The Purpose, rewritten, Chapter 1 Seth Vulken
July 31, 1915, Vulken Island
The waves crashed against the side of the cliff. The rain echoed the storm that had been going on for two days now. A woman was screaming loudly. Rushing footsteps could be heard coming and going from the master bedrooms and bathrooms. A servant let out a cry as he stumbled on the carpet and fell with a thud. Her head had hit the king and queen's mattress.
''Idiot! Go away and fetch a human fit to feed her!" The king said to the servant who hastened away, blubbering an apology. "Will this rain stop anytime soon? I can't concentrate with this incessant tapping on the windows." He said rubbing his temples.
His sleeves had been rolled up from his arms so he could help his wife give birth. Birth… it's impossible! IMPOSSIBLE! Vampires are dead, DEAD I TELL YOU! He sighed and looked at the queen. You could see sweat on her neck and cheeks for she had been trying to squeeze… well, maybe a baby, into this world for over two days. She was fine, other than the constant contractions and the pain it caused. They had started to worry that something was wrong, but Nicholas Flamel, their only wizarding friend for centuries, had done a control spell on her and the baby several times and it always said the same thing: dead mother, baby's heart rate: 30 per minute. Medically speaking, the baby would be in great distress, but it had never been done before, or even heard of. After a day, Flamel had expressed concerns about the baby that he might need to do a caesarean section on the queen and could heal her afterwards.
"We don't know how this baby will hurt me, so we'll wait, I'm still fine! Ahhh!'' The queen responded by having another contraction.
Her eyes had turned black.
"Blood!" she demanded, and a servant brought a human who quickly flashed her wrists to the queen.
She grabbed her arm and sank her teeth into her wrist. The human winced at the bite and left when she was done. The same routine had been going on for 50 hours now when, one Sunday morning, the rain finally stopped. The king opened the dark green curtains and let the sunshine through the windows.
"Finally!" said the King happily, arms in the air.
But the happiness quickly dissipated when his wife let out the loudest cry ever, coming from deep within herself. He rushed towards her while Flamel grabbed the baby and put him in a blanket. Flamel waved his wand and muttered spells to the queen who instantly felt better and thanked him. She drank again from a blood-filled cup before resting her head on the pillow. The king ignored the baby and went to take his wife's hand and spoke softly to her.
"Are you okay?" the king asked worriedly.
His wife nodded but had more contractions that left her breathless before she finally knew it was done: the placenta, as black as coal, came out of her and laid on the bed. It seemed wet but quickly, the placenta faded like ash in the wind and the cord was gone the same way. The silence was heavy in the master bedroom. No crying baby, nothing. It was then that Flamel, who had dried the baby with the blanket, revealed his little face. Ice blue eyes, like his parents, stared at the wizard. Pristine white locks of hair covered his head, pointed ears, small nose, pink lips, delicate features like his parents.
"He's gorgeous." Nicholas said. He looked at Elena and Nathaniel. ''Sire, my queen, your son is magnificent.'' repeated Flamel putting the prince in the arms of the King.
Nathaniel looked at his son, his mouth opening and closing several times.
"A son." he said. "I... I'm a father now?"
He looked at his wife, who smiled at him and nodded. She winced as she got up, but she was fine. She looked at the cooing baby, then turned back to her husband.
"Seth…" she said proudly.
A strong wind slammed the windows open, and the cool morning air filled the air. Seth cooed in delight as laughter filled the room.
OoOoO
1921
The vampires lived on a remote island between England and Ireland, more known as the Isle of Mann by the muggles. They weren't well regarded by humans or wizards, nor knowing absolutely anything about them. Only Ministry officials knew there was an island, unexplored, even though no one was interested in going there. Vampires had made their fortunes over the centuries using their vampire charms and powers on Muggles. They were very few in numbers but located in various strategic places on the planet controlling muggle banks, mainly in New York in America, Cairo in Egypt, Paris in France and one in London. They had also cooperated in the creation of Gringotts and the other wizarding bank in Egypt with the goblins.
Humans were oblivious to vampires, though they made up stories for them to entertain themselves and guard against the reality of real vampires. As for wizards, as long as they didn't bother them, they just plain ignored them. Some worked within the ministry to maintain business relationships. They had hidden Seth's birth from wizards since every vampire was registered. If a vampire made another, he had to tell the Ministry immediately. Since they didn't know why Seth had come into this world or what he was, they had preferred to keep it a secret. Seth's parents assigned a human to serve only for Seth's needs and desires. Her name was Kathleen and she had been in the family for 30 years already. She had attended the birth and had gladly taken on the responsibility of being with Seth.
