Dear Vlad,

I have to say I was surprised to receive your letter, and the reason I've taken so long to reply is that every time a sat down to write you out some advice it all felt wrong coming from me. During my time at Hogwarts I had a tight-knit group of friends and by the time they found out about my condition we were already inseparable. I can't imagine what this must be like for you, going through this with next to no support system. And no, one friend does not count as a support system. On top of having close friends, my secret was never revealed publicly until I finished my one year of teaching at Hogwarts, so those who weren't friends had no idea.

The only advice real I can give you is to stick to what you've been doing. Keep focusing on your school work and don't let anyone tell you that you don't belong there because of what you are.

Sincerely,

Remus Lupin

Well that was extremely and surprisingly unhelpful. If there was one thing Vlad didn't want to do right now, it was school work.

ooo

It had been a while since Harry's "study group" started. They called themselves Dumbledore's Army, though Vlad thought tying the Headmaster into the group was a bad idea. Suffice to say, they didn't listen to him. Regular meetings were held in the Come and Go Room, also known as Room of Requirement. Vlad didn't attend many meetings, usually only when he figured he could help out with the topic, when his Housemates weren't around and he could sneak away unnoticed. One of the times he did actually show up, he regretted instantly.

Upon walking into the Room, Vlad could already tell something was off. Everyone was positioned at the edges of the room, but they were all facing a chest. He'd forgotten to find out what they'd be covering earlier in the week, that being his reason for turning up today. And as usual he was late and had missed the explanation of the day's lesson.

"What's going on?" Everyone was weirdly silent. Harry moved in front of him.

"We're doing a sort of experiment…" He paused. "Comparing our fears back in third year to now."

A frown overtook Vlad's face, "What? Why?"

Harry sighed, "It was Hermione's idea. Something about getting us more psychologically in tune with ourselves."

Vlad stared him down, "Well I won't be participating."

"And we're not—" Harry started to reply before Hermione cut him off.

"Come on Vlad! If you face your worst fear here in a safe environment it's going to better prepare you for when the war comes."

"I don't know if you've noticed Hermione, but this isn't my war to fight. I have my own at home. I didn't join this group because I had to, I came here to help but this has nothing to do with me. So I don't need you telling me to face my fears, I face them every day already. I'm done here, just leave me alone, okay?"

As he turned to leave Hermione called out to him, "Vlad wait!"

"I said leave me alone!" Vlad's voice boomed as he glared down at her, eyes black, fangs out.

She gasped and took an involuntary step backward. It hadn't really sunk in for Hermione that Vlad could potentially pose a threat to her, or anyone really. He was always so kind, looking out for other people. It hadn't even crossed her mind that, given the right circumstances, he might be dangerous.

Seeing the fear in her eyes Vlad sped out of the room. He found a small alcove in some dusty corridor and slid down to the floor with his head in his hands.

"What have I done?" Vlad whispered to himself. His mind answered for him. He'd shown one of his only friends who he truly was and she'd been frightened. And rightly so.

He only had Luna left now, and other than at the occasional DA meeting he barely saw her anymore. He had no one in Slytherin, they all saw him for who he was in the Welcome Feast at the start of the year. A Monster. Yes, they'd been curious, but he'd been nothing more than a novelty. Which, like all novelties, wore thin quickly. And he certainly couldn't go home, he had too much of his Father's pride for that.

He was finally all alone, and it was entirely his fault.

ooo

Not too long after Vlad had left, Umbridge was finally able to find them. From what he'd heard, it was thanks to Marietta Edgecombe. The whole group had been given detention, Vlad had seen what happens to kids who have detention with Umbridge. And though he wasn't fully aware of Wizarding law, he was certain it can't have been legal. The woman was clearly abusing her position to get away with it. It was something Vlad was uncomfortably used to.

All too quickly the school year was about to come to a close. He really didn't want to go home. Not really sure what his options were, Vlad made a snap decision to talk to the Headmaster about it.

He also quickly realised that in his three years at Hogwarts, he'd never been to Professor Dumbledore's office and hadn't the foggiest on how to get there. So he searched for McGonagall to ask for directions. Luckily, she was happy to help and didn't ask questions. Presumably she knew Dumbledore would likely tell her anyway.

So at last, he was knocking on the Headmaster's door. It opened seemingly of its own accord to reveal the Professor sitting behind his desk looking through some papers.

