A/N: I'm starting to think Sergei is more Chaotic/Neutral than Chaotic/Evil.

"We haven't decided anything on that matter, Dumbledore!" snapped Minerva while I laughed.

"Are you seriously planning to let me loose in a castle full of children? You're more stupid than I thought."

"Even he knows that this is insane!"

"Minerva, if you let me…"

"No, I won't let you put another dangerous creature in this castle, Dumbledore!"

"We can contain him."

Minerva and I turned to Snape, waiting for him to continue. She was skeptical, I was terrified. What kind of restraint were they talking about?

"Damascus steel is a known element that is capable of containing an incubus. We can charm it to work under specific situations and make it impossible to take off."

"What kind of specific situations are you thinking about?" Minerva asked with a little frown.

"It's pretty much done. The piece was made to stop any attempt of harming or seducing the students by causing him pain. It's also charmed to reduce the intensity of his power, so he can pass as an ordinary sixth year."

Minerva turned her face to Dumbledore.

"Are you sure this is going to work, Albus? Even with that kind of restraint, I wouldn't trust an Incubus in this school."

"It also has a tracking charm, Minerva, and everywhere he goes and everything he does will be reported directly to me. I'm also going to warn a few selected students to keep an eye on him." Dumbledore said, and Snape scowled at the obvious mention of Harry Potter.

"I'm never going to accept it."

Dumbledore stared at me with icy cold blue eyes.

"I wasn't asking. If your true desire is to stay near Severus to save him, this is what you must do. There's no other way to do it."

I stared at Snape, but he didn't look back at me. Minerva was flabbergasted, her mouth dropped open, finally understanding why I was there.

"What happens if I disagree?"

"Then you shall leave the castle."

I swore silently. That wouldn't do. But I wasn't ready to surrender control like this.

Really, when would I have some certainty? A little safety and comfort, just a tiny bit of stability? Was the world ready to throw me off my feet every time I tried to stand on my own? I felt the three of them staring at me, waiting for my answer, but I couldn't make this decision right now.

I didn't look at any of them while I turned on my heels and left.

It wasn't easy to find the Room of Requirements. Somehow I ended up in the kitchens and had to ask one of the elves to lead me there.

"I just need a safe place to think… a safe place to think…" I murmured while I paced nervously around the plain wall. The room answered quickly; I turned the doorknob and stepped in.

A completely unfamiliar place received me. I could recognize it as a baby's room, but I never saw the place before. The room was strikingly pink and there was a crib in the middle, and an armchair positioned on its side. The sun shone through a window on the east side of the room.

I frowned at that. Why did the room think that that place would be safe for me? I sat in the armchair, puzzled.

The place seemed to be used quite often. The armchair was worn and stained with milk. There were toys all around the floor, and plushies filled a cabinet. The carpet was soft enough to sleep upon it. It was a nice place to raise a baby. I wondered who the place belonged to.

It was good to keep my mind busy trying to solve that riddle, but a gnawing feeling grew in my chest. I had a decision to make.

I could stay. It was the sensible thing to do if I wanted to make sure Sev would live. I also would have the chance to live my dream of being a Hogwarts student. But that meant handing my free will on a silver platter.

Truly, I had agreed to stay in a safe place until Voldemort died, but it never crossed my mind the extent of what I was losing. I thought I would be locked up at Grimmauld's Place or Spinner's End. Someone would watch me to prevent me from leaving the house. That wouldn't be enjoyable but would be bearable.

Instead, Dumbledore wanted to track me. Every movement I made, or place I went to, and maybe even every word I spoke during these months at Hogwarts, he would know. My power would be constrained. I would be watched over by a fucking student!. Nothing else but a puppet in the old coot's hand! I groaned, clawing marks in the armchair.

Was I willing to give up on the only thing I valued in my whole life because of a man who despised me and probably wanted to die?

I could leave. It wouldn't be easy to leave Sev and hope that my influence was enough to change his fate. It wouldn't be easy to turn down the dream to study at Hogwarts. I bit my lip. I could easily give up on one of my limbs to have that kind of chance; I had spent countless nights of my life imagining that. Still, the thought of losing my free will...

Could I try that? Could I leave Hogwarts? Was I strong enough to do it?

If I gave every scrap of information I had before leaving, would Sev survive?

I groaned louder, knowing that it was impossible to be sure. Unless I was there, I would never know if they were following the path to allow him to live. And Voldemort could still kill him anyway. I had to stay around. I had to stay close.

My claws opened a hole in the armchair with the thought of losing my freedom. Did I really have an option though? From the moment I saw his face, did anything else matter? I didn't need a fucking potion to know I would never care for someone like this if there wasn't something magical forcing me to.

