires believing he was drunk made it much easier to stake them since they underestimated his motor skills. "Think I drank too much. You want to drive?"

"No thanks," was his immediate response. Stupid and ungentlemanly, figures.

"Well, you were warned if I end up wrapping us around a tree."

"If you want to beg off until another night…"

"No!" Hadley desperately said, which raised the vampire's eyebrow up a notch. "I mean, you're so good-looking, and … I really, really want to get it on." Someone needed to come to Hadley's rescue and shut him up from saying anything else stupid.

The man stifled a laugh, dark eyes glittering. A denim jacket was casually thrown over his collared shirt. Under the streetlights, his cheekbones looked even more pronounced. He had never seen such perfectly chiseled features before.

The vampire looked Hadley up and down, making him feel slightly self-conscious as the man's tongue traced the inside of his bottom lip. "Right then, let's be off. You're driving." Without another word, he climbed into the passenger seat of Hadley's pickup.

Left with no choice, Hadley got in on the driver's side and pulled away, heading for the highway. Minutes ticked by and Hadley wasn't sure how to break the oppressive silence in the truck. The vampire didn't speak but Hadley could feel his eyes as they moved over him. Unable to take the silence, Hadley blurted out the first thing that popped into his mind.

"What's your name?"

"Does it matter?"

Hadley glanced to his right and met his eyes. They were so dark brown they could have been black. There was that cool note of challenge in them again, almost a silent dare. It was disconcerting, to say the least. All his prior bounties had been perfectly happy to chat, hell death eaters were more verbose than this vampire.

"I just wanted to know. Mine's Catán." Hadley exited the freeway and turned onto a nearby gravel road leading to the lake.

"Catán? Old Irish for a kitten, how fitting."

Hadley's head jerked around and shot him an annoyed look. Hadley was going to enjoy stabbing him. "It's Catán," Hadley repeated firmly. "Catán Raven."

"Whatever you say, Kitten Tweedy."

Hadley felt his eye twitch in annoyance. "You got a problem?"

Dark eyebrows rose. "No problem, pet. Is this where you want to shag?"

There went that pesky flush again at his bluntness.

"Um, no. Just a little farther up. It's prettier up there." Hadley steered them deeper into the woods.

The man gave a low chuckle. "I just bet it is, luv."

When Hadley stopped the truck at his favorite rendezvous spot, he looked over to the other man. He sat exactly as he had been, immobile in a way only vampires could pull off. There was no way for Hadley to reach any of his weapons in such close quarters without tipping the vampire off.

Clearing his throat, Hadley gestured toward the trees. "Shall we go outside to shag?"

A quick grin lit the man's face before he responded. "Oh no. Right here. Love to do it in a truck."

Damn, what now? This wouldn't work. "There's not much room in here," Hadley said as he began to open his door.

The man didn't budge. "Plenty of room, Kitten. I'll stay here."

"Don't call me Kitten." Hadley's voice was sharper than romance dictated but he was getting aggravated with this particular vampire's behavior. The sooner he was dead, the better.

He ignored Hadley. "Take off your clothes. Let's see what you got."

"Excuse me?" This was too much.

"You weren't going to shag me with all of your clothes on, were you, Kitten?" he taunted. "Guess all you truly need is your jeans off. Come on. Don't take all bloody night."

Oh, Hadley was going to make him pay. More than a little annoyed the man assumed that he would automatically bottom for him.

"You first."

He grinned again with a flash of normal teeth. "Shy bird, are you? Didn't peg you for the type, what with walking up to me and practically begging for it and all. How about this? We'll do it at the same time."

Bastard. It was the worst thing he could think of off the top of his head. He chanted it in his mind as he warily watched the vampire while unbuttoning his jeans. The vampire nonchalantly loosened his belt, unbuckled his pants, and pulled out his shirt. The action revealed a taut pale belly that was hairless until it met his groin.

This was way further than he'd ever let things progress before. He was so embarrassed that he could feel a slight tremble in his hands as he started to peel off his jeans.

"Look here, luv, see what I have here for you."

Hadley glanced down and saw the vampire's hand close around his pale erection before Hadley quickly looked away. The stake was almost in his hand, all he needed was another second…

It was Hadley's modesty that did him in. When he turned to avoid seeing the vampire's groin, Hadley missed his hand clenching. The vampire's fist moved unbelievably fast as it connected with Hadley's head. There was a flash of light followed by shooting pain, and then silence.