It had been a while since Vlad's talk with Professor Lupin, and to be honest, he felt a lot better, I mean he still felt down because no one wanted to look at him, let alone talk to him. It did catch him by surprise that night to learn that his Professor was also technically his uncle-in-law. Vlad still couldn't quite get his head around it. Nonetheless, Vlad had become withdrawn, he'd stopped trying to make friends with his peers, he'd been to see Lupin a few more times but he'd stopped doing that now, he had nothing more to talk about. Vlad had even let his grades drop, he knew that he knew all of the content, he knew he could write up the essays, but what would be the point? Everyone would see his marks and call him a freak when they thought he couldn't hear them. Unfortunately for him, because of his Vampiric blood his hearing was better than the average person, so he could almost always hear the whispers.

It was becoming harder and harder for Vlad to fall asleep at night. So instead of pointlessly sitting in bed trying to sleep, he'd wonder around the castle, or the grounds. He found that he preferred them at night time, mainly because it helped him remember the things he liked about home. And on the nights when the feeling of numbness left and, for a short time, replaced with home sickness, he walked to the top of the astronomy tower. He would look down over the grounds, up at the sky, he'd sit and look at the floor, lay on his back and stare at the ceiling. The tower had become his safe haven, much like his room at home.

One night Vlad was sitting in the astronomy tower, chin on his knees, arms around his legs, back against the wall, eyes focused on an unimportant spec on the floor. He started to cry, he missed his Dad's nagging to practise his Vampire powers, he missed Ingrid always being angry with him for being the favourite, and most of all he just missed the feeling that home gave him.

His silent tears turned to sobs, no one could hear him way up here so it wouldn't even matter if he were to shout at the world for screwing up his one chance of being remotely normal.

Vlad was startled out of his reminiscing of home by the sounds of what could only be claws on the steps. His tears stopped, he froze with the fear of being caught crying in the tower. He never found out what, or who, was coming up those stairs. Whatever it was had turned around and gone back down.

ooo

It was almost sunrise when Vlad walked back into his dormitory to make it look like he was there all night. He knew that on normal days his roommates would probably be waking up by now, but today was no ordinary day, today was Saturday. So naturally Vlad assumed they were all fast asleep enjoying their sleep-in. Unfortunately, Vlad had forgotten that it was never a good idea to assume.

"Have a nice night Dracula?" As Vlad closed the door behind him he noticed that all of his roommates were wide awake and looking at him. Vlad chose not to say anything as he walked over to his trunk to get one of the books on hypnotism his father had made him pack, though he did make sure to hide the cover from the other people occupying the room.

"What you reading Dracula? 'How to be a freak'? Wait, you wouldn't need a book for that." Malfoy and his friends were really getting on Vlad's nerves. Why couldn't they just mind their own business and leave Vlad alone?

"What've you been doing, Dracula? Sneaking out after dark, coming back before morning, hoping we'd be none-the-wiser? Well, we could always tell Professor Snape that you've been going out after curfew. That is, unless you tell us what you were doing." Malfoy was using his usual drawling tone, but Vlad could see there was fear in his eyes, he'd seen what Vlad could do, experienced it. He was keeping up an act, Malfoy didn't really want to threaten him. But if this was the game he was playing, Vlad would play along. Although with Malfoy, Vlad had learned that it was best to humour him when the information wasn't damning.

"Yes, you would go crying to your godfather when things don't go your way. It helps that he's our Head of House too. But, if you must know, I was up in the astronomy tower. It reminds me of home. You see, at home I'm not forced to share a room with five backstabbing gits, only a castle with one backstabbing sister. I also have my own tower, thus the attraction to the astronomy tower, yes? It mainly just helps me think and escape from all the people below it." Vlad turned back to his book like nothing had been said.

"You live in a castle!?" Crabbe was one of the slowest in the group, so Vlad thought he may as well explain for the boy.

"Yes, I live in a castle. It's just above a small muggle town in the south of Wales. Both of my parents have enough money for my great great grandchildren to never have to work a day in their lives, so buying the castle was no problem, although we still own the one in Transylvania. Dad has a strong… connection to the place." Crabbe nodded in understanding, though Vlad wasn't certain he did understand.

Once again Vlad turned back to his book, breakfast wouldn't start for another hour.

ooo

Vlad woke up startled. He'd had the weirdest dream ever, he was in a forest with Robin. It took him a moment to realise he was in the Great Hall where his peers were eating breakfast. They stared at him before quickly turning away when he looked at them.

"Freak." Someone muttered to their friend. By now Vlad had given up caring enough to glare at the person, so he ignored it.

ooo

Vlad woke up again from a weird dream, this time he was in potions and his cauldron was boiling over.

"Ten points from Slytherin and detention after dinner, for sleeping in class, again. Meet me here halfway through dinner at seven o'clock, Mr Dracula."

Vlad wasn't nearly as bothered about receiving his first detention as he was the rip by his robes on his shoulder. That was in his dream, there's no way it could have actually happened.

ooo

In Vlad's dream he was fighting slayers that looked like the Branaughs, Robin was coxing him to shape shift into a wolf. He wasn't even sixteen, he couldn't do that! But somehow he did.

Vlad woke up from the strange dream several more times that day, he'd never fallen asleep so many times in one day before, once he even had a cut he had gotten in the dream. There was no way that was a coincidence.

