Silently, Harry stalked through the streets, and looking up, he saw Thanos on a roof, before he dropped himself on the street stones, his eyes flicking from left to right, intent on his search for prey. Harry concentrated on his own task, but cursed himself for not having fed anything in the afternoon, when he had had a chance. As a result, his dry throat ached now, and it distorted his rational thinking. He had the insane urge to run to the main street, grab the first Muggle he came across, and suck it dry. If Thanos wasn't here, he'd probably done it too, but now he wanted to prove himself to his lover. And thus, he waited in the shadows. After a while, he saw a young man, maybe a few years older than he was, walk past, just when no-one else was in view. Thrilled, Harry stepped closer and called out:

"Sir? Sir, can I ask you something?"

The man turned, setting his own death in motion. "What do you—"

He couldn't say more, forced to stare in glittering emerald eyes, which lured him to the dark alley. Robotically, the guy approached Harry, his body no longer under his own control. When he was close enough, the young Vampire pulled him back in the alley. Reaching out with his mind, he searched out his Maker, and briefly touched the surface to let him know he had a prey. Approval flowed through the link, and Harry smiled softly, breaking the contact. However, while he had been busy, the man had managed to shake off the hypnosis, and was pressing himself against a wall in fear.

"What are you? What did you do just now?" he said, agitated and frightened.

Harry hissed to silence him, which worked, and turned around in a flash, gripping the man's shoulders to force him down on the stones.

"Stay still and silent." Harry commanded, knowing that trying to hypnotize again wouldn't work.

The guy struggled, but Harry was too strong for him, and the Vampire easily got him to his knees. "What are you?" the man repeated in fear. "Oh, shit!" he exclaimed, when Harry snarled at him, showing his fangs.

Just when Harry was about to bite, Thanos appeared out of nowhere, the only evidence of his feeding a few bloodspots on his hand, where he'd wiped it off his mouth.

"Harry." His Maker said sharply, and Harry looked up, knowing that the desperation to feed was evident in his eyes. "He's not someone you can kill."

The man slumped down in relief, while Harry let out a desperate whine. "I'm hungry." He whimpered.

"You can feed…you just can't kill. He'll be missed."

"I don't know if I can stop once I begin." The young Vampire whispered. "And I don't want to risk venom seeping out."

Thanos looked at him oddly before chuckling. "You're too young to be venomous, Childe. Just feed. I'll stop you when you need to."

Greedy, Harry took hold of the Muggle's shoulders and sank his teeth in the skin with a sigh. He reveled in the feeling on blood gushing through him, warming his body. Too soon, he felt an arm come around his waist. He snarled and tried to shake it off, feeding the only thought in his mind at current. He was ripped from the body with force, and when he fought back, Thanos held him in an iron grip. Then, his mouth was pushed against another neck, and he bit down, sucking gratefully. A minute later, he was sated and pulled back.

"Sorry." He said, letting his head hang in shame. "I didn't mean to drink so much."

"it is alright, I had anticipated this already, so I drank more than I needed to sustain myself." The man answered. "Now, Obliviate." The Muggle's gaze turned hazy and he stumbled out of the alley, the wounds on his neck already healed by Harry's Maker.

Thanos took Harry's hand and apparated away.

"I'm bored." The teen sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I'm really busy right now." Thanos said, working through files. "I don't suppose you want to help?"

"War's not my problem anymore."

"I know, I know…Alright, you know what? I'll call Draco over, if he stays here, in this room."

Harry hissed. "Why? Don't you trust me?"

"It's not you I don't trust." His lover grumbled.

Harry rolled his eyes, but kept silent, exited about seeing Dray again."

His Maker got up and called for Wormtail. The rat came in, eyes fixed on the floor as his arm was grabbed and a wand pressed against the Mark. The ink darkened before fading again, and Wormtail was dismissed.

"Thanks." Harry said, and his grin widened when Thanos grumbled something. "Love you too." Harry said cheerfully.

Quick footsteps sounded through the corridors and up the stairs, and the blonde stormed through the door, kneeling instantly. "You needed me, my Lord?"

"No. And don't bother me."

"Drake!" Harry exclaimed, and ignored the growl from behind him as he gave his friend a brief hug. "I haven't seen you for ages!"

