Title: The Purest Blood

Pairing: Draco/Harry

Summary: After Harry is bitten by a Vampire, he finds he has to turn to a most unexpected ally to help him understand what is happening. Harry's new perspective will not only change the course of the war, but also of his life.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Thanks to the people who reviewed : ) Also, to address Elfwyn's question as to why Harry wouldn't just use his invisibility cloak to escape the Dursleys, Harry really had no reason to 'escape'. Yes, he didn't want to go to ', but he also wasn't sure he wanted to go back to Hogwarts, after everything. He's just kind of... numb. Letting it all happen without really caring about anything. But that will change : D Also, clearly this chapter is ignoring the fact that Lucius Malfoy was arrested at the end of OofP. Just roll with it XD

Dumbledore's Office

Hogwarts

Later that same Day

Dumbledore was plotting.

It was something he did often, sometimes out of necessity and sometimes just for the fun of it. It was like playing an intricate game of chess, only he had control over most of the board, and the most important pieces. There was also the added bonus that the pawns were real people, in real situations. And he had put them there. He stared down at the papers before him with glee, satisfied with the knowledge that he had put all of this into play, and everything was as it should be.

Moments later, a knock sounded at the door. Unhappy with the interruption, Dumbledore none the less hid his scowl and donned a bright, twinkling, grandfatherly smile before calling out, "Come in!" and shuffling papers around to put the more innocent ones on the top of the stack. He didn't know who was about to enter, but no matter who it was, he'd rather have them see a proposed lesson plan from McGonagall then a report outlining his ideas of how to convince Harry to get Voldemort's memories from Slughorn.

At his call, Severus Snape strode into the room, his black robes swirling around him like a cloak of shadows. On anyone else, this would have appeared over-dramatic. For Severus, it worked. He seemed a very creature of shadows himself, moving unpredictably from one place to the next, gliding along as if nothing affected him, swooping in out of nowhere when he was least expected. Because he knew Severus' darkest secret, he knew why this was. And admittedly, it still made him nervous, still filled him with disgust. But he couldn't have anyone knowing what he really thought about... Severus' kind.

"Headmaster." Severus said automatically, without waiting for an invitation to speak, "There is news. About Harry Potter."

Dumbledore blinked, a slight frown returning to his expression despite his best efforts to keep it cheerful. His plan had been to remove Harry from the Durleys in the last couple of days before school started, giving the boy only a short time to whine and complain about the unfairness of his life as he helped get Horace Slughorn back to the school. There wasn't supposed be be any news about Harry yet, and it irked him that something had happened in the boy's life that he, Dumbledore, hadn't meticulously planned. He felt as if he'd left the room for a moment and Severus had snuck in while he was gone to move around his most valued piece. Then he sighed. Whatever this news was, it probably wasn't Severus' fault, especially since the man wanted to have as little to do with Harry Potter as possible.

"What about Harry?" He asked reluctantly, not sure he wanted to know. "The Weasley twins didn't break him out of his relatives home again, did they?"

"No, sir." Severus replied, "It appears that Potter's Muggle relatives are the problem this time. According to my sources, they sent him to a juvenile camp about two weeks ago, out in the middle of nowhere. We didn't even know that the boy had left the Muggle's house."

Dumbledore stood swiftly. "Two weeks ago? Why wasn't I informed?"

"We didn't know sir. Not until an hour ago. You yourself specifically told the members of the Order to leave Potter be until you were ready for him. I was only able to discover this... interesting... bit of news because Arthur Weasley was watching Muggle television and learned that two boys had escaped from a juvenile center and were on the run. He informed me of this about ten minutes ago, via floo network."

Dumbledore fumed. This was not according to plan! He could not have Harry running off by himself! Not ever, but especially not now, when he would soon play an important role at getting Horace Slughorn to teach at Hogwarts. Who knew what mischief the boy could get into! If left too long out from under his thumb, Harry might start getting dangerous ideas about who was in charge. And that could not be allowed to happen. But before his anger could show itself in front of Severus, he managed a calm expression and settled himself back into his seat. Adopting a look of kindly concern, he said,

"Well, we must find Harry as soon as possible. He's probably desperately trying to find his way back here as we speak."

