I do not own anything that could get me sued.
Thanks to Crumcrum for giving me a heads up on one of the mistakes in this chapter!
And thank you so much to my reviewers! They are always so inspirational and kind. I really appreciate them!
Chapter 8: Christmas Party
When Vlad stepped off the Hogwarts Express and on to Platform 9¾, his father was already waiting and eagerly searching the bustling crowd for him. The moment Vlad's foot touched the cement floor, the Count twisted his head in his son's direction and caught sight of him before happily began to motion his son over. Vlad grinned at the sight; his father looked far more like an excited puppy rather than a threatening predator in the moment.
The Count was dressed in his customary crimson and black, no extra layers to keep out the freezing weather. It seemed a little strange in the midst of a crowd of bundled up witches and wizards. But at the moment, Vlad could have cared less. Time away had, apparently, improved his perception of his father's typical strangeness. He glanced around the Count but saw no sign of his sister lingering about; apparently, she had elected not to come again.
"Is that your father?" Draco asked as he pulled his trunk down the train steps, coming up behind Vlad. "Considering what you've said about him and his love of remaining to himself, I would have thought him to turn out a little more…"
"Composed?" Vlad supplied with amusement. "He usually is but that doesn't mean he's a statue."
Draco gave the young vampire a considering glance before shrugging and moving to catch up with his friends. As Vlad watched the blonde wander off, he pulled his own trunk – lightened with a charm of course – over to where his father was waiting. He hadn't considered it before, but he had speaking a lot more to the blonde lately. At least enough for exchanges like the one previous to become customary.
"Oh, Vladdy! It had been so long since I've seen you!"
"It's only been four months, Dad," Vlad grinned. The taste of Romanian on his tongue again was nice after a few months of English. "But it's good to see you too."
"I bet you've learned lots of new things, new spells. I can't wait for you to show me!"
Vlad held out his trunk for his father to hold for the flit back and he laughed a little. "Dad, I haven't learned that much yet. Just a few small things to start off with." It was strange to actually be conversing with his father and not be arguing over something; it was probably the first time in years that they had something in common to talk about.
"Still, far better than nothing," the Count mused before gripping his son's shoulder and flitting them both back to their castle. This time, it was even less of an uncomfortable experience for Vlad, but he still wobbled slightly upon their arrival. It seemed it was an acquired taste of travel.
"Master Vlad!" Renfield exclaimed as father and son appeared to materialize out of nowhere in the middle of the castle. "So good to see you again! I've prepared some food for you, specially made!"
Vlad tried not to wince as their mortal servant pulled out a tray of writhing worms dipped in who-knew-what. He had no idea how a human could stand to eat something like that and not suffer from digestive problems. "Uh…thanks Renfield but I ate a little before coming. Maybe later." It was a good thing he had actually done just that. Vlad had figured Renfield would pull something like this again.
The slightly dejected expression the man sported bit a little at Vlad's conscience but he decided that a little damage was better than a stomachache later. He had become accustomed to refusing Renfield's cooking after so many years of doing so already and one more rejection couldn't hurt. Their servant, indeed, just shrugged it off (glad to have the food for himself most likely) and reached down to pick up Vlad's trunk to carry up to the young vampire's room.
"Where's Ingrid?" Vlad asked, glancing about. "Is she alright? You never wrote about her in the letters."
"Oh, forget about her," the Count said absently. "Now tell me, what have you learned? Better yet, show me!"
Vlad shook his head, much to his father's disappointment. "It's really not much, Dad. And it's really not a big deal yet. Maybe later on when I actually know enough to show but I'll practice over the break. That should be enough, right?"
The Count obviously didn't agree but the cold-cut tone of his sister's voice interrupted whatever the elder vampire was about to say.
"Back already, Vlad? Did you actually learn anything useful at that hoax of a school?"
Ah, there was the first reminder of why Vlad had wanted to get out of this castle so badly a few months ago. He had forgotten how cutting his sister had become lately and she seemed to have become all the worse during her stay alone with their father.