"Why are you whispering?"

"I am?" Harry said, blinking. He hadn't noticed before, but he guessed that hehad automatically adapted his volume of speech to his hearing. Maybe that was why it always seemed like everyone was talking really loud except for Thanos and he. "Oh, now you say so…I'd prefer it if you did that as well. I've got sensitive hearing."

"And vision too, I assume?" Draco remarked, looking around the dimly lit room. "I can hardly see a thing."

"Yes. Now, I've got some questions for you…" Harry began, narrowing his eyes. "Why exactly did you invite me for your Samhain celebration?"

"What? Ah…no, don't misunderstand, it was for the reasons I told you. Honestly, you're one of my best friends and I wanted you to be there. Your invitation was already sent and accepted when, well…" Draco glanced nervously over to the Dark lord. "Anyways, I know you were in no danger."

"And what if I had been?" Harry asked, curious. Dray shifted uncomfortably, his eyes flicking from his friends face to his Lord's back, not willing to admit either betrayal of friendship or betrayal of the Dark."Ah, forget that."

Obviously relieved, Draco relaxed. "So, how's your life till now? Being a bloodsucker and all that."

"It sucks." Harry said, and they both broke out in laughter, until Harry got pain in his ears and asked Draco to shut up. –also, he had notices the visible tension of a certain Dark Lord, ready to throw a Crucio- "No, but really, it's better than anything I could have wished for." He answered truthfully. "I don't have problems here, no obligations, no manipulations, no-one to tell me how I should live…I'm finally free."

"So, how long did you have to be chained in a dungeon to accept your fate?" Draco snorted.

Harry reddened, cursing the fact that he had just drank blood, while thinking about how easy had been to be convinced. Or well, convinced… "It just…happened. There were no chains or dungeons necessary."

"Oh?" the blonde said, raising an eyebrow. "That's a first. Normally you're too stubborn to accept any change. Even if it is for your own good. I have to ask for the method to get you to agree with something so easily."

More blood rose to his cheeks. "It..well, I…" he stammered. "It's not something you can try."

"Why not?"

"Because, young Malfoy, you would end up dead." Thanos said with a silky, dangerous voice.

Draco jumped at the slight hissing tone, and quickly changed subjects. "So, what do you do in your free time?"

"I draw, hunt, cuddle, read-"

"Cuddle?" Draco interrupted. "You've finally found yourself a girlfriend?"

"Boyfriend." He mumbled, becoming –if possible- even more red. Thanos had now turned around, and watched them with wicked amusement in his eyes, and an unbelievable smug grin on his face.

"How'd you met him?"

"At your party." Harry said, unwilling.

"Name?"

"Thanos."

"Age?"

"…" Harry bit his lip and fell in a fit of giggles

"What?"

"You'll faint."

"Really…"

Mirth danced in his eyes when he gave Thanos, who was glaring by now, a sweet smile. "Seventy…something." He whispered.

Draco looked horrified. "Harry! Ew, just…ew! Come on, don't you have any taste at all? Gods, and here I thought I'd raised you better than that. Standards!"

"Keep your voice down, young Malfoy." The Dark Lord said, getting up and kneeling behind Harry, making the teen think of the evening they had met, and knowing he was in trouble. "And my angel…maybe I should teach you just how young I can act…"

Fangs nipped at his shoulder as sharp nails crept up his shirt and dragged across his stomach. Harry's eyes fluttered close, and therefore he did not see the understanding dawning on his friend's face, before disbelief settled in.

Trying to remain his dignity and Harry's privacy, Draco looked away, uncomfortable, as the vampire's face was being devoured. As the teen was pushed on the floor, and his Lord crawled on top of Harry, Draco got to his feet and silently walked out of the room, deciding that his presence wouldn't be appreciated any longer.

"You chased him away." Harry accused his lover. "You're a possessive AH Yes, there!"

"A possessive what?"

Harry could only reply with a stream of incoherent sounds, something which suited his Maker just fine.

