Harry Potter: The Vampire Prince

Perhaps today was simply destined to be a bad day for Penelope.

She had barely adjusted her mood when, just as she was thinking about taking her little master, Nolan, to check out the new house, the ever-persistent third Weasley appