One weekend in November, most of the senior students headed off to the wizarding village of Hogsmeade, leaving the vast Hogwarts castle feeling empty. The first- and second-year students who remained behind mostly lounged in their common rooms, catching up on sleep. A few, however—such as a certain pair of red-haired troublemakers—ventured out into the snow for a lively snowball fight.
Nolan Von Draugr didn't mind the cold. His body temperature was naturally low, and even when he exhaled into the winter air, no mist escaped his lips like it did for witches and Muggles. The crisp chill sharpened his mind, and in such weather, Nolan often found it unnecessary to sleep at night.
"Let's give it a try, Mr. Von Draugr," said Professor McGonagall, her voice steady and authoritative. She and Nolan were in the Transfiguration classroom, where they had pushed all the desks and chairs into the corners to create a large, open space for their research into new Transfiguration techniques.
"I'm not sure if the vampiric transformation technique will work for wizards," Nolan said softly.
"Don't worry! If McGonagall goes feral after transforming, I'll just knock her out!" chimed in Felicia. She cracked her knuckles loudly, making her enthusiasm unmistakable.
Nolan turned to McGonagall with a faint smile. "That's wonderful news, Professor. Now you don't need to worry about losing control."
"...You have a point, Mr. Von Draugr," McGonagall replied with a sigh. She couldn't help but marvel at Felicia's lively personality. Despite being a centuries-old vampire, Felicia seemed more like a playful, energetic young woman than an ancient being.
"Since you've had experience transforming into a cat, I suggest you attempt a feline form for this vampiric transformation. It should help you ease into the state and resist being overwhelmed by wild instincts," Nolan proposed calmly. He added, "In fact, if a vampire's first transformation is into a wolf, their second is almost always a dog. The overlap in behavior between wolves and dogs is significant. Some even say that dogs are simply domesticated wolves."
McGonagall nodded in agreement and began her transformation. Channeling her magic into herself, she initiated the process, and her formidable magical energy began reshaping her body.
Although McGonagall was no stranger to altering her physical form—being a skilled Animagus who had spent significant portions of her life as a cat—this transformation proved to be agonizing. Her aged body felt as if it were being torn apart.
Nolan blinked as he observed the bizarre creature that materialized before him. It had the body of a sleek black panther, but one leg was a petite cat's paw, while the other remained unmistakably human.
"A chimera!" Felicia's eyes sparkled with excitement. She clapped her hands in delight, exclaiming, "What an incredible creature! Is this McGonagall's transformation? It's so ugly, but I want to keep it!"
Nolan shook his head. "I think she just failed. Oh, poor Professor McGonagall..."
Indeed, McGonagall appeared to be in great pain. The panther half of her body was drenched in sweat, leaving its black fur damp and matted.
Felicia cheerfully delivered a powerful punch to the panther's head, rendering it unconscious. Nolan quickly counteracted the vampiric transformation with his unicorn wand, reverting the chimera back into the form of an elderly witch.
"This was a terrible idea, Mr. Von Draugr," McGonagall said half an hour later, after regaining consciousness. Reflecting on the experience, she admitted, "We should never have attempted to use vampiric power on a witch. During the transformation, I felt as though all the blood in my body was boiling, almost evaporating. Your kind's power undoubtedly stems from your blood. Wizards don't possess such an inherent force."
"I had hoped magic could substitute for bloodlines," Nolan said thoughtfully. "It seems that isn't feasible. To achieve our goal, we have two options. The first is to create a magical artifact capable of converting magical energy into bloodline power. The second is to develop a potion that can temporarily grant non-vampires the attributes of our kind."
Professor McGonagall pondered Nolan's suggestions, realizing that both avenues—creating magical tools or developing a potion—were theoretically feasible, though extremely challenging.
Modern witches and wizards had few skilled artisans capable of crafting magical artifacts. The most commonly produced items were flying broomsticks and wands. As for creating new potions, sourcing the necessary ingredients was a significant hurdle.
