Xithion's Gift

Xithion's Gift

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Prologue:

A Vampire's Servant

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Madame Pomfrey smiled at her favourite patient, making a gesture with her hands that indicated he could put his shirt back on. "Okay, I do believe that was it, Remus. I see nothing wrong with your health, at least nothing out of the usual symptoms of your Lycanthropy. Is there still something you wanted to ask?"

Remus hesitated, stopping buttoning up his shirt. "Um... In fact, there is. But, I don't really know..."

Poppy chuckled a bit. Remus had always been such a shy boy, it was just another thing that made him so adorable. "You know you can ask me anything. Now, come on. What is it?"

The werewolf chewed his lower lip. "Well... During last summer, I..."

"Yes?" probed Poppy. She was getting very interested now.

Remus drew a deep breath. Then he finally said, "During last summer, I became a vampire's servant."

Now Poppy couldn't help but blink in surprise. Well, this was certainly one thing she hadn't been expecting to hear. "Well, that's definitely surprising, but... Did you do it voluntarily?"

"Of course I did!" exclaimed the boy fiercely. Seemingly he was going to defend his decision in the matter.

The mediwitch raised her hands in a surrendering gesture. "Oh yes, of course, forgive me... I just had to ask. Who it is? No, don't say, let me guess. Somebody from this school?" Well, of course it would be. How otherwise could they be around whenever they needed to feed from the werewolf?

Remus nodded at this. "Yes, it is," he said in confirmation.

"That doesn't leave that much options," Poppy mused. "Is it a boy or a girl you're serving?"

"A boy. A year older than I," the werewolf told her, again chewing his lip.

"It's not Lucius Malfoy, is it?" asked Poppy in a slightly teasing manner.

To this, Remus didn't respond with words. However, a rather pretty blush crept to his face.

The witch laughed a bit at the fiercely blushing boy. "So, it is him. What it is you wanted to ask about it?"

Remus smiled a bit nervously before asking his question. "Are there any special notices about my health, for example my eating habits, that I should take especially care of?"

Poppy smiled soothingly in response to him. "Well, the most important thing is that you can't eat any garlic, because it might damage Lucius through your blood, too. But you knew that already, didn't you?"

"Of course I did."

"Now, then," Poppy said. "Like you probably know, Lucius has this far received a special potion, so his need for blood shouldn't be as great as with freshly-turned vampires. However, he's also young. Do you think he feeds too much from you?" she asked then, slightly worried.

Remus shrugged, looking indifferent. "I couldn't really say. How much is too much?"

"After he's fed off you, do you ever feel dizzy, or have you ever fainted?"

The boy worried his lower lip. "Yes, I do feel a bit faint... But it always goes over after a few seconds."

Poppy clicked her tongue. "If it truly goes over soon, then it's maybe not any reason to worry about," she said thoughtfully. "Still, there's a possibility that he drinks too much, both because he's young and therefore has a stronger thirst for blood, and because he's been drinking the potion and isn't used to control himself. Therefore, I think it'd be best if you took care of yourself in this matter, too."

He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "And how'd that happen?"

Poppy chuckled slightly, then opened the top drawer of her desk, taking something out from it and placing it on the table. "Well, I happen to have here something that maybe interests you, too..."

Remus gasped as he saw what she was offering to him. "Blood chocolate? I didn't even know that exists!"

She smiled at him. Yes, Remus had always been fond on chocolate. "Yeah, it's a whole new type of candy. You know the blood lollipops Honeydukes sells for vampires? Even though vampires do like them, they're a bit too strong for anyone else - also vampires' servants. So, the company that makes the lollipops decided to create this chocolate, meant especially for those who are voluntarily letting some vampire feed off them."

"So, I can both take care of my health and eat chocolate, at the same time?" Remus grinned.

"Exactly. Eat this, like I'm sure you'll do, and you don't have to worry -- although I'm going to have a little talk with Lucius. He has to understand that he can feed absolutely no more than he needs to live."

"Lucius would never do that!" exclaimed the boy fiercely. Then he said hesitantly, "But... Poppy..."

"Yes, my dear boy?" She was smiling brightly. It was sweet how he was defending his boyfriend.

"Last full moon, Lucius was with me," the young wizard said, his voice very quiet. "He managed to keep me under control, the wolf's mind couldn't get over me... I didn't damage myself at all."

"Really? That's brilliant!" Poppy beamed. "Of course I knew about the theory, that a vampire could control a werewolf serving him, but I didn't know for sure. So you're not dangerous anymore?"

Remus nodded in confirmation. "It appears so. But, we spoke about it, and I have to admit that I would feel more comfortable if I, or, rather, we, still spent the full moon nights in the Shrieking Shack. If he lost the control, I could never forgive myself the results of it. I don't want to risk anything."

"I understand." She nodded slowly. Then, with a bit of mischievous hint in her voice, she changed the topic. "Now, do tell me Remus, do you serve Lucius in other means also, not only with your blood?"

He again blushed ever so sweetly. "Um... Er... I... Well..." He seemingly couldn't say anything coherent.

Poppy, however, could not be merciful and just let it drop. She wanted to know. "For example, do you help him dealing with the sexual desire that always follows a vampire's feeding?"

"POPPY!" exclaimed Remus. His cheeks were now crimson with embarrassment.

The mediwitch, however, merely chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes. No need for blushing, Remus, it's perfectly normal that the servant also fulfills their master's sexual needs. In fact, I think that all vampires and their servants are also lovers, it's only natural because of the deep bond between them."

"Um..." Remus hesitated for a moment, then realized that it didn't matter much anymore. Poppy knew already the truth. "Well, yes," he said then. "I and Lucius are indeed lovers."

"You are taking care of precaution, aren't you?" asked Poppy then -- ever the mother hen, especially when it came to Remus. "As you know, werewolves are capable of pregnancy, no matter what's their gender."

Remus nodded in confirmation. "Yes, we've been very careful far from the start."

Now, Poppy smiled, satisfied with what she heard. Well, Remus had always been such a sensible young man. "So I can rest my nights without worrying. Are you going to tell somebody about your relationship?"

"N-no," stuttered the young werewolf, "at least, not yet. My friends might not understand, and the Slytherins certainly would not. But we've got all planned out. When Lucius graduates, he'll stay here, assisting our Potions Master. And once I get out of school as well, we'll buy an apartment where we can live together. And then, we're going to tell all our friends."

She smiled at his now determined expression. Such a sweet boy he was. "A good plan, I might say. Now, if you don't have anything else to ask or tell about, I do believe your friends are already waiting for you."

"Yeah, I should go. Goodbye, Poppy, and thank you." With that, Remus started to hurry towards the door.

Poppy smiled at the retreating boy's back. "No problem, my boy. ...Oh, and Remus?"

"Yes?" asked the young werewolf, turning to look at her over his shoulder.

Again, the mediwitch smiled warmly at him. "Congratulations... And good luck. Take care, my boy."

Remus flashed her a bright smile. "I will, Poppy."

And with that, he exited the Infirmary.

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