Chapter 14 :Innocent!

If you want to read ahead by 10+ chapters you could take a visit on my patreon Or check it out.

http://patreon.com/SageOf016

---------

He stumbled into the kitchen, bleary-eyed and limping slightly at ten til nine wearing an oversized tshirt and baggy gray pants that hung limply from his small hips.

"G'morning, Aunt Petunia." he mumbled sleepily as he plopped down heavily into a kitchen chair and let his head fall to the table with a thump before he was instantly back asleep.

Petunia took a deep breath and blinked once, and then she saw it. Her hands shook and she nearly dropped the plate she had been washing.

A small smudge of dark red, almost unnoticeable, marred his right cheek. His skin was pale and flawless, almost as if he had been carved from white stone.

The hand curled almost innocently next to his head on the tabletop was slender and ended in fingernails that more closely resembled claws. Long, dark eyelashes fluttered in sleep. He was not breathing.

Crossing the room carefully, quietly, she reached out for the heavy curtain that closed off the window, to keep prying Ms. Number Five from seeing anything "unnatural" in their house.

With a quick tug, she pulled it back and let the bright morning sun fill the room, falling over the sleeping form in a cascade of warmth and light.

With a cry, the boy leapt from his seat and backed into the hall.

"I'm really tired, Aunt Petunia." he said hastily, all the while backing farther away. "I'm going back to bed. Don't bother me." With that, he turned and fled up the stairs. She heard his door slam shut a moment later.

Petunia let out a shuddering breath and slumped down onto the cool tiles of the kitchen floor, her hand falling away from the window and letting shadows fall once more into her life.

That was it. That proved it. She knew now what she had to do. God help her, it was the only way.

~~~~~~~~~

Harry barely had the energy to open his eyes. Grudgingly, he admitted he may have overdone it. He had played a stressful and rather dangerous role, used several powerful spells, led an assault on a wizarding prison, faced down three vampires, tried to destroy one of the most powerful wards in existance, been hit by a magical attack unprotected, gone through the emotional turmoil of seeing his Master who didn't even know him and finally gave his system a shock by drinking more blood than he probably should have.

He hadn't realized exactly how tired he was until his skin had prickled where the sun struck it. Born vampires tended to have a natural tolerance for the sun and for one to react that way meant they were close to collapse.

He intended to spend the day in bed, locked in his darkened, warded room in a deep healing sleep.

He didn't even notice when the only other occupant of the house got in her car and left.

Petunia was even more frightened now. She stood before a reception desk in a large room filled with many people going to and fro around her. The entrance hall was completely closed off and lit by floating candles.

A scuffle between a tall, athletic woman dressed all in leather and a man in rich red robes was quickly broken up by burly security guards who brandished sticks at them both.

"Can I help you?" the woman behind the desk asked, looking bored.

"Y-yes." Petunia stuttered while wringing her hands nervously. "Could you tell me where to go if I have a vampire child?"

Pointing absently with a quill, the woman replied, "Family Support. Down that hall. Follow the signs."

Petunia thanked her and hurried to find the appropriate office. The less time she spends in this place, the better.

She almost screamed as a man bumped into her and turned to apologize, flashing his fangs in a wide grin.

She knocked almost frantically at the door bearing the appropriate words.

"Come in," a man's voice called from within.

She opened the door and ducked inside. The office was simple, done in shades of creme and beige and sparsely furnished with two plush armchairs before a desk, behind which sat a middle-aged man with sandy blonde hair.

He looked entirely normal, from his brown suit to the expensive looking pen he held poised over a document. That is, if you overlooked the cup of red liquid he held in his left hand and the rather sharp canines.

Setting down the cup and pen, he smiled and gave her his full attention. "Welcome to the Family Support Division of Vampiric Children Services, Department of Vampire Affairs. I'm Anthony Striga. Please, have a seat. How can I help you?"

Petunia sat primarily in a chair and without preamble blurted out, "I think my nephew is a vampire."

Striga blinked for a moment before chuckling. "Not saying I don't believe you, but what makes you think that?"

Petunia took a deep breath and began. "It all started when he was six. He became...more aggressive, and started using magic on people. Like the kids at school, muggle school. If they bullied him, they would suddenly just freeze up and fall over. My sister-in-law used to bring her dogs over to visit as well, but when she did they started going missing. Some would turn up horribly mauled and drained of blood.

The boy is really smart too, much more than any normal child, even a genius. I thought it was just free- wizard stuff, but yesterday he threatened me and my family and stunned my son. When he did, I saw his eyes flash briefly red.

He left last night sometime after seven and didn't return until two. This morning, he reacted badly to the sun and ran back to his room to sleep. He should still be there. And-"

"And?" Striga pressed.

"It's the way he looks. I think he's under glamour, but I- I can see through it sometimes. This morning, he- Well, he looks like a vampire."

The man nodded thoughtfully and shuffled through some papers on his desk before replying. Drawing out a form of some kind, he asked, "Six is the age a born vampire would begin to show signs. Is there any history of vampirism in your family?"

---------

If you want to read ahead by 10+ chapters you could take a visit on my patreon Or check it out.

http://patreon.com/SageOf016