you - you're quite right! But I haven't forgotten, I just worried amongst Vlad's half human revelation, curing lycanthropy, Severus being back and Riddle and all these new family dynamics, that anything else would have just absorbed into the ether. I promise I haven't forgotten Harry's development.
-YDHP-
Riddle needed to get a hobby.
Vlad hadn't been back at Hogwarts three days when the Mark on his chest started aching something fierce, dialling all the way to to an agonising burn. Keeling over in Transfiguration wasn't his finest moment. McGonogall thankfully barked at everyone to get back to work and sent Harry to escort Vlad to the Hospital Wing.
"What's wrong?"
Knowing there was little Madam Pomfrey could do for him, Vlad kept a wary 'eye' out for invisible aurors, then tugged his boyfriend to the closest available secret passageway.
"Riddle. It's not as bad as my scar, but doesn't respond to pain relief and it's more sudden. Caught me off guard."
Taking a few deep breaths, Vlad focused on the feel of Harry's hands on him, touching his face and his arm and soaking in the scent of his mate. The pain receded to something more manageable, but he was still shaky.
"Come on, I've got Healing next so Madam Pomfrey can check you over."
"Wait. I've got an idea."
Vlad took a few steps back from Harry; a rare occurrence in itself. Closing his eyes, he sought the fire inside himself. His body shrank and sprouted feathers, wings stretching out either side of him as he cocked his head up at Harry.
The pain was gone in this form, dark magic not permeating the purity of the phoenix.
"Did it work? I'm guessing you were hoping for no pain?"
Vlad attempted to nod, unsure how well it translated as a bird.
"I'm going to take the fact you haven't turned back as a yes. Hey, can you cry? We could test your tears and see if they are the real deal."
Vlad trilled, having already learnt from Fawkes that a phoenix could cry on command. Blinking his eyes a couple of times, he tipped his plumed head and let the tears run down into the vial Harry held under his eyes. The vial was capped and put away, then Harry sat down and reached out to stroke Vlad's feathers.
"Puff your chest out for me?"
Feeling daft, Vlad still complied and Harry took off his glasses, investigating the colour of his plumage up close.
"You've got a dark spot here, right where the Mark would be I'm guessing. Least it doesn't hurt."
He craned his neck, but Vlad couldn't see it. He wondered how Fawkes managed to groom himself.
"Next class will start soon. Up for turning back?"
Vlad was relieved to find the effect lingered, dulling the pain even in his humanoid form as he regained four limbs.
"We should go flying together some time."
"We should, seen as it takes my best pleading eyes to get you on a broom."
"That's what Draco is for. What class do we have now?"
"I have Healing, you have... a free period. Go get some rest, I'll see you at dinner."
Harry leant across and kissed him, winning a smile from Vlad as he did so.
"Love you, you weird firebird-bat."
"Says the blackbird Basilisk! Love you too."
Harry grinned, then turned to leave the passage and Vlad continued on up toward the Gryffindor tower. He wouldn't rest, but he could get some reading done in the otherwise near-silent tower. He saw Fred and George hovering near the noticeboard, talking in hushed whispers about legality and decided he really didn't want to know.
A rather tired looking owl was perched on the end of Vlad's bed, being regarded very suspiciously by Phantom from the opposite end of the room.
"Who are you from I wonder?" Vlad reached slowly for the scroll on its leg, recognising the scent on the parchment "ah, France. If you want to go to our Owlery for a rest, feel free."
The owl hooted lazily, then went out of the window in the direction Vlad indicated. He sat on his bed and unrolled the Veela-scent-saturated letter, seeing Fleur's distinctive hand.
"Vladimir!" why couldn't she just call him Vlad? "I hope you have been keeping well, and out of trouble."
"Not so much."
He muttered to himself, chuckling as he read through Fleur's detailing of her summer, her sisters apparently-still-going hero worship of Vlad and more reminders of her and her parents gratitude for his role in protecting the Delacour sisters. Rolling his eyes, Vlad still smiled to himself. Fleur and Viktor had become good friends of his.
She was entering her final year of exams, like Ingrid, and iterated that Vlad had better apply himself as much as he had in the tournament to his exams. Somewhat famed in Hogwarts for being a geek, Vlad didn't get told things like that often as people already assumed he was doing so.
Grabbing a quill and fresh sheaf of parchment, Vlad could not really say a great deal of factual information in his letter, but made sure to enthuse about Fleur's own summer and make a couple of vague allusions to having had some adventures himself. He didn't give much away, but hoped it meant his letter wasn't duller than a History Of Magic class as he rolled it up and charmed it sealed.
