Third Place - Action/Adventure

The Quidditch lessons with Cedric continued almost nightly as the Hufflepuff felt the need to go over all the rules again as well as point out what the other members of a team were supposed to do. The friends who were to act as beaters for him were no match for his speed and so Harry was rather surprised when Cedric turned up with two Gryffindor twins; Fred and George Weasley one night.

Thankfully the twins were not nearly as pompous as their younger brother Ron, and Harry found himself enjoying their presence. Their need for pranks was legendary in Hogwarts so Harry wondered whether or not he could bring them in on the little one he had planned for that very night. One that would be aimed directly at the stupid Professor Quirrell merely because Harry couldn�t stand him... or his presence. So with Quidditch and all the homework they were getting, Harry couldn�t believe he had been at Hogwarts for two months now. The castle felt like a second home to him and his lessons were becoming more and more interesting now that the basics were out of the way.

It was Halloween morning now and Harry wanted to get the plans for the prank finished before lunch. He literally dragged Blaise out of the Slytherin common room and down to the hall where they found Terry and Hermione waiting for them, once again playing their favourite game of �Who�s the smartest�

He had about five minutes before he was supposed to be in Charms lesson with the Gryffindors and so he quickly grabbed his goblet of chicken�s blood and moved over to the Gryffindor table. He pointedly ignored the glares he was receiving from Gryffindors and Slytherins alike as he plonked himself down on the bench in between the twins and grinned as they turned to look at him.

"I have a proposition for you two," he spoke softly so that none of the other mortals, who were straining to hear, could actually catch his words. Two identical smirks played across the twins face and they leant in, their heads almost touching his own in a way that clearly said to all that they were planning something.

"Go on, we�re all ears. Well, we-"

"-have four of them,"

Harry chuckled and rolled his eyes as they finished each others sentences, not unlike his two fathers who just loved to irritate the hell out of him by doing that. Instead of commenting though, he leant further in and whispered what he was planning for the dinner that afternoon... Harry didn�t want to wait until the Halloween feast itself because it would be expected then.

He noticed as the twin�s eyed the goblet in his hands curiously and he paused in his explaining to look from them, to the blood and back again, a slow smirk tugging at his lips. He leant back in the chair, seemingly unaware of their eyes and he tipped the cup up, letting the blood slide down his throat. A drop dribbled from the corner of his mouth and he closed his eyes and licked it away with a low groan that was just loud enough for them to hear. The two twins stared wide eyed at the display.

"Well bugger me but-"

"-you�re supposed-"

"-to be eleven!" They said and Harry pulled the goblet away and then smirked wickedly, pleased with the reactions.

"I�m a vampire. I�m a Corvus," he said simply as if that explained everything. Which, in his opinion, it did. He turned the conversation back to this afternoons prank and finished up on the details with them, planning to inform his three friends later on. Terry, Blaise and Hermione followed him over shortly after and caught the end of the conversation and the three smirks that were now on display. Harry grinned as the Weasley twins agreed to help and then he rolled his eyes once more as they bowed low.

"We are unworthy-"

"-Of your brilliance-"

"-Prank master."

They said and Harry opened his mouth to retort when Hermione grabbed his arm and literally dragged him out of his seat.

"Come on! We�re already late for charms!"

Being paired with Blaise was no problem for Harry as he faced his friend and somewhat mentor in the charms classroom. He did rather feel sorry for Hermione though, who was stuck with the rather hot-headed Ronald Weasley. Trying to get something into that thick skull of his was almost impossible, so Harry wasn�t in the least bit surprised when Hermione finally snapped at the end of the lesson.

"You�re saying it wrong!" she snarled. "Its Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the "gar" nice and long," she added, in a somewhat gentler tone when Ron stared at her with shock and anger. His ears were getting red along the edges again and Harry rolled his eyes before exchanging exasperated looks with Blaise.

"You do it, then, if you�re so clever!" Ron snapped angrily and Harry watched with amusement as Hermione merely rolled up the sleeves of his uniform, flicked her wand and said the incantation correctly. The feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet about their heads. Harry turned back to his own feather, drew his wand and copied his friend�s movements, pleased when the damn thing rose to the same height as hers.

"Oh, well done!" the small, stumbling, Professor Flitwick squeaked. "Ten points to Gryffindor for you Miss Granger and another ten to Slytherin for you Mr. Corvus"

Harry smirked at the glares he was receiving from some of the other Slytherins, Malfoy in particular, and he packed up his things and placed his books in his bag. Besides him, Ronald Weasley was quite obviously in a very bad temper and he shoved his own things away and stormed out of the class, two amused vampires and one irritated mortal followed him.

"Cheer up, Hermione. Jealousy seems to be a mortal trait for most, at least you actually got something done," Harry offered her in way of reassurance when Terry joined them from his own class. Hermione nodded and opened her mouth to say something but was cut off when Ron�s rather loud voice interrupted their conversation.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her," he was saying to his friend, Seamus Finnigan, as they pushed their way down the crowded corridor. Harry narrowed his eyes and drew his wand instinctively. "She�s a nightmare, honestly!" Ron said again, Harry turned to Hermione to tell her to ignore him, but she was already pushing her way past everyone else and seemed to be in tears. Harry snapped.

"Weasley!" he snarled as he stepped forward and into the red-heads way. Ron faltered in his step and looked at him in confusion. "Did you just dare to call a Corvus a "nobody", boy?" he hissed angrily with Blaise and Terry either side of him glaring at the Gryffindors.

"What? No, I wasn�t talking about you unless you�ve had a sex change that I should know about," Weasley snapped and Harry arched an eyebrow and smirked.

"I believe your exact words were, 'It's no wonder no one can stand her,' were they not? Thus, with my being Hermione Grangers friend, you have called a Corvus a nobody by default," he purred as he pushed the boy back until he hit the wall. Quite a few people had stopped to watch now but Harry didn�t pay any attention to them as he heard Blaise snort his amusement at Harry�s twisting of the words.

"Well, you�re not exactly a somebody are you? You aren�t even alive!" Ron managed to say though he did look a bit uncomfortable and Harry�s smirk widened.

"I am not alive, am I not? I do not walk, I don�t bend at the joints, I don�t breathe, I don�t eat and I don�t sleep? It seems you and I have different views on what it is to be alive," he said and then leant in until his lips were barely an inch from the boy�s neck. He sniffed along it pointedly and inwardly sneered at the tremble he received in response.

"You wouldn�t dare!" Ron gasped and Harry chuckled coldly.

"Would you like to test that theory out?" he whispered in his ear and then his tongue flicked out and he dragged it down the Gryffindors neck slowly, ignoring the gasps and screams from some of the students behind him. "You have no idea what a nightmare is, Weasley. You should watch your words and your back, for if you do something to offend me again, I will make the rest of your life here at Hogwarts a living hell. You won�t even be able to sleep with the lights off again."

"Mr Potter-Corvus!" Great, there was McGonagall�s voice. Harry ignored her for the minute in favour of dragging his tongue back up Weasleys neck until he came to his ear again and he gently bit down on the lobe until he brought up a few drops of blood.

"A Corvus does not take friendship lightly, thus a Corvus is loyal to the end and will allow no harm, be it physical or emotional, to come to said friends. Do we have an understanding here Weasley?" he asked as he pulled back completely and crossed his arms over his chest. Ron nodded furiously, his hand over his ear in horror and Harry smiled pleasantly and patted his shoulder gently before he turned to his professor, the perfect picture of innocence.

"Yes ma�am?" he asked sweetly and that was it, both Blaise and Terry doubled over laughing and McGonagall glared forcefully.

"My office! Now!" she snapped and Harry nodded. He grabbed his bag off the floor, waved cheerfully to his friends and blew a mocking kiss to Ron before he followed her down the hall and into a small office. She slammed the door behind him and he arched an eyebrow as he leant against the wall and simply waited.

"What was that all about?" she asked, obviously trying to control herself and Harry sighed deeply.

"His ignorant words hurt my friend, I do not condone name-calling and bullying Professor McGonagall and both Terry and Hermione are having a hard time in their houses because of their friendship with a Slytherin vampire," he said firmly and McGonagall looked at him for a minute before she sighed herself and then sat down behind her desk.

