Not my characters.
Ten chapters of Chosen Two second year already! I'm still constantly surprised to see big leaps of view counts on this and people following and favouriting, I love you all!
On we go!
-YDHP-
Herbology filled him with mild dread as they walked to the greenhouses, somehow Vlad was convinced this would be when everyone found out he was a vampire and rejected him. Professor Sprout met his anxious eyes and smiled, soothing him slightly as he took his place around the tables. "Today we are going to learn how to repot mandrakes. Can anyone tell me about mandrakes?" A few hands went up, notably his and Hermione's but they weren't the only ones. "Miss Granger?" "Mandrakes, or mandragora leaves have uses in potions that alter physical states." "Correct. Mr Dracula, any ideas about what kind of potions Miss Granger was referencing?" Swallowing the nerves as he could do book smart questions, Vlad replied with "incomplete Transfiguration changes, partly successful animagus transformations or otherwise irreversible petrification." "Excellent! Ten points to Gryffindor. Mr Weasley, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Ron dropped his hand from the leaves in front of him and scowled. "Why?" "Had you completed your set reading for this class, you would know a mandrakes cry could be fatal, though as seedlings they would only knock you out for several hours. Five points from Slytherin, I don't assign homework for my health." The Slytherin students scowled as one then. "Mr Dracula, come here. Everyone else, grab a pair of earmuffs for auditory protection. Make sure they are on tight!"
"How come Vlad doesn't have to look silly in pink earmuffs?" Draco was pouting but he could see the smile fighting to come out. "As he demonstrated advanced knowledge, he is helping me with something else. Any more questions?" Not thrilled to be singled out but happy it wasn't obvious why, Vlad took the rather hefty looking black earmuffs from his teacher and stood back. Not a whisper of sound reached his ears as the students each took a grip on their plants. Even he was a little surprised by the roots shaped like fat ugly babies, and in spite of not being able to actually hear them he could feel his skin prickling already. Assuming the others could sort of hear the teacher as they changed the pots and added new soil, he followed Sprout into a side room and the door closed behind them. The woman waved her wand over the door, then pulled off her own pink fluffy ear protectors and indicated he could do the same. Rubbing at his arm and shaking his head to clear the stuffy feeling, he waited. "So, vampire eh?" Feeling a lump in his throat, Vlad nodded. "Relax Mr Dracula, if anything it was impressive you knew to check in advance, for obvious reasons this information isn't in standard textbooks." "I do extra reading for every class, I like books." "Good man. Now, you'll have to keep up with the reading so you know what your classmates are doing, but I doubt that will be a problem. As for during class, this spot will be soundproof and you'll be kept away from the unpotted plants. I can see you're itching already." Dropping the hand scratching his arm he nodded again. "To make up for missing the classwork, and as I hear you have a knack for potions, you'll be working on the potions Herbology crossover texts for me. I expect top work young Dracula!" Feeling a little dazed as he covered his ears so she could open the door, he sat and started reading the books laid out.
Harry coming along to his tutor session wasn't anywhere near as nerve wracking as he expected it to be, he simply observed Vlad and Ingrid studying curse detection and then sat and discussed working on his own magic after she left. "I realize you may rather forget about it, but from what I understand there could be unique skills or powers in your genetics. And as I gather from Vlad, you may need all the help you can get if this man continues to come after you." "I guess so. So where do we start?" Bertrand seemed surprised at Harry's automatic acceptance of 'more work', but Vlad knew Harry was anxious to make the best of a bad situation and use it to his advantage if he could. "Professor Snape is currently locating books on blood lines and the magic tied to them, when we have those you'll be tasked with reading them. Vlad can charm them to appear as normal school books to your friends and dorm mates, our intentions are not to make this public knowledge unless you are ready for that." Harry seemed appeased by that, and when Harry was calmer, so was he.
By the day before Halloween, Vlad was growing a little agitated. "Its starting. At your age, Harry doesn't need to know yet but if you continue to deny the bond to yourself it will only get worse." Bertrand may have a point, but Vlad was twelve years old, and he didn't want to accept an eternal link to his best friend when said friend wasn't even aware of what it meant for them. Or that it was a vampire bond - Harry didn't know Vlad was to become a member of the living dead club on his sixteenth birthday. Harry was in detention, having got caught hexing Ron and his cronies in the hallway. Ron had started it, loudly speculating why Vlad got 'special treatment' in Herbology, but he hadn't gotten caught and Harry's excellent use of jelly legs and tickling charm had been hilarious. Vlad was lucky not to have gotten caught himself, though he had only used a trip jinx to knock down Crabbe and Goyle and their clumsy bulk was believably unstable. Harry said it was totally worth it to see the Slytherins on the ground, though he may think differently after a whole evening in Lockharts company.
