I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
A Taste of Magic
35th Course – Interesting Times
"I just realized something," Lavender said.
"What's that?" Harry asked.
"Animals seem to love you," Lavender smiled.
Harry looked down at Crookshanks sprawled over his lap. As per usual, Harry got to the common room before most after years of waking up early. Crookshanks, Hermione's new orange cat, had claimed Harry's lap after discovering that fact and more often than not, the others would see Harry sitting there reading or doing something quietly with Crookshanks snoozing on his lap or demanding some form of attention.
"Yeah I guess so," he said, petting the purring cat. "Most animals I've met seem to like me, thank goodness."
"Sunny and Crookshanks certainly do." Parvati sat down beside him. "Fang likes you too. He's always beside you during class if he isn't sleeping or helping Hagrid. Hedwig loves you obviously."
"Blinky likes me," Harry smiled.
"Who's that?" Lavender asked.
"The basilisk."
"The basilisk's name is Blinky?" Parvati asked, looking incredulous.
"Penny named her that and she likes it," Harry laughed. "Oh wait, I can think of an animal that doesn't like me. Scabbers, Ron's rat."
"Really? Rats are kinda icky to begin with so no loss there," Parvati said, making a face.
"I don't mind them but yeah, Scabbers doesn't like me. I mean, Ron and I weren't friends obviously for a while, but I've tried to offer something for him to eat and he surprisingly doesn't go for it. One time I found him running around and tried to catch him for Ron but he ran away really fast." Harry shrugged. "I met a stray over the summer, a stray dog, and it was nice too."
"Well that's only one animal out of what, five or six counting the stray?" Lavender grinned. "And let's not forget the snakes in the greenhouses."
"Professor Sprout is so happy they're there. She says the pests have been kept down and she feels better communicating through me."
"Oh how does Mrs. Norris treat you?" Parvati asked.
"Fine I suppose. I don't think she likes a lot of kids though to begin with."
"Well with Mr. Filch as her owner, that was bound to happen," Lavender snorted. "Or what if she's the one influencing him?!"
"Oooh, that's a fun theory," Parvati said. "Magical animals having influence over their owners."
"Not sure if it works for me. I love bacon but Hedwig is obsessed with it," Harry laughed.
"Sunny likes messing with Pansy, that's a Millie thing," Parvati mused.
"Do you like to read?" Lavender asked Crookshanks. He gave her a look and curled up into a ball and fell asleep.
Hermione came down and looked at the laughing trio with bemusement. "What's so funny?"
"We had a theory on if magical animals have an influence on their owners," Harry said, wiping tears of merriment from his eyes. "Crookshanks doesn't like to read apparently."
"He's a very lazy kitty," Hermione smiled. "Which I don't mind terrible, he's a wonderful lap cat. Even if he seems to abandon me for you more often than not. He's very clever though. I think he might be part kneazle too. That's what the woman at the Menagerie said."
Her expression changed when Ron, Dean, and Seamus walked by. She and Ron exchanged cool looks while she completely ignored Seamus.
"What's that about?" Parvati asked after the three boys left.
"Ron was accusing me of letting Crookshanks bother his rat. Said he found my cat chasing his rat around down here one day." Hermione shrugged. "I'd feel terrible if something did happen, but it's not like I actively set Crookshanks on Scabbers. I try to keep him in our room during the day but all pets wander about. Especially if Scabbers was down here."
"Cats and kneazles do chase rats, but that would be bad," Lavender agreed.
"Don't chase Scabbers," Harry said to Crookshanks. "I'll make you something tastier to eat. Scabbers is all thin and gristle, probably bad for you."
"Harry!" Hermione scolded while laughing.
Crookshanks had looked up at Harry with interest and tilted his head. After a moment he nodded and stuck out his paw. Grinning, Harry shook it and Crookshanks got up and stretched before leaping off daintily, curling around the legs of the girls before mincing off.
"Wow, you weren't kidding about him being clever," Harry said admiringly.
"Come on, we better go. Padma gets fussy about being punctual. Plus I'm so excited to visit Hogsmeade," Parvati said and she eagerly pushed the others out of the common room. The quartet made their way to the foyer of the castle and waved at Padma and Sue who were waiting for them.
"Pansy and Millicent are coming back," Sue said. "Millicent forgot some pocket money."
"Is Susan joining us later?" Hermione asked.
"No, she's going with Hannah and some others this time," Sue said. She and Padma looked at each other and started giggling.
