A non - I agree this is alternate universe, but I re-watch the entirety of Young Dracula Seasons 1 through 5 at least once a month, if not more. Vlad never got his powers at thirteen. There was the almost with his grandparents and bat blood on his thirteenth birthday, but the vial was smashed so he didn't. And there was the whole dodging reflections or failing blood tests which would cost him his powers in the future, but I absolutely promise he was only fanged in a dream in season 2, and Season 3 he was seventeen so he had his fangs then.
Dark Serpent Cat - She couldn't be the Peverell brothers mother, because Solace lived around the turn of the Millennium - Merlin was born very late in the 900s, and the Peverell brothers were 1200s. Nor am I going into Arthurian stuff, it just seemed worth mentioning Merlin was in Hogwarts at the time.
Jon - I love the idea of you sat chanting to charm your words into convincing me, but there is absolutely no Vlad tells Harry in third year at all, you'll just have to cope!
lb0302708 - you're welcome!
VampireHarry the 2 - thank you again!
Blimey, must be my most reviewed chapter yet! Thank you all so, so much, I love hearing that people enjoy this story, and the interactions and thought processes you all have about it.
Sorry to bug you guys again, but I am dying for prompts for Chosen One-shots, hit me!
-YDHP-
"I don't know what this dream is even supposed to mean."
Harry grumbled in frustration, lying back against the floor while Vlad trawled books on the Potter bloodline.
"Me either, but it's kind of poetic I guess."
"In what way is it poetic?"
Vlad smiled indulgently, the way Harry knew meant he was infuriatingly calm while Harry stressed.
"Part Potter, part Slytherin. Just like you. A father raising a daughter he didn't biologically sire. Just like your mother. She had Sammy, you have Lily. And Samael. I'm just saying, there are parallels."
He hadn't considered that, nodding at Vlad in grudging agreement before lying a book over his face and groaning in complaint. The Weasleys were having 'family time', Ingrid and Draco were doing potions work with Severus and Bertrand, and so Vlad and Harry were taking advantage of the empty library to track this Nikolas Potter.
"I don't know the exact dates of your dreams, but you said Nikolas was what, twenty at most?"
"About that, yeah. Not much older than Solace, and he knew Merlin at Hogwarts."
"Well, I think I've found why nobody knew he was likely married into the Slytherin line. They marked his death date around his twenty first birthday. I think Salazar must have been presumed, or perhaps told people he killed Nikolas to get to Solace. There is no mention of Solace in here though, but as she took a different name and Salazar never got to her, it could be that the Potters just didn't want to associate Salazar with Nikolas."
"Makes sense, I guess. I mean, I don't know for sure that Nikolas would be the future husband, but I remember she stuck with Peverell, and gave the pendant to a granddaughter on her deathbed. So unless she was slipped some slow acting poison, she died of natural causes. That was also when it must have started skipping generations, because only that granddaughter inherited parselmouth."
Vlad noted down what Harry said (again), then went back to looking for the last known Peverell - Harry wanted to know where that family tree led to in todays generations, but he had stared at bloodlines until his eyes hurt and it was sort of frustrating. Moving topics before he started cursing bloodline books for fun, Harry looked over at Vlad.
"So, how do you think the Weasleys took the vampire thing?"
"Charlie and Bill seem alright, Ginny came around when we explained him saving our necks in first year. The twins seem to think it's cool. Percy almost had a coronary, and I think Mr and Mrs are still pretty wary. Mixed hopes for the future I guess."
Vlad looked genuinely concerned, and Harry knew Vlad had very mixed feelings about vampirism overall - he liked being magical, and it had saved his life against Riddle, but that boggart was still haunting him, he knew it.
"They know you though, and they know I wouldn't have gotten this far without you. Ginny wouldn't be alive. Merlin, I wouldn't have escaped the graveyard without you and your port key. Just be you, and they'll accept it, I'm sure. And if not, you'll still be stuck with me."
"I get all the luck."
Vlad winked as he said it, and they both broke out in laughter for a minute or two, lightening the mood considerably. The vampire was far too accepting of Harry's wobbles over vampirism, though they were now in the past, and Vlad hadn't wavered once in Harry's whole "part Slytherin/snake" thing. He didn't deserve Vlad.