Vlad ignored her question and instead goaded, "Glad to have me back?"
Ingrid rolled her eyes and turned around to return to her room. "As if, Breather-lover. I was hoping you wouldn't come back; now you're just taking up more of my space."
"Calm down, children, calm down," the Count impatiently said. "Ingrid, you should be glad to see your brother back. He is, after all, at least learning something useful while all you do is stand around and breathe all day."
Ingrid let out a frustrated shriek at her father's remark and disappeared from the room as quickly as she had come. Vlad frowned at that immediate reaction and eyed his father from the corner of his eyes. Apparently, Ingrid's stay at home alone with their father hadn't been a very good one. She had never behaved so crossly so quickly before Vlad had left. The observation disturbed Vlad a little and a twinge of regret suddenly turned his homecoming sour.
As if sensing his master's unhappiness, Nox butted his head against Vlad's leg and purred affectionately.
Vlad grinned a little at that and rolled his eyes. "You have no right to suddenly act cute and cuddly after your moping the last few days. It's just as cold here as it was at school."
The feline just disregarded the comment and abruptly scrabbled up Vlad's body using his claws as hooks. The young vampire yelped at the prickling sensation and scowled as Nox settled himself across his master's shoulders with a lounging yawn.
"I see you like my gift," the Count commented proudly.
Vlad had to admit that, yes, he did like his familiar very much. "He's been really helpful with the letters and all."
"Of course, of course. Only the best for my son and heir." The elder vampire ran a hand through his black tresses and turned towards the hall leading to his coffin-room. "It's wonderful to have you back, Vladdy. But I am a little tired. It is still daytime after all."
Vlad shrugged. "Glad to be back, I suppose. Go sleep, Dad. I'll see you tonight."
And with that, the Count flitted out of the room, leaving Vlad alone in the room.
As soon as his father was gone, the young vampire sighed and ran his gaze over the castle. Memory really had painted things better than they were. Vlad had forgotten just how dreary this place was and just being back abruptly reminded him of the eleven years he had spent here day in and day out. Before, he had actually considered this castle a cage of sorts because he was so rarely allowed outside. Things were slightly different now, now that he was going to spend the majority of his time at Hogwarts. But Vlad still grimaced at the memories – welcoming and painful at the same time.
Nox nudged his neck a little and kneaded Vlad's shirt as if asking what on earth he was just standing here, doing nothing but staring. Vlad snapped out of his reminiscing and stroked the feline's head, earning another purr.
On his way up to his room, Vlad paused at his sister's door and wondered if what he was about to do was a wise move or not. She probably wouldn't welcome him, considering how she had greeted him earlier. But something told him that going in regardless was needed. He tried to imagine what it would have been like if their situations were reversed and shivered. Given, he had probably wanted to get out far more than Ingrid, but still.
The moment Vlad pushed open the door, a book came flying through the air to smack him squarely on the face. He shouted at the sudden onslaught and groaned, rubbing his face and wondering how long it would take for a bruise to form.
"Aw…did that hurt?" Ingrid smirked from her bed. Nox hissed at the comment but that only served to widen the vampiress' grin. "Look, even your pathetic excuse for a cat has to defend you now."
Vlad scowled but refrained from retorting; that was what she wanted. He had learned over the years that Ingrid often said the things she did because she wanted a certain reaction. Clearly, she was trying to push him away.
"I just wanted to say hello."
"We've lived together for eleven years, Vlad," Ingrid deadpanned. "I think I've seen your face more than I've ever wanted to."
Bats, she really did make this difficult. "I was wondering how things were at home while I was gone – that's all."
"Two words: Get out."
"Come on, Ingrid –"
"Vlad, I'm going to give you till five before I throw something else at you."
So much for greetings. Vlad reluctantly complied and began to turn around with Nox still hissing over his shoulder. Just as he was closing the door, he heard his sister's grudging voice say, "Oh, get back in here."
