SATURDAY JULY 2, 1994

At the innkeeper's suggestion, they visited a local tavern for an authentic Greek meal. They were served cheese pies, sausage, and fruit preserved on fresh bread aside strong black coffee, or melon juice for Luna who didn't like coffee.

"We have heard," Harry said to the tavern owner, "That Greece is the birthplace of wands. Is this true?"

"Yes. Greece has always been the center of civilization. Religion, democracy, wands... All that has brought order to society has begun in Greece," the corpulant owner boasted, refilling Luna's dwindling fruit juice.

"It is too bad many countries forbid owning multiple wands. A custom Greek wand would have been the perfect souvenir." Sirius said.

"Ahh..." The tavern owner's face lit up in understanding. "Yes. I have a friend. He works in a shop in a small shopping district you can find through a warded exit of the acropolis. He creates excellent custom wands. It is too bad that his shop is so small. It is often overlooked by government inspections."

"Yes, a pity," Sirius agreed, "Perhaps we might visit your friend, just to watch him work of course."

"Of course, the man agreed."

The three tourists wandered the Acropolis, admiring the ruins of the old temples, and the more up to date buildings that were hidden from muggle eyes, selling magical souvenirs. Just below the Parthenon, a small group of shops that looked less than legitimate were gathered in a cleft in the rock. The three donned their dark lord personas, including Harry having Vindex coiled around his torso.

The three strode into the wand shop looking quite intimidating. The hydra, a native snake in Greece, was quickly recognized by the proprietor.

"Good morning, wand maker," Harry said, "Your work has come highly recommended. I understand that you can make powerful, yet untraceable wands for a wizard of the correct means and... temperament."

A bead of sweat ran down the wand maker's forehead. "Of course, sirs. You'll find no wand better than that I make for you."

"Very good. I would like to purchase three wands then. The best you can make."

"Yes, then lets start with the casings I have to offer. Most wand makers stick to woods because of their simplicity and well known properties. I include some more exotic ingredients such as fangs, or bone."

"Would a piece of the user make the wand more compatible?" Harry asked.

"The only parts that Humans have that are compatible for wand casings are some of their bones."

"Would a cockatrice fang suffice?"

"I can not tell without testing it," the man admitted.

Harry transformed and opened his beak. The man paled and turned towards Harry's two companions. Harry snuffed in irritation, then used his metamorph abilities to regrow his largest pair of fangs twice, pushing the old ones out and onto the counter. Harry transformed back.

"You may keep any extras for your stock, but you will give us an appropriate discount." The man nodded and used some dragon hide gloves to pick up and wash the fangs, then added them to a box of wand casings. He cast a spell on the box, then on Harry.

"You should feel a pull towards the core that is most compatible with you."

Harry closed his eyes and hovered his hand over the box. He did indeed feel a pull. He reached out with his magic. A slender object leapt into his hand. He expected to see a cockatrice fang when he opened his eyes, instead, he saw a long, thin, slightly curved piece of bone that came to a point at one end. It was heavy and cold, almost metallic feeling.

"The wing bone of a Stymphalian bird. A man-eating bird as toxic as your own alternate form. It could launch it's feathers like flying knives. Its bite has powerful and deadly venom. Its excretions are so toxic that it would poison the land itself for a generation. This will create a wand meant for death and destruction."

He placed the bone aside and repeated the process with Luna. She selected one of Harry's fangs. "Cockatrice fang. You must be rather close to the donor as you do not seem to be the type for a death wand.

Sirius selected a much thicker bone than Harry. "That is the leg bone of a laelaps. It is a magical hound that will never stop running until it has caught its prey. A wand made with this will surely give you incredible magical endurance."

The shopkeeper then brought out a second box that was much larger than the first and was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. "These are the cores I have available. A core can be made of any sufficiently magical substance. In the case of snakes, it is usually blood, venom, and scales. Though, in the case of the hydra, the scales would be ineffective. Do you want to provide any samples before we start?"

"I will give both my blood, and cockatrice blood, venom and scales."

"If the blood is not chosen, it will be destroyed immediately. We do not want to leave around convenient supplies for blood magic," Sirius said.

§Will you offer blood or venom in case they may be chosen as ingredients for our wands?§ Harry queried Vindex.

