Chapter One

"You have been expelled, Mr. Potter."

Harry's mouth opened in astonishment, but one look at the man behind the desk and he closed it again.

"Yes Headmaster Snape." He mumbled. "If that is all?"

"I've taken the liberty of informing your current guardian of your predicament." Snape looked like he had swallowed a particularly vile potion. "You will leave on the train tonight after dinner. Ready your things."

Harry nodded, his heart sinking. He didn't even think of how Mr. Black would react. The man dismissed him with a gesture. He left the office, heading straight for the owlery. He needed to owl his aunt a vague recounting of the events. She mustn't worry about him.

---

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione across the table. He wanted to tell them, but Ron had stopped talking to him since last summer. And after awhile, Hermione followed suit. The two didn't even look at him; they were too caught up in each other.

Harry sighed. He didn't want to leave this way. Headmaster Snape would announce it all soon, and all hell would break loose then, but he didn't want to just disappear like a ghost.

He caught Neville's eye and gestured for him to follow Harry outside.

"What's up, Harry?" Neville said in the corridor, munching on a piece of bread.

Harry smiled nervously, tugging at his turtleneck. "I just wanted to let somebody know." He hesitated. "That I'm leaving."

"What's wrong?" Neville asked, alarm flitting across his face.

Harry shrugged, before whispering. "I've been expelled."

Neville's jaw dropped. "How is that possible? I-I mean I know Snape hates your guts and all but…"

"Well who knows what that man is thinking." Harry smiled wryly. "I guess I don't mind so much. But I didn't want to leave without telling anyone. Like," he shrugged, "like I was running away or something."

Neville hugged Harry awkwardly. "Well, good luck mate. Owl me sometime, 'k? I'll tell the others tonight."

Harry hugged back, grateful that Neville didn't push for answers he cannot give. "Thanks, Nev. And tell Ron…" He tried to think of something to assuage the redhead's anger. "Never mind. Just tell them I'll be alright."

---

The train was mostly empty. Harry sat across from an old woman surrounded by several bags. A young boy around eight was sleeping on her lap. She was reading the Daily Prophet. Harry furtively sneaked a look at the front page.

There was nothing about outed vampires and expelled students. He sighed in relief. Well, not yet anyway. He dug through his backpack for the letter from the Board that Professor McGonagall had given him before he left. There was no emotional farewells, although he did get a brief hug from Madame Pomfrey and a basket packed to the brim from the house-elves.

Headmaster Snape was not there.

Harry ran a finger over the Hogwarts seal and opened the envelope. It read:

Dear Mr. Harry James Potter,

We regretfully inform you that the Board has decided against allowing you to remain in Hogwarts for the rest of the term. Considering recent circumstances, we fear for both your safety, and the safety of other students. We hope you understand our dilemma.

However, we concede that the circumstances were beyond your control, and we acknowledge our own failure in preventing such events as they occurred, and therefore we contacted certain people in the Ministry and gained permission for you to continue in your use of magic outside of the school as soon as you come of age, and as long as you employ discretion in the Muggle world.

Moreover, Headmaster Snape has agreed to allow you to take your NEWTs if you so desire one year hence at the end of the last term, or whenever you feel you are ready. We trust that your enthusiasm and curiosity guide your studies even outside of this institution, and we wish you the best of luck.

Sincerely,

Jeremiah H. McTavish

Chairman of the Board and all-around Representative

Harry smiled to himself. The problem was that he did understand their decision, and didn't blame them one bit. It was all his fault, anyway. He knew there would be consequences for taking up with a professor. What he didn't know was that the consequences would involve pointy fangs and the beginnings of a blood-binding. He ran his fingers over a spot on his neck covered by the turtleneck, and he shivered. If the headmaster hadn't discovered them as he had—

The train whistled. Harry looked up from his thoughts, and saw the empty seat across from him. They had reached the station at King's Cross without him even noticing.

When he got outside, most of the shops were closed. Fortunately for Harry, the Leaky Cauldron was not one of them. It figured, since most of their patrons were nocturnal.

He arranged to have a room for a few nights with Tom, the barkeeper, and asked to have his dinner brought to his room. He was wary of being recognized among the other patrons, as he had gained quite a following after winning the Triwizard Tournament his fourth year.

Before that, of course, there had been the scandal about his father… But that had been old news and merited little comment these days. But Harry knew once this new scandal came out, he could expect the dailies to start reprinting the old tales about James. Sirius Black was going to kill him.

Tom himself took up dinner to him. Harry smiled up at the cheery man balancing a silver tray on his hands.

"Hullo, Harry."

Harry nodded in greeting, gesturing at the table.

"So what's up with yer?"

With reluctance, Harry admitted his expulsion, but didn't expand on the reasons behind it.

Tom was naturally horrified. "But you're still in your sixth year, Harry. What are ye gonna do now?"

Harry shrugged. "Something will turn up."

Tom shook his head. "Course something will. But it's such a shame you couldn't even finish the year. Couldn't Snape have made an exception?"

Harry snorted "Of course not. You know how he is." He attempted to placate the man indignant on his behalf. "It isn't a big deal, Tom. And besides, it's actually a relief to leave that place. I don't really have friends anymore, and it's like—like there's nothing there anymore for me."

Liar. Harry told himself. But Tom nodded and seemed to accept his words.

Later after he had devoured the simple meal prepared by Tom, Harry lay in bed, staring at the dusty ceiling, deep in thought. He wasn't as complacent as he led Tom to believe. In fact, he was more than a little scared.

Being on his own for the first time since Vernon Dursley had disowned him.

With no professor or headmaster to dictate his every move.

And no friends.

The idea of such freedom may seem attractive to many other young wizards and witches, but Harry knew from experience how lonely it can get. And how he, of all people, needed someone to limit him. Especially now with the possible effects of a vampire bite running through his veins.

Harry fell asleep troubled by dreams.

The first clue was the dizziness.

Harry mistook it for giddiness. For the emotional highs and lows that usually accompany a new relationship. For the excitement of secret trysts and long looks across the Great Hall and sleepless nights because they were doing something else.

Nope. Nothing about blood loss ever crossed his mind.

Professor Quirrell was not a very tall man. He had dark hair that reached mid-back, and full lips that Harry loved to bite. Ironic, that. His best feature were his dark eyes. When he looked at Harry, everything else seemed to disappear. Nobody else stared at him with such intensity.

Nothing about hypnotism either.

And it wasn't true though, Harry argued to himself. Headmaster Snape looked at him like that. Except that instead of the intensity being about passion and lust, Snape's gaze contained hatred, contained promises of hell.

Why it would be so tempting, Harry could not answer.