"What's so funny?" Parvati asked, eyes bright and eager. "I know that giggling. That's 'I know something really funny and it shouldn't be but it is and I'm enjoying it'."
"That's accurate," Padma smiled. "It really shouldn't be funny but it kinda is. And, it has to do with Harry."
"What did I do?" Harry asked, eyes wide.
"Susan is spending more time with Hannah to make her feel better," Sue grinned. "Because Hannah has decided Harry's her nemesis."
"What?! Why?!" the Gryffindor girls and boy exclaimed.
"I've barely talked to her at all!" Harry added.
"Well, apparently, she learned those biscuits we've been eating as snacks and after meals from the school is your recipe, same with the muffins and hot chocolate," Padma laughed. "Oh and the butter chicken."
"Hey, that's your family recipe," Harry argued.
"Which you made here and that's how the kitchen House elves got it," Padma continued. "Anyways, she loves baking too and when Susan and others said how much they like it, she got jealous. Baking is her hobby at home."
"So now you're her rival and nemesis," Sue said and the girls all erupted into laughter once more.
"That's…but…I mean…that's not fair," Harry protested weakly.
"As far as nemesises, nemesi, both of those sound weird, as far as having a nemesis go," Hermione said through her laughter, "at least it's not a terrible reason!"
"Is she any good? I want to try it and see how it measures," Parvati said.
"Apparently that's another thing that Hannah's none too happy about, as in lack of opportunity," Sue snorted.
"She can join Household Charms then and have the same opportunity," Lavender snorted back.
"Well that's part of the reason Susan joined, to feel it out and Hannah's miffed that Susan enjoyed herself. Something about joining the 'enemy'," Sue said, causing even more laughter.
"Wait, who's the enemy?" Millicent and Pansy had arrived as the girls were laughing again and Harry looking miffed too, his arms crossed. "We have enemies?" Millicent asked. "I mean I know we do," she pointed at Pansy and herself, "but you lot do too?"
"Hannah considers Harry her nemesis apparently," Parvati snickered.
"What? Why?!" Pansy asked, eyes narrowed.
"What did you do to Abbott?" Millicent asked Harry.
"Nothing!"
"He cooks and bakes and she takes it personally," Sue smiled.
"I don't see her providing anything," Pansy said frostily. "How ridiculous." She gave Harry a serious look. "Call her out and crush her publicly, make her recant."
"Whoa, that's extreme," Padma gasped.
Pansy rolled her eyes at their looks of shock. "I meant in the same realm. She claims her cooking is better? Prove her wrong. Make her regret her words."
"Is that a Slytherin thing?" Hermione asked.
Millicent nodded. "And a Society thing. Honor duels and the like."
"'Leaving an enemy unchallenged courts disaster. Crush them utterly and remind them of their place'," Pansy said. "What, it's a Parkinson family saying and it's just good logic."
"I'm coming to you when I need help with enemies," Parvati said admiringly.
"Let's just go to Hogsmeade and forget about all of this," Harry said, face red.
The group of friends left the castle together, joining the queue to be let through the gates. Deciding against the carriages to enjoy the cool autumn weather, they made their way to Hogsmeade. Pansy and Millicent were the only ones who have visited before, when they were younger and have not started Hogwarts yet, and were happy to tell the others about some of the shops and places to see.
Harry loved the feeling of the village. It felt cozy and picturesque, with the clean buildings and fresh air. Coming from the school led them directly to Hogsmeade's Main Street, where the majority of the stores where located. Brightly colored signs dangled and danced in the breeze, the air lively with chatter from residents and visiting students. The residential homes and gardens were on the other side of the streets for the business, showing lovely lawns and beautiful gardens. The middle of Hogsmeade was a large square. A tall boulder sat in the middle and people sat around it, eating and visiting. Tables and benches dotted the area too and the village was busy with people and sound.
"We should go to Honeydukes first," Pansy said, pointing at the sweets shop. "They almost always stay busy and sometimes things run out as the day goes on."
As she said, the store was crowded with students buying large amounts of candy to last them until the next Hogsmeade visit day. Harry looked around happily, enjoying the scents wafting through the air and seeing the brightly colored packaging and descriptions. "Oh wow, what are those?"
"Pepper imps," Millicent said. "They make you smoke at the ears and you can breathe sparks if you get some super spicy ones. One time Pansy and I ate one during a dessert and we were saying the ice cream was too hot!"
"You will like these," Pansy said, pointing at a display. "Honeyed Fruit Combs. There are types of bees that put pieces of fruit into their honeycombs. The honey crystalizes the fruit and they taste wonderful."
