As You Fade Into the Night

Harry Potter – Aged 1

It's on that fateful day when everything changed; the threads of destiny all connect to this night, and how everything will spiral out of control for the surrounding wizards. Destiny had been fed up with wizard supremecy, and Destiny wanted that to change and soon. There was an infant in Gordic's Hollow that allowed that opportunity.

Lord Voldemort, the latest and most power Dark Wizard of the current time, was lead into the Potter cottege of Gordic's Hollow, and into the house by his snivelling servant, Peter Pettigrew. Now, Voldemort severely disliked Wormtail, and as soon as the rat animagus severed his purpose, the dark lord killed him with a killing curse and he moved up the stairs to the nursery.

James and Lily had let their guard down to visit their friend, Remus Lupin, and now they would pay the price, they had made the ridiculous idea to let Peter baby-sit. They would suffer from their stupidity, of that the dark lord was certain.

Voldemort made it the nursery in no time, however, he was stumped. There were two toddlers, one to each crib, and they were near identical besides the colour of their eyes, both were silent, one had hazel coloured eyes and the other a bright, emerald green.

He knew his time was coming to a close, and Voldemort took a chance; he threw the killing curse at the green eyed child, however, a mirror appeared in front of the child, the one the hazel eyed one had been eyeing curiously, and it redirected the curse onto Voldemort, which killed the dark lord instantly.

However, a dark, screeching cloud left Voldemort's body and fled the building.

The children where shocked, and the mirror which had headed to the hazel-eyed child, dropped as the source of the magic held it up, was cut off in the fear and shock that came with the death of Voldemort and the wraith that left his body.

The first people to arrive onto the scene were James and Lily, along with Remus. All three fled to the nursery, with only Remus sparing a look at the fallen body of Pettigrew, and they ushered around the hazel eyed twin, who had a cut across his cheek from when the mirror fell and a flying shard had cut into the skin.

None of them spared a look towards the exhausted green eyed twin, who had levitated the mirror and indirectly saved himself as well as his brother, the one who wanted to play with the mirror in the first place.

Dumbledore, who arrived shortly after, glanced at the exhausted green eyed child, and he felt a sting of pity for the child, with the new chosen one found, there was a great chance that the child would be severely neglected and left behind. If there was anything he could do to stop it, he would.

"Albus," James called to grab the old wizard's attention. "Maxwell is the chosen one, isn't he?" It wasn't a question, but rather a hidden statement.

"Yes," Albus replied. "He is." Of that Albus was certain... so why did he feel that something was wrong with that conclusion?

~*~*~*~

Harry Potter - August, aged 4

For as long as little Harry could remember, Maxwell was the center of the family; he was the glue that kept them together, and he was the most important. Mama had often said that Maxwell needed to learn how to be a hero, and that she and Daddy needed to spend as much time as possible to do that, after all, did he really want Maxwell to die?

Harry really didn't want his brother to die just because there was a bad man out there, but he wanted his mama and daddy to play with him too!

The four year old child sat in the shade of a hidden tree as he watched his mama and daddy play with his brother, all of them were laughing as the boy was told all about how to fly on a child's broom stick. Harry learned to let them come to him, otherwise they would shoo him away to go and play on his own, but... they approached him less and less.

"Hello Harry," an old, cheerful voice said, disrupting his envious observation.

"Dumblydore!" Harry exclaimed and he hugged the legs of the brightly dressed old man; this man was one of the few people who noticed him besides Uncle Remus. He still had a hard time saying the old man's name, but he was close to getting it right, he was sure!

Dumbledore chuckled and patted the attention-starved child's head. "It's good to see you again Harry, how have you been my boy?"

"I've been a good boy sir!" Harry replied eagerly and he continued to cling onto the man until, inevitably, he would start paying more attention to Maxwell than Harry, and the green-eyed boy would be alone once again.