Hermione was easily Vlad's second favourite person, she was sensitive and thoughtful but never tried to deepen a conversation, letting them get absorbed in their homework and laughing at terrible jokes. The library was fairly quiet, most of the school were outside enjoying the late afternoon sunshine before winter truly set in. "Anything to report Agent Granger?" Hermione looked around to check nobody was around before shaking her head. "Ginny is still a little out of it all the time, but apart from writing in her diary a lot I haven't seen her do much unusual. And a first year having a lot to write about isn't that unusual I suppose." "Yeah. I mean, I saw her freak out about a group of spiders but that isn't too surprising for an eleven year old." Hermione's head lifted at that, and Vlad wondered what she was thinking. "A group of spiders?" "Is that important?" "Maybe, maybe not. Spiders are quite solitary. I'll do some reading, for now lets finish this essay so we can help the others catch up when they fail to do it because of eating too much at the feast." Chuckling at Hermione's accurate guesswork, Vlad went back to his Charms essay. He had noticed the practice on his wandless/wordless magic was less tiring the last few weeks, and he steadfastly ignored what that meant too. Ingrid hadn't noticed a change, but at fourteen she had likely already had one of the two main power jumps that happened around fourteen and eighteen, though apparently it could happen as young as thirteen and sixteen.
"Vlad, while I'm sure your sister is charming, I don't think she's important to flame charms." Realising his mind had drifted, Vlad had indeed written Ingrid on his essay. "Oops, mind on my work again now." Scribbling it out, he hurried to finish the homework before he could get distracted again. It could be worse he supposed, he could have written Harry and then Hermione would have been even more amused. Rolling up the complete essay and putting back the books they had borrowed, Vlad checked his watch and gestured to Hermione. "Just in time for dinner. Then we can drop by the kitchens if Harry hasn't been let out yet." His friend smiled in agreement and dumped her stuff in his expanded backpack, then they chatted about Herbology on the way to the great hall. Harry wasn't there yet, so Vlad made a mental note to go grab his friend some dinner. It wasn't until Hermione nudged his arm and passed a scrap of parchment to him that Vlad realised something was off. "If Harry's detention was with Lockhart, how is he up at the table?" Even as he said "may be he's gone to drop his bag off or got chatting to someone" he could taste the lie, worrying about Harry instantly.
Vlad looked more anxious than usual on the morning of Herbology, which only confused Harry further when Vlad's knowledge for the class was apparently even more advanced than Hermione and got him doing special work. Vlad didn't say much about the work, just that it involved a lot of reading and taking notes. That didn't really sound much better than wrestling wriggling plants into new pots, but then Vlad liked reading more than Harry so he may love it for all he knew. He had been told to use detention with Professor Snape as a reason to skip out on Quidditch practice early, the only teacher nobody would dare argue with about it, and the man spent a lot of time alone in his quarters so nobody would know differently. "Don't end up as potion ingredients Harry!" was called out to him as he dismounted his broom, likely from one of the Weasley twins. Hurrying to shower off and meeting Vlad on the way to Bertrands quarters, he wasn't sure what to expect. Ingrid was a surprise, though she and Vlad mostly focused on the book, then the tasks set by Professor Snape in curse detection while Harry watched. Watching Vlad's unique powers at work was a little awe inspiring, his intense focus and flawless results at odds with jokingly exchanging hexes with his sister.
Snape and Ingrid departed, leaving Vlad and Bertrand with Harry. Vlad had his head in a Herbology book, giving Harry space but his presence oddly comforting. Bertrand was right about Harry wishing he could forget he was related to his worst enemy, the man who had killed his parents But the mention of potential powers that could up his chances of destroying the evil dark wizard once and for all intrigued him. After a week or so, Vlad surreptitiously dropped shrunken books down on his bed, and when they had a moment to alter them Vlad charmed them to look like books on snakes and familiars, so nobody would question Harry reading them. Lily, looking a little longer and brighter now she had shed (Nimmy had been kind enough to deliver the skin to Snape), hissed happily when Harry read the books to her. "Surely access to more powerful magic is a good thing master?" "Yes, I suppose but given where it came from I'm right to be wary of using it." "You're for getting master, you didn't seek these powers, fate conspired for you to be chosen for them. So long as you use them for the right reasons, you have nothing to worry about." Somehow Lily made him feel better, as without this twist of fate he wouldn't have the scaly pest he secretly adored. Stroking over her coils, Harry hissed in thanks and felt a little less anxious about it all as he continued reading.
