Chapter Text
I do not own Young Dracula, Harry Potter, or anything that could get me sued.
Thank you always for the reviews! I love reading them and they inspire me.
I also wanted to remind that my updating schedule can be erratic because of life in general. But I'm always thinking of my stories and do intend to finish them. Thank you for your patience!
Chapter 41: Dementors and Dreams
Vlad found himself barely on time for the Hogwarts Express yet again, stalled by his last minute farewells. His departure from home had been more or less the same; Ingrid had thrown him a parting glance, Zoltan had wished him good luck, and Renfield had tried to offer some mysterious plate of food in yet another failed goodbye meal. Robin and Jonno though, had surprised him a few days prior by giving him a tie-dyed t-shirt emblazoned with the words "cavity gang" on it. It had become a running joke between them once Robin had found out he too had gained a toothache. Vlad's father had been less than enthused at the reminder of his son's lack of oral hygiene, but the young vampire had been enormously pleased and touched with the gift.
The Count dropped him off at the station as tradition. "Try not to wear that new hideous Breather shirt, Vladdy," his father had sighed before bending down to grip his son's face in his hands. "And do me proud again this year."
Vlad had other plans though. He intended to keep out of trouble this time around. A distinct lack of a certain house elf mysteriously appearing with warnings of a deadly attack on the school was a good start. And when several Slytherin housemates greeted him as he passed through the compartments on the train, the young vampire felt a touch better. His relations with the rest of his House had warmed considerably since his first year. Although he was far from close to any of them, they were now comfortable enough around each other to forgo the chillingly imposed distance. Vlad was just another Slytherin to them now who really didn't stir too much ruckus on his own and earned them House points by doing well on his subjects. Even his wandless magic and odd choice to sit alone in the center of each class were just facts of life now. Only incoming First Years were really shocked anymore.
The young vampire was almost at the last of the compartments where Draco and several of his dorm mates usually sat when one of the sliding doors abruptly opened to reveal Harry stepping out. Vlad stopped in his tracks and the two boys stared at each other for a moment, both a little at a loss for words. There was still so much left unsaid after the Chamber of Secrets that the young vampire wasn't sure how to begin.
"Well, don't stare too much you two," drawled the very familiar tone of one Malfoy heir. "It isn't like you're blocking the hall or anything."
Vlad looked beyond Harry's form and spotted his blond friend at the last compartment. He was about to respond when Harry answered, "Patience is a virtue, Malfoy."
"Right, and Merlin is my uncle." Then, to the young vampire's shock, Draco turned away from Harry and continued, "Come on, Vlad, the train is about to leave the station."
Vlad had to try very hard not to gape. Had Draco and Harry just exchanged barbs without exploding into a public argument? He didn't have much time to think on it though because the lurch of the floor beneath the young vampire told him their journey was starting.
The compartment where Draco was waiting was filled with the usual Slytherin suspects. Theo and Blaise nodded in greeting as Vlad placed his trunk on one of the storage racks, lifting the feather-light charm on it as he did so.
The boys were already in a heated conversation when the young vampire was finally settled into the seats. The topic of the hour, it seemed, was of their upcoming visiting privileges to Hogsmeade as Third Years. Theo excitedly spoke of Honeydukes, the town's sweetshop, while Blaise mentioned the distinctly haunted Shrieking Shack. Draco expressed that he wasn't particularly ecstatic but even he could not hide the touch of interest in his voice as they wove through the possibility of exploring Zonko's Joke Shop, Sprintwitches Sporting Needs, and all other variety of offerings.
The train chugged north as they spoke amongst themselves, their conversation only pausing once around mid-afternoon when the food cart rolled by. None of them noticed the sky darkening and the clouds coalescing until a particularly harsh bout of wind rattled the compartment. They all paused, glancing out the window to see rain coming down heavily.
"That's kind of odd," Blaise noted. "Hopefully when we arrive it will lighten up."
The rest of them nodded in agreement, just as the train began to slow.
"Speaking of arriving," Draco sighed, "I suppose we'll have to get into the carriages in this downpour."
Vlad frowned. "We can't be there yet. It's too early."
"Then why is the train stopping?"
The train halted still not even a moment later. Several thuds told them several trunks had fallen out of place and the rain seemed louder against the windows.