"Come in, Mr Dracula. Please, take a seat." Vlad was gestured toward the comfortable looking chair in front of the large desk.

Sitting down, Vlad addressed the Headmaster, "I'm sorry to interrupt you, Sir, but I seem to have found myself in a bit of a dilemma."

"Nonsense, students can come to me at any time they feel the need. Now, what is this dilemma, hmm?" He questioned over his half-moon spectacles.

"Well you see, I don't have anywhere to go once term concludes. As I'm sure you remember, I got into a bad argument with my Dad at the start of term. I–I'm worried that if I go back home he won't let me return, come September. I just, I don't know what to do and I figured you might be able to help me." Vlad looked at the man, hope evident in his eyes.

Dumbledore smiled at him, "I am sure something can be arranged. I could never deny a student their education, and as I have a duty of care, I couldn't possibly let said student return to a clearly abusive environment."

Vlad wasn't sure if it was the smile or his tone of voice, but it was clear to him that Dumbledore knew perfectly well that Vlad could handle himself if his Father was abusive, though the man didn't even question his reasoning.

"So what we you going to do, Sir?"

"I think I know someone who, with the right persuasion, will be willing to help. I'll summon him now." The Professor conjured his Patronus and sent a quick 'come to my office, it's important' to whomever was on the receiving end.

After only a few moments of silence the fireplace roared a brilliant green, and out came an annoyed looking Professor Snape. Vlad's eyes widened, he would be staying with Snape?! Even after being in Slytherin for three years, he wasn't sure what to think of this development.

Eyeing Vlad, Severus spoke to the Headmaster. "What was so important, Albus, that it couldn't wait until morning? And what, exactly, does it have to do with Mr Dracula?"

With a twinkle in his eye, Dumbledore replied. "It has come to my attention that Vladimir's home life is not a safe environment to a growing child and as such Mr Dracula has no place to spend the summer. I've summoned you here to request that you take him in until the start of term in September."

Snape scoffed, "Absolutely not! Albus, you know how dangerous that could be given my current… situation. Not only that, what exactly do you expect me to feed the boy? I don't just have cartons of blood lying around the house! And, must I remind you, we both know the boy is perfectly capable of looking after himself."

There was a long pause, the silence was almost sickening. Vlad could tell there was something going on here that he didn't understand, but he had to try his best to get the Professor to let him stay. He didn't think he had much of a choice.

"Professor, I don't know what your situation is, nor why it would be dangerous. But if it helps… I don't drink blood." Both of the men in the room looked at him strangely. Deciding he needed to explain more, Vlad continued. "I drink a soy substitute. I have a subscription that gets delivered every month, it's usually enough to get me through without too much struggle. And yes, I know that after my display at the Welcome Feast, it might appear like I can handle myself against my Father. But until I'm 18 he can still tell me what to do, I fear that if I go home he'd demand I not return to Hogwarts, and according to Vampiric law I have to obey him. Please… Professor, I don't know who else can help me."

Snape looked at him for a long moment, as if weighing up his options. "Fine. But there will be rules, and if you break them I'll deliver you home myself."

Dumbledore grinned at that. "Well now that that's sorted, let's work out travel plans for the end of the week."

ooo

The last week of term passed quickly. He'd finished all his OWL exams and came out feeling pretty good about them. It had been decided that Vlad would ride the train back to London with the students, Professor Snape would meet him outside King's Cross at the bus stop on York Way and from there they would head to the Professor's house.

For the most part, the train ride was silent. Dragging on for what felt like an eternity. Luna wasn't sitting with him this time, he'd seen her sitting with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny as he passed their compartment. Vlad felt a small pang of sadness in his heart at the sight. Since they first met they'd always sat together on the train.

Was she scared of him too? Or was it to do with the battle that whole compartment was involved in at the Ministry of Magic? The one he read about in the paper one of his Housemates had left in the Great Hall, the one where it was officially confirmed that Voldemort had returned. Or was she just moving on from him? Finding new friends? Friends that she knew for certain wouldn't try to eat her.

For a single moment Vlad wondered why he didn't feel angry, or betrayed. It didn't take him long to realise it was because he knew he didn't deserve her friendship. If anything, she should be angry and feeling betrayed by him, because they were close enough friends that he should have told her what he was. He knew he should have. And no matter the excuse he came up with in his mind, it was never enough to truly justify it. He had driven her away. Not the other way around.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his compartment door sliding open. Looking up, Vlad saw his dorm mates. They all moved inside and took the seats around him.