"Even so, Mr. Corvus, you fed from a student-"

"I did no such thing!" Harry interrupted in surprise. "A Corvus also stays true to his word Professor and I promised that I would never feed from a student. I didn�t, I just scared him a little bit, if I had fed from him then he would be unconscious and feeling extremely weak," he pointed out acidly and then made a visible effort to calm himself down. They remained in silence for a minute, just studying each other and then McGonagall actually smiled.

"Very well, I apologise for the insult but I am afraid that I will have to give you a detention for attacking a student. No, don�t argue, Weasley will get one too," she said, stopping his protests before he even had time to open his mouth. Harry smirked and he picked his bag up once more and nodded.

"Okay, I wanted to speak with you about our homework anyway, what better time to do it than in a detention when you and I would be just as bored as each other?" he asked and then he flashed her a blinding smile and slipped out onto the corridor before she could say anything.

Harry, Blaise and Terry sat at the Ravenclaw table at lunch time and looked around but couldn�t see any sign of Hermione whatsoever. Harry squashed his concern with a frown and resolved to ask the Gryffindors if they had seen her before lunch was over. He was rather pleased to note that Ronald Weasley hadn�t appeared to have found his ego yet though, judging by the rather scared looks that were sent his way every now and again.

When the hall was generally quiet, Harry flicked his wand under the table and muttered something under his breath and then he watched along with his two friends as Professor Quirrell jumped out of his seat and then onto the staff table.

"I feel pretty
Oh so pretty
I feel pretty and witty and bright
And I pity
Any girl who isn�t me tonight
I feel charming
Oh so charming
It�s alarming how charming I feel
And so pretty
that I hardly can believe I�m real"

He sang loud enough for his voice to echo around the hall and every single person stopped what they were doing to stare at him with a mixture of horror and mirth. Quirrell was beaming widely as he danced on the table and kicked plates and goblets over without a sound. The teachers all pushed their chairs back and away from him and just watched in a strange sort of fascination.

As he finished singing that bit, Harry flicked his wand again and both Draco Malfoy and Ronald Weasley stood up at the same time and jumped on their respective tables. Quirrell was still dancing on the staff table and Harry flicked his wand a third time so that the words of the original lyrics changed to suit the Defence Professor.

"Have you met my good friend Quirrell,
The craziest girl on the block?
You'll know her the minute you see her,
She's the one who is in an advanced state of shock."

Both Draco and Ron sang in a high pitch voice and at the same time, both pointing at Quirrell and had mock surprise looks on their faces. Terry and Blaise were already in stitches besides him but Harry was just watching with a grin.

"She thinks she's in love.
She thinks she's in Spain.
She isn't in love,
She's merely insane.

It must be the heat
Or some rare disease,
Or too much to eat
Or maybe it's fleas."

At this, Draco moved down the Slytherin table and he grabbed onto Marcus Flint�s robes and heaved him up until their faces were nearly touching. On the other side, Ron Weasley was doing the same to an unfortunate Dean Thomas. They both looked from the student in their grips, to the professor and back again as the words continued to flow from their mouths.

Then, they jumped away from the tables and landed on the floor as they met in the middle of the hall and held their hands, fingers crossed, in front of their face as if to ward off an evil. They took a step back and then two steps forward and repeated it three more times.

By the time they had finished their little bit, they were stood in front of the teachers table and Harry snickered quietly as Quirrell reached out a hand and pulled them both up until the three of them had their arms linked together and were dancing the cancan in front of poor Professor Dumbledore.

Quirrell sang again and then paused as both Draco and Ron added there little part after a background humming.

They asked, looking around in mock confusion for the mirror and by now the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were in stitches laughing while the Gryffindors and Slytherins were staring in horror at what, respected, members of their houses were doing. Dumbledore was watching everything cheerfully as he popped another sherbet lemon into his mouth.

"Who can that attractive girl be?"

"Which? What? Where? Whom?"

"Such a pretty face,
Such a pretty dress,
Such a pretty smile,
Such a pretty me!"

Finally the three of them stopped dancing and then clasped each others hand until they were awkwardly stood in a circle on the rather narrow wooden table. They beamed across the hall and then sang the last bit together.