"Not getting anything?" Lavender asked.
Hermione looked wistful. "My parents are dentists and always limited sugar and sweets. Not sure if they approve."
"What are dentists?" Millicent asked.
"Healers for your teeth," Padma explained.
"Just for teeth? Wild," Millicent said.
"We won't tell them if you don't," Parvati said airily, making Hermione snort but smile.
They left Honeydukes with a bag each and moved on to Scrivenshafts for writing accessories. They then spent some time in Bookington's Books and Things, with Hermione and Padma and Sue looking through things the most. Parvati and Lavender found a section they enjoyed and were perusing as well.
"You would think we read enough for school," Pansy said, shaking her head but her words carried no sting to them.
"Don't let her fool you," Millicent whispered to Harry. "Pansy reads for fun too."
"Millie…" Pansy growled.
"Her favorite thing are romance novels with the dumbest-OW!" Millicent howled when Pansy kicked her in the rear. "Hey! That hurt!" She chased a squealing Pansy out of the book store.
"What happened there?" Lavender asked, drawn by the noise.
"Apparently Pansy reads something she didn't want shared and took offense when Millicent told me," Harry smiled.
"Oooh, I'll have to find out later," Lavender grinned. "Did you find anything?"
"Not really. Nothing cooking related sadly but the owner said if he finds anything, he'll let me know. How about you?"
"I found a dream interpretation book I'm going to get for Divination. And look at this History of Magical Fashion book I found!"
Harry looked at the pages with interest. "I don't know anything about fashion, but those look really old."
"They are! Hilariously so! Some of it is nice and Parvati and I are going to see if we can modernize any of it."
They left the bookstore and found Pansy indignantly rubbing her backside and Millicent hobbling slightly. "I always knew you were a hardarse," Millicent grumbled. "I think I broke my foot kicking you!"
"You didn't break it and if you did you deserve it," Pansy retorted. "She tried to kick me again after kicking me once and kicked a wall! And she dented it, the poor stone!"
"Seriously, sisters," Parvati said with Padma agreeing.
They capped off their trip by stopping at the Three Broomsticks for a late lunch. The pub was filled with mostly Hogwarts students and Madam Rosmerta, the proprietress of the pub, carried drinks about and took orders while laughing and chatting with her guests and patrons.
Harry peeked through the kitchen window with interest, catching glimpses of the people cooking in the back. The food at the Broomsticks was hearty pub fare and a few House Elves were there as servers, bringing people their orders and taking dishes away.
"Maybe you can get an apprenticeship with Madam Rosmerta," Sue remarked, seeing how interested Harry was in everything.
"Oh, are those still a thing in the Wizarding World?" Hermione asked.
"For most professions, yes," Pansy said. "Some you have to do additional learning and classes beyond Hogwarts, like being a Healer obviously, but a lot of them do have a master or mistress and apprentice component to them. Some professions necessitate it and if those that do not study under one are seen as less accomplished at their craft."
She lowered her voice. "I'm sure you can find a more suitable study instead of a simple tavern."
"What's wrong with a tavern? We're eating here after all," Parvati asked.
"Nothing wrong with it per se," Pansy said. "But it lacks prestige. People look down on you if you do not have an impressive reference or worked with someone noteworthy."
"Even if the person that isn't noteworthy is still really good at what they do?" Padma asked. "That's a bit silly."
"That's how things go," Millicent said. "Who you know is almost more important than what you do sometimes."
"It's like that at home," Hermione said. "In some ways."
"Really?" Millicent and Pansy asked.
"Sure. Some people choose their dentists based on where they went to school sometimes and some schools are more prestigious than others. And that goes for other kinds of doctors and things too."
Their meals arrived, an array of shepherd's pie, fish and chips, and sandwiches. Harry ordered a fish and chips for himself and he chewed thoughtfully. "Mmm, tastes pretty good though. Not overcooked or too salty."
"You'll like this," Millicent said enthusiastically. "Butterbeer, it's delicious."
He did. The fizzy drink tasted sweet and was slightly chilled. The foamy top was rich and buttery and the rest of the libation was cool and creamy with that bit of fizz to it. "Is it like root beer?" he asked.
"What's that?" Millicent asked. "Muggles drink beer made from roots?"
"I think it used to," Harry smiled. "But it's a drink for anyone to have and it doesn't have any alcohol in it. I was wondering if this does."
"A negligible amount," Pansy said dismissively.
