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Happy Daft Day froggie!
Recipient froggie
Title: Castaways
Author: Nikki claucita
Rating: R
Warnings: Vampirism (I do hope I had nailed this one for you darling), disability (I tried to include what you wanted), slash (what else would peeps expect from this paring), Character death.
Summary: Severus and Harry meet again after twenty years.
Disclaimer: Don’t own a single character of the Harry Potter the universe, the rest are mine although you’re free to take them. :D
Distribution: Anyone who wants this is free to take it as long as you let me know and only after the Smut Swap has finished.
AN: Thanks to platipie and coldeternal for being wonderful betas and putting up with me and my rambling :D you guys deserve all the gold in the world!!





The view through the window was a depressive one, with the
rain and the darkness embracing the old city; but that wasn't what made
the man looking through the glass get deeper into his thoughts. No, it was a
memory which kept Severus Snape looking at the alley below him without
really seeing what was happening in that old forsaken street.

Twenty years have past, and still he could feel the damp of the stone beneath
his fingers, as well as the darkness that had embraced him the minute he
entered that room turned cell in the depths of Riddle Manor, knowing
that his life had been forfeited when he chose, finally chose, a side. He had
never been a religious man, after all magic was labeled as heresy by the
church, but in that second when his old Master had looked at him dead in the
eye and seen the true allegiance of his once beloved servant, Severus wished
that he could have been able to pray to the Gods and be heard.

He had not lost his life, not per se, but he had lost more than his sight. He
had lost his freedom and will, and that was something that no one else could
ever give him back. Something that hurt beyond the physical pain of that knife
which had carved into his eyes sockets.

“Mr. Snape” a voice from the doorway let him know that his
food had arrived; he was not permitted to leave the room, nor the house. “Be
quick about it, it has just been harvested”

Such a peculiar way to say that the blood had been drained
from a human being, but who was he to contradict his keeper? Severus walked
towards the voice, with all the confidence that the years had given him living
in that room, and he managed to do so without tripping with the bed. He
extended his hand and sensed the presence of the other being in front of him,
letting him know where the goblet was. Without much fanfare, he drained the
blood in one go.

“I’ll make sure to tell the Lord of your request, he is scheduled
to arrive tonight” without any other word, the vampire walked out the
door.

His request, Severus sighed at the thought. He wanted to get out of that
bloody house, but the clan didn’t want to be shunned because of him. They had
taken him in their fold when all the rules of their kind forbid it, bloody
Toreadores and their rules.

It wasn’t his fault either; he hadn’t wanted to be turned
into a bloody vampire! But The Dark Lord hadn’t asked him for permission,
neither had he asked for the vampire clan. Severus learned that the hard way,
once Potter had offed Voldemort, the once Head of Slytherin House had escaped
his prison. Of course, with so much effort due to his small problem of not
being able to see a damn thing, he refused to see himself as a handicapped
because of a trifle thing as blindness, but he had managed to get out of
Riddle Manor and stumbled into the village where he lay low for the night. He
thanked all the deities out there that the brat had done the job after dusk
rather than at broad daylight, it might have cut short his lifespan. He had
had to hide inside one of the stores’ cellar in order to avoid being found, or
being turned into mere ashes. So, for a fortnight, Severus had to control the
urges of his body claiming for blood; he just wasn’t ready to admit to himself
the kind of monster he had turned into.

After he thought would be an adequate time, he got out of
his self imposed prison and flee the country, only stopping at Spinner’s End
to gather the necessary things he might need in his exile. He had reached the
city of Prague through an excessive bout of hiding in shadows and more
difficulties due to his blindness that he cared to admit, only to be almost
slain a few seconds of stepping inside the city.

According to the old rules of vampire’s clan, his in
particular being the bohemian Toreadores, no vampire should be turned without
the explicit permission of the Clan’s head. Obviously, dear old Tom forgot to
include this part into his mighty plan to punish/congratulate the Potion
Master (the jury was still out on that particular choice of reason), therefore
adding a new set of problems for the new vampire.

It took Severus some heavy convincing using his most
impressive tool; his voice and his ability to sell any idea in which he put
his head to. But at last, he had managed to stay alive and be let to live
inside the city without much problem. The only downside was that because he
wasn’t supposed to be alive (or dead, if you want to go with the semantics of
being a vampire) nor in that particular city, the Lord of the clan of Prague
had decided that he was to spend the rest of his life (or afterlife if you
want to be particular) inside the house.

Here his request to at least leave the house once every
week, or two. Just to hear or smell the city and its people, so he could at
least pretend to still be a part of humankind. Severus didn’t think it was too
much to ask, but the vampires thought otherwise. That’s why his guardians had
sent their Lord his request, and just now he was going to get his
answer.

Hopefully, it would be a positive answer at that. He didn’t want to consider
otherwise, Severus was about to lose what little sanity he had kept after
being the toy of the Dark Lord. And if he didn’t get to interact with at least
one person, he was going to snap.

*****

Miles across the continent, another lone soul was going
through equally depressive thoughts, though from a different source.

