Summary: The Dursleys' fear and hate of magic grows to a whole new level when four-year-old Harry arrives on the doorstep in a different state to which he left. Then the wards on Privet Drive alert Albus Dumbledore to an emergency … What will he find?

Disclaimer: Daphne's parents are mine, the rest are JKR's.

-----

Chapter Four

Two days had passed, and Harry was sitting cross-legged eating an ice-cream at the top of the Astronomy Tower with Twinkly-Albus. The adults had explained patiently to him where he was and why, and that he would be staying there for a while. He wasn't complaining. He liked the castle and most of the people in it he'd met and he didn't like the Dursleys one bit.

Twinkly-Albus had assured him that he wouldn't see his horrible relatives again. Harry was cheered up by this but didn't want to be too happy in case he ended up somewhere worse.

He knew all the adults by name now. Word had quickly got around the school staff that Harry Potter the young vampire was staying in Hogwarts, out of view and knowledge of the students. Most of them smiled at him when they saw him and a few presented him with ice-creams on a regular basis. Funny-Flicky-Fillus was the best, he always carried lots of chocolate ice-cream with him in his pocket. Harry couldn't understand how it didn't melt or get all over his weird clothes but he ate it anyway. Twinkly-Albus had told him about magic and he knew that his parents used to do it but he still couldn't figure out how it actually worked.

Yesterday a new lady had turned up, Smiley-Minnie. She had laughed when he called her that and told him that no-one else ever called her Minnie, but she would let him. Harry also privately called her Mini-Minnie, because although she wasn't short, she appeared to be next to Twinkly-Albus, who he saw her with most.

Harry was reasonably happy. Being a vampire wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. At least he got ice-cream out of it, because people weren't exactly prepared to let him give them a nip as a treat. Twinkly-Albus provided him with vials of blood several times a day ("You need to get your strength up, Harry"). Harry hadn't even realised he could eat ice-cream till the first one he'd received (from Scowly-Sevvrus, surprisingly) had half-melted and Twinkly-Albus noticed.

"Can vampires eat?" Smiley-Mini-Minnie had asked, apparently surprised.

"Oh, yes," Twinkly-Albus had assured them both. "They just don't have to, and some prefer not to. Eat your ice-cream up quickly, Harry, before it melts."

Although there were perks, Harry still felt a little uneasy when the V word was mentioned. He'd heard Twinkly-Albus and Not-Always-Scowly-Sevvrus and Smiley-Mini-Minnie talking about finding a family of vampires to take him in. He didn't like the sound of that. He'd seen vampire films on TV when Dudley didn't realise he was in the room, and they slept in coffins during the day and came out at night, turned into bats and devoured their guests innocently asleep in the tower room.

"Can I turn into a bat?" Harry asked Twinkly-Albus.

Twinkly-Albus smiled and said no, he couldn't.

Maybe the vampires wouldn't eat Harry because he was one of them, but wouldn't he be expected to eat innocent people too? Harry had killed once and didn't like it one bit, and even then it had been self-defence. If he refused to kill to eat, would they kill him instead? Could he even be killed now? Would they put a stake through him? Harry had always thought it must hurt.

"Mr Albus," he said unsurely.

"Harry?"

"Can I die?"

Twinkly-Albus chuckled. "Yes you can, Harry, though it's not a good idea to try it out."

"Could another vampire kill me or would it have to be a special hunter like Van Hessing?"

"Helsing, Harry." Twinkly-Albus' voice was shaking. At first Harry thought he might be upset at the thought of someone killing him, before he realised he was struggling not to burst out laughing. "Van Helsing is not real. But there are special vampire hunters which could kill you, and you could possibly die at the hand of another vampire although they would find it harder. A normal person could kill a vampire too if they knew how. But rest assured Harry, that I will not let anyone hurt you while I'm around."

"Oh." Harry thought. "What would happen if I refused to feed?"

"You grow ill, like you were before I brought you here, and you would die if you stayed without feeding for too long. Why?" Twinkly-Albus asked.

"I mean if I told them I didn't want to hurt someone."

"Who?"

"The family," Harry blurted. "What if they want me to kill someone and I don't want to and they lock me in the tower and -"

Twinkly-Albus stopped him in mid-flow. "Harry, no-one's asking you to hurt anyone. In the real world, most vampires don't kill at all. There is the occasional one who is evil and does so – like the one you came up against -" (Harry shuddered at the memory) "- but no more vampires are evil than humans. Most wouldn't hurt a fly. Do you remember when you were Turned, and it didn't even hurt?"

Harry blinked and remembered the strange numbness that had spread in his body when the vampire's fangs had sank into his neck. "Oh. I remember."

Twinkly-Albus smiled. "Good boy. Harry, if something's worrying you, talk about it to me, all right? Don't let it hang over you."

Harry nodded. "OK," he said uncertainly.

"And I promise you that whoever you live with will not lock you up anywhere."

-----

When Minerva had arrived and asked what was going on, Albus had given her a short version of the story, showed her a glimpse of Harry (sleeping peacefully in the dungeon – Harry slept most of the day and Albus had arranged to take turns with some of the staff to stay with him at night when he was wide awake) to confirm his story before sitting down next to her and blurting "What am I supposed to do???"

