The trio idly chatted on their way from the stuffy Divinations class to their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
"I don't know why we even bother with divinations," Hermione grumbled, "all Trelawney ever predicts is doom and destruction that never seems to occur."
Harry laughed awkwardly, "At least she didn't spawn out of shadows the first time we saw her."
Hermione nearly groaned, "Just give him a chance, we have yet to even have a single class with him."
Ron just looked green, staring at the doors that are becoming more and more threatening as they get closer. Too soon, they arrive and stare in shock at the awkwardly bare room. The chairs were lined up in rows as usual with a few students already sitting and fidgeting nervously, but there was not a desk in sight, leaving the entirety of the room uncomfortably sparse. The trio exchanged nervous glances, uncomfortable with the drastic departure from the normal routine.
They took seats with the other Griffindors and joined in with the silent fidgeting as they stare at the clock watching the seconds slowly tick by. The remaining students trickle in, the classroom fills, and the clock still ticks slowly by in complete silence with no appearance of the concerning professor. None of the usual banter was going on between Slytherin and Griffindor, as nobody seemed to have the motivation to speak.
Even Malfoy was sitting quietly, Crabb and Goyle sitting to either side as they assumed defensive positions. Though, judging by the dampness of their collars and the sweat trickling down their foreheads they were not going to be much help if anything did occur.
The tardy bell rings and the students all looked around nervously. Every seat was occupied, save one lonely chair in the front right corner. Slytherin and Griffindor alike watched the clock fearing the appearance of their new professor. But, nothing happened and the ticking of the clock resounded in the silent room full of students.
Five minutes pass and the students slowly start to look more confused than afraid, exchanging questioning glances, still in complete silence. Ten minutes, and the confusion steadily morphed to annoyance.
"Is the creep even going to show up," Malfoy blurted loudly after fifteen minutes had passed. The spell had broken.
Whispers rose from the students almost as soon as Malfoy had finished speaking only to be quickly silenced by a dark chuckle coming from everywhere. The sound quickly narrowed until it was clearly coming from the front right corner of the room.
The formerly neglected chair in the corner now contained the red form of their new and feared professor sitting backwards on the chair, elbows resting on the back of the chair and his chin resting on his hands and his mouth fixed in a toothy grin. His position reminiscent of a small child attentively watching ants right before burning them with a magnifying glass, but his yellow glasses prevented the students from knowing where his attention is focused.
"So you can speak. I was becoming concerned." He spoke at length in a deep, echoing voice. The students immediately return to silence and stop moving, paralyzed by fear, and the smirk lessens slightly. "Pathetic, I haven't even done anything yet and you're paralyzed like deer in headlights." Some students looked confused at the muggle reference, but the silence persisted, much to Alucard's increasing annoyance.
He continued after a long awkward pause, "Did anyone notice that I have been sitting here the entire time?"
More silence and Alucard's brows furrowed dangerously, his tone becoming irritated, "I asked a yes or no question and I expect an answer. Did anybody notice me sitting in this chair before I spoke?"
Several heads shook negatives and Alucard sighed deeply and stood, much to the surprise and terror of the classroom as his looming form shadows the intimidated students. "Who is capable of speech in this classroom?"
Silence.
He snarled, a gut-wrenching, hair-raising sound, making the students cower. "If nobody is capable of answer basic questions I am simply going to fail people at random until somebody remembers how to speak," a pause as the students considered this, "any volunteers to answer some basic questions?"
Hermione looked horrified at the possibility of getting a failing grade and after a short pause, her hand shot up in her typical fashion. She cringed visibly as the ferocious professors attention turned to her and she received the most unnerving smirk she had ever witnessed almost making her wonder if failing the class was better than being the focus of the professors unreadable gaze.
"Good," the deep voice rumbled as Hermione's raised hand started to shake, "Please stand."
She stood quickly, hoping not to anger the professor, and unsure as to why he was so absolutely, inexplicably, terrifying.
"Stop cowering, I'm not going to eat you," he rumbled as Hermione's knees continued to shake, and then he simply shrugged, "I suppose that's acceptable," another torturous pause as Alucard sat back down, much to the relief of the students, "Now, not that it makes much difference, but I'd like to know what Defense Against the Dark Arts topics you have covered previously.
"Well," Hermione gulped nervously, "we've covered Bogies, some Jinxes, Gnomes, Doxies, Cornish Pixies, uh… Boggarts, Kappa, Vampires, Werewolves, uh… Salamanders, the Patronus charm, the Forbidden curses, Hex-deflection, Counter-curses..." the bell for the end of class rung, making all the students jump and stare at the professor, too afraid to leave without permission.
"Almost the whole class period to get someone capable of speech. I won't tolerate that kind of cowardice again. Get a spine, or drop out. Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Now leave."
The class gratefully rushed out of the classroom, leaving behind a very amused vampire who gave a wicked smirk exposing glinting fangs to the students retreating backs.