"That professor is so beautiful..." Eve said in an envious tone as she admired Felicia Von Draugr. "I wish I could be that pretty when I grow up."
Nolan thought to himself, That's unlikely.
Felicia Von Draugr had been unanimously regarded as the most beautiful vampire in their circles for the past five centuries.
Connaught, the Slytherin prefect, looked intrigued. "She's absolutely stunning. If she weren't a professor but one of our classmates, I'd definitely pursue her. By the way, Von Draugr, you share the same last name with this captivating professor. Are you related?"
At Connaught's question, all the Slytherins fixed their eyes on Nolan. He sighed and replied calmly, "She's my sister. But trust me, she's much older than she looks."
The Slytherins exchanged knowing glances, their expressions a mix of surprise and understanding, before breaking into hushed whispers again.
This year's Slytherin intake seemed extraordinarily fortunate. Not only did they have the ever-biased Head of House, Professor Snape, on their side, but now even the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor turned out to be one of their own.
Nolan didn't bother speculating what the Slytherins were whispering about. He kept his gaze fixed on Felicia, who once again gave him a playful wink and a mischievous smile.
After introducing the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Dumbledore made the students sing the off-key school song. When everything finally concluded, he announced the end of the feast and instructed the prefects to escort the new first-years to their dormitories.
The newly appointed prefect Connaught straightened his back and shouted louder than the Gryffindor prefect, "First-years of Slytherin, follow me!"
Eve, Malcolm Baddock, Alicia Field, Miles Bletchley, Montague Rockman, and the others chattered excitedly as they followed him. Nolan took a few steps with the group before veering off, heading toward Felicia, who stood by the entrance of the Great Hall with her arms crossed.
He glared at the vampire duchess, irritation evident in his voice. "Felicia, if you were going to take this job, you should have told me in advance!"
Felicia laughed like a playful girl, pinching Nolan's cheek. "Surprise!"
Nolan brushed her hand away. "All surprise, no delight. By the way, how exactly are you qualified to be my professor when you can't even cast a basic Lumos spell?"
"Obviously," Felicia said with a dramatic wink, striking a mock-heroic pose, "with pure brute strength!"
Nolan rolled his eyes, unimpressed.
Felicia smirked, her expression reminiscent of a mischievous mouse that had just stolen cheese. "I'll only be teaching for a year. I've got some fun lessons planned for you little ones. You'll find out soon enough!"
Nolan turned to leave, but Felicia's next words stopped him in his tracks.
"Nolan, I've been thinking... perhaps it's time to teach you the combat techniques of the Von Draugr clan."
"Are you serious?" Nolan asked, his tone tinged with excitement as he turned back to face her.
Each vampire lineage had its unique combat techniques. Strength alone wasn't enough; agility and skill were essential to fully harness their power.
Among all vampire clans, the Von Draugrs were renowned masters of weaponry. They specialized in wielding cruciform exorcist crossbows and silver daggers to battle their kin.
Nolan had long aspired to inherit the Von Draugr combat techniques, but Felicia had refused to teach him when he was younger, deeming his body too underdeveloped. Now, things were different. At 4'7" and with his vampire strength gradually awakening, Felicia decided it was time for her little brother to step into his legacy.
Felicia winked with her left eye, her playful grin still intact. "Come to my office every Friday evening. If you're still as keen on the Von Draugr combat arts as before, I will teach you properly."
Back in line, Miles Bletchley asked Nolan excitedly, "What did the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor say to you? It's so cool that you have a sister like her! She's even more beautiful than Veelas or pureblood elves!"
Nolan replied blandly, "She explained to me why she accepted Dumbledore's invitation."
Connaught, the prefect, looked curious. "But I've never heard of the Von Draugr family in Britain. Are you foreigners?"
Nolan, uninterested in lying, replied nonchalantly, "Perhaps there are many secluded families you're unaware of."
Connaught led the group of first-year Slytherins down the staircase.