Seth's body seemed to grow twice as slowly as normal. He had been a baby for so long that they thought Seth had serious medical issues, but since he was never sick, they let the time pass. His mind was sharp, alert, intelligent and cunning. He had learned from books, from his parents and from the Flamels, everything about the world, magic, history and economics. Throughout his childhood, his parents served him food before even trying blood because he was growing well. He had no food cravings, nor any signs of blood rage. Once, when he was about six years old, he rushed into his parents' room in the middle of the night because of nightmares. Although vampires hardly needed to sleep, some loved this human habit. He had his hands over his ears, panicked.
"WHAT ARE THESE SOUNDS?!" he cried, whimpering.
Elena quickly grabbed her son and hugged him tight.
"Seth, calm down, describe the sounds to me." His mother asked.
Seth's chest heaved rapidly against his mother and his panicked heartbeat echoed in his ears. She slowly brushed his hair with her fingers and made reassuring noises, calming him down.
"They sound like creaking, crackling, footsteps, hooting of owls…one drum…no, many drums." He said. He seemed to concentrate more intently now. "These drums...heartbeats, they're the loudest, and they're everywhere!" He looked at his mother, then his father behind her. "I…I have nightmares, servants dying, blood everywhere," he said.
His shrill boyish voice reminded his parents that he was still so young to start going through all this.
"It's okay, son, we'll find a solution." Nathaniel replied calling for a servant by pressing a button on the wall next to the bed.
Seth put his hands back over his ears and went to the bed between his parents. The servant arrived shortly after being told to fetch Flamel.
Nathaniel got dressed and went to open a curtain to look outside. The night was almost over and you could see the colorful horizon. A knock was heard at the door.
"Enter." Said the King.
Flamel opened the door. If he was tired, the wizard did not show it.
"You asked for me, Sire?" said Flamel.
''Yes. Our son has heightened hearing, just like any vampire and probably one of his many powers to come... Is there a spell that could lessen this? Until he can get used to it.'' Asked the queen.
Flamel only thinks for a few seconds.
"Not a spell directed at him, but on a piece of cloth or a blindfold. I will need some combined test spells and test the prince.'' Flamel stated.
"If it's okay with you, Seth can follow me to my room." Flamel continued.
The king and queen nodded. Elena kissed Seth on the head and chased him out of the room. Nicholas and Seth exited the bedroom and turned right. The castle was huge, because of all the vampires that lived there, but also all the servants and humans that fed the vampires, cleaned, and cared for the castle while living there. Since Nicholas had lived with them for centuries, he had added a lot of magic everywhere to help everyone here. One thing Seth immediately loved were the lights on the wine-red carpet that lit up every time he took a step like bioluminescence. He never wore shoes or socks because he felt everything: the vibrations and the magic running through the walls, the floor, and the air. Just like the kid he was, he was giggling and hopping from foot to foot, happily following Flamel. Nicholas chuckled. His bedroom was close to the master bedroom since he was held in the highest regard among vampires. Perenelle was still sleeping in her bed. Perenelle was a tall, elegant woman who looked between forty and sixty years old. She had green eyes and black hair streaked with silver streaks. She had small straight teeth and small laugh lines. She woke up when they entered the bedroom.
"Hello, my little one." She paused, observing the prince's aura.
He still had his hands over his ears and showed a red aura around his head but a light blue over the rest of his body.
"Something is bothering you a lot, dear, but looking at Nicolas, I believe he already has a solution." She said as she sat down on the bed and took her wand from beside her.
She pointed to her wardrobe and muttered a short spell. A rip was heard, and a piece of fabric flew out of the cupboard and landed in Nicholas' right hand. It was a black, silky fabric.
"That should be enough! Thanks.'' Flamel replied.
He took out his own wand and pointed it at the fabric.
"Muffliato impervius!" said the alchemist.
He then gave the fabric to Seth who immediately put it on his ears. He smiled and clapped, but quickly changed his smile to a frown. He then removed it and returned it to Flamel.
"Not that spell, I couldn't hear anything anymore!" he explained.
"Good." Flamel replied.
He pointed at the cloth again and canceled the spell. He thought for a few seconds before trying again.
''Muffliato Protego Quietus!'' said Flamel who gave the cloth back to the prince again.