Looking out the window, Vlad addressed them. "I'd rather be alone, if you don't mind." He wasn't in the mood for an argument, especially not with these pompous gits.

"Too bad, Dracula." He heard Malfoy sneer. "We came to talk to you."

Malfoy waited for Vlad to reply, after realising he wasn't going to, Malfoy continued. "I received a letter from my Father this morning. He seemed very determined that you receive this."

Malfoy handed over a black envelope with his name on it, "It's an invitation to our annual Lughnasadh Festival. All the details are inside."

"If that's all Malfoy, I'd prefer if you and your groupies left."

With a sneer Malfoy stood to leave, though was taken aback when his friends didn't follow suit. "Are you lot coming or not?" He demanded petulantly.

It was Nott who answered, "I don't know about the rest, but I'd like to ask Dracula some more questions, now that I've had time to think about what I'd like to know. It's not every day you have a Vampire around to talk about what's missing from our textbooks." The others merely nodded in agreement, they wanted to ask questions too.

With a groan, Malfoy sat back down. "Fine."

So they asked away. At first it was simple questions, like 'Does it hurt when your fangs come out?' and 'Why do Vampires sleep in coffins?'. However, as the conversation progressed the questions became harder.

"What's Vampire society like? Is it very different to Wizarding Society?"

The question actually made him smile, if only for the fact it made him think of Antoinette and everything she taught him. Momentarily, he wondered how she was doing.

"They're quite similar actually." Vlad answered. "The system of hierarchy is almost identical, just with different names for things. At the top are the Nobles, these are Vampiric families dating back to the first records of Vampires. Like Purebloods, the longer the family line, the higher status they hold. Vampires who were turned by another rather than born a Vampire are in the second rank, like Halfbloods. They're called Half-fangs. A Vampire may choose to keep their Half-fangs as servants, and the Half-fang is compelled to do as ordered by their sire. These Half-fangs have a slightly higher rank than normal Half-fangs. Though not by much.

"The third rank is human servants. They're usually manipulated using hypnosis to be completely subservient. Though you do get a few who choose servitude in the hopes that their master may turn them. The fourth rank is just every day, normal Breathers. Sorry, Humans." There were a few nuances Vlad left out to keep it simple for them. Also, he really didn't want to go into the Vampire High Council, the Grand High Vampire, or that he's the Vampiric version of Harry Potter.

"Where do Wizards stand in all that?" Nott asked.

"It changes depending who you ask, really. If you ask my Father, or any other elitist Noble, you just sit at the top of the humans. But there are others who believe, because of the power a Wizard can wield, you're above the Half-fangs."

The next question threw him off. He didn't think anyone even remembered what happened that night.

"Hey Dracula, what was with the shouting match between you and Professor Lupin back in third year?" Malfoy asked, finally speaking up. "Didn't he say something about your mother?"

It took Vlad a moment to answer, he couldn't keep the sneer out of his voice. "They know each other. My mother is the classic example of what every Vampiress in high society wishes to be. A conniving, evil, manipulative, psychotic bitch. She and my Father are two most in love people I've ever seen, but only when it suits hers. The rest of the time they hate each other."

He laughed at the absurdity of what he was about to say, "She ran away with a Werewolf! As humans, you probably don't understand why that's so funny. For as long as anyone can remember, Werewolves and Vampires have always been enemies. No matter the conflict between Vampire Clans or Werewolf Packs, they will always unite with their blood brothers to defeat the other. So when I say my Vampiress mother ran away with a Werewolf, let's just say it was a scandal and a half, the biggest in centuries. It also happens that the Werewolf she ran off with is Professor Lupin's brother, Patrick."

The boys in his compartment looked shocked, what was the likelihood of that?!

"Not only that, but when I wrote to my mother to ask about it she told me that my Father and Professor Lupin had despised each other for years. The worst part about that was the fact that I had trusted Lupin enough to tell him my secret, he even helped me work through a lot of personal problems that year." Vlad paused momentarily. "I don't even know why I'm telling you all this…"

The compartment was quiet for a long moment that seemed to stretch on forever. It seemed the others found it as unbearable as he did, as Zabini asked, "What exactly did your Boggart turn into that year?"