Vlad gave a hopeful look back into the room.
"Do you want me to kick you out again?"
Vlad just gave her a brilliant smile and quickly crossed the room to clamber into bed beside her. He snuggled up close to her then smiled a little wider at the familiar scent of ashwood. For as long as he could remember, Ingrid had always smelled like that and when he was younger, he had always associated that scent with some upcoming "playtime" with his elder sister. Now things were different but it was still good to remember.
"Ew, gross. I don't need you smearing your Breather love all over me."
"You love it," Vlad grinned back.
They remained in place like that, silent and oddly comfortable in each other's presence like they hadn't been in a long time. Those months apart had done the exact opposite of separating them; it seemed as if they were now more acutely aware of each other than they had been before when seeing one another had been too much the norm.
"You know how boring it is to be alone in a house with Dad, Renfield and your stuffed dog?"
Vlad grimaced in sympathy. "I can imagine." Then, "Hey! Zoltan is great company!"
"He's stuffed, Vlad."
"Doesn't mean you should ignore what he has to say."
Ingrid rolled her eyes. "I think I'm regretting allowing you to stay already." She glanced slightly to the right of Vlad's head and frowned. "Your cat needs to be tamed or something. It's creepy."
Vlad looked at Nox and saw that he was staring rather intently and almost warily at his sister, as if he was looking at something to be cautious about. The feline was tense and barely moving a muscle.
"Nox, what's wrong?"
The feline blinked once before turning to look at Vlad. Then he shook his head as settled his head into the crook of his master's neck.
"I don't know what's wrong with him," Vlad said a little helplessly. "He's normally not like that."
"The thing never liked me anyway," Ingrid said, her lips pursed.
"Maybe it's because you call him an 'it', Ingrid. He has a name."
His sister turned away bitterly and suddenly Vlad wanted to bit his own tongue. Of course she didn't like Nox. He had been a gift from their father – a gift that she knew the Count never would have gotten her or would ever get her. It was incredibly tactless of Vlad to pursue the subject like that.
In an effort to repair the damage, Vlad hastily asked, "So what did you do to keep yourself from getting bored?"
There was an air of disinterest about Ingrid now, as if she was trying to just go through the movements of conversation. "Nothing, really. I might have taken up writing dark poetry."
Vlad gave her a long, disbelieving look. "Really?"
"No, you idiot. I study for the Blood Test. I'm taking it in a few months."
Vlad immediately regretted asking. The Blood Test was a written test testing a young vampire's knowledge of vampiric law and protocol to ensure that they Turned with the proper knowledge. Vlad had every intention of failing it when it came to his turn to take it because failing it meant less of a chance of becoming too strong a vampire. But he knew it was his sister's every determination to pass with the highest score possible.
"You should go unpack," Ingrid finally said as the discomfort between them increased. "I don't want you in here any longer than you need to be."
This time, Vlad quietly left.
~0~
During his idle days at home, Vlad had figured out the many uses of utilizing magic in his everyday life. He no longer had to stand up to pick up things from afar; all he had to do was snap and summon it over. Small things like stirring his drink only required him to absently motion his hand in small circles over the cup to mix the liquid without he need of a utensil. When he studied, he had found a way to keep his books levitating around him and open to the page needed which made writing his essays far easier.
His father, ecstatic at the displays of magic, had taken the time to teach his son how to light candles with only a snap like he often did when brightening a room. Vlad had found it surprisingly easy to learn and soon, he was doing just that every time he need some flame to lighten the room. The Count had also tried to teach Vlad how to fly as well but the younger vampire had promptly refused. It was bad enough that he was lighting candles like a vampire; there was no way he was getting any closer than necessary.
At one point, the Count had asked whether Vlad had taken the time to read through The Keys to Hypnotism he had bought but Vlad had replied negatively. The truth was actually quite the opposite; he had finished the book before arriving home. Vlad had yet to actually try hypnotizing anybody else after the troll because he detested the idea but he was uncomfortably familiar with the workings of it now. That traitorous part of his mind told him that he would, actually, succeed brilliantly if he did try though.