It wasn't that obvious around other people, but on one of his and Vlad's trips to the kitchen for study snacks (and to pass on requests for larger meals weekly rather than daily for Lily), he noticed his friend was a little agitated. "What's up Vlad?" After checking nobody was listening in as they headed up from the kitchen of friendly elves, Vlad shrugged. "I just feel a little frazzled, always do when it's a night of studying and practice with Bertrand. Chocolate and sleep, I'll be fine." Harry doubted that, as Vlad's behaviour stayed flawlessly polite and friendly as ever but he could see the tension. A few days before Halloween, Harry was worried. Pulling Vlad to one side away from their friends, he quizzed the pale boy. "Are you mad or something? Since I got those books from Snape you've been acting weird. Are you worried I'm going to turn evil or something?" Vlad's blue eyes widened, and his head shook quickly. "No! Not at all! Sorry, I just..." Vlad didn't get further, as they were set upon by Slytherins. "Oh look, it's the golden boy and Sprouts little pet. Wonder what he gets up to in that side room of the greenhouses!" Crabbe and Goyle laughed dumbly, but Vlad replied coolly with "work, you should try it." Ron scowled, pulling his wand but no match for Vlad alone, hopeless against Vlad and Harry, he didn't get a word in before Harry hit him with 'rictumsepra' - a tickling hex.
The red head tried to stay standing as he fell about laughing, so Harry added jelly legs to drop him. Apparently forgetting they were wizards, Crabbe and Goyle tried to physically attack back but He saw Vlad's hand twitch as he tripped them up. As they crashed to the floor, the crowd forming quickly dispersed. "Mr Potter! Mr Dracula! Duelling in the halls is forbidden!" Snape quickly reversed the spells on Ron, pulling him to his feet. Harry expected they were about to get detention, but then Lockhart seemed to materialise straight from hell. "Ah Harry my boy. Not to worry professor, I will take this ones detention. And his friend isn't holding a wand, so I surmise those two tripped." Snape scowled, but he couldn't argue without outing Vlad's powers and Harry expected he didn't want to be seen fighting to spend time around 'Potter'. An evening in Lockharts company was definitely punishment in itself, and Harry wanted to hex the man as he told Harry to turn up the night before Halloween - ruining his plans to finish his homework and enjoy the Halloween feast the next evening. Snape threatened every student watching with detention, effectively scattering them before he took the three Slytherins up to the hospital wing. In all the confusion, Harry all but forgot the interrupted conversation with Vlad.
The Gryffindor boys laughed when they recounted the event back in the dorm, and Hermione scolded them while fighting a smile. "An evening with Lockhart... I think I would almost have preferred Snape!" Hurrying to share Seamus' sentiment - the first direct conversation the boy had offered this school year since Lily - Harry lamented the idiotic defence teachers company in advance. The detention was mind numbing, and painful as Lockhart made Harry address what felt like three thousand envelopes to answer his fan mail, all whilst rambling on about how to work being a celebrity. Harry didn't want to be famous for having dead parents, he hadn't done a damn thing intentionally when Voldemort attacked him and he hated to be reminded of it. His wrist, back and head aching, Harry noticed the late hour. "Professor, we'll miss dinner if we don't go now." "Great Scott! Time flies when you're having fun doesn't it Harry? Well. Next time you pick a fight, do try not to get caught, I won't always be there to rescue you." "Yes sir. Good evening." All but running out of the rooms before Lockhart could talk more, Harry stretched his sore muscles out and tried to relax a little. "Come to me..." Jumping in surprise, Harry looked for the source of the voice. There was nobody around, but something made him walk down to the second floor. Peering around, he caught a flash of red hair and felt the ones on his neck stand up. Clutching his wand, Harry followed after Ginny carefully.
-YDHP-
Already Halloween again! I don't know why I'm surprised, I wrote it.
Now to refuel then go write a Chosen One shot, enjoy!