Warning: This is a slash fanfic. It means boy X boy relationship. If you are offended or not comfortable with it, please choose another story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story is written purely for fun and not for money.

Beta: Chocolate Wolf

Drowning a sinking ship

Chapter five – What belongs to me, belongs to me.

Living at Sytherin manor had been… good. No sneering aimed at you, no endless list of chores, no people bossing you around, no hateful people parading in front of you making your life miserable and more importantly, no more starving. He got to eat three hearty meals everyday plus many light snacks in between.

Thumbnail would always pop in with food whenever he felt hungry. Even though he had never told the little creature his favorites, the little elf would bring him the food that he loved best. Not only that, the house elf took care of his other basic needs and fussed over him. Yup, life was definitely better here.

The bedroom that he slept in was at the innermost. It was connected to the library and then to the study. Another door in the study led to the outside hall and a third door led to a small potions lab and further in was a training room.

Since they had decided to keep his presence a secret, he could not step out of the suite. Even though he was confined, he did not feel uncomfortable or constrained. In fact he never felt so relaxed in his life. Every morning he would wake up naturally and then take a nice long bath. After he had dressed for the day, Thumbnail would pop in with his breakfast. After the meal, he would then be in the library reading or doing his summer homework.

Sometimes Marvolo would join him for lunch and after that he would resume his previous work or be in the potion lab. He had found a few books in the library which taught him the basics of potions brewing, something which Snape failed to mention in class. These books taught him more than what Snape did and he began to see the beauty of the subject. Since then, he had been spending time in the lab brewing, starting from his first year text book and gradually moving up.

Of course, he did not forget about his meditation. Without fail, he would spend at least one and a half hours on it every day. At first he found it hard to do what Marvolo taught him; nonsensical thoughts would keep turning up when he tried to focus on a single thought like Marvolo instructed. It took him two days to get the background noise to slowly fade away and his mind cleared. It took him another five days before he managed to attain a light tranquil state of mind after an hour of meditation. Marvolo commented that he was doing well but not quite there yet. He had to go deeper into his mind, to a deep trance-like state where he could reach his magical core in order to have a direct connection with it. Marvolo described to him what a magical core looked like and he was so looking forward to 'seeing' his.

Marvolo made it a point to join him for dinner unless he had Death Eater meetings or other important things to see to. After dinner, they would spend time together in the library playing chess, reading or just simply talking.

Marvolo was not what he imagined. He gradually came to know more about him through their long hours of conversation. They talked about almost everything; their childhoods, their ideas and their ambition. Marvolo was the kind of person who knew what he wanted and was determined to get it. Marvolo was patient too. Whenever Harry asked him questions regarding his summer assignments, Marvolo would explain the theory in an easy to understand way until he grasped the concept. Harry had secretly conferred the title of 'my personal walking encyclopedia' on him. The more time he spent with the man, the more he was amazed by him.

Harry did not just feel amazed by the man, he was attracted to him. He might be quite oblivious to the affairs of the heart but he was not stupid enough to fail to recognize he was falling in love. Flustered, nervous, fluttering heart—all because of one man. Sometimes he would feel so embarrassed that he wanted to get away yet yearned to be with the man when he was gone.

Marvolo did no help the matter either. It seemed that the man was determined to make him blush as much as possible. When they were together, he would find himself sitting across Marvolo's lap most of the time. The man would hold his hands or put his arms across his shoulders or around his waist or—kiss him. It was not that he did not like the attention Marvolo showered on him. In fact he quite liked it—okay—a lot. It felt so right to be in his arms, to be held by him, like he belonged there. It was like rain was supposed to fall, flowers were supposed to bloom, fish were supposed to swim and he was supposed to be with Marvolo.

Sometimes he wondered if it was the mate bond that made him feel this way. Was he attracted to the man due to the mate bond? He never knew he was gay. The only kiss he had ever shared with girls was with Cho. Did he enjoy that kiss? No, not really. The girl was crying at that time and he was feeling—erm—quite guilty of dating her when Cedric had just died not too long ago.