"Honestly Vlad, relax. Let's leave bloodlines for today, clear up before the Weasleys reappear. The snow is starting to melt a little, and I want one last snowball fight."
"Be careful. You run a little colder, remember?"
Harry pretended to grumble in complaint, but he knew Vlad was right to remind him - the others might notice him turning blue.
"Come on Dracula, you're coming too. Get your winter gear!"
He won a long suffering sigh, but Vlad waved a hand to tidy up their reading material - after he made a list of what and where they had read up to, naturally - then followed along to their rooms. After he had explained/almost threatened to the Weasley twins, they hadn't mentioned finding Harry in bed with Vlad again. Even if Harry still cringed inwardly about it himself - he couldn't even handle his own dreams.
Vlad had his winter clothes on a couple of minutes later - nothing too thick, but he was in the habit of layering warming and water-repellent charms on his clothes ever since Professor Sprout taught he and Draco the dirt-deterrent charms for Herbology. Now they all wore last years robes for the greenhouses, because it made sense to get some use out of them, even if they no longer fit.
Everyone had shot up a couple of inches since second year, but Vlad theorised that wizard development tied in to human development - they had growth spurts and magic spurts around the same time.
The Weasley teens heard 'snowball fight' and practically ran for their warm clothes, rolling around animatedly in the snow, breaking up into teams and building snow forts. Even Bill and Charlie joined in, both with shockingly accurate aims. Ingrid saw it as below her - this time - but Draco happily dove in to the fun, trading off with Vlad, who didn't enjoy rough-housing as much as they did. He didn't begrudge that - Harry couldn't claim all Vlad's time, he did have a sister to hang with.
Lily hissed in complaint when Harry made it to bed that evening, feeling exceptionally neglected apparently.
"I'm sorry, it's just been mad lately. I'm gonna take a bath, you can sit in your water dish and I'll tell you all about it if you like?"
This was most agreeable to his familiar, who coiled up happily in a bowl next to his sunk-in bath tub, and Harry realised he could get new perspective from Lily as he hissed, lazing comfortably in a bath filled with muscle-relaxant bubble bath. Parseltongue had never been easier, though he had never actively struggled to converse with a snake, it felt as close to natural as it ever had.
"I agree with the vampire, many parallels to be drawn. I believe humans call it 'history repeating itself', if we continue to work on the assumption your dreams are in fact reality."
"Well, yes. Vlad found a death date for Nikolas, and we know Sorrow and Solace and Artan existed. It all seems to interconnect, right down to the time Merlin went to Hogwarts. But then, it could all be madness, I wasn't around then."
Lily nodded her scaled head up and down, rolling onto her back to soak some more.
"No, but the one who gave you these dreams. He was. Samael was placed into the chamber of secrets before Salazar Slytherin left Hogwarts, correct?"
Harry could have kicked himself - that made an inordinate amount of sense now. How had they never considered that aspect of Samael's age?
"Lily, that's brilliant!"
"Yes, yes, I am as you say, a genius."
Chuckling, Harry finished washing himself, muscles feeling pleasantly like butter thanks to the soaking in relaxant. The ward that let them do magic undetected meant he could dry his hair, and after Lily finished swishing herself around, he emptied the bowl and bath, then carried her around his forearm to his bed.
"So, are you going to wake the ancient king of serpents?"
"No, not yet. I'm not waking him until I know I can keep him that way safely, it's not fair just to wake him for my whims. I would be no better than Riddle if I kept doing that."
The snake huffed, slithering up to wrap around his bed post and flicking her tongue out in thought. Harry stretched out on his bed, unbelievably comfortable right now and lightened somewhat by the new angle of where the dreams had come from. Not that he expected comforting after nightmares to come under Samael saying Vlad was good for him, but he didn't think exactly like the millenia old snake.
"I suppose I understand. For now. I still think you would benefit hugely from a conversation or ten with him, but I know I bonded to a stubborn wizard."