A part of Vlad was screaming at him to stop – to stop learning this magic. It was making him even more abnormal. Ingrid was more normal than he was at this point considering she couldn't do any magic at all. But another, larger part kept him going. Magic was fascinating and if he just stuck to the wizard magics, he wouldn't exactly be going down the vampiric path. There were plenty of wizards who led completely normal lives in the human world. Magic was just a nice bonus on the side for them. Surely Vlad could do the same.
He was actually getting some headway on how to get out of becoming a vampire at sixteen. He had come across some books regarding vampires and plenty of books that spoke of how to avoid the Dark Magics.
Okay, maybe he hadn't. Maybe every single vampire book he had read so far was either completely inaccurate or simply ridiculous. Maybe every piece of advice he had read had been contradicted with knowledge he had learned as a child. Maybe he was getting nowhere at all so far regarding his escape from eternal life as a vampire.
But some stubborn part of Vlad told him that if he kept going, he would find something. He would. He had to. Where else would he find information valuable enough to help him escape? If he coludn't find anything with the wizards…
Vlad honestly tried not to think about what would happen if he didn't.
When Christmas was just two days away, Vlad finally came around to informing his father that one of his schoolmates had invited him over for a "small celebration." His father had eagerly given his consent and when Vlad had tentatively mentioned that some formal Wizarding attire just might be needed, he had immediately dragged his son back to Drusilla's and Tessa's to have an entire set of formal Wizarding robes tailored.
Vlad received a letter from Draco by regal eagle-owl (of course) the day before Yuletide. Inside was a formal invitation along with a pair of titanium cufflinks to act as gifts from the Malfoys and Portkeys to their estate the night of the ball. Needless to say, his father had been more than pleased to discover that Vlad had made acquaintances with a family wealthy enough to provide such luxurious gifts.
The night of, Vlad spent a grand total of two hours to figure out how to properly put on his formal attire and even longer to wrap the gift he had bought for the Malfoys. Getting them a gift had just seemed to make sense in Vlad's mind. After all, weren't they throwing a ridiculously expensive party and inviting him? It would have been just awkward going without something to give back despite what the Malfoys owed him simply because Vlad felt that they didn't owe him anything; he had done the only possible thing facing the troll and that had been that.
When the clock chimed seven thirty, his father flitted up to his room with a broad grin on his face. "Ready to go, Vladdy?"
Vlad grinned lopsidedly. "You tell me." He hoped he had put everything on right. He knew how to put on formal attire for vampire occasions but Wizard robes had actually turned out to be – impossibly – more complicated.
The mere fact that Vlad had asked his father for advice made the Count smile in excitement. It had taken too long, in the elder vampire's opinion, for such a thing to occur. Never in their years as father and son had Vlad asked for clothing advice before.
"It suits you," the Count said. "Only the best for –"
"– for your son and heir, I know, Dad," Vlad completed. He was just glad that Ingrid hadn't been there to hear the saying for the umpteenth time. "What time do you want me home?"
The Count gave his son a scandalized look. "You want me to give you a time restriction?"
"You don't want to give me one?"
"Of course not, Vladdy. Why, I would only give you one for you to break it and come home much later. Stay as long as you like and wreak havoc!"
By his father's ecstatic smile, Vlad could figure that the elder vampire thought he had just delivered the best news of the night. It just made the younger vampire slightly sad at yet another reminder that they were far from a normal family. Normal parents gave curfews. Only vampire parents wanted their children to stay out until dawn broke.
"I'll see you, Dad," Vlad replied curtly and a little detachedly. He felt slightly guilty at his father's crestfallen expression but he looked away and pressed a finger to the cufflinks at his wrist.
"Crăciun."
