As sharp fangs punctured the main artery in her neck, Daphne let out a strangled cry. Soon, the pain of the bite subsided, she could feel him sucking her life force from her. He held on just a little too tight, but, the more he drained, the harder his grip grew. It quickly became too much to bare.
"Vlad…" She croaked out. "Please… You're hurting me…"
Her voice snapped him back into reality. He'd been so overwhelmed by the taste of the magic in her blood that he'd lost himself. It was like nothing he'd ever tasted, soy blood had nothing on this! As soon as that thought crossed his mind Vlad felt guilt override the amazing feeling of her blood. He'd nearly killed her himself. The whole point of biting her was so she didn't die! Vlad berated himself for being so selfish, even if it was only in the heat of the moment.
He carefully removed his fangs, and made sure he held onto her. She'd lost a lot of blood.
Vlad turned to the two men in the room, "I have to go. Once she starts to turn I can't move her through sunlight."
Without waiting to be dismissed, he picked up Daphne bridal style and sped out of the room to find Severus. He found him still on the hill, the festival in full swing. "Professor, we have to leave."
The man turned to look at his charge and saw the Greengrass girl in his arms with blood dripping from her neck. He nodded.
Vlad sped them both to the gate so Severus could apparate them back to Spinner's End. By the time Vlad was lowering Daphne onto his bed she'd already passed out.
"She needs a blood replenishing potion." The Professor commented from the doorway. Vlad could only nod, he was disgusted with himself. How could inflict this life upon someone else? His friend no less.
Severus turned to make his way to his Laboratory, and motioned for Vlad to follow. He sat and watched the Professor go about his work, it was clear how the man had managed to become a master in the art of potions. His attention to detail. It was this skill that also aided him as a spy.
"Would mind explaining, Vladimir, exactly how Daphne Greengrass came to have a rather deep bite mark on her neck?"
Vlad looked away from the Professor, ashamed. "Voldemort gave me an ultimatum. He said that I could agree to follow him and help him win the war, or Daphne would die."
Snape looked up at the boy, there was guilt clearly written all over his face, his blank mask in pieces letting out all his emotions. Emotions he worked hard to cover up while in the presence of those who would manipulate them. He felt sorry for the boy, but he needed to know everything so he could give Dumbledore accurate information. "That still doesn't tell me why you bit her."
Vlad swallowed the bile accumulating on his tongue. "He said that if I didn't bite her the deal would be off and she'd still die. I really didn't want to, but I gave her the choice. I asked her if she would rather die and she said she wouldn't. Even though she asked me to do it, I don't think she ever would have considered it if she wasn't dragged into that room. So it's all my fault that this happened to her!"
Severus stared at the boy for a moment, there were tears on his face. With a sigh the Professor grabbed a phial and handed in to Vlad. "Drink this."
Vlad did as he was told without even a second thought, as soon as it reached his stomach he was suddenly completely calm. He knew it must have been a calming draught. "Thanks." He mumbled.
"Go watch Miss Greengrass, I'll be up in a minute with the potion." Vlad didn't reply, only walked out. Before he could leave, Severus gave him one last piece of advice. "Vladimir, next time you refer to the man, as his follower, it is expected you call him 'The Dark Lord'."
To which Vlad nodded and continued on his way.
During the short walk to his room all he could think about was how he should have just gone home for the summer. Let his Dad keep him sheltered at home until he was 18. That way nothing like this would have happened. It was all his fault!
Vlad quietly opened his bedroom door, so as to not to disturb Daphne. She needed as much rest as possible. But when he turned to look at his bed, the girl was sitting up looking wide eyed around the room.
"Vlad, what happened to me?" Panic was clear in her voice. Vlad ran to her side and pushed back into a laying position.
"You need to rest, you lost a lot of blood. Professor Snape will be here shortly with a potion to help. I'll explain everything after. Okay?" She nodded and tried to relax a little.
As promised, the Professor arrived quickly to administer the potion. Daphne smiled weakly up at him, "Thank you, Professor." And she gulped it down swiftly.
Colour returned to her cheeks, and she let out a sigh of relief. "Can you tell me what happened now?"