Harry chuckled to himself, reaching up to stroke Lily's scales and smiling as she licked at the inside of his wrist - a sign of affection. He had seen her rub her tail across Vlad's cheek, show affection to a few others but she was still his familiar, the one living thing on earth his perfect match. It was nice to be chosen by a sentient creature, not a madman or a prophecy.
"I'm stuck with a cheeky strip of scales like you. Who comes off worse?"
"Definitely me. You got lucky having a familiar like me. Your vampire has that irritating furball."
Lily and Phantom got along fairly well for totally opposite species, and their antagonizing each other was basically their way of bonding, so he knew Lily didn't really mean it.
"Get comfy, I'm going to sleep now."
Lily thought on it for a minute, then moved to wrap loosely around Harry's bicep and rest her head on his shoulder. Luckily, Harry slept on his side. After the exhausting round of dreams, Harry had succumbed to the purple vial in the cabinet - dreamless sleep potion.
It gave him a blissful, blank night of solid sleep, which he was in desperate need of for their next days training - which came after difficult Potions practice. He was surprisingly good at Potions, considering he found it pretty hard, but Severus was far too fond of heavily worded instructions that didn't always make sense.
Severus and Bertrand blamed translations, Harry blamed them being closet sadists. That led to several unpleasant thoughts, and Harry vowed never to think about their relationship again lest he need to obliviate himself. Bottling his potion, they took a break for lunch, then it was back to spell practice.
Bill and Charlie still made the mistake of underestimating Vlad, and the Weasley parents still regarded Bertrand very, very warily.
"No thirteen year old should be trouncing two full wizards, what are you on Dracula?"
Vlad just shrugged noncomittally, handing them both back the wands he had disarmed them of.
"I don't know. Still, Voldemort is out there, I'm not going to complain if I have a chance of surviving more than three seconds against him and his death munchers."
Ever since they had learned of the name "death eaters" for the psychopaths who followed Riddle, Vlad and Harry had been making up mocking names for them - Harry's favourite was still corpse-lickers, and Vlad looked at him in disgust whenever he said it, but laughed anyway.
"Scared, Potter?"
Draco grinned as he held up his wand, he and Harry taking turns with disarming and shield charms.
"You wish."
The simple fact was Draco wasn't as powerful as him, but Fred and George were practicing with Percy and Ginny, and Vlad with Bill and Charlie, so he had to make do. And it was still good training for his 'brother', as they had called each other. He wasn't totally sure where Ingrid was.
"Ok then, next level. Stunning charms and shields, slightly harder to block. Vladimir, try and focus on blocking rather than rebounding, that would be risky in a battlefield situation."
Vlad glared at the professor, but did as he was told and barely even twitched as each spell hit his shield. Ginny couldn't hold a protego for long, but she could at least block a spell, which was impressive for a twelve year old all the same.
Harry went back to shooting stunners at Draco, but everyone but he, Vlad and the two adult Weasley children were tiring before too long. Severus paired he and Vlad up, and it was obvious the two had practiced together since first year - he and Vlad worked effortlessly together.
"Damn. These two" Bill was a little winded after trying to shield against them both, though he was still standing - Charlie wasn't "with both magical spurts up against You-Know-Who? I know where I'm betting. Ennervate! Up you get Charlieeee."
"Ugh" Charlie took his brothers outstretched hand, rubbing at a sore spot a spell must have hit - Harry healed him quickly "not fair. Vlad's tough enough, the boy-who-lived on top of him is just cheating."
Fred and George started laughing at the double-meaning, and Vlad's cheeks predicatably flushed pink as they did whenever anyone made such comments about his... virtue. Maybe it was different for vampires, Harry had no clue if they thought about sex differently. Presumably Bertrand didn't, but he was... what had Vlad called it? "Bitten, not born", and also gay to boot. Harry contemplated the books Remus had given him, resolving to learn more about vampires. In between everything else they had to learn.
"Maybe we should call it quits, I think we tired out those grownups."
"Eat me Potter."
Charlie grinned all the same, gave him a brotherly shoulder shove and went to raid the library for books on dragons until dinner. Bill, Ginny and the twins started up a vicious exploding snap tournament in front of the fire, the occasional house elf scolding them for the faint singe marks they made on the rugs - Harry would have understood more if it weren't for the fact they only snapped their fingers and it was fixed.