Vlad wasn't entirely sure how to answer that questions, how much should he tell them? He scoffed internally at that, he should have thought about that before he went on a rant about his Mother and Professor Lupin. At this point he might as well just tell them everything.

"My Boggart turned into me, as a full Vampire. When you're born a Vampire you're basically human until you turn 16. If you manage to manifest any of your Vampiric magic before then, it's basically a tell-tale sign that you'll be very powerful. Most get one or two specific powers popping up around a year before they're 16, a few more might start appearing as that year progresses. When you turn 16, you get your fangs and your powers all set in, though there's usually a surge in power when you turn 18. Along with getting your powers, usually the Vampire in question either becomes evil, or just more evil than they already were. So essentially, my Boggart was an evil me with full powers. The brother my sister wouldn't be embarrassed of, the son my Mother would stick around for, and the son my Father would be proud of…"

It didn't take long for the boys to put two and two together. "But Vlad," Nott spoke up. "You're not 16 yet and you've got fangs."

He hadn't really wanted to get into this, but he was too far gone at this point. "Yeah, so my powers started showing up when I was about 11 or 12. My Dad was teaching me about hypnosis, guiding me through the process, when I accidentally ended up hypnotising him when he tried it on me. From there, a few more popped up more and more often. I was just about to turn 13 when my Hogwarts letter arrived. At first I thought it was a joke. But I soon found out that to be invited to study with Wizards, as a Vampire child, is a huge honour, because usually by the time a Vampire has enough power to even pass as a Wizard, they're at least 16 and unlikely to be accepted so late in their schooling. So basically, I'm just super powerful. Which is highly ironic, because for most of my life I didn't even want to be a Vampire!"

It was then that the train started to slow down as it approached the station. "We better go collect our trunks." Malfoy said as he stood up, followed by the others.

Vlad took the few minutes it took for the train to stop as a mental reprieve. Soon he would meet Professor Snape and he would take him to his house.

ooo

Upon arriving at their agreed meeting place, Vlad nearly didn't recognise his Head of House. The man didn't seem so intimidating in muggle clothing, and therefore, not himself.

"Hello Professor." Vlad greeted.

"Mr Dracula." Snape paused in greeting. "Follow me."

Vlad took back his statement. As soon as the man opened his mouth, he was just as intimidating.

Following closely, Snape lead him down a dingy alley. "Take my arm, Mr Dracula."

Doing as he was told, Vlad was quickly overwhelmed by the sensation of being pulled through a minuscule straw. Once out the other end, he felt rather queasy but managed to control his stomach long enough that he didn't vomit everywhere. Snape quickly pulled him inside what he assumed was the Professor's house. The place was dimly lit and rather dull, it almost reminded him of home.

The Professor showed him around the small house. As expected, there was a kitchen, lounge room, study/library, dining room, a guest bathroom Vlad was instructed to use, and the guest bedroom he would be staying in. He was briefly shown the door of the master bedroom, but soon told he was never to enter without permission, and was never to ask unless it was an emergency.

"Would you like some tea, Mr Dracula." The Professor asked, obviously trying to be polite, but soon realised his mistake and corrected himself accordingly. "Or would you rather your 'soy blood'?"

"Actually," Vlad replied. "Some tea would be lovely."

The two walked back to the kitchen and Vlad sat at the breakfast table as Snape made the tea. It wasn't until they were both sitting with the piping hot liquid in front of them, the Professor spoke again.

"As I said last week, there will be rules you must abide by during your stay here. As we discussed earlier, the first is that you do not enter my bedroom. Second, if I have guests you will stay in your room unless you're called upon. Third, you must never leave the house unless you're accompanied by myself or someone I have approved. Do you understand me, Mr Dracula?" Vlad thought about the rules, they all seemed reasonable considering he was staying in the man's house without much forewarning, and they seemed easy enough to follow.

"One-hundred percent, Professor. Although, I think that because we'll be living in the same house all summer that you can probably call me Vlad. Don't you agree?"

The Professor looked him dead in the eye. "No, I most certainly do not. However, if you insist upon a level of familiarity, I will call you Vladimir. I despise nicknames. In return you may call me Severus, but only ever in the privacy of this house and when there is no one else in the building. In times such as that, you will refer to me as Professor, or Sir. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, Severus." Vlad said with a smile.

Severus glared at him, "Don't make me regret taking you in, boy."