Harry was getting depressed. True, he was free. True, no-one bothered him. But the downside of it was that he was becoming lonely. Thanos was getting caught up in his work more and more often. The war was raging fully now his lover had finally showed himself to the world, and as a result, Harry was left on his own, more often than not wandering through the manor on his own, and on the nights he slept, he woke up with no-one beside him. The only friend he had contact with was Dray, but he too, was in the middle of the war, as a death eater. Still, Harry didn't want to have anything to do with it anymore. A long week passed, in which he tried to make up his mind about what to do, a week in which he only saw glimpses of Thanos. Three times. When his decision was finally made, he confronted the man.

"Thanos." He called out softly.

"Harry, I'm sorry, I don't have time right now…" the man said, agitated. "Three of my followers were wounded during the last raid, and somehow, they ended up in St. Mungo's. I need to find a way to get them out before their Mark is discovered."

"I'm leaving."

His lover stopped dead on his tracks and turned his eyes to Harry's face. The young Vampire sadly thought about the fact that he hadn't even seen those eyes directed at him for the previous weeks.

"What?"

"I'm leaving." He said again, his meaning clear. "It won't be permanent…I'll return eventually…it's just…the war, it's taking so much of you that I feel like I'm completely forgotten. I know that's not true, but still. When was the last time we talked? The last time we touched?"

"I'm busy." The Dark Lord answered on an apologizing voice that betrayed how much he hated the war at the moment.

"I know…that's why. It's becoming too much. I don't wish to be cooped up in this house for as long as the war continues. I want to travel, discover other cultures, magic, places…"

Thanos nodded with understanding and walked over to Harry, enveloping him in a hug. "Be safe. The world is still looking for you."

"I know." He whispered back. He almost regretted his decision, but sighed when a death eater stormed in who needed help with something. "Will you wait for me?" he asked with sorrow.

"Forever. Come back any time you wish."

"When it's over…when it's all over, I'll return."

"I'll write."

"My Lord!" the death eater said on an urgent tone.

Lips crashed together for a long moment, that still went by too soon for Harry's liking. "I never apologized," he said.

"What for?"

"Not helping. I know it would be over sooner with me backing you up."

"I would never ask that of you. You suffered enough already. The fate of the world shouldn't have been on your shoulders in the first place."

"Thank you…" Harry said, and then he was gone.

Epilogue

Harry walked through one of the doors leading into Hogwarts. He had avoided the main door to avoid attention. However, when he found the corridors mostly empty, he frowned and cast a Tempus, sighing when he saw that everyone would be in the Great Hall, huddled together for dinner. Annoying humans. A thrill went through his spine at the thought of seeing his Maker again. Such a long time, with nothing but letters to let him know what the other was doing. It had been necessary though…As much as he loathed to admit it, he knew he had been too much of a distraction to Thanos and his plans for war. Harry had never been one for war, and he still didn't like killing. It was a good thing that he'd become an expert at Obliviation spells, for he always allowed his food to leave alive now. Well, maybe not animals, but the fact that he had never been an animal himself might have something to do with that. That, and they mostly didn't have enough blood to sustain him without sucking them dry.

Waves of nostalgia hit him every time he walked through a familiar hall, or passed a classroom he'd had lessons in. Five years…five years since he had last set foot in the school, three months since the Dark had managed to get the staff of Hogwarts to capitulate, according to the newspapers. If going by the letters Thanos sent him, then the resistance had been almost nonexistent since Dumbledore's death –something that still hurt somewhat, even despite Harry wanting his lover to win the war. Another reason why it had been better that he left, no matter if it was fleeing behavior.- One month since every bit of rebellion within these walls and also in the rest of the Wizarding world had been squashed.

Still, even though he found that he still cared for his former friends and the fate of the rest of the students and teachers, his memories of his human life had faded with the years, slowly becoming overshadowed by his much clearer memories from when he had become a Vampire. His rebirth. Memories of voices and faces resurfaced, but it was hard to put a name or time on them. He shrugged his hood off as he approached the Great hall, knowing hiding himself would be near impossible. He clenched his jaw when imagining the reactions. Even though he had changed, Harry Potter was still a face that not many humans would forget. Especially not here. Then, he released his breath. It didn't matter now, did it? Whatever they would do or say was to no significance to him anymore. He was suddenly very glad for the Vampire laws that Thanos had established immediately when Lucius had taken the position of Minister of Magic, even before the Dark Lord had revealed himself to the public.