The dinner bell was going off as he finished writing, prompting Vlad to put the complete letter in his pocket and heading down for dinner. He relocated Phantom to the common room in case Fleur's owl came back, so the two couldn't antagonise each other. She puffed her fur in annoyance, then curled up by the fire.
Harry's face brightened when he caught sight of Vlad entering the Hall, shuffling to show he had saved his usual seat for him.
"Did you just spend the whole time working?"
"No, why?"
"You have ink on your face and hands."
"Oh. No. I was writing back to Fleur."
Harry nodded, but a couple of Gryffindor boys suddenly became intrigued.
"Fleur Delacour, the hot co-champ from last year?"
"She writes to you?"
"Yes. We're friends.. I think she liked that I didn't just stare at her creepily."
"Yeah but you're a marshmallow Vlad, she ain't your type."
"Hence why she can be friends with me you cretinous letch."
The boy frowned, then went back to his dinner.
"Your detention is tonight right?"
Vlad nodded at Harry, spooning soup without eating it. Checking the time and seeing 6:15pm, he sighed.
"Mhmm. Actually, it's in fifteen minutes. She's still up there but I guarantee she's timing me to be sure."
Vlad hurriedly shoved a sandwich in his mouth, knowing he could ask Hogwarts or even Malfoy elves for snacks if none of the ones in his backpack took his fancy.
"I'll see you later."
Harry gave him a reassuring smile but it was hollow, knowing that Vlad was about to present himself to a vampire hater who was protected from the shadows by the Ministry. Vlad wasn't scared, but he liked that Harry was worried for him.
He was outside Umbridge's office for a whole ten minutes before she arrived, wearing Wolfsbane to set his senses off and appearing as a smirking cloud of hideous pink fluff. Even over the Wolfsbane, he could smell a sickly artificial perfume and what he thought might be cats, but he didn't think the woman was an animagus. Maybe she had a cat.
"You're going to be doing some lines for me today."
She indicated a small desk and chair, looking intentionally set up to make him feel small next to her oversized desk. Her office was literally hell. Everything was pink and covered in doilies, there were actual-noise-making plates with moving cats on. It hurt his head to be in there, down to the Wolfsbane plant on her window ledge that set his skin prickling.
Vlad reached into his pocket for a quill, but she shook her head.
"Not with your quill. You'll be using a special one of mine."
She held out one with a cruel quill tip, the feather long and black with red splashes through it. His father would love it. He could feel the curse pulsing away on the nib. Seeing her hungry expression, Vlad lifted it and examined it, then flicked the overly large feather.
"Cutting curse quill. Innovative. Intriguing. And of course, illegal.While I'm at it... ineffective against vampires."
Her eyes narrowed, mouth curling into a sneer.
"Then you won't mind using it."
"If I know my illegal artifacts, this works by cutting skin and using blood. If it can't cut me, no ink."
Vlad was lying about its effectiveness, but Umbridge didn't know that. It was absolutely illegal though. Technically blood magic. Dark magic.
"Fine."
She reached out for the quill, but Vlad withdrew his hand.
"I'll use it, but I'll need ink. You went to all the trouble of asking me to use it after all."
Even on her turf carrying vampire-deterrent, Umbridge wasn't quite able to maintain the cold facade. She was afraid of him. A bottle of red ink sat on her desk; perfect. Vlad twisted his hand at his side, beckoning it over to levitate itself to his little set up.
"You know you can't get rid of me right? Who and what I am makes me more important to the Ministry than even you, regardless of just how close you and the Minister are."
Her face twitched; his instinct about the pride of place picture of Fudge was right. And disturbing.
"That's a second detention for slander Dracula."
"Give me as many as you like, but you'll have to come second to tutoring. Unless of course you want to go to Bertrand yourself, tell my vampire tutor you want to mess with his timetable?"
No matter how he hated his vampirism, no matter how much her office threw his senses off... if there was one thing a vampire could taste on the air like a delicious scent? It was fear.
"Third detention. Write your lines."
Vlad sat in his seat, stomach twisting with nausea. He enjoyed terrifying this woman more than he should. He kept his face cool, impudent.
"You haven't told me what you want me to write."
"I must respect my superiors."
"I hope you aren't counting yourself. Vampires outnumber wizards by far, and magical vampires are the future of the relationship between the races. Remember that professor."