§Only venom.§

"Vindex will offer venom," Harry translated.

Harry was provided with several vials. He milked Vindex, then allowed Luna to milk his fangs and draw his blood. The blood was placed in an easily visible and accessible part of the box of cores.

"You have one more to offer," Luna said.

"I do?" Harry queried.

"Basilisk venom."

Harry remembered he had received a vial as part of his portion of the basilisk sale. He placed the vial next to the blood. "I slew the thousand-year-old basilisk myself, so I will want that back if it is not chosen.

It wasn't a concern. To Harry's surprise, when he went to select his core, he received not only the basilisk venom, but also nundu saliva.

"You truly are a surprise. Two of the deadliest substances in existence. Your wand will be a wand of death for sure. I doubt it could ever cast a healing spell." The wand maker seemed genuinely surprised. "I can only imagine what fate has in store for you."

Luna selected Harry's human blood. "I have never even heard of human blood used as the core of a wand. Humans usually do not have enough magic to even be considered."

"I have a lot of magic. I've also had basilisk venom and phoenix tears in my blood, so my blood may be more magical than most."

"You will need to protect the girl. She is your weakness. Even your body desires to protect her. Now, the final one."

Sirius selected his core.

"Hellhound blood. Excellent for the dark arts and shield charms, though quite temperamental."

Harry waved his holly and phoenix feather wand and vanished the vial of cockatrice blood. "If you don't mind, we would like to watch you work. We have never seen a wand being made." Harry leveled a steady gaze at the man. He found this made the man grow nervous.

"Of course, wand lore is such a fascinating subject. While we're talking, why don't you tell me how you'd like your wands stylized."

"Snakes, doves, and dogs," Harry said in a no-nonsense voice.

"Of course. That makes sense."

"Your wands," the wand maker presented the finished items to Harry, Luna and Sirius.

The wands reacted extremely well for all of them. If anything, Harry had to say the wand was a much better fit than the one he had gotten from Ollivander. "It's very good he said. Reacts much better than a pre-made wand."

"Of course, sir. Custom is always a better fit. May I ask your names so I may know whom I have had the honor of serving?"

"Of course. I was once known as Dark Lord Sanies Sibilus. I am sure that soon my name will be widely known once again. My beautiful companion is the Lady Lux. And this mangy man here is my pet dog, and yes he does bite."

"Of course..." The wand maker let out a forced chuckle. "It was an honor to serve you."

"What about payment?" Harry asked.

"Your generous donations more than cover it of course. I must close shop for lunch now. Thank you for coming."

Harry Luna and Sirius left the store and headed back to the main plaza, not noticing the three uniformed men that entered the store as they left. They stopped around a cleft of rock to return to their civilian clothes, then headed back to the magical district they had come from.

"So, we've seen the sights of Greece and got untraceable wands," Harry said, "Where do we want to spend our vacation."

"I figure that we should just travel wherever our fancy takes us," Sirius said.

"I recommend the topless beaches of France. It will be a good place to relax," Luna said.

"This may sound totally selfish of me, but I really don't want anyone else seeing you topless," Harry complained.

"We could always work on your dark lord image and visit the vampire covens in Transylvania. Not a good place for some tourists, but vampires are surprisingly hospitable if they believe you're strong."

"That actually sounds pretty interesting," Harry said.

They donned their armor and walked to a travel shop.

"Hello," squeaked a short balding man.

"We'd like transportation to Transylvania," Harry said.

"That is not one of our usual packages," the man said, "are you sure you don't want to visit the beaches of France?"

"Why does everyone think France is such a great destination," Harry pouted, "We're going to Transylvania. Are you going to help us or not."

"Of course..." The man's eyes flashed down to the sword where Harry's hand was casually resting on the pommel as Harry leaned over the man's desk. "What is the purpose of your trip?"

"We are just hoping to relax and make some new friends," Sirius said.

"Of course. Leisure then. When would you like to leave?"

"As soon as you can have a portkey for us," Harry insisted.

The man grabbed a ribbon that had been binding a scroll and waved his wand over it. "There just take hold of this."

Harry, Luna and Sirius grabbed a piece of the ribbon and immediately found themselves landing on a forest path, with the travel agent's desk.

"Well, that was rather rude," Luna said, "Didn't even wait for payment."

