"Thought will not overcome fear, but action will."

The Purpose, Rewritten, Chapter 5 The Boggart

December 23, 1939, 6:21 a.m.

Tom tried several times to get Seth to talk on the way home, but Seth remained silent.

"He spoke to Grindelwald. He knows I'm a vampire. Yet he hasn't acted any different since I've been up.'' Thought Seth.

Seth ruminated in his thoughts wondering what Tom and Gellert might have said to each other and for how long. Then, he remembered the inquisitive look that Tom had given him and his subtle questions, just like about the book among others.

"Seth!" Tom shouted.

Seth felt a pinch on his arm and let out a cry. Tom had pinched him. The horse stopped walking.

"You spoke with Grindelwald." Seth said.

''So what ? Do you really think I would have ever guessed that you were really a vampire? Granted, the fact that you still eat like me baffles me, but you have uncommon skills that simply couldn't be ignored.'' Tom mentioned.

Seth tightened his heels and the horse started to trot.

"I am not like the others, Tom. On the other hand,… I'm relieved you know. As long as the Ministry never finds out, since I dare not think of the repercussions this might have…'' began Seth. ''Can you…''

"Yes, your secret will be kept, provided you tell me everything." Tom demanded.

Seth chuckled and galloped his horse back to the stable. Back at the castle, Seth showed the hall of mirrors that was used as a training room. All the walls were covered with mirrors and the floor with thin blue mattresses.

"This room was designed to magically sort itself out when we go out." Seth explained.

''Who performed all the magic that is on your island?'' asked Tom.

"Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel. They are alchemists who invented the philosopher's stone six hundred years ago. They have been in our family for one hundred and fifty years and have changed our lives, especially with our servants and the protection of our island.'' Seth said.

"The Philosopher's Stone? What is it?'' asked Tom, interested.

"A stone that transforms all metals into gold and makes it possible to produce the elixir of long life. However, they are addicted to this elixir and if they stop making it, they will die." Seth said.

Tom grimaced at this explanation and walked towards the middle of the room.

"They can't detect if I'm doing magic, is that what you said?" Tom said.

''That's right. Anyway, we've got someone in the ministry who…' began Seth before thinking that Vincent and Brian had both been branded on their hands and he didn't know how badly it had affected their jobs.

"What?" asked Tom.

Seth sighed in frustration.

"Tom..." Seth said before hearing a noise that sounded like it was coming from the living room. "I think my parents came back.

Her parents had arrived in the living room Apparating with Flamel and Perenelle. A pop sound rang out and was heard by Seth. As he climbed the stairs, he could hear Flamel rapidly uttering numerous cleaning and repairing spells. They entered the living room while servants were already busy giving blood to the sovereigns.

Seth blocked Tom's path, putting his arm out in front of him. He felt Tom's heart beating rapidly at the sight of his parents. Nathaniel looked up, as he fed, and saw Tom. He let go of the servant, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and approached him, sizing him up with his eyes. Seth hadn't had his transfiguration charms since they came back, and his father had noticed.

"Ho golodh." Said Nathaniel in Venthyr, narrowing his eyes.

Seth heard Tom grit his teeth since he couldn't understand.

''Yes. He's my friend. The one I told you about." Seth said.

His father had a certain prestige and an intimidating presence to anyone who didn't know him, and while Seth knew Tom wasn't easily impressed, he knew he was nervous, even bordering on fear.

"The heir to Slytherin, hm?" Nathaniel said.

Tom looked briefly at Seth, knowing now that he knew he was the heir, but had never discussed it with him. Seth smirked.

"Just like us, aren't we, father?" Seth hissed in parseltongue.

Although his father could understand some words, he could not speak it, read it, or write it. Nathaniel smiled back at Tom's stunned expression.

''If you'll excuse us, we need to talk to our son.'' Elena said behind the king.

The servants bowed and Nicholas asked Tom to follow him while Seth joined his parents in the ballroom where the usual giant Christmas tree was. When they were alone, Seth hugged his parents before sitting down on the sofa.

"Merry Christmas son. I hope you are enjoying being at school with your new…friends.'' Said the King.

"Yes, thank you for your presence and the prisoner, it was very helpful and resourceful." Seth said, speaking of Grindelwald.

"We have serious questions to discuss about what we have done and still need to do. We weren't sure we'd be here today.'' Nathaniel sighed who didn't seem to know where to start. "We spent most of the time in Russia, specifically in Moscow. The aurors showed us the horrors out there, I'm not saying they're right, but they had to work day and night with oblivion charms and in fact… help us kill hundreds of Zeliths. The aurors were out of control in the frenzy and couldn't even be reasoned with when the situation called for it. They refused to listen to us until Nicholas intervened! It was like… a war! The vampires who weren't Zeliths, either controlled the bars or the underground brothels or the banks and these... these wizards marked them like all the others...'' Said the king.