She sneered, fixing her eyes on her desk. Vlad took a deep breath and tried to focus his magic on his hand; this was going to hurt, but Umbridge couldn't win the mental match between them. A glamour would stop her seeing the words cut into his skin, but he needed to stop himself bleeding on the desk where she would see. The red ink would at least mask his blood on the paper.
Concentrating on a notice-me-not charm, he dipped the quill in the red ink, then put it to paper and forced himself not to react to the pain as he carved the words in his own blood. The cuts on his hand smarted like they had salt rubbed in, but he had taken far worse pains before. He made sure to dip the quill regularly, dragging the cursed tip across parchment over and over - I must respect my superiors.
Watching the sky darken outside, he knew it was another test from her that there was no time limit on her detention. He kept writing, feeling the cuts stop healing over after an hour and a half, focusing on the time when he could get it healed - the cursed quill wouldn't be fixed by ordinary healing magic. His hands could well be forever marked by the Unbreakable Vow, and now if Umbridge continued this form of detention he may end up with scars on his other hand.
Three hours in, his wrist cramped from writing and constantly cleaning the blood from the desk without notice was getting on his nerves. Umbridge grew visibly more irate as Vlad displayed no injury, limiting her satisfaction from the otherwise painful experience.
"I think that's enough for tonight."
Vlad laid down his quill, leaning back in his chair as she stood and circled the desk. When she reached for his masked but injured hand, he snarled and she visibly recoiled.
"Don't. Touch. Me."
"Tomorrow night then."
"I have tutoring. My final Blood Test is next month."
Umbridge was about to argue, but she remembered that meant arguing with vampires and backed down.
"The following evening. Same time."
She turned to go back to her hideous pink chair and Vlad pocketed the quill, sure she had another one but at least she would know he had the evidence. Maybe that would at least stop her using it on others.
Out in the hallway, he made for the first unoccupied passage he could find and let out a low, pained sound as his hand pulsed agonisingly. Sick cow... she wasn't going to last the year if he had any say in it. For now, he needed to get back to Harry.
Vlad felt different. Harry couldn't work out how or why, but something was off. He was holding himself oddly, and made for the dormitory immediately even though Harry and Hermione had waited up in the common room to see him return.
"That's odd. Go after him, you can write me how he is."
Harry nodded, heading straight up the stairs and Vlad wasn't in the dorm. Seamus, Dean and Neville were still downstairs playing Exploding Snap, and Draco with his girlfriend. Turning for the bathroom, he gasped as the smell of blood hit him.
Vlad's blood.
He was washing blood off his hand, but Harry struggled to see the injury.
"Did you kill her?"
Vlad turned toward him, eyes wide with horror.
"What? No!"
"Then why are you covered in blood?"
His boyfriend sighed and a charm around his hand dropped, revealing lines scratched into his hand that spelled out crudely hewn words.
"I must respect my superiors. How..."
Vlad cut him off, notably having a revelation.
"Do you still have my tears?"
Normally that would be an odd question, but Harry nodded and pulled the vial out. Vlad took it, dripping the tears across his cut hand and the bleeding slowed, then stopped as they healed him.
"At least I know how to cure the wounds. Umbridge made me write lines with this."
Vlad pulled out a large black and red quill, handing it to Harry. He took it, not seeing anything amiss until he looked at the tip, which hummed with thin strings of black glowing around it. Dark and magical, the tip so sharp it glinted in the light like metal.
"A quill cut your hand?"
"Cutting curse quill. Uses your own blood as ink."
"That can't be legal."
"No, it's absolutely illegal. I doubt this is her only one, but I'm hanging on to it just in case."
Harry handed it back, then lifted Vlad's hand and looked at the now unblemished skin. Vlad watched on as Harry ran his thumb over it, searching his boyfriends face for pain.
"Are you alright now?"
"Fine. I better bottle up more tears tomorrow, I have detention the night after. I managed to get myself another couple arguing with her today."
Harry rolled his eyes but pulled Vlad into a hug, wishing this vampire idiot had a concept of his own safety and not to antagonise bad guys. Then again, Vlad got a kick out of winding up Voldemort - of course he would want to annoy an evil teacher.
"Shall we not get caught hugging in the bathroom by our dorm mates?"
"Good call."
Vlad recognised the owl that appeared in the dorm while he was chewing a piece of fudge. Which was surprising, as most owls avoided biters vociferously.
"This is Fleur's owl, he's obviously used to creatures. You have any owl treats?"