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - /

Harry was in a deep trance-like state when Marvolo entered the library. As lightly as possible so as to not to disturb him, Marvolo sat quietly at the side and studied Harry's profile.

Unconsciously, he lips curled into a warm smile. This boy, who used to cause him headaches at every turn of his plans, was his. This boy, the one who he had hated and cursed wholeheartedly for 14 long years, the one who he would crush without any hesitation, turned out to be his mate. Now he could not even think of hurting a single hair on him. What kind of irony was this? The thought of anyone touching the boy would send him into a frenzied state. He would kill anyone who dared to look at his mate in the wrong way. Marvolo sighed inwardly. He had become a crazed, possessive protector when it came to his mate, not that he would ever admit it aloud.

When Harry opened his eyes, he was surprised to see Marvolo sitting nearby. He did not hear him entering the room. "When did you come in? I didn't hear a sound."

"I came in a little while ago. It seems that your meditation is going well. You have managed to enter a deep trance where you are not disturbed by outside influence." Marvolo was quite proud of his mate's accomplishment. Not many could achieve the same result Harry had in such a short time. "Starting from tomorrow, I want you to try to feel your magic, follow its path and go deeper into yourself. It's time to locate your magical core but do not force it. It is impossible to get it in the first try." He warned cautiously.

"Okay." Harry agreed easily, like an obedient student.

Satisfied with his mate's compliance, Marvolo took a small package out from his robe's pocket and handed it to him. "Open it."

Harry was curious. It was a wooden box which was roughly three inches wide on each side. When he slid open the cover and peeked inside, he laughed. Of all things Marvolo could have given him, it was a silver pendant in the shape of a pig attached to a long silver chain. On a closer inspection, Harry realized that the pendant was crafted in great details, especially the bow on top of the pig's head.

With a corner of his mouth lifted slightly, Marvolo reached over for the silver chain and put it on Harry, making sure that it was tucked under his shirt. "The pendant serves two purposes: it is a portkey and a glamour key. I used parseltongue to carve the runes which I invented inside the pendant. It will let you bypass anti-portkey wards, even when you are inside Hogwarts, and bring you right to me when you say 'vamperor mate'. To activate or deactivate the glamour, just say 'glamour me on' or 'glamour me off'. All passwords are in parseltongue. It needs to be in contact with you in order to work so wear it under your shirt. I have spelled it to be unbreakable and cannot be removed by any others except me and you."

"Thanks, does that means I can walk around the manor now?" asked Harry hopefully. Not that he was dissatisfied with anything. It was just that to be able to bask under the sun or breathe in cold night air was a nice change, especially when you had been staying indoors for nearly two weeks.

"Yes, but only when I accompany you." Marvolo said seriously. "I have trained my followers well." There was hint of pride in his voice. "They will not take it lightly when they see new faces strolling around the manor without the company of a Death Eater."

Harry's face brightened instantly. He jumped from his seat and hissed out the password eagerly, "Glamour me on." Instantly a five foot eight young man in his twenties with wavy brown hair, icy blue eyes and a chubby face stood there. Without stopping, he then dragged Marvolo towards the door. "Sure, let's go then."

It was Marvolo's turn to be amused.

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - /

The garden of the Sytherin manor was a beautiful place, like a hidden fairyland. Thick, tall trees growing along the boundary of the garden, rows of bushes and shrubs lined the pathways and sweet scents of blooming flowers filled the air. Unconsciously, Harry had been inhaling deeply while walking along the path until he saw the magnificent fountain which was at the center of the garden.

"Wow!" His wide open eyes were shining with awe. Never before had Harry seen such an odd but fascinating fountain sculpture. It was made up of snakes, countless snakes, snakes in different expressions, snakes in different shapes and sizes—

"Amazing isn't it? Sytherin designed this manor himself. Many had known him as an accomplished potions master but few knew that he was also gifted in the arts." Pride shone in Marvolo's eyes.

Harry turned his wide open eyes to him.

"He was gifted in painting too. There are many of his art pieces here in the manor." Amusement replaced the pride in his eyes at Harry's disbelieving expression. "There's quite a collection of paintings in the Sytherin vault too."

Shaking his head, a slightly bewildered Harry sat down onto a stone bench beside the fountain. Who would have thought Salazar Sytherin had such an unknown side. Words like 'art' and 'Salazar Sytherin' surely never fell in the same sentence right? It was wholly unexpected.

Harry did not spend much time on that topic. The rhythmic splashing sound of the water, the tranquil atmosphere and the exquisite scenery had a calming effect and soon a peaceful feeling settled in him.

"Marvolo—can I ask you something?" asked Harry hesitantly out of nowhere. "You don't have to answer if you don't want." He quickly assured the man, chewing on his lips nervously.

Marvolo, sitting beside him, lifted an eyebrow, "Yes?"

"How—why—I mean you looked different from before—" Harry groaned inwardly and ducked his head. He could have phrased his question better.

"What you saw was a temporary—vessel. One of the abilities of vamperor is healing and regenerating. Once I have a body, my magical core started the regenerating process. Slowly, bit by bit, the temporary body was replaced to what you see now. The whole process takes four months. I apply glamour to look like that whenever I go for a raid."

"Uh hmm—" Harry turned to watch the dancing water of the fountain. His cheeks were tinted slightly red from embarrassment and he felt like banging his head on the wall. He regretted asking such a rude question. He really should have finished reading that book that was given to him.

The man turned his face around and looked into his eyes. "You can ask me anything. If I don't want to or can't answer you, I will tell you so."

Harry relaxed at the honesty displayed in those red orbs. It was good to know he could trust Marvolo not to lie to him. Before he knew it, another question rushed out from his mouth. "Can you show me your vampire form?" The red tint on his cheeks darkened immediately. 'Oh—me and my big mouth.' Although he chastened himself inwardly, he was truly very curious to see it.

Nodding with a chuckle, Marvolo's hands left his face to cast privacy ward around them.

For a second, nothing seemed to have changed and then there were two ends of a pair of sharp pointed fangs protruded from the either corners of his mouth. The shade of his eyes turned darker, like two blood-red rubies, gleaming with a mix of dangerous and predatory glints. The rest of Marvolo's facial features remained unchanged yet the vibes given off by the man was different from before. It was hypnotizing and alluring yet sinister, dark and threatening at the same time. Any other sane person would have screamed or run away, but Harry knew with certainty that the vampire in front of him would never harm him. Unconsciously, he lifted his right hand and began to trace the handsome face in front of him.

"Amazing." He murmured breathlessly, his fingers running slowly across the warm pearl-like skin which was as smooth as silk while taking in as much details as he could. The vampire form of his future mate took his breath away and his heart swelled with his love for this man.

"Remove your glamour, Harry." The whispered request was controlling and commanding, deep and husky. There was a power in that voice that made it hard for Harry to resist. Subconsciously, the yet-to-be-awakened vampire in him recognized and acknowledged his dominant through the mate bond and the presence of his mate's vampire form. Harry canceled the glamour without really knowing what he was doing.

The seductive grin that bloomed on Marvolo's face was like the man himself; dark, attractive and dangerous. Harry was lost. The powerful, overwhelming allure of his dominant muddled his mind so when Marvolo's lips descended upon his, he could only respond. The kiss was intoxicating and very different from their previous kisses. The tiny needle-like pricks highlighted the pleasure when those sharp fangs scratched across his tongue. When those sharp fangs punctured his tongue, the taste of his blood mingled with that of Marvolo's excited him for some unknown reasons. He was so absorbed in the kiss that he barely noticed he was moved from the stone bench to straddling the man's laps. Harry's hands were locked around the man when Marvolo turned his attention to Harry's neck. Panting shallowly, he titled his head to the side to allow the man better access.