Meanwhile

Deep in the Forests near Wiltshire

Harry Potter himself was, at that moment, slowly forcing himself towards wakefulness, though even as he blinked his eyes and glanced around him, the fog in his mind refused to clear entirely. Taking note of his surroundings, he realized he was lying face down on the forest floor, and that a fiery pain, a pain that seemed to come from nowhere, and from everywhere at the same time, was tearing through him. Harry fought back the screams of agony that were trying to force their way up his throat, though he felt his whole body convulse with the effort of it. He managed not to scream, but he was vaguely aware of a strange half-sobbing, half-choking sound that could only be coming from him, and that tears were pouring down his cheeks.

Using every ounce of his strength and willpower, Harry managed to roll to his hands and knees. His limbs trembled violently, barely able to support him in this state, and he wanted nothing more then to close his eyes and collapse back down into the dirt. Sleep called to him, reminding him that he could coast right past the pain, and just sleep... he might never have to wake up again. But no. He was not just any ordinary teenager. He was Harry bloody Potter and Harry bloody Potter didn't just lie there and let himself die. He'd been through worse then this... hadn't he? Forcing himself to remain on his hands and knees, he looked around him through tear-drenched eyes.

Darkness. The forest was completely cloaked in it, and the sounds of the night drifted to him on the light breeze... a hooting owl, a cricket chirping cheerfully, the haunting creaking sound of the trees shifting. Though he couldn't see much, Harry could tell that he was alone. After biting him, Razor must have fled. As his memory quickly came back to him, Harry shot one hand up to his neck, and when he pulled it away he found it was covered in blood. He felt weak, dizzy, and the pain had yet to fade. Stumbling, Harry somehow managed to find his feet, though he had to put his hand against the trunk of a tree to steady himself. Looking around, he noticed that the invisibility cloak had fallen out of his pocket, probably when he had been tackled by Razor. Snatching it up, he pulled it around his helplessly shuddering body and set off blindly, praying he would come to some sort of town soon. Because he had the sneaking suspicion that he was dying...

About an hour later

Wiltshire, England

Severus Snape strode quickly and quietly through the streets of Wiltshire, England, cursing Lucius Malfoy and his paranoia. Though he supposed he could not really blame his mate for being cautious, and ensuring that no one could apparate or floo into his home, especially considering the dangerous life both Lucius and Severus led. Still, it was a pain to have to apparate three streets away and walk to their house. He was glad for the night, however, and the darkened residential streets he walked down. It meant he hadn't needed to change into Muggle clothes before leaving Hogwarts. He kept in the shadows, walking close to the buildings.

Finally, he broke free of the rows of ordinary houses and saw the gates to Malfoy Manor, with the Manor set back from the main road. The Manor had extensive grounds, but Severus once again thanked Merlin that the house was close to the gate, and not far out along the edges of the property. A high, perfectly manicured yew hedge bordered the wide driveway that led up to and through the gate.

Severus smiled slightly at the familiar site of the one place he truly considered home. However, before he could reach the beginning of the driveway, he spotted something strange that made him pause in confusion. Something had just lurched out from the darkness of one of the side streets, and was occasionally visible under the oil-lit street lights that lined the main street. Although what it was was very difficult to say. At one moment, it appeared to be a shoe, then a hand, then a leg. Then Severus realized; it was someone trying, and failing, to hide under an invisibility cloak, and he only knew one person who owned one.