Auror Potter was checking through the last of his reports for the day, not
something that he liked to do but necessary in each of his cases. Although,
someone could say that he had been having those less and less with the years,
Harry Potter refused to see what had been his duties for the Magical Law
Enforcement. Unfortunately for them, the former Savior of the Wizarding world
could not deny it any longer, the Ministry was putting him on the back burner.

Twenty years on the force, and they only gave him one case
every six months, one case! When years prior he would be swamped with six or
more cases a month. A sigh escaped his lips as he put the report he had been
checking (a review of a two year old case) on his tray, then cracked the bones
of his neck before standing up and walking to the window of his office. The
view that the maintenance crew gave him that day was actually one he enjoyed;
even if others found his adoration for raining rather stranger Harry didn’t
seem to care. He had loved rain for the past twenty odd years of his life; it
sadly reflected his life in so many ways that it just wasn’t funny any
more.

He had married Ginny right after she had left Hogwarts, at the first year
celebration of his defeat over Voldemort. After the marriage, he had entered
the Auror program and his wife had joined a Quidditch team as a reserve
player. For a couple of years, their life was compromised of firecalls and
portkey journeys from one place to another, but three years into their
marriage, Ginny had turned out pregnant and due to her mother and her husband
pressure she had quit the team.

The twins had been a beautiful addition to their family, Harry acted as a
devoted and besotted father, loving and caring for his children like no one
had done for him. His wife resented the fact that she had become second
thought to the auror but paid no mind as she understood the effect of the
children on Harry’s life. But when it became obvious that he had no love left
for her, Ginny's feeling towards him too a drastic turn for the worse.
She became cold and distant to Harry and only talked to him about decisions on
the twins, and sometimes not even that. Obviously this reflected on his
relation to his children, who saw their mummy treat their dad as a stranger
rather than the man she had married and started imitating her.

Her constant complaints over her husband, led Ginny’s brothers to distance
themselves from Harry as well, leaving the auror alone once more. His wife
hated the love he had for his children because it siphoned his love for her,
his children hated him for treating their mummy like that, and his adopted
family disliked the coldness in which he treated Ginny.

Fifteen years of that would wear a man down, and Harry was
an extraordinary wizard, not an extraordinary human being. He now felt like a
hundred year old man, not a thirty eight year old one. Of course, he wasn’t
supposed to feel betrayed in any way, after all he was the one who started the
whole tugging war with his children; at least that’s what Hermione had told
him. ‘You cannot expect them to respect you if you don’t respect their mother’
she had said when he had gone to her and asked for help when the twins had
entered his studio and turned it upside down.</span>

Discipline in the Potter household had gone to shambles; he had no power over
his kids as he had no saying on their education. It was despairing, but Harry
had gotten used to it as sadly as it sounded. He had made his bed and now he
was just getting ready to lay on it.

The only bright side was the Potter heirs were about to get out of Hogwarts
and Evan, the oldest of them by four minutes and who looked remarkably like
his grandfather, James, had been drafted for the Cannons much to the pleasure
of uncle Ron. The youngest twin, Jamie, had decided to continue his studies
with his uncle Bill in Egypt as the ancient country held most of the historic
magic that he craved to learn most.

So, all in all, Harry’s future even when it wasn’t what he
had expected at seventeen, looked just a tad brighter that he had expected.
But as fate would have it, Harry Potter just wasn’t the one to get a respite
of his life.

An urgent firecall had him kneeling in front of his fireplace, only to be told
in a very brief but forceful order that he was to go to Prague as soon as he
finished that call and searched for a fugitive of the law, bringing him back
to the isles immediately. The question of why someone else couldn’t be called
to do deporting jobs crossed Harry’s mind but he banished it from his mind, it
wasn’t his place to question orders, not anymore.

Five minutes later he was checking his emergency satchel, especially prepared
for those urgent and last-minute trips, which he always kept inside his desk
drawers and in less time he was flooing to Berlin where he had contacts who
would let him get through to Prague without a single thought.

Harry just didn’t know yet that that trip was the last one
he would ever made as an Auror.

*****

The rain didn’t diminish, and it was starting to get on
Severus nerves. Lord Philip from the Prague Clan had been delayed on his
journey home; therefore the former Potions Master had been left waiting for
his decision on his request. Of course, this only meant that he had to wait
and endure the taunts of the vampires who looked after him. One in particular,
Dandamon, a tall muscular and handsome man (according to the vampire
himself) was quite keen on reminding him of his fate. The vampire was the
one who brought his meals every afternoon, right after the sun had set, to his
room.

For what Severus had gathered by hearing the others talk, Dandamon was nothing
but a lackey to Lord Philip but since he was from a wealthy family the Lord
could not dismiss him easily, hence the task of feeding the unwanted guest.
Not even after almost two decades they had changed the defensive stance they
took towards the once wizard.

Sighing, Snape touched the window glass with his forehead
forcing himself to hear from his position what was happening outside his
little word.

“Master Snape?” an unfamiliar voice startled Severus from his musing, making
him turn around towards the door where he heard the voice speak up. Nobody had
used that title with him before, not even at Hogwarts. “I apologize for the
delay on your request, certain matters had kept me from home longer that I had
anticipated.”