Theo looked at the compartment door in confusion. "What's going on?"
Blaise was already cleaning off window frost – frost that distinctly hadn't been there minutes ago – to take a look outside. "I can't see anything. There's too much fog." He squinted. "Wait…I think I see something coming on board."
Then suddenly the lights on the train all winked out simultaneously and they were left in darkness. Only dim light from the outside barely slipping past the thick clouds gave an outline of the surroundings.
Vlad blinked once, his vision unaffected by the light change. The other boys, however, were looking around almost blindly to gain some bearing. The young vampire saw Draco about to step on Theo's foot and hastily said, "Wait. Nobody move. I think you're – we're – all going to just hit each other." He saw their eyes turn towards the sound of his voice. "Let's wait this out. There's no point in trying to walk around in the dark."
Intense cold, cold Vlad could feel sink into his bones, suddenly swept over the compartment. The young vampire shivered and wondered what in bat's name was happening. He could see his breath in the air and the other boys were glancing around fearfully.
Distantly, Vlad thought he heard voices, some older man's voice saying something. But his attention was diverted when the compartment door began opening of its own accord. He instinctively backed up, bumping into Theo next to him but neither of them dared say a word because what had been cold darkness before was now a pervading weight around the room in a choking thickness.
Vlad could suddenly barely breathe and he watched with slight horror as a skeletal, rotting hand (gray-green and peeled and inhuman) held the door open. Towering in the doorway was a cloaked figure hovering with its face completely concealed by its hood. It took a single, rattling breath that seemed to be tasting and searching for something other than air before it turned its attention to Vlad.
The young vampire felt like a deer in headlights. He trembled as the thing stretched a hand out, and tried to force himself to move or to cast a spell or do anything. But Vlad was frozen and when the cold, slimy rotting thing touched his cheek, he was falling, the world suddenly disappearing as darkness closed around him…
~0~
Vlad jolted up, heaving a gasp and then choking as he inadvertently inhaled dirt from the ground he was lying face-down on. When he finally cleared his throat, he glanced around hoping for some semblance of sanity. But what he saw only confused him more: thick forest not unlike the ones near his home in Transylvania surrounded him for an indeterminate amount of space. The young vampire frowned and ran a hand through his hair, thinking. He was supposed to be on the way to Hogwarts, when he had encountered some sort of wraith. How was it that he was now somewhere else entirely?
"Lost?"
Vlad whirled around, looking for the source of the voice. "Where am I? Who are you?"
"Don't play coy. You know who I am."
"I clearly don't," the young vampire muttered back, the inklings of recognition tickling the back of his mind. "Where am I?"
"You should know. You picked this, after all."
"I don't know what you're saying. I didn't pick anything."
"Perhaps not consciously, you didn't."
Vlad thought he recognized the voice now if he really focused. A voice he didn't want to remember. Panic began to swell inside of his chest and he needed to leave now before things got out of hand, before things became too clear –
Vlad thought he heard the voice, his own voice but twisted, laugh. "It doesn't matter if you leave now. You'll be back."
~0~
A stinging hex, sharp and strong, hit Vlad in his side.
"Ow!" Vlad jolted up in pain and smacked his head against Draco's face that had been looking over him.
Draco yelped. "Merlin…!"
The compartment was no longer dark. The lights were back and the train was already moving again as if the cold had never been there. Vlad was on the floor with the other boys looking down at him. Draco had his wand in hand, clearly the one to have cast the stinging spell while the others were kneeling close. The young vampire could feel himself trembling a little still, no longer cold but almost unbearably tired.
"What happened?" Vlad asked.
"It was dark," Blaise explained. "None of us saw what was happening until some bright flash of light lit the outside hall and scared the Dementor away."
A new voice, the voice of the older man Vlad had heard before, supplemented, "Yes, a Dementor from Azkaban."
The young vampire turned and saw a stranger kneeling behind him. He looked fatigued with dark circles under his eyes and clothes that looked like they hadn't seen upkeep in some time. His light brown hair was flecked with gray. He seemed nice enough but when their eyes met both of them immediately tensed.
Vlad narrowed his eyes. "And you are?"