Turning quickly, Severus strode back down the lane towards the bumbling figure, but before he reached it, the Potter boy seemed to fall, and the invisibility cloak settled around him from the knees up. Growling his impatience and annoyance, Severus stepped closer and yanked the cloak off of the boy, pausing in some alarm at the sight before him. The boy was wearing some sort of ugly jumpsuit, which had been unzipped to the waist and tied around his hips to reveal a dirt and blood stained t-shirt underneath that had once been white. There was some kind of wound on the boy's neck, though he couldn't really see it well due to the sheer amount of blood that seemed to be pouring from the child. The boy was also crying, and his body jerked convulsively, as if he were in great pain.

Severus swore darkly. Why did things like this always happen to him? He scowled at the boy, then reluctantly picked him up, invisibility cloak and all. Even as he did so, Harry's eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell into unconsciousness, though his body did not stop it's pained shuddering. Severus strode back towards the manor and to the gate, where he muttered the magical password to get in, then continued his way up to the manor. Once inside, he summoned a house-elf quickly. He barely noticed the teens weight in his arms, but the fool child seemed to have lost quite a lot of blood, and he knew he needed attention quickly.

"Yes, Master Snape?" Honey said, eyeing the unconscious boy in Snape's arms in some confusion.

"Is Lucius still awake?"

"Yes, Master Snape. Master Malfoy and young Master Malfoy are in the library."

"Tell Lucius he's needed in the guest room on the second floor." Severus ordered, "and have Ivy and Boo get my medical kit from my lab."

Honey nodded and vanished. Carrying Harry carefully, Severus hurried up the stairs, past the grand and somewhat magical features that made Malfoy Manor one of the most impressive manors that still stood. He ducked into the main guest room on the second floor, and lay Harry on the bed just as two loud crack sounds announced the arrival of Boo and Ivy. The house elves scurried across the room towards him, carrying the large bag of medical supplies between them. A sensation of calm determination settled over the potions master as he opened the bag and began to rifle through it. Never mind what Pomphrey thought of him, this was something he was good at, something he knew how to do. Just because some stuck up medi-witch wouldn't let him near her hospital wing... He pushed such thoughts aside and pulled the appropriate items from the bag. Quickly, he set to work healing the boy's wounds. A moment later, when the blood was cleared away, Severus could not hold back a gasp of shock as he saw the wound on Harry's neck.

Gingerly, Severus reached out and touched the two slightly raised puncture wounds on Harry's neck. Then he reached up, and touched the scarred skin on his own neck, what remained of the exact same kind of wound, which Severus had received in his last year at Hogwarts. As Severus watched, the boy's shaking stopped, though the older man knew that despite this, and despite the blank expression on Harry's face, the pain hadn't faded any. The child's body was going into shock. A moment later, Harry began to change, his hair, features and skin shifting with the new demon blood that flowed through him.

Dropping his hand from his scar, Severus allowed his own glamor to fade away, revealing his own True Form. And as Severus gazed down at the teenager he had made it his mission to hate, he muttered aloud to the empty room,

"This is not good."

On the floor above where Severus Snape knelt beside the bed of Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy and his father leaned across from each other over the surface of a marble set of Wizard's Chess. Evenings like this in the Malfoy household were rare... evenings where there was no imminent danger, no dark plan that Voldemort needed his father or Severus' help with, no silly chore Severus needed to run for the Order of the Phoenix, and no meetings. Things had gotten especially hectic the last several weeks, since the Ministry was trying to find evidence that Lucius had been at the battle at the Ministry of Magic last June. So far, they had found nothing, but it didn't make their surprise raids or constant suspicion any less easier to bear, and Draco was glad for their absence the last several days. A calm peace had settled over the house in the last hour, and though it was strange, Draco appreciated the silence.

As if to mock his thoughts, it was at that moment that Honey appeared in the middle of the library with a loud crack. He sighed and sat back in his chair. Lucius flashed his son an apologetic look before asking,

"What is it, Honey?"

"Honey saw Master Snape downstairs carry in a body. Master Snape asks Master Malfoy to meet him in guest room, second floor."