Nolan shared his perspective. "We can work on inventing the new transformation magic while also preparing a magical artifact and a potion to enable wizard-vampire hybrids. I'm confident this won't take too much time. Professor McGonagall, I'm the only one who can simultaneously wield vampiric abilities and wizarding magic. Please teach me the Animagus spell, and I'll use it as a foundation to develop this new transformation magic."
Professor McGonagall hesitated. She worried about whether Nolan could withstand the process of becoming an Animagus. Even among experienced and knowledgeable wizards, some lost themselves to the animal instincts and became permanently trapped in their beast forms. In fact, the number of officially registered Animagi each year rarely exceeded double digits, highlighting how rare it was for wizards to master this ability.
Nolan, however, remained unfazed. "I began learning vampiric transformation techniques at the age of seven. Believe me, that is far more challenging than becoming an Animagus. Being constantly influenced by a beast's primal instincts isn't exactly enjoyable."
Felicia giggled mischievously. "Nolan's first transformation was into a lamb. There were several occasions when I couldn't find him, only for the maids to discover him kneeling in the grass, chewing on clover. At the time, he outright refused to believe he was a vampire and insisted he'd been born a lamb."
A faint flush of color spread across Nolan's pale skin as he anxiously tugged on Felicia's gown. "Please stop talking..."
"Why shouldn't I talk about it? While I still don't understand why turning into a lamb has any practical use, it was absolutely adorable. From that day forward, Nolan has always been a sweet little lamb in my heart!"
Nolan glanced awkwardly at Professor McGonagall, trying to maintain his dignity as he mumbled, "My second transformation was into a wolf. Among vampires, it's not uncommon for someone to take the form of a herbivore. It's actually quite useful; we can disguise ourselves as harmless prey animals. After all, werewolves would never suspect their mortal enemies to appear so docile."
"Of course!" Felicia chimed in with a mischievous grin. "They'd never expect it—but even if they don't suspect anything, they'd still happily gobble up a tender little lamb for lunch!"
Nolan stared blankly at Felicia for a long moment before softly declaring, "Felicia, I dislike you."
Watching their odd sibling dynamic, Professor McGonagall's lined face twitched as she fought back laughter. Finally, she managed to compose herself. "Very well, Mr. Von Draugr. I'll teach you the Animagus spell, but you must promise not to practice it unsupervised. Your skill in Transfiguration is the best in your year, and I'd hate to lose such a talented student—even if he's not a wizard."
Instead, he seemed obsessed with tinkering with the school's flying brooms. He disassembled and reassembled them repeatedly, often leaving some irreparably damaged. The Slytherins, though heartbroken, had no choice but to toss the broom fragments into the common room fire as kindling.
At the insistence of Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain, Nolan reluctantly contributed a functional Nimbus 2000 for the team's use. The result? Silver and green streaks dominated the Quidditch pitch as the Slytherins reveled in the speed and stability of the broom. During the first Quidditch match of the season, their sixth-year Seeker captured the Golden Snitch in under thirty minutes, securing a victory over Hufflepuff.
As Christmas approached, Cho Chang became increasingly persistent in her pursuit of Nolan. She seemed determined to solidify their relationship before the holidays and to bring her boyfriend home for her first winter break at Hogwarts.
"I thought Easterners were supposed to be reserved and shy," Nolan remarked one day, finally voicing his frustration.
"Oh, don't be silly, Nolan. For a girl, love is war. Would you show mercy to your opponent on the battlefield?" Cho retorted confidently.
Her argument made a strange kind of sense to Nolan, so he decided to stop resisting her daily flirtations. This development left many Hogwarts girls heartbroken, as it seemed the Slytherin prince was growing closer to the Asian witch. He began bringing his tinkering projects out of the Slytherin common room, sometimes working on them in the Great Hall or even the library, where Madam Pince would repeatedly shout at them: "Take those filthy contraptions elsewhere!"
Cho occasionally tried to understand what Nolan was working on. However, when she managed to coax a piece of parchment filled with strange runes and circular diagrams from him, she quickly gave up any hope of comprehension.
"What on earth is this?" she asked, baffled.