Lord Philip. The former Potions Master straightened his
spine and walked closer to the older vampire, but stopping at a respectful
distance, he had learned what his place was. “Milord, I understand that you
cannot be at my disposition, there’s nothing worth apologizing”

The tone of voice in the English man was one of mere contempt, instead of the
mindless servitude that the vampire was used to hear from his peers and that’s
why he couldn’t have gotten the man in front of him killed. And a man he still
was, no matter that he had been living as a vampire for over twenty years;
Severus Snape had retained his soul, against all odds for vampires never did,
not if they wanted to live eternity without trying to commit suicide.

But then, Severus Snape was more like an exception to every
rule made by the undead, he certainly didn’t follow any of the expectations
from Philip’s clan. “As you wish Severus, there’s still the matter of your
request,” the Lord made a motion with his arm that clearly stated that the
other should take a seat, even if Severus wouldn't be able to see it, it
as a matter of etiquette and both knew that dance very well. Once the younger
vampire took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the bed, the Lord sat
across from and spoke of his decision. “Darinka has told me you wish
to go outside”

Upon hearing this, Severus nodded although he didn’t know it had been Philip’s
consort who had spoken on his behalf. “Very well, I had examined your petition
and even when not everyone in the coven would like to let you out, I’m afraid
I cannot force you to stay indoors any longer.”

The once wizard felt the unfamiliar emotion of relief
washed down his being, it had been a while since something went his way.
“However, I wish to exert the importance of watching your back, you have never
been outside this house for a very long time and most importantly, come back
before dawn. I’d feel most displeased if you happen to burn yourself to ashes
due to a silly mistake”

Severus smiled feebly at the words of caution; it meant something that the
Lord of the clan felt worried enough to give him an advice. “Definitely I’d be
careful not to stay out after dawn” he nodded at the older vampire, accepting
the suggestion and acknowledging the fact that he was supposed to be inside
the house when the sun rose.

With that said, the vampire excused himself out of the room, “I have duties to
fulfill, you may leave tonight if you wish.” Since the sun had merely set,
Severus thought he had enough time to get out and explore the city if he so
wished. And that he did, after a series of threats from Dandamon in which the
vampire told him not to drain any unsuspected victim in his first outing.
Finally, the former Potions Master was walking down the streets of the ancient
city of Prague.

***

Harry for his part had just arrived to the
capital city of Germany, with a gigantic headache caused by his immediate
supervisor who had seen the need to contact him through the Floo network as
soon as the Auror had set foot in Germany. From that moment on, his night had
been turned into a certified nightmare; not only he had to wait for the
convict's file to be flooed, but he also had to wait for the special
permission to pass through the European border, no matter that England was an
European country. It was at times like this that he hated the fact that his
country lived very much independently from the other part of the continent.


So that's why, at around midnight, Harry Potter could still
be found at the local office of Law Enforcement of the city of Berlin. With a
severe case of migraine, he managed to slip free a few minutes after twelve
and he was on his way to Prague where more officials were waiting for him to
establish the route which Devon Wilshire (finally he had a name for the felon,
instead of calling him 'the convict') had taken the week before and which the
Auror was to follow if he intended to bring the man to justice before the day
was over.

Armed with the route and his wand, Harry made his way
through the network once more and he finally reached his destination. The
first thing he did was to check he had his satchel, where he found everything
was in place, then he made sure that his wand was in hand and only at that
moment he carefully walked through the almost deserted streets of the ancient
city, making sure his charms (which went from protective spells to
disillusionment charms).

Not an hour had passed when Harry found himself in front of
a dead alley; completely floored due to his fleeting stupidity for getting
lost, Harry didn't notice when someone crept behind him and grabbed him by the
shoulder making him turn around, losing his balance at the suddenness of the
movement. At the last moment, before hitting the floor, Harry was able to
catch his own equilibrium and squatted down mere centimeter away from the
ground and that's when he saw the face of his attacker. A sneering face, one
that he did not think of ever seeing again, was right in front of him.

"Lost, Potter?" the cold, slightly raspy voice asked with
all the malice that twenty years would have build up.

The auror stood up in an instant and stood there rather
shocked, not only this man had seen him but recognized him and with all the
charms in place. "Snape?" His former Potions teacher was standing
right in his face; a face that he had not been able to forget since that
terrible night at top of the tower, a face that Harry had tried to forget for
twenty years. What in the seven hells was Snape doing there? And looking as if
twenty years had not passed? Harry knew that wizards didn't change that much
when they hit forty, but the man was supposed to be almost sixty! He wasn't
supposed to look the same, not when Harry himself felt like a completely
different person; but quickly he saw some differences from the bastard he used
to know in school. Firstly, and most important, those eyes that had held only
but contempt were now looking dull and lifeless. It could not be, the younger
of the two thought, he cannot be blind. But it was as obvious as the scowling
face and the humongous nose; Severus Snape was blind.

But that only brought more questions to Harry, 'How on
earth did he know that it was me?', 'What is he doing here?' and last but not
least 'Why did he call me in the first place? If he hadn't touched me, i would
have never known he was right behind me.' Of course, having learned from
experience after six years of being taught by the man, he didn't dare to voice
his questions.

