There was a loud knocking on the door of the headmasters office and, to be honest, he was more than a little surprised. It was almost midnight.
"Albus! Let me in, there is something important we need to discuss. It's concerning a student!" Professor Dumbledore recognised the voice belonging to Remus Lupin and quickly opened the door wandlessly.
"Remus, what happened?"
"It's Vladimir Dracula, he's much more powerful than I think any of us can even try to comprehend." The younger Professor looked out of breath and distressed.
"I am aware of the child's great power, but I believe there is nothing to be afraid of, as long as he is kept on the right path." Albus was clearly not worried by what he was telling him, but Remus refused to be dismissed.
"You don't understand Professor! Vladimir is, well… Vladimir's a Vampire. And not only that, he smells different. I've smelt vampires before, but none of them reeked of nearly as much power as Vlad." At this the old Professor nodded in understanding, it explained a lot.
"It's not just that Albus, today in class I put that students up against a boggart. Vladimir's was himself. Well, not quite, it was himself after he's transformed. It was saying some awful things to the boy, even flashed his fangs, though I don't think anyone else saw. The boy was left in tears.
"Then, later this evening, I saw Vladimir sitting just on the edge of the forest. He just sat there for hours deep in thought. That is until his roommates came looking for him. He got angry, in a way I would never have expected from the boy who cried in front of his classmates. It seemed that his body was taking in the energy of the darkness, even without him noticing." Remus finished his monologue and looked up at the old Professor.
"Now this is interesting… Remus, would you mind terribly to gather the teachers for me tomorrow morning. I believe it will be necessary to make them aware of the potential threat in our midst. However, I think it would benefit Vladimir if we keep the Vampire part a secret. For now, anyway." The younger Professor took this as his cue to leave and wished the Headmaster a good night, then made his way to his own bed.
ooo
It has been several days since the day Vlad confronted his boggart. He began to notice a change in his peers around him, they no longer stared at him in awe of his wandless magic, they no longer smiled when he looked their way. No, now every time he caught someone's eye they quickly looked away, he knew people were still staring, but not like they used to. It was in fear of him. Even Hermione wouldn't talk to him unless it was necessary.
Why were they scared? Vlad had no idea. He didn't think he'd done anything to scare people. These were the kind of thoughts flowing through Vlad's mind as he walked through the halls of Hogwarts on the late Saturday afternoon. His question was soon answered when he was just about to turn a corner.
"Did you here about Dracula?" The young girls voice made Vlad stop in his tracks. What was being said about him?
"Yeah, didn't Malfoy tell everyone that he was pure evil or something? That's saying something coming from him." It was another young girl. It was obvious to him now that Malfoy had been going behind his back saying things about him. And that the boy couldn't keep his word. I think it's time Malfoy and I have a chat. Vlad thought dangerously.
ooo
Vlad didn't have the chance to see Malfoy until just before dinner, inside the Great Hall.
"Malfoy!" Vlad shouted at the blonde boy as he was just about to sit down with his friends.
"What do you want Dracula?" His tone wasn't demeaning or superior, it was almost, almost, friendly.
"Cut the crap Malfoy! How dare you say the things you said to me and then go on to do this?" This was the angriest Vlad could remember himself being at anyone.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Draco's mask was good, but not good enough for Vlad. He lived with Vampires after all, they were always hiding their emotions.
"So the whole 'Slytherins have to stick together' thing doesn't ring any bells? And you weren't the one spreading rumours about me? Is this the kind of person you are Malfoy? The type that writes to their mother only wishing to dig some dirt on their classmate? Next time, don't leave your letters lying around where anyone can read them." Vlad turned away from Draco and made to leave. This is, until he was hit with a leg-locker curse. He toppled a bit but was able to cast the counter-curse to release his legs and turn back around without falling over.
It was obvious that the caster was Malfoy just by the annoyed look on his face that Vlad didn't fall to the floor.