Seth took it and put it back on his ears, full of hope. He waited a few seconds and clapped.
"It worked this time! I can hear myself but not all the existing sounds! Thanks!' he said.
He then rushed off to show his parents. Flamel looked at his wife.
"I don't think this will be the only time I have to invent something for him." He said to Perenelle who nodded.
OoOoO
13 July, 1937
Everything was calm on this Sunday in mid-July. His 22nd birthday was approaching, and Seth was reading one of the many books Flamel had given him on magic. He had shown magical prowess growing up, like levitating and setting things on fire by accident. They thought that maybe it was his vampiric powers that decided to manifest other than as a wizard, so he trained until he had almost mastered them. He had a lot of trouble levitating, or flying in this case, so he gave that up but he changed the effect and used that levitation so he could fall to extreme heights without any harm, so there you have it. As for the fire, it was only when he was emotional, and he had to control them to use it and it was still to this day very difficult and it wasn't until he hurt Kathleen that he had completely stopped trying.
Seth hadn't grown into an arrogant boy, but he still enjoyed the attention of the islanders. An island he knew by heart as well as all its inhabitants. His heart had remained a child for a very long time and some servants were even his friends. He had often forgotten that he was their prince, which resulted into repeated tantrums when his father reminded him of where he came from and his heritage as a future king. He had to eventually order his son to stop playing with any other kids on the island.
A soft knock on the library window caught his attention. A great brown owl had a letter in its beak with its name written on it and its exact current location. Seth wasn't surprised by the owl, since Flamel regularly resorted to owls with the wizarding world. He put down his book and went to open the window. The owl chirped and dropped the letter in front of Seth and flew away. Curious, he took the letter and returned to his seat. He opened the letter which mentioned Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and an invitation to come and learn magic at the school.
He stopped himself. He looked at the giant mirror in front of him. He had the body of a 10-11 year old kid… Did he also have the magic of a 10 year old boy?
He finished the letter which contained a list of school supplies and the date for taking the train and whereabouts. Luckily, they lived near London anyway, just a boat-ride away. He got up and walked to his father's office to show him the letter.
"Father, it seems that I am a wizard." Seth stated.
Her father quickly read the letter and things finally seemed to make sense. The king got up and started pacing around the office.
"Father, are you alright? I'm fine, maybe I can befriend them too, just like Flamel? I could help our nation that way!" Seth said hopefully that he could finally leave the island.
His father stopped and looked at his son's features. He now had hip-length silvery white hair, pointed ears like older vampires, and clear blue eyes like the ocean.
"And how are you going to hide your…vampire traits? Your physicality is unmistakable to what you represent.'' Asked his father.
Seth had forgotten how he looked because no one cared about it on this island.
"Well, I guess for my eyes and ears, isn't it like a very small transfiguration spell to do? Nobody would guess that an 11-year-old boy can already transfigure anything…right?' Seth said.
The king sighed, looked at the letter again and his son's hopeful eyes before resigning.
"You must be right, if this letter arrived and the wizarding world felt like you belong, there must be a reason for it and shouldn't be ignored." He said waving his hand in the air. "Your mother isn't going to be happy, let's go see Flamel for the transfiguration spells you mentioned." Said the king.
OoOoO
The Transfiguration Charms had obviously worked just like Seth had said as he took the supply boat with the vampires Gaela and Steven. He was excited to see Diagon Alley and shop for the first time in his life. Gaela, the vampire who had been supplying the island for ages was accompanying him to the Leaky Cauldron. He had refused to Apparate with Nicholas, wanting to fully live his experience. He wore black sweatpants and a white shirt. He had always liked his shirts because the sleeves were all tied up with laces, showing his bare arms. He also wore leather bracelets on both wrists, made by himself.
On land, Seth took a bus and arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. Gaela said goodbye and left as quickly as she could using the speed of a vampire, invisible to muggles.
He looked around with his eyes now normal blue and entered the tavern. A few glances lingered longer than normal on him, but he didn't mind them and continued on his way to the other exit, which was already opened to Diagon Alley. He walked around and took the time to record in his memory all the different shops that existed in this magical world. He beamed with joy and tried not to cry out, like a child discovering a new world.
People passed by him without even looking at him. Children were with their parents or guardians or even friends and family members. He did not think it necessary for himself, since theoretically he would be of age. He first spotted the giant bank in the middle of Diagon Alley, which was pretty obvious. He walked in and looked at the goblins, which were creatures he had only read about in his books or told by his parents or vampires. He knew William who worked at the bank.