Harry dug through his trunk, finding a bag of owl nuts and holding one out to the sleek white owl. He hoped Hedwig didn't see that and think he was cheating on her with another owl... Merlin that sounded ridiculous.
The owl took his proffered treat, crunching it and hooting gratefully. Vlad tied his reply to the owl, then backed away.
"Be careful out there ok?"
The owl hooted again, then leapt out of the window with spread wings and soared off. Vlad resumed eating a few sweets, rebuilding himself after three hours of magically hiding the damage from Umbridge and showing no pain.
"Shouldn't you report this to someone?"
"Who? Anyone I went to I would have to either admit how I healed it, or say it doesn't work on vampires. Then Umbridge would know it hurt, and I'm not giving her the satisfaction."
"Seriously? Vlad, this is like medieval torture."
"I'm a Dracula. That's practically in my blood."
Harry frowned; he didn't like when Vlad fell back on that. It wasn't who he was, not really. Vlad wouldn't agree to report Umbridge, so Harry gave up on that route and let it slide. His boyfriend seemed to cheer up when that was dropped, leaving Harry wondering if he was missing something else. Still, for now Vlad was seemingly alright.
They had Defence again the next day, and Umbridge wasn't done hurting Vlad it seemed. Even their classmates could smell it - ones with no extra-species-enhanced senses.
"Why does this room reek?"
Vlad was twitching, sweat beading at the sides of his neck as he tried to ignore the heavy effects that the Transylvanian Wolfsbane was having on him. Fifth year Defence students... there was a high chance he would be outed as a biter, the symptoms recognisable to anyone who knew the smell was wolfsbane.
Casting a glance around the room, Harry could see multiple pots of the stuff wasn't easy to get hold of, nor cheap. This wasn't just unfair, it was intentionally cruel. Vlad wasn't as affected by normal strains of Wolfsbane, nor did it usually affect him so at a distance, which said there was just so much of it. Vlad was paler than usual, muscles starting to shake.
He didn't practice nearly as often as he should, but Harry did his best to focus on setting light to the Wolfsbane leaves. One by one, they sparked and crackled and incinerated themselves. Everyone started looking around, including Umbridge, providing a distraction from Vlad as he visibly recovered from the plant clearing.
Nobody had a wand out. Umbridge couldn't blame anyone directly, though it was clear she suspected Vlad's abilities. Harry knew Vlad wouldn't have risked it, because his flames randomly burned too hot and he couldn't control his magic as much while shaky and nauseous.
"Professor?"
Parvati Patil raised her hand, an exceptionally pissed off Umbridge whipping round.
"Confessing?"
"N-no. I was just wondering why you had exploding plants in here? Was it a test?"
"They weren't supposed to- no. Books out! Wands away! Chapter two. There will be no need to talk. Mr Dracula, stay behind."
Knowing what that woman might do to his boyfriend, Harry refused to let it happen.
"What for?"
"Silence Mr Potter!"
"You can't just blame one person with no proof. So why does he have to stay behind?"
"Detention Mr Potter! You can join your friend in staying behind. Now turn to chapter two. Silently."
Now Vlad was visibly distressed - Harry's detention could involve Umbridge hurting his mate. His instincts clearly rose up, trying to suppress the urge to attack her and defend his mate. Harry watched Vlad's knuckles go white against his pale skin, gripping the book so hard it was amazing it didn't tear in two.
Hermione gave him a reproachful look, but she obviously sympathized with Harry defending Vlad who had done nothing wrong that lesson. As the class filed out, Vlad and Harry hung back but stood close, waiting for Umbridge to start on them.
"Since you were so keen to defend your friend, you'll be taking the detention he couldn't this evening."
Vlad growled, a clear and animalistic warning sound Harry thought he probably shouldn't have enjoyed so much. Umbridge recoiled, fear pouring off her for a second. Harry had a momentary urge to turn into a Basilisk.
"Remember I have your quill. I'm sure you have more, but I'll be happy to provide proof of some jumped up Ministry lackey torturing the boy who lived. Who do you think will come out of that unscathed?"
She vibrated with suppressed rage, looking between the two and clearly regretting trying to take them on together.
"I'll see you at six thirty for detention Mr Potter. Now both of you get out of my sight."
"Next time you plant Wolfsbane in here Professor, do try to keep it to a level even the humans can't smell. I only wish I knew who set it on fire, I want to send them some Honeydukes."
Harry had a bolt of inspiration hearing Vlad talk, making a mental note to talk to the Weasley twins as soon as possible. If anyone could help there, they could.