Vlad glanced at the Professor, he didn't know how to say it. "How much do you remember?" Severus stepped in.
Daphne looked around for a moment, trying to recall what she could. "Not much. I was brought into a room just before the matching was about to start, I think it was Mr. Malfoy's office. You were there, Vlad, and some creepy man. I remember Mr. Malfoy had put a silencing charm on me and I remember…"
She paused, then with a gasp she continued. "That man was the Dark Lord wasn't it?"
Both males nodded. "Other than that, I don't really remember. You'll tell me though, right?"
Vlad took a deep breath, he knew Severus wouldn't stand in this time. He had to tell her. "I'm really sorry Daphne. When Mr Malfoy brought you in, the Dark Lord threatened to kill you if I didn't agree to his terms."
She frowned, "Why would he threaten me?"
"I think he may have heard from someone that we were close for a little while during third year. I haven't really had much in the way of friends since then, let alone ones the Dark Lord had easy access to." Vlad determined with a shrug.
Daphne smiled at the memory, "Oh yeah! I remember that, why did we stop hanging out again?"
He looked at his feet, "The same as most people I think, the whole Vampire thing. Speaking of the Vampire thing, there was another condition, on top of his terms, to letting you live."
Daphne frowned again, "What was it?"
"I had to turn you." Her eyes went wide as the memories came flooding back. Him asking her if she'd rather die, her telling him to bite her, the intense pain of the initial bite, and him gripping her tightly before she had passed out.
Daphne took a shaky breath, "What's going to happen to me?" There were tears in her eyes.
"The actual change could take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of months, depending on how much your body fights it. Given the fact that you have magic in your blood, I'd wager that it will take at least a month, maybe two. During that time, you should notice some changes in your personality. You might become more aggressive, less caring, and perhaps more confident. It all depends on how your body reacts. Also in this time, your reflection will start to disappear. When it's completely gone the rest of the change should come on in the following day or two." Vlad explained calmly, trying not to freak her out too much.
Once she seemed to have processed the information, he let her know that she could ask him anything she needed about Vampires or their culture. And with that, the two men let her get back to sleep.
ooo
It was only the next morning that Severus told him he would be taking the mark that evening. He was told to dress in all black, but with no robes, he would be presented with Death Eater robes after the ceremony. Vlad spent the day pacing, he hadn't realised he'd have to do this so soon.
Time flew, though not for the presence of fun, and it was finally time to go back to Malfoy Manor.
The Professor left a note for Daphne should she wake up, and apparated them to the gates. Once again they were greeted by a House Elf, only this time they were lead toward the Ballroom.
On the way, Severus briefly told him what to do. "Keep your head high as you walk, show no weakness. When you reach the middle of the room kneel and bow your head, do not rise until instructed. The Dark Lord may ask you some questions, he may not. He will, however, ask you to swear loyalty to him and once you've done so he will ask you to present your arm. Do not present it until he asks for it. The ritual will be painful, no one has ever made it through without at least one cry of severe agony."
Well that sounds pleasant, Vlad thought sarcastically.
The House Elf opened the double doors for them, as the moved through Vlad saw Severus move off to the side of the room. As he continued forward, he couldn't help but notice all of the people gathered around the perimeter of the space. He hadn't realised Voldemort had so many followers.
Doing as Snape told him, Vlad knelt when he reached the middle of the room. He heard the icy voice of the man he was about to pledge service to. "Vladimir Dracula, you may rise."
The Dark Lord turned to address his followers. "Tonight, we gain a great asset. Tonight we welcome young Mister Dracula into our ranks."
There were cheers from around the room, though Vlad didn't move his eyes away from Voldemort. The man looked different from before. His skin was now pasty rather than just pale, his hair was gone and his nose resembled more of a snake than a man. Though his eyes were still the same piercing red.
"Vladimir," The man addressed. "Do you deem yourself worthy of being a Death Eater?"
Vlad smirked, his cocky mask perfectly in place and expertly covering the frantic thoughts and feelings inside his head. "More than."