Lucius exchanged a wide-eyed glance with his son. A body? Severus had sometimes gone to extreme means to protect his family, and their positions in the war, but he'd hoped it would never get quite this bad. However, no matter what Severus' reasons were for dragging bodies into Malfoy Manor, it was clear he needed help. Swiftly, he stood and hurried from the room, Draco at his heels. They hurried down the hall and down a flight of stairs to the second floor, and into the guest bedroom, where they stopped in surprise at the sight before them.

Harry Potter lay peacefully on the bed in the guest room, badly injured, judging by the amount of blood, but apparently alive. Severus was on the ground next to him, his head bent as though he were praying, though Lucius could tell by the dark expression on the other man's face that he as thinking. The truly shocking thing, aside from finding Harry at Malfoy Manor, of all places, was that Harry looked completely different then when Draco had seen him a few weeks before, and that Severus was in his True Form. Severus rarely dropped the glamor that hid his true appearance, even around the Manor.

Lucius and Draco watched the two of them, their breaths bated as they stared in amazement at the two vampires. Harry's skin had become more and more pale, until it was almost a pure alabaster white. His eyes were closed, but the skin around it looked darkened, as if it were bruised. His hair had shortened, but instead of resorting to its previous messy state it now spiked out. Severus, beside him, had the same pale skin and bruised eyes, but his hair had grown longer instead of shortening, and was silky and glossy, not at all like the off-putting grease-head of his glamor.

"Severus...?" Lucius questioned quietly.

The other man blinked back to the present, his dark eyes glowing with fathomless depth and and light for a moment before they cleared and his glamor slid back into place.

"Ah, Lucius, Draco."

"What is he doing here?" Draco demanded.

Severus sighed. "I found him outside, he passed out near the Manor. I don't know if he was headed this way on purpose or not, if he even knows where Malfoy Manor is. But, either way, I couldn't leave him out there. I didn't realize what he was until a few moments ago."

Lucius looked like he was struggling with a decision, but after a minute he finally ventured,

"You didn't...?"

Severus glanced sharply at his friend. "No! If I were going to Turn anyone, it certainly wouldn't be him."

Lucius gave an abrupt nod and glanced down at the sleeping boy. "Does he know?"

"I don't believe so." Severus said, standing and rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "The bite is recent. He probably passed out after he was bitten, then made it here somehow."

Severus scowled down at the boy, not entirely sure how he had managed it. He remembered the pain the Turning caused, and didn't think he would have managed to walk in that state. He had been bitten in his final year at Hogwarts, and it was only thanks to Dumbledore that he was allowed to finish his schooling, and was able to get a job. It was a major part of the reason he was so indebted to the Headmaster, and why he did work for the Order despite the fact that he didn't agree with most of the Order's policies.

As they stood there, Harry shifted on the bed, his eyelids fluttering. Cursing under his breath, Severus took several steps back. Taking their cue from Severus, Lucius and Draco stepped away from the bed as well, and Draco reached for his wand.

"That won't be of any use to you, Draco." Severus said. "Vampires are extremely strong, and Harry, like myself, has the added advantage of being a wizard. I doubt we could take him down with spells. If I have to, I can fight him off."

"Why would he attack us?" Draco demanded, hiding his anxiety. He knew how powerful Harry was. With the added magical and physical abilities of a vampire, that power would only increase.

"You know what a vampire is, Draco." Severus replied sternly. "It is a demon inside the body of a human. Now while that doesn't mean all vampires are evil, it does mean they are very dark, very suspicious and very temperamental. Right now the demon inside Harry has control. That should only last a few days, before Harry is able to find the balance between himself and the demon. For now..."

Harry blinked his eyes furiously as he woke, and for a moment, they glowed an ethereal green before flashing red with a mindless, sourceless fury. That was when Harry's instinct seemed to kick in. Now fully awake, he sprung from the bed and crouched down low, staring at them with an odd wildness in his eyes. Draco had to remind himself that this was not the Golden Boy of Hogwarts, but a very powerful and very angry demon, trapped inside Harry's body. Without any warning, Harry lunged at Severus and Lucius, snarling. His fangs distended, he managed to knock Lucius to the ground, and was going for his face when Draco, closer to Lucius then Severus was, reacted, pushing the vampire roughly off of his father and scrambling to stand between Harry and his father.