After classes Vlad quickly ate his dinner and ran down to the dungeons to make sure he wasn't late for his detention. He arrived with two minutes to spare and waited for Professor Snape to meet him. At Seven o'clock sharp, Snape was opening the classroom door for Vlad to enter.

"Good evening, Mr Dracula. I hope you have caught up on your sleep, because you may be here for a while." Vlad swore that even in the dim light the Professor had a sadistic gleam in his eye. "You will be cutting up flabbergasted leeches, this must be done carefully and precisely. Here is your instruction sheet, you may sit over there." Snape pointed toward a desk near the back of the room where there was a bucket and a tray. "Try not to make any noise, I'm marking essays."

Vlad took his seat and read the instructions. He was to grab one leech at a time (they were already dead so Vlad wasn't as disgusted by the blood sucking animal as he normally would have been), slice down the middle but not all the way through to the other side. The place the leech open side down on the tray, and repeat. It shouldn't be too hard.

ooo

Professor Snape was yet to confront the boy about the possibility of there being more than a coincidence in his last name and the story. Though Severus still believed he didn't have enough evidence to prove anything, he thought he could at least test the boy a little in his detention. He had purposely put the equipment the boy would need in the back of the room, where there was the least amount of light. Vladimir appeared to be coping quite well with the lack of light, something a normal student would have found quite difficult. It was clear that Vladimir's eyes were made for the dark. He would have to test the boy some more, though it was unfortunate that a lot of the information on Vampires was a load of twaddle, so testing may become difficult.

Severus' thoughts were interrupted by a loud thud from the back of the room. "I told you not to make noise, Mr Dracula, I'm marking."

When there was no response the Professor looked up from the drivel that somehow passed as an essay. He could no longer seen the boy. He got up and walked to the back of the room, Vladimir was passed out on the floor. Severus pressed his fingers to the boys neck, his pulse was wild and frantic. He tried to wake the boy, but nothing worked. So the Professor lifted the boy with a charm and ran him to the hospital wing.

ooo

A letter was sent to the Dracula house hold by Professor Dumbledore letting them know about Vlad's condition and if they wished to come and see him, they were more than welcome. This letter was the reason for what happened next in the halls of Hogwarts while everyone was still at dinner.

Through the main entrance burst an angry Count Dracula and a bored Ingrid following behind. They were greeted by Dumbledore and quickly escorted to the hospital wing.

"So this is the school that made my life just a whole lot better by taking Vlad out of the picture?" Ingrid asked with an innocent tone, but even Dumbledore and Pomfrey knew it was anything but.

"Ingrid," The Count growled at his daughter.

"Can I have a look around?" Ingrid asked, still with the innocent tone.

"I don't see why not, it's after dinner but before curfew, you might make a friend." Dumbledore smiled at the girl.

"Yes, and you can stay away until we go home. Vladdy doesn't need you making him worse." The Count watched Ingrid turn on her heel and storm out of the hospital wing.

ooo

As Ingrid walked through the halls she didn't encounter many people, but those who she did only stared at the strange girl walking through the halls. That was until she was approached by someone behind her.

"You lost?" She turned around to see a blonde boy standing against the wall, he appeared to be around Vlad's age.

"No. Even if I was I wouldn't ask someone as far below me as you for directions." Ingrid knew she was above everyone in the whole place, but that didn't stop her from being curious about the boy, especially because he was the first person here to talk to her.

"Trust me when I say that I doubt you're above me. I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." The boy stood from his leaning position and walked closer to her.

"Is your name supposed to mean something? Perhaps mine will to you. Dracula, Ingrid Dracula." Ingrid smirked when she saw the boys eyes widen before he schooled his features back to blank with just a touch of curiosity.

"I didn't think Dracula actually had a sister, I thought he was just making a point. Although, to be fair, no one really knows anything about him. I'm his roommate and the only things we know are general things like, he moved from Romania, specifically Transylvania, to England last year. He had a tutor instead of attending a magical school. He doesn't really sleep at night, seeming to prefer to fall asleep during classes. Why are you here anyway? You don't go to Hogwarts so why would you be here?"

She sighed. "If you must know my stupid brother went and collapsed so they called me and my father in. I was bored, so I left." Ingrid still looking bored drawled to the boy.

"Are you a squib?" The boy asked bluntly after being silent for almost a minute.

"A what?" Ingrid looked more than irritated, just by the way he said the word she could tell it wasn't something one should strive to be.

"A squib, a person born of magical parents but has no magic themselves. I was merely curious because you're clearly not old enough to be out of school yet and if you weren't a squib it would make sense that you would be at Hogwarts with your brother. But you're not. So the natural conclusion is, you're a squib." Draco's explanation was drawn out by his bored voice.

Ingrid was insulted, of course she had magic! It just wasn't as obvious as Vlad's because… Well she had no idea but it wasn't fair! And she was going to show this boy that she did, in fact, have magic. Because she was nearing her sixteenth birthday, she was developing some of her Vampire powers, she had found, when angry enough, she could produce a fireball. So she gathered her power and anger to her hand and threw it at the boy. He ducked.

"As you can see, I have magic. My father though doesn't believe a girl is worthy to be taught such things at a school, thus he has resigned me to tutors only." Yes, it was technically a lie, but what harm could it do? It's not like she'll ever see the boy again.

She turned to leave the him and head back to the hospital wing, when she realised that she had walked so far she didn't know where she was or how to get back. She sheepishly turned back to the boy and asked, "Can you show me the way to the hospital wing?"