"You'll be calling me Professor Lupin." The calm in the man's voice was replaced by something on edge. Lupin blinked and shook his head as if clearing away cobwebs before reaching into his coat to pull out an enormous bar of chocolate. The bar was already broken into several pieces and Lupin offered one to Vlad. "Eat this. It will make you feel better."
The young vampire reluctantly took the chocolate. "I'll be fine."
"Don't be stubborn. That will get rid of the cold faster." Lupin glanced about, beginning to hear scared questions and voices from the other compartments. In response, the man hastily stood up before Vlad could say anything further. "If you'll excuse me, I must check on the other students now."
Once the professor was out of listening range, Draco mused, "I don't think I've ever seen a teacher dislike you at first sight."
Vlad decided to ignore the comment. "Am I the only one who passed out?"
"I'm not so sure you could call it passing out," Theo shrugged. "You looked more…asleep than anything else."
"Asleep?"
"Not sure how else to describe it, Dracula. You were out like a light."
Vlad took a moment to look at all of the boys around him. "You…all aren't surprised by this. You're too calm."
They all glanced at each other before Draco answered. "Well, we are surprised that the Dementors came on board. But you're not wrong when you say we knew there would be Dementors around."
"Let me guess, your families knew from the Ministry. This must be Ministry related."
Draco nodded. "It isn't common knowledge yet, but it hasn't exactly been a secret either. It will probably even be announced during the Welcoming Feast. But since we're on the topic, the Dementors are here to guard the grounds and to search for Sirius Black."
Vlad had heard about the escapee. It was hard not to when it was plastered all over the Daily Prophet. "Shouldn't the students have been told that before coming to school?"
"Probably. But even if parents disapproved there really isn't anything that can be done. The Dementors apparently took it personally when Black escaped Azkaban and would have come searching anyway."
"But why Hogwarts specifically? What makes them think Black will be here?"
Again, that glance among the Slytherin boys. "Black has connections with Potter."
Of course. Of course it was related to Harry somehow. Upon hearing that, Vlad just groaned and hauled himself up on to the seats of the compartment again.
They spent the remainder of the trip is relative silence, each of them lost in thought. Vlad ate the chocolate, but it did little for him. He wasn't cold like he had been before, just exhausted like he had been awake for days. He tried not to think about what his vision or dream in the woods had meant. Was that something the Dementors had induced? The young vampire didn't know and his mind turned instead to the new professor. Lupin could only be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher since Lockhart had declined to return to his post. His presence on the train had probably been a security measure on the school's part in case the Dementors went out of hand. Vlad's thoughts continued to churn as the train traveled on.
When they finally arrived to the station, they all exited with their trunks in tow. Many students were still clamoring for answers, a general giant ruckus. But the Slytherin boys wasted no time in finding a coach (that Vlad noted was pulled by some skeletal winged horses) to take them up to the castle. On the trip past the enormous wrought iron gates flanked by stone columns, two more Dementors were standing on guard. When they passed, Vlad felt his eyelids grow heavy and a suffocating sleepiness almost overwhelmed him. He had to tap his forehead against the cool glass window to wake himself again.
The Welcome Feast brought a myriad of news. The headmaster indeed announced the purpose of the Dementor's presence, warning all students the dangers of approaching any Demetor and informing them that nobody was to leave the grounds without permission. "Give the no reason to harm you," Headmaster Dumbledore said grimly.
Then followed the announcement of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Professor Lupin. Upon seeing the man again, Vlad felt an intense flash of resentment and he noticed that Professor Snape shared the sentiment. The amount of loathing in the Slytherin Head of House's face could have withered anything. News of Professor Kettleburn's retirement was met with slightly more enthusiasm and particularly loud claps from the Gryffindor table filled the hall when Hagrid was announced to be the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher.
The young vampire was glad to retire to the Slytherin dorms when the night finally ended. He trudged, still exhausted, towards his bed where Nox was already curled up asleep. Just as Vlad was about to collapse on to his mattress, he felt somebody grasp his arm.
"You okay?" It was Draco, his brow furrowed.
Vlad smiled in appreciation at the concern, suddenly uplifted and reminded why – despite everything that had happened recently – Hogwarts was like a second home. "Yeah, I will be."
Start of the new year! I'm excited to write Third Year.
As always, please forgive any grammar/spelling mistakes. I do try to edit, but I often miss some things.
Till next time!