Chapter 30 Flux
"That's really quite a plot." The large portrait of the former Headmaster spoke musingly, fingers absently stroking his long, white, yet no-longer-corporeal beard.
"Yes, a particularly nasty one that got as far as involving a student. My own precious godson at that!" The portrait of Headmaster Snape spoke derisively as usual. He was often in a foul mood, Minerva found. "How was he ever able to slip in! Surely something must have been amiss. Didn't you administer the normal qualification tests?!" He admonished.
"Of course you know I did! I am just as baffled as you are on the matter. He passed them all, with flying colors. And we never met during the evening, he must have already been taking the potion then. He used magic! You know as well as I do how wizards don't survive the change." Headmistress McGonagall shook her head as she spoke, unable to process all the events that had taken place this passed week. Even though they had the vampire in question in custody, along with a few others, they were no closer to figuring out how the vampires had come to learn of the book and athame's presence here at Hogwarts. Nor could they determine how the professor had been smuggling out the artwork. And while they'd uncovered the most important items along with a few other valuables in a smaller, well guarded den, they were sure there was a larger hideout still out there somewhere.
"Well, I may have some insight..." Dumbledore's picture spoke, breaking Minerva away from her worrisome thoughts. "It's quite rare, quite rare indeed, but on occasion it can be done."
"What can be done?" She asked, quirking her head to look at her deceased friend. She had an inclination as to where he was headed with this, but no, it couldn't be, could it?
"Well, on rare occasions wizards have been known to survive the change." Dumbledore paused awaiting the question that followed.
"But that's impossible, our magical cores are too different. The progeny always dies, a very painful death at that." Snape stayed silent, observing the interaction with mild interest.
"True usually, yes, however, there have been instances, rare instances when a wizard has survived. No one can say for sure why, but there was a mention of it if I do recall in one of the older tomes in the restricted section."
Minerva rubbed her temples trying to work out the implications of what this meant. Perhaps it was time to revive the old vampire detection wards and start teaching the curriculum on them in DADA again. For so many years they had been so scattered, so rare to encounter, even the den they caught up with yesterday was very large to have been so close to the wizarding community. The notion that there were still more, out there, nearby, made her decision resolute.
"Be well, dear friends, but I must go. I have an announcement to make at breakfast this morning."
Draco looked with an air of displeasure at the spread before him. The house elves had really outdone themselves this morning, dozens of plates filled with every kind of muffin, crepe, pancake, danish that ever existed, eggs and omlettes of any variety, delicious cure meats and sausages as far as the eye could see. Yet it had been a week and the mere sight of all this rich food still made him gag. Draco shuddered remembering Madam Pomphrey's warning that shaking the side effects of his time with Adrian would be difficult and that he should come see her should he have any troubles overcoming it. Fat chance. He thought. He had simply overcome them the Malfoy way, not eating, drinking lots of booze and generally ignoring everyone and everything else. He'd slept through half the classes he'd attended yesterday morning before finally deciding to forgo the whole affair and go drink in his safe place. Even that had failed in relieving his misery, well, at least until... Draco felt his lips curl into a slight smile at the memory of his and Harry's truce. No, it was a new beginning, a fresh chance to be friends. And this time Draco wasn't going to fuck it up. Scrambled eggs crashed endlessly into pieces of sausage on his plate as he tried to appear as though he was eating while drifting into thoughts of Harry, determinedly trying to ignore the noxious smells that rose up from all around him. Breakfast was the worst.
An elbow nudging him awoke Draco from his thoughts, he looked up with annoyance to see it was only Pansy who had broken his careful concentration that went into ignoring the turmoil that roiled in his stomach.
"Pansy, what?" He grimaced.
"Nothing," She countered, a little dismayed at his reaction. "Just, are you okay? I don't just mean since the whole... you-know thing but Draco, maybe you should visit Madam Pomphrey. You look like you going to be sick."
"I'll be fine." He said curtly, returning his attention to making it through breakfast.
"You wouldn't believe how long that git Zacharias took yesterday in the bathroom. I must have waited nearly 2 hours!" Harry complained loudly to his friends from elsewhere in the cafeteria.
"Harry, mate, you really gotta get over this Smith thing. We all know he's a prat and it's annoying. But give it a rest, will ye?" Seamus chimed in, before Harry could get started on one of his "Zacharias Smith is a Git" speeches. "How's the other git?" He asked, referring to Malfoy.
"If you mean Malfoy, then you should know we've called it quits on our never ending war and decided to start over, like civilized people." Harry said proudly, attempting to disguise the tremor of excitement that ran through him at the thought.
"Excellent Harry!" Hermione chirped excitedly, a twinkle in her eye not unlike the kind Dumbledore use to get. "I'm so proud of you, finally putting all this pre-war foolishness behind. I never thought I'd be saying this, but everyone deserves a second chance, even Malfoy." She added before promptly stemming the flow of bubbly assumptions she had come to.
"Right, if you say we give him another chance, I'm in." Added Neville.
Harry smiled gratefully at his friends as Ron piped in with an unsurprising "I still think he's a git."
Some things never changed.
Draco was getting ready to leave when Headmistress McGonagall rose to speak. Crap.
"There have been many whisperings going on lately involving our former Potions Master, and I want to take this opportunity to clear up the rumors."
Crap Crap. Draco thought as he gulped and shifted uneasily in his seat.
