Don't own the characters!
Right, this may come off as more aggressive than I actually am or intended it to, and I apologise, but as multiple people have questioned these points, I shall address them now. Yes, Vlad is showing more power and doing well in school, but if I wrote Harry as equally powerful so early on, it would look far too fantastical. If they were both good at the exact same things, what the flaming torches would be the point in having two of them? If it's in the story, it's relevant. I've adhered to canon alot in this story, but that's because a lot of it has suited the way my story will go. As for Vlad being academic, that IS canon - he wants to learn, he wants to do well. The dynamic between the two of them will even out, but Vlad's Chosen One status is linked to exactly that - super powerful. There will be a lot more divergence from canon as time goes on, and I have a basic line for the entire story right the way up to year seven - I promise I'm not just writing Super Vlad and sidekick Harry.
That being said, I wholeheartedly appreciate every one of you who takes the time to review, and if you have an issue with my story I welcome you calling me out on it. You guys keep it going, and I am thrilled by the fact people enjoy my work and are engaged enough to pull me up on things. Keep doing what you're doing guys!
With regards to future installments, I'm asking you as readers - should I make Year Two a seperate story, or remove the Year One from the title and continue to add it on here? As Year One only has a couple more chapters to go.
And with that out of the way, on we go!
-YDHP-
The three of them were buzzing with anxiety all day, though as most people still weren't actively speaking to them they managed to stay off everyones attention span easily enough. Hermione was reading up on the Philosophers Stone in the library, Harry was making sure he had the cloak and Vlad had his Replenisher in small, single dose vials stuffed into his pockets. As the common room started to empty for the night, Vlad patted his pockets down to check he had his wand and vials, offering Hermione a tight smile when she reappeared. Harry came down soon after, the bundle of his invisibility cloak just about evident in his pocket. Phantom's intelligence was being put to the test, she had a note for McGonogall or Bertrand - whoever she could find first and Vlad had explained to her to take it if they weren't back by dawn. He could have sworn she nodded, curling up by the fire as though nothing were amiss and napping. Finally the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan yawned and headed up to their dormitories, the common room mercifully empty at last. Phantom followed them out of the portrait hole, wandering off to only she knew where to do who knows what. Harry threw the cloak over them, and hearts hammering, they set off. The cloak was a tight squeeze for the three of them, none too graceful with nerves as they crept down the stairs - the cloak didn't make them silent.
A couple of ghosts floated past them but that was all they passed, the worried energy between them tangible in the air as they approached Fluffy's room. Hermione waved her wand over the lock, whispering 'Alohamora' and it clicked open. Bracing themselves, they stepped through to the growling, beastly three headed dog. "Uh, guys?" Harry hissed. "What?" "We didn't think this through. Music?" Looking around hurriedly, Vlad spotted the harp. "I'll get the harp playing, you two move that enormous paw from the trap door?" The cloak was slipped off as Vlad darted to the instrument, imagining a soothing melody and waving his fingers above the strings. As soon as the melodic tune started, Fluffy started drooping sleepily. Harry and Hermione quickly shoved the dogs paw off the door, yanking it open. "Go, I'll follow when you're clear!" Harry jumped down first, shouting up that it was a soft, safe landing. Hermione followed and Vlad took a deep breath. The instant the music stopped, Fluffy was growling angrily again. He heard the others calling his name, wary of the guard dog covering the trap hole as he backed around. The longer he took the more irate Fluffy grew, and Vlad was worried he wouldn't get past.