Hermione sputtered. "We're allowed to drink it?!"
"Why not?" Pansy looked genuinely confused. "Any age can."
"There isn't a thing about underaged drinking?" Lavender asked.
"Oh, well, most Society families allow their children to drink wine after a certain age," Pansy said. "I've had it growing up. Not enough to get drunk off of though. And I've never heard of anyone ever getting drunk off butterbeer."
"You can get into a lot of trouble drinking alcohol underage in the Muggle world," Hermione said with Sue and Lavender and Harry agreeing with her.
"That's fascinating," Pansy said. "Public intoxication isn't even against the law. It's only pertinent if you are being a nuisance and if you are sufficiently inebriated, then it actually goes into your favor."
"That's hilarious," Parvati laughed. "And should I ask why you know that?"
"Not from personal experience, thank you," Pansy said frostily, pinching a giggling Millicent. "An uncle of mine discovered that. My father likes to tell the story to keep him in his place."
"The magical world is weird," Harry smiled. "So is the Muggle one too I guess."
After they finished their meal, they left the tavern, only for some of the girls go back in to use the restroom and the others to fetch something they left behind. Harry stood outside waiting for them for a moment, enjoying the afternoon breeze.
A prickling feeling crawling up his spine made him turn. At first he wondered if a Dementor got too close to the village but it lacked the same sense of suffocating dread. He looked about until he saw a large dog looking at him. After a moment, he realized it looked exactly like the stray back in Surrey.
"It can't be," he murmured as he looked at the large black dog. "We're really far away. You're not the same dog, are you?" he asked, feeling a bit silly for asking.
The dog, unsurprisingly, did not reply exactly. It tilted its head though and smiled, tail wagging.
Harry smiled back. "Hmm, I ate all my lunch but let's see if we can get you something to eat." He wandered down the square to a vendor selling sandwiches and bought one, asking the dog what it preferred and the dog had barked loudly when asked about roast beef. Harry handed the sandwich to the dog and he smiled when the dog danced about with appreciation, rubbing his head against the boy's hand.
"You're welcome," Harry said. "Hope you find where you're going soon." He watched as the dog left, carrying the sandwich in its mouth, and then walked back to the Three Broomsticks.
"Where were you?" Lavender asked when he found the girls waiting for him.
"I found a stray dog and it looks exactly like the stray I saw back in Surrey."
"We're awfully far away from London though," Hermione said. "Are you sure it's the same?"
"I don't know, just that it looked like it. I got it a sandwich and it looked happy."
"That was nice of you," Pansy said.
"Well he's used to feeding starving strays," Parvati said.
"You better not be referring to us," Padma frowned.
"You just called us bitches!" Lavender gasped with faux-outrage.
"What?! No! Don't put words in my mouth!" Parvati said. "But if the collar fits-"
Millicent laughed as Lavender and Padma chased Parvati up the lane, shouting at each other. "It sure is interesting to see how people react to things. I call Pansy a bitch a lot and she just bites me, which proves my point."
"Whereas now, you send Sunny to do your dirty work," Pansy sighed.
"Nah, she likes biting you. That has nothing to do with me. Besides, those are love bites. That's how she shows affection."
"Oh, but when I do it, it's not 'acceptable'," Pansy sniffed.
"You're not a kneazle! You should know better!"
"Sunny knows better! I'm sure of it!"
"It sounds like you bit Sunny," Harry joked. He started laughing harder when Pansy flushed. "Pansy, really?"
"I wanted her to have a taste of her own medicine," Pansy grumbled while Millicent, Hermione, and Sue laughed with Harry. "And it was to my own detriment. She learned nothing and I learned she doesn't taste good."
"I'd be worried if you thought she did," Harry chuckled, chuckling harder when Pansy poked him in the side a few times.
"I feel bad a little," Millicent said when the laughter faded.
"For Sunny?" Harry asked.
"No, never for that." She grinned at Pansy's sour look. "I suggested we make today a day for you but you didn't even let us get you anything to make up for your birthday."
"Oh, well, spending the day with everyone is gift enough," Harry said, cheeks pink.
"That was so cheesy," Hermione laughed.
He grinned. "True though. There's really no need to make it up to me. Honestly."
"Disagree," Pansy and Millicent said together with the other two echoing in.
"Well, maybe next year then?" Sue asked.
Harry looked down. "Maybe," he said, but was unsure how it would ever happen.