"I'm glad my boy," Dumbledore replied as he fiddled with the pouch strapped to his waist, and a bright smile lit the man's crooked face as he pulled out a small, leather-bound book. "I have a present for you my boy."

"Really?" The boy asked as he eyed the leather-bound book with a joy that was too deep for such a simple gift. It made Albus sad.

"Yes, this is a special book you see," Albus explained and he distantly heard the squeal of an excited Maxwell as the older twin finally spotted him. "This is book filled with all the different magical creatures in the world, some you could even find in this very garden!"

"Wow," the little green-eyed boy replied, and he gingerly accepted the book. Harry barely noticed Dumbledore leaving him on his own to approach Maxwell and the rest of his family, he sat in the grass and looked through the book. At four, he couldn't read a lot of the words, but he liked the pretty pictures.

Harry grinned; he finally had something that Maxwell and his parents couldn't take away from him.

~*~*~*~

Harry Potter - Feburary, aged 6

By now, Harry didn't even consider himself a member of the family. His parents barely noticed him, and the only one who noticed him besides Dumbledore (and occasionally Uncle Remus) was the family House Elf, Luminor.

Luminor often brought him food since he wanted to avoid his 'family' as much as possible. Harry even moved into the attic to get away and only came down when Dumbledore came or at night for some space to stretch his legs.

Something had changed, Harry could sense it. After all this time, the green-eyed boy had still kept the little book and other knick-knacks that Dumbledore and Remus had given him, but he had packed them all in the expandable bag that the old headmaster had given him. He wanted to get away as quickly as possible if something bad was going to happen.

Despite the bad feeling in his stomach, Harry crept out of the attic to stretch his legs and he walked silently through the halls of the house. There was a light underneath the library door and, curious, Harry crept to the door and hovered close to the gap in the not quite shut door.

"...he can't stay here Lily, he's getting in the way of Maxwell's training!" A voice that Harry recognized as James' hissed at his wife. Harry had stopped referring to his parents as 'mama' and 'daddy' a long time ago, and he stopped feeling much, if any, attachment to them; they were obstacles in his way of survival.

It wasn't hard to figure out who James was talking about either, and Harry felt his heart stop and face pale in fear.

"We can't just disown him and put him out on the streets James, that's inhumane!" Lily protested.

"We could send him off to a muggle orphanage," Jame responded with an odd calm that Harry had never heard from the emotional man before. "Or we could send him off to your sister."

Harry swallowed and he retreated to his little attic to collect his band, and one of the old family wands which worked half-decently for him, and then he crept out of the house. He had heard of the stories of how Aunt Petunia treated Lily for having magic, and how Voldemort had grown up in a muggle orphanage; he would be better off on the streets.

The child held the old wand aloft and hailed for the Knight Bus.

~*~*~*~

Harry Potter – August, aged 7

The night was silent tonight, and very dark, like an obsidian, velvet blanket was spread across the town. The stars glittered in the sky like tiny jewels or fairy dust, and regardless of the beauty, the few people out that night still felt jumpy and cautious. Tonight was a night for the darker, and far more vicious creatures.

The man striding through the near empty streets of Diagon Alley snorted as people jumped at the sight of him and attempted to keep as far away as possible. They feared him, especially as they caught sight of his wine red eyes glowing beneath the darkness of his hood, and despite being wizards and witches, none had dared to get in his way and oppose him, good.

His tongue traced the large canine-like fangs in his mouth, and his eyes dilated as those fangs pricked his tongue and he enjoyed the taste of his own blood. He caught sight of the Knockturn Alley, and he darted into the Alley, he was eager to find the blood bar to drink from, and maybe convince that Fae waitress for a quick shag.

However, all those plans went down the drain when he caught movement in the corner of his eye. There, right before him, was a small human child rummaging around through the bin for something to eat. The man picked up his odour and labelled him as homeless and malnourished, the boy's hair was dark, but the colour was hard to identify in the dark, and the child's eyes were a shocking emerald green. The child's body was too slender and covered in clothes both too small and too big for him, and they too were filthy, like the rest of the boy.

