One of the first years screamed as Professor Sprout blasted away another one of the rampaging monsters, its clawed hands coming dangerously close to her.

"Stay together now!" the Herbology teacher shouted over the rising panic as she brandished her wand, frowning at the beast now entangled in growing vines. "Come now, stay together!"

"Bloody hell!" Ron swore as the beast lashed out in its bindings, sending more students shouting and pushing him further away from the direction where Dumbledore and the others had gone. He gritted his teeth and pushed back, his hand firmly holding Hermione's as they made yet another attempt to slip past.

"Ron," Hermione said urgently to him as he used his taller frame to look for the best route. "Ron, the Point Me spell said - "

"We're going to find him," Ron whispered furiously back as the professors slowly guided the mass of students out of the Great Hall and began to separate them by House. He watched as the vines finally engulfed the beast and pinned it the wall, where its smothered snarls had students flinching as they tried to stay away.

He saw the Hufflepuffs, led by Professor Sprout, move their way towards the stairs and saw the chance to slip around them. He tightened his hold on Hermione and made sure no one was looking as he edged towards them.

"Ron, look out!"

He turned in time to see another beast come sliding around a corner and fumbled with his wand. He took a step back and the beast crouched and leapt, its cheeks red and mouth wide –

Hermione's blue flames sent it screaming back.

It staggered, howling, its shrieks matching those of the younger students. In the corner of his eye, he saw Sprout struggle towards them as it snarled and flailed and reached for them. He shifted his feet and as it took another step, he snapped out, "Reducto!"

Its head cracked against the wall and it slid down, still and burning.

Behind him, he heard Hermione let out a ragged breath.

"Hold on," he mumbled, turning to look at her pale face while he fought back his own nerves. "They're - "

"Weasley!" shouted Professor Sinistra and he didn't have time to blink before he felt claws tearing through his robes, dragging him to the floor.

He heard Hermione yell and briefly saw her brandish her wand at another beast, stumbling back as it swiped at her, before the beast atop him snapped at his face, blocked by his forearm.

Ron winced as its teeth tore through his clothes, scratching his skin and sending it into a further frenzy as it touched his blood. He gasped and kicked and blocked with one arm, fingers scrabbling for his knocked aside wand. He heard Sinistra shouting spells and saw more beasts come down the corridor.

"Expelliarmus!" Ron dimly heard Seamus yell, followed by Dean.

The beast grunted as the red lights bounced off its side, bared its teeth and clawed deeper into his robes, snapped harder, its wide eyes fixated on his neck. Behind it, he could glimpse Hermione desperately fighting off her own, Ginny hurling her own hexes while the professors and proctors pushed and pulled students back.

The incultus reared back as Ron's fingers faintly touched his wand and he knew he wouldn't reach it in time.

"Solis scutum!"

Ron blinked as a shimmer of light cut through the beast above him, a sickly charred smell invading his nostrils as he shoved the thing to scramble away. His heart pounded while his hand grew tight on his wand.

The beast's legs twitched but did nothing more, torn from its torso.

Something grabbed his shoulder and he instinctively moved his wand, mouth forming a fire spell before he recognized the pale face and hair.

"Where is he?" Malfoy said lowly as he roughly pulled the redhead up.

"Where do you think?" Ron managed to snap back as he shook him off, adrenaline coursing through him. He saw Hermione and his sister pulled back into the group of students as Sinistra put down another beast. He met Hermione's worried eyes and saw her glance over to Malfoy next to him. "Probably right in the thick of this, as always."

"Damn it, Harry," he heard the Slytherin mutter and fought the urge to agree as he eyed the remaining two beasts, growling and standing in the way between them and the group.

"Weasley, Malfoy, stay there!" Sinistra called out as she and the Muggle Studies professor aimed their wands at the vampires. "We'll - "

There was a popping sound.

Ron stared with the rest at the two figures next to each beast. One was tall with long arms bare except for the wristbands with spikes. The other was a large mass of power, cracking her neck as she coolly surveyed the silent, wide eyed crowd.

They were both clearly vampires.

"The Dark Lord wasn't lying about tying the portkeys with the beasts," hummed the man as he twisted the spiked wristbands.

"Suppose we should keep our end then, shouldn't we?" the woman said in a bored voice. "Although why it matters to him that we take out children, I'll never know."

"Mayhem, mayhem, let it rain," snorted the man. "I wonder if the others got as lucky as us." He took a step towards the students and chuckled as the professors raised their wands.

"You will not touch these students," Professor Sinistra said coldly, raising her own tall frame to match the vampire.

"How brave," mocked the vampire as he took another step. "How completely and utterly - "

"Incendio!"

"Sectumsempra!"

The male vampire hissed and barely dodged Ron's burst of flame, whirling around as his companion bellowed and clutched her leg, blood streaming from Malfoy's spell. She flung her free arm out and Malfoy dodged as Ron threw a shield charm in time to block a tossed suit of armor.

"You fucking - " the woman's insult was cut off as she was simultaneously blasted by the adults, grunting as she hit the floor. She waved her hand and there were renewed shouts of fear from the students as Professor Sinistra gurgled, hands clasping at her throat. Hermione pushed forward, muttering something under her breath to help the Astonomy teacher while the Muggle Studies teacher flicked her wand defensively against the female vampire's telekinetic use of armor pieces.

"I got them, Callie!" snapped the man as he straightened and stalked towards them. Ron immediately averted his eyes and started shifting his feet as he backed away.

"Oh, look, some novice Venators," the man said contemptuously. "You're hardly the Nosle Kids, give this up."

From the corner of his eye, Ron saw Malfoy slip something out of his pocket. He caught his gaze, saw him flicker over to the vampire and instinctively started shifting closer.

"Why don't you two slit your throats and save us all the waste of time?" the man sneered as he raised his spiked arm, his cold green eyes trying to catch Ron's. "Callie's going to decimate your teachers soon enough, you don't want her attention any more - "

"Aguamenti!" Ron suddenly shouted and the vampire jerked back at the jet of water.