After the last word, Quirrell crouched down with a grin on his face and closed eyes as both Ron and Draco pressed a kiss to his cheek and the three of them just stayed in that position for a minute as Harry stood up and took a picture, unable to restrain himself any longer. When the picture was taken, he sank back down onto the bench and clutched onto his sides as realisation played across the three faces and all three turned to glare at him. He didn�t exactly care, that was well worth it!

Before points could be taken and detentions given, Harry grinned cheekily, waved, and then slipped out of the Great Hall and hurried down to the dungeons, still chuckling at himself. It was a real shame that Hermione had missed that but then again, if Fred and George had done as he had asked, then they had it all on film.

He�d definitely have to send that to his Pa!

Harry was more than a little concerned when Hermione didn�t turn up to any of the lessons that afternoon and when he was heading down to the Halloween feast, he managed to overhear to Gryffindors talking about her. Apparently she had locked herself in the girl�s bathroom and said she wanted to be alone. Harry paused and was about to turn and go to look for her when he felt a hand on his shoulder and Blaise shook his head.

"I�d leave her if I were you, little master. Let her pull herself back together before she has to face anyone, it�s a matter of pride," he said and Harry nodded resignedly, he allowed himself to be led into the hall and he grinned his approval at the decorations and the thousands of actual live bats. Impressive.

The feast appeared as suddenly as usual on the golden plates and Harry settled back in the bench at the Ravenclaw table, pointedly ignoring the glares he could feel from Draco Malfoy and Ronald Weasley. He was rather surprised to see that Quirrell wasn�t there and he couldn�t help but wonder whether he was a little too embarrassed to show up.

No sooner had that thought crossed his mind than the doors to the Great Hall burst open again and Quirrell stumbled in with his turban askew and complete terror masking his features. He stumbled up to Dumbledore�s chair and then he fell forward and leant on the edge of the table, gasping for breath.

"Troll - in the dungeons - thought you ought to know," he said and then fell backwards in a dead faint. Screams and gasps spread around the hall as everyone jumped to their feet and ran in opposite directions. Finally Dumbledore lifted his wand and several purple firecrackers exploded from the end of it, effectively silencing everyone.

"Prefects," he called loudly, "lead your houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

Harry merely sat back and leant against the tables as he stared at the seemingly unconscious teacher without blinking. He quirked an eyebrow and finally dragged his eyes away and looked up to meet the headmasters eyes, smirking. He said three words quietly to himself and yet he knew the headmaster read them from his lips.

"So it begins,"

He rolled his eyes as Blaise dragged him over to the Slytherin table and then they slipped onto the end of the line of first years, waiting for the prefects to lead them away. When they reached the Entrance Hall and came to something of a jam, Harry looked over his shoulder at his friend blankly.

"How did a troll get in?" he asked as they managed to move forward about an inch and then get stuck in the crowds again.

"Don�t ask me, they�re supposed to be really stupid," Blaise replied with a thoughtful look and then he shrugged. "Perhaps Peeves let him in for a Halloween joke," he offered but Harry shook his head.

"No, he would have told me." as they moved past some confused Hufflepuffs, Harry stopped dead and grabbed Blaise�s arm.

"I�ve just remembered - Hermione!" he hissed and Blaise bit his lip and looked around, trying to decide what to do. He met Harry�s determined gaze and then sighed heavily.

"Oh, all right," he muttered and Harry grabbed his arm again and ducked down, they joined in the line of Hufflepuffs and followed them up the stairs before they managed to slip out into an, apparently, deserted corridor. They had just turned the corner towards the girl�s toilets when they heard quick footsteps and Harry pressed back against the wall and wrapped the shadows around himself, watching as Blaise did the same.

They were rather surprised to see Professor Snape hurrying past them, and quite obviously heading for the third floor corridor. Before they could decide whether to follow him or not though, a disgusting smell struck them and then they heard a low grunting and shuffling feet and then Blaise pointed down the hall to the left where they saw something huge moving towards them.

It was revolting. Twelve feet tall, with a dull, granite grey skin. Its great lumpy body was like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top. In its hand it was holding a large wooden club which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long. The troll stopped next to a door and peered inside, Harry�s stomach twisted as he realised it was exactly where Hermione was.

Without thinking about the consequences, the two vampires slipped inside the room after the troll and shut the door behind them. Hermione, who had obviously already seen the intruder, was huddled by the sink on the opposite side of the room and Harry rolled his eyes before pulling out his gun and with a quick shot, aimed for the head.

He wasn�t really surprised when the thing merely turned around with single grunt of pain, but it had worked in the way that the troll wasn�t still going after Hermione. The only problem now was that it was coming right for them. Blaise was fumbling for his wand but Harry merely dodged out of the way of the huge club and then fired six shots, one followed by another and aimed for the same place: between the eyes.

"Perhaps that wasn�t a good idea," he mused out loud as he saw the troll sway dangerously. Blaise was to his left and there was a wall to his right, so unless he wanted to break every bone in his body, he had better move right now. He shoved Blaise forcefully and ignored the surprised grunt that came from his friend as he slammed into the wall and then he moved to follow but wasn�t quick enough as the toll�s fallen club knocked him off his feet and then the troll itself fell on the bottom half of his body, crushing his legs and probably a few ribs too.

"Well, that just figures," he gasped out and then let his head rest against the cool tiles on the floor as he tried, and failed, to wriggle himself out. Darkness was swimming around the edge of his mind as unconsciousness tried to claim him but he fought that for a minute, not looking forward to going back to the hospital wing and he looked up as the door burst open and the headmaster piled in along with Snape, McGonagall, Quirrell. The latter took one look at the troll and sat down faintly, clutching his heart and Harry sent a glare his way.

"Well, better late than never huh?" he managed to bite out as he turned to the headmaster with both pain and amusement in his eyes. Snape took one look around the room and then glared at Harry forcefully.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" he growled dangerously and Harry sighed exaggeratedly and rested his head on his elbows. "You�re lucky you weren�t killed. Why aren�t you in your dormitory?" he snarled again and Harry�s patience snapped.

"If you could be so kind as to get this fat piece of shit off me, my bones might actually heal. In your own time, of course," he hissed angrily and then watched as the teachers blinked and only just seemed to realise that he was lying under the mountain troll. Together, they lifted their wands and used a combined levitation charm to lift the troll. Blaise grabbed Harry�s arms and dragged him out from under it and then helped him sit up against the wall as they waited for his bones to snap back into place.

"They came looking for me professor," Hermione finally spoke up into the silence as she knelt down besides Harry and helped him straighten out his legs so that they would heal properly. "I was - upset - and so I wasn�t at the feast and didn�t hear about the troll being in the castle," she explained again and Harry looked up with amusement.

"Did you know it was a completely stupid idea to shoot a troll six times in the head while you�re within crushing distance?" he asked mildly and heard a snort of amusement from Snape while Dumbledore just looked at him with a smile, his eyes twinkling.

"Are you well Mr. Potter?" he asked and Harry quirked an eyebrow at the stupidity of the question before looking down at himself.

"I will be, in about five minutes when I can use my legs again. And when Blaise gets back from finding me some food, of course, off you go there Blaise old buddy old pal," he said cheerfully and Blaise looked at him before he shook his head and left the room, muttering under his breath about Corvus�s in general.

"A-a-are y-you q- quite sane pot-Corvus...?" Quirrell stuttered with a look of disbelief on his face, though Harry didn�t miss the glint in his eyes and he sneered.

"You�d be surprised, old chap. A nice little bone-breaking party can do you the world of good- you should try it sometime, I would even be willing to help," he said with the perfect picture of innocence. "Oh I did so enjoy your song, my pretty professor, may I ask who the wonderful boy is? Perhaps a little snake master?" he asked again, softly, never taking his eyes away from the ones in front of him. He wondered if he was the only one who saw the flash of red in those eyes before it was gone.

"Harry," Dumbledore said quietly, warningly, and Harry bowed his head in acknowledgement.

"Forgive me; it�s rather weird to feel nearly every single bone in the lower half of your body snapping back into place you know. Though, perhaps it�s better for all if my fathers didn�t find out about this little incident," he said thoughtfully and grinned at the mirth in the headmasters eyes again.

"And why would that be Mr. Corvus?" he asked innocently, and Harry smirked again.

"Because you won�t get your ass kicked for not getting here sooner, my guards won�t get their ass kicked for not being here and I won�t get lectures everyday for a millennia on my stupidity. See, better all round really," he said and then he reached down and very carefully bent his left leg and then straightened it again before repeating the process another ten times until he felt little discomfort. Blaise returned quickly and Harry wasn�t surprised in the least when he was accompanied by the four guards.

"Come on! You�re even later than the teachers!" he said with amusement as they looked around the room with their guns out. The guards relaxed their stance and sent him a sheepish grin.

"Forgive us little master, you managed to give us the slip as well as everyone else. I�m impressed," Arthion said and Harry laughed softly.

"Aye, you�re already forgiven, I�ll make you a deal though, you don�t report this to my Da or Pa and I wont - thus we�re both saved from the lectures," he offered as he accepted the rabbit that Blaise handed him. He licked his tongue over his fangs and then sank his teeth into the animal, closed his eyes as the blood ran down his throat, strengthening him well but not completely.

"Deal," Arthion said as he held out his hand to Harry and helped him up on his feet. Harry swayed slightly but then caught himself and he bent both legs a few more times before nodding with a grin.

"There, as good as new," he said and then looked at Snape. "Will that be detention then?"

"I think not, I�ve seen enough of you for one day," Snape retorted with a gleam of amusement in his eyes and Harry nodded his thanks and waving off the insult.

"I�m meeting them in the Entrance Hall!" Harry exclaimed.

"Then I shall accompany you there!" Blaise fired back.

The pair were stood in the middle of the Slytherin common room, glaring heatedly at one another. Or rather, Harry was glaring and Blaise was regarding evenly. In fifteen minutes, Harry was to meet his Da and Pa in the school Entrance Hall. When he told this to Blaise, he mentioned that he wished to go alone. Blaise, however, thought different. He expressed his desire to accompany the young Corvus for safety reasons and Harry had out right refused. Which led to the shouting spar they were currently having. With the entire house of Slytherin watching.

"You shall not accompany me! I have guards that follow me bloody everywhere! You aren�t required to be at my side every minute of the fucking day!" Harry declared vehemently. Blaise narrowed his eyes.

"And what if something should happen like the incident with that Troll? Someone in this school wants your head Harry Potter-Corvus and I�ll be damned to the depths of hell, if I stand before Ivan Corvus with your body in my arms. I am going with you and that is final! I am older and wiser than you, I have been stationed here to protect you and I will accompany you to the Entrance hall. Do not argue or I will inform your Father�s of the Halloween disaster." Harry looked like he was about to refuse once again but Blaise was saved the aggravation when someone cleared their throat.

Both Vampires snapped their heads in the direction of the disturbance.

"What, Halloween disaster, is this?" Ivan Corvus himself questioned as he and his husband stepped out of the shadows of the Slytherin Common room. He noted with confusion, that his son had paled at least two shades and refused to meet his eyes. Blaise sighed and shook his head, his fingers running small circles over his temples, attempting in vain to stop a headache forming. He then met his Lord�s eyes.

"Apologies, My Lord, but as yet, I am not at liberty to say." He cast a sideward at the Corvus heir briefly before continuing. "Though I suggest you question your son. Though the young Master is a Vampire and your heir, he is still eleven and not at a stage in his life where he cannot be killed. Someone wants him dead. But he does not seem to see the danger." Then, without being formally dismissed, Blaise stalked very quickly out of the common room.

"Harry?" Dante spoke up, but his son didn�t answer or reply in any way. Sighing, he stepped forward and settled his hand on the boys shoulder. "Come on." He said and guided them both towards the entrance of the Slytherin common room.

Just as Ivan was about to turn around himself, a boy, roughly Harry�s age stepped out of the large crowd of Slytherins, and glared hatefully at the Vampire Lord. "You... you nearly killed my Father!" Draco Malfoy spat and realisation washed over Ivan�s confusion. He eyed the boy and smirked his patented arrogant smirk.

"So you�re Mr. Malfoy�s heir?" He asked innocently and without waiting for an answer, he continued. "I assure, you, I did not attack your Father unprovoked. Why, I imagine he himself would be quite annoyed with me if I tried to kill his son and heir, wouldn�t you?"

"My Father didn�t try to kill anyone! He wouldn�t!" Draco protested loudly, causing Ivan to release a bark of amused laughter.

"You are too young and naive to concern yourself in such matters Mr. Malfoy. The Corvus� do not attack mere mortals for sport. I assure you that we investigated it thoroughly. Your father hired a Vampire from another clan to assassinate my son. Though what Vampire would lower himself to a position such as hired help, is beyond me. It disgusted me that your Father made us do what we did but understand, attacking a Vampire... attacking a Corvus Vampire heir with the intent to kill, is punishable by death according to Vampire law." His voice was hardened, low and cold. It send shivers down the spines of everyone in the room. "Have a pleasant day, Mr. Malfoy." And with that, Ivan Corvus followed his husband and his son out of the common room.

The three Vampires did not speak at all as they walked to the Entrance Hall and out of the main doors. It was Dante that finally broke the silence once they were stopped by the lake.

"What happened on Halloween Harry?" The first year sighed and dropped down to sit on the gravel bank of the lake.

"Quirrell let a Troll into the castle. Everyone was told to go back to their dorms but Blaise and I realised that Hermione hadn�t been in the hall. She was upset earlier because of something Weasley had said and had gone to girls bathroom crying. We went to find her, but the Troll managed to get there first." He sighed, staring out onto the rippling water.

"To cut a long story short, I shot the troll a few times, it died, and decided to fall on me, breaking numerous bones in my body. I told the Headmaster and the guards not to report it to you because, well, you�d go crazy. Seeing the logic, they didn�t tell you." He didn�t look up but felt it when his Father�s sat down either side of him.

"I won�t... go crazy, as you do delicately put it." Ivan said, his voice clearly telling Harry that that is exactly what he wanted to do. "Maybe a few words in the Mugwump�s ear..." he added, smiling slightly when Harry finally looked up at him. "And that Quirrell character. He certainly needs a good talking to." He grinned at his son. The Corvus heir punched his father lightly in the chest.

"You�ll do no such thing. Quirrell is being watched. I�m keeping an eye on him as well." The boy said with a small laugh. He felt his Pa�s arms wrap themselves around his waist and pull him onto the elder Vampire�s lap. He let his head rest against his Pa�s chest and sighed.

"You�ll have to apologise to Blaise, you realise this, don�t you?" Dante spoke softly. Harry thought about protesting but decided against it when he saw the stern look his Da was sending him.

"Aye, I know." He said.

"He was told to protect you, little one. You do not make his job any easier by insisting on running off everywhere alone." Harry opened his mouth to speak but Ivan held a silencing hand up. "No. If you are not thinking of yourself when you plan to do the things you do without him, then think of him. He is right to say that he would be damned before facing me with your body in his arms. I love you too much to lose you. And I happen to like Blaise so don�t make me kill him just yet, alright?"

Smiling slightly, Harry nodded.

"M�hungry." He said after a few minutes of comfortable silence, causing his fathers to chuckle. He suddenly felt tired, as though all his energy had drained itself. He vaguely recalled the last time he�d had some of the chicken�s blood the Headmaster had given him had been done so at breakfast the day previous and fresh blood had found its way down his throat two days previous.

"When was the last time you fed?" Ivan asked, his posture all of a sudden tense and his expression was concerned. Harry could barely keep his eyes open.

"Yesterday... morning." He muttered, leaning further into Dante�s chest, seeking a black oblivion that could possibly take him away from the weariness he felt at that moment.

"No. Don�t sleep, Har�." The Vampire eased Harry into an upright position and turned the boy around so he was straddling his thighs. But to keep Harry upright, he had to hold onto the body with both arms so Ivan took the job of guiding his neglectful son�s head towards his husband�s throat.

"Harry..." Ivan stroked the back of his son�s head but received no acknowledging reply. Concerned, he leaned in closer and found that the child had indeed, fallen asleep. "Harry? No, come on baby. Come on." He bit into his fore-finger and ran the bloodied tip over his son�s teeth. "Come on Harry, drink, please. Harry..." He almost cried out in joy as he felt the first year�s canines grow. Ivan then guided the now open and watering mouth back to his husband�s throat. The slight groan of satisfaction that came from Dante told Ivan that Harry was now being fed.



The Heir of Corvus I: The Philosopher�s Stone - Chapter 12

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