A/N- I'm glad that everyone likes this! Personally, I was fond of the rising…Anyhow, thanks for the reviews! Here's the next chapter!
Chapter 2- Food?
With a wave of Dracula's hand, a long, oaken table appeared, and it was completely laden with foods of all kinds. If Dracula was expecting Harry to be shocked or awed by this, he was very disappointed. Instead, Harry shook his head and took his seat at one end of the table.
"Our tables do this at Hogwarts," Harry said. "It's sort of a mirror effect the House Elves do. Does it work the same way here?"
Dracula chuckled and took a seat at the opposite end. "Yes. Only, I don't have House Elves."
Harry picked up his knife and fork and began to cut a piece off a nearby roasted bird, when he stopped. Dracula was just staring at him.
"Uhh…" Harry began nervously. "Do you…eat? You know, food? I mean, I don't want to be rude…"
Dracula gave another throaty chuckle. "It amazes me. You would rather be anywhere on this Earth but here, and you still find the time to be polite. That's diffidently a quality to hold on to. No, I do not eat. I simply sit here to make idle conversation with the few guests that I do have. And to make them uncomfortable," Dracula said.
Harry nodded and brought the piece of bird to his plate. Then, once the plate was filled, he began to eat. He ate slowly, glancing up every now and then at the vampire. It was a bit unnerving to be stared at while you ate. Harry couldn't help but feel like he was a pig being fattened up for roasting.
"So…" Harry began again. "If you don't eat, why do you keep food here? For your guests?"
The Count sighed.
"Well, that's one of the reasons. To tell the truth of it, I just like the aroma of it. Except garlic. I do not keep garlic," he said.
"That makes sense," Harry stated.
Harry ate on in silence. Every so often, he would look up from his plate to find the vampire staring almost longingly at him. Finally, Dracula spoke.
"So, Harry, tell me about yourself," he said.
Harry finished off the final bite on his plate.
"What do you want to know?"
A loud warning alarm sounded within Harry's mind. Warning, warning, Dark Lord asking for background information. Could be dangerous. Warning, warning.
"Well, I know about the death of your parents and that prophecy saying that you will be the one to kill Voldemort, or vice versa. But…how has your childhood been? I mean, how are you coping with all this?" Dracula said, leaning forward a bit in his seat.
"What are you…a Dark Lord or my psychiatrist?" Harry said, raising an eyebrow.
Dracula shook his head. "Never mind. I was just trying to be considerate…"
Harry sighed. Great, a Dark Lord, a psychiatrist, and a whiner. What next?
"Fine. My life has been fine. Sure, I have sucky relatives and I lost the only person I could ever care for as a parent…but on the bright side, I've got great friends and I do reasonably well in school," Harry said.
Dracula smiled. "You seem to take all that life has thrown at you very well," he observed.
The young wizard shrugged. "Not at first. But I do eventually move on."
"My son tells me that's my problem…that if I could, move on, then so could he because then I wouldn't be evil. I don't think he gets it."
"You have a son?"
"Yes."
Harry was silent for a moment. Finally, he couldn't resist asking.
"What is it that you have to "move on" from?" he asked.
End Notes: Okay, this is really short, but it does serve a purpose. Just not yet. I'm sorry if this chapter isn't as funny as the last two, but there will be more funniness. Ah, the process of writing. Anyway, to explain why it has taken me so long to get back here, I've been a Star Wars kick lately. In fact, I'm planning a songfic to come out about the same time as this chapter does. And I finished up my Buffy the Vampire Slayer Harry Potter crossover. It'll have a sequel but I'm trying to finish some things up first. Anyway, I hope that you liked this chapter. Please R & R! Thanks!