His mother continued while Nathaniel began to pace around the room.

"Wizards didn't care about our businesses, only the uncontrollable. (…) You should have seen them, those aurors, every time they killed one of us, the look on their faces.'' Elena said looking down. "We went to a city in Mexico, Veracruz. The culture was very different there, but we had to do pretty much the same thing there. The few leaders of our nation quickly recognized us and begged us to help them, which we did.'' Elena continued with a sigh.

"Seth, this war we are fighting is even bigger than we thought and seems to bring us the worst. We had to sire a few and install new laws and regimes before we moved to another city. You have probably heard Flamel cast several spells on us, even this morning we were still fighting. Flamel has been the most precious friend with us, even with Perenelle, and it is perhaps because of them that we are still before you, not only because of their magic, but for having prevented us from committing the irreparable.'' Nathaniel said stopping to pace.

"And not just once… His stone gives him eternal life and I'm sure he would never have wanted to see or do all the horrors he's done in the last year!'' Said the queen.

A knock was heard at the door.

"Enter." Said the King.

Flamel opened the door and put on a serious face.

"My liege, we must go." Flamel said, Perenelle behind him and Seth suddenly stood up.

"When… when will I see you again?" Seth asked.

His parents gave him a sorry look.

"Soon, we hope." Elena said before leaving the ballroom.

Seth turned his gaze to the Christmas tree, and he heard Apparition sounds, indicating that his parents were gone again. Seth now wished he could control time, not just with his time turner. He had used it so much he was maybe only a year or two older and that might have contributed to his height and more mature appearance, hence the comments from girls and boys that he had received. No, he would have liked to grow up faster to be able to accompany his parents.

He sighed and returned to the dining room where Nicholas had brought Tom. He was chatting with Kathleen who had offered Tom his lunch. She was laughing and seemed to be having a good time. Tom looked at Seth who was sitting next to him.

"My parents are gone." Seth said.

"I'm sorry, Seth." Kathleen replied, then excused herself and left the room, leaving Tom and Seth alone.

There was a moment of silence and Tom finished his lunch.

"How could you be a descendant of Slytherin?" Tom asked.

"Salazar had a brother named Shilo. To make a long story short, her child was a non-magical, or a squib as wizards like to call them. I believe that Shilo disowned him and sent him to our island since he knew Emrick, who was a real bully by the way. From this squib son he had another, then another, until my father was born more than 500 years ago. Of course, my birth is…magical since vampires don't have heartbeats." Seth explained.

Tom's eyes widened and he stood up.

"Your birth? You want to tell me that they are your real parents? You were not adopted by them? And I believed that you looked so young because you couldn't… that you couldn't grow old!" Tom said. "That you... you were a wizard they had deprived of..."

Seth understood that Tom thought he would remain a child forever.

''No. No vampire has the right to do that for this very reason. You can be sure my parents would never leave a vampire alive if that happened." Seth said.

Tom remained silent and sat back down.

"But you're not…" Tom asked.

''Dead ? No. I do have a beating heart and I eat like you. Blood…blood is only needed to do magic without…sapping my energy. We found out just before I started school, when I was trying to do magic with my new wand. Since then,…I've been taking it at night, out of sight, to be able to attend classes.'' Seth said.

Another silence where Tom thought for several minutes. Meanwhile, he asked a servant to serve him lunch. It wasn't until he took his first bite of scrambled eggs that Tom spoke again.

''Do you like it?'' asked Tom.

Something told him that Tom wasn't talking about the piece of egg and Seth laughed.

''Of course, yes. Although for you, blood must taste like metal, it's a whole different story for vampires. Plus, every person is different, and we all have preferences." Seth says.

Tom tilted his head to the left, as he always did in thought.

"When were you born?" Tom asked.

Seth took another bite, wondering if he should answer that question. After twirling his tongue several times, he tells himself that he would rather have a friend who knows everything about him.

"July 31, 1915." Seth said.

Only Tom's face betrayed his surprise.

"Do you have an explanation why you would have received your letter at 22?" Tom asked.

''Yes. We think my magic would grow twice as slow as normal, as well as my body, hence the explanation that you thought I wasn't growing, or barely growing.'' Seth said.

"No wonder you never acted like any of those insufferable midgets at school." Tom scoffed.

"Hey, they're not all like that." Seth said indignantly.

A smile appeared in the corner of Tom's mouth, and he turned his empty glass on the table between his fingers.