His mate's smooth, tanned skin tasted as good as his mouth. With each nibble on the sensitive spots that he had sought out, he was rewarded with a tiny erotic moan. When he came to the pulsing veins, he sucked on the spot until a pool of blood gathered under the skin. He licked the skin moist and then sank his fangs into the flesh. Immediately, warm blood rushed into his mouth.

The feel of those sharp tips poised to pierce his skin raised goose bumps on the back of Harry's neck, his whole body tensed with anticipation of pain. When the fangs pierced through his skin, a sharp gasp escaped from him; not from pain but more from surprise. The foreign feeling of fangs lodged in his flesh and blood leaving his body scared and excited him at the same time. Instinctively, a small part of him wanted to withdraw but the strong arms which were tightly encircled around him prevented it. Soon with every draw of blood accompanied by the sucking sensation of Marvolo's mouth sent electrifying tingles down his spine which was highly arousing and made him moan softly and eliminated all thoughts of alarm from his mind. His heart felt like bursting from sensory overload and there was this need in the back of his mind urging him to get closer to his dominant. Blindly, his fingers threaded roughly through the wavy brown locks before holding Marvolo's head closer to his neck.

The coppery taste of blood mixed with his mate's unique scent was like a well aged wine; the taste swirling in his mouth served as fuel, adding fire to his growing arousal. Careful to only take small mouthful of blood every time, Marvolo brought their hips together, the contact coaxing a lustful moan from his mate.

"Marvolo." His name was whispered softly with a mixture of desire, pleading and passion.

Knowing what his mate asked for, he removed his fangs and licked the punctured holes closed. Without stopping, he proceeded to give Harry a bruising kiss while he thrust his hips upwards to create a delicious friction. Immediately, his mate responded by grinding his hips down making both of them groan loudly. Together they ground and writhed against each other in a rhythm and before long, both reached their completion.

With twin flushed cheeks and shallow breaths, Harry lay against Marvolo limply and waited for his heartbeat to return to normal. Never before had he felt anything like that—it was simply amazing.

After spending long minutes to calm his frantic heart, Marvolo pushed Harry slightly away from him so that he could look directly into his eyes. "Mine," he declared, possessive and vehement.

Catching the now-knowing warm glint in his dominant's eyes, a smile was brought to Harry's lips. "Yours," answered Harry shyly. He burrowed his face against Marvolo's neck and closed his eyes. He would just let Marvolo to take care of him now.

If anyone were to see the couple in their private moment now, they would agree that they could feel a strong sense of love entwining the couple together in such a way that it was impossible to sever.

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - /

The potions professor of Hogwarts had been thinking hard for the past three hours, and he could feel a headache forming at his temples. The Order meeting was tomorrow and he had yet to come up with a good plan—the crucial part of this plan requiring the capture of both men's attention during the meeting without their idiotic loud mouths going off and raising unwanted suspicion. To get them after that was rather easy for him as he was not without ideas—after all he had seven years of practices with the Marauders. A few stunners and binding hexes would do the trick.

Oh, if only there was a muzzle meant for animagus dog. Snape huffed and paced around his room when a thought struck him. 'Hmm—oh yes. In order to get a marauder, one must use a marauder's method.' The nemesis of the four most famous pranksters in Hogwarts history smirked gleefully.

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - /

Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix and ancestral house of the Black family, was not a fun place to reside. As it had been left empty for decades without any proper maintenance, the house was in a dreadful state. The walls were grey; the floor was dull and washed out. Despite the noisy crowd gathering in the kitchen, the house felt gloomy and cheerless.

Tonks, Sirius, Remus, Mr. Weasley and his two eldest sons, Kingsley, Moody, Professor McGonagall and a few others sat around the kitchen table. Fred and George stood in a corner deep in discussion while Mrs. Weasley stood by the stove minding the stew. Ron and Ginny were helping their mother serve the food.

Amid the noisy crowd, two men talked in a low voice, "Padfoot, I was thinking of going to check on Harry. What do you think?"

