I do not own anything that could get me sued.

Kudos to Werepuppy Black for mentioning a mistake in my previous chapter. I totally missed it (and it was a pretty large mistake) so thank you!

Chapter 10: Unease

Vlad didn't have time to catch his breath; Dobby had Apparated them immediately into the room where the others were still conversing. Whatever they had been speaking about ceased the moment the two of them appeared back into existence and, again, Vlad was grateful that his father had flitted with him in tow so many times. He didn't stumble upon landing and that at least gave him a few bonus points.

"I was beginning to wonder what the elf had done with you," Draco drawled, but he didn't pursue it. "Did you like it?"

No, no he hadn't. That crazy mirror the Malfoys owned was possibly the worst thing Vlad had ever encountered. It had been a different kind of dangerous from being surrounded from lethal vampires or being charged by a gigantic troll. No, the mirror had been much worse. Trolls and vampires at least were external. The mirror had brought up some of Vlad's greatest insecurities and inner fears.

Vlad managed a faint smile and replied, "It was very grand. Was that sword really Joan of Arc's?"

"Of course," Pansy sniffed from the side. "Draco's family wouldn't keep anything but the very best."

The huff of irritation coming from Daphne lightened Vlad's mood a little and he had to struggle not to grin at the sound. The witch must have been very frustrated to allow such an obvious sign to be noticed. She actually rolled her eyes the next minute when Pansy threw her a filthy glare and snipped, "I hope you know that you aren't engaged to Draco."

Vlad blinked at the comment. He hadn't known that wizards still continued that tradition. It was still prevalent amongst the vampires of course; blood was literally everything to them. But he had thought the Wizarding world was beyond that. From what he had read, most witches and wizards chose their partners. Apparently, pureblood families still lived in the medieval ages.

Good garlic, his father would absolutely love these people.

Pansy almost growled in her anger. "Well, I certainly don't understand why your sister is betrothed to Draco. She's a –"

"She's a what, Pansy?" Daphne asked sweetly, poisonously.

It was fairly clear that all of the boys in the room were more than uncomfortable. Girls…they were complete mysteries and absolute harpies when they wanted to be.

It was pure fortune that Mrs. Malfoy chose that exact moment to open the doors. If she hadn't, Vlad had a nasty feeling that the two girls in the room would have been at each other's throats. Figuratively and literally.

"I'm afraid I am going to have to break this up," the Malfoy matriarch smiled apologetically, as if she really was sorry for interrupting children's conversation. "The event is coming to a close and your parents are requesting your presence."

It was like a candle had been lit. One moment, his classmates were behaving exactly their age, decently comfortable and bantering amongst themselves. The next, their faces were as inscrutable as a group of eleven year olds could get them to be and a host of polite goodbyes and thank you's were suitably issued before the room was cleared of everybody except for Vlad, Draco, and Mrs. Malfoy.

It was uncomfortable being alone with the two Malfoys, but the young vampire smiled as best he could. "Thank you so much for allowing me to attend your event, ma'am," Vlad said, bowing slightly in the woman's direction. "It was a great experience." He tried not to allow the image of the mirror to creep up within in his mind.

"Oh, please, stay a bit longer," Narcissa Malfoy insisted. "I do hate to keep you longer than needed but my husband and I would love to get to know you better, if that is quite alright with you. You did save our Draco after all."

Vlad flitted his eyes over to his blonde housemate and had to resist the urge to glare ferociously. There was a smug grin on Draco's face that almost screamed, "Did you really think you could get away?"

It was difficult not to sigh; the mirror still weighed heavily upon his mind and all he wanted to do was get home and sleep. But his father hadn't set a curfew and Vlad couldn't say no without sounding ungrateful. He was fairly sure that the Malfoy family felt just as burdened. No prestigious wizarding family would bother with such an obvious newcomer like him if they didn't have to. Vlad was fairly sure that he wouldn't have even been allowed into the party itself if that hadn't been the case.

"I wouldn't mind at all," Vlad managed to reply. "I just don't want to bother you."

"Nonsense!" the matriarch waved away. "Come, it is much more comfortable to speak in the parlor."

Both Draco and Vlad obediently followed the elegant woman out of the room and around a few turns before settling into a much cozier room. The vampire was pleasantly surprised to see that it was even smaller than the one he had been in before and an even brighter fire settled the temperature at sleepily warm. It was the kind of room Vlad would imagine falling asleep in after reading a particularly long and satisfying book.

Draco's father was already waiting for them, muttering some instructions to another of the house elves before finally turning to them as the servant popped away.

"Ah, pleasure again, Mr. Dracula," the man greeted. "Please, settle down."

Vlad felt like that was all he had been doing all night considering the constant change of venue he was experiencing but he did what the patriarch suggested with nothing but a word of thanks. Mrs. Malfoy seated herself beside her husband as Draco pulled himself into one of the spare armchairs.

"Was the party suitable?"

Again with that question. Vlad was tempted to snap that it actually had been anything but suitable he only replied, "It was very remarkable. I have been to few gatherings as nicely planned."

That seemed to make Narcissa beam, but her husband merely seemed satisfied with the answer before continuing. "That is good news. I would hate to have to punish the house elves for making another mistake. You see, they made a mistake the last time we held an event and it takes quite a bit of trouble to make sure the things learn their lesson."

The man said the last comment like he was stating the weather and it made Vlad want to gag. No wonder Draco was such a prick at times. It was actually a miracle his classmate hadn't turned out much worse.

"Now, we have heard of your actions from Draco, but I think we would like to hear what happened during Halloween from your point of view. Our son didn't see exactly how you rescued him, you see, and we would love to hear how you managed to."

In other words, how on earth did you defeat something our trained-since-birth son couldn't? Vlad licked his lips in anxiety at the question; he couldn't exactly just come out and outright tell them that he had hypnotized the troll. The practice was archaic in the wizarding world from what Vlad had read, and even if he said so, he didn't know the incantation for it. Wizards hypnotized with a spell. They certainly didn't utilize eye contact like vampires could.

"It was really a blur, sir," Vlad answered with a careful, shy smile. "I was just desperate. I honestly had no idea what I was doing. Just one moment the troll was charging and I was panicking and then it was gone." Good garlic, that couldn't have gone any worse. It was perhaps the most ambiguous explanation that he could have possibly offered.

"Really, you remember nothing else?" There was skepticism in the Malfoy patriarch's tone, even if it was oh-so-very carefully filtered out with true curiosity.

"It was more accidental magic than anything, I think. Spontaneous. I certainly don't know enough magic to stop a troll."

"Well, we're just glad the two of you managed to escape without too much damage," Narcissa smiled gently. She pressed a hand to her husband's arm. "Why don't you tell us about what you think of England, dear. It must be a very different experience to be in a different country."

That was much easier to answer. "I really like it here, ma'am. The environment is beautiful and Hogwarts is very grand." A slight smile curled Vlad's lips up. "There is a lot more sun here than there is where I live."

"I wasn't aware that Romania had such gloomy weather," Mr. Malfoy commented offhandedly.

Vlad nodded. "There is a decent amount of sun. It's just where I live. The weather likes to…mirror the mood."

Narcissa raised her eyebrows inquiringly. "Where do you live, dear?"

"Transylvania, ma'am." Vlad almost winced at his answer, sure that the people present would recognize the notoriously famous location. But he was only greeted with neutral expressions. Either the Malfoys were ridiculously good at masking their surprise or they really didn't know that Transylvania was literally the vampire capital of the world.

"It sounds familiar," Mr. Malfoy replied slowly. "I'm sure it will come back to me. But do tell us a little more of Hogwarts. Draco has told us what he thinks but your view would be valuable as well."