"Yaxley would do anything for you. Nott is equivalent to a Troll and if I wasn't there to help him, he would have stayed in first year. Orion admires you from afar, but if you asked him anything, he would do it without hesitation, especially since you are a Seeker. Malfoy…'' Tom said mockingly.

"Okay, okay! That doesn't make them fools though." Seth said.

"You'll tell me so much." Tom answered, raising his eyebrows.

The servants cleared the plates while others began to play piano and violin in a corner.

"Is it serious?" Tom asked looking at the musicians in bewilderment.

Seth chuckled.

"It's been like this for decades. My dad loves it, and the servants like to make music too, so…you want me to tell them to stop?'" Seth asked.

"No." replied Tom, frowning.

They continued to chat and that's when Seth learned all about Tom's past, although he was hesitant to talk about it, but he also learned that he was only going to be 13 on December 31st. At that age, Seth remembered the many times Steven and Lazarus had brought him back in front of his father because he was the spoilsport. Like standing on a cargo container, watching the workers, and scaring them or galloping off through the night, falling and breaking his arm, only to be found an hour later. Although Flamel fixed his arm in seconds, he had never seen his father so angry, reflecting his concern as a parent.

Tom had made a name for himself as a bully at the orphanage by uttering threats and hurting others without anyone knowing it was him. He told of the time he was finally able to talk to someone else without hiding, and it was to a snake. Only, one of the children of the orphanage had killed his snake and therefore, in return, Tom had killed his rabbit.

They talked so long that their lunch was brought without them asking. In the afternoon, after Seth had ingested a vial of Gellert's blood, they went to the mirror room and had fun doing endless duels. Sometimes they took breaks to discuss certain spells and started again with their newfound knowledge. After dinner, they spent the rest of the time in the library.

The next few days weren't much different except, for Christmas Day, when Seth gave Tom access to the Vampire Book, where Tom had proof of his similar heritage from Seth.

"What does Ho golodh mean?" Tom asked.

"He knows." Seth replied.

"Of course." Tom replied. "I want to learn this language." He added dryly.

Seth arched an eyebrow at the request, since it wasn't a request: it was an order. It didn't matter anyway, since it gave him something else to show him and he loved it, knowing something Tom didn't.

They celebrated Christmas with the servants and the few vampires present. Seth saw Darthael, whom he hadn't seen since last Christmas, having several glasses of wine. The mark of the ministry almost shone on his hand.

"Darty, are you trying to get drunk? Yet, over time, you already know it's never going to work." Seth said.

Darthael was one hundred and thirty-eight years old, with long, wavy brown hair and a tanned complexion, having been born in Egypt in 1801. His ears had lengthened over time and his skin was devoid of any wrinkles or blemishes, showing the magic that had been working on him for a long time. Few knew it, but the whiteness of the hair and the perfection of a vampire's body only manifested with the years they wore, a gift of their origins, or of being able to endure a long life.

Darthael licked his lips before setting his empty glass on the buffet table, since all the servants had the right to celebrate too.

''It is still a hope that I have, my prince. Alas, I am disappointed once again. I'm looking for that old drunkenness that was so... human.'' Darthael said sweetly.

Seth chuckled.

"You sound like Lazarus." Seth sneered.

"He's right." Lazarus said behind them. "It's absurd, really." He added, outraged.

"I managed to imitate him this time, do you think?" Darthael said with a smirk.

Seth laughed harder. Lazarus was going to be four hundred and one years old on January 1, but still wore old fashion clothing and even carried a cane. His hair had changed to the silver color known from vampire longevity. Lazarus was very fond of all things royalty and would have been the next king had Seth not been born. His manners, his cleverness and wisdom would have earned him this right, but he had accepted, without even blinking, that he would give up his place for Seth, albeit he had asked to be his guardian.

"I would have bet it." Seth said.

OoOoO

January 24, 1940

Going back to class, Seth felt much lighter, until it was time to face the boggarts. He had to think quickly about the fears he had, although one of them wasn't certain, the other was sure: the fear of becoming a Zelith. How could he make a Zelith less scary, or even funny, as the professor explained to neutralize these creatures. He stood completely at the back of the line hoping that class would end before it was his turn.

"Hey, Vulken! Sounds like you're afraid everyone knows what you're afraid of, huh? Ahahaha." Laughed Weasley and the other Gryffindors followed the laughter.

''We'll see yours too, asshole.'' Orion replied.

Seth gritted his teeth. He thought of anything he might find funny. Imagine himself bald? Being in a girl's dress? He heard the laughter, the screams of surprise and the many 'Riddikulus!' He briefly saw a dead body with some kind of shadow when it was Tom's turn. He was afraid of…death? When Tom cast the spell, the shadow turned to light and the body stood up with a smile and blood-red eyes. Although few people found it funny, a real smile appeared on Tom's face before he turned to Seth and cocked his head to the left side.