"At least the portkey is a nice one. I think this ribbon is made of silk." In the center of the ribbon was an embossed gold medallion showing a seated woman looking into a bowl and a man with a crown standing and waiting. Harry tied the ribbon around Luna's neck like a collar with a bow in the back and the medallion in the front. "Looks good on you."

Luna smiled and kissed him.

Meanwhile, back in Greece, three uniformed men entered a travel shop.

"We were informed that we had a job here. We were too late to catch our targets at the last location. You should have a scroll for us from the oracle." The leader said.

The diminutive travel agent searched, but could not find any oracular messages.

"I don't have any oracular messages," he explained, "Everything has just been a complete mess since those three came in earlier."

"Can you describe them?"

"Their leader was a short man with long hair and a scarred face. He was wearing armor and carried a sword that felt like it was crying for blood. With him, he had a tall man with black hair. He had a sword as well as black as night. Then, there was the girl. She couldn't have been more than fourteen or fifteen years old, but wore the same armor as the leader. She did not seem to follow him willingly."

"And where did they go?"

"He insisted on going to Transylvania. They said it would be fun and that they would be making new friends."

"This can't be good. You heard what the wand maker said," the second uniformed man said.

"A dark lord who had made a wand so dark that it would surely cause immeasurable suffering," the first shuddered at the thought.

"What are we going to tell our superiors?" the third asked nervously.

"Frankly, I am glad we didn't catch them. This is way above our pay grade."

"I have a feeling we're being watched," Harry said. They had walked for over an hour and it was beginning to get dark.

"It can't be too much farther. A path like this is for walking, not for vehicles," Sirius said.

"Or maybe just for creatures who move faster than humans," Luna suggested.

"I vote, you two jump in the trunk and I'll just fly the rest of the way to wherever this path goes," Harry said.

"Well I vote we keep walking." Sirius said.

"Of course the dog wants a walk," Harry teased.

"I vote we surrender," Luna suggested.

"The girl seems to have a smart head on her shoulders," came a voice from the woods.

"I also voted we go to the beaches of France instead of Transylvania," Luna said, "But no, you had to be a better dark lord, gotta visit the vampires of Transylvania."

A dozen vampires appeared from the shadows. They were not the elegant vampires of muggle fiction wearing silks and seducing maidens. No, these were emaciated creatures with fangs wearing dirty rags.

"Did someone order delivery?" one of the vampires joked, "Or is this just a pleasant coincidence?"

"Actually I am kind of hungry," Sirius said, "If you brought food, I'll take some."

"You guys can have the clown. He probably tastes funny anyway," One of the vampires gagged, much to Sirius' chagrin.

"I think that's enough small talk," Harry said, pretending to be brave as he tried to remember how to kill vampires.

He had no garlic, nor crosses, nor holy water and the sun was already behind the horizon. He could easily transfigure a stake, but he'd never have a chance to use it. They weren't just going to sit still and let him pound it in. He really needed some combat training. No, he needed to get rid of them all at once. He had an idea and he had no idea if it would work.

"I will give you one chance to run. If you are still here in five seconds, you will die. Five..."

The vampires laughed at his threats as more appeared. "Do you really think you can kill all of us?"

"Four..."

The apparent leader stepped towards him. "I think you're bluffing."

"Three..." Harry drew his sword and raised it above his head, focusing his magic. He could feel the sword channeling his magic like a more efficient version of wandless magic. "Two..."

"You think you can mock us?"

"One!"

"Kill them all!"

One of the basic tools of wandless magic was the conversion of energy. Harry converted his magic directly into light energy, not visible light but pure ultraviolet light. Every nearby vampire burst into flames while Harry Sirius and Luna received an instant sunburn.

"Luna," Harry asked, "Do we have any burn paste made?"

"No," She replied grumpily.

Harry then used his metamorph powers to quickly heal his skin.

"We're going to go in the trunk and make burn paste. You can continue walking," Sirius said.

Harry was surprised that he wasn't accosted again before he reached a quaint little village. There was a stone fountain in the middle of the village that had long dried out. The statue meant to spout water was crumbling to the point that it was hard to tell it was supposed to be an angel. The buildings were made in an old style with thick wooden beams and wooden shingles. Many gas lanterns lit up the streets. Men and women wore dour faces and dressed in simple rough clothing, at least those that did now immediately run to their houses at the sight of a stranger. On the far side of the town was a small wooden church and Harry decided that it would be a friendly place to get to know about the local area.