The vampire glanced down and snorted. "Water? Let me guess, you think by making this holy water - "

"Depulso!"

The vampire jerked his head up in time to see Malfoy's vial crash against his face.

He screamed and clawed his face as the metallic substance clung to his skin, stumbling into the wall. Ron watched as he frantically tried to use his wrist bands to tear its expanding form off, falling to his knees as it continued to spread. It covered his eyes, his nose and finally his mouth as his screams turned muffled.

Ron looked away and saw Malfoy's merciless gaze on the vampire. Silver eyes met his and he took in a deep breath, turning back to the remaining vampire.

She was looking at them from the corner of her eye as her other hand kept flicking armor at the students and the Muggle Studies teacher desperately tried to keep up. Professor Sinistra lay unconscious as Hermione crouched over her, whispering something fervently as she helped deflect what the remaining teacher couldn't. He heard Professor Sprout shouting spells, saw the other adults darting to cover the other corridors, heard hisses of what could only be more beasts.

There was a vicious cross of a snarl and a smile on the female vampire's face.

"You've won nothing, wizards," she hissed.

In the distance, he heard guttural snarls coming closer, accompanied by low voices in an unfamiliar language.

'You best be in a better place than this, Harry,' Ron thought as he grimly raised his wand and started shifting his feet.

Lest felt every moment as the group hurried to the grounds, not fast enough, senses flooding as he searched and eliminated one beast after another while the wizards sent stray students towards safety. The moment he stepped out into the open air, he froze as he recognized the familiar presence.

"Surprised, Opacre?" a well-known voice asked.

Lest whirled around and met Alexis Dazain's distant, inquisitive eyes.

Rage burned through him as he raised his Gemmus and struck at the mind of the Head of the Dazains.

Dazain blocked it, his mind slipping as usual, and flicked his hand with an attack of his own, slick and silent and as disconcerting as ever in its utter lack of feeling.

"Why are you here?" Lest snarled, forgetting his Videte and concentrating his strength, planning to finally eliminate the bastard. He barely noticed the other Dazains scattered around, keeping their distance while the wizards behind Lest held their wands at the ready.

Dazain shrugged, carefully walking in front of his own group of vampires as he watched Lest.

"You have your new allies. I have mine."

There was a series of pops and Lest didn't need to feel the sudden tension of fear and anger as a new group of people appeared next to the Dazains to know exactly who they were.

"Headmaster," the Dark Lord he heard so much about said mockingly as the Death Eaters spread out, their masked faces at contrast with the open, disdainful ones of the Dazain vampires. Lest felt a slow roll of anger as he eyed the wizard who had brought so much misery to Harry, his features twisted and barely reminiscent of anything human. "How long it has been."

In the background, he felt Marylin coming up, flicking her shield carefully around the Hogwarts witches and wizards. He carefully extended his mental shields over them, narrowed eyes tracking Dazain as he paced relaxed next to the wizard who looked more like an incultus than anything else.

"Leave, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly, steel beneath his careful words. "There is no win here." Behind him, Lest could hear the rumbling of the castle's protections. He sent a probe to his sister and she swiftly answered, hiding as much as she could in case Dazain caught on.

"Ah, but I heard that you welcomed your own guests of blood," Voldemort said. The incultus vampires snarled, leashes lazily held by the Dazain vampires and straining to reach the promise of fresh blood. The red eyes glimmered cruelly above the twist of his smile. "I assumed you would not turn away my own for a bite."

Marylin moved closer and contemptuously said, "You must be such fools to think you can win over all of us, especially you, Dazain." He felt his sister's own anger at the sight of the vampire in front of them. Despite his unassuming stance, they both knew this particular monster well. "Why come with such bad odds?"

Dazain tilted his head and cocked his fingers.

Lest's blood ran cold as he felt a flicker of a new presence on his peripheral.

From the side, from a far away entrance, he could hear a sudden scrambling and into view Harry came, a vampire's hand on his mouth while his other arm locked Harry's arms behind him as a masked wizard held his wand on him. His green eyes were wide and confused as he stumbled over the grass.

Voldemort stepped closer to Dazain, bringing out his own wand. "I would say the odds are better now."

"Bloody hell!" Ron shouted as he dodged another swipe from the clawed hands of a beast. It lunged forward and tried to grab at his knees, to pull him down as the one before him.

"Do you damn well say anything else?!" Malfoy snapped as he slipped around a vampire who threw a punch at him and broke another wall, sending old stone crumbling down. The vampire pulled his arm out and flicked his fingers at Malfoy, who grimaced and shook his head before snarling and throwing a Cutting Curse at him.

"I'll bloody well say whatever the bloody hell I want, you utter prat!" Ron snarled as he kicked away the beast and blasted it with a stunner, which seemed a lot more useful against its kind instead of the other ones. It collapsed against the floor twitching and the redhead barely had a break to catch his breath before something violently assaulted his mind.

Ron gasped as he staggered and clutched his head, squeezing his eyes shut as a vampire hissed in his mind, violently rooting around. 'Get down, get down, accept your death already!'

'Piss off!' he thought furiously back.

'We're going to kill you all, I'll get your sister last so she can - '

The voice in his head cut off and he heard a cry of pain, opened his eyes in time to see Ernie MacMillian slam his fist into a vampire's face as Neville nervously muttered a spell, vines similar to Professor Sprout's erupting from his wand to envelop the dazed vampire.

"Do you suppose they'll take this into consideration when grading O.W.L.s?" Justin Finch-Fletchley panted as he blasted the vampire in the back with a Blasting Charm and knocked it unconscious. "I mean, this has to count for something, right?"

Before Ron could respond, he heard Hermione shouting from the other end of the corridor, where she had been setting up defensive charms for the unconscious teachers and proctors as well as the younger students. Her blue flames burned brightly, deterring the beasts from straying too close when they got past the others.

"Three more are heading from the east corridor!" she shouted, her wand never ceasing in casting her charms, in deflecting attacks as she tried her best to support them.

