Tucked in the corner of the darkest part of the library, Harry sat by himself with his Defense book open but untouched before him. His eyes kept darting around the large room towards the other students. He couldn't help but feel pangs of jealousy as he watched them.

"I've often wondered that too," a soft voice spoke to his left suddenly.

He jumped the second he heard the unexpected intruder. Tearing his eyes from an unknown student, he glanced towards the dishwater blond by his side.

"Excuse me?" He knew he had seen her before, but he couldn't place where.

The young girl smiled shyly before she motioned with her head towards the others. "If they knew how easy their lives were," she went on to explain.

Harry frowned for a moment before he shrugged. "What makes you think their lives are easy?" When her silvery eyes met his, he felt as if all the air had been ripped from his lungs.

"Look at them," she replied, her eyes falling on a young Hufflepuff who was joking with his friend across the way from them. "They're laughing, having fun, as if the darkness wasn't all around us. Almost as if they were immune, don't you think?" Her eyes then returned to his. "Unlike us."

"Us?" What did that mean? Unlike us? "I don't know who you are, but it's over now. Voldemort lost, and we won."

"Is it, Harry?" she asked with a kind smile. "Or is this just the calm before the storm?" She then shrugged. "Time will tell, I suppose." She then quickly turned and started to head away from him.

He blinked as he watched her skip away happily. What had just happened? Who was that girl? Had he seen her before? He stared after her before she disappeared behind the next bookcase.

"All right there, Harry?" Neville asked him a moment later as he walked up to Harry's table with a large stack of Herbology books.

"Yeah. Fine." Harry's frown deepened, though, before he turned back to glance at the other boy. "Neville, do you know who that was?"

"Who?" Neville glanced around.

"That girl I was just talking to. The blond in Ravenclaw."

"Oh! Yeah." Neville then nodded slowly before he sat across from him. "That's Luna."

"Luna?" Harry repeated.

"Yeah. Luna Lovegood. Your dad doesn't really like her, I think."

Harry snorted instantly. "Dad doesn't like loads of people, Neville."

"Yeah, but there's something about her in particular, though. Doesn't seem to stop her any." Neville then pointed at Harry's book. "That spell's tough, isn't it?"

Harry glanced down at the opened page and saw the Patronus spell that he was supposed to be reading about. "Yeah." Tough didn't do it any justice. It was downright impossible.

"Bet you'll be able to cast it, though," Neville stated with a laugh.

"Huh?" His eyes then narrowed on the other boy. "Why?" After all, he wasn't that skilled.

"Because you're wicked at Defense . . . unlike me." He shrugged. "You saw how I was the other day. The Professor had to stand in front of me so I didn't pass out with that Boggart of your dad."

"Yeah, but Dad is rather terrifying sometimes. Any of us would have had the same reaction."

"Not you," the young man pointed out.

"He's my dad, so, yeah. I've gotten over it a bit, but I was just as scared as you were." Neville clearly wasn't convinced. "It's the truth. Honest."

Bang!

"No running!" the shrill voice of Madam Pince screamed. "Twenty points from—STOP!"

Harry's eyes narrowed as he stared in the direction he had heard her. It wasn't long before he caught Blaise Zabini and Theo Nott rushing around a bookcase with Madam Pince close on their heels.

"It's happened again!" Blaise yelled.

"In Dufftown this time!" Theo exclaimed, slamming the Daily Prophet down onto the table.

"Dufftown? That's not far from here."

Glancing down, Harry read the headline, "Bloodbath in Dufftown."

"That's the third town this week, isn't it?" someone asked nearby.

"You don't think they'll cancel Hogsmeade this weekend, do you?" another asked fearfully.

Unable to stomach hearing them anymore, Harry pushed himself up and gathered his books before he left. A whole town had been massacred again, but all they cared about was their stupid Hogsmeade weekend. Harry headed for the dungeons soon after.

Voldemort had been defeated. His dad had told him so. That was true. So, what was this then, he had found himself wondering lately. Had someone more sinister stepped into place, ready and bent on destroying the world? There always was another head to cut off, his father liked to say.

Several minutes later, he walked through the now opened portrait into his father's rooms. The crackling fire made him feel a bit better, he supposed, as he slowly headed for the sofa in front of the fireplace. He just wanted to wrap himself up in a blanket and never leave his dad's rooms. His eyes narrowed a moment later when he saw Aurora walk around the corner wrapped in a blanket herself.

"Mum?"

"Harry?" she replied before she laughed nervously. "I see we had the same thought."

He nodded as he grabbed a blanket for himself. It wasn't as if the dungeons were horribly cold currently, but it was just the feeling of safety, he supposed, he needed.

"Where's Dad?" He saw her minute wince and felt his stomach drop instantly. Oh no.

"He had to leave earlier. The Headmaster, insufferable pain in the arse he is, asked him to go on a mission for him, I guess. No idea why, but he'll be back on Monday."

"Monday?" Harry's eyes widened. That was four days from then.

"Yeah. I'm not particularly thrilled about that either," she said with a shrug. "But he's planning on checking in with us whenever he can while he's gone."

"Do you know where he went?" Inside Harry's mind, the young boy kept repeating, 'Not Dufftown. Not Dufftown.'

"No. He didn't say."

"Well, is this because of the stuff in the Prophet?" When he caught her confusion, he added, "You know, about whole towns being massacred lately, I mean?"

"I don't know. Frankly, your guess is as good as mine at this point."

"Do they have any leads?"

"I don't know, Harry. I've been in here all day."

The young man sighed but nodded. He should've known that. She didn't like to leave his dad's rooms anymore. Not that he was blaming her. He wouldn't want to either.

"But if you're asking what's attacking these people, then I can give you another of my best guesses and say that it's, unfortunately, humanoid in nature."

"So, then Voldemort's back?"

"No, Harry. It's not magic that's causing this much death."

"Then what?"

"Take your pick, Mister Potter," Salazar piped up from his portrait. "Werewolves. Vampires. Dark wizards. Dementors even. It makes no difference really. They're all the same."

"But why now?"

"I don't know, Harry," Aurora replied.

"Isn't it obvious?" Salazar commented from his portrait.

"Isn't what obvious?"

"Their reasoning, dear. Do try to keep up, hmm?" Phineas Nigellus said to her in his usual arrogant way as he appeared in Salazar's portrait. "They want to fill the void left after Voldemort's demise. Everyone does. When one head is cut off, four more take its place."

"So, then what is this?"

"An assertion of dominance, really," Salazar replied with a listless shrug. "Winner take all."

"Exactly. Makes me rather glad I'm stuck in a portrait actually," said Phineas. "Can't die twice."

Harry frowned as he glanced at the two painted wizards. It couldn't be that simple. Could it? His fingers then brushed against the crumpled-up note still in his pocket. Who would have guessed he'd be glad he had forgotten to ask his dad to sign his permission slip for Hogsmeade this weekend? He never would have. Maybe Luna was right after all. Maybe this was just the calm before the storm.

Pulling his robes tighter around himself, Severus sat inside a small cave, watching the rain pour outside. He was tired of sitting around and doing nothing. But that was where Dumbledore wanted him for some reason, so there he sat, alone and hungry and utterly miserable.

For the last hour, he had pondered why he even had complied with the old man's wishes. With the Dark Lord out of the way now, there was no need for him to remain being a spy. Hell, he didn't even have to teach if he didn't want to anymore. Yet, he did enjoy brewing whatever he wanted whenever he wanted with whatever ingredients he could ever imagine. And having a job. Money was nice after all.

Though, money wasn't the underlying reasoning with this mission. So, why had he complied? He could have told the old man to piss off and spent the rest of the week with Harry and Aurora. Yet he didn't. So why?

Through the heavy downpour, he then saw a familiar shadowy figure and sighed.

"If you're done brooding already," coldly stated his companion as she removed her soaked outer robes and set them beside the crackling fire near him.

"I am not brooding," he shot back, unable to resist her trap. His frown deepened when he caught her steel blue eyes on him.

"Whatever you say, my dear son-in-law," she drawled as she sat across from him.

He hated her sarcasm. It was so bitter and sharp like a hundred knives sometimes. But it wasn't just that. It was the cold that surrounded her always that got him the most. He supposed most of that was the natural aura of the vampire in her, but if he were a betting man he'd state that she had likely been worse when she was a witch.

"Did you find anything out there?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.

"A few tracks, but nothing of value," she replied with a shrug.

"Perfect," he scoffed, shaking his head.

"You have somewhere better to be, Severus?"

The words fell from his lips before he couldn't even stop them. "Yes, with your daughter and my son, Syra, not here in the godforsaken forest with you."

"Then, by all means, Severus, leave," she stated icily. "It's what you do best, I'd imagine."

"Excuse me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, play coy. Act as if you haven't abandoned others before."

"I've never abandoned anyone," he growled, glaring at her. How dare she say that.

"No? Not even your son, hmm?" She smiled thinly when the color drained from his face. "If it weren't for my daughter, your son never would have known you were his father. Time and time again, she's had to step up when you couldn't or wouldn't."

"You don't know me, Syra."

"No, but I know your kind, Snape!" she snarled back, glaring at him. "How you'll slither in bed with anyone who will give you just a taste of power. How you'll court the darkness like a lover. How you'll destroy everyone around you just because you can."

"Is that how you see me?" he replied neutrally.