Minerva, slightly taken aback, said "Well, he can't go back to the D -"

"I know!" Albus looked on the verge of tearing his hair out. Minerva had never seen him like this in all the time they had been teacher and student, colleagues and friends. "But I don't know what to do with him or where to send him. His mother's blood was the best protection he had. Hogwarts is the most protected site in Britain but there are still too many ways to get in undiscovered, especially in the summer when it's half-empty, and there's too high a risk of a student finding out and then it would be all over the school and all over the newspapers a day later. And besides, he can't grow up in a school! He needs a family, and he should really be with his own kind."

Severus spoke up from where he had been listening in a few feet away. "Are you sure that's wise, Albus?"

"He would be much better off that way – he needs to be able to be taught how to hunt, how to fly, all the customs and so on that wizards aren't supposed to know. If he lives with wizards he'll be the odd one out with them because he's a vampire, but he would also be the odd one out in the vampire world because he'd have been brought up by wizards. He's different anyway, it would be so much better for him to fit in for once."

"I know that," Severus continued, "but I meant who are you supposed to go to? How many vampires do you know?"

"Lots."

"How many can you honestly trust to take care of the Boy-Who-Lived?"

Silence.

"All right, I see your point," Albus sighed. "But what else am I supposed to do?"

"Actually, I know someone," Minerva spoke up suddenly. "Arsenio Greengrass. Remember him?"

"Greengrass, Greengrass …" Albus murmured. "Oh, yes. Twin brother, both born vampires, followed Voldemort once but left?"

"Went down in a blaze of glory and barely lived to tell the tale," Severus added. "Stupid Gryffindors."

"Brave man," Albus said.

"And he's married, with a daughter Harry's age," Minerva said promptly. "He would be perfect. Pomona knows his wife, they're both very openly anti-Voldemort and are very good parents to Daphne. They would be honoured to take care of Harry."

Severus looked triumphant, but Albus was quiet. Finally he said, "You're sure?" rather stupidly.

"Definitely. I could write to them now if you want."

-----

Minerva yawned. Because Harry was only awake at night, it had become a custom in a few short days for the staff members to take shifts staying up with him when the others were asleep. Albus was an exception: he seemed to be up all times of the day and night. Having been told by Harry that he was (miraculously) in bed, she hated to wake him, but they needed to talk.

She smiled, lost in a daydream. Harry was such a sweet child, it would be a shame when he left. Even Severus seemed to have taken to him. In the last staff meeting, Harry had entered just before it started still in his pyjamas, bless him, and went over to say hello to him. Severus didn't respond as was his norm, but after a moment took out a blood lollipop she'd caught him purchasing from Honeydukes earlier and handed it to him without looking up. Harry took it gleefully, said "thank you" politely, looked round and decided he would sit on Albus' lap tonight and did so, engaged in unwrapping his lollipop.

Minerva had asked him why he was being so pleasant to Harry, after three years of scathing comments about 'the Potter boy', to receive in reply: "Only the Dark Lord could find it in him to push away a child like that. Besides, I owe it to Lily."

Well done Harry, Minerva thought. Somehow he'd achieved what only his mother had ever been able to do: make the Potions Master show his human side.

Her thoughts were cut short as she gave the password and made her way to Albus' rooms. The curtains were drawn and the quilt was pulled over his head. Minerva took a second to pray he was wearing pyjamas before warily pulling the covers off his head.

All clear. She pulled them right off and sat on him.

"Minerva!"

Bingo.

"How on earth did you know it was me?" she said in surprise, standing up to let him roll over. Albus, bleary-eyed and with his hair everywhere, muttered something about no-one else he knew being that bony and sat up.

"Is everything all right?" he asked, hunting for his glasses. "Has something happened?"

"Harry is fine," Minerva smiled, knowing perfectly well that that was what Albus meant. "I've just received a reply from the Greengrasses."

Albus sat bolt upright. "And?"

"I don't know." Minerva fingered the black envelope nervously. "I thought we could open it together."

For a moment they just looked at each other, before diving for the envelope as one.

The parchment was thicker than normal and the handwriting was a neat curled script. Minerva beat Albus to it and read it out loud.

Dear Professor,

I received your enquiry about the young Harry Potter. I have to say I was surprised at the news that he has recently been Turned by one of my kind; and honoured that you would consider my wife and I worthy foster parents to the Boy Who Lived.

We would love to welcome Harry into our small family; however, Demetria and I agree that considering his recent history, it would be best for him if he got to know us and our daughter Daphne before we rush into an arrangement. May we have the pleasure of visiting him where he resides with you at your earliest convenience?

Yours sincerely,
Arsenio Greengrass

TBC …

Review Responses for Chapter Three

Unfortunately I am on holiday and have limited internet access – just enough to post this chapter. Not being able to easily access my reviews, I cannot post responses to them yet. Check back in a week, or next chapter if I forget. A broad thanks to everyone who reviewed!