The man mentally sighed, the child was human, and the boy had powerful magic that was practically humming under his skin, but he was still human, and it was unlikely the boy would survive being homeless for long, or he would be sent to a muggle orphanage and that would be a fate worse than death, that much the man knew from experience.

However, the man had made up his mind. "You know," he spoke, in a voice with a slight lisp, which startled the human child, who kept his fearful green eyes on him. "Eating from the trash will not sustain you."

"What do you want?" The boy asked, and he remained tensed, like a coil, ready to spring and take flight in a moment's notice.

The hooded man's eyes narrowed as his suspicions were confirmed; the boy had been on the streets for at least a week to have become so cautious and guarded. It was sad, and it tugged at the man's heart, however, he would not allow himself to lose focus on pitying the child. "Just some company for a little while, most wizards are so dull and full of pointless niceties."

The child giggled for a moment, and then he slapped a hand over his mouth with large eyes, as if he was shocked that he had let his guard down, or approved of saying something bad about wizards. The man guessed it was the former, and he pulled back his hood so the child could see who, or rather what, he really was.

The man's hair was razor-cut and fell down to his shoulders in crimson waves, and his face was sharp and angular, and the very tips of his fangs poked between his lips. "Tell me child, have you ever seen a vampire, or a Fae?"

The child shook his head to answer his 'no' and his fear dimmed somewhat. The man tilted his head to the side slightly at the odd reaction from the human child; had he just relaxed in the presence of a non-human? How curious indeed.

"Are you a Fae sir?" The child asked curiously, and he frowned a little.

The man chuckled a little, and his lips pulled back enough so the child could see his fangs, however, the child remained unphased by the little revealation. "No," the man replied. "A Fae is a being that can manipulate, or control, an element to an extent. The main elements you'll see a Fae use are fire, earth, air and water, although you do see an ice or lightning Fae, but they are rare."

The boy was silent for a moment as he digested the information, and then he straightened his back a little as he looked the man in the eyes. "Are you a vampire then, sir?"

The man grinned. "Yes," he answered the child, and he stood slowly so he wouldn't startle the poor child. "Would you like to meet some friends of mine? I know quite a few magical beings who may interest you."

The child agreed and walked alongside him as they made their way back towards the Leaky Cauldron, and into Muggle London. The child was curious and seemed eager to sate his curiosity, despite how much damage it may inflict him. The vampire couldn't help but worry over that particular quirk of the human child, it was a dangerous trait to have, especially in a place like Knockturn Alley.

"What's your name sir?" The child asked him as they neared the back entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, and the vampire pulled up his coat, and kept close to the child so people wouldn't ask questions or stare. He was taking a big enough risk as it was, he didn't need to advertise it too.

"My name is Christopher, and what's yours, child?" The vampire asked, and despite how man man's eyes glowed creepily underneath his hood, the boy smiled at him.

"I'm Harry," the boy replied, and he stared in amazement as they entered the muggle side of London. The boy's curiosity was amusing to the vampire, and he allowed the boy to have a few minutes to stare but he finally lead the boy down to the desired path. "Where are we going?"

Christopher smiled. "To an old friend's house, I did promise you that I'd introduce you to some interesting non-humans, did I not?"

The boy's smile could have easily outshined the sun.

The rest of the walk was silent, and Christopher was grateful for it. A part of him marvelled over his stupidity of bringing a human child into his circle, and a part of him was proud that he could prove to his friends that he wasn't a complete asshole. The security for them could be compromised due to the child, but he was sure he could convince the child to stay, and then possibly he or one of his friends could blood-adopt the child and make him a part of their family.