This was beginning to feel far more like an interrogation than anything else, but Vlad had really no reason not to reply. The questions so far had been innocent enough and they almost would have seemed harmless if they hadn't been coming from Draco's parents.

"I love magic, sir. I've been looking forward to learning it for a long time." Well, if the brief span of a few months since getting the letter qualified as a long time. "My favorite subject would have to be Transfigurations right now."

"That was my favorite subject as a student," Narcissa beamed. "Fascinating isn't it?"

Draco seemed to sense the upcoming gush of Transfiguration theories as he said, "Mother, Father, I think Vlad told me at the beginning of the party that his family wants him home a little early. I wouldn't want to keep him." The subtle glance the blonde threw Vlad's way threatened him to say otherwise.

Vlad was more than happy to follow Draco's lead. "I am very sorry. But my father does wish me to be home."

"No problem at all," Draco's mother said, standing up and encouraging the vampire to do the same. "I am very sorry for keeping you, though."

"Feel free to use your cufflinks again," Draco's father interjected, drawing closer to the Romanian boy. He tapped his cane against the platinum and Vlad felt a brief tingle of magic flutter at the contact. "I have made it a permanent Portkey to our home, but it will only activate if you receive permission first. I hope you understand."

"Of course," Vlad quickly said. "Thank you for the gift. It is very generous of you." At the mention of gifts, the vampire's eyes widened as he hastily plunged his hand into his robes to pull out his own gift. "I nearly forgot! I have brought you a gift as well, sir, for your family. It isn't much, just something I pulled from our family's treasury."

"Your treasury!" Narcissa exclaimed. "Oh, we couldn't accept that. It is your family's."

Vlad shook his head, extending the wrapped gift. "Please take it. You've let me into your home and you've been very kind to me. I want you to have it." He grinned a little. "My family won't miss it anyway. We are not too attached."

Draco's mother fussed, as was expected, but she eventually took the gift from Vlad's hands. When she did so, the vampire reached down to touch the Portkey but the quick and sudden grip on his forearm made him stop.

Vlad stared up into Mr. Malfoy's steely gray eyes and forced himself to ignore the reflex telling him to jerk away from the abrupt contact and to retaliate. As nice as the Malfoys seemed, something told Vlad that there was definitely more to them than met the eye. Nobody truly innocent kept a mirror like the one Vlad had run into hidden from view like stashed loot.

"Before you go, I would love to meet your family. They must be very…interesting people."

Vlad found that he couldn't quite reply. He blinked and nodded soundlessly before Draco's father finally extracted himself. Then, the vampire was gone with a single word to pull him back to Transylvania.

~0~

It was the best Christmas morning Harry Potter had ever had. He hadn't exactly had the best of experiences before, growing up and only being allowed to watch his cousin gorge upon his gifts. He had been absolutely ecstatic with the mere fact that Ron had woken him up this morning with the words, "Get up, Harry! There are presents!"

Nobody had woken him up like that before, with such enthusiasm and free of acidic hatred Harry had grown up with.

He had been the amazed receiver of a flute from Hagrid, a 50 pence coin from the Dursleys, some fudge and Chocolate Frogs from Hermione, and a knitted jumper from Ron's mother. All of the presents, including the ones from his relatives, had Harry grinning like a loon and more grateful than ever that he had come to Hogwarts. The invisibility cloak from the anonymous sender had been something of a mystery but it was the one he kept close because it had been his father's.

Right when he thought he had finished unwrapping the last of them, Ron had poked him in the side with one last box in hand. Harry had been puzzled; who else did he know would send him a Christmas present? The box did not have a tag on it signifying the giver and only when he had meticulously taken off the gold and crimson covering did he catch the letter falling out of it. Harry had picked it up, intent upon reading the note first, but Ron's exclamation had caught his attention.

"Blimey!" The redhead had shouted. "You got a Quidditch kit!"

Harry had only blinked in confusion, only seeing a large leather box. "What?"