~0~
Nobody had ever told Vlad that travel by Portkey was worse than flitting. At least when flitting, you stayed upright while moving a million miles an hour. A Portkey spun you around as if you were in some twisted permanent game of merry-go-round while moving at a million miles an hour. The only thing that kept Vlad from falling on his face from dizziness upon arriving was his previous experiences in flitting with his father. He had learned to keep his eyes closed at the arrival point and to take a few breaths before finally orienting himself.
It was a good thing too; the Portkey had delivered him right at the entranceway of the grand staircase leading down to the ballroom where everybody below would have been able to see his blunder.
Vlad couldn't help but stare for a few moments at how elegantly and affluently the entire room appeared. The color scheme consisted of darker colors, a sort of mossy green interlaced with accents of platinum and the occasional gold. The stairs and various buttresses were made of pure marble and the dance floor was polished to a gleaming sparkle. A large but not overly audacious chandelier glittered lowly with flickering flames and various tables laden with delicacies hid themselves among the shadows beneath the second floor.
It certainly didn't look like the typical Christmas celebrations Vlad often saw the people down at the local village back in Transylvania had. The only thing that really signified it to be in any way connected to the holiday were the enchanted snowflakes that fell lazily and unnoticeably onto the ballroom below and the icicles that decorated the overhanging.
But decoration mattered little to Vlad. The only thing he was actually concerned about now was the fact that the crier was still extending his hand for the invitation dictating his title and the upcoming danger of tripping down the stairs and falling on his face in front of hundreds of undoubtedly influential witches and wizards. He almost wished that he had brought his father along just for this. If he had, the Count would be the one dealing with the public introduction and Vlad would have been allowed to just simply enter the ball quietly without any fanfare. He was the only one of his family here to represent and therefore he was required to step down the stairs upon the crier's declaration for all to see.
It was at times like this that Vlad was grudgingly grateful for his father's tuition on "all things proper for such nobility like themselves." He placed his invitation with only a slight flush in his cheeks to betray his embarrassment and managed to make his way down to the main floor upon the crier's saying, "Vladimir Dracula, heir to the Dracula House and name!"
It took a few minutes for Vlad to stop feeling self-conscious and just a few minutes more before a small tap upon his arm drew his attention.
"Good to see you made it without falling on your face," Draco greeted.
Vlad gaped at the comment and then scowled. "You made the Portkey drop me off at the top of the stairs on purpose. What if I had tripped or something? That was the first time I'd traveled by Portkey, you know."
Draco gave him a strange look. "Really? Maybe I did put the Portkey's destination there on purpose but I thought you'd have traveled that way before. I thought for sure you had if you didn't have a Floo Network in your house."
Oh, travel by Portkey must be one of those things that all wealthy wizards or witches did as children. Vlad certainly couldn't explain that his family consisted of vampires and therefore had no need for Portkeys. He quickly shrugged and said, "It's never been needed before." Then he scowled again. "But you did do that on purpose."
"I just suggested it to my parents, Dracula." Obviously already bored with the topic, Draco asked, "So how do you like it?"
"Considering I've been here for about ten minutes? It's pretty nice. I like your home."
The Malfoy heir raised an eyebrow. "Is that really the best you can come up with?"
Vlad rolled his eyes. "Says the one who made my Portkey trigger 'Christmas' in Romanian. Even I could have come up with something more original."
"Again, it was my parents who actually constructed the final product."
Vlad grinned a little and wondered if this was what it felt like to have a normal conversation with a normal person his age. He never would have imagined some of his first with Draco Malfoy of all people. The blonde was a right prat at the beginning but hey, maybe saving the guy's life was all it took to bring out the decency in him.
"Come on," Draco motioned. "We shouldn't be just standing around. My parents would probably be angry if I didn't bring you over to introduce you to them."
"Wait, you want me to meet them now?"
"When else are you going to meet them?" the blonde asked in exasperation. "When the party's over?"
Vlad had actually been hoping for never. It was uncomfortable enough that they had felt obligated to provide him with an invitation and gifts but now they wanted to formally meet him as if this was some occasion to warrant such a thing. The only time vampire parents met was in passing during festivities or when their children were going to marry.