"Count me in." Sirius was determined to follow. "I'm coming too."

"No, I'll be going alone."

A pleading Sirius turned to Remus, "Please Moony, let me come with you. I want to see my godson earlier."

"No, Padfoot, you can't. What happen if someone recognized you?"

"But I can go in my animagus form," wined Sirius.

"And attract more attention? You're not exactly a small puppy you know." Remus ignored his pleading and refused him flat out. "And how would Harry feel when he knew you risk your life unnecessarily on his behalf again?"

The animagus pouted and huffed in his seat. "I just want to see for myself if he is okay."

Remus understood how he felt. He worried about Harry too. Even though the headmaster had instructed him to pick up Harry on the boy's birthday and not to visit him before that, he wanted to check up on him to ensure that the Dursley did not do anything extreme. He would watch from afar, that did not count as a visit right? "Padfoot, quit your whining or I will not tell you how Harry is when I come back."

Sirius sulked like a defeated puppy. If he had been in his animagus form, his dog ears would have been drooping to the sides.

Mrs. Weasley, who was nearest to them, overheard their conversation. "Sirius, don't you worry, I'm sure Harry is fine. You'll be seeing him on his birthday." She gave a reassuring smile and turned back to her cooking. "Aren't you planning a birthday party for your godson?"

By now, everyone in the room had tuned in to their conversation.

The mention of a party made Sirius feel slightly better. Fred and George noticed Sirius's sour mood and tried to cheer him up, "We'll help you to prank Harry, you know like giving him a big surprise. Imagine his reaction when the prank explodes on him." As usual, they finished each other sentences flawlessly.

"Okay," agreed Sirius grumpily before exclaiming excitedly, "But I'm definitely going with you Moony, to buy presents for his birthday. There's this new model of Firebolt which I wanted to get for him and then there's this—"

"Yes, yes, yes, we will do that." Remus said quickly to shut him up.

Everyone else in the room chuckled but none noticed the jealous expression that flashed briefly on Ron's face. Amid the cheerful mood, the fire in the fireplace roared green before Dumbledore emerged from it followed closely by Snape.

The headmaster joyfully sat down at the head of the table while Mrs. Weasley promptly passed him a bowl of her stew. "Thank you, Molly."

Beside him an impassive Snape swooped down the length of the table and chose to sit at a corner beside Remus and away from Sirius. When Mrs. Weasley served him his own bowl, he inclined his head curtly to thank her.

As Dumbledore signaled the start of the meeting, Molly began to get her four youngest children out of the kitchen. Predictably, they started protesting. "Mum, we want to know how Harry is." "We are old enough to join the Order." "Please, mum."

Before their mother could reprimand them, Dumbledore cleared his throat and spoke. "Molly, it's alright. Today we will only be discussing Harry. I'm sure, as his friends, they would like to know."

The mother hen of the Weasley family gave her children a warning glare and sat down beside her husband. Heeding their mother silent warning seriously, the four teenagers stood quietly behind their parents.

"Severus, how is Voldemort taking his failure of tracking Harry?"

Snape took a drink from his cup before speaking. "He suspected me and had summoned me for interrogation. He believed my explanation." He then turned to look passed Remus to sneer at Sirius. "You're famous now, mutt. Even the dark lord now knew of your nickname. Maybe you should start giving out autographs signed with your paw print."

"Well, at least I'm popular and well-like unlike some sniveling bat." Sirius Black was someone who would never back down from challenging remarks, especially a sarcastic one coming from his ex-school rival. "Who would want your slimy, greasy autographs?" Muffled sniggers could be heard from the back of the room.

The potion master huffed, barely restraining himself from rolling his eyes.

Instead of restraining or scolding Sirius from making snarky retorts like he usually would, Remus looked embarrassed by his friend's remarks and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Dumbledore gave both men disapproving looks and diverted the group's attention back to the meeting. "Has Voldemort planned to try again?" He took on a worried grandfather look.

