"One person can make a difference, and everyone should."

The Purpose Chapter 2 The law

September 1, 1937, Hogwarts

On the first day of school, Seth had taken the train with all the other students. Seth had an incredible memory for faces, and he had already recognized at least thirty children he had seen during his day of shopping on Diagon Alley. He could tell who was poor or not, but that detail didn't matter to him. Wizards…hundreds of wizards, and he was one of them. Seth was getting stared at by each student and then he wondered if he should have cut his hair and put it brown or black. A compartment was occupied by only one boy, so he decided to join him immediately. The boy looked at Seth and frowned before looking out the window again.

Seth sat down and the train began to shake shortly after, indicating his departure. He already liked the boy who remained silent. If he wanted to blend in with them, he might as well make friends.

''Good morning! My name is Seth and you?'' said Seth.

The boy looked at him. His eyes went from his feet and up to his forehead. Although Seth never wore shoes, he had made an exception for going to school, not wanting to be any more special than he already was.

"Tom. First year?'' said Tom.

''Yes. I don't know much about the wizarding world other than what I've been told or what I've read." Seth said.

"Are your parents muggles?" Tom asked.

This question took him by surprise, not having thought about what he was going to tell the other students about his origins. Since they were non-magical, might as well go with the word muggle.

''Um, yes. But we know wizards who have been in our family for a long time.'' Seth said.

Tom raised his eyebrows. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the complete truth either.

"It's not very common from what I could understand. Neither does your appearance from the looks other students have as they pass through the hallway.'' Tom said with a shake of his head.

Seth pursed his lips and shook his head.

"I imagine that the difference also exists between wizards. I am an albino. I don't have any pigmentation hence my somewhat special appearance.'' Lied Seth avoiding his gaze.

Tom gave a smile where Seth couldn't imagine what was funny.

"Where are you from then?" Tom asked.

"Ireland." Seth said confidently.

Tom said nothing and took a book out of his bag. Seth took this gesture as concluding the conversation and he did the same. During the long hours of travel, Seth read his transfiguration book and thought it would be his most useful book for his first year considering the charm on his eyes and ears. Growing up, he had managed to control his hearing, so he didn't need to wear his blindfold anymore, so there was that. He also pulled out a wizard's robe from his trunk and simply put it over his current clothes, thereby hiding his small bag with an infinite bottom. There were also hidden vials filled with servants' blood with preservation charms to keep it fresh.

Indeed, after obtaining his wand and practicing spells with Flamel, Seth was overcome with extreme weakness. His eyes had turned black, and his teeth had elongated with an irresistible urge to drink blood. Nicholas had quickly concluded that the use of his magic had triggered his vampire side. A servant had been dispatched to his side where he drank, for the first time, blood.

And fortunately.

They did more tests with magic and assessed his blood requirements and concluded that he could drink blood before doing magic. They were all relieved that he could still eat food too.

Seth looked at Tom, who was already wearing his wizard's robes from the start.

When they reached their destination, a few teachers, or servants, Seth couldn't figure out, showed them the way. They had to take the boats to cross the lake and others could take horse-drawn carriages with horse-like creatures. Seth wondered why some students had to take boats and others didn't. Seth grumbled; he hated water.

The castle was magnificent and even bigger than his. Seth tried to calm himself as he saw the overloaded magic everywhere. When they arrived, a teacher led them to the entrance hall and then they went to the dining room. Beautiful candles floated all around the tables. The headmaster stood up and greeted the new students. After a short speech, the students had to put a hat on their heads that chose a house for them. Each time the Sorting Hat called out a house, the designated house students clapped loudly. His new friend was called, and the Sorting Hat sent him to Slytherin. The name of Seth was almost spoken last.

"SETH VULKEN." said Director Dippet.

A few whispers were heard among the Slytherin table. Seth's ears quivered. He had heard the word vampire coming from an older student. He had forgotten that his last name might be known to a few people, and he would have to find a lie soon enough because he had a feeling he would be questioned about it. He sat down on the chair and the director put the hat on his head.

"No...it can't be." The Sorting Hat said in Seth's mind. "It must be a mistake, although that is not my goal here, I see only one house for you. I hear your screams, you can calm down, I'm bound by the laws of the school, and I can't tell anyone… SLYTHERIN!'' finished the Sorting Hat.

The Slytherin table clapped, and Seth made a funny face before joining the green team where he sat down next to Tom.

"Let's eat!" Dippet declared after the last student also went to Slytherin's house, and wonderful dishes from all over the world appeared on all the tables.