Draco led Vlad around the dance floor where couples were swaying to the music from the live ensemble and the young vampire absently hoped that dancing wouldn't be something he was expected to do. He was fairly sure vampire dances were distinctly different from the typical wizard dances.
When they pulled up, Draco's parents were in the middle of a light conversation with another couple. Vlad was struck by how vastly contrasting the two pairs were; one blonde with almost identical, stormy gray eyes and another with dark hair and equally dark eyes. The Malfoys stood and carried themselves like the many noble vampires Vlad had met in his life, exuding confidence and a general conviction concerning their superiority. It irked Vlad a little bit, their exceedingly elitist mindset, but he set it aside for now for the sake of creating a decent first impression.
"Mother, Father," Draco intervened. "I am sorry to interrupt your conversation but you told me that you wanted to meet Vladimir Dracula as soon as possible."
"Indeed," Draco's mother smiled. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Vladimir. My name is Narcissa and I am forever in your favor for rescuing my son." There was a slight sincerity beneath that perfectly constructed expression of welcome.
"I must say the same," Draco's father said in a far more controlled and grave tone.
Vlad was momentarily struck with the horrible realization that he wasn't quite sure what wizards normally did in situations like this. Was he supposed to extend a hand? Was he supposed to introduce himself even though they already knew his name? He ended up falling back on what he had been taught growing up and instead bowed stiffly at the waist and replying, "It is nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Thank you for inviting me here. It is very lovely." He decided to follow Draco's judgment on his bland vocabulary regarding the ball; he just hoped "lovely" was enough to please his parents.
"Oh, you are the child who rescued young Draco," mused the woman the Malfoys had been speaking to. "You are a very polite young man." She smiled at him, the same perfect expression of welcome, and said, "My name is Vesta Zabini and this is Artro Rincewind." Vlad glanced at the man she had on her arm and noted that he hadn't been introduced as the husband. So they weren't married – interesting.
He too gave Ms. Zabini the same greeting before he was relieved to hear the Malfoy patriarch dismiss them to "allow them time to themselves."
"I wouldn't look so happy," Draco said with a slight smirk as they drew away. "That is just my father's way of saying he'll meet up with you again for a longer conversation."
Vlad grimaced at the thought. "Um…that's great."
But Draco was already on a different line of thought. "So what would you like to do for the rest of the night?"
Vlad was a little curious as to why the blonde was sticking to him for the night. It was clear that he wasn't going to just leave Vlad alone to fend for himself. While Vlad was glad for the attention, he was also a little confused because he hadn't expected Draco to go to such lengths even with the Life Debt hanging over his head.
"What about Theo, Blaise, and the rest?" Vlad mentioned. "Aren't they around?"
Draco gave him a considering look, probably wondering why Vlad would want to spend time around the very same people who had been ignoring him for months. They still hadn't spoken to the young vampire very much. After the troll incident, it had only been Draco who had taken the effort to speak with the Romanian student.
"They're in a different room," Draco merely said. And then they were exiting the ballroom, leaving the main entourage behind.
This has to be the most pathetic title I have written to date...and that's saying something considering my paltry skill of naming my chapters. Because honestly, only a portion of this was about the Christmas party and even then it's only the beginning of it (the core of it will be next chapter). Haha...well, it's like one in the morning so I guess I'll just let it go.
Anyways I got a little carried away with Vlad's homecoming. I had only intended it to be brief-ish but ended up putting some Vlad and Ingrid sibling fluff in there. Even then it wasn't really that fluffy...more awkward than anything else. :P
Ended up being another transitional chapter, really. Well, interesting stuff pops up next chapter (unless I get carried away with the small details again)!
Till next time!
PS I sort of used Google Translate for the Romanian word for Christmas. I don't know if it's actually accurate (considering how inaccurate Translate can be sometimes...I tried it for Spanish once and it came out completely weird). So forgive me if it's completely off.