"No." Snape shook his head. "He did not summon me nor has there been any Death Eater meeting."

"Contact me if there is any news." The spy of the Light inclined his head at the order.

The headmaster then turned to speak to Ron and Ginny. "Can both of you keep an eye on Harry when the term starts? I suspect that Voldemort might again try to manipulate Harry's mind through their link." He said gravely. "Inform me when you sense there is something amiss with Harry."

"Okay." Both youngest of the Weasleys agreed eagerly, especially Ron. He looked like someone given a very important mission.

A worried Molly spoke up. "Perhaps Harry should continue with his Occlumency lessons with you, Headmaster."

Dumbledore intervened before Professor McGonagall could say anything. "It is a must but I will be travelling much this year so I'm not a suitable choice." He gave his transfiguration teacher a meaningful look to stop her from questioning his decision. "Severus, you would have to continue the lesson."

A distasteful look appeared on the potion master's face before being partially replaced by a grimace. "Of course."

Before Dumbledore could continue Remus suddenly asked, "Professor, can Harry leave the Dursleys earlier?"

Dumbledore peeked through his half-moon spectacles to look at the ex-DADA professor. "I'm afraid not, Remus. Voldemort has made his presence known, it is now even more important for Harry to stay at his relatives' home to recharge the blood ward."

Remus nodded glumly and gave his best friend an I-tried-my-best look. The animagus clapped him on the shoulder and sighed.

The rest of the meeting went smoothly and when it was over, Remus dragged Sirius to the family library before he could approach Fred and George. "Come on, Padfoot. Time to write out that list of presents," said the werewolf enthusiastically.

"But Moonyyyyy—later please. I wanna—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Remus folded his arms and looked unfazed by Sirius's whining. "If you don't want to write the list out, it is fine with me but you will not be going out at all. I will make sure of that," he warned.

Padfoot pouted and sulked, practically behaving like a naughty child who had been denied candies by his parents. Everyone laughed as they watched a reluctant Sirius towed behind Remus. Well, except for a certain potions master. He was smirking smugly as he stepped into the floo. Phase one of his plan was complete.

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - /

Remus was sitting beside Sirius at the table, eating the delicious stew cooked by Molly. The other Order members were also present, waiting for the meeting to start.

Before long, the Headmaster and Snape arrived. As always, Professor Dumbledore sat at the head of the table but Snape chose to sit beside him. Remus was a bit baffled by the potion master's choice but he dismissed it casually. It was not as if Snape would attack him here, right?

Soon the meeting began. When Snape turned to taunt Sirius, their eyes locked briefly and in that split second, a message popped into his mind, 'Do not panic.'

Remus nearly jumped from his seat but immediately his instinct told him to follow the instruction. There must be a reason why Snape chose to communicate in this fashion. He braced himself so as to not to look suspicious. To the others, he merely looked like he was shifting to a more comfortable position. So when Snape looked passed him the second time, he was not as startled as before. 'Leg.'

Remus was curious but did not show it on his face. He shifted half of his attention to his legs and a few seconds later, he could feel a pressure on top of his right shoe. Since Snape sat on his right, it must be him.

The pressure on his shoe quickly changed to tapping and it was alternating randomly between short and long pauses. It took him a while before he realized Snape was talking to him in Morse code. A trick used by them, the Marauders, during their school days.

Without much difficulty, he could make out the message from the potion master. 'Drink if understand.' He did as told and the tapping resumed. 'Meet Shrieking Shack, take Sirius.' Pause. 'Tomorrow three pm. Tell no one, important.' The tapping stopped when Snape answered the headmaster's order.

Snape's odd request made Remus very curious but also very wary. Why did the man not want to let anyone know? Was this a trap? He even used Padfoot's name. Was this to do with Harry? Without thinking, he burped out a question. "Professor, can Harry leave the Dursleys earlier?"

Luckily, no one was puzzled by his question. To cover up his mistake, he pretended to have asked it on the behalf of Padfoot by giving his best friend an apologetic look.