Seth looked at the food in front of him and took fried chicken and mashed potatoes, his favorite dish. An older student nudged his friend next to him.

"I'm telling you, it's just a name, you know? He eats food, come on. Hey! Vulken! Where are you from?' asked the boy.

He was tall, had blond hair and had aristocratic features. He very likely came from a very wealthy family, working in the ministry to suspect a name like his. Seth put down his fork and looked around. The students around him watched him intently. Seth couldn't help but blush at the attention. He knew that only Ministry officials knew about vampires and their true whereabouts. He decided not to lie, but not to tell the truth.

"On an island next to Ireland." Seth replied simply.

Some girls stopped talking and looked at the new student with a laugh. Seth blushed even more: had he said something wrong? The blond frowned.

"You don't have an Irish accent, anyway, welcome to Hogwarts and Slytherin. My name is Malfoy, Abraxas Malfoy, but I'm a second year and willing to show you around, so if you need any help, ask me.'' The blond said.

"Abraxas, stop taking yourself for a prefect." Said a blonde who looked suspiciously like him.

She looked haughty despite her beauty and Seth thought they were probably related.

"Prefect?" Seth asked.

The girl's gray eyes came to him, sizing him up.

"How can you not know what a prefect is? Your parents never told you about Hogwarts? Even if you're half-blood, there are limits to not knowing anything about the wizarding world.'' Said the girl.

Seth gulped. Nicholas hadn't told him about all the little details.

"Slytherin would never accept Mudbloods, so what, it was one of your parents who preferred not to tell you?" Abraxas asked.

Half-Blood, Mudblood. Other words he didn't know. This blood story seemed important. He was aware of humans causing such futile wars as a matter of racism and again he wondered if wizards had their own futile racism among themselves. He knew his own status above humans by being a vampire and even more so by being a future king. The fact that he was also a wizard made him more remarkable, although he remained humble about his experience, which he intended to change here. If a single Slytherin believed him to be so inferior due to his origins, he would make them see that wizarding blood didn't matter. You are a wizard, or you are not.

''That's it. My mom never told my dad, but she suspected I was a wizard and told me stories before I went to sleep.'' Seth said mischievously. "And you, your mother still tells you stories before bedtime?" He added, looking at each one in turn and putting a mouthful of potato in his mouth.

A few mocking laughs were heard. Seth had asked, scoffing back, since he suspected those haughty families probably hadn't known what it was like to have parents who showed love, and he suddenly felt sorry for them.

"You've got guts, Vulken. A real Slytherin. My name is Aimee Malfoy and I'm the Head Girl. I'll show you the dorms after dinner.'' Aimee said.

They went back to eat and discussed their summer, changing the conversation. Tom had not said a word, preferring to listen and analyze the others. He had already learned a lot in such a short time, all thanks to Seth. He had seen that he had lied, either to himself or to others, about his origins. He was determined to know his own origins and he would do so the very next day.

OoOoO

His first Transfiguration class was with the Gryffindors, and the teacher was Albus Dumbledore. Flamel had told Seth about Dumbledore, how he could be the first to know what he was if he wasn't careful, being one of the most powerful wizards of all time. Seth respected that and focused on the first task asked of them: Turning a rat into a cup. Seth looked at the book and re-read the instructions. He had been careful to take blood in the morning in preparation for his day. He stroked the rat, whispering soothing words to it. The rat squealed happily. He pointed his wand at the rat and spoke the required transfiguration spell. The rat instantly transformed into a metallic wine cup. Dumbledore's eyes beamed with joy.

"A natural! 10 points for Slytherin.'' said the professor.

Tom was next to Seth. After Seth's success, he also tried and succeeded, earning him 10 extra points for his house and praise from the Slytherins.

"Great!" Seth said to Tom, who smirked.

"Sir, what's the counter spell?" Tom asked.

"Finite Incantatem. This general spell is actually used to end most spells." Dumbledore explained.

The students practiced the rest of the lesson and Seth had fun doing it and undoing it several times before getting bored and continuing to read his book. Several students had managed to transfigure their rat into a mug, but the fur and tail were still there.

OoOoO

Seth excelled in all of his classes except Potions. Although he followed the recipes as described in his book, he couldn't figure out the intricacies. However, he knew every answer to every question asked and only got O's on his exams. He had developed a certain friendship with Tom, Corban Yaxley and Ronan Nott. Tom always disappeared into the library or explored the castle in his spare time. Seth had done the same, but mostly at night since he only needed about three hours of sleep. He discovered a knack for blending into the shadows and was never noticed, even walking around professors in the middle of the night.

