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21.05% Harry Potter: The Vampire Prince / Chapter 24: 24: The Dangerous Broomstick

Chapter 24: 24: The Dangerous Broomstick

"Up."

"Up…"

"UP!"

"Up?"

Nolan was frustrated.

He had tried at least a dozen different tones, yet the broom in front of him remained stubbornly still. The Slytherins and Gryffindors stared at him, wide-eyed. None of them had ever seen Nolan struggle with any class this much.

Noticing his displeasure, Madam Hooch attempted to console him. "Oh, dear, perhaps flying just isn't your talent. But don't worry, there are always one or two students like that every year…"

Eve came running over, her broom in hand. She spoke softly, "Nolan, my broom listens well. Would you like to switch with me?"

"Alright…" Nolan accepted her kind gesture. Switching brooms, he tried again. "Up."

Still no response.

The situation grew increasingly awkward. Watching a genius falter wasn't always as satisfying as one might expect. Without waiting further, Madam Hooch moved on, teaching the students the proper mounting position while Nolan stood off to the side, exchanging glares with Eve's supposedly "obedient" broom.

"Miss Eve's posture is perfect! Everyone, take note!" Madam Hooch exclaimed, delighted. "My dear, I'm certain you're destined to be a flyer! Next year, you should consider trying out for the Quidditch team. And for your outstanding performance, Slytherin earns five points!"

Eve's face turned bright red, her excitement bubbling over. This was the first time a professor had praised her in class, and the first time she had earned points for her house.

At that moment, one of her dormmates sidled up to her. Taking advantage of Madam Hooch's attention being on the Gryffindors, the girl whispered harshly in Eve's ear, "Don't get cocky, Eve, you filthy Mudblood."

Eve felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her. She replied in a small voice, "I'm not a Mudblood…"

"Oh, yes, you are! You've ruined Slytherin's centuries-old tradition by being the first Mudblood in our house! And how dare you cling to Nolan? You should step aside—he's the prince of all of Slytherin!"

Eve felt a wave of grievance wash over her. She hadn't meant to "cling" to Nolan. She only sought a little sense of security in a new and intimidating environment.

After correcting everyone's posture for a while, Madam Hooch finally announced, "Alright, everyone, it's time to fly!"

The young witches and wizards mounted their brooms, pushed off the ground, and slowly began to rise, climbing higher and higher.

Among the Slytherins, Alicia Spinnet struggled. Her broom seemed to prefer flying backward, causing her to bewilderedly ask her classmates, "Why am I moving in reverse?"

Miles Bletchley, meanwhile, provided another spectacle. His broom bounced up and down like a carousel horse, and he cried out repeatedly, "I'm going to fall! I'm going to fall!" And fall he did—fortunately, from only half a meter above the ground.

Eve, however, performed exactly as Madam Hooch had predicted—she was the best flyer among the students.

She rose steadily into the air, her silver hair flowing gently in the wind. For the first time, her view expanded far beyond what she had ever imagined.

She saw the vast blue sky, the seemingly endless earth, and a Hogwarts that grew smaller and smaller as she ascended. The enormous, intimidating castle that had once frightened and overwhelmed her now looked like a mere toy.

"So this… this is the power of magic."

For the first time since becoming a witch, Eve truly understood what that meant.

Though her life was filled with uncertainties, unknown challenges, and the contempt and hostility of others, she was no longer the same as before. Once just a helpless little girl, she was now a witch!

"Comfortable, isn't it, dear?" Madam Hooch smiled as she flew up to join Eve, soaring high above the others.

Eve nodded and replied softly, "I think so, Madam Hooch."

"You should speak more clearly," Miles Bletchley suggested.

"No!" one of the Weasley twins declared. "If it dares to disobey, you should give it a good thrashing!"

Alicia hurriedly grabbed the red-haired Weasley by the arm. "Don't be ridiculous. These brooms belong to Hogwarts. If you break one, you'll have to pay for it."

Lee Jordan chimed in, "But why is it that Nolan's broom is the only one not listening? We should take it apart and find out!"

Alicia frowned and whispered a warning, "Madam Hooch is up in the air. If she catches you, you're all getting detention."

To everyone's surprise, Nolan spoke up, "I think you're right. I should take it apart and see. There must be some kind of enchantment inside that makes it refuse my commands. That's not how it's supposed to work."

No sooner said than done. While the girls looked on anxiously, the boys paid them no mind. Nolan pulled out a short sword—Merlin knew from where—and began to dismantle the broom, reducing it to a pile of parts.

Inside, the broom was a marvel of magical engineering. Intricate magical arrays intertwined and influenced one another, reminiscent of the complex mechanisms in Muggle machinery.

The young wizards and witches formed a circle around the disassembled broom, staring at its inner workings in stunned silence.

"Guys, do you understand any of this?" one twin asked in a hushed voice.

The other shook his head blankly. "I didn't even know there was anything inside these things! I thought flying brooms were just… born that way!"

Lee poked at the wooden handle with his wand, muttering, "Apparently not. This might be even more complicated than the wands we use."

Miles looked deeply uneasy. "Nolan, do you understand any of it?"

Nolan stared at the broom's innards and admitted, "How would I know?"

"What do we do now?!" Alicia cried out in frustration. "Madam Hooch is coming back soon, and she's going to give us detention!"

"Don't worry." Nolan spoke calmly, though his actions were anything but. With surprising efficiency, he reassembled the broom, albeit with an abundance of tape and adhesive holding it together. If one ignored the patchwork nature of his repairs, the broom didn't look half bad.

"Children, I'm so pleased to see how well you've taken to flying," Madam Hooch announced cheerfully as she returned, having just taken Eve for a lap around Hogwarts. "But why are you all gathered around Mr. Von Draugr? Mr. Von Draugr, has the broom finally agreed to let you ride it?"

"Oh, not quite yet, Madam Hooch," Nolan replied smoothly, holding the patched-up broom with a perfectly straight face. "I think I just need a bit more inspiration."

Madam Hooch nodded. "You'll get there, my boy. Inspiration often strikes when you least expect it. For now, I need to step away for a moment. I'll be back in five minutes. In the meantime, why don't you all share your flying experiences with Mr. Von Draugr?"

With that, she departed, leaving the group still dumbfounded, their eyes fixed on the battle-scarred broom in Nolan's hands.

-------------------------------

Note:

As for vampires, the earliest legends describe them transforming into bats and wolves, though many creative adaptations have emerged since. In this lore, vampires are masters of Transfiguration, but their transformations often take on dark and shadowy forms.


Chapter 25: 25: The Fall

At that moment, a sharp scream echoed from above.

"Something's wrong! Eve's falling!" Miles Bletchley shouted.

Alicia Spinnet exclaimed angrily, "I saw it! That girl bumped into her just now! How dare she—they're both Slytherins!"

The twins grew frantic, yelling toward the sky, "Steady yourself, Stock! You can do it!"

Nolan Von Draugr, however, calmly remarked, "Actually, she can't."

Eve was far too timid. Faced with sudden danger, she panicked completely, forgetting how to fly and clinging desperately to her broom. This only made her broom careen wildly through the air, tilting and spinning uncontrollably. She was moments away from falling.

"Nolan, do something—!" Miles instinctively turned to Nolan but realized he was already gone.

The dark-haired young vampire was sprinting across the field, a broom clutched in his hands. After a running start, he mounted the broom and kicked off the ground, launching straight into the sky.

"He's airborne!"

"And so fast!"

"That's amazing!" George and Fred Weasley cheered loudly.

But Alicia's sharp eyes caught a disturbing sight: Nolan's broom was rattling ominously. "Oh no! His broom's falling apart! He's going to crash!"

Miles shouted back, "Nolan won't crash!"

At that moment, Nolan wasn't thinking about his broom at all. His crimson eyes stayed locked on Eve. In his mind, he could see her wide-eyed, mouth open, silently crying out for help.

She was always helpless, always isolated. A fool and a coward, too weak to handle things on her own. Why did she always come to him for help?

And why, despite everything, did Nolan feel compelled to save her?

Eve was just a fledgling witch—nothing more than a Muggle before discovering her magic. To Nolan, she was an inferior being. A Muggle wouldn't care about the life of a cat or dog, would they?

…Then again, perhaps they would, if those animals were their pets.