"Runic script," Nolan replied softly, setting aside a barely functional Cleansweep Seven. He stretched his stiff shoulders before gracefully sipping his special tomato juice. "Professor McGonagall introduced me to these symbols. They're fascinating. Depending on how they're arranged, they can carry magical properties. Even the way each rune is written—the shape, size, and angle—affects the magic they produce. I've been researching runes through books in the library, but it's not enough. That's why I'm studying the internal structures of these brooms. I want to understand how their creators imbued them with their unique properties."
Cho nodded in a show of understanding, though it was clear she was lost.
Nolan considered her reaction for a moment. "A master of runes could create magical artifacts."
"Magical artifacts!" Cho exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "Could you make a makeup kit that sneaks in every morning to apply flawless eye makeup before you wake up?"
Nolan paused, caught off guard by the request. "Why would you think of something like that?" he asked softly before adding, "It doesn't sound too difficult."
On the last day before the holiday break, Eve still hadn't spoken to Nolan. She seemed resolute in her decision to sever ties with him entirely.
Eve's situation hadn't improved much. Miles often muttered to Nolan when he returned to the dormitory, saying, "Eve was bullied again by her own housemates. They really tore into her this time…"
Miles felt sorry for her and genuinely pitied her predicament. He also thought Eve was incredibly beautiful—perhaps even more so than Cho Chang, who had been spending so much time with Nolan lately. Miles sometimes fantasized about being brave enough to rescue Eve from the Slytherins' bullying and winning her heart in the process. Unfortunately, he neither had the courage nor the means to make this fantasy a reality.
As such, he frequently dropped hints to Nolan: "Can't you do something to help her?"
Nolan kept his eyes fixed on the screen of his gaming device, replying softly, "If she asks me for help, I'll do it. But she hates me now, and I don't help people who hate me."
From the adjacent bed, Malcolm Baddock sneered. "That Mudblood, who wormed her way into Slytherin through sheer luck, has finally been abandoned by her protector, the great Nolan Von Draugr. As expected!"
Both Nolan and Miles snapped in unison, "Hey, Malcolm, shut your mouth!"
...
As the winter holidays approached, the first-years eagerly boarded the The Hogwarts Express heading back to London, excited for a whole month of rest.
"You have to come to my house!" Cho insisted as they parted ways. "I'll have Lemon Pie deliver you an invitation. Oh, and your sister is welcome to join us too!"
Lemon Pie was apparently Cho's family owl. The aging bird spent over 300 days a year asleep, and Nolan wasn't entirely sure it could successfully find Randall Gorge.
After stepping off Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Nolan said goodbye to Miles, Montague, and Alicia before finding the person who had come to collect him.
"Miss Theresa, you're right on time," he said, taking the large cat she carried in her arms and gently stroking its fur. "Miss Nancy, as well—congratulations on not getting lost."
The cat let out a dignified huff, purring as if to say, Praise me more.
During the break, it seemed Miss Theresa had acquired a car. Nolan wasn't particularly fond of cars; they made him carsick. Steam trains were fine, but enclosed spaces in cars were a different matter.
While waiting for Miss Theresa to load his luggage into the trunk, Nolan noticed Eve Stock crying as she embraced her parents. Her family stood out with their striking silver hair, characteristic of their Danish heritage. Eve also had an older brother, perhaps four or five years her senior, who appeared envious of his sister's magical education. He was enthusiastically pestering her about magical gifts she might have brought back.
"Someone you know, Your Highness?" Miss Theresa asked politely after finishing with the luggage.
Nolan considered her question for a moment before replying softly, "Just an acquaintance."
As he climbed into the car, he seemed to catch Eve's gaze. Her eyes were red, and tears streamed down her face in steady trails.
"What a crybaby…" Miss Nancy remarked disdainfully, nestled in Nolan's arms.
Nolan hesitated before murmuring, "She must be happy to return to the Muggle world."
"Because her time at Hogwarts… wasn't kind to her."
Patreon Advance Chapters: patreon .com / HPdreamer
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT