Third Place - Action/Adventure

Stares and whispers followed Harry from the moment he left his dormitory the next morning as people went out of their way to see him. This grew more than a little irritating considering he was too busy trying to find his way around, even after memorizing the basic map of Hogwarts that was printed in Hogwarts: A History he couldn�t seem to find things were they, logically, should be. Thankfully though, Blaise remembered the way for the most part, but the changing stairs, the doors that wouldn�t open because they were in a mood and the walls that liked to pretend to be doors didn�t help much.

There was certainly a lot more to magic than merely waving your wand and saying a few words, he was quick to find out. Draco Malfoy spent half of his time crossed between insulting him and trying to make friends with him... both of which Harry ignored expertly. The poltergeist Peeves was particularly helpful to him, that small little man was always good for a laugh or two when he was picking on a few of the students but he wisely decided not to turn said pranks on Harry.

Wednesday evenings, they were all to meet up in the astronomy tower to learn the names of different stars and the movement of planets. Those were the lessons Harry was looking forward too mostly, if just because there was nothing more beautiful than the night sky. History or Magic was both interesting and incredibly dull, the teacher was a ghost called Professor Binns and his voice was successful in sending many to sleep no matter what time of the day it was.

The two that interested Harry the most so far though were Charms and Transfiguration, now that was what he had come here for. Professor Flitwick was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. All of the teachers seemed a little, well, nervous when they saw Harry, except Professor McGonagall who offered him a small smile and so he, at least, knew that there were no hard feelings there.

She was a strict and clever teacher, rather a lot like his Da when he started to talk about something he was enthusiastic about. The first words out of her mouth when they arrived in her classroom had been simply "Sit down and do your work or get out," though not in so many words. Then to prove her point and soften the edge of the words, she had turned her desk into a pig and back again.

He couldn�t wait until he could do that

It was when they came to Defence Against the Dark Arts that Harry remembered his instantaneous dislike of the professor. Defence proved to be an interesting subject, if Harry could bring himself to concentrate. The pure vile evilness that he had sensed on his first night at Hogwarts practically surrounded the man... but what was more peculiar was that Harry could sense two things about him, he could sense a mortal man and then he could sense something else entirely that clung to the scent of Quirrell.

When a Gryffindor, Seamus Finnigan, asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off a zombie, Quirrell had gone pink and then quickly changed the subject. Harry snorted at the thought; this pathetic fool fought a zombie? He didn�t think so. Everyone had noticed the funny smell surrounding that turban that the man insisted on wearing continuously, the Weasley Twins from Gryffindor apparently thought it was stuffed full of garlic but Harry disagreed, he knew that the stench of something that he had sensed clinging to the man was coming from that turban.

All in all, Friday morning came slowly but surely and both Harry and Blaise found their way to the Great Hall without getting lost once... which couldn�t be said about Draco Malfoy. It was always fun to point that moron off in the wrong direction. They sat down at the Slytherin table with a yawn and Harry grabbed his goblet, relieved as he always was to see it was full to the brim with chicken�s blood. He glanced up at the staff table and bowed his head in thanks to the headmaster before looking across the hall.

"What have we got today anyway?" he asked and Blaise glanced down at the timetable.

"Double potions with Gryffindor house. We have Professor Snape, they say he is a hard task maker and loves to snap," he said and Harry nodded, looking up at their head of house. He had been waiting for a class with him; the man intrigued him with his dark and mysterious aura.

The owl post arrived just then and Harry glanced up with a gentle smile, it had given nearly everyone a jump on the first morning, though he had heard them coming before they actually appeared. Hundreds of owls flew down to their masters and then Harry saw Rowan and his grin widened as the eagle glided down and settled on his outstretched arm.

Dear Harry

I understand that you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to meet your Pa and I just inside the forest around 8? We�re all missing you terribly here; even your Aunt Cerelias has found that she has little to snap at us for, so she�s reverted back to shouting at us for swearing in front of you again. Everything is a little too quiet around here, it is amazing how much a mere eleven years can change everything and make it seem empty when you are not here.

How are your lessons? Have you been training? You didn�t write to us yesterday so your aunt and your Pa were getting a little worried. Anyway I had better make this a short one before Cerelias finds that we are planning to snatch you from your studies early evening. Send your reply with Rowan straight away please, see you later

Da

Harry grinned and rolled his eyes before he borrowed a quill off Blaise and turned the parchment over. He looked over his shoulder and wondered whether he should ask Dumbledore before he planned to do something... nah.

Da,

Everything is fine here, sorry I didn�t write but I had loads of homework to do and then Blaise and I went exploring the castle and managed to get into trouble by trying to force our way into a door that just happened to lead to the third floor corridor that the old man Dumbledore warned us about. It�s not my fault we got lost.

You better bloody believe that I want to see you; I�ll call you as soon as I finish homework so that you can jump through the wards that way. If Aunt Cerelias is irritating you with the snapping, you could always tell her of that time when you stole all of her shampoo to prank Uncle Noel, then she�ll have something new to shout about.

Gotta go, gonna be late for potions.
Harry

He tied the letter back to Rowan and stroked him gently before he watched his eagle spread his wings and then take flight again. He necked back his goblet of blood and then pulled Blaise to his feet when he saw that many of the other students had already left.

It was perhaps lucky he had time with his fathers to look forward too considering potions turned out to be a complete mess. Potions lessons were placed deep down in one of the dungeons. The classroom was full of pickled animals floating in glass jars around the walls. Snape, like others, started the class by taking the register, and like the others, he paused at Harry�s name.

"Ah, yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter. Our new � celebrity." He sneered and Harry arched an eyebrow as Draco Malfoy and his two friends, Crabbe and Goyle, sniggered to themselves. He looked up and smiled innocently.

"Actually, that�s Harry Potter-Corvus. Surely one of your calibre can remember that Snape," he replied and Snape glared at him forcefully, which Harry met, his eyes icing over as he stared unblinkingly at the fool who tried to intimidate him.

"Of course, forgive me," Snape said softly, causing everyone to stare at him. "How could I forget about your two daddies, I wouldn�t want you to set them on me now would I? Animal fags that they are... literally." he whispered again in a deadly voice and Harry stood up slowly, not taking his eyes away.

"Believe me, old man. I wouldn�t need them for such a menial chore as splitting you open and giving you a second asshole... or would that be a third?" he said in a bitingly chilling tone and Snape�s eyes widened slightly and he took a step back, but Harry wasn�t finished yet. "I wouldn�t even need this so-called magic. You leave my fathers out of this, fool, or I will make you regret it,"

"SIT DOWN POTTER!" Snape shouted eventually, managing to pull himself back together and Harry smirked coldly.

"Are you sure you wouldn�t like to add �Your Highness� or perhaps even �My Lord�? No? How about you wipe that stool instead, it would only be proper for your new... celebrity to have his arse wiped... and didn�t you just offer?" he sneered mockingly, ignoring the sniggers his words were getting from the Gryffindors. "Don�t you ever call my fathers animals again, in fact, don�t even mentioning them again. I do not want their names to come out of your filthy mortal mouth,"

"GET TO THE HEADMASTER!" Snape shouted again, looking absolutely livid. Harry bowed coldly and blew him a kiss. He grabbed his bag and motioned for Blaise to stay there before he approached the teacher and stopped beside him to lean in.

"Remember Snape, I can admire your skills in potions and I am quite willing to at that, but don�t you ever insult the men who gave me more than this world ever could," he whispered before he pressed a mocking kiss to his cheek, wiped fake tears from his eyes and then walked calmly from the room, slamming the door behind him.

That was fun.

He paused outside the door to listen to the brief outburst of laughter and then smirked as Snape bellowed at them to shut up before he went to find the headmasters office.

He still wasn�t having much luck ten minutes later when he finally bumped into Professor McGonagall.

"Mr. Corvus, why are you out of lessons?" she asked and Harry smiled and bowed his head slightly out of respect.

"I have been sent to the headmaster�s office, ma�am," he replied courteously and she looked at him in surprise.

"Why? What did you do this time? Follow me, I�ll take you" she said and Harry jogged slightly to catch up with her before he walked at her side.

"Professor Snape thought it would prove amusing to make a few uncalled for comments about my father�s sexual preference and species. I merely proved him wrong and he didn�t like it," he said indignantly and McGonagall�s lips twitched as she looked at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Just what did you say to prove him wrong?" she asked and Harry grinned

"I told him to piss of and leave my fathers out of it, basically. Though, of course, not in so many words," he said and his grin widened when she gave a snort of amusement before stopping outside some stone gargoyles

"Candy cane," she said finally and Harry watched as they sprang apart, he nodded his approval and thanks as she walked off back in the direction they had come and then he stepped onto the moving stairs. He looked around as he came out into a circular room that seemed to be cluttered with junk and he quirked an eyebrow in amusement, sweeping his eyes across the weird items.

"Ahh Mr. Corvus, I do believe you have just won me 50 galleons," came a voice from behind him and Harry turned to stare blankly at the headmaster. "The teachers and I had a little betting pool going, to see how long you could last without being sent to me," he elaborated and Harry smirked, shaking his head slightly.

"I�m glad I could help, headmaster," he replied with amusement and he followed the old man into another room and took the offered seat across from the desk.

"So, why is it you are here?" Dumbledore asked as he poured two cups of tea and pushed one across to Harry without asking if he wanted one. Harry nodded his thank anyway but left it on the table as he sat back and crossed his legs.

"Professor Snape called my fathers animal fags, thus I retaliated with words of my own and he didn�t like it. Does he always act as if he has a stick up his arse?" he asked, mumbling the last bit and Dumbledore chuckled but didn�t say anything. He sat back and peered at Harry over the top of his glasses with that unblinking stare of his. Harry met it unconcernedly and with a little defiance that caused the older man to grin

"I know Professor Snape can be quite � ahh how shall I say this? � Brutal with his words. But what you must realise is that it is required of him, for many reasons that one hopes you will never discover. He must be particularly sharp regarding you of all people... the words he has, and undoubtedly will, say are not necessarily what he thinks. Would it be wrong of me to ask you to ignore these verbal assaults?" he asked and Harry lifted an eyebrow before folding his hands on his lap as he allowed a small smirk to tug at his lips.

"I suppose this all has something to do with his old master?" he asked and then laughed openly at the elder wizard�s obvious surprise. "Please, I�m a child but that doesn�t mean I�m stupid. I�m also a vampire and the darkness of that mark radiates from him, almost as much as it does from Quirrell," he added, regarding the headmaster carefully to judge his reaction at that last bit. Dumbledore frowned visibly and looked contemplative for a minute, he leant forward and leant his elbows on the desk as he clasped his hands together and peered at Harry once more.

"And what do you sense from Professor Quirrell?" he asked carefully and Harry nodded his approval, he had expected that to be brushed off.

"Evil" he said bluntly. "What I sense from Snape�s mark is there and is strong but it is small, what comes from Quirrell is almost the exact same darkness and yet it is disgustingly stronger, the stench is overwhelming. The man is not fooling me with that pathetic stuttering act of his... the question is, is he fooling you?" he asked and Dumbledore smiled that irritating crooked grin of his.

"I want you to be careful around him. Hold your tongue and your attitude, try not to snap. I will have him watched closely; I will not allow him to harm you... or anyone else, it could be something that he rubbed up against in Romania as he has only just returned from there, and that country is renowned for its dark magic." He said eventually and Harry rolled his eyes but didn�t say anything, that was not some lingering sense of dark magic.

"Of course headmaster," he replied submissively and Dumbledore regarded him again with amusement, the old man was not fooled with that but he wasn�t going to say anything and so Harry didn�t particularly care.

"As for this little trouble now, I will have to give you a detention with Professor Snape... but not tonight, we wouldn�t want to keep your fathers waiting now would we?" he asked and beamed when Harry just stared at him blankly. "Go on Harry, go back to your lessons and your detention will be tomorrow evening. Perhaps you will see who Professor Snape is without the prying eyes of others," he said and Harry nodded, standing up.

"I have to ask first sir," he said and Dumbledore nodded patiently, "what, exactly, is it that you put into those teas?" he asked cheekily and then slipped out of the office without waiting for an answer. Albus Dumbledore stared after him with a smile, that boy was bright beyond his years, he could be great.

"Potter!" Harry rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. He stopped in his tracks and leaned back against the wall of the Entrance Hall, folding his arm over his chest, looking as if he was extremely bored. "Where do you think you�re going at this time of night? First years are not permitted to be out of their common rooms after 7:30!" Harry put a hand over his mouth to cover a mocking yawn.

"Really Professor Snape, how many times must I remind you that my name is Potter-Corvus?" He drawled, a lazy smirk set firmly on his face. "You do remember the name Corvus, do you not? Because it seems that every time you approach me, my name is simply �Potter�. Now I�ll thank you to listen to what I�m about to say because the next time I need to say it, I won�t be so forthcoming with the words and get straight to the... well, you can imagine, I�m sure." He pushed himself away from the wall and stalked towards the oily haired Professor.

"Are you threatening me, Potter?" The man sneered.

"Of course I am. Now shut your mouth and listen very closely." He halted when he was just out of arms reach of his Professor. "My name, which I know you are aware of, is �Potter-Corvus�." His voice was soft but his eyes flashed dangerously. "Use it when you address me as I�ll answer to nothing else. I�m giving you this warning at the request of the Headmaster for my patience when dealing with you.

"The second thing I would like to remind you is that I am, in fact, a Vampire. And as a Vampire, especially at the age I am at now, I am required to go hunting for both practise and for food. Now I know you know this; after all, you are not a stupid man, so I�ll thank you not to call me on this again." With those words he side-stepped the Potions Master and started once again, his walk to the main doors at the other side of the Entrance Hall.

"Potter!" Snape just wouldn�t give up when he knew he was beat. Harry shook his head and ignored the elder wizard. He lifted his hand, bit into the pad of his thumb and smeared the drop of blood forming there across the Corvus mark. All of this however, went unnoticed by the Head of Slytherin house. "Potter I�m warning you! Halt this instant! Or I swear those steps will be the last steps you�ll take in Hogwarts!" Harry halted.

"His name, is Corvus." An angered voice hissed in Snape�s left ear and the Professor froze.

"And it is his time to hunt." A second voice spoke in his right ear.

Ivan Corvus and his husband, Dante Delgardo stepped around the frozen Slytherin, each face showing intense hatred and at the same time, deathly calm expressions.

"You hold no authority in matters Vampire. If my son wishes to hunt at the stroke of midnight then by the power of the Corvus clan, he will hunt at the twelfth stroke." Ivan stated with an authority about him that Harry had only seen used when he was about to kill someone for betrayal of the clan. It had only happened once before.

"You will leave our son and not approach him for punishment again unless he truly deserves it. You will remember that he is heir to the Corvus throne and that within his hands; he has the power to kill you. And you might do well to remember that as Vampires, the killing curse your kind is so fond of, only gives us a headache." With those words from Dante, he, Harry and Ivan exited the castle via the main doors without a sound nor a backwards glance.

When they reached the Forbidden Forest, Harry was too pissed off to bother with pleasantries with his Fathers so he immediately took off into the trees in search of his meal.

Ivan and Dante looked at each other and sighed.

"Snape is becoming a problem." Dante whispered softly as he let his head fall against his husband�s shoulder. He felt Ivan�s hand wind its way through his hair comfortingly and sighed again.

"If he becomes a threat, Harry and Blaise can deal with him accordingly. Before it comes to that however, we will visit the Mugwump and have words concerning that monstrosity of a wizard." Ivan amended equally as soft as his companion.

"But before any of that," Dante said, straightening himself. "We have a wayward child to reel in." Ivan grinned at his partner.

"He must be taught exactly who he is." With a matching grin, Dante nodded and the couple took off into the darkened gloom of the forest in search of their son.

Harry was too angry at his Head of House to notice his father�s following him as he stalked his dinner silently. When he was close enough to the deer he�d been stalking for the past ten minutes, he pounced, instantly sinking his elongated canines into the animal�s neck. Said animal was startled and tried to run from its attacker but Harry�s grip was firm. He kicked the deer�s legs out from under it and went with it as the animal fell to the ground.

It was then, and only then, that he began to drink his fill, careful not to take so much that he�d kill it.

He moaned at the delicious coppery liquid filled his mouth. The taste was earthed and Harry could sense the animal he�d chosen was mature and well at home in this forest. He smiled around the puncture holes his teeth made, his previous anger seemed to seep away as his thirst was quenched.

When he was finished, he sighed contentedly and patted the dear�s flank. He bit into the pad of his thumb, rubbed it over the teeth wounds on his prey�s flesh before watching as they instantly healed. The deer seemed to blink itself out of a daze, scramble to its feet and stumble its way away from Harry.

He let his head fall back and looked up at the sky through the canopy of tree tops...Even though his heart failed to beat, the blood of the deer coursed through his veins. His entire body was vibrating with sensitive nerve endings. His eyes glowed, the Corvus mark below his Adam�s apple shone with power.

He heard the slightest shuffle of fabric against tree trunk behind him and jumped up, setting himself into a fighting stance instinctively. His senses screamed at him, telling him it was only his father�s sneaking up on him again and they were proved correct when his Da flew at him from his right, aiming a sweeping kick at his feet and then a powerful knee to the base of his spine, both of which Harry dodged easily.

The pair traded blows as they usually did in their spars but Harry soon realised that his Da had decided to up the level of spar. As soon as this realisation hit, his Da�s foot connected with his side. He stumbled a little to regain his footing but was only given a total of three seconds before the older Vampire attacked once again.

Harry had dodged three near perfectly aimed punches when his Pa, whom he�d actually forgotten about, came up behind him, grasped both of his elbows in an almost crushing grip.

Dante forced his son�s arms behind Harry�s back and held them in place with one strong hand. He nodded to his husband over his son�s head.

Ivan stepped up to Harry and kicked the boy�s legs apart, forcing more weight to rest on Harry�s already aching shoulders. Ivan watched his boy wince and smirked. He reached down, grasped his son�s legs at the knee�s and straightened up, effectively lifting Harry clean off the ground and causing more weight to be put onto Harry�s shoulders.

Harry wasn�t sure what was happening but wisely kept his mouth shut just the same. He wasn�t about to taunt his Da and Pa when he was completely at their mercy. He watched the two older Vampire�s walk back until his Pa�s back hit something solid; a tree, he suspected.

Dante hoisted Harry up until his husband could manoeuvre himself into a position that would make it obvious to their son that Ivan wanted him to wrap his legs round his Da�s waist. And to his amusement, Harry did exactly that without question. Of course, Harry hadn�t opened his mouth to speak since their arrival but when Ivan suddenly pushed right up against Harry so the boy was literally pinned in that sandwiched position, Dante felt Harry flinch at the pressure being put on his shoulders. Pressure the older Vampire only added to when he tightened his grip on his child�s arms.

Ivan�s eyes bore into Harry�s, completely blank and slightly unnerving. But Harry met it, even if his own emerald gaze was uncertain. He wasn�t afraid. He knew his Pa and Da wouldn�t hurt him beyond what they thought he could deal with. He knew he was safe when he was with them.

But the emotionless look in his Da�s eyes seemed unsettling to Harry. He wondered idly if he had done something wrong but when he couldn�t remember anything really bad he�d done, he was left once again, clueless.

When Harry�s legs locked around his waist, Ivan�s hand settled on the boy�s hips, but the placing wasn�t to be permanent. Faster than the human eye could possibly track, Ivan�s hands flew from Harry�s waist to the collar of his black T-shirt and tore away the flimsy piece of material. Then without permeable warning, Ivan opened his mouth, his extremely sharp fangs glittering in the moonlight and bit down on Harry�s neck, piercing the cool pale skin easily.

Harry cried out in shock as his Da bit him then cried out again when he felt his Pa doing the same.

Having his blood drunk by his father�s wasn�t an all around bad experience, should Harry be honest with himself. It was more the shock of them doing it that made him wince as the initial bursts of blood flowed startlingly from his body into their mouths.

A few seconds after the proverbial blood letting had begun; he felt a hand put pressure on the back of his head, moving it so his mouth was directly over his Da�s jugular vein.

And without a seconds though, Harry�s bared his own fangs and bit, hard, telling his Da that the lack of warning before was most certainly not appreciated. In return, he felt his Da bite harder at the already sensitive wound he was drinking from.

Reluctantly, Harry moaned his submission and drunk.

After what seemed to Harry, like hours (when in reality it had been no longer than five minutes), he felt his Da and his Pa release him. Sighing through his nose, he bit his tongue and ran the mildly bleeding organ over the puncture wounds in his Da�s neck, healing them instantly.

He was still hungry, but he�d wait to see what his father�s were doing.

He knew his hunger shone through his eyes but he didn�t let it bother him. He looked at his Da inquiringly but an explanation wasn�t forthcoming as he found out when his legs were suddenly pulled from their spoke around his Da�s waist. He was roughly turned around so he had his back to his Da and was facing his Pa. His legs were once again settled around his Pa�s waist and his Da had a tight hold (tighter than his Pa) on his arms.

Again no words of explanation were spoken and he soon found his newly healed neck being pierced by two pairs of fangs again. The only difference was that the second time a hand put pressure on his head; it directed him so his mouth was hovering over his Pa�s jugular vein.

Once more, he bit down on the vein hard and once more, he felt his Pa bit him harder; much like his Da did before. He was forced again, to moan his submission and drink what was offered to him.

When his father�s removed their mouths from his neck, Harry healed the small wounds on his Pa�s neck and sat up. His hunger wasn�t completely satisfied but he�d do for now.

"You�re a Corvus, Harry." Ivan hissed into his ear. "No matter what anybody tells you, you are a Corvus. You are my heir, my child, my son. Never forget that, do you understand me?" Harry nodded his head instantly, unsure why his Da was telling him what he already knew to begin with.

Dante, seeing this, smiled at his son. "We did this tonight to remind you of who you are." He whispered but the eleven year old could hear clearly. "Merely telling you as such is fine, but doing what we have done this night strengthens the bond we three share. You are a Corvus. But at the same time, you are a Potter. You have had three Fathers in your lifetime and while the first was taken from you, myself and your Da will never leave you. Your Aunt�s and Uncle will never leave you."

"The Corvus Clan will never abandon you. And we thought, after your words with the great bat earlier, you needed a small reminder. We know you are aware of who you are, we just thought it prudent." Ivan kissed his son�s head gently.

"I know what I am, I know who I am." Harry said softly. "Snape needs to learn some manners is all," His father�s chuckled and set their child�s feet on the ground, trying not to put any unnecessary pressure on his shoulders. Harry groaned as his arms were released and shuffled his shoulders to loosen them up again. "Did you have to fuck up my bloody shoulders?" He ground out as he pulled a muscle.

"Apologies," Dante grinned. "But you know we couldn�t hold you without hurting you a little." Harry, as much as he tried, couldn�t fault the logic his Pa voiced but grumbled irritably anyway.

"You know, I got the oddest feeling while we were drinking our fill." He mused almost to himself but not quite. The trio began the walk back to the castle. Ivan and Dante glanced at one another over their son�s head and grinned.

"Oh really...?" Ivan gestured for him to elaborate.

"Yeah, I got the feeling that had I been 16 or older..." He trailed off, smirked as his parents halted in their tracks and he kept walking. Five seconds later, he started to run as though his life depended on it.

"Harry James Potter-Corvus!" he heard his Da shout after him as he and Harry�s Pa tried to catch up.



The Heir of Corvus I: The Philosopher�s Stone - Chapter 7

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