"That thing must have cost at least ten galleons!" There had been jealously somewhere in Ron's tone. "Bloody expensive. You can tell from the box that it is top grade."

"What's in it?"

"Well, it is a Quidditch kit. It has everything you need in there to maintain your broom and some other equipment you might need to protect yourself out in the game, mate."

Harry had run an admiring hand over the lid, but he had eventually turned back to the letter in his other hand, determined to see who had sent him such a pricey gift.

Merry Christmas, Harry.

I hope you're having a nice break. Figured that you could

use this in the future. I don't want to see you fall out there, especially

after you swallowed your first Snitch!

Best wishes,

Vlad

The fact that the foreign student had even bothered to think of Harry while gift shopping had been astonishing. Harry had felt a little ashamed when he realized that he had completely forgotten about the Slytherin. He truly hadn't believed their association would mean anything after he had so obviously left the Romanian boy alone. It had touched Harry to see that Romanian student was still trying.

A few nights later, after Professor Dumbledore had finally convinced Harry to stop visiting the Mirror of Erised, he could not help but lie in bed and wonder what it could have been like to have Vlad as a friend.

~0~

There was something strange with the new boy, Vladimir. Severus had always been a man aware of his surroundings with a sharp instinct to match and something was telling him that the Romanian boy was more than just the top student in his year. That in itself was impressive enough with the entire Slytherin house already prepped with years of small tutelage and the Gryffindor girl waving her hand about for every question possible.

No, perhaps Severus was being paranoid, but he had been raised in a half-Muggle household and he had grown up finding solace in the books around him. Most of those books had been of Muggle origin before he had magical tomes available to him and one of said novels just happened to be Stoker's Dracula.

Severus didn't believe in coincidences, no matter how ridiculous. He had learned the hard way that nothing happened without some meaning behind it.

And for somebody who knew that such a book existed, you would have had to be stupid not to make the connection.

Severus had only ever read about vampires. Unlike werewolves or centaurs or even mermen, vampires had not been actively seen in decades. Not since Grindlewald's time and perhaps even before did any wizard actually have consistent contact with the species. Not even Dumbledore, the persuasive politician he could be, could coax the creatures out of their seclusion. Most books about vampires were hogwash nowadays and only some of the most ancient actually held some truth to them. The topic had never interested Severus merely because it had seemed so irrelevant at the time.

But now he had more than enough reason to ponder the question.

Still, the Potions Master felt a little silly going about and actually researching when there didn't seem to be any need to. Vladimir Dracula seemed the complete opposite of what one might consider being one of the undead with the exception of his name. The child wore ridiculously bright colors, for Merlin's sake, and spent more time hanging about in the sun than Severus thought healthy for even a normal boy. It was true Madam Pince, the librarian, often mentioned how much time the child spent studying, but Severus didn't miss the amount of time Vladimir also set aside to stroll outside. It almost seemed to be a conscious effort to do so every single day.

Vladimir smiled far too often to add to the list of oddities and he had a naturally chipper attitude Severus normally would have loved to crush if the boy's potions hadn't been unfailingly immaculate. What sort of vampire was cheerful, sun-happy, and prone to neon tastes in attire?

Yet the boy's name, Dracula, continued to linger in Severus's mind like a pestilence he couldn't quite eradicate.

Wow, it didn't take me another month to update :) I actually have a VERY clear of what to write for the next few chapter as well so it might go just as fast...yay :D Or it might not. Depends on how generous my teachers are with their assignments this week.

Narcissa isn't that nice, just in case she came across that way. Remember, in the previous chapter she was going on and on about how power was essential and using any way to get it was a-okay. So if she seems all bubbly in this chapter, it's because that's what she thinks Vlad feels most comfortable with (which is actually kind of true) and the more comfortable Vlad is, the more willing to tell information he is.

I am planning on eventually including more of Harry in Vlad's school life. It just might be a bit slow considering their beginnings.

Till next time!