-0-
The sudden loud crack made Harry look up. Before, the sudden noise would make him start but he was well used to it now. In fact, he readily recognized the exact timbre of the crack, having heard it a lot as well as comparing it to other similar sounds. "Hi Inky," he said with a small smile. His smile disappeared when he saw how agitated she was. "What's wrong?"
"Oh good, Harry is alright," Inky said, releasing a big sigh of relief.
"Should I not be?" Harry asked.
It was Halloween once more and Harry had not gone to the Feast, like the last two years. As he got older, it was a little easier to come to terms to his feelings about the day. Through his conversations with Lavender and the others, he was recognizing some of the things the Dursleys have said to him were not exactly right.
That said, it still took a while for him to deal with his thoughts and feelings around certain things. He still liked the little tradition he started for this day. It brought him a sense of closure and a way to connect with the parents he lost. The photo album he got from Remus and Hagrid helped a lot. He often would look through it when he had time and tonight, he was able to do so slowly as he cooked the beef stew.
Propping the book open to a page-sized picture of James and Lily helped him feel equal parts happier and sadder as he cooked and ate.
Inky's sudden appearance had thrown off the melancholy feelings and he felt concern growing to replace the feelings.
"Bad man is in castle," Inky said. "Headmaster sent me to fetch you to the Great Hall."
"Bad man? Who?" Harry asked as he hurriedly put the stew into the enchanted ice box and carefully closed the photo album and hugged it to his chest.
"Just bad man," Inky said. "Come, not safe here. Safer in Great Hall." She took his hand and they disapparated, reappearing in the Great Hall. Harry swayed but managed to stay on his feet, shaking his head against the rush of disorientation.
"Ah good, thank you Inky," Dumbledore said, relieved. "Was there any trouble?"
"No trouble," she replied. "Room was secure and no one near."
"Good. Thank you," Dumbledore said.
"Thank you, Inky," Harry said.
"You're welcome! Inky report to kitchen to make late night things for people but call if needed." She waved and disappeared with another loud crack.
Harry looked around, seeing the students milling about and the usual tables and benches pushed against the walls. "What happened?"
Dumbledore sighed. "We had an intruder tonight. Someone went up to Fat Lady's portrait and attacked it when they were not allowed into Gryffindor Tower."
"Is she okay?" Harry gasped.
"She is. She escaped without harm. Until we determine the castle to be safe, all the students will be sleeping down here tonight with the prefects and the Heads to watch over all while the faculty and the ghosts scour the castle and grounds." Dumbledore noticed a small group of people creeping closer. "You should join your friends. Worry not, Harry."
"I'm not, I trust you," Harry said and Dumbledore beamed at that. Harry left and walked over to his friends who looked relieved to see him. "Hey everyone."
"There you are," Lavender smiled. "I was going to go get you but I wasn't allowed to."
"Inky got me," Harry said, smiling back and feeling touched. "Another weird Halloween, huh?"
"Yeah seriously. The feast finished and we were about to leave but then one of the ghosts came in to talk to Dumbledore," Parvati said. "Then he said we were all staying here because there's an intruder."
"Who would break into Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.
"I heard it was Sirius Black," Neville whispered. "Someone told the prefects and they were muttering it among themselves."
"Why did he want to get into Gryffindor tower?" Lavender gasped.
Harry felt cold. "I think I know. I think he's after me."
"What does that mean?!" Sue, Padma, Luna, Millicent, and Pansy had walked over when Harry did and Pansy looked at Harry with wide eyes. "What makes you say that?"
"Uhm, let's find a private-ish spot," Harry muttered when others looked over at Pansy's outburst. He and the others gathered large purple sleeping bags, conjured by Dumbledore, and were able to find a corner of the Great Hall unclaimed.
He took a deep breath. "So, this summer, Remus, I mean Professor Lupin, went to Diagon with me because he said he didn't want me to be there alone. Apparently, there was a rumor that Sirius Black was coming to Hogwarts after breaking out of prison."
"Why is he coming here? Is he coming after you for some reason?!" Lavender asked, growing frightened.
"I have no idea. I don't know why he would be but Professor Lupin made it sound like he was," Harry said.
"Why would he be coming after you?" Padma asked.
"Like I said, I have no idea," Harry said weakly. "To make it even weirder, he was friends with my parents, and he was friends with the wizard he murdered."
"The Blacks have a rather unsavory reputation in Wizarding Britain," Pansy said in the shocked silence that followed. "They were…unstable."
"Sounds like it," Parvati said in an awed tone. "Murders a bunch of Muggles and a wizard, breaks out of Azkaban, and is now trying to break into the school for who knows what reason."