Instead he stood there, waiting for a signal of what the other man wanted. for
twenty years, the Wizardry world had been looking for Albus' murderer and now
here it was; Severus Snape standing in front of Harry, even if they had known
through Albus' painting that the Potions Master had been forced to carry
on that task. The old hatred that he harbored towards his Potions
Master surfacing in mere seconds and were not for the fact that a couple of by
passers walked by the alley, he would have pulled his wand and AK the
Slytherin. As it was, Snape had the chance to turn around and walked out of
the dead alley, leaving a perplexed Potter behind. The vampire cursed his
ability to 'see' magic, he didn't know what he was thinking when he stopped
the other wizard. 'Must be the age making me maudlin' he
reasoned once he was outside the alley and walking towards the
house.

Harry, in a spur of the moment decision, chose to follow the man. In the time
that it took for the auror to step outside of the alley, Severus had already
reached the house in which he had been living all these years; the Potions
Master had decided that he would be in his best interest that he didn't stay
longer than a couple of hours, especially on his first time out on the
streets. He cursed his decision of coming back so soon; if he hadn't, he would
have never seen Potter.

Snape hadn't even set foot on the front steps of the house, with his hand
extended to grasp the banister, when he felt a hand gripped his forearm with
all the intention of twisting him around. Before he could even utter a word,
Darinka had appeared (not that Severus could have seen her but he did smell
the lingering scent of smoke that seem to clung at the vampire's clothes)
right by their side. "If I were you, I'd let him go" the cold voice of one of
the ruthless women Severus had ever met startled the other wizard
instantly, making him loose his grip on the older wizard-turned-vampire.

"He's a wanted murderer" the voice of his former student had turned into a
very deep baritone, making Severus' skin crawl just at the mere sound of it;
it spoke of harsh punishments and long tortures, ones that the former Head of
Slytherin house was adamant in avoiding. Darinka stood her ground in front of
the wizard, obviously trying to intimidate the younger man "Everyone inside
this house is a murderer, perhaps not wanted, but most assuredly despised; are
you going to take us all in to wherever you people take your criminals? Please
sir, I have better things to do than fight with a poor little boy who thinks
justice is to punish the wicked"

Before the female could reach the lowest step, Harry had pulled his wand out
and pointed at her; less than a second after that, three vampires had stormed
out of the front door and gripped Mr. Potter's arm behind his back. Darinka,
who was the highest rank from all the presents, took a good look at the auror
and smirked. "You would have done so much better getting lost in another
different part of Prague sir" and with those words, the world blacked out on
the Savior of the Wizardry World.

The former Potions Master, Head of Slytherin House, and all around bastard
could not believe what Darinka had just done. He might have been left blind by
the petty vindictiveness of Lucius Malfoy who couldn't stand the fact that
someone bested him in anything, but he heard and smelled with an accuracy that
only his state could have provided; he heard when the vampires submitted Mr.
Potter by force and he smelled the fear in the other man right before he lost
consciousness, and this had noticed when the dull thud of a body hitting the
steps was heard; obviously the vampires didn't think much of the other man. As
soon as the vampires picked the auror up, Darinka ushered everyone inside,
warning the others not to do anything with the stranger at least not before
the Council reached a decision. After that, Severus was guided to his room by
Darinka, while Mr Potter was dragged to the other side of the wing. Now he
was, standing in front of the door of one of the rooms that worked as 'holding
cell' for the Clan. Of course, the room was merely a brief pause between life
and death, here is where the vampires brought their victims right before
feeding from them or draining them in order to feed the rest of the Clan. Here
was where the blood Severus drank weekly was taken from unsuspected miserable
souls, and now Harry Potter was to be one of them.

Slowly and without causing any sound, Severus opened the door and entered the
room. It really didn't matter that the room was completely void of light, he
had no use for it; the only problem for him was the unfamiliar set up of the
quarters, since he had no idea what the room contained, Severus wasn't sure
where to step and where to avoid colliding a table.

The sound of the door being opened startled Harry, making him jump in
expectations. "Who is there?" Having his glasses shoved away from his face
before he was thrown inside the room was not what he might call
a pleasant situation, but he was there, half-blind and without his wand
which had been taken while he was unconscious, and now the auror had to try
and get out of there.

Nobody answered, only the click of the door closing let the young wizard know
that either someone had walked in or out. "I must say that I had not
expected to see anyone from my past," that voice, how Harry hated that voice,
echoed all over the closed quarters making his blood freeze.

"What do you want? Have you come and gloat, tell me how the mighty have fallen
or some utter rubbish? Spare me, I do know how pathetic I must be to be
captured by a band of bloodsuckers" it was obvious that the once bright boy
who lived was nothing more than an embittered middle age man; what could have
happened to one third of the world famous Golden Trio?

Ignoring the outburst of Potter, Severus sat down at the bed, having made his
way flapping his arms clumsily in front of him. 'Twenty years blind old man
and you haven't gotten used to it?' the vampire thought self- deprecatingly,
but made no sign of showing it to the man in front. "We are not a band of
bloodsuckers" Severus stated calmly as he sat on the bed, which surprised him
because he had never thought of himself as one of them.

