Simple Pleasures

Disclaimer: I am not gaining anything from this story except, hopefully, the pleasure of knowing that I have made at least one person happy while reading this. No disrespect or negative commentary is intended towards anyone who has a claim to Harry Potter, or anyone else really.

Prologue

Vampires are often seen as sensual creatures. Commonly described as beings of extraordinary beauty, grace and elegance whom also possess a compelling character and charisma, vampires have a mysterious and deadly nature which serves to lend strength to their beautiful and erotic image. Like a lion chasing antelope across the Savanna or a dragon swooping down on unsuspecting cattle, the image of a vampire stalking its prey is often glorified and imbued with false romantic connotations, a powerful being filled with grace and focused intensity, moving untouched and untouchable across the earth.

The truths concerning vampires are far less picturesque or ideal. Vampires are the undead and their appearance reflects that. A vampire continues to inhabit the body that they had lived, and died, in. Due to the constant state of depression that has taken root before their conversion, a vampire rarely takes care of their true physical appearance. This lack of maintenance results in dull, greasy hair and yellow teeth. Their skin is taunt and to hide this state, a vampire will rarely expose their skin to the sun resulting in the myth that they can not enter the sunlight. Furthermore, the depression that manifests in the initiation of their conversion often results in self-mutilation, the evidence of which is not often cleaned away.

The rumors of unearthly beauty, however, are not unfounded. At the time of human death several advantages are rooted into the vampire's body. Vampires possess powerful glamour and the ability to form extremely realistic illusions, as well as enhanced balance, speed and strength. In order to catch its prey a vampire will stalk it's intended victim until it has formulated an idea of it's victim preference in a companion. Once the idea of a companion has formulated the vampire will change into the preferred physical image and initiate a relationship. Once a sense of trust is established the vampire will use the relationship to lure it's prey to a suitable killing ground. Once sated the vampire often disposes of the body in a way which will deflect suspicion and move on.

Yet with every advantage that is gifted upon a creature, so too is a disadvantage. When a population has the means to gain advantage over all in the environment, that creature is doomed to near extinction or total annihilation. Thus all creatures have a limiting factor to maintain the population and ecosystem. The limiting factors concerning vampires is contained within it's reproductive ritual. A vampire requires very specific circumstances in order to convert a human and many of these factors are outside of the vampires control. In order to become a vampire a human must be unknowingly approached by a vampire and discover a common bond, it is only at this point that the human may be informed that their partner is undead.

Once a bond is established and acknowledged blood must be exchanged three times under the darkness of the new moon. The first exchange of blood must be ingested by both partners at the same time and consist of a quantity exceeding 100 milligrams. The second exchange is also ingested simultaneously and must consist of a quantity exceeding 200 milligrams. The third exchange requires a minimum of five milligrams to enter the human's blood stream at the same time that the human sheds five milligrams of the vampire's blood from a different wound and while the vampire ingests ten milligrams of blood from the human. To complete the conversion the human must then take their own life on the night of the first full moon following the third exchange of blood.

The necessity of suicide ensures that the human feels great amounts of depressing emotions and negative conscious and subconscious thoughts. As the body shuts down these negative emotions and thoughts become more prominent. At the moment of death a choice to live or die is offered. In order to become a vampire the human must make the choice of live despite the depression.

At this point only a minority of the brain and the vampire blood circulating in the bloodstream continue to survive in the body. When the choice to live is made the vampire blood begin to salvage what can be repaired in the body, typically this involves only the most basic aspects of the nervous system, respiratory system and circulatory system, the senses of hearing, sight and smell and the production of adrenaline and depressants. As all other aspects of the body are dead though preserved in their current state those aspects of the body that exist are enhanced to compensate resulting in the physical superiority of vampires and immunity to many physical attacks. Although the respiratory and circulatory system work the blood they carry mostly contains dead cells, the gases brought into the lungs are not absorbed but exhaled making it unnecessary for the vampire to breathe.

Despite the fact that the majority of its body is dead, vampires are clearly still capable of conscious thoughts. The newly formed vampire will maintain standard human thought patterns and consequently maintain most aspects of human behavior including the desire to alleviate their depression and find happiness in their new life. Often their sponsor vampire will introduce the newly undead to the temporary high of human blood which is rich in endorphins and/or adrenaline depending on the method of hunt and giving rise to the myth that vampires require human blood to survive. Some vampires, completely dissatisfied with their human life, immerse themselves completely in the mythology surrounding vampires, fulfilling all muggle expectations concerning vampires.

Some vampires attempt to use potions, spells or muggle medicines to combat the depression, however the changes caused by the conversions ensure that these remedies are not effective. Ultimately most vampires look for happiness through intangible means, they try to find their happiness in other people or in the completions of tasks they started and the fulfillment of goals they set. Most sponsor vampires have converted a human to vampire in an effort to get closer to the converted person and find the happiness expected to be shared in soul mates. When the efforts at happiness are not fulfilled with the person as a human it is believed to be because the human can not fully understand them. When the human is turned to a vampire the couple will tend to remain together for a brief time but still can not become truly happy. After two years most vampire sponsors and progeny will separate and search independently for their happiness.

However, as humans are social creatures, so too are vampires. In an effort to find their happiness only a very few documented vampires will choose a life of isolation. In order to find a soul mate or finish your life's tasks, you must remain around people connected to your goal. A vampire can easily hide in a congregation of wizards, witches or muggles, uncommented upon and rarely noticed unless they wish to be. Vampires are secretive creatures and in the little true documentation concerning vampires there has never been a mention of a vampire achieving his goal of true happiness.