"You're a Death Eater second and a coward first. You can't wash those spots off no matter how hard you scrub. What my daughter sees in you, I will never know."

"Perhaps you should ask her instead of judge."

"And hear her romanticize your actions?" Syra scoffed harshly before she said mockingly, "Oh the poor lost boy, neglected by his parents. Strayed too far as a result of no one loving him and ended up making such a horrible mistake of his youth, one he'll regret to his dying day. The lost, sweet Prince who only needed someone to love him."

Severus stared at her for half a moment before deep chuckles burst from him. Laughing was much easier than hexing her across the cave, he decided. "Yeah, she does tend to romanticize me, doesn't she?" He noticed Syra's eyes narrow on him. "I love your daughter, Syra. You may disagree with her choice in me, but somehow I don't think your opinion really matters to her. In fact, if we are totally honest with one another, I wonder if one day you'll realize that by insulting me every chance you get, you're only alienating your daughter and pushing her away even more. So, maybe one day you'll notice the cold person standing all alone is you, not me, hmm, dear mother-in-law?"

When he watched her suddenly leap to her feet, he briefly considered Apparating away. Perhaps on second thought that had been a little harsh. As she rushed towards him, his hand tightened around his wand that was hidden under the folds of his robes. However, she brushed past him a second later, causing him to frown in confusion. He turned his head and followed her with his eyes. The moment he saw the glittering eyes in the darkness, he knew what it was that she had seen.

"Well, well, isn't this just a meal to die for?" purred a ghostly white young woman as she approached. Her tongue slowly ran over her teeth, showing her alabaster fangs.

"Move along, sweetheart," Syra replied, staring the four intruders down. "This one is mine."

"Is he?" murmured another, a tan man this time. His copper eyes moved over Severus slowly before he drew in a deep breath. "So fresh . . ."

"Mmm, yes," the young woman replied, staring at Severus longingly. "So intoxicating as well." Her eyes then darted to Syra. "Just a taste please? We're so hungry."

Severus didn't like the way they were looking at him, but for now he'd trust Syra.

"No. He's too bitter for you, children," Syra stated in return, reaching back and grabbing his arm before yanking him closer. "In fact, he's a bit of an acquired taste really. You deserve something better, something stronger to celebrate."

He watched the four younger vampires glance at one another as they considered this. He waited until he saw the leader of the group nod.

"Yes, we do. It won't be long now, my sister," the young woman purred. "For they are returning to teach us the way. The way we lost long ago, thanks to wizards and witches."

"The Elders?" Syra asked with her nails digging slightly more into Severus's arm.

"No. The Elders have abandoned us. The Azrial is coming."

Severus flinched instantly and felt Syra's nails draw blood the second they heard it. Aurora had chosen him and Harry. It didn't make sense what they were saying.

"Then you've not heard, I take it?" Syra asked a few seconds later, her voice somehow steady. "The one they call Azrial chose her wizard instead."

Deep, low chuckles echoed behind the four younger vampires instantly.

"You mean the wizard you're holding, Syra Ophelia?" a voice spoke from the shadows.

Severus noticed the four instantly step aside before an older vampire emerged from the darkness. They seemed to almost cower behind this man. Even Syra seemed to recognize this man.

"You betrayed your gifts, and here I thought you had so much potential." The man's deep red eyes then flickered over to Severus before returning to Syra. "Your daughter belongs to us. Not them. Had you guided her a bit more, we'd not be in this situation. No matter, though, it's easily corrected." The man's hand then rose up suddenly, and Severus felt a tight vice wrap around him as a result.

He struggled as he felt the invisible vice tighten around him. It was worse than Devil's Snare.

"Let him go!" Syra yelled.

"Oh, don't worry your pretty little head, my sweet Syra," the man said silkily. "We're not here for him. He hasn't harmed the Azrial like you have."

"I did what I had to do to protect my—"

When she went silent suddenly, Severus turned his head towards her.

"You forget that we were there, Syra. With you at Windsor. We saw all that you did in the name of protection. How it really was only pain and heartbreak." The man then pushed her head up with his finger so they'd be staring eye to eye with one another. "She may have chosen her wizard, but did you honestly believe we wouldn't have anticipated that? Because we did, Syra." The older man chuckled. "You three may have broken her, but he's made her stronger. Stronger than we could ever imagine. Stronger than even you, Syra." He then shrugged. "Shame you won't see it."

Severus inhaled sharply when he saw the four younger vampires attack her suddenly. Her screams pierced the air until the terrible silence came. He dropped to the ground a moment later, doing his best to ignore the fear that had gripped him inside. Vampires and werewolves, he wasn't certain which were worse at this point.

"She may have chosen you, Severus, but it's my blood that flows in her veins. Remember this."