Vlad was curled up in an armchair with Phantom napping in his lap, mildly confusing Harry - Vlad always sat next to him, and there was an empty sofa seat next to Harry. He shook his head, clearing away the odd thought - Vlad wasn't bound to him, he could sit in a damn armchair by himself. All these dreams had Harry off-kilter, every hint of loneliness amplified. Where was his perfect partner, like Solace had seemingly found in Nikolas?
Dinner was fairly quiet, as most were tired out for the day by potions and training. Vlad was fighting to stay standing by the time they called an end for the day, refusing to let the pain in his chest keep him from having Harry stood next to him. The two of them, side by side - that was how it should be, and Harry was more important. Pain was nothing, not if it meant Harry was a little closer to being safe from Riddle.
Ingrid was having a bad day mate-wise, apparently watching Bertrand and Snape around each other during Potions practice with Draco had been too much, so Vlad encouraged her to sleep it off with dreamless sleep - he had been through enough bad episodes already, after all of a year, to know. Vampirically speaking, with her transformation nearing, Ingrid's instincts would be a little up and down, whereas Vlad still had years to learn to bury his before the mirror.
The Weasleys left the day before the end of the holidays, because Mr Weasley had to get back to work and the Weasley children needed to be seen on the Hogwarts Express going back to school - with obvious promises not to reveal where Harry was, or that they had spent the whole holiday training and opening gifts with him, and lots of thanks and hugs for the whole holiday experience. He could sympathise - it was the best Christmas Vlad had ever had, even with the outside concerns.
He knew the Weasley twins had gifted Harry with the Marauders Map, which served only to make Vlad panic more - now Harry would be able to avoid Vlad if he so desired. Granted, Vlad could always follow the mate bond, but Harry would still be able to see him coming in advance, and may end up questioning just how Vlad could always find him. Vlad didn't have an adequate explanation for that.
They portkeyed back to Hogwarts, greeted by Professor McGonogall who had two requests - Vlad had to go see Madam Pomfrey for his chest, and Harry had a waiting invitation from the werewolf. He was only mildly appeased by Harry promising to tell him everything and then telling Vlad to go get himself checked out. His mate wanted him to be ok, and Vlad wanted to be in the best shape he could to always ensure his mate would be safe. The hug they shared before they seperated cheered him further, mood back down by the time he reached the Hospital Wing.
"You know the drill by now Vlad."
He sighed, waving a hand to vanish his shirt and laying back on the bed to let the scary matron scan and poke and prod and cast spells.
"How is it?"
"Better and worse. It doesn't hurt all the time, but it hurts more when it does. I have been training though, school doesn't tax my magic as much and we know that sets it off."
She made a disapproving clucking sound, took the exact list of what pain medication he had taken and how often from Snape and hummed disapprovingly to herself.
"I'll have to check your blood for build up. Do try to stop overdoing it Vlad, I know with your talents that's difficult."
"Harry plus bad guy, can't always avoid it. I'm trying to space the pain killers out, I don't want to end up immune to them since these are the strongest I can take."
He grimaced when she attached the vial to his arm, then used the charm to draw his blood out. Surprisingly, a lot of magic folk didn't like needles - Vlad didn't mind either way but the 'suction' feeling was a little uncomfortable. His dark blood filled the vial like any other persons, minus the crimson colour it was supposed to have - his looked almost black when it was de-oxygenated.
Done with the check, he pulled his shirt back on and waited for her to be done bustling around him, making disapproving noises. He left with an all-clear blood-wise, and another warning to watch his dosage. Gryffindor tower was mostly empty, their things already moved up by house elves and Phantom leapt on him, purring like it had been more than an hour or two since she saw him.
He understood quick enough - her toys were in his trunk.
As soon as he got them out, she was rolling on the floor smacking the light up bounce ball around. He put her food and water bowls down just in case being a pest worked up an appetite, then stretched out on his bed. It felt different, and didn't have remnants of Harry's scent from his night visits. He wasn't going to blame Hogwarts for not having Malfoy manor luxury, but the scent of mate was far more of a loss.