He loved this ability and went out a lot, spending time in the Forbidden Forest with all the unique creatures there. He had an affinity with the Thestrals, perhaps because of his wand core or because he himself was... half dead. While walking through the forest, he had seen centaurs, moving trees, and even unicorns. In the forest, Seth was free. He sometimes ran as fast as he could, feeling grass and dirt under his bare feet. He had followed several magical trails that usually lead to centaurs or a family of unicorns. He didn't talk to centaurs, since he didn't know how they would react to a vampire. But he approached the unicorns and gently stroked their white fur. When he touched them, he could feel their auras and he knew why wandmakers used their tail hair for wand cores. The place was so beautiful with a small lake that seemed to sparkle.

The snow slowly made its way over the castle. The first Christmas at school was coming soon. Seth had returned to his family with apprehension. When he exited the train, he spotted Flamel and Apparated with him. When they arrived in the castle's living room, he removed the charms from his eyes and ears. So good to be home! He was welcomed by his parents and servants.

"We are very happy to see you son, we hope you enjoyed your time at school." Said his mother.

Seth nodded and started talking about everything he had learned, everything he had seen, the forest, his friends, the teachers, and the secrets of the castle… like a real kid. No one would think he was twenty-two.

In the grand ballroom they had erected a giant Christmas tree and hundreds of presents could be seen under it. The view was amazing. A beautiful star at the top of the tree lit up the entire room and cast thousands of little stars onto the walls and floor. Each year, Flamel made this party the most marvelous of all. He wished for a second that his new friends could see this one day, maybe even Tom.

OoOoO

December 25, 1937

On Christmas Day, it was customary for Seth to give the presents to everyone, and each servant also had a present. He would say the name on the gift and give it to the person concerned. He smiled when it was Kathleen's turn. When she opened the present, she pulled out a dark green scarf with the Slytherin crest on it.

"I made it Kathleen! Just for you, and guess what ? I put a heat charm in the fabric too! You'll never be cold with this outside again!'' the prince said enthusiastically.

Kathleen beamed with joy and thanked the prince. Seth was still waiting for the servants to leave for the night to open his own presents, as they were either private or too powerful to show. The king and queen stayed with Seth, Flamel and Kathleen. They were sitting on large sofa near the 3 fireplace. The place had darkened for the night, the Christmas tree was casting little stars around the room as if they were outside. Seth opened his first present from his parents. It was a small crimson box with dark green ribbons. Inside was an orb with the Vulken crest engraved on it. The orb was crystal clear but inside it seemed to be a swirling dark purple cloud. He picked it up with his right hand, feeling the immense ancient magic emanating from it and looked at his parents, puzzled.

The king leaned forward and pointed at the orb.

"This, my son, is the most important gift our family is giving you now. There is an old charm in it. You will have to break the orb on a part of your body for it to activate. Once broken, it will leave a mark on your skin." The king stood up and continued. "If you ever feel in danger, in real danger, that your life could be at stake, you can invoke this enchantment, while pressing your mark and saying these words: Momentum Terrary Prataga Systral! Which simply means: Right now, protect your carrier.'' Nathaniel said.

"What if I receive a death spell? Will it be activated anyway?'' asked Seth.

"According to what I read, yes, but the rest of the text was in another language that I don't know and couldn't translate." Said the king.

"Do you still have that text?" Seth said.

''No. I borrowed it from some goblins who didn't want to part with it so easily.'' Nathaniel said nodding his head.

"Too bad." Seth said.

Seth stood up and took off his shirt. He looked at the orb and took it in his left hand. He took a deep breath and smashed it violently on his right shoulder. He gasped at the sharp pain that occurred instantly. Flamel stood up, worried, but was stopped with the King's hand towards him. The queen had also risen. Kathleen screamed in fear and hid her eyes behind a cushion.

The orb had shattered into a thousand pieces and the purple cloud had slowly worked its way through Seth's skin, rather painfully, and making lines on his shoulder. Seth screamed in pain, clutching his shoulder with his left hand, and fell to his knees. He concentrated on his breathing, allowing the protective charm to work its way through his body. When the burning stopped, he found himself with a strange dark purple tattoo in the shape of a 6-pointed star on his right shoulder. He wiped the tears that had fallen from his cheeks and put on his favorite white shirt, with brown leather laces on the sleeves.