The students who realized screaming and trying to run off was not an answer had stepped forward and thrown whatever they could at the waves of beasts. Ron had seen the twins and Lee Jordan take another corridor with their pranking materials, Ginny helping Hermione with stunners on beasts and Hagrid with the 7th years holding off yet another corridor that teemed with beast vampires. They all tried to leave the trained vampires to the adults, who struggled to shield the students the best they could behind the defenses Professor Opacre had left behind for them while their numbers dwindled beneath physical and telepathic attacks.

Needless to say, Ron unfortunately found himself stuck by Malfoy's side as they took on a few of the less telepathically inclined when the other vampires came, gritting his teeth as each one kept him from looking for Harry. Judging from the more vicious spells Malfoy was casting – one leaving a vampire choking as a Cutting Curse tore through his throat – the Slytherin shared the redhead's frustration.

"We're not going to be able to do this much longer," Terry Boot gasped, holding up a winded Hannah Abbot. "We have to move back."

"Open to suggestions here," Blaise Zabini muttered as he cast a shimmering spell across the corridor and forcing the vampires back again. The first vampires that had crossed it had immediately lost their focus and began attacking their comrades before they had shaken out of it a few minutes later. They had since been wary every time he cast it and it gave them all a brief moment of rest as they sent injured and exhausted back to the defended group and regained their strength. His face was strained and he swayed on his feet. "I think I've only got one or two more of Mother's dazzlers before I'm done. And unless Granger's managed to dig her way through that wall, I think we're truly and well fucked here."

"If you say you have two more in, I know damn well you have ten left, Blaise," Malfoy said, straightening from where he bound the last vampire on their side of the field and looked around, feet never settling despite the cuts across his body. He had been one of the first to discard his robes, his dwindling number of vials in the pockets of his pants.

"It's just three more," Ron coughed, straightening up and continuing to shift his tired feet. "Three more and then we'll have the professors - "

"No," a new voice cut through from down the corridor. "No, I do believe your friend had it right."

Ron turned around and saw the group of a dozen vampires at the other end of Zabini's spell. A few held leashes to fresh beasts and he didn't need to see the sadistic smiles on their faces to know more were coming.

"Put up your spell, magic boy," a vampire said lazily as the others waited patiently behind the shimmer, eyes trying to connect. He saw Ernie grunt and stumble, saw Malfoy sharply flick his wand at him to shake him loose of the telepathic attack as he had done so many times before. "We'll be through soon enough."

There was a rattling sound as a ring tapped across a windowsill in Copenhagen. A hand picked up a long pole.

Something whirled on a bookshelf in Seville as a pair of boots was tugged on.

In Liverpool, a jar shook and almost fell next to the buzzing portkey. It tumbled over and its contents were caught in a pouch, tied onto a belt.

Dublin and Antwerp, Zurich and Rotterdam, Cologne and Oslo.

The Pater Nosferatu had a signal. More importantly, Myn Opacre had called.

Harry stood on the edge of the group of Dazain vampires and Death Eaters. He struggled fruitlessly in the vampire's hold as a wizard with a silver hand held a trembling wand on him. His green eyes kept darting between the groups, a slight bruise on the side of his face from what must have been a blow to catch him.

Marylin never knew how deep her anger could go until then. She could only imagine what Lest's rage must feel like, traces of his fury echoing along the mental shield he had around her to protect her from Dazain's abilities.

She could see the white knuckled grasp on his Gemmus as he hissed, voice dark and terrible, "Let him go."

"Why so interested, Opacre?" Dazain inquired, his head tilting slightly, brown bangs brushing his sleepy black eyes. Marylin flinched and avoided the idle gaze, careful not to give any advantage to the man. Despite being only a couple of years younger than her, she knew all too well his telepathic strength that rivaled her brother's.

Dumbledore moved forward, his powerful voice grimly crossing to Voldemort. "If Harry is injured you will not leave well, Tom."

Voldemort laughed, high pitched and cold. "Death is hardly enough for the boy, don't you think? Clearly it does not agree with him after so many attempts." He turned to Harry and Marylin caught a glimpse of fear and anger in Harry's eyes as the vampire pushed him closer.

The dark wizard smirked as he walked closer, lazily waving his wand at the teenager as the vampire forced Harry to a stop a few feet away from him. "You were so gracious to spare my new friends the trouble of looking for you, Harry. Although," Voldemort said, carelessly waving a hand towards the castle, "I'm sure they'll still enjoy taking in all Hogwarts has to offer." He smiled maliciously as he took another step closer. "Tell me. Did you want to live to see your friends die or die knowing your friends will suffer?"

She saw Harry go still, a strange expression crossing his face as though seeing the wizard in front of him for the first time. His gaze seem to alternate between focused and distant and she couldn't check his emotions, his thoughts, for fear of leaving an opening for telepathic assault.

Voldemort idly waved a hand and she saw the faint grimace on the Dazain vampire's face as he lowered his hand from Harry's mouth. "Well, Harry?"

The teenager said nothing, merely continued to stare at the man in front of him.

Voldemort chuckled. "Is this the best of your so-called courage now?" A mocking smile came upon his thin lips. "If the wizarding world could only see their beloved savior as he stands in fear of true power - "

"I'm not afraid of you."

Harry's voice cut swift and flat through the grounds, clear for all to hear.

The smile faded from Voldemort's face, swept away by a brief expression of anger before the mocking look returned. "Trying to pretend, Harry? How much like your father right before I killed him." He chuckled as light, mean laughter floated amongst his Death Eaters.

Marylin squeezed her nails into the palms of her hand, breathing shallowly as Lest turned so still next to her.

Voldemort continued to chuckle as he turned to a dispassionate Dazain, gesturing to Harry who's face continued to wear the strange, unfocused expression. "As you see, our worlds share such similar weaknesses, placing their faith in something truly quite pathetic - "

"As pathetic as a supposedly strong wizard afraid of an infant?" Harry suddenly said in a vicious voice.

Marylin blinked, startled by the unfamiliar tone voice. Lest frowned as Dumbledore took another step forward.