Seeing a goblin in real life was amazing. His parents had already collaborated with them for years before his birth. He approached the first on his left who was sitting very high. The goblin had a very mean look and a hooked nose. Seth waved his hand in greeting.
"Do you have your key?" the goblin asked, before stepping forward and getting a better look at Seth.
The goblin changed his expression and frowned. The goblins were unaware of his existence, but the resemblance to his father was still obvious. Seth nodded and pulled out a key his father had given him from his small leather bag. Flamel told Seth that he had enchanted his bag to make it nearly endless, so he had to be careful not to lose anything in it or lose the bag itself. He also warned him that it's nearly impossible to trick a goblin and that any spells done to significantly alter a body were dangerous, though since he only altered his ears and eyes, they wouldn't be a problem.
''They will know who you are, or where you come from because they will receive a letter and William will be informed of your arrival.'' Had warned the alchemist. "They'll show respect in their own way… Your family controls so much wealth and artifacts they desire, and some are in their banks and some… aren't. Let me tell you to always look for the baddest goblin you see, they like your family.'' He added with a laugh.
So, Seth had done just that, and showed the more ungrateful-looking goblin his key. The key had the family crest on it and upon seeing it, the goblin looked at Seth uncertainly and nodded. He followed the goblin to the vault which took about fifteen minutes to arrive as the royal vaults were so deep. They even passed a dragon where Seth felt uncomfortable seeing it in such a sorry state. They were using ear-splitting objects to scare the dragon away, and he had to put his hands over his ears. Luckily, he had learned to control his hearing, although it was unbearable anyway. When they arrived in front of the vault, the goblin reached for the door to open it. When the safe opened. It was filled to the brim with only galleons. Seth looked at the goblin.
"I would like only 300 galleons, please. Next time… I'd like to avoid going down here myself, is that possible?" Seth asked.
The goblin nodded and put the galleons in Seth's bag. When he came out of the bank, he spotted Ollivander's wand shop not too far away and went straight there. A bell rang as he opened the door to the shop. Ollivander was showing several wands to another child. Seth waited and looked around. He felt the magic in each of the wands around him. What a wonderful creation. The bell rang again, telling Seth that the kid had left with his wand. Ollivander's eyes met Seth's. The wandmaker hesitated and muttered something unintelligible to Seth.
''A vampire. It can't be." The wandmaker stated.
Flamel had also warned him about Ollivander, that he would probably know right away what he was. Being a wand maker for so long would have done just that, saying, and feeling every kid that walked through his door. Seth knew he and Ollivander were alone in the store.
"Straight to the point, Mr. Ollivander. I need a wand.'' Seth said.
The small childish voice did not sound as it should in Ollivander's ears.
"Indeed, but... Perhaps... do you see a wand that would suit you, Mr. Vulken, I presume?" Ollivander asked with a tilted head.
What a weird question. Seth wondered how he could know that. He closed his eyes and let the magic flow inside and outside of him. The place was full of them, he could feel the colors swirling. He could feel Ollivander walking slowly around his wands, mumbling and shaking his head negatively. He then went to the back of his store and came back with two boxes in his hands. Seth sensed it immediately. One of them shone like gold. Seth opened his eyes.
"It's this one!" Seth exclaimed, pointing to the left box in Ollivander's hands.
"You know, Mr. Vulken, that doesn't surprise me," he said.
He opened the box and lifted the wand inside. It was black, with white vine lines, and a length of 30 cm. ''It's yew wood, with Thestral hair as its core… It's the only one I had in my store and…'' Ollivander said who was cut short when Seth took the wand from his hands and threw 50 galleons on the counter.
The essence of the wand engulfed his body, embracing his very being. He closed his eyes in delight, he felt he could finally channel all his magic easily. He picked up a wand holster he spotted on a rack and set it on his arm, then put his new wand in it.
He nodded to Ollivander and left the store.
Ollivander watched the boy leave his store and frowned. This child was only eleven years old, it seemed. He knew that only Thestral hair could have gone with a vampire, it wasn't very hard to guess. This wand had been made by his own grandfather and had never been able to have a wizard to belong to. He knew the legend of the elder wand, but it was not the same wood. Certainly, he will never cease to be amazed by those who pass through his door.
Author's note: Aaaaand one chapter remade!