"Try not to worry Vlad. She can't handle us."
"If she tries to use that quill on you, I'll hypnotise her into leaping off the Astronomy tower."
His tone was still laced with threat, muscles tense and Harry absolutely believed he meant it. It was difficult to match morals with instincts, knowing Vlad couldn't help but want to protect Harry at all costs. He didn't exactly condone murder for it, but it was still a powerful knowledge that someone would go so far for him.
Harry getting detention was the talk of the school, prompting the Weasley twins to come over and congratulate him in person for both he and Vlad getting detention before them that year.
"Knew you had it in you"
"Legacy of the Maruaders!"
Harry grinned, then checked the time.
"Hey, walk with me? I have an idea."
The notion of a prank caught their attention, the seventeen year old twins nodding eagerly and following Harry out of the Hall. Vlad was practically throttling Umbridge in his mind judging by the expression on his face, watching Harry go sadly.
"So Harry"
"How can we help?"
"I want something that looks like Honeydukes, but that doesn't exactly agree with the eater."
"Prank sweets?"
"You came to the right place!"
"How serious are we talking?"
"Who are we pranking?"
Peering around, Harry simply asked
"Who do you think?"
"Ah."
"Revenge."
"Leave it with us"
"And don't tell Hermione."
They left him one corridor away, and Harry continued on to Umbridge's office, loitering in the hallway. She stormed along it some twenty minutes later, looking like a puffed up marshmallow full of rage. She threw open the door to what Harry already knew would be pink hell, pointing sharply.
"In!"
The fleeting urge growing, Harry dropped to one knee.
"Just need to tie my shoe."
She turned around and Harry took his chance, closing his eyes and letting the transformation take him over. When Umbridge turned back, there was a sixty foot snake in the hallway. Satisfyingly, she screamed and fainted on the spot. Harry swapped back, standing back on two limbs and considering the vaguely itchy skin hugely worth it.
He immediately ran for the Hospital Wing, appearing flustered when he got there.
"Madam Pomfrey! Professor Umbridge collapsed!"
She leapt into action, following Harry toward his detention with her bustling shuffle that moved her surprisingly fast and brandishing her wand. Umbridge was just coming around, Madam Pomfrey waving a few spells over her.
"Are you alright professor?"
"Hm? I saw... where is it?"
"Where is what Dolores?"
"The snake! I saw a..."
She trailed off, clearly seeing nothing of the sort.
"Are you sure you feel ok?"
Standing to her unimpressive height, Umbridge shooed off the nurse.
"I'm fine. You can go."
"Hmph. If you feel sick, please come and see me. You did the right thing Mr Potter."
As Madam Pomfrey bustled away, Umbridge looked at Harry. He threw his best dark smile - an art spending time with vampires - to bare his fangs, then in a foolhardy show, took off his glasses and rubbed at suddenly serpentine eyes. She squeaked, then seemed to realise it was 'just Harry'.
"You're going to be writing some lines for me."
Harry heard her voice shake, then saw the quill - identical to the one Vlad had had, complete with swirls of dark magic all around the tip. Harry knew she was testing him. Picking it up, he did his best to look unaware.
"I haven't got any ink."
"That's fine, it d-doesn't need any. I want you to write "I will stay out of things that don't concern me" and you will do it in silence!"
Her voice was shrill, painful on his ears but Harry simply shrugged and put quill to paper. Her eyes were hungry as she watched Harry frown. He felt the curse try to cut him, but his hardened scaly skin wouldn't allow it.
"Professor, I don't think this quill works."
"It takes a moment."
Harry kept trying, but no matter how much he pressed it down his skin wouldn't break, wouldn't give up his venom laced blood. The parchment tore, but his scales held.
"I don't understand!"
"Shall I just use my own?"
"Yes, I suppose you must."
She looked very unhappy, the dainty pink china in her hand shaking with suppressed rage as Harry pulled out a quill and ink pot from his bag, remembering to use his wand to pop the charm-locked cork open.
Her cursed quill ineffective, Harry's biggest problems were boredom and wrist cramp. Hopefully Vlad would be pacified by the knowledge Harry had resisted the curse and wouldn't go killing Umbridge. Not that she didn't deserve some retribution.
Harry grinned to himself as he thought of the Weasley twins hard at work helping set up a prank. He kept his eyes down, not wanting Umbridge to see him smile.
-YDHP-
Poor Umbridge hallucinating a random basilisk in the halls...