And that was the point realization dawned on me. Since I stepped into this world, I had already lost my freedom. Since Snape and I came to exist in the same universe, I was bound to find him and revolve my life around him. I had already lost it all.

It wasn't a nice realization though, if the state of the room an hour later said anything. I took some time removing the last scraps of wood and plushie stuffing off my nails before leaving the place.

Snape found me almost immediately. Had that fucking bastards already put me under tracking?

"Where have you been? Dumbledore said you didn't leave the castle, but we couldn't find you anywhere!"

"I was fucking a gargoyle."

Sev pinched his nose in exasperation.

"You didn't give your final answer."

"If I decide to reject your generous offer, I think you wouldn't let me leave freely, as Dumby suggested. Am I right?"

He looked at me as if I was less dumb than he expected.

"No, we wouldn't."

"Let's begin this torture then… What's going to be my story? A transfer student? Or was I taught at home?" I frowned. Some things weren't adding up. "Wait, how the hell am I going to pass for a sixth-year student? I know nothing about magic! Can I even use a wand?"

"Legally you can't. Magical creatures aren't allowed to use wands, but it doesn't mean wands don't work for you. And you're going to pass as a very, very weak wizard. As all the staff will know about your situation, you don't need to worry about passing the exams. Just don't raise suspicions, and it means you have to do your homework."

Dear God, how I hated school.

"I assume you don't know any languages besides English?" Sev continued.

I cringed. That was a tricky question. I was a Brazilian girl before being thrown in Sergei's body, so I did know how to speak Portuguese. But how to pull that off without raising too many questions?

"Well?"

"It wouldn't work to pass as a transfer student. Who is his right state of mind would solicit a transfer to a country where Voldemort is in power?"

"Someone who agrees with his ideas."

"That's not a good start. Isn't the old coot trying to make me befriend Potter?"

Sev pursed his lips in disgust.

"You would never be a Gryffindor. I don't know exactly what's Dumbledore's scheme, but I don't think Potter would trust a Slytherin incubus."

"Well, I can be charming if I want to…"

"So did you never want it since we met?"

I stuck out my tongue at him like a child, but I couldn't help but grin. His dry humor and sarcasm were one of the biggest reasons I liked him.

Sev began guiding me through the corridors back to the Headmaster's office while we talked.

"We have to arrange certain things before the term starts, and we have barely two weeks to do it. You're definitely going to Slytherin, and I won't have you losing house points or disgracing Slytherin's name."

I yawned loudly. His eyes flashed.

"First thing, your power has to be restrained. Then we can buy your supplies and arrange your studies sessions during these two weeks. All teachers are going to help you, so we better get some good information and help after all that trouble to keep you safe and invisible."

"And how about Draco? He saw me at the dungeons. Does he know my name? Do I have to change my name?"

"Draco saw a grown-up, dirty and bearded vampire, you're going to be a young and weak wizard. He's not going to make the association and no, he doesn't know your name. Although it would be better if you change it because the Dark Lord knows it and one can't have too many informants."

Damn. Just as I was starting to like being called Sergei.

"Can I choose my name? I would like to be called Zuko." Imagine if instead of Hogwarts, I had been thrown into the Fire Nation. I would have been able to fuck Zuko! Just the thought of it was making me excited.

"Would you mind controlling yourself?" Sev asked, tugging the collar of his robes, his face flushed. I laughed.

"I'm sorry, am I disturbing you? I was just wondering…"

"Zuko is not even a real name", he said, adjusting his robe once again. The flush started to disappear as he breathed evenly. Damn that Occlumency fortress.

"Ok, so maybe Kvothe? Loki? Lucifer?"

"I think I better choose your name for you."

"Lestat?"

I stopped talking when we arrived at the gargoyle. Sev said the password and we got up.

"I found him, Dumbledore."

"It's a pleasure to serve the greatest wizard of all time," I said in the most sarcastic voice I could. Then I spit on his floor, just because I could. A nerve twitched in that saggy face.

"Very well then. As we talked earlier, Sergei, you are going to wear Damascus steel to reduce the impact of your powers. While using it, you cannot kill anyone, and you will feel pain if you try to seduce or to harm any of the students."

"Great, is the staff free to fuck then?"

"This is also going to track you", Dumbledore continued as if I said nothing. "It's going to report directly to me all the places you go in the castle, and also all the magic you try to cast, wandless or not. The Professors may report anything unusual. A few selected students will know about your true nature, and they are also going to report your behavior."

I inhaled slowly, trying to remember that my freedom was already dead and buried and that those new restrictions wouldn't change much.

"Can I see the thing?"

Dumbledore opened a drawer and took a piece of leather jewelry. My peripheral vision caught Snape smirking in amusement.

It was a fucking choker.