The tapping continued, 'Tell no one, important.'

Remus moved his shoe discreetly so that it was the one on top, 'Why?' He would not blindly trust anyone when said person's motive was unclear.

There was a long pause before their shoe's position inverted, 'I swear on Lily's memory.'

Remus coughed lightly to cover up his surprise. It must be something extremely important that Snape was willing to swear on Lily's memory to gain his cooperation. Deciding to trust the man, he gave the potions master a slight curt nod. Then the tapping reminded him again, 'Tell no one.' To assure the man that he had understood his repeated requests on secrecy, he rested his chin on the back of his hand to disgust his nod.

When the meeting was over, Remus immediately pulled Sirius into the family library in order to tell him what had happened.

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / - /

Two men stood inside the dusty and run down Shrieking Shack. Despite being skeptical on the motive behind Snape's request, both men had not told anyone about their secret meeting as they suspected that it had to do with Harry. There was no way they would risk Harry's well being unnecessarily.

It was half an hour past the agreed time and Sirius began to get impatient. "Moony, that dungeon bat must have tricked us. He's not coming and must be laughing at us right now. Let's just go."

"Hold on, Padfoot. Maybe something held him up. Let's just wait a bit longer." Remus tried to persuade him to stay. From what he knew about Severus Snape, he was not someone who would go such length just to pull a prank.

After another 10 minutes gone by and no appearance of Snape were made, Sirius finally had enough. "That's it. I'm going to punch that sniveling snak—"

Precisely at the same moment when the word 'sniveling' was said, four spells were fired towards both men from different direction. The sudden action caught them by surprise, and in a blink of an eye they found themselves tied up securely by thick ropes. From the corner of their eyes as they lay immobile on the floor, they watched with dread as Snape—grinning like a cat which had just captured its prey—emerged from the trap door which led to the underground passage connected to Hogwarts.

"My my, how the great Sirius Black had fallen," taunted the potions master as he proceeded to pick up thumb-size stones from the corners of the room.

"What do you want, you slimy snake?" demanded Sirius angrily. "I knew it, Moony! I told you not to believe him! He is a traitor!"

Remus did not say anything. He was waiting for a chance to distract Snape.

"Tut-tut, mutt, how stupid can you be? Of course I will be serving the both of you on a silver platter to the Dark Lord." He let his wand slide into his hand and approached the two fallen men.

"Wait!" shouted Remus. "What did you do? There is no way you could have fired four spells from different directions at the same time." He hoped he could stall for extra time while thinking furiously for a way to escape.

"Ever the bookworm." The potions master shook his head at the knowledge-hungry werewolf. "I used rune stones. I set it to be activated when some choice words were spoken." Before both bound men could speak further, Snape casted several stunners at them.

The potion master smiled in triumph at the two unconscious men. Phase two of his plan was complete. The Dark Lord would be pleased.

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Important A/N: Please give rounds of applause to Chocolate Wolf (my Beta). If not for her/him, you would have to put up with my lousy English once again. *grin*

A/N (1): I hope the lime can make up for the long wait. *wink wink* lol

A/N (2): Thank you for your encouragement on my English. At first I'm not so confident about it, but your reviews made me feel that I'm not so bad after all. And now I did have my Beta, so… *cheering with a pom-pom* :P

HerebTheLostRaven: No, I'm not offended. You did like my story enough to give me reviews. That's an encouragement from you *big bright smile*

RRW: Thanks for your long review. I love it. You raised some really good points that got me thinking hard. Marvolo's issue will be explained soon… I need to plan. Coincidently, what you said on intro new blood is also what I'm thinking too :3

Trinity Fenton-Phantom: I will introduce the rest of Vamperor's abilities later. As for Fawkes and familiar… can't tell you now, it will spoilt the fun *grin* there's a reason for why Fawkes helped Harry and I wonder did you notice yet? Fawkes did help Harry again. heehee…

To all: Happy New Year!