"That the best you've got?" Vlad had a glint of absolute danger in his eyes. He'd never felt so much power flowing through his veins, he concentrated that power to his hand let it go in a throwing motion toward the Slytherins. As soon as he let go the power turned into flame, he'd never made a flame ball before, his father would be proud.
Vlad left teachers and students alike in shock as he walked quickly out of the hall.
ooo
Vlad had no idea where his legs were taking him until he was standing outside Professor Lupin's office. He realised that his Defence Professor was the only one he could talk to, the man was a Werewolf after all. Even though traditionally Werewolves and Vampires don't get along it was clear to Vlad that Werewolves weren't common place in Wizarding society, so that meat he was used to being on the outside. Just like Vlad. An anomaly in Vampiric society, you don't usually get nice ones, an impossibility in the "muggle" world, and a freak in the Wizarding world.
He knocked on the office door softly three times. He wasn't even sure that the Professor would be in, he hadn't been in the Great Hall, but that didn't mean he was in his office. Luckily, he was. "Oh, hello Vladimir. Is there something you need?"
"I need to talk Professor." Vlad stared at him with necessity in his eyes, so Lupin let him in quickly.
"Of course, what's the matter?"
"It's just a lot of things have been weighing on me since I got here."
"Would you care to elaborate more? I can't be of much assistance if I don't have more information." Lupin gave Vlad a pointed look and gestured for him to take the seat on the opposite side of the desk from which he was sitting.
"Well you see, my father has all these great expectations of me, I've never been to a magic school before and so he got me a tutor to make sure I don't fall behind. Which is fine, I'm grateful in fact. But I know that if I don't succeed here he'll be way more than disappointed, he might even disown me. It's not first time he's threatened that either. He wants me to be powerful and influential, and he's always saying 'Follow MY Footsteps'. But… I… I don't want to be like him. I mean he's great and he's my dad, but I don't want to be like him at all." Vlad looked down, ashamed by his admission.
"It's okay Vlad. I had a similar dilemma with my older brother. I looked up to him all my life, but then when I was four years old some terrible things happened. And even though it initially caused us to become closer, eventually it drew us apart." The Professor looked down, also ashamed. Neither spoke for while, letting what they had both said sink in.
"You were turned when you were only four?" Vlad's voice was small and hardly there at all, though the horror was evident.
"Excuse me?" Lupin was taken aback, how was it that Vlad was able to put together this conclusion?
"You were turned into a werewolf when you were four years old, I imagine this was the 'terrible thing' that you were talking about?" Vlad's voice was questioning, though Remus knew he already knew that he was right.
"Yes, you're correct. I was turned when I was four, but it wasn't that which drove us apart, as my brother was turned also. My father was always an obnoxious wizard, he boasted about werewolves being less than human, even campaigned against Werewolf rights, back in the day. So one day a werewolf, Fenrir Greyback, came and turned both of his sons into the very creature he despised. It made me and my brother become closer, he protected me from our father's abuse and help me get through the full moons. One day he came to me with a plan, he had found a pack of wolves in the big forest just outside the village we lived in and proposed we run away and live with the dogs. I refused, I couldn't leave my father, he had become an alcoholic, drinking away his pain overnight, someone had to make sure he got home safely. Even though I knew he hated what I was, I knew I had to stay. So my brother left without me, and I haven't seen him in person since. Although he does appear in a magazine every so often, only as a minor celebrity though, because of who he married. A vampire, actually. Strange isn't it, a vampire and a werewolf, history's greatest rivals. I know, by the way, that you're a vampire." Vlad just stared at the man, that was some rough childhood. Being abused because of who you are, that's awful. But even more concerning was that he knew, Professor Lupin knew.
"Oh come on, Vlad. How could I not know, you reek of Vampiric power. Don't worry, the only person who I told is Dumbledore, and no, I won't tell anyone else."
"Umm, Professor? By any chance was your brothers name… Patrick?"