Harry strolled to the town. The townsfolk shied away when he came near. Harry thought it was awfully rude of them until he realized that he was still wearing his sword and armor and was probably rather intimidating.

As Harry approached the church, he found that the church looked over a rather large and eerie graveyard. He wondered how such a small town had managed so many corpses. He tried the door. It was locked. Harry knocked on the door three times before a slit opened and a pair of eyes appeared and words in a language Harry didn't recognize were spoken.

"Excuse me," Harry interrupted, "Do you speak English?"

"I speak little," the man replied with a heavy Germanic accent, "What you want?"

"Is there a place nearby where my friends and I may get some food and a room for the night?"

"Friends?" the man asked.

"Yes, we were accosted in the forest and they received some minor burns. They'll be along when they've treated their wounds."

"Show me your neck and teeth."

Harry humored the man.

"You appear to still be human. That is rare for those that come from the forest."

Harry heard the sound of two heavy bars being shifted before the doors opened.

"You may enter." The priest was fairly young, but he had more wrinkles and far less hair than a man his age should have. His wide eyes bore a look of a man who lived in constant fear. "This place has not been safe since Dracule withdrew his protection. The wild ones feed and feed until there are more of them than living humans, then they attack in the night."

"Why did Dracula withdraw his protection?"

"No one knows. No one dares approach his castle. We know that his borders have been shrinking recently. It was not so bad when Dracule ruled here. He merely asked for blood and gold. If you paid, you were protected. If you did not, you disappeared. These others are mere beasts in comparison."

Harry was led to a small unfurnished room.

"I am sorry that I cannot offer you more extravagant accommodations. Why don't you leave your armor here and you can help me prepare a meal before your companions arrive."

"Thank you for your hospitality. This is more than my friends and I require."

The priest looked surprised, but bowed his head in acknowledgment and closed the door to give Harry some privacy.

Harry climbed into his his trunk to find Luna reading while Sirius stirred a cauldron. "Burn paste almost ready?" Harry asked.

"About fifteen minutes," Sirius said.

"I've found a local church that has given us a room for the night. It seems that Dracula's influence is shrinking and that's why we were attacked. I'm going to switch to my civvies then help the priest prepare some food."

Harry opened the door of his room to find a rather shocked looking priest.

"You look very different," the priest said warily.

"Yes. I find that people take you more seriously when you look intimidating." Harry adjusted his silk shirt.

"Come with me. Dinner is this way."

Harry was led through the church to a small living area. Harry didn't see any food or cooking supplies.

"I am sorry about this," the priest said from behind Harry. Harry found himself pinned to the wall with far more strength than a human should have. "I have not had a decent meal since I lost communication with my lord." Fangs bit into Harry's neck, then the vampire priest began to scream and dropped Harry. "It burns!"

"Well, yes, venom does that sometimes." Harry healed his own neck. The priest, rather than bite into a blood vessel had bitten into one of the small venom sacks. Harry had been working to develop them since bonding with Vindex, not that he'd ever gotten them to the point where he could use them. "I doubt my blood would be much better." Harry turned towards the vampire who now had his head dunked in a bucket of water.

"Wha awh hou?" The skin on the bottom half of the vampire's face had melted away, his tongue completely gone now.

"What am I? Just a man who has a bit of a thing for snakes." Harry elongated two of his teeth into fangs. "Now why don't you tell me what's really going on, or I'll show you what it's like to have someone bite you."

The man's face had already begun to heal due to his vampiric powers. "Fieh, I'uw khell hyue."

"I don't suppose you actually have human food?" Harry asked.

The vampire shook his head.

"Then I'll need to inconvenience one of my friends." Harry sighed. "Dobby!"

"Dobby is here!" Dobby appeared with a crack.

"We will be eating dinner here. Would you mind getting some food, as well as something suitable for a vampire?"

"Will master's Looney and Paddy be joining?"

"Yes, they'll be along in a few minutes."

Dobby popped away again.

The vampire watched Harry warily as Harry sat in the lone chair, watching in fascination as the vampire's wounds healed. Soon they were joined by Sirius and Luna.