"So, it's done." Said the King, satisfied.

Flamel and the Queen slowly sat back on their couch, amazed. A few minutes passed in silence, where Kathleen had removed the pillow from her face and was staring at Seth. The fire crackled silently in the room. Flamel then took the two small gifts he had for the prince and gave them to him.

"Merry Christmas, my prince." Flamel said. "The first present is from my wife..." continued the alchemist as Seth opened the box and found a time turner inside.

"A time turner?" Seth asked.

He immediately thought of all the extra time he could spend in the forest and exploring the castle.

"That's an amazing present, Nicholas, I'll go thank your wife ASAP!" Seth said and Flamel nodded as Seth began to open his other present.

Flamel suddenly felt uneasy, thinking he should have asked the king and queen before giving Seth…the present being opened. He looked nervously at Elena and Nathaniel.

Seth opened Flamel's green box. Inside was a golden vial with, again, the Vulken crest on it. Seth took the flask and looked at Flamel, then at his parents who were curious about the contents. The prince removed the cork and smelled the liquid inside. His eyes instantly went black and as if he couldn't resist, he drank the entire contents. Flamel's blood ran down his throat and just like the alcohol, a delicious burn reached his stomach and the heat spread through his body so quickly which made him dizzy. He took his wand without thinking and started casting spells on the tree decorations.

Nathaniel got up and slapped Flamel hard across the face. The king was furious, how much an experienced wizard had even dared to give sorcerer's blood to his son. He had feared the repercussions if a vampire touched wizarding blood and keeping the peace, as if that weren't hard enough. He looked at his son, who was laughing and casting spell after spell on the Christmas tree. All the decorative balls were now suspended in the air all around the tree and seemed to dance with Seth's wand. The day had come, although perhaps necessary, for it seemed that wizard's blood was the only thing capable of sustaining the prince's magic without him having to drink it constantly.

"Wizard's blood...a real treat." Seth muttered, closing his eyes for a moment.

He replaced the Christmas balls on the tree and looked at Flamel. He suddenly wanted to bite him and drain his blood. His desire changed when he saw the red on his face and looked at his father angrily. He closed his eyes again and concentrated on his breathing, calming him down. He sat back down on the couch. He helped him getting back on the couch.

"That was an amazing gift, Flamel, because it looks like you found the solution to my problem but may have created another one." Seth said as he didn't have access to wizard blood. "But, for now, muggle blood is enough. Above all, I must not lose control with the others at school.

"Maybe not, son." Elena said taking a more serious tone. "Something happened while you were gone. Vampires have attacked a major city in America." She added looking sadly at her husband.

Seth was suddenly worried.

"We tried to stop them, but it was too late. We communicated with the leaders there…Aurors went there too and made threats against us. All vampires were captured and killed one by one. Twenty-six of them. The rulers are now afraid that we will be wiped out.'' Said the king.

"Why did the attack happen? We are already so few and lost that many?" Seth asked.

"Vampire slayers. It seems that our comrades have been discovered and since many humans are afraid of us, they managed to contact killers and one of them managed to kill vampires, so they took revenge and attacked the city . Los Angeles, if I'm not mistaken. We had good contacts there." Nathaniel explained. "So, the leaders met with the Ministry of Magic and asked us to be there. They…passed a law." Continued the king showed a letter of it to his son, who read it quickly and each sentence made him look sicker and sicker.

He abruptly got up from the couch after he finished.

"NO!" Seth shouted.

The letter mentioned that from now on, all vampires and their servants, except for royalty, and newly-spawned ones must be identified by a magical tattoo on their left hand. An image of three twisting red drops showed the new tattoo. He hadn't noticed the vampires coming from other countries for Christmas, but he just remembered seeing the sign on all their hands!

"They treat us like muggles! There are hundreds of us who could become Zeliths, these blood-rabid vampires, all over the planet, and our race that is completely extinguished because we are not even recognized as a species but as dark creatures who do not deserve anything! '' exclaimed Seth. The ground began to shake. "We could bring so much to this world. Like wizards do!'' added Seth, a tear rolling down his cheek.

Her mother hugged her tightly.

"Don't let them get to you, we know you were born for something special, son." Elena said.

Seth let out a frustrated sigh.

"I could do so much more, but my body is so small, and my mind isn't," Seth said.

He looked at Flamel then at his empty vial on his seat.

"Wizard's blood..." Seth stated.