"Draco, no!" Lucius cried, rushing towards his son at the same time as Severus.

Before anyone could pull Draco away, however, Harry paused, staring at Draco with a quizzical expression on his face. He blinked, and the green sheen returned to his gaze, his fangs retracting into his gums, his expression glazed and confused.

"Draco...?"

Severus quickly stepped up behind Harry and pressed his wand into Harry's neck, muttering a spell. Harry went limp and Severus caught him, carrying him back towards the bed.

"He shouldn't have woken up so soon." Severus was muttering, "This should, at least, keep him asleep for the next twenty four hours."

Severus didn't seem to notice that the room had fallen into a sort of shocked silence, or that both Draco and Lucius were looking back and forth between Harry and Severus.

"What was that about?" Draco finally managed to ask, when it looked as if Severus truly didn't notice their confusion.

"It's nothing for you to worry about Draco." Severus said quietly, not looking at either of the Malfoys.

Draco and Lucius exchanged glances, both realizing that Severus was keeping something from them. But Lucius shook his head when Draco opened his mouth to speak.

"Draco, it's late. You should be in your rooms, and I should be in mine."

Draco rolled his eyes slightly, but moved to obey his father, halting in the doorway to look at the boy on the bed. He knew he should feel anger, hatred. After all, over the last few years Harry had been his worst enemy, and now Harry had put their family in great trouble with the Ministry. But he'd never been able to hate Harry nearly as much as he professed to. Still, he had the feeling that things were never going to be quite the same around Malfoy Manor again.

With one last glance towards the bed, he left the room.

Lucius Malfoy waited in calm silence until his son had left the room, but the moment he was certain Draco was out of earshot, he turned swiftly to Severus.

"Severus, what does this mean?"

"You know what it means."

Lucius was shaking his head fiercely. "No. I mean, yes, I do, but, they seem so..."

"Ill-suited?" Severus asked with a smirk. "That is what many thought of us, when we became friends." Severus reminded him.

The reminder sobered Lucius' frantic mind for a moment, and he shot Severus a look of sympathy and a great amount of guilt. He and Severus had been friends since their first year of Hogwarts, despite the fact that Lucius had been in his seventh and final year and Severus only in his first. They'd continued their strange and unlikely friendship, and when Severus was bitten by a vampire in his seventh year, he'd discovered that Lucius, his best and only friend, was his Mate. But by then, Lucius was 23 years old, and already deeply in love with Narcissa.

So Severus had struggled to remain Lucius' friend, suffering through Lucius relationship with Narcissa, the birth of Lucius' child, until Lucius and Narcissa had separated two years before, and Severus had been unable to stop himself from blurting out the truth. Lucius had hardly been able to believe it; he had been in love with Severus since Severus' fifth year, but believed Severus would never accept him. On some level, Lucius knew he had a lot to make up for.

"Yes, it worked out for us." Lucius admitted, "But for Harry and Draco...?" He sighed, staring down at the young vampire on the bed. "My son, the Vampire's mate. Do you think we should tell him?"

Severus frowned, deep in thought, before finally shaking his head. "No. Not yet. Not until we speak to Harry. It's possible that their past will interfere too much; Harry may not want to act on this at all."

Lucius nodded, but both men knew it was a slim chance. Whatever animosity had existed between the boys before, it would mean nothing to Harry's vampire side, who had recognized his soul mate. Still, the human side of Harry had to adjust to this, and would love Draco as well, in a more human way. Perhaps in a more fallible way. Lucius knew there was nothing more they could do about it for now; nothing could be decided on until they spoke with Harry.

A short distance away, on the bed, Harry James Potter dreamed of blond teens with skin nearly as pale as his own...

A/N: Just to let people know: Chapters will be on the shorter side, like this one, but I will update frequently.