"We?" the auror noticed the slip and it shocked him, which made him move
towards the feeble light the moon cast through the window's barely drawn
curtains to really see his former teacher. The man sitting on the bed was
nothing like the Potions Master he met when he was eleven years old, yet Snape
gave off the impression of unchangeable and unflappable. What had happened to
the man? His clothes were obviously muggle, a pair of what appeared to be
black corduroy pants, a gray cashmere sweater and a vest on top of that; it
just didn't add up to the snarky persona that used to be Severus Snape. The
biggest change was his face, although he wasn't a troll-ugly person, Snape
wasn't considered pleasant to look; but now, he looked appealing, except for
the the eyes, those were blank. The sight of them sent chills through Harry's
spine, and he couldn't help but blurted out "What happened to your eyes?"

The older man decided to answer the less dangerous question, at least
for his own peace of mind. "'We' as in I'm the same as they are, a bloodsucker
if you must, but I think we'd like to call ourselves Children of the Dark" he
had heard that particular name when talking to Darinka, she was quite fond of
the people involved in the arts; musicians, actors, writers and the like.
Those people liked to call vampires all sorts of name, and the Russian woman
was only happy to hear them. Contrary to popular belief, not all vampires were
violent blood lust creatures, Toreadores were actually one of the most
peaceful type of their sort; they hated getting into conflicts and took care
of their own fiercely which is way it took a while for them to accept Severus
and also why they protected him when Harry attacked him at the front steps
mere minutes ago. Now, Severus understood, even if he didn't like it, he was
one of them. "I'm a vampire like the rest inside this house Mr. Potter and
they do not like it when strangers barge in and try to sequester one of
their own."

The explanation left a sour taste on his mouth; it's not what he had
wanted out of life, but it's what Snape had gotten out of it, whether he liked
or not.

"Vampire? How? When? The last thing we knew was that Lucius had you captive
inside Riddle Manor, that's what Draco managed to say before he got killed by
Macnair"

'Got killed? As if Draco wanted to get himself killed, although thinking
things through the child must have had a death wish to get inside things way
bigger than him.' And in the end it hadn't matter if Draco wanted or not
to be Marked; Lucius had wanted and that was it. But knowing that he was dead,
it was a low blow to his own self esteem, after all Severus considered himself
some sort of tutor to the young Malfoy heir. "Well, I guess he was right. Yes,
I was held at Riddle Manor by Malfoy Senior but that's not something that
should interest you Mr. Potter"

There was something in the way Snape said his name that caused Harry to perk
up, he didn't know why but it didn't sound as it had right when they still
were at the dungeons. "Alright, I give you that, it's not of my concern
whether you were having tea with him or he was torturing you, but you must
admit that from England to here it's a long way to go"

A sigh escaped Snape's mouth, and something indescriptable happened; he
confessed all his sins to the young man in front of him. Although with twenty
years without seeing him, Potter might still not be young, alas it was
not important. Severus told him of the torture he suffered at Lucius hands,
the fact that losing his eyesight caused Voldemort to laugh, how he spent
weeks locked up in a cell thinking and only thinking since he couldn't see
anymore, how after those several weeks had passed the door had opened and he
thought he was either forgiven or granted dead but all he got was an armful of
vampire... one so far gone in blood lust that he didn't pause to think that
biting someone may cause his clan a severe problem; for once second, Snape had
thought that the vampire would drain him from all the blood in his body, but
when said body was about to give, Lucius and Voldemort had entered the cell,
neutralizing the vampire and making sure Severus drank from his blood. After
that, nothing matter any more, the Potions Master was a bloodsucker as Harry
had politely pointed.

After his small monologue, Severus fell silent and when no comment was
forthcoming he assumed the other was so disgusted that he couldn't utter a
single word. Deciding that it was time to cut down the charade, he stood up
"Well Mr. Potter, it is obvious that my presence is no longer required nor
wanted, I'd take my leave if you please"

With that said, he turned around and walked towards the door. But it was then
when Harry noticed what was so different about his former teacher; there was
no scorn, no hatred, no emotion in that voice. It almost seemed as he was
dead, and it didn't have anything to do with his 'undead' condition. The auror
could not leave it like that so he sprang upwards and forward the other man
"Wait! No, it's nothing like that!!" grabbing Severus by the shoulder, Harry
made him turn around. "I just want to talk to someone before they kill me" he
softly spoke, ashamed of showing weakness to one he believed to be the enemy
for so long.

"Kill you? *They* do not kill, they feed and disarm, but they do not
kill. *We*.." the older and slightly taller man made an emphasis in the
correct pronoun "do not enjoy in the absence of life, at least not that I'm
aware. You may be confusing us with the Nosferatu, Mr. Potter" the
slightly upturned smile that the auror got was enough to make his heart
lighter.

"Then what would you do with me?" he finally asked, not removing his hand from
Snape's shoulder. Instead of letting him go, Harry switched his grip from the
shoulder to the forearm, gently guiding his former teacher back to the bed so
they could both sit down.

Severus took a hint and did just this, not really in the mood for
confrontations and in fact quite pleased that he had someone he could share
part of his life, the biggest of it all. "I wouldn't know, I'm not part of the
council and before tonight, I would have said that I wasn't even part of
their Clan."

