No no no! How could have he been so stupid? What kind of teenager asks someone to marry them? Certainly not a normal one. And as if she'd say yes! But what if she did? What would he do? Did he really want to get married? His Dad wouldn't be too ecstatic, Daphne being a Half-fang and all, but at least she's not a Breather. Daphne just stared wide eyed at Vlad. She clearly hadn't been expecting it, but then again neither was he. Who proposes marriage on a whim?

Someone with the impulsive desire to help and protect everyone they care about, Vlad's brain supplied. Or just a hero complex, sneered another which he quickly shoved to the back of his mind.

Just as he was about to stand and awkwardly take his hands from hers, Daphne pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you," She whispered shyly, all of her anger dissipating rapidly and a small smirk making itself known. "And how could I say no to a proposal like that?"

Suddenly, both Vampires felt a strange and almost violent pull in their hearts. Daphne's face scrunched in distress, as Vlad felt his breath leave him momentarily and he was struck by how serious he'd made this situation. "What in Merlin's name was that?"

Because of his lack of attention when it came to Vampire studies with is Dad (and even with Antoinette), Vlad would normally only have an idea of what was going on. However, one thing both his Father and Antoinette had heavily stressed was marriage in the Vampire Community. Stumbling slightly over his explanation, he finally replied clearly. "It's… well, um… it's a bond. A marriage bond actually." He paused for a moment, at her horrified expression, when he remembered the differences in their cultures. "Not like a Wizarding marriage bond! The Vampiric equivalent, so no literal 'Till death do us part', or tying us together by magic. But from what I remember, it usually happens during the Blood Tea Ceremony so it's odd that it happened now…"

Daphne's face had gone from a distressed and horrified scrunch to confused scrunch, "What's a Blood Tea Ceremony? Do I even want to know? To be quite frank it sounds scary… and gross."

Vlad let out a small chuckle at that. "It's not that bad, essentially it's like an engagement party. It's the only way to get a Bloodbinding, Vampire version of marriage, recognised by the VHC. If we were to have one my Father would be there, as would yours, and the four of us would sit and share blood from the same cup. From then on a solemn promise has been made and if anyone backs out of the engagement, the entire other clan is honour bound to hunt down and kill the Vampire who backed out." He paused for a second. "Now that I think about it, it might be pretty bad for a Breather and I can't imagine, especially after their reactions, that your parents would be all too thrilled to receive an invite to a Blood Tea Ceremony."

"Yes, I doubt they'd be overjoyed."

"Not to worry though," Vlad grinned. "It's pretty much only used for arranged marriages these days."

ooo

It took several days of heavy research in the Library, and then several more days of trial and error to perfect the execution, but Vlad eventually had a ring to give his fiancé. It still needed a stone to put in the top though, he'd found out that Goblin made wares were very high quality and coveted in the Wizarding World. He also discovered that there was a shop in Diagon Alley where they sold antiques and specialised in Goblin made jewellery. Now all he had to do was figure out how to get there in the middle of the school year.

He was on his way to ask the only person who might give him permission to leave the school. Professor Snape.

So he made the trek from the Library to the Dungeons, taking as many shortcuts as he could remember. The sooner he had this completed the better. After knocking on the foreboding door of his Head of House, Vlad was bid entry.

After a brief glance up from what appeared to be essays he was marking, though having lived with Severus for a time told him it was only charmed to look as such. "How is it you interrupt me every time I'm attending to something important, Vladimir."

Vlad grimaced, "I'm sorry, Sir. As you're my magical guardian, I just came down to ask if I could go to Diagon Alley this afternoon. I have something I need to buy."

"And what, exactly, might this 'thing' be?"

With a blush he looked away from the Professor, "I proposed to Daphne on the train the other day… I've made the band of the engagement ring myself, but I'd like to buy her a stone that holds significance in the Wizarding community. I found a small advert in the Daily Prophet for a antique shop that specialises in Goblin made jewellery, so I thought I might be able to get a gemstone cut by the Goblins from there."

Severus' eyebrow rose as the explanation went on, "You proposed?"

"Yes."

"You're not even an adult."

"In the Wizarding World? No, I'm not an adult. However, in the Vampiric World, you're considered a of age as soon as your fangs come through. Well, enough to marry anyway. And seeing as we're both Vampires, I don't see any problem." Vlad stuck his nose in the air haughtily, though quickly lowering it after a moment. "Can you help me, Sir?"