"Yes. Professor Albatross was a vampire." Gasps arose from the student body, whispers set off in a flurry of panic and gossip lit off across the hall like a flaming match hitting petrol. However as spontaneously as they were sparked they were quelled by the Headmistress's stern voice cutting through.
"Silence." She paused to sweep her fierce eyes across the room. "As I was saying, he was a vampire, however he was a vampire unlike we've seen before. He was born of a wizard."
Most students only looked confused, grasping at a lore they knew nothing real about. However there were a few students, scattered about whose focus on the Headmistress sharpened at the words.
"I understand that many of you do not understand why this situation is so unique. And that is exactly what I aim to address. The truth is that unless your in the advanced class on the Study of Dark and Magical Creatures, it's likely that all you know of vampires are muggle tales and myths. Many of you probably doubted their existence. Over the years I am ashamed to admit we have become complacent when it comes to vampires. They simply aren't around anymore, or so we had thought. The wizarding world spent many centuries confident that vampires had been hunted all but down to extinction in the hard centuries that followed their final clash with the wizards. We had all the advantages. There was no need to even bring them up in a defense clash because you'd never see one anyways. Clearly this has proven to be untrue. After centuries of arrogance our eyes have been forcibly opened to the harsh reality of vampires. They are relentless. They are not to be so easily underestimated. And they are still very much so around. Though we were able to foil the grand plot this time, we must remain vigilant. As such all students will be taking a workshop on vampires where we will discuss History, Recognizing Vampires, Vampire Traits and Magic, and Defensive Spells and Hexes. When you attend this workshop will be determined by your year and course schedule, so please refer to that for information regarding when and where to meet.
Finally I want to remind you that Hogwarts aims to be a safe place for all of its students. Always know that you are safe here and always know that we are here to address your concerns if you ever feel unsafe, for any reason. Thank you, that is all."
Draco felt his cheeks flame up as she finished and returned to her seat. He ached to get out of there, desperate to avoid the questioning eyes and accusing stares. Muttering a quick excuse Draco quickly got up to flee. Pansy made no movement to stop him, only exchanging a sorrowful look with Blaise and returning to her meal.
Harry had left his gaze drift unconsciously toward his roommate who looked pale and sick throughout McGonagall's whole speech. Well, to be fair, he pretty much looked like that all the time these days. Something about a vampire bond? Harry wasn't sure and he was positive Draco wasn't going to elaborate, however that didn't stop him from following after when he saw Draco get up immediately following the Headmistress's speech. With a quick apology to his friends he was off, catching up with Draco just outside the Great Hall.
"Hey Draco, whats up? Are you feeling alright?" Harry asked as Draco swung around to face him.
"Yeah, uhm, fine, just not hungry." He replied, turning to find some quiet corner to hide out in until it was time for classes.
"Well you've been not hungry the passed three days in a row. At this rate you'll collapse before Herbology!" Harry said, worry laced with Gryffindor enthusiasm clear in his tone. He wasn't backing down.
Draco stared into emerald eyes. How does he know I haven't eaten anything in three days? Does that mean, he's been watching me? Somewhere inside of Draco a tiny bubble of giddy hope rose up, which Draco unsuccessfully ignored. Of course you dunderhead, he's always watched you. He doesn't trust you. No, no we've started over. This is our one chance to do it right this time. Deciding that he'd spent too much time arguing with himself already, he decided to try something new.
"No actually, I'm not okay." He said startling Harry, who had begun to think this wasn't going to work after all. Harry said nothing only gestured for him to continue. "Truth is, I've been too nauseated to eat much of anything we've had the passed few days. I can usually get by with something light without feeling too terrible, but sometimes its worse than others." He finished quietly. Draco was still facing Harry, staring terrified and vulnerable into his eyes.
Harry's expression softened. "I understand, and thank you for trusting me with the truth, Draco," Harry said, giving the boys arm a small tug as he spoke his name. "Now I know how much you seem to hate the hospital wing, so why don't we go find you something you can eat." From his expression it was clear that Draco did not follow, looking bewildered and nervous towards the great hall. "Not there, c'mon, I know a place where we won't have the audience and you can have whatever you want."
Draco remained wary, but the voice in his head kicked up again, telling him that at this point you might as well be all in.
"Ah, the perks of being the Golden Boy, must be nice." Draco said with a slight smirk as he appraised the kitchen where they now sat, eating fruits and soft, bland breads.
Harry smiled sheepishly putting his hands up playfully. "I know I know, but since the war, and SPEW and everything else, I can't help it. We've gotten close." He said shrugging off the very pleased looking house elves that danced around them offering them this or that.
"...SPEW?" Draco asked, his face split wide into a cheshire grin.
"Don't even ask," He said chuckling, recalling Hermione and her efforts to liberate the house elves. "It's a long story... that Hermione, she certainly has her way about things."
"Do you... Do you think you friends would ever accept us? I.. I mean" Draco stuttered his face suddenly flush with red. "I mean, can we really become friends?"
Harry shot him a smile that radiated with such warmth Draco wondered how he ever got by without it. "Of course, just today she said that she thought it was great we'd put things behind us."
"Really?" Draco asked with so much hope, so much frailty that Harry thought he would break at his words.
"Of course, Draco, screw this becoming friends, we are friends. Right here, right now. And I want you to come to me from now on when you need something. You can come here anytime, don't starve yourself. It scares me." Harry said repressing memories of days spent locked in his cupboard with no food and little water. "No one should have to go through that." He added absently.
"Okay, Harry." Draco said, smiling, and feeling as if he could fly as high as the sun.