Slytherin's quarters were situated beneath the lake, around 30 meters underground, in a cool and damp environment. The path to the common room resembled a dungeon, with slimy, dripping stones everywhere. Water droplets hit the enchanted, ever-burning torches, causing the flames to flicker, making the corridor appear filled with dancing shadows.
This eerie atmosphere terrified Eve. She clung to Nolan's robes with one hand and held Alicia Field's hand tightly with the other, her small chin almost tucked into her neck in fear.
Connaught eventually stopped in front of a massive iron door. Embedded within it was a silver ring encircling a Möbius strip-shaped snake. The snake's eyes were emeralds, gleaming brightly as it hissed, "Password!"
Connaught enunciated clearly, "Basilisk."
"Correct," said the Möbius snake, spinning once and unlocking the door with a loud click.
The black iron door swung open, and Connaught turned to address the first-years. "The Slytherin password changes at the beginning of each month. If you forget it, you can go to the Potions professor, who is also our Head of House, Professor Snape, in the dungeons. That said, if you don't want to be treated like an idiot by Professor Snape, you can wait outside until someone lets you in."
The Slytherin common room was large and circular. The floor was made of obsidian-like tiles covered with green-and-white woolen rugs. The furniture was antique and elegant, with some pieces crafted from mahogany and others from marble. Lighting was provided exclusively by torches, whose flickering flames drove away the dampness. The smoke and fumes produced by the fire were magically removed, ensuring the air remained fresh and breathable.
The most remarkable feature of the common room was its ceiling—it was transparent.
Looking up, the students could see the shimmering blue water of the lake, with aquatic creatures occasionally gliding overhead. As Nolan and the others entered, a giant squid was trying to wrap its tentacles around the glittering roof.
In the center of the common room stood a statue of Salazar Slytherin himself: a hook-nosed, stern-looking old man with a massive serpent coiled around him. This must have been the inspiration for the Slytherin crest.
The young Slytherins settled into their dorms, with boys being assigned to rooms of two or three. Nolan Von Draugr found himself placed in a triple room alongside Malcolm Baddock, who had wet his pants on the Hogwarts Express, and the slender-faced Miles Bletchley.
Malcolm seemed like he wanted to say something to his roommates, but Miles sneered and whispered to Nolan, "Did you know that the great Malcolm Baddock wet his pants on the train after being scared by the red-haired Weasley twins?"
Malcolm's face turned pale instantly. He looked to Nolan with a pleading expression, hoping his other roommate might come to his defense.
But Nolan, indifferent as ever, replied calmly, "It's true. I was there when it happened."
Miles glanced disdainfully at Malcolm, then muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear, "We're so unlucky to be sharing a dorm with a bed-wetter."
Malcolm went silent, unpacking his belongings in somber quiet. If one looked closely, they could see his hands trembling slightly—a pitiful sight.
Nolan watched him for a moment before asking, "You seem frail. Would you like some warm milk before bed? I'm sure the house-elves would be happy to oblige."
Malcolm mumbled, "No, thank you." His voice was so faint it was nearly inaudible.
Miles, meanwhile, busied himself decorating their dorm with various items. Among them were miniature figurines of famous Quidditch players, who zoomed around a palm-sized pitch, casting glittering stars into the air with their wands. He also displayed his collection of famous wizard cards, which were meticulously sorted and hung above his bed. The wizards depicted on the cards occasionally looked down at Miles with disdain or vanished into other cards to have whispered conversations, a rather unsettling sight.
Nolan picked up one card featuring a red-haired girl named Libera. She seemed delighted when she noticed Nolan holding her card, blowing kisses toward him repeatedly.
At that moment, Miles was fretting over a poster in his hands.
"Oh, Nolan," Miles said, noticing the card. "If you're a fan of Libera, you can keep that card. I have several duplicates. By the way, would you mind if I hung up something Muggle-related on the wall?"
Malcolm, overhearing the word "Muggle," seemed visibly upset, but, feeling powerless in the dorm dynamics, he said nothing.