"Vlad? You in here?"
He hadn't realised how tense he was until Harry's voice sounded, soothing his muscles automatically. Waving his curtains aside, Harry smiled at him and Vlad felt bats fluttering in his stomach. Or was that butterflies?
"How was Lupin?"
"Uh, yeah. Animagus. Wormtail was - or is - a rat, Padfoot is Black, a dog. Prongs was my dad, he was a stag. Horrendously illegal animagi, so they came up with shady nicknames."
Harry hadn't mentioned Lupin or his 'form', so Vlad didn't bring it up - he had agreed to not outing the werewolf, he had to stick to that.
"Huh, your dad was a stag. Prongs... Yeah, I get it. Wormtail turned out pretty accurate, he is a total rat."
Harry nodded absently, sinking down on to his bed and seemingly deep in thought. Unsure if he was allowed to go over and hug Harry, Vlad tapped his fingers on his own bed, waiting. It took a few minutes, but then Harry brightened up a little.
"Animagi at fifteen, that's supposed to be impossible! Which is why I kind of want to try it. I mean, I promised Remus I wouldn't, but I want to do something that isn't related to Salazar Slytherin being my great-great-great-great... and so on grandfather. This is what my dad could do."
Vlad knew very little about animagi, as vampires couldn't transform that way - they had bat and smoke forms after transforming, but that was all vampires. No magical vampire had ever been able to complete the animagus transformation. But now he had a reason to learn the mechanics at least, because Harry was going to do this anyway, and he knew it could be dangerous.
"I'm in. I mean, I can't actually gain an animagus form myself, but I'm not letting you become half Harry, half... I don't even know."
"Is that a biter thing?" Vlad nodded. "Fair enough. He said it took them three years, but they were missing two things."
"Which are?"
"You and me."
That had Vlad's heart doing some kind of crazy dance, because those words on Harry's tongue did things to him. He had to focus on something else, and quick.
"Dobby!"
Harry looked a little confused, especially when said Malfoy elf appeared in their dormitory.
"Yes Master Vlad?"
"Does the Malfoy library have any books on animagus transformation?"
"Dobby will check for young masters!"
The elf popped out again, and Harry only had time to look at Vlad in confusion before Dobby was back with a teetering stack of books three times the elves height.
"There are more Master Vlad, Dobby can-"
"No no, this should do for now. If I need more, I'll call you Dobby. Thank you."
Dobby nodded so vigorously his enormous ears waved like bat wings, then popped off again leaving behind the stack of brightly coloured books. Harry stood up and the towering reading material almost reached his neck.
"Ok, that's pretty cool. If not way too many books."
"Yeah, Draco gave me access to the library through Dobby. No way the school library has this sort of material. My guess is Sirius Black had access to a similar sort of treasure trove of information, if his family was an ancient pureblood line."
Harry inclined his head in thought, and Vlad scanned through the book titles quickly.
"Here. You read this and I'll have a flick through these. No trying anything before you've read it."
Harry looked down at Risks and Rewards: Animagus Pros and Cons with a sigh, but then eyed Vlad's pile and realised he was getting off lightly. Still, he made a token complaint.
"I hate reading."
"Mhmm. I didn't take a killing curse for you to die trying to turn yourself into a cat."
He hadn't meant to say that, and Harry froze solid for a good minute.
"Harry, I didn't mean it that-"
"Glamour the covers? I shouldn't show off that I'm reading it."
Vlad sighed but waved a hand, watching the cover change to appear as 1002 Herbs and Fungi: The Sequel and his own pile was stashed into the magically expanded and locked bedside cabinet. He kept one out and charmed it to look like it was written in Latin - enough to keep most away easily from Finding Your Animal: An In Depth Guide.
He wasn't intending to read every book cover to cover, but he wasn't going to let Harry try this until he was sure he knew what would happen, and what could go wrong. He stared unseeingly at the page for about five minutes before giving up and going over to Harry. He offered resistance, but Vlad persevered and took Harry's hand loosely.
"I didn't mean it that way. Given the choice I would do it again. You're my best friend, I just want to keep you safe ok?"