"What changed?" the former boy-who-lived sat cross-legged beside the vampire,
intent on getting him to talk during the rest of the night.

Snape shrugged, he wasn't up to dissect vampire behavior when he himself had
no inkling about it "I wouldn't know, but I assume it's because they see
me as part of them and you offended them therefore offended them. One thing
about vampires you must be aware of is that they are proud."

"They? I though you were one of them" Harry chuckled, actually having a really
good idea of what Snape was going through. Being part of a group did
not instantly make you one of them, Harry knew, he had spent thirty years
trying to fit into the Magic world with no such luck. "And I guess you
have one thing less to worry about, you're just as proud as they are"

He hadn't meant to say it as an offense, but Snape, who had lived in shadows
and inside a house surrounded by being who did not want him for twenty years,
felt like being slapped. The former Potions Master stood up "I believe I was
being serious Mr. Potter, but you as always cannot for the life of yours be
civil enough to consider being polite." He was about to turn around once more
to walk out when Potter's voice made him freeze on the spot.

"They don't want me, nobody ever did you know? I've been trying for thirty-one
years Snape, and still I'm just a figurine on a pedestal who makes them
uncomfortable whenever I act as a living breathing being. Do you know that my
children despise the sight of me? My lovely wife, Ginny in case you were
wondering, took upon herself to make me look as an embittered veteran of
war who just wouldn't let go. And perhaps she's right, but she's supposed to
support me and be with me ... 'for better or for worse' isn't it?" the sour
laugh that went out of his lips made Snape's ghost of heart constrict in pain,
he sat down again motioning Harry to continue. "Being an auror isn't what I
would have wanted out of my life, but it was the 'right thing to do' after
I've killed the Dark Lord, after all wasn't it my duty to finish off the
job? They didn't care that I was tired of death and killing, or even magic.
Can you believe it Snape? I was tired of magic!"

The pain which the voice was filled with was evident to anyone listening;
Snape who had never been a sympathetic soul, felt as if it was his own pain.
Perhaps he saw himself reflected in that young man "Well, what did you expect?
They worshiped you when you were a year old, they veneered you when you were
eleven. You had to fill in their expectations ... Harry"

Severus knew the other was smiling, merely by the way the tension eased down
over the body of the auror. "Thanks ... Severus" but what surprised the
vampire the most was the hand that gripped his own, "I suppose we are victims
of our own fame and reputation."

"Yes, I suppose we are. But aren't you the epitome of all that's good and
right in the world? You should be forgiving those who trespass against your,
not blaming them for not loving you"

Harry laughed, especially knowing that the other had no idea how the last
comment sounded like "You must have confused me for a religious man Severus, I
no longer forgive anyone who does not earn my forgiveness. I learned that
the hard way, what about you?"

"Me?" Severus was shocked to see his own voice tremble, no one had asked about
his opinion since Albus and even then it was meant to be at par with the old
man's. "I stop forgiving when my father first stroke my mother down" there, it
was out. Now would come the pity, that's why he never said a word about his
pathetic family life.

But instead of pity, all he got was a chuckle "Thought as much, nobody would
have become such a bastard like you were out of thin air"

"Insolent brat" the insult was out of Severus' mouth before he knew it, and
then he felt he had insulted the other man. Fortunately, Harry didn't think of
it as an insult "I'm no longer a brat, but I'll grant you the insolent."

This eased up the tension and soon they both found themselves talking about
their own vision of life; Harry acknowledging that perhaps it wouldn't be so
bad as he thought it was but now knowing how to change it, and Severus
admitting that even when he was converted against his will being a vampire was
miles better from being a resident in Azkaban. Of course, this didn't mean
that they wanted to get back to their lives, mostly out of fear that they'd
end up in apathy.


So, that's why Harry ended up asking the next question "What would they do to
you if you turned me?"

To say that Severus was shocked would have been the understatement of the
milenia and he made his surprise known. "Are you insane?" his voice raising
only slightly, but enough to be noticed that he was outraged. "From all the
idiotic things you could get through your brain, this one tops it all Potter"
the auror felt himself swept over the dungeons, back to potions class with the
way the vampire said his name. The vitriol Severus had used when speaking the
younger man's name came back with a vengeance, he really didn't want to hear
what that wretched boy had in mind.

"Yes, I suppose I am insane and it's a rather stupid idea, but what else is
there Severus? What do we live for? So they can enjoy watching us wither and
die, after they were the ones who casted us to the corner of their minds? I'd
rather go on my own terms, I don't know about you"

Snape swallowed, hard. It could not be possible that the bright Golden Boy of
Gryffindor House had had the same thoughts he had as well, it just wasn't
possible. Severus Snape was a sarcastic bastard who used his dry wit and
vitriol to hide that deep down inside, there was nothing but a poor little boy
so scared to live that he had stopped doing it. And here it was Harry Potter,
Savior of them all, whispering back his deepest darkest secret. Oh how cruel
life was!

Harry took the silence as the consent it was and pounced on the man "Then I
guess we should get something out of this." The ferocity of his movements,
rendered Snape speechless, who would have thought that beneath the amenable
armor Potter presented to the world was a feral animal waiting to be
released? Certainly not Severus.