Following the noise of murmurs and laughing he ended up in front of the doors of the Great Hall. He swung them open and slowly, the chatting turned into shocked whispers. Instantly, his eyes searched out his lover, suddenly caring little for the opinions of the students as garnet eyes came to rest upon his form and widened. He smiled, resisting the urge to throw himself on the man and met Thanos' stare with a brilliant green gaze.

"Harry…" Thanos spoke softly, a rare tenderness in his voice that was only ever reserved for Harry, as he rose from his chair and walked around the table to stop in front of Harry. "I assume your travels were fruitful?"

"Yeah, they sure were…there's so much I want to tell you about them." Harry smiled. "But no matter how wonderful all of those places were, there's still no place like home." He continued, and let his hand rest at the other's cheek, knowing that his meaning wasn't lost. Tenderly, he stroked a few hairs out of the man's face. "While away, I've learnt many things, but nothing was more important than the realization that slowly but surely dawned on me. I'll never feel better than when I am here, with you." He whispered. "And that left me with a hollow feeling. I wish to mend that, and I hope you'll try to help. And I wish…" his voice faltered a bit, and he steeled himself and tried to hide his nerves. He cursed every single student that was staring at them now, but he knew he needed to do this now, now he still had the courage. And it probably was better so, in public, than it would be behind closed doors.

"My angel?" Thanos asked, frowning, not knowing why Harry was suddenly spilling out all his love. "What is it that you wish?"

"A wish to stay beside you, no matter what happens. To love you till eternity, no matter what harshness we'll have to face. No matter what happens…" he said, and slid to his knees. Thanos opened his mouth, no doubt to reprimand him with a 'what did I say about not bowing in front of me', but Harry silenced him with a look. "Thanos." Harry murmured, and grasped hold of a hand, brushing his lips over the skin. "I wish to make what we have…permanent. So that never again, we can be separated again like the previous years."

His lover froze with disbelief, and Harry met his stare, a feeling of dread and uncertainty in his stomach, but it disappeared when that look turned in understanding, and then love. "Continue." The man spurred him on.

Harry breathed deep in, a habit that he used whenever he needed to calm himself, and decided not to beat around the bush anymore. "Would you do me the honor of marrying you?"

Before even getting a chance to look up, hands wound into his hair and his mouth got ravaged, leaving Harry shocked as to how much emotion the other was showing. Arms came around him in a grip so tight that he would have suffocated, had he still be human. Thanos smelled his neck and fangs scraped the skin, but refrained from biting down yet. Harry got dizzy of his lover's scent all around him and the young vampire parted his lips to latch onto the crook of Thanos' nape. His fangs sank in at the same moment his own skin broke and he wondered why they hadn't done this before as a feeling of completeness filled him. They kneeled there on the stone floor for what seemed like hours, neither becoming drained, for they consumed the same amount of blood that was being sucked from them. In a way, it felt even more intimate then a kiss.

Magic pulled at him and the familiar feeling of apparition tugged at his stomach. Harry was pushed down on a bed, and had just enough time to look around the room to notice that it was their old one at Riddle manor before his attention was fixed on his –fiancée? - again.

"You still didn't answer." Harry pointed out, grinning softly.

Thanos growled and ripped his clothes off, but then stilled and gazed down at Harry with love in his eyes "I will." He stated, and a warm feeling bloomed in Harry's chest. Wordlessly, he took his Makers hand, caressing the palm softly with his thumb. Magic flowed from his fingertips and metal materialized on the skin, winding around their ring fingers. After taking a moment to admire the piece of jewelry and letting the realization that he was engaged now crash down on him, Harry's grin widened. Tilting his head backwards, his lips brushed against the other's in a brief, but promising kiss.

XxX

"I Thanos, take thee, Harry,"

"I Harry, take thee, Thanos,"

"For richer, for poorer,"

"In sickness and in health,"

"To love and to honor,"

"To hold and to keep,"

"From moon to moon,"

"From night to night."

"From now, to forever,"

"Even death cannot do us part." Harry finished, and gazed up at his now husband, and they leaned in for a deep kiss, one that would Harry savor for years to come.

Harry sighed and together, they gazed at the full moon, appreciating the protectiveness of the night.

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xx GeMerope