"Ok. I'll read the book. Cover to cover, channelling you and Hermione the whole time. Promise."
Harry offered him a smile as their hands separated, and Vlad felt better immediately. The world made far more sense when Harry wasn't upset with him. He went back to his own bed and flicked through the book, finding a how-to instruction list a few chapters in. He made notes on the steps to compare against the other books, ensuring they were consistent before he let Harry ingest questionable potions or use spells they had never encountered.
"Vladimir?"
What was Professor Snape's voice doing in the Gryffindor dormitories?
"Yeah? Come in, just me and Harry."
He looked very uncomfortable surrounded by the red and gold decor, but gamely entered the room anyway.
"You will accompany me to check names off the list when the students return in the morning."
"I will?"
He was utterly at a loss, until he realised why specifically him.
"Oh. You want to know if any have been... marked."
"Correct. However, it will be publicly conveyed to others as a punishment. I'll create a reason why by morning. Be at my quarters immediately after breakfast. Harry, you stay behind. Or visit Professor Lupin. Either way, away from the crowd."
Vlad did not like the idea of leaving Harry spending more time with a werewolf, but he agreed that knowing if any students were strolling into Hogwarts with new 'tattoos' - they were, he grudgingly told himself, a known risk to his mate.
"I'll be there Professor. And obviously, tell nobody. We know that by now."
Snape nodded severely, then swept off in a cloud of black robes. He occasionally wondered what Bertrand saw in him, then remembered there was a depth to the man - he cared deeply for Draco, and even Harry. Vlad wasn't inordinately close with the man himself, but he also envisioned there being future tension if it came out that he knew about Ingrid and Bertrand being 'linked'. Because it would come out, he knew. If Bertrand didn't already, that 'pull' would kick in eventually, or Ingrid would tell him - she was far, far more forward than Vlad.
Then he looked over at Harry, who was staring at the spot Snape had been standing on like he had dreamed the whole thing. He had no place to judge, he was a coward who refused to risk losing his best friend. If he couldn't have Harry, he could still have him in his life. That would have to be enough. And Harry trusted Vlad, trusted him to keep him safe, trusted him not to hurt him. Vlad could live with that.
"I forgot you can feel them. Do you really think Riddle is stupid enough to mark students?"
"Snape does. And he's met the madman. So I'm going to go. At the very least it'll be a list of people to avoid, especially you now you have that map."
"I guess. Someone has gotta design a ward, a spell that detects them and you could put it up anywhere."
"Might make life difficult for some."
Harry made a sound of agreement, realising who Vlad meant and stuck his face back behind his book. Draco returned an hour or so later, though Vlad had zero idea what had delayed him he enjoyed the quiet, companionable silence reading with Harry all the same.
"You guys know you missed dinner?"
Ah. That was the delay.
"Didn't realise. I'm ashamed to admit I'm in the habit of being called for meals. Alas, I still have half our Christmas snacks in my bag. Here."
Draco caught the box of gingerbread, and Harry grinned when Vlad floated over a tub of Christmas cookies and a few bottles of butterbeer - Malfoy Manor had it in seemingly never-ending supply so Vlad had stashed some for just such an emergency.
Vlad chewed on some honeycomb chocolate, keeping eyes on his book while the other two chatted absently. If anyone asked, Vlad had spent the holidays at home but returned early, Draco had obviously been at Malfoy Manor and Harry had been in a secure location he couldn't discuss. Some would suspect Harry had spent the holidays with his friends, but there was no proof and that's what counted.
Harry sleeping in the same room was better he supposed, but Vlad was acutely aware Harry was far less likely to seek his comfort in a shared dorm, and Hogwarts didn't have the whole safe and secluded feel Malfoy Manor had. Many would argue Hogwarts was safer with Albus Dumbledore present, but after Quirrelmort, Samael being controlled by teen Riddle the horcrux and then Pettigrew literally kidnapping Harry, Vlad questioned that immensely.