Making a leap over the enormous leg, Vlad felt himself drop. The landing was soft, the space was dark and Harry was breathing heavily. "What's going on?" "It's got me!" "What has?" "Stay still!" Whatever was 'getting' Harry, Vlad could feel it. Something thick and strong was twining around his legs, and he couldn't move them an inch. "How can I stay still? This thing's got me!" "It's Devils Snare!" Harry was grunting now, as though the thing had him by the chest and was making it hard to breathe. "How is knowing what it is going to help?" Ignoring Harry, Vlad called to Hermione. "Never mind that, how do we beat it?" "Fire, it needs to be bright and warm. Devils Snare delights in dark and damp. I can't reach my wand!" Feeling reminded of his father, Vlad realised he couldn't reach his either. "Vlad, you don't need your wand!" Hermione was right, Vlad could do it without his wand. Barely moving his wrist out of the way of another vine, Vlad focused on fire. Bluebell flames lit his palm and the vines around his knees loosened. Scrambling free quickly, Vlad pulled his wand. "Lumos!" The dark space was lit up now and Harry was trapped, wrestling with thick green growths wrapped around his chest. Hoping it would hold, Vlad tossed the flames at Harry. Instantly the plant started retreating, both boys tugging Harry free. "Thanks Vlad." "Uh, guys?"
Hermione was still trapped, remarkably calm as she waited to be rescued. "Well at least I know there's no damsel in distress protocol here." Harry lit his wand so Vlad could free Hermione. "Keep the fire going, we need to find the way out." Holding out the ball of fire in his hand, they scanned the room. "No points for guessing which Professor this obstacle is from!" Vlad intended to have serious words with their Herbology professor at some point, mostly to learn more about this almost sentient-seeming plant. "So that's one down, how many more to go?" "Look, a door!" Hermione was pointing to a far corner, a door just about visible amongst the damp greenery. They dashed to the door, slamming it shut and Vlad let the flames die down now they had Harry's lit wand. "Just a guess, but I think you're up for this one seeker." Hermione was looking up, hundreds of tiny glittering... keys? fluttering around the air. Harry was walking further into the room, a broomstick hovering at waist height almost in invitation. "First things first, what am I even looking for?" Crossing to the opposite end of the room with Hermione, they looked at the new door. "Big. Silver like the handle. Probably old fashioned." Turning to Harry, his friend was looking up.
Just because he needed glasses to aid his sight, Harry wasn't the youngest seeker in a century for nothing. "Look, there's one with a bent wing!" His friends looked where he was pointing, and Harry looked at the broom. Wrapping a hand around the handle and looking back up to the key he needed, Harry mounted the broom. The second he kicked off, the keys started fluttering faster, almost blurring together. "I'm going to kill Professor Flitwick!" Vlad chuckled shortly, offering Harry an amused smile. "Honestly, he's flying on a broom, you wouldn't know he's a wizard." Hermione seemed to catch on, both friends holding up their wands. "Immobulus!" The keys stopped, frozen in mid air. Grabbing the key they needed, the spell was already wearing off. "Catch!" Harry tossed the key to Vlad, dropping off the broom and running through the door with them. "Oh man, this one smells worse than the other!" Lighting their wands again, there was a monstrous troll on the floor. "Nasty looking head bump, you sure this wasn't one of yours Vlad?" Vlad grinned, accepting Harry's joke as they'd mocked him when they froze the keys.
"So that's what, Sprout, Flitwick and now Quirrell? Assuming this is a Defence Against The Dark Arts obstacle and not someone's idea of a joke." Checking them off on his fingers, Harry counted. "I'm guessing at the very least we're looking at Snape, McGonogall and Dumbledore left. Potions, Transfiguration and who knows what." "We'll figure out the lessons later, let's get going before that wakes up. Takes more than a knock on the head to kill them." Vlad led them to the next door, Harry bringing up the rear to keep Hermione safe between them. The door opened easily, and Harry was automatically worried. A table full of potion bottles was their next challenge, or part of it. There were three strips of 'trials' after it. One was steaming lava, the next an icy looking river and the last, there was no ground at all, just fog. "What the hell is this?" Vlad was edging closer to the strips of very dangerous looking 'paths' while Hermione was scanning the potions bottles. "There's one here that would freeze the lava, but that won't help the next two." Vlad was leaning far too closely in, his eyes looking for... something. "No, that's the wrong one. If we do that they'll rearrange, Professor McGonogall has transfigured them to react in turn." The patches of danger were too wide to jump over, and Harry didn't fancy testing levitation spells over that much hazardous material.