It made sense, after all. The king looked at his queen, who nodded. He looked at Kathleen who had actually fallen asleep on the couch in an odd position. She woke up startled at the king's call.

"Kathleen! Get the guest for the prince.'' Nathaniel ordered.

Kathleen nodded and left. Seth approached the window and looked outside. The snow, soft and light, was falling slowly. He could hear animal noises as if he was right next to them. Elena and Nathaniel went beside their son to admire the beauty of the night. A muffled cry was heard in the corridors. A chain seemed to be dragged across the floor. His parents now had black eyes and were breathing heavily. They seemed to have a hard time controlling themselves. Seth grew curious and waited.

The ballroom doors swung open to reveal Kathleen and a vampire holding a fat, chained, and blindfolded man. He had also been gagged. They dragged him across the room and threw him in front of the prince. The king and the queen growled.

"That thing, son, is one of the wizards who told us about the recent law." Nathaniel spat. "We have agreements with wizards, but he is not one of them. As he is an American, he will pass unnoticed by the British Ministry.

"So now he's all yours." Said the queen.

The choking man tried to speak but couldn't. Seth nodded and grabbed the chain attached to the man's arms. Although not as tall as an adult, he had his father's strength and easily dragged the man into a room next to his bedroom. The room looked like a dungeon, and he hung the chain in the air so the wizard could sit with his arms in the air.

Seth removed the blindfold and the rag that was in his mouth.

''A child! It must be a nightmare! It's impossible! I'll wake up anytime for sure! The vampire child does not exist, it is in your laws and (…)" Seth slapped the ugly man hard in the face to stop him from talking.

"Shut up!" Seth yelled.

The man stopped talking and looked at the kid in front of him. Silver-white hair, icy, piercing blue eyes, pointy ears, white shirt and black pants, bare feet.

"What the fuck are you?" the fat man asked.

He slapped him again.

"I am Seth, the vampire heir, the one who will free our species." Seth said.

The fat man laughed. The prince growled and took a small dagger from the wall and cut a line on the man's left cheek. The unpleasant smell of the man was replaced by the sweetness of the blood that ran from his cheek.

''UGH! Do not touch me ! Evil spawn!'' Spat the man.

Seth picked up his new vial and quickly caught the blood dripping from his face before the man kicked him and stepped back. He smelled blood from the vial and his eyes turned black. He drank the little drops and was glad it had the same effect, only smaller, than when he drank Flamel's blood. Only a few drops in the morning should be enough before class, no one will know. A childish laugh passed Seth's lips and the fat man recoiled in sudden fear.

"What's so funny?" asked the fat man.

He continued to mumble to himself. Seth heard the words: my wand, pain, and stupid creatures.

"You think if you had your wand, you'd hurt me?" Seth asked.

His prisoner looked up.

"Yeah, I would! You don't deserve to live! How many centuries have you lived in the body of a child? This is revolting!'' Spat the man.

"You're right, we would never turn a child into a vampire, it's disgusting. I'm actually 22 and I was born, not created.'' Seth said.

"LIAR!" the man said furiously.

The prisoner stared intently at Seth.

''CRUCIO!'' Said the wizard eagerly.

Seth backed up slightly and for a split second he thought he had felt something, but he suspected that doing wandless magic was a matter of power and this man clearly couldn't do it.

''What was that? Have you tried doing wandless magic? How pitiful!" Seth said as he went to get his wand from his room.

He came back into the cell, wand in hand and pointed at the man. True fear now flashed in the fat man's eyes. But before he said anything, he cut the man's left wrist with his dagger and held his hand so he wouldn't move and caught the blood with his vial. Seth backed up and pointed his wand at the man again, taking a sip from his vial.

"So, you tried an unforgivable on me, didn't you? Let's try this on you, yes?" Seth said grimly. "I had never tried the Unforgivables before… let's see if I remember what I read about them. I have to want it… want your pain… do I?" Seth tilted his head to the side and licked his lips.

The man didn't believe it. He shook his head in denial and thought he was most definitely living a nightmare. Silently he heard the curse lift from Seth's lips and knew only the pain, the fire in every bone and it seemed to last forever. His eyes rolled back at the pain that was spreading through his body.

Seth's heartbeat quickened at the dark magic he performed. The feeling was incredible. A pleasant warmth spread through his body. The man's horrific screams echoed in his ears and an evil smile went on Seth's face. He stopped the spell before he got lost in the sensations.

He wanted to do it again… and the opportunity would come soon enough. He left the cell, a vial full of blood in his hand.