Nolan, of course, didn't mind. He gave Miles permission, and the latter eagerly hung up his poster. It was of a beautiful woman who smiled radiantly in black-and-white.
The poster had been enchanted so the woman could move, though her movements were clunky, suggesting the spellcaster's skill wasn't particularly advanced.
"She's beautiful," Nolan remarked softly. "Who is she?"
"Her name is Audrey Hepburn," Miles replied. "Dad says she's the most beautiful woman in the world. Mom had a fight with him over it."
"Your father has excellent taste," Nolan said.
Miles grinned. "He's a Muggle. His dream was to marry Hepburn, even though she was already older by then… until he met my mom."
Miles spoke dreamily but suddenly turned to Nolan with a nervous glance. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Mind what?"
"That I'm… well, a half-blood."
"No, I don't mind," Nolan replied coolly. "In fact, I have no reason to."
Miles beamed with relief and excitement. "Are you a half-blood too?"
Nolan hesitated. He wasn't even a half-blood; in truth, his lineage was far more ancient and pure than any wizard's.
Miles interpreted his pause as agreement and grew even happier, while Malcolm grew more agitated. He couldn't believe he'd ended up in Slytherin only to share a dorm with two half-bloods!
Frustrated, Malcolm pulled the covers over his head and shut himself off from the world. Neither Miles nor Nolan seemed to care much about him, though, so his sulking went largely unnoticed.
The next morning, Nolan was rudely awakened.
"Wake up, Nolan! If you don't get up now, we're going to miss the corned beef and grilled Italian sausages for breakfast! Our first class is Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall, and I'm not about to be late on the first day!" Miles Bletchley yelled enthusiastically right by Nolan's ear.
Truth be told, the little vampire wasn't a morning person. His energy typically surged at night.
Nolan could go a whole month without sleep, but once he did lie down, he hated being disturbed.
"Why doesn't Hogwarts provide coffins for us? I can't believe you all sleep so soundly on regular beds," Nolan silently grumbled as he sluggishly got up and began dressing. He glanced at the third bed, now empty. "Where's Malcolm?"
"He left by himself!" Miles complained, his tone filled with annoyance. "That antisocial coward!"
On their way to the Great Hall, Miles practically had to drag Nolan along. He was still half-asleep, barely able to keep his eyes open.
By the time they arrived, most of the Slytherin students were already eating. Miles and Nolan were the last to arrive.
Eve trotted over to Nolan with a sweet smile. "Good morning, Nolan."
"Morning… morning…" Nolan mumbled half-heartedly, slumping over the table like a dehydrated dog. Through half-lidded eyes, he noticed that Felicia, seated at the staff table, was sprawled out in a similarly undignified manner.
Professor Sprout and a few others exchanged surprised glances. It was hard for them to reconcile the image of such a poised and stunning witch behaving so sloppily.
Professor McGonagall, who was in the know, handed Felicia a special goblet of "tomato juice." She accepted it with a tearful expression, like a stray cat being offered food. She downed it in one go, reminiscent of a tipsy reveler.
Eve offered Nolan a spoonful of mashed potatoes, but he clamped his mouth shut and shook his head vehemently, making it impossible for her to feed him. Undeterred, she switched to a sausage, but the result was the same.
"I don't eat that…" he muttered vaguely.
From his high-backed chair, Dumbledore watched the sibling duo with amused eyes. Chuckling, he turned to Snape beside him. "It seems the Von Draugr family, like other bloodlines of their kind, struggles with sunlight and mornings. Perhaps this will put your mind at ease, Severus."
Nolan ended up being carried to the Transfiguration classroom, flanked by Miles on his left and Eve on his right.
"I've never seen someone sleep so much… I'm guessing his Animagus form is a sloth!", Miles panted heavily after depositing Nolan onto a seat.
"Maybe he was too excited to sleep properly last night!", Eve suggested in his defense, fussing over Nolan to make his slouched posture look more comfortable and dignified.
Miles shook his head. "I don't think Nolan's the kind of guy who gets excited about school."
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