"I'm afraid... it's your turn." Tom said.

Seth swallowed and looked apprehensively at the other students. Tom placed his hand on his shoulder before walking over to Nott. The Boggart turned his attention to Seth and began to change. Seth's heart pounded in his temples as he pointed his wand at the creature. Chains appeared on the boggart's wrists, attaching themselves to the ground and he changed his appearance to that of Seth, but his eyes were black, blood was pouring from his mouth and his white clothes were covered in blood. It bared its teeth and made guttural grunts as it strained against the chains. Black veins covered his pale face. Although Seth had never seen a Zelith, his parents had described it many times and he couldn't help but feel pity for those vampires who could not be saved once deprived of blood for so long.

The hand that held his wand began to shake.

"Damn Seth, what the hell is that?" Corban asked.

Among the many whispers and gasps of dread, Tom's voice whispered to him in Parseltongue that only he heard.

"You are not a Zelith, Seth, and you never will be. You will always be by my side."

It was enough to pull him out of his torpor.

"RIDDIKULUS!" Seth shouted.

The Boggart received the spell in the face, and he changed into a rag doll, bald, and with a pink dress. The others laughed their heads off, but Seth shook his head, biting his tongue knowing he couldn't keep the others from seeing his fear. The Professor seemed concerned by what he had seen and put the Boggart back in the trunk it had first come out of. He concluded the lesson, but asked Seth to stay for a moment. When the students left the room, Professor Merrythought pointed to the chest.

"Can you explain to me what we saw, Mr. Vulken?" she asked.

Seth sighed and looked down.

''It's...it's called a Zelith, ma'am. A vampire, who has been bloodless for too long, becomes a being unable to think or act, seeking only to attack anyone in the vicinity." Seth explained.

"Okay…a creature like any other then. Why was it you?'' said Merrythought.

Seth winced at what she had just said before pulling himself together.

"Because it is a fear like any other. Can I leave?'' Seth retorted in a less respectful tone.

The professor nodded and Seth picked up his bag before leaving. Tom had waited for him in the hallway.

"She wanted to know what it was." Seth explained before stopping walking and putting a hand on Tom's arm who looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Thank you, Tom. I heard you." Seth added.

Tom smirked before continuing on his way to the next class.

OoOoO

March 23, 1940

''Forget what I told you, Vulken. Catch that fucking snitch as soon as you can!" yelled Flint, the captain of his team.

The pouring rain made communication difficult, and the late winter cold did nothing to help soaked and shivering players. The players took off on their broomsticks and took their places while Hooch hurriedly threw the quaffle, starting the fifth game of the year.

Seth found himself having difficulty seeing and hearing the snitch in rain like this. Thunder rumbled through the air and lightning lit up the sky, but they weren't the only things they lit up.

"What's going on, Vulken? Are you scared of the rain too?'' shouted the Gryffindor Seeker.

Seth hadn't moved yet, and the other seeker was just staring at him hoping he could catch the snitch before he did. A flash of lightning lit up the sky again after the first goal was awarded to the Lions, illuminating a pair of wings beside the opposing team's left goal. Now that he knew where it was, he cast his heightened hearing on the golden snitch, blocking out everything else around him. He swung his broom at full speed, accelerating as much as he could, having the Gryffindor Seeker behind him. A bludger streaked in his direction, and he swung back, narrowly avoiding it. The snitch flew away and disappeared into the flowerbeds of the ground. Seth followed it like his shadow. Another goal was awarded to the lions, but when the snitch decided to veer straight towards him, changing its direction abruptly, Seth raised his hand for a split second and caught it as it passed, once again securing victory for the Slytherins. He hurried to go in front of the commentator with the golden snitch in his hands so that the match gets called as soon as possible.

Their victory was announced, and Seth rushed into the prefects' private showers where he knew no one would bother him. When he returned to the Slytherin dormitory, he was once again greeted as a hero. He wrinkled his nose when he saw that several players hadn't changed. Tom later told him that Professor Slughorn had asked him for the fourth time to come to his Slug Club which Seth had repeatedly refused, but this time Tom wanted him to come with him.

"I don't want to talk about my life." Seth grumbled.

"He knows it, he still wants you to come." Tom said.

Seth groaned in response. When the evening came, Tom was the one to get the attention and Seth remained silent except to answer a few questions about vampires in general. He apologized when dessert was served and did not return.

Venthyr translation

''Ho golodh.''

''He knows.''