"What have you been consuming Mr. Potter?" finally Severus was able to push
the other man off of his body, and barely refraining himself to jump off the
bed as if it burned.

Harry sighed, trying to explain what was on his mind, "Please Snape, what do
you have to lose? I'm here, you're here and you know we're not going to see
the dawn, we might as well take advantage..."

"Of what Mr. Potter?" the older man interrupted the auror mid-explanation, "Of
me? It wouldn't be the first time you behave in such a deplorable manner, but
I had hoped that the years had given you some sort of maturity. Thank you for
proving me wrong."

The reprimand was said in a calm and controlled voice, which surprised Harry.
He was expecting more of an explosion; not the softly spoken speech Severus
had delivered. And he knew it was a dimwitted idea, he knew it but ever since
it had lodged inside his head it just wouldn't go away. The auror blamed the
vampires and the fact that he had been locked inside that room; Harry hated
being locked up.

A sigh from his lips was the answer Harry gave Severus, how could he explain
something even he wasn't sure about? The younger man stood up and walked
to where the other one was facing the window, "Snape..." he started but then
corrected himself, "Severus" this finally got the attention of the taller
wizard.

"I could give you countless of excuses and reasons but the truth is that I no
longer care. I've been hiding who I am for so long that I've forgotten what
that is. But seeing you, watching how the proud man I used to know has
changed into this sub-servant in front of me has snapped something inside of
me."

The look Snape gave him made the Auror feel naked, and it wasn't they eyes
that did it, it was his mind; it was as if the former Potions Master was
assessing him and Harry didn't want to be found lacking. "I know there's no
lost love between us, I hate you as much as you hate me but wouldn't be
fitting that the only other person who got a response out of each other will
be the one who decides your fate?"

"Other person? Who is the first?" Severus asked, curious about the answer.

Harry chuckled, "You alone could listen to all of that and ask such a
question" the green eyed shook his head before answering, "Albus, of course.
He was the only one who knew the both of us like the palms of his hands. He
knew what buttons to push and when to push them, or I'm wrong?"

The pale man, who had gone even paler at being locked indoors for so long,
flinched at the name of the man he had considered his savior. "Albus
Dumbledore was a man with no comparison, I'd appreciate if you keep to
yourself whatever theories you may have over him"

"That's just it, right? You just couldn't stand it; the fact that he trusted
me as well to do things you could have never done" the tone of voice of the
auror was mild, when once, years ago would have been arrogant and mocking.
"Albus with all his mighty knowledge, with all his omnipotent and omnipresent
attitude, was just as lost as we are in this sea of life. He wasn't God
Severus, no one is"

"There is NO God Mr. Potter!" this time, the voice of Snape raised to a point
where everyone in the house must have heard him, "There is no fate which
decides how we end or not, there's no happy ending for the wicked like us ...
murderers in the eye of the crowd. Do you think because you married a pretty
little witch and had little perfect children you get to have redemption? I'm
afraid to tell you that that's not how it works."

The sad smile on Harry's face irked Severus to no end, how dare he patronize
the vampire? "Severus, you just gave me the reason, we decide our fate, not
the rest of the world. And you are wrong, not because we don't believe in
something, it means it does not exist. No, I do not believe in a God, but
that's because I do not believe in anything these days. Are you going to tell
me otherwise?"

"Are we having a discussion over religion?"

The shocked expression of Severus made Harry laugh sincerely "No, merely
stating that the two of us do not believe in chance, at least not anymore. So
why leave our own demise in the hands of others? If we could not live the way
we wanted, why not dying in whatever way pleases us?"

Snape had to agree that the way of thinking of the younger man made sense,
especially when he had been having rather morbid thoughts about his own
existence. The reluctant vampire had lost all trace of fight in his demeanor,
Severus had argued with himself about that impassiveness that had taken
residence in his behavior trying to shake it off but after years of not being
able to work on his craft or even being able to perform the simplest spell,
his will to live had died off at the same time that consciousness he had
always had kept by his side had fallen silent. And now, here it was, the
Savior of them all trying to get him to think on suicide; a true paradox of
life in Severus' eyes.

"I don't think I would have expected this from you Harry" the man the auror
had considered for the better part of his student life as a misanthrope and
incapable of feelings spoke with a tone filled with regret, and perhaps a
little disappointment. "We learned to see you as the mighty hero, and now here
you are, trying to get me to kill you while you get me killed"

Harry tried to smile, but all he accomplished was a chagrined frown "Something
like that; you'd be doing me a favor"

"Why now? Why me? Darinka would be willing to drain you, the woman has a sense
of decency that I would have no expect from a vicious person such as her;
if you would explain your reasons for dying, she'd be only to happy to oblige"

"She does not know me, she has never saved my life more times that I want to
care to count, she does not care that I never wanted this life and she
definitely would not get a reaction from me. Do you know that I had to take a
potion to perform in my marriage with Ginny? Every night, before going to bed;
it was like a ritual for me, take a shower, brush my teeth, groom my hair,
take a aphrodisiac and sexual prowess potion. My life was a charade and I want
it to end"

"What are you telling me Harry?"