"Faster." Nolan tightened his grip on the broom. By now, the tail of the broom had burst into flames.

"Faster." He pressed his body flat against the handle. The wooden frame began splintering, chunks breaking off.

Nolan and the broom streaked through the sky like an arrow, leaving behind faint black smoke and falling shards of wood. By the time he reached Eve, the broom had completely disintegrated beneath him. With one last burst of speed, Nolan lunged through the air, grabbing Eve's small frame and tearing her away from the out-of-control broom.

"He's going to crash into the tower!" Miles shouted, clutching his hair in panic.

"Oh my God!" The young witches covered their eyes, unable to bear the sight of two children smashing into a wall.

Nolan's expression remained steady. He tucked Eve's head under his arm, pivoted mid-air, and used his shoulder to slam into the tower.

A deafening crash echoed across the grounds as bricks shattered on impact. A large bloodstain marked the tower's wall as Nolan and Eve began their descent.

Thunk! That was Nolan hitting a windowsill.

Crash! Rustle, rustle! That was Nolan tumbling through the branches of a tree.

Five or six seconds later, the two of them hit the ground, rolling across the grass.

Eve staggered to her feet, surprisingly unharmed. Her silver hair was a bit messy, her little face smudged with dirt, and her robes were torn from the branches, but she didn't seem injured.

But what about Nolan?

"Nolan!" His ever-loyal roommate Miles was the first to rush over, but he didn't dare touch him. Nolan looked so battered and bloodied that Miles couldn't even tell if he was still alive.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…" The twins could do nothing but run in circles, muttering in helpless panic.

"Someone go get Madam Pomfrey!" Alicia, the only one who still had some presence of mind, shouted desperately.

Eve stood frozen, staring blankly at Nolan's blood-covered body. Her legs buckled beneath her, and she collapsed in a faint, completely unconscious.

"Good thing he survived, otherwise... A vampire dying from falling? That's a joke you could take all the way to Hell and still get laughs."

Half-asleep, Nolan Von Draugr heard someone speaking near his ear.

Next came a familiar female voice snapping, "Shut up, Severus Snape! Say another word about my brother, I dare you! Do you think your status as a Death Eater guarantees your safety? I'll lock you up, let a ghoul tear your flesh piece by piece, feed your blood to the bloodfruit plants, and use your marrow to feed the fish!"

The first voice fell silent.

A second female voice chimed in, "I must say, Mr. Von Draugr has truly surprised me. His willingness to use his body to save a witch demonstrates remarkable nobility."

The first female voice sounded pleased. "Go on, say more! I approve!"

The second female voice hesitated, then softened with a tone of reluctant admiration, "Although vampires think differently from wizards, Mr. Von Draugr has shown that he can integrate well into the wizarding world if he chooses to. He may appear cold, but unlike most vampires, he does care for others. However, it's likely he follows his own rules—rules that won't bend to common sense. He sees his own principles as paramount, which might come off as stubborn or arrogant. But in truth, we haven't taken the time to communicate with him. Now, I think he's a noble young man, no different from any wizard."

A deep, aged voice added, "Well said, Minerva. I believe Mr. Von Draugr has earned our trust through his actions. Duchess Felicia, I imagine your brother will grow into an exceptional Slytherin."

The first female voice replied proudly, "Of course! My brother is the best. He doesn't need to become a Slytherin, though, because he'll surpass all you wizards combined! Besides, I've noticed Nolan's recovery rate is accelerating—an indication of his growing strength. I suppose it's time I start looking for his next thrall…"

After a long while, Nolan finally awoke.

When vampires are gravely injured, they enter a state of restorative sleep, emerging only when their bodies have fully healed.

Nolan swiftly sat up in bed. As soon as he raised his head, he was met with Albus Dumbledore's wise eyes gazing at him over half-moon spectacles.

"Good evening, Professor."

"Good evening, Nolan," Dumbledore replied cheerfully, gesturing toward a pile of candies by the bed. "Would you like some Bloody Toffees? Professor McGonagall brought them earlier; she said you're fond of the flavor."

"Indeed, I am," Nolan admitted eagerly, tearing open a wrapper without hesitation. At that moment, replenishing blood was exactly what he needed.

---------

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