Christopher knew one of his friends (or sort-of friend), Sky Silverwing was eager to have someone to spoil and raise for her own, especially now that she had found a new mate who happened to also be female and the wrong race for her to produce a child. He could imagine that the child would do a lot of good for her, and she would be a lot of good for the child too.

"How much longer, sir?" The child finally asked him, and the vampire wasn't sure whether to be amused or irritated by the child's lack of patience, but he decided to be amused as he turned to the child.

"Christopher is fine Harry," the vampire corrected him, he only liked his bed partners to call him sir, and it was creepy to hear a child do it. "We'll be there in a moment," he added before he grinned, despite the fact the child wouldn't see it under his hood. "There's one friend of mine I'm sure you'll like, her name is Sky, and she's always wanted to have a child around to spoil and play with."

All Christopher had to do was remind the Fairy not to scare him or smother the poor child too much, the woman was as odd as they came and she still struggled with boundaries at times.

"Really?" Harry replied with a spark of hope in an ocean of loneliness in his bright green eyes.

The vampire squashed down the desire to break something at the sight of a child so desperate for company. "Of course."

Christopher had to stop on the way to a small, secret blood bank to pick of some blood bags for him and his brother, Conner, and when they finally did arrive, it was to a modern white-washed house that was three stories tall and the garden outside was a beauty, although most couldn't see the house due to several layers of notice-me-not charms coated the gardens around the house.

Harry stared up at the house in awe.

"Harry," Christopher murmured as he knelt next to the human child, who turned his curious green eyes on him. "Try to remember not to stare, especially if I point out any werewolves, staring in werewolf culture means that you want to pick a fight, once they accept you, you're free to stare all you want."

Harry didn't seemed to understand the pre-caution, and the vampire breathed a little easier. "Shall we?" The vampire asked the child as he stood up and gestured to the door, and when he received a timid nod in response, he opened the cherry pink door, and the sounds of laughter were freed from the confines of the house.

When he and they boy entered, he placed his hooded trench coat on the coat hanger, and he took off his shoes by the door too, what amused him most was that Harry had followed his example, and the vampire could almost feel his wine-red eyes dim with sadness when he saw who thin and tiny Harry really was in his ragged and dirty clothes.

"Chris!" A female voice, mature and light like bells, called out from the lounge before a body followed. She was pretty with long golden blonde hair, blue-green eyes and pale skin with an upturned nose. Glittery dust fell from her nearly transparent, pale blue wings, which fluttered behind her to reveal the agitation she tried to control. "What took you so long?!"

Harry was staring up at the fairy with awe on his face, the woman was still wearing the same white summer dress as she had earlier that night when he left, and her eyes were coated in thick, black smokey make-up. She was beautiful, like all Fairies were.

Harry's reaction to the Fairy made Christopher smile, and he chuckled as the woman, Sky, scowled at him. "I brought a little friend with us," he replied to the agitated Fairy, who was only two inches shorter than his 5'8. She was still hurt and agitated, but she calmed enough to notice Harry and coo over him.

"Aww, aren't you a sweet little thing?" She cooed with a kind smile on her delicate-looking face. Harry smiled at her shyly and hid behind Christopher, but he peeked around to continue to watch her. She wasn't offended though, the vampire knew her too well for her to be annoyed. "It's it funny how he picks the moodiest of us all to get attached to?"

Christopher mock-scowled at her teasing, and she giggled. "Like you're one to talk."

"I'm only like that for one week of the month, you on the other hand..." she trailed off and she started to giggle more, and she turned her attention to the child again. "Would you like a bath? We have some left over Chinese food if you want some too."

Harry finally stopped hiding behind Christopher, and he followed the Fairy as she guided the now shy child up the stairs with a cheerful chatter of how much she's always wanted to have a child around to spoil, and how much he'd enjoy being around the other weirdos of the group too.

Christopher snorted in amusement; he had been right, Sky had taken to the child very quickly, and the child would now be taken care of. Hopefully he wouldn't regret his decision.