None of them wanted to admit their secrets, but both knew that by the end of
that night, nothing would have been kept away from each other. So Harry
decided to be the first to bare his soul "I'm saying that I'm homosexual, and
I would have rather ended up with Charlie Weasley than with my wife. That's
what I'm saying Severus"

Severus felt as if hit by a bucket of ice water, and that's why he tried to
hide his reaction with scorn. "And you think I care?" he levered Harry
with a glare few would have resisted, but the auror merely shrugged it off
"Then you are demented as well as queer"

"I might be demented and queer, but at least I know I am. When are you going
to accept that you are not the ogre that you wish to portray the world? Albus
tried.." Harry started to explain but was cut off by Severus screaming in rage
and frustration, "Leave Albus out of this!!" a slap on the face made the
auror tumble backwards "You have no right to utter his name after what you
made of the life he died to preserve!!"

After the scream and the slap, Severus lost it. Years of frustration and
despair added fuel to his anger, boiling to a point in which he could not have
turned back not even if had wanted to. Punched and scratched, bit and tugged;
both men gave as good as they got and in the end they were sprawled on top of
the bed cover, trying to catch their breath in Harry's case and in Severus',
trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for his behavior.

"I think that we can say that you're not agreeable to my plan" Harry said with
cheek.

Severus snorted and smacked the arm next to his "Of course I'm not, but you
know, it actually makes sense"

A frown was raised and the auror turned around to face the other "You think
so?"

"I do not bottom Mr. Potter" Severus answered in his most authoritative voice,
which cause Harry to giggle before being able to answer him. "Of course you
don't, but you must let me do all the work then, I'd hate your bones to snap"
the younger man kept the playfulness on his tone as he climbed on top of the
prone body next to him.

A growl later was his warning before he was flipped over and a mouth attached
itself to his pulse point by his neck, after that the only sounds that were
made were groans and moans, with a few whimpers made by a frustrated Harry who
wanted to be claimed in every single way by someone who was with him because
he was Harry, not the boy who lived.

Severus' hands unclothed his soon to be partner with not a care, tearing seams
and ripping fabric here and there; Harry for his part decided that the
exquisitely pale skin deserved some attention and as soon as he was able to do
so, he started licking and kissing every inch of flesh he encountered. When
both of them were completely without clothes, Severus trapped the other
man's body with his own and murmured something that might have or might have
not been 'perfect'; Harry wasn't thinking at that moment. After that, it was a
rush of flesh against flesh, sweat covered bodies rubbing against each
other until they became one and with a mighty howl Severus finally hit home.

The fast movement of the two bodies, one invading the other in a sinful dance
while the other enjoyed the connection that he had never had before, was being
witnessed by a pair of dark eyes; Darinka was standing on the rail of the
window balcony, watching as the two men performed the oldest of dances right
in front of her eyes and for a few seconds she felt envious that the one her
clan scorned had found what neither of them would ever found in their
unlimited existences, unconditional acceptance.

Harry howled as he felt his insides tremble, anticipating his orgasm, the one
that Severus was giving him; by that moment the kisses he was bestowing the
other man were the only grip on reality the auror had. Snape was focused on
his intent to merge with the other body and that's why when the auror bit him,
he bit back; both men drawing blood from their wounds, drinking the liquid of
life like a child would drink a mother's milk.

When both their orgasms hit them, they collapsed in a heap of flesh and bones,
and blood. Severus turned around to face the other man and whispered softly,
"Open the windows" and Harry, for once in his life, did as he was told without
complaints nor explanations. He waved his hand and with the bit of wandless
skill he had, did as he was told.

The minute the curtains were completely drawn back, Darinka stepped down from
her spot and went to her Master. She knew why they had done that, and she
vowed to herself that they would grant Severus Snape his last wish. The two
wizards will go down to eternity as creatures of the night; one a barely
newborn while the other had spent twenty years hating his own kind.

The next morning a familiar, one of the few humans who were kept inside the
house, walked inside the room where both wizards had spent the night and
closed the curtains. When he turned around to make the bed, he noticed the
strange dust covering the covers. "Leave those" a voice behind
him startled him and quickly he bowed "Lord, my apologies Lady Darinka
asked me to close the curtains and to make sure the room was ready"

Philip DeVaneer, who was once only a painter, looked at the pile of dust and
smirked "You had to do things your own way Snape?" Rolling the covers up,
the Master Vampire bunched them under his arm and stepped out of the room,
where he met his faithful consort. "Take this on your hunt trip darling, make
sure that they are thrown as far away from the city as possible" with one last
nod to Darinka, Lord Philip walked away, heading to his quarters
to indulge in some resting time before he had to go on with his
duties.

The female vampire with the dark hair and dark eyes gripped the bundle of
cloth and sighed; at least, they had done it in their own terms, she knew
that the council had decided to terminate the life of the newcomer but what
she hadn't expected was that they had agreed upon terminating Severus's life
as well. A simple matter of correcting a wrong, it didn't even matter if
Snape hadn't done anything to deserve the clan's contempt. It all came down to
the fact that he wasn't a wanted childe, with no sire to speak for him. Those
were the rules and they all abide to them, and for once Darinka hated
herself and her kind.

The End