Voldemort smirked right back and made eye contact with the boy. Vlad could feel the Dark Lord trying to look inside his mind. It only succeeded in making him angry, just like the hat back when he was being sorted. He sneered at the powerful Wizard.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to pry into someone else's mind without permission? Or is privacy not a common practise amongst your people?" Vlad knew he'd probably overstepped with that comment, especially with the distaste in his voice, but he couldn't take it back now. It'd make him look weak, and put a target on his back.
The man's smirk only grew. "Now, now Vladimir, there is no need for aggression."
This man was going to make him explode with anger! "No need for aggression? Are you serious?" Vlad paused for a moment, restraining himself slightly. "You threaten my friend, force me to serve you, try to look into my mind and yet you still have the audacity to tell me there's 'no need for aggression'!"
As his word grew louder and angrier, Vlad's fangs dropped from his gums and his eyes blackened. "You're lucky I always keep my promises, or you wouldn't be standing. Let's get this over with."
The rest of the evening went by quickly, he made his pledge to the Dark Lord and he took the mark. Severus was right, the thing was painful! But he did manage to get through without making too much noise. When it was done, Vlad looked down at his arm. His once clear porcelain skin was now tainted. Soon it was time for Severus to take him back home.
When they landed in the Library the Professor made his way to the cabinet where he kept his best fire whiskey. Taking out two tumblers, Severus handed him one, the dark liquid sloshing against the edges. "You'll thank me later."
Vlad took the tumbler and sat on the arm chair across from his Head of House. The two stayed silent until they had both set their empty tumblers on the coffee table. "You should get some rest Vladimir, it's been a long night. You can tell Miss Greengrass all about it in the morning.
ooo
In the last month leading to the start of school Daphne wrote to her parents explaining some of the situation and told them she would be staying with Professor Snape and Vlad for the rest of Summer. The two spent time together nearly the whole holiday, reading and studying occasionally, but for most part they talked about Vampirism.
"Wait, so I'll be a full Vampire before you?" She asked with a laugh, just having learnt about born Vampires.
"Only just! I turn sixteen soon. Besides, I'm more powerful now than you'll be when you fully turn."
Daphne looked up at Vlad, "Why's that?"
"As a half-fang you'll never be as powerful as me, being your 'sire'. However, as you're also the first person I've turned as well as the first I've bitten, you'll be more powerful than any other Breather I turn in the future."
She nodded slightly, "I guess that makes sense. How are you so powerful anyway?"
Vlad thought for a moment. Could he tell her about being the Chosen One? Should he tell her about being the Chosen One? She was bound to find out eventually, becoming a Vampire and all.
"Well according to the Vampire High Council and the general consensus of the Vampiric community, it's because I'm their Chosen One. I'm supposed to bring about a new age for Vampires, bring us out of the metaphorical shadows. So basically, I'm the Vampire version of Harry Potter." The last comment made Daphne giggle slightly. It was in that moment he realised that he hadn't heard her laugh before. It suited her.
The laughing stopped for a few days into their time together though. It was when Daphne received a reply from her parents. Vlad hadn't read it but she told him it said that she was a disgrace to their Pureblooded heritage and that they'd finished filing the paper work to have her disowned. On top of that, her betrothal to Draco had been passed down to her sister. Daphne had cried for days, she loved her family and she thought they loved her! How could they do something like this? While she had never been in love with Draco, she'd had a long time to get used to and content with the idea of being his wife. So to have everything she knew turned on its head was not only upsetting, but disorientating.
After giving her some space for a bit they'd spent the rest of the Summer enjoying each other's company, right up until the day Severus dropped them off at King's Cross. They walked through the station, Daphne's arm linked around his. The two smiled at each other, despite the circumstances and the hiccup with Daphne's parents, they'd had a really great month together and became close friends.
They passed through the barrier to Platform 9 3/4 and made their way onto the train. Daphne lead him to a part of the train he'd never been to, the whole carriage was full of compartments with Slytherin students. She walked right to the end of the carriage where there were open booths with tables, reminiscent of a dining room on normal passenger trains. They made their way to where her friends – Malfoy, Zabini, Nott, and Parkinson – were sitting.