"How do you know that?" Vlad looked around at them, finally moving back a little. "One of my 'special' things, working on spell detection. Ingrid's better than me at this, she'd be more use." Harry nudged Vlad's shoulder, waiting for his friend to look up. "Hey, you can doubt yourself later. We have a more pressing issue." Vlad's shoulders squared, both of them joining Hermione to look at the bottles. "We can't transfigure them back with magic, they're protected. One of these is going to have to match all of them." Harry had little idea what he was looking for, but Vlad handed him the one he'd already said was no good so Harry put it aside. "What are we looking for?" "Something earthy, and something icy. Fire, water, air. This is elemental potions, something we won't cover properly until fourth year." Raising an eyebrow at Hermione, Harry pushed away the stunned feeling of her already knowing their work three years from now. "Very logical Hermione. So, this is a boil remedy. Not what we want." Harry looked at the bottle nearest to him, suddenly recognising the purple liquid. "Dreamless Sleep, anyone fancy a nap?" Pocketing the bottle anyway, Vlad and Hermione were nodding at each other. "If we're right about this, it won't last long. If we're wrong... run." "What is it going to do?" Harry mastered the urge to back away.
"This one is going to cause an earthquake, Hermione's will freeze the gap in the middle. I bet Snape had a party brewing these, imagining whoever tried to break in frying in lava with glee." Lifting the potion from Hermione's hands, Harry held it out of reach. "You two should go back, fly out and get to Dumbledore. This could be dangerous! Vlad, give me that potion." Vlad backed away, refusing. "Hermione, he's right. Get out of here." "Like hell, I'm not leaving!" "Please Hermione? It's still an hour to dawn, we may not have that long!" Hermione was clearly unhappy with the turn of events, especially since she'd solved their puzzle. "Fine, but I'm going to berate you both fully when you come back alive." She jumped and hugged them both around the neck, smacking both their faces and giving them a teary smile. "Be careful, both of you. I don't fancy telling your sister I left you to get hurt Vlad. And I might miss you, you're the best friends I've ever had." Returning the embrace, they both pushed Hermione. "Go!" Waiting to see Hermione back through the door and hear the other one close so they knew the troll hadn't got her, Harry turned to Vlad. "So, how do we do this?"
Vlad was pacing, looking through the thick fog carefully. "The door is opposite here, so we need to hit here. I'm going to go first, as soon as there's an inch clear gap throw yours down into it. The second the ice forms, run like hell. It won't last long. Damn, whoever is coming through here must have had fun already knowing the answers." Backing up in opposite directions, Vlad told Harry to hold on tight. To what, Harry had no idea. Sharing a nod, Vlad raised his hand and Harry tightened his grip on the bottle. "Ready?" "As I'll ever be!" Vlad threw the bottle to the ground and Harry thought the entire castle should be shaking, the thunderous rattle as the ground split was making his whole body shake. Remembering to hurry, Harry hoped the gap was wide enough as he aimed the bottle. Holding his breath, he hoped he wasn't off on the timing. Thick ice crystals formed, barely wide enough for them to step on, or slide on as it was. Harry leapt on first, pulling the door open in time for Vlad to fall behind him, pushing them both through the door. "Harry, give me the cloak." Raising an eyebrow at Vlad, Harry waited for his friend to elaborate. No explanation was forthcoming, so Harry handed over the cloak. "You were never going to hide, better they don't know there's two of us." Vlad's hissing voice came out, disembodied as the cloak hid his friend. "Ready Vlad?" He thought he could hear the smile in his friends voice as he answered. "As I'll ever be." Drawing on the supposed Gryffindor courage, Harry pushed the door open.
"You?"
-YDHP-
Again, apologies for the lengthy, somewhat grumpy seeming AN at the top. Feel free to tell me if this was terrible!
Enjoy!