"I don't think we have anything to worry about right now," Harry said. "The Headmaster is protecting us with all the others and we should be safe."
"I hope you're right," Padma said uneasily.
-0-
Remus walked slowly, taking care to not make too much noise. He did not want to wake any of the sleeping students and after checking on Harry and his friends in their corner, he picked his way out of the Great Hall and into the foyer.
"All is well?" Dumbledore asked when he walked into the foyer and saw Remus closing the door behind him gently.
"All is well," Remus confirmed.
"Good." Dumbledore rubbed his eyes tiredly. "The castle and the grounds are clear and Hogsmeade is almost completely searched. No signs." He looked at Remus. "Severus says I should ask you again."
"Of course," Remus said, not insulted or bothered. "I have no idea why Sirius would be here and while the evidence points towards Harry…" he sighed, "I don't know why he would be targeting Harry."
"Neither do I," Dumbledore said quietly.
"I take it the Ministry is upset?" Remus asked.
Dumbledore snorted. "Indeed. Twice now, the Dementors have failed. Which, I am not terribly sad about to be truthful. And yet, they remain as ineffectual watchers."
"What is the Minister thinking?" Remus asked sourly.
"I have no idea," Dumbledore grumbled, his tone laced with frustration. "I honestly do not know if he is thinking at all."
"Careful, Professor," Remus smiled.
"What, are you going to report my words?" Dumbledore asked, eyes twinkling.
"Never," Remus chuckled. "I am none too fond of the Minister myself."
"He can be a good man, but he lets others do his thinking for him," Dumbledore sighed. "I do not have that luxury."
"Or that idiocy."
"Careful, Professor," Dumbledore smiled.
Remus grinned and took his leave. He slipped outside and looked about at the moonlit grounds. He took several deep breaths, breathing through his nose. Okay, if it is you, Sirius, let's see if I can find you. He loped into the Forest. Perversely, it felt like old times.
Only this time, it felt a lot grimmer than it ever did before.
-0-0-0-
Jaysto - Thank you so much. Part of the goal of this fic is to explore facets we didn't see much in canon and I knew I wanted a fun opposite character as a vampire. Drake turned out a lot more fun than I envisioned and I'm glad people really like him. Same with Fawkes being a gremlin too. I have a thing for gremlin pets and familiars and animal companions and Fawkes being one is just too much fun. Thank you for reading.
poka - Fun story time, in high school I had two really good Filipino friends. One had this big party near the end of our time there and things happened then almost exactly like here. They knew what it was, I had a vague idea being Chinese, and our not Asian friends had no clue until told. That was a nice memory. I have had blood sausage and black pudding and don't mind those but don't really care for the chunks or blocks of cooked blood. That's a bit much for me.
I never watched Castlevania but heard good things. I knew I wanted to throw in a Tepes joke with a vampire because I watched a really good YouTube series about the original Vlad Tepes and his history is really quite fascinating. It's called Extra History, the channel, if you want to take a peak. They do fun historical stuff. Hermione is one of my favorites to do those kind of reactions too because she's Muggleborn and we can see through her view since we're Muggles too.
doRodrigo - Here you go. Thank you for reading.
odonnellzoo99 - He couldn't, he'd then be admitting he knew the charm. You know me, I try to make original characters have a reason for being and I'm sure he will pop up here and there for one reason or another.
EbonPurlight - I just finished chapter 44 so I'm still plugging away.
Kaya - Thank you. I knew I wanted someone that kind of threw the usual brooding dismal and dark vampire on the head so to speak. Drake was going to be more light hearted but as I wrote, he became much more irreverent like Nicolas. I'm glad people like him, he's fun to write for. Besides, what kind of dark vampire would have a feud with a phoenix?
alix33 - Drake is a silly fellow.
Hands Off MY Wolfie - Hermione's reaction was probably my second favorite part of the chapter.
MarcusTrax - I knew if I let him call himself Vlad, people would catch on faster so I did that as a fun little reveal.
TimothyB - Here you go, a new chapter.
DarkRavie - Thank you.
Eclipticvibe - Thank you very much. I'm nothing as grand as a cook I would say, mostly cook for myself but I like to try something new at least once a month. It's important for me to write mostly different stories. Some details I keep like Hedwig being a gremlin and head sitting, but I like to try and write a different story each time and with characters, hopefully, still feeling like canon portrayals with appropriate changes based on the setting. I'm glad you continue to enjoy things.
l4w - Thank you. Glad you find it so.