I'm gratified at the outpouring of support for Nimrod. I must reiterate that there is no guarantee that it'll become a full fic, BUT I do intend to do a Potterverse crossover with Resident Evil: Village some time in the near future. I'm most of the way through the game now, with only Heisenberg and Miranda to deal with.

Even if this particular story falls through, I do have a few other ideas. So watch this space for more Resident Evil crossovers, along with others...

NIMROD

CHAPTER 2:

EMBITTERED SOULS

"Oh, we're not lying, kid. Looks like Potter wants to receive bits of you by owl after all. Then again, he has that Boy Who Lived and that nice piece of Mudblood tail to fuck, even if she's in a coma. Why would he want some damaged goods like you? Now, hold still. This'll hurt me more than it'll hurt you…"

Emerald eyes snapped open with a gasp, and he sat bolt upright, only to be pushed down firmly by a slender hand that was deceptively strong. "Oh no, you don't," purred a familiar voice. In the dim room, emerald eyes met golden ones that shone faintly in the dark room.

Harry sighed. Over the past few months, whenever he stayed in Castle Dimitrescu's guest suites, he'd had to deal with this. Ever since he turned 18. "…Bela, every time you sneak in here, your mother threatens to castrate me."

"She wouldn't dare," Bela said. Thankfully, like him, she was clothed. Not in her usual hooded robes, which were just shaped parts of the swarm of mutant flies that made up her body. She had pyjamas with cartoon bats on them. She also didn't have her habitual smear of blood across her lips and chin. "She's not worried about you taking me by force."

"I pity the idiot who would dare try it," Harry muttered, trying to force down his rather conspicuous erection by sheer force of mental will.

"Don't you mean, 'I pity the fool'?" Bela asked hopefully, only to pout at Harry's rolling eyes. "Oh, for goodness' sake, what the bloody hell is wrong with imitating Mr T?"

"You're not an African-American man with a mohawk and a lot of bling," Harry said with a flat look. "Instead, you're a sentient swarm of blowflies that manages to look like a sexy blonde vampire woman. And getting back to the topic at hand, any idiot who tried to rape you, you would eat alive. In fact, you've done it a few times, haven't you?"

Bela nodded with a smirk on her face. In a nostalgic tone, she remarked, "Good times." But then, her smile became more gentle, pensive even. "And you know why I do this, Harry. You're warm. The insects making up our bodies are susceptible to extremes of temperature. Fire would ruin anyone's day, but the cold is even worse to us…and then there's your smell. Maybe it's the magic in you, or maybe it's something else, but the smell of your body, of your flesh and blood…it comforts me."

Harry nodded absently, even as he sat up in the bed, Bela not stopping him this time. Of the three adopted daughters of Alcina Dimitrescu, he got along best with Bela. It helped that she was the most stable of the three daughters, less sadistic, less insane, and more friendly. True, he kept her at arm's length somewhat: as sexy and friendly as she was, he knew that the Dimitrescus had no qualms about feeding on people. Plus, Alcina did have some mild misandristic tendencies, though she was, as with her daughters, mostly a misanthrope than a man-hater specifically.

And yet, he couldn't help but become friends with her, of a somewhat unusual sort. Technically, she was over half a century old, at least over thrice his age of 18 years, but she acted like someone about his age or a little older. She was also the nicest of the three sisters. Oh, Cassandra could be nice when she was in the mood, and genuinely so, and if Daniella wasn't having an episode, she was quite endearing, in a lovably insane kind of way. But Bela seemed to be the one who, while with few qualms about killing, seemed to have more standards than her sisters. Oh, he was friends, albeit of an uneasy, wary sort with them all, but he was closest to Bela.

Case in point, as he sat on the side of the bed, she gently touched his hand with her own. "It was that nightmare again, wasn't it? When those bastards took you from England and brought you to Cioarăfsat?"

Harry nodded. "It ended before those Lycans attacked. I was lucky I managed to get to the Duke. But…it angers me so much, that Potter wouldn't pay the ransom. For me, his own son!" His teeth ground as he fought back a surge of anger and hatred at the remembrance of that day. "…The only reason I'd ever go back there is to see my brother, and to cure my mother. Moony died trying to save me from those kidnappers, and Padfoot…well, he's godfather to the Boy Who Lived. Why would he want to find me?"

Bela had heard these bitter words before, Harry knew, but she merely rubbed her hand along his back. "It's okay. You're here, amongst friends and family, prieten. You may not have accepted Mother Miranda's gift, but you are still one of us, welcome amongst us. You bring us gifts, either in the form of wastes of flesh and blood who serve us better as sustenance, or novelties from beyond this village. You make us better. Why, Aunt Donna talks without Angie more often these days, and I think it's mostly due to you encouraging her."

"I know, but…"

"You feel ill at ease, knowing that we're monsters. I know. I am, admittedly, a monster by human standards. But not all monsters have something like the Cadou or those rumours of the Las Plagas parasite from Spain Mother Miranda has been investigating. Nicolae Ceauşescu and his cronies showed that someone can be a monster without being anything other than human, and you know it."

