Chapter 6:
Ingrid stood watching the boy draining the last of the life from his friend's body. Ingrid hadn't intended when the killing began to turn any of them, it was supposed a to be a simple nights feeding but when she'd seen how the boy had tried to defend his friends and fight back it had amused her to turn him and then watch him kill those he'd tried so valiantly to defend.
"What did you do to me?" the boy questioned her in horror as he looked he at his fallen friends "what did I do?".
"I think you know" Ingrid said.
"you've made me a monster, they were my friends and I killed them" he said. Oh dear Ingrid thought I've turned a melodramatic one she thought. "Yes you did and how you feel about that?" Ingrid asked.
"I feel …. I feel nothing. What am I going to do now?"
"you'll have an eternity to decide" Ingrid said softly "but before that you will be coming with me" Ingrid said firmly as she grabbed and took flight.
Count Dracula, the prince of darkness, was sat upon his throne reading his newspaper and thoroughly enjoying the peace and quite that came with Vlad and Ingrid being out and Wolfie visiting his mother. It was one of the rare moments of quite that he'd been able to enjoy in the 20 years since Ingrid had been born.
This was soon broken by the sound of knocking at the front door. Which was then followed by Renfield scurrying into the throne room with a collection of colourfully robed breathers, whom the Count assumed where wizards, walking with confidence behind him. The Count stood from his throne, preparing himself to fight or more likely flee at a moments notice.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit" the Count asked of them in a tone of false pleasantness.
"This is not a social call I'm afraid Count Dracula, I am Tobias Fletcher of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and I am here in relation to a series of vampire related deaths that taken place in London recently, this included the death of a wizard one Walden Macnair" the wizard who was clearly leader of the group spoke.
"Are you accusing me of something?" the Count asked in a dangerously calm voice.
"No official accusations are being leveled at anyone at this time and we are instead simply here to present an official ministry request that you Count Dracula present yourself at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at midnight two days hence" Fletcher stated in a business like manner.
"Am I suspect" the Count demanded
Fletcher took a step forward and said quietly "officially we are not allowed to say, you understand but unofficially given your record, you have never been implicated in any fatalities since your residence in this country so the department simple requires you come in and answer a few questions so we can check you off our list, so to say."
"Very well" the Count still did not sound pleased and frowned at the official notice he'd just been handed written on official ministry parchment.
"We will take our leave of you" the Wizards turned and quickly left the Dracula residence.
When Vlad returned home not much later he found his father pacing up and down the throne room, he was clearly not in a good mood. "What's the matter coffin prices gone up" Vlad joked.
"This is no time for jokes Vladimir" the Count said fiercely as he slammed the document he had been handed by that wizard earlier. Then Vlad read through it fully three times before saying "this is not as bad as it seems"
"Of course its bad Vladimir it's a disaster" the Count replied angrily "no matter what that wizard says to the contrary they want to dust me"
"No" Vlad said thinking "if they wanted to dust you they would have just attacked no they want something else and anyway if it turns out they do want to dust you well we have information to trade don't we"
"Yes good thinking Vladimir they will want those Death Eater people more than me" the Count started to feel much happier
"Even so I'll come with you just to make sure" Vlad decided. This touching moment between father and son was then interpreted by the sudden appearance of two people in the room with them, the Count shot a fireball at them.
"Hey what are you trying to do" Ingrid Demanded angrily.
"What, I am on edge, I've already had wizards who want me dead in my home this evening" the Count said shrugging not appearing bothered by the fact that he had nearly fireballed his only daughter.
"They don't want you dead …... probably" Vlad said.
It was at this time the Count noticed someone he didn't recognise "and who are you?" the Count asked. The stranger was about to reply when Ingrid said "well he's, wait what is your name?"
"You did this to me and you didn't even bother to ask my name?" the stranger said to Ingrid anger evident in his tone.
Vlad and the Count looked at each other in bewilderment
"Well I'm asking now" Ingrid shot back.
"Unbelievable" the Count muttered
"Its Mike" the stranger, no Mike said softly
"Ingrid a word" Vlad said beckoning his sister into the corner
"WHAT in the name of all that's evil where you thinking" Vlad whisper shouted "turning a breather and then bringing them here"
"Well I was bored and I thought that an extra pair of fangs around the place might come in handy" Ingrid replied
"You were bored! Well it will fall on you teach him, he's your responsibility. He'll need somewhere to sleep" Vlad said leaving the room with a cry of "RENFIELD" for all his changes her brother was still soft at heart Ingrid thought with a said smile.
Lucius did not understand why the vampire had requested the meeting to be during the day and after how the last meeting had ended he did not particularly relish being in its company but the Dark Lord had commanded that they should humour it for now. That was why he was currently hidden beneath an invisibility in a shadowed section of the school were the muggles sent their spawn. The vampire then appeared as if from thin air "thank you for coming" Vlad said to the invisible wizard stood next to him.
Lucius removed the cloak and became visible "you asked for a meeting so here I am, although I admit to being shocked at the time you chose" Malfoy nodded towards the main school yard currently bathed in sunlight. "I thought this time would be more convenient for you" Malfoy didn't look convinced "and I require a favour that is rather time sensitive"
"I rather thought that might be the case" Lucius sais with a smirk "however nothing comes for free in this world so a favour for a favour would seem fair but first your favour"
Vlad was not overly enthused at the idea being in this wizard's debt but he reasoned he'd come to that problem when it arose "my father has been ordered to be at the Ministry of Magic tomorrow night to answer some questions about the recent vampire attacks and death of wizard"
"I see and you want me to what?" Lucius asked
"I know you have great influence at your ministry so I imagine you'll be able to find out if there are any ulterior motives behind this order"
"I should be able to do that, there are many in the ministry who are in my debt"
"As now it seems I will be" Vlad said
"Oh no I prefer to think of this as the start of a mutually beneficial relationship" Lucius said with a smile for he was very pleased with himself for he could return to the Dark Lord to report his success and having this vampire in his debt could be very useful indeed as he went to apparate back home to his wife and son on this cold morning.
Vlad gave a mournful look at the spot where the wizard had vanished from and then with last look at the sunlight returned to the darkness of his coffin to sleep.