Dazain slowly turned to look at the suddenly grimacing Harry, a considering look growing on his face as the expression of rage once again crossed Voldemort's face. The vampire holding Harry roughly jerked him, making Harry grunt and Lest twitch as Voldemort slowly turned back around to the teenager.

"Poor Harry," Voldemort breathed, raising his wand. "You would think you would have learned your lesson after last year." He glanced towards their group, a cruel smile growing. "Would you like to see how your brave student fared the Cruciatus Curse, Dumbledore?"

"You will not harm the boy, Tom," warned Dumbledore and Marylin had never heard such a cold voice from the Headmaster, so different from the wizard she had seen all year, warm and welcoming with twinkling eyes. "Let him go and leave while you still have a chance."

"I think you still don't realize - " began Voldemort, grip tightening on his wand.

"A moment, if you would," Dazain suddenly said, sliding past the astonished wizard. He stopped a few feet in front of Harry, who leaned away, expression wary.

Lest jerked and took another step forward, his breath rapid enough for her to hear.

Marylin swallowed, her heart suddenly racing at the interested look on the normally disinterested vampire.

'No,' she trembled. 'No, no, pay him no mind, no.'

"This is the same one you had in your mind a few months ago, isn't he?" Dazain said absently, his gaze searching Harry's as the teenager uncomfortably shifted. "The one who slipped me?"

Harry froze.

She did not need to use her senses to know fear filled him as he stiffened and abruptly avoided the vampire's eyes.

"Trying to hide?" Dazain sighed, lifting a hand to rub at his temple. "What are you hiding that Opacre is so - "

"I said leave him alone!"

The vampires and Death Eaters stirred and even the Hogwarts wizards shifted uncomfortably as Lest snarled again, his power fluctuating around them, a heavy press against their minds, an unnerving flex against their skin.

"Lest," Dumbledore said in a low voice, taking a step towards the vampire, a heavy frown on his face as Marylin shifted uncomfortably, too aware of Snape's sharp, suspicious response next to her.

Dazain did not move, continued to observe Harry as the teenager's eyes flickered towards Lest, Marylin catching sight of something quick across his face before Harry gritted his teeth and looked away.

"Who are you?" asked Dazain softly, gaze fascinated. "Who is in there?"

Harry's head jerked up and his eyes widened.

"This is my victory," snapped Voldemort, striding back towards Harry and Dazain, roughly intercepting them and breaking the contact. "My conquest and I will not let you or anyone stand from ridding myself of this troublesome pest anymore! He is insignificant, unworthy, a mistake - "

The teenager stared silently at the wizard and Marylin swallowed, feeling her brother's tension, wondering when to rush in, what to do when so much was unknown and –

Harry took a deep breath and spat at Voldemort.

There was silence around.

In her stunned disbelief, she watched Harry's green eyes glare, his lips pulled back in contempt.

Voldemort stepped back, violence etched in every movement.

"Hold him," he said, near silent at the vampire who indifferently tightened his grasp.

Lest stepped forward but stopped as the vampire squeezed Harry's throat, smirking as he looked at Dazain who attentively watched, eyes flicking occasionally to Lest. Lest froze and bared his teeth, trembling with restrained wrath.

Myn stood, fearful, her eyes wide as she tried to think of what to do, what she could do, what was safe and best to protect this dear boy, how to not let them know exactly how much he meant -

Voldemort held up his wand and murmured something, the tip glowing.

"Tom!" she heard Dumbledore call out warningly, saw him raise his wand.

'Too late,' she thought, frozen as she watched the spell grow.

"Too late!" laughed one of the vampires as he danced around a Stinging Hex and kicked Ron in the back, sending him sprawling. "Is this the best magic can offer?" he taunted as he sent another kick, straight into the teenager's ribs and forcing a cry of pain.

Ron panted, curled up and grimacing as he forced himself to move back, fought the urge to glare at the vampire's face, which was exactly what he wanted, the same way he had knocked Justin and Ernie unconscious.

"Expelliarmus!" he heard Dean shout and the vampire shifted back, rocking on his heels with his teeth bared viciously. Seamus grabbed his arm and started dragging him back to the group where they had steadily been retreating since Blaise's spell had fallen.

Once it had gone down, the vampires had wasted no time in targeting him as the source and Ron could still remember the Slytherin's screams from what must have been a painful telepathic assault before Malfoy had knocked him unconscious to spare him. Terry and Hannah had dragged him back next to Ernie and Justin, their spells faltering as their already tired bodies began to give out.

Ron scrambled himself up to his feet in time to see a weary but still fighting Professor Sprout move forward to swarm the vampires with a spell of pollen that had them hissing. She was one of the few remaining adults still conscious, the rest spread thinly around the group at each corridor.

He looked over and swallowed as he realized Blaise might have had a point, their exits blocked and the vampires steady on.

There was a cry and he whipped his head around to see Sprout stumble back, wincing as she clutched her bleeding wand arm.

A vampire woman smirked and lifted her blade again at the older woman.

A familiar burst of bright light flashed up and the vampire hissed as her blade hit the sunlight shield, wincing and rocking back as Neville pulled the teacher back, fumbling to conjure more vines.

"I'm down to my last two vials," Malfoy panted as he stepped in front of Ron, his wand held steady. "I can't believe I'm saying this but any bright ideas, Weasley?"

"I've got nothing," Ron said in an undertone, too tired to bicker as they slowly made their way back to the group. "Hermione's flames are independent but I don't think they'll stop them for long and they do nothing against their telepathy."

He saw Malfoy look at him from the corner of his eye. "Famous Gryffindor bravery giving up at last?"

Ron narrowed his eyes and stiffened his aching body, raising his wand. "Screw you, Malfoy. I'm saying we take as many down as we can before they get there."

"How sweet," he heard a vampire laugh. Ron gritted his teeth and stopped shifting back, listening to Seamus mumble prayers while Dean took Ron's other side.

"You should think a little highly of yourselves, I suppose," drawled another, sauntering closer as Malfoy's shield dissipated. "Mere children making such nuisances of themselves." He saw him glance over at Sprout, leaning heavily on Neville and still trying to hold onto her wand. "How proud you must be of them."

"Clearly," the stout woman said shortly, lifting her wand. "Despite all your attempts, all of Hogwarts' students are still alive and protected. While there is breath left in us, we will fight for them."

"Bet they taste sweet," murmured a female vampire, flicking her hand and making the woman wince. "How about we leave you last so we can tell you?"

"You will not touch them!" snapped the Herbology professor, straightening up.

"You like that one, right?" smirked the vampire. "Think he's such a good boy, such a green thumb?" Her eyes gleamed. "Let's see how deep that green goes."

Another flick of her hand and Sprout grunted as she was forced from Neville, who struggled against an invisible force.

Ron's eyes widened in horror and he blasted a fire spell, blocked by one of the other vampires as the woman darted for his friend. Seamus and Dean's spells were likewise blocked by the vampires charging forward, Malfoy's sunlight shield was intercepted by a beast and the woman raised her blade above Neville, petrified and staring, pale and wide eyed.

Something hit the woman's hand and she screamed at the audible crack, blade falling to the floor.

Something fell to the floor, bounced, and ricocheted into the vampire's face, a loud thud as the woman crumpled to the floor.

"What the - " said one of the vampires and then there were shouts as they were all pushed back, an unseen force knocking them to their backs.

" – bloody hell?" Ron heard Seamus finish weakly as the redhead blinked in confusion.

Neville staggered as he was released from the telekinetic hold and Dean snapped out of it, rushing forward to grab his friend and pull him back.

One of the vampires rebounded, lifting themselves up quickly and diving for the distracted Gryffindors. Ron drew strength for another fire spell.

There was a blur and suddenly the vampire collided roughly with a wall, knocked unconscious.

"Your school is big," an accented voice told him.

He blinked. A small girl – no, a teenager? – stood in front of him, cracking her knuckles as she shifted her feet. Her black hair was done in a short ponytail and he noticed an armband high on her bicep as she lifted her fists up.

"It's why I told you to wait for one of the telepaths, Reya," another voice, differently accented this time, called out from behind the group of enemy vampires.

He heard the girl mutter something in a different language in front of him and gaped as the vampires warily took a step back, faces twisting in anger.

"You," one of the vampires said flatly. "You are not suppose to be here."

One of armor suits trembled and slowly lifted up. Ron and the others flinched, warily taking a step back but instead of launching themselves towards them, the suits slowly rotated to face the vampires.

"Neither are you," a male voice drawled and Ron jerked as another person appeared next to Reya, a little older but no more than Percy. He wore the same armband as the girl, threads of red and blue and silver on black.

"You," he heard Professor Sprout cough from where she stood next to Neville, who had returned to assist her despite his shaken look. "You're the ones Professor Opacre - "

The young man turned around and briefly saluted as the girl Reya slowly advanced towards the now wary group of vampires. "Sorry we were late. We had to clear that large dining room and send others to sweep the floors. The other teams have collected the remaining students and staff and are on the way so you can send us to our…Houses?" The young man's brow furrowed slightly before he shrugged. "We've also secured the Infirmary so once we finish here - "

"But you're children," Professor Sprout blurted out, blinking in shock. "You're - "

"We're not children," Reya, the young girl – except she had to be older, he saw that in her face now despite being no taller than a first year – said as the vampires slowly spread themselves out. Ron could see others behind them, one bouncing something in her hand, another so large he could almost reach Hagrid.

Ron saw a flash of bared teeth.

"We're Nosle Kids," the young male vampire said as Reya charged forward and the two groups of vampires began to fight.

His eyes widened and he turned to look at Malfoy –

- and jerked as he realized the Slytherin was gone.

Marylin saw, as if in a slow trance, the spell grow, saw Voldemort's wand lift as she heard Dumbledore shout and Lest step forward all the while Harry stared defiantly back.

Voldemort's wand jerked, the spell distorting and shooting off.

Everything happened quickly.

She felt the presence of Saira and Leon come into focus, dropping Leon's stealth shielding from behind the Dazains. She became aware of a few Nosle Kids dashing through the trees, searching for the Dazain vampires hanging back as they always did. She knew it was Irene, her star student, who had pulled the wand as the young woman sent a brief sense of support before focusing on the battle in the surrounding area.

The vampire let go of Harry, stumbling to try to avoid getting hit by the errant spell. In the next instant, a familiar long spear pierced his shoulder and he snarled as he stumbled forward.

There was a flicker from Lest and she knew he was instructing his protégé to guard Harry.

Harry stumbled away from them and ran into the Death Eater who held the wand on him. The silver hand jerked him around and a snarl appeared on Harry's face as threw himself at the Death Eater.

She heard Voldemort curse, watched him move behind his Death Eaters as the teachers unleashed a work of spells, fire and lights clashing with the dark wizards' magic. The Dazain vampires had straightened in attention and whirled around in time as Saira threw her knives before colliding with them, arms and legs swift, calculated to break and twist and kill while Leon unsheathed his sword and blocked the weapons concealed by the Dazain vampires.

Lest killed the incultus with a blast of telekinesis and she joined him as he dashed forward towards Harry, instantly blocked by Dazain who appeared in front of him, a faint look of interest on his typically neutral face.

"Looks like this won't be so easy after all, will it?" Dazain said, slowly twisting his sapphire Gemmus in his hand.

Marylin clenched her fists.

Lest snarled.

::This is fucking madness!::

::Next time, don't spit at him!::

::You're the one who kept glaring at him!::

::He insulted our dad!::

::You said you weren't afraid!::

::Pay attention, damn it!::

Harry dodged another curse from Wormtail – because it had to be Wormtail with his silver hand and how it enraged him, him and Qye, as he woke up bound and confused and found a wand aimed at him, held by the man who betrayed James and Lily Potter and sent Sirius Black to Azkaban – and tried to grab his wand from where the Death Eater had tucked it in his robe.

The vampire had seemed surprised by how he almost broke free when he quickly woke up from being knocked out, Qye shouting Harry to alertness. Seeing Wormtail, the man who helped send him to the Dursleys, sent Harry pushed back as Qye clawed for the traitor before Harry regained control to grab his wand. By then, the vampire had secured him and Harry struggled, trying to break free as the nervous man had shakily tucked it into his pocket, mumbling that he shouldn't struggle.

Then he was being dragged, the shock of seeing Voldemort standing with Death Eaters on the grounds of Hogwarts, seeing vampires standing there as well, seeing Dumbledore and Professor Opacre and Lest and –

And then he was in front of the wizard who killed his parents, killed Cedric Diggory just last year. Listening to him taunt and insult as Qye reeled from meeting their parents' killer.

Then there had been the vampire. Dazain.

Watching him with searching black eyes all the while his head was killing him from Qye's anger and Voldemort's closeness, something trying to pry inside his head and then Voldemort had been there and after everything, the memories and fights and vampires, the Dark Lord hardly seemed important even while pointing his wand at him.

He didn't question when it was jerked away and he was suddenly free. All he knew was that he did not want to be here, in this confusing and dangerous mess, any longer.

Harry threw his elbow into Wormtail's chest, his face tight with anger and desperation, ducking and turning with all the quick skills he had as a Seeker.

"Just surrender, Harry!" squeaked the man as he stumbled and fumbled with his wand. "Make this easier for yourself!"

He felt Qye's anger, his rage, and did not fight as he felt the strangeness in his body, a distance.

"You were lucky," his voice spoke, low and hard and cold. "Harry spared you. I would've let Black and Lupin kill you."

Wormtail's grip on his wand faltered, uncertain. Harry felt his hand curl into a fist and threw with all its strength straight at the masked face of a traitor. For a moment, there was no distance, no strangeness, just the knowledge that both Qye and he wanted this.

::Increased strength:: he heard Qye mutter just as he watched the man crash into the ground, sprawled and still. ::Would fucking love to know how that works.::

::Later:: Harry said distractedly as he took control again, stumbled forward and crouched, shifting through his pockets to look for his wand. ::Later, as soon as we're out of this.::

::This is just bloody – Harry!::

His head jerked up in time to see something horribly familiar bounding towards him, his eyes widening as he recognized it from a vision not so long ago, the twisted face and bloody mouth.

It snarled, leapt and was instantly impaled by a spear.

Harry blinked as he stumbled back, blinking again as someone suddenly appeared next to the now dead creature, swiftly removing the long weapon. He took another step back, wand automatically raised as they turned around.

It was a young man, only a few years older with red-brown hair and black eyes that looked calmly at him.

"Lest said I should guide you out," the young man said, his voice carrying a faint foreign accent as he took a step forward. Harry stiffened as he caught the flash of fanged teeth. "If you would - "

"I don't think so, Asger!"

Harry stumbled back as the ground between him and young man erupted, flinging his arms up to cover his face from the flying debris. He coughed as the dust swirled and squinted as his back came against a tree, blinking rapidly.

"Tough luck, boy," a voice floated through the dust and he coughed again, blinking as it began to settle. "We still have you."

::I am sick of vampires:: Qye hissed in Harry's mind as the air cleared and Harry narrowly stared at the male vampire in front of him, blocking him from the other who was now fending off three other vampires, kicks and punches and one armed with what looked a chain.

"So much trouble for such a dismal looking boy," the vampire said curiously, eyeing him with obvious disdain. "You hardly seem worth the effort to keep alive." He snorted and started walking towards him. "Why - "

"Reducto!"

The vampire's eyes widened right before the spell impacted his chest and blasted him away, Harry's wand held steady and eyes focused at him.

::That makes two of us.:: Harry thought grimly back as he shifted along the tree, eyes glancing around to see where to go.

The teachers were dueling the Death Eaters, he saw Dumbledore's magic clashing violently with what must have been Voldemort's, fire and ice and lightning mixed with spells where he didn't know where one began and another ended.

He saw vampires dodging and punching, swirling around swiftly, one with a sword that blocked strikes and a woman sliding between groups and leaving bodies crumpled on the floor.

Then there was Lest and Professor Opacre, darting and lunging, kicking and throwing swift punches with a man who dodged them seemingly effortlessly. Lest kept flicking his hands out and Professor Opacre held her hand out between them every time the man swept towards them, making him dance back. They were silent and quick but their faces were tight and focused on something beyond their physical attacks.

::Harry:: Qye said uncertainly as Harry hesitated. ::Just…::

He hesitated too long.

In a blink, Harry felt his air cut off and pain in his back as he was shoved unmercifully against the tree.

"That," the vampire man said tightly, dark brown eyes staring menacingly as Harry choked and tried to pry the hand off his throat, "was unwise."

::Harry!:: Qye cried out and Harry's vision blurred as the hand tightened, his hands clenching and clawing while the feeling in his legs grew distant and he became aware of them trying to kick the vampire off.

"Stupid boy," the vampire snarled, dropping his hand and leaving Harry gasping, wheezing as he moved back. "They wanted you alive but you hardly need your mind for that."

Harry coughed, held himself up by the tree and looked up as the vampire stared contemptuously at him.

He heard the sounds of fighting echoing through the grounds as the vampire stared at him and Harry caught his breath, brows furrowing when the vampire did nothing more. He vaguely heard Qye mumbling something softly, repeatedly, as he straightened and looked uncertainly at the growing frown on the vampire's face.

Harry discretely moved his hand and raced to think of something.

"What are you?" the vampire finally said, eyes widening just as Harry got the memory he wanted (Draco kissing his cheek, warm and waiting).

"Expecto patronum!"

The vampire shouted and fell back as the white stag erupted from Harry's wand, galloping forward strong and bright. Harry took his chance and darted away, dodging around where the young male vampire had taken out two of his enemies and was working on the last.

He heard the snarl behind him and pivoted on his heel, stepping backwards as he shouted, "Protego!"

The vampire crashed against his shield and Harry didn't hesitate, throwing out every offensive spell he knew before the vampire recovered, watching the man dodge around and glancing around for somewhere safe, somewhere secure.

::Telepathy, telekinesis, strength:: he heard Qye muttering as he shouted out a Blasting Charm, a Stinging Hex, a Freezing Charm. ::Telepathy, telekinesis, strength.::

"You can't win!" snarled the vampire as he dodged Harry's fire spell.

::Telepathy, telekinesis, strength, telepathy, telekinesis, strength…::

::Qye!:: Harry said desperately as he stumbled back, the vampire striking right where he had been and taking a chunk out of a tree next to them.

"Diffindo!" Harry called out, grimacing as he watched the vampire dodge backwards, right out of the way of the spell. The vampire flicked his hand and Harry jerked, his body twitching, his arm painfully jarred –

- his wand falling out of his hand.

"Got you now," the vampire hissed, bracing his feet and leaping forward.

Harry felt a strange calmness in his body, felt himself move back and watched as his hand lifted up –

The vampire froze in midair.

::Telekinesis:: Qye whispered.

The frozen vampire stared straight at him, shock and confusion and fury clear in his eyes, his body twitching where it hung a few feet from grabbing him.

Harry heard distant whispers of shock and confusion in the roaring of his ears, watched as Qye held his hand out stretched…

…and flicked his fingers.

The vampire surged backwards, crashing onto the ground and sliding several yards away.

He could distantly see the startled look on the young vampire's face, black eyes wide from where he stood still next to an equally shocked enemy vampire.

::Well:: Qye said, voice shaky, and Harry could feel his hand trembling. ::Didn't really think - ::

Movement happened in the corner of his eye and Harry turned his head in time to see a beast lunge, its terrible features snarling at him.

He instinctively raised his arm, shouting as its mouth clamped down hard, breaking his skin. He felt flecks of his blood splash across his face, wincing as the beast bit –

- and reared back, howling.

All vampires froze.

The beast staggered away, choking, its howl becoming gurgled as blood spurt violently from its mouth. Harry's eyes were wide as he clutched his arm, gripping the puncture. The beast fell to the floor, its arms clawing mindlessly as its legs scrambled away from him.

The snarls of the other beasts suddenly turned into whines and Harry saw them warily retreating.

The beast that bit him choked again as more blood poured out, more than it had taken from its bite.

::What the hell?:: Qye whispered shakily.

With a final violent shake, the beast lay still, its eyes glazed over in its bloodied face.

"What the fuck?" one of the Dazain vampires said in a hushed voice, heard clearly by all in the silent clearing. "Was that what I think it was?"

Lest watched the beast died, a vicious primal instinct in him sated as he shredded the remnants of its mind before the body expired from the blood protection. And then he felt the cold pit in his stomach as he turned back to his enemy.

Dazain was staring straight at him.

Lest stilled.

"It's him," Dazain said quietly across the silent space. "That's who he is. This is where he's been."

Lest's fear spiked.

Dazain raised a hand towards Harry and Lest lunged forward, his face twisted with his rage and dread.

"Get the boy," Dazain said, his voice ringing through the clearing.

Things erupted.

One moment, Harry stood shaking and clutching his bleeding arm, looking pale and confused.

The next, the vampires were nearly upon him.

Marylin jerked to shield him and hissed as Dazain cut across her, grunting as he pushed her away with his telekinesis all the while he dodged Lest's desperate blows.

She saw Asger sweep between Harry and the vampires, his spear sending them all scattering back as Harry dashed off closer to the school, snagging his wand along the way, unfortunately towards the dueling wizards.

Behind the Death Eaters, from where he had been sending his curses and been rebuffed by Dumbledore, she saw Voldemort tremble with fury. In a moment where Dumbledore was distracted, freezing another vampire dashing near Harry, she saw Voldemort shift his wand.

"No!" she yelled and threw up her hand, crying out as Dazain's strength slammed down on her and broke her concentration.

"Bastard!" Lest snarled and his punch finally landed, sending the other vampire grunting back as it collided against his mouth.

"Lest!" she shouted desperately and threw out a telepathic image.

Lest whirled to Voldemort just as the spell glowed at the tip of his wand.

"Qye!" he cried, eyes wide and terror bleeding into Marylin's mind.

Someone shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

And, just as before, the spell was knocked off-course, Voldemort's rage clear from a distance.

From an archway from the school, Marylin saw Draco Malfoy step forward, bloodied and panting, wand raised as the one who shot the spell, his face pale but hand steady.

The spell hit one of the castle windows, shattering onto the vampires and wizards dueling. Remnants of the spell bounced back.

Voldemort reared back, a snarling grimace on his face from what must have been Lest trying to tear his mind as the remnants flickered past them, Marylin barely picking herself up.

Their eyes widened in horror as it headed straight for Harry.

Draco ran forward, dodging around the dueling wizards and fighting vampires.

She raised her hand and sent up a shield too late as Harry jerked free from a Death Eater, lifting his wand to stun him, stumbling a few steps, raising his eyes.

The spell hit Harry's wand, the hand holding it soaked in his blood, and seemed to stop.

It pulsed bright, enveloped him in light so bright the vampires hissed and automatically stumbled back.

Then the screams began, bone curdling.

Marylin barely noticed the pops, the signals of Voldemort and his allies portkeying away. More Dazain vampires fell but Dazain himself and a few others vanished as Lest turned his attention and tried to run towards the light.

The screams continued on.

There was power, a strange sense of power, and it staggered her, notably pushed back Lest as he tried to get to Qye.

Draco struggled to free himself from Snape, who caught him and held him back from the intense light and waves of something different.

She felt their panic, senses skewed and disoriented by whatever was happening.

All of a sudden, the screams stopped and the light was gone.

Marylin staggered again, falling into McGonagall, overwhelmed by the surge of power before it vanished. She shakily pushed herself off the witch, barely noticing the stiffening in the older woman's body as she looked up to see.

She blinked.

She blinked and there were still two black haired boys.

They wore rags of clothes, torn across and haphazard as if split. Both incredibly pale and thin as they stood back to back.

They collapsed, one barely catching itself on its hands and knees with the other down on the ground, still without a sound.

Not even Dumbledore made a movement and Marylin faintly caught shock in her buzzing senses.

The one that caught itself struggled. His lips moved, mumbled something.

And then he collapsed as well, his hand falling across the foot of the other.

Two black-haired teenagers, unresponsive to anything magical or vampiric, lay in the beds in the Infirmary, Madam Pomfrey flitting back and forth with her wand constantly waving and circling and a tightness in her eyes the only show of her emotion.

Everyone else stood, staring and helpless.

Lest looked dazed and lost, his blue eyes tracking the witch as she murmured over the impossibility.

He hadn't said anything when Dumbledore had conjured stretchers and transferred them, too pale and too thin. He merely stumbled after him as the old wizard sharply sent a message ahead to the Infirmary, conjuring a cloaking spell around them as they hurried off. Marylin had barely recalled telling Leon and Saira to handle the prisoners before she joined them, barely noticed Draco pulling free of Snape and catching up.

Madam Pomfrey brushed back the hair on one. She moved to the other and did the same, frowning and murmuring another spell whose light flickered between green and red and everything in between.

"Only one has a scar," she said absently and sighed as she pulled back. She turned back to Dumbledore, finally lowering her wand. "And his…their?" She stumbled and shook her head before continuing. "The magical field, I have never seen fluctuations like this before. One moment, its past anything I've ever recorded from him before, other times it is as though he is no more than a Muggle. It doesn't stay stable with either of the two. What spell did you say hit him?"

"A dark spell, Poppy," Dumbledore said grimly, from where he stood next to a pale McGonagall, recently returned from securing that the rest of the students who were injured in the attack so that they were unable to intrude in the private room they had set up.

Marylin had distantly heard Ron and Hermione's voices before the Deputy Headmistress had silenced and protected the room. She felt her Nosle students still shadowing around, numbly heard no one had been severely hurt and they would all be sent home soon.

"If you have any more details, Headmaster, I can't - " Madam Pomfrey said, settling a blanket around one of the teenagers.

"I believe he intended soul breaking," Dumbledore said quietly. "Much as he did his own."

The nurse inhaled sharply and Lest stirred as she took a step forward. "Albus, did he…was it - "

"It did not complete," sighed Dumbledore as he wearily looked at the unconscious figures. "Mr. Malfoy's spell interrupted the incantation but what did form…how does it look?"

"I had no readings on soul or other damage, as I said the magical field seems the most affected," Madam Pomfrey sighed. "There was something in the blood work but…" Her eyes darted briefly to her, to Lest. "Very strange, both of them had fluctuations much like his magic." She shook her head. "The Infirmary is hardly the best place for the boy. Even with my experience, I have never seen anything like this and I hardly have the tools necessary to begin to guess how to treat this. It would be best to have him transferred to St. Mungo's - "

"He stays here," Lest interrupted, finally straightening from his slumped post near the window. Marylin looked up at him from where she sat in the chair next to one of the beds, where she had performed the brief scan when requested by the nurse and found nothing.

Nothing but that curious residue of power and flickers that faded when she chased after them.

"What say do you have in this?" Snape asked coolly, standing with his arms crossed and scowling at the vampire. Draco stood silently behind him, leaning against a wall and staring palely at the beds. Snape had drawn the teenager to him and argued around McGonagall and Pomfrey when they tried to send him with the rest of his students. Dumbledore had sharply sent them to their responsibilities and touched the blond's shoulder as the nurse had gone to work. "As admirable as your desire was to protect the boy, he is a wizard first and our responsibility." He grimaced but met Lest's cold gaze without flinching.

The people in the Infirmary shifted, looking at Lest, looking at Marylin, frowning and uneasy.

Only Draco stayed silent, still staring at the beds.

Lest clenched his jaw and broke his gaze to meet his sister's.

She swallowed.

"There's….something we need to talk about," she said reluctantly, wishing this had all gone differently. She wearily watched as Dumbledore looked at them thoughtfully, McGonagall suspiciously and Snape with carefully narrowed eyes.

"Perhaps my office would be best," Dumbledore said, no twinkle in his eye. "I'm sure Mr. Potter will be stable enough as we sort this out. Poppy, alert us if there are any changes."

"Of course, Headmaster," Madam Pomfrey said, frowning and looking down at the teenagers again. Her wand lit up with another spell as she hovered it over the boy without a scar.

Marylin stood up slowly, body aching, as Lest began to move away.

As soon as he reached the doorway where Dumbledore waited, the readings on the wand wildly began flickering, jumping up and down and changing from red to green to red, and Madam Pomfrey gasped.

Lest immediately turned around and took a step closer.

The readings slowed, becoming the slower flickering of before.

Madam Pomfrey turned off the spell and looked wide eyed at the uncertain vampire while Marylin's heartbeat slowed from its panic. Then she sighed and turned to look at the sharp gazes of the wizards.

"As I said," she said wearily as Lest slowly rejoined her, his eyes on the unconscious figures, "we need to talk."

Both teenagers lay silent, still with magic flickering unseen around them.

"Harry," whispered Draco, unnoticed by all, as Marylin exited with the wizards.

"Qye," murmured Lest as he gave a last look at his Carus Noctivagus and went to tell the wizards.

To Be Concluded in Carus

AN: Opacre told the story of two boys meeting and growing before leaving. Qye showed their return. Carus will conclude the story of Lest and Qye, Draco and Harry, vampires and wizards.

For those of you who have dreaded a separation - I have read every review and heard you all - I assure you this matter has not been laid to rest as it most certainly has not made things easier. I hope you continue to give me and the story a chance.

More than a decade of thinking, plotting, writing in between terrible changes in real life and being so thankful for everyone who took the time to read over all these long years. For everyone who has stuck with me since the beginning or has only just recently discovered this, thank you, I love you all and will never have enough words or time to tell you. I hope you jump over to Carus, which will be finished this year. As much as I have loved this story, I am sure everyone can agree the ending and certain reunions have been a long time coming.

Thank you.