Nor did he especially trust Dumbledore - he knowingly sent students home to bad households and made no effort to help - Harry and the Dursleys, Draco and his parents just to name two. Hell, Vlad had tracked down Voldemort and rescued Harry from near death before the old man had noticed anything going on. Maybe the headmaster had power, that was clear, but he wasn't doing everything possible to keep his students safe, and Vlad thought that was a pretty big miss on his part.
A fitful, unsettled nights sleep later, Vlad and Harry descended to the near-empty Great Hall. All the teachers were back, but only a handful of students stayed for Christmas - believing about Voldemort or not, many didn't dare risk their kids he supposed.
Porridge and pumpkin juice later, Vlad - with the knowledge Harry had the Map and his Cloak on him - headed down to Snape's quarters.
"What am I in trouble for?"
"Attitude. Nobody who knows you will believe you failed in an academic sense, and you're surprisingly good at covering your rule breaking tracks. So I am punishing you for your cheek. Are you able to 'do your thing'?"
Snape visibly cringed as he said it, abhorring using slang terms. His chest wasn't hurting and this was to keep Harry safe.
"Sure. Just give me your arm, and a minute. That many kids, I want a fresh 'feel' for it."
They were both uncomfortable, but he did roll up his sleeve and hold out the marked arm. It was like sensing blood types, it wasn't automatic but obvious when he focused.
"Thanks. I'm good to go."
Occasionally, in the very rare instances it was only the two of them, he wondered if Snape already knew. He knew about mates, that much was clear after dealing with Vlad. But unless he knew that he knew, Vlad couldn't even hint at it. They stayed silent on the walk down to the gate, waiting for the thestral drawn carriages. He could tell by the way Snape eyed their movements that he could see them too, but if he had been alive for the war, seeing death may have been a common occurrence.
There were several complaints as they had to check off the names of every student. Vlad understood to an extent - it was cold out - but between Severus Snape's presence, amusement at Vlad being landed with punishment before term had even started, and the words "new security measures", they got there in the end.
In total, six students had returned that set off Vlad's 'sense' of the dark mark. Bold of Riddle, sending so many back. Only two were Slytherin students, and despite everything Vlad felt a little surprised by that, more so by one Gryffindor, one Hufflepuff and two Ravenclaw students. He had at least one in every house.
The Gryffindor seventh year girl was the biggest concern - she had unlimited access to the tower Harry slept in. The Hufflepuff was a sixth year, both Slytherins only fifth and the Ravenclaws seventh years. Vlad wasn't totally sure they hadn't been marked before - he hadn't been looking. Though Riddle had only been back a matter of weeks in reality, so he was clearly working the recruitment drive.
"I recognise these surnames, old followers. I don't recognise those, though having conversed with the student, I don't find myself surprised. You're certain?"
"They had the same feeling you do. That's why I just spent an hour and a half in the snow getting laughed at by my classmates, so we could do each student one by one."
Vlad clutched his drink, numb fingers slowly thawing. He couldn't wear gloves and cross names off the list, so he was a little uncharitable towards the uncertainty facing him from Snape. He had dry, warm clothes on again at least, but was still waiting on his hands warming up. A rare moment of "bring on my transformation" hit him then - he wouldn't get cold when he had the body temperature of a corpse.
He didn't want the fangs and bloodlust and everything else, but at least winter would hurt less. Silver lining. And it had let him survive saving Harry from a killing curse. Another silver lining. Maybe his fangs would be put to good use some day... like tearing Riddle's throat out. Realising he was slipping into vampiric daydreaming, he returned his attention to the matter at hand.
There was a brief debate of whether to tell Dumbledore - Vlad voted no, unless Snape was certain they would be expelled instantly, which he wasn't. In which case, he decided they had nothing to gain from telling him. Feeling finally returned to his fingers, Vlad drank the cooling tea and sighed to himself. Of all people, his mate would be an unbelievably attractive magnet for trouble. Pouring some more tea while the professor mumbled to himself, he rubbed at the bridge of his nose and pondered the situation.
"So... body munchers at Hogwarts. Awesome start to the new year."
-YDHP-
Every year seems to grow longer - I would really struggle to end this by twenty five chapters, so I guess I'm going to aim for thirty for year three. Then year four... Oh, year four. I eagerly anticipate that year greatly.