"I've heard this before, Bela," Harry said quietly.

"My point is, Harry…I won't ever harm you unless you give me cause to. I may occasionally take a little nibble out of you, drink a wee bit of your blood, but…we are friends, aren't we?"

"…I guess."

"And friends help each other out. Sometimes, it's just by talking. And I am older than you."

"By several decades."

Bela pouted. "Excuse me? Don't insult a lady about her age."

"Firstly, you're no lady, you're a sentient swarm of blowflies," Harry said flatly. "And secondly, you look pretty damn good for your age anyway, so what's your problem?"

"My problem," Bela growled in a mock-threatening way, "is that a silly man-thing is mocking me about my age." But then, she became gentle and solemn again. "But seriously, Harry…I'm willing to talk. We've talked before. You've talked to the Duke, to Uncle Karl, to Aunt Donna, to Mother Miranda, hell, you've even talked to my mother, and we both know she's not the best of people to discuss personal issues with, especially if you're not family. But…I don't like seeing you waking up at all hours because of the scars of your past, prieten."

"…I'm just not sure what to say that you haven't heard from me a hundred times before. That I hate being abandoned by Potter. That most of my childhood was ripped away partly thanks to him and partly thanks to those Death Eater wannabes. That the main reason I was tolerated here is because of the Duke's patronage."

"You're more than tolerated now, Harry, and you know it. Even Mother likes you. She may think your insistence on bringing us criminals and relics of the dictatorships around Europe quaint, but she does like you." Her voice took on a contralto pitch, a gentle mockery of her mother's deeper tones. "He may be as insolent and immature as Heisenberg at times, but he at least puts his money where his mouth is. And he can actually be a gentleman when he feels so inclined."

Harry snorted at Bela's imitation of her mother. Then again, Alcina had actually been one of his tutors in the sciences. Alcina was actually a skilled scientist, and had even become known as a jazz singer back in the 30s with The Pallboys, before she gained her Cadou. Alcina had more than a few virtues, though her bloodthirstiness and misanthropy overshadowed these.

He got up, and began heading to the French windows on the room, only to stop, and then waved a hand at Bela, casting a Warming Charm on her, as well as himself. He then opened the French windows, heading into the crisp, mid-autumnal air on the balcony. Bela followed him, a little reluctantly, but certainly not as reluctantly as she would have without the Warming Charm. The insects that made up her body were made sluggish by the cold temperatures, making her vulnerable to attack.

The novelty of being able to walk in the cold appealed to Bela most. Neither Cassandra nor Daniela wished to do so, at least as often as Bela did. The most they enjoyed was having snowball fights without freezing to death.

But Bela seemed to be struck by the beauty of the surrounding countryside in the autumn and the winter, and with Harry having been privately tutored in magic, courtesy of the Duke and his contacts, Bela had that opportunity to see it from beyond the confines of the castle. It was heartening to Harry, as it was another sign of humanity within the predatory pseudo-vampire. Then again, she seemed the most human of her sisters.

Bela spent a few seconds watching her own breath turn to fog in the cold morning air, puffing in varying ways and seeing what transpired. There was something endearing about the childish way she did it, another sign of humanity, before she giggled. "Ah…I wonder whether I did that as a kid. Probably did."

"You still don't remember your life before the Cadou?"

Bela shook her head. "Flashes, bits and bobs. And in truth…I'm actually grateful for that. While you were away this time, I finally managed to cajole Mother into telling me where we came from. It…wasn't pleasant. Deserters from the Wehrmacht had made their way here during the Second World War. Mother Miranda gave them sanctuary, but a few of them decided to abuse her hospitality, and that of my mother's. They raped and tortured the three of us, kidnapping us from our families, which they murdered. We were on the verge of death, so we were given the Cadou."

Harry stared at her in horror. If Alcina had been telling the truth, that was such a horrific thing to go through. "And those monsters who did that to you?"

"Became our first meal. I remember that part. We weren't told who they were or what they did. And I'm glad I don't remember. Mother showed me a picture of what we looked like just as the Cadou was administered. It…wasn't pleasant. She told me not to tell Cassandra and Daniela, and I agree. She told me that if I tell you, you keep your mouth shut, especially towards them."

"…Fuck, no wonder the three of you have issues," Harry said quietly. "I thought that came with being bug swarm vampire girls, but…Bela, I'm…"

"If you're going to offer me sympathy or say you're sorry, then don't, man-thing," Bela hissed. "I came to terms with it pretty damn quickly. I mean, I already had to deal with the existential crisis of being, as you put it, a bug swarm vampire girl, one with few memories of her life before then. This is a doddle by comparison, especially as I don't have any memory of what those monsters did to me and my sisters." Her aggression then leeched away. "…Sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you, Harry. I know you mean well."

Harry nodded. He was mostly unfazed by Bela's anger. She may not have been as unstable as her sisters, especially Daniela, but she did have mood swings at times. "Just try not to do that. I like you, Bela, but you also scare me."