As they got closer someone else came into view. Primly perched on Draco's lap was a girl Vlad recognised but couldn't put a name to. He heard Daphne take a sharp breath and whisper, "Astoria?"
He recognised the name, it was Daphne's sister. The one Draco was now betrothed to.
Everyone in the booth looked up at the two. Most of them looked indifferent, however, the new couple sneered at them.
"What do you want, Daphne?" Disgust evident in her sister's tone.
She was about to speak up, but Vlad stepped in front of her. "Don't you know it's rude to speak with such a tone to your superiors?"
Daphne looked at him nervously, this Vlad was completely different to the one she'd spent the summer with. What happened? Vlad's mask of the Vampire his father wished him to be was back in place, his face was that of boredom with a slight sneer on his lip, like they weren't worth his time.
Malfoy only scoffed, "What're you going to do? Bite me?"
Vlad's mouth turned from a sneer to a smile, though not the kind sort Daphne had grown accustom to over the Summer. "I won't, but I can't say the same for Daphne."
The group looked around at each other, clearly Astoria either hadn't told them or hadn't known at all. Judging by her expression, it was the latter.
"Come on Daph, we don't need to associate with these Breathers."
ooo
The group watched as Vlad led Daphne away. It was easy to see what Vlad was implying, but none of them could quite believe it. She was a Vampire now? How on earth had that happened? Well, they knew how, it was more how she had gotten into the position where Vlad had buried his fangs in her neck. Now that they thought about it, her long blonde hair was strategically plaited to the side, most likely covering the bite mark.
Pansy's eyes narrowed on Astoria, "Why didn't you tell us your sister got herself turned into a Vampire? And you Draco, surely you knew too. She was your betrothed!"
The two turned to look at each other, like they expected the other to answer first. Eventually Astoria answered. "I didn't know. Honest! Mother and Father just told me she'd crossed a line that couldn't be uncrossed, so they'd disowned her, that I was now Draco's betrothed, and I wasn't to talk to her anymore. I just figured she'd got herself knocked up."
Eyes then switched over to Draco, he help his hands up to proclaim innocence. "I didn't know either. I was told merely that she been disowned and that I'd be marrying Astoria instead."
Zabini frowned at that, "How does that work, anyway? How can your parents just change a betrothal contract?"
"The contract never specified a name, probably for situations such as this. It just said the firstborn Greengrass heiress, and because Daphne was disowned that title goes to Astoria." He smirked as he said his next statement, "Preparedness is the key to success and victory."
The rest of the group rolled their eyes at him.
ooo
Vlad had somehow found them an empty compartment, as soon as they entered he'd slumped into the chair as far away from the window as he could get. Vlad knew from experience that the SPF50+ would be wearing out soon and he'd rather not be caught out.
Daphne on the other hand, was pacing like a mad woman. Up and down the compartment she went, muttering to herself the whole time. At least 20 minutes had passed before she came to an abrupt stop in front of him.
"How could you do that to me Vlad?" There was hurt and anger in her eyes, lashing out at him like a laser of guilt that struck him right in the heart. Was she talking about what he said to her sister and friends? Or was she talking about him turning her? Either way, he didn't blame her for feeling that way. "My friends are going to hate me now! What if they never speak to me again? What if I'm alone forever? It's all your fault!"
Even though he knew her words to be true and that he would have the same fears if their roles were reversed, hearing her say them out loud made him angry. He also didn't miss the her subtle suggestion that he wouldn't be sticking around for long. He'd prove her wrong, he'd give her someone she could rely on for the rest of her life.
"Your 'friends' abandoned you the minute they found out you were different. I may not have had many friends throughout my life, but I know that real friends don't do that. And that's exactly why I have a question to ask you." Vlad paused, suddenly incredibly self-conscious and aware of what he was about to say. He'd already come this far, might as well go all the way through with his probably insane decision.
Vlad reached out and held her hands in both of his. He looked her in the eyes, his gaze intense and determined. "Daphne Greengrass. I vow to you, on all that is good and evil, that for as long as I am able I will not abandon you as those who came before me."
Suddenly, he was down on one knee.
"Will you marry me?"