"What happened to his face?" Sirius asked.

"It looks like he tried to drink hydra venom," Luna guessed.

The vampire scowled.

"No need to mock our gracious host now that he's just become cooperative," Harry chided, "Besides, you two don't look much better with that orange goop all over your faces. Well, actually, for our dog, it's a bit of an improvement."

Sirius growled. "Watch what you say pup."

"Down boy." Harry chuckled as Sirius looked dejected.

"Dogs don't get no respect."

"Dinner is ready," Dobby said as he popped back in. With a wave of his hand, the table expanded and food began to appear.

"So, you are wizards," the priest said, "I should have suspected as much from the armor you wore. Muggle vampire hunters are not nearly as well prepared."

"Yes, we are. I am the dark lord Sanies Sibilus. This is my dark lady Luna Lux. And this is my dog, Sirius Catulus, named after the star of course.

"Hissing Venom, Moonlight, and Puppy Dog. Interesting names."

"You know latin, and your accent seems to have disappeared."

"I was a scholar a few hundred years ago. Latin was a requirement. English is just convenient these days. The world changes quickly."

"What should we call you?" Harry asked.

"I am currently known by the name of Father Pietru. For the last four-hundred years, I have been a vassal to the house of Draculesti. I have served ever since I was turned by Vlad II Dracul, the first vampire in the Draculesti line. He is commonly known by the muggles as Vlad the Impaler because he would impale the bodies of his enemies on stakes. He used his strength and his vampire thralls to conquer, expanding the borders of Wallachia until our neighbours reached out to the Ottomans, the vampiric enclave that first turned Vlad II. Our armies were crushed and Vlad II was executed."

Pietru paused his story to take a sip from the tall glass that Dobby had provided for him.

"Pigs blood," he said with a grimace, "Though I suppose it is the best I can hope for these days." He wiped his mouth. "As I was saying, with Vlad II dead, Vlad III took his father's place. Vlad III was much more cautious than his father. He sought blood from powerful men and magical creatures to increase his strength. Soon, no vampire had the strength to oppose him, even the Ottomans failed to defeat him and he ruled unopposed over Wallachia using fear of his great powers. He was the one you have probably heard referred to as Count Dracula. You must understand that he was a powerful man. His physical strength was to vampires what normal vampires are to humans. He could withstand direct sunlight and heal from wounds that would kill any ordinary vampire. He could transform into a bat, a wolf, or even smoke. He could mesmerize you with just a look in your eyes. His very blood was a weapon that he could use to slay armies, bringing forth phantasms of every life he drank to fight for him. The more people fought him, the stronger he became. We thought that he would be the messiah, the one who would lead the Vampires to their rightful place in the world. But then, that man came. Abraham van Helsing. He was the most famous vampire hunter working for the Catholic church. He came to Wallachia. He was but one man, but in a week, the immortal Dracula was dead."

Pietru rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed before taking another sip of his blood. His three visitors waited, enthralled by his story.

"After that, the house of Draculesti entered negotiations with Transylvania. We would leave mortal affairs to them and aid them in battle. Our territory would be clearly defined. Any creature entering that territory was free game. The rest of Wallachia would pay tribute to the Draculesti in blood and gold. The Draculesti would pay tribute to the state of Transylvania and would ensure that any vampires not following the treaty would be dealt with. Since then, Vlad IV Dracule has ruled without trouble until recently. A few years ago, bands of feral vampires began to plague the lands. As they were discovered, y would be dealt with. Those that could be captured were captured. Their blood would join with that of those loyal to the house of Draculesti, giving us strength. Those that could not be captured were killed. We never found the source. A few months ago, I lost contact with the Draculesti castle. I tried to go to them, but the groups of ferals were too numerous and I'd not fed in so long. I thought that your blood would give me enough strength to break through the hoards that infest the forest and discover what has become of the Draculesti line."

"Ferals, would those be the thin vampires that were wearing rags that attack in large groups?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Pietru confirmed.

"There is one band you will not have to worry about anymore," Harry explained, "They attacked us in the forest, but I used my magic to give them all a nasty sun burn. Unfortunately, my two companions here got burned as well, which is why they are wearing that burn cream."

"Do you think we should visit with Vlad?" Harry asked.

"Now that we are here, there is no reason not to," Luna said.