Bela nodded a little morosely in her turn, conceding the point. An uncomfortable silence settled over the two, before she broke it. "Mother encouraged you to take the Cadou from Mother Miranda, didn't she?"

"Yeah. Miranda even offered it again. You're fine with me refusing it?"

"I'd be lying if I said I was wholly on-board with it, Harry. You may be a wizard, but in all likelihood, I will outlive you, prieten. You know my sisters and I are far from invincible, but we're virtually immortal. And I need more than family to make such a life bearable. But…I also care about your own desires. Heh. I must be going soft, caring about the desires of a mortal man."

"You're not going soft, Bela, you're just remembering your humanity, and that's not a bad thing." She chuckled ruefully in agreement. He then looked over at the mountains, where a band of colour heralded the coming dawn. "…I might take up the Cadou one day…but it will be on my terms. I don't want to be leashed to Miranda, especially with that obsession she has with reviving her daughter. There are times when she seems to genuinely act like the mother she was, and dubs herself…and other times when she's a cold-hearted scientist who cares for little but her goals. And yet…I feel for her, for wanting to revive her daughter. It's like with my mother. I feel like I'm almost ready, to head back there and try everything I can to save her. Miranda even offered a Cadou to do so, but that'll be a last resort."

"You know, I would have sneered at you refusing Mother Miranda's gift not so long ago. But…I guess I care about your happiness more, prieten. But promise me this: if you are ever in danger of dying, do not let your qualms about the Cadou prevent you from using it to save your life. Even if James Potter cared little about your welfare, we here do. My sisters and I, Mother, the other Four Lords, even Mother Miranda. The Duke goes without saying, and there's those people in the village proper. Like that Leonardo guy, or that Luiza woman. So don't die out of pride or qualms, okay?"

Harry nodded, even if Bela's words had done little to assure him. He wasn't sure whether he would accept the Cadou, even on the verge of death. But he nodded anyway, just to reassure her.

Bela looked to the mountains, with the dawn light peeking out over them. "…You know, this is kind of romantic. Castle balcony, dawn over the mountain peaks…so, how about it? I know Halloween isn't exactly Valentine's Day, but…how about your first kiss?"

Harry's eyes widened. "I…uh…well…"

Bela giggled, before she leaned over to him, and pressed her lips to his own. Gently at first, then, a little more forcefully. Her tongue probed his mouth, and, after a moment's hesitation, he answered in kind.

Oddly enough, she didn't taste of the coppery tang of blood, or rotten meat, or whatever blowflies tasted like. He couldn't define it, only that it was…pleasant. Of course, that in itself was a surprise, given that he was snogging a sentient swarm of blowflies that was basically a hot vampire girl.

The moment was gone, though, when they heard a chorus of "Ooooh!" from a nearby window from a room next door. Bela broke away from Harry, and they looked at the window (one of the few that was properly transparent), mortified, as the faces of Cassandra and Daniela gurned at them. "Harry and Bela, sitting in the tree…" Cassandra crooned.

"F-U-C-K-I-N-G!" Daniela chanted.

Bela flushed, an impressive feat on her usually deathly-pale features, before she flipped them the bird. Her sisters merely cackled, and dissolved into their swarms, leaving the room. "Welp," Harry said, "I think your mother's going to be making me a gelding soon."

"Like hell she will," Bela said. "Let's get back inside, I think your Warming Charm is wearing off…"

As they re-entered his bedroom, Harry's eye fell onto an imported copy of The Daily Prophet on the bedside table. The headline ran, TRI-WIZARD TOURNAMENT REVIVED! HOGWARTS, DURMSTRANG AND BEAUXBATONS COMPETE FOR GLORY! Picking it up with a sigh of annoyance, he flung it into the fireplace, letting it burn. He had no interest in the big magic schools of Europe engaging in a dick-waving contest. He was more concerned about that riot at the Quidditch World Cup, the one where the Dark Mark had appeared. And with the man who betrayed his parents on the run, well, that was more important than some stupid tournament.

If only he knew…

CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:

So, here we have it, a Harry/Bela scene, where they're growing closer. I also did it to give some depth to Bela, and her sisters. Their past is one I made up for this fic, but I did it to explain away some of Alcina's more misandristic tendencies, as well as why she is so protective of her daughters.

Incidentally, Bela's little term for Harry, prieten, is Romanian for friend, and a fairly affectionate way of saying that to boot, according to Wiktionary. I think she only started having romantic feelings for Harry shortly before his 18th birthday. I wanted to show that, while clearly and genuinely affectionate to Harry, she still has the same Bela we know from the game, and shows flashes of her habitual disdain towards humans. It's a bit like how Madam Vastra from Doctor Who will occasionally make disdainful comments about humans being apes, but is in a relationship with her maid Jenny Flint.

I also showed a little hint of Harry's past in that nightmare. We'll elaborate on the details later, but let's just say that the kidnappers twisted James' actions to their own ends. James isn't blameless, but he's more blameless than Harry believes him to be.

No numbered annotations this time.