The Professor gave a sigh, "I won't give you permission, Vladimir. Even if I did the school would only allow you to go to Hogsmeade without a staff member as an escort. For in the Wizarding World, in which you currently reside, you are still a minor."

Severus' words were slow and methodical as to try to get them to sink in properly. Suffice to say it didn't have the desired effect.

"Sir please, It's nearing on a week since I proposed! You and I both know that as a Pureblood she'll consider it a great offence to not receive jewellery as a symbol of our engagement. If she backs out because of that, there will be terrible consequences in the Vampire community." Vlad truly hoped that he could persuade the Professor, if Daphne were to back out of the engagement every Vampire in the VHC would hunt her down for forsaking the Chosen One… "Please help me, Severus."

"I thought I told you not to call me Severus outside of my home." Snape was quick to retort, but Vlad could see in his eyes that he was about to fold. "However, as your magical guardian, it is my duty to guide you to the right decisions and as such I don't believe letting your fiancé to be murdered would be the best option. So, on this one occasion, I shall escort you to Diagon Alley myself."

Vlad grinned at the man's words. "Don't get used to my cooperation, Vladimir."

Still grinning the two floo-ed from Snape's office to the Leaky Cauldron. Vlad coughed and spluttered as he landed in the pub, he inhaled some soot on his way through. The slightest of smirks was visible on the Professor's face, "Still not used to magical travel, I see."

Vlad glared playfully at the man's back when Severus turned to lead him to where they could find the antique store. Just as they were about to step out and into the street Vlad stopped suddenly and called out to the Professor before he could walk to far away.

When Snape turned around expectantly, he saw Vlad in the doorway looking around sheepishly. "Hurry up Vladimir, the stores will start to close soon."

The boy stumbled on his words, "Uh well, you see… I forgot to, you know… Before we came I didn't…"

"Just spit it out Vladimir."

Vlad sighed, "I forgot to put on my sunscreen before we left."

The Professor realised his stupidity immediately, he was trying to get an unprotected Vampire to walk into sunlight. "So what exactly do you expect me to do then Vladimir? The whole point of this trip was so you could pick out a gemstone."

Vlad looked at his feet, "Could you pick one for me?"

Severus clearly hadn't been expecting that answer from him. Vlad continued, "After all, you've known her for longer than I have and you probably have a far greater understanding of what would impress a Pureblood lady and her family."

The Professor gave an exhausted sigh, "I may have known her for longer, Vladimir, but she has always been my student. I haven't even the faintest clue of what she might like."

Vlad gave him a small smile, "It's ok, I trust you Professor."

With that Snape caught the bag of coins (that Dumbledore had given the boy as an allowance) and ring that were flung at him, and his ward turned around to wait inside where he was safe.

ooo

It had taken Severus nearly an hour to choose the gemstones, because nothing the store owner had seemed to match well with the band Vladimir had made. The band was made from white gold and had runes that he couldn't read decorating both the outer side and the inside. Luckily though, the boy had left a plan of what he was looking for written on a small piece of parchment inside the coin bag. He'd specified that he wanted one stone to be the centre piece of the ring and then two smaller matching stones on either side of the larger one.

After a long time searching through the many Goblin cut stones, Snape finally found some that worked. He'd found a 6carat square black diamond in a classic radiant cut, with two small 0.25carat round white diamonds in a brilliant cut. Severus decided that the black diamond would be best, because it not only contrasted well with the band but it also held meaning within Wizarding society. In Pureblood tradition jewellery holding a black diamond is known to enhance relationships and increase inner strength, as well as provide the wearer with clarity and balance. On top of that, the colour black itself is symbolic of authority and power, which he figured was fitting considering how powerful Daphne's fiancé is and no doubt she would be too.

Pleased with his decision, the Professor made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron. As he approached the building he could hear shouting coming from inside. Upon entering Severus saw Vladimir pinned to the wall by a red haired young man and an identical man standing behind them watching on.

"I advise that you let go of my ward, Mr Weasley."

ooo

A/N: Just a quick note, I was re-reading some of the earlier chapters and realised that some of it contradicted what happened in the last chapter. So I've re-uploaded chapter 11, nothing's really changed except a few sentences have been corrected / deleted to make the story actually makes sense.

Also, if anyone's interested in beta-ing this story for me, that would be awesome. Feel free to contact me about it. (If you have any plot ideas that you think would be cool, that's also welcome. I had a plan for the first half of the story, but now I'm just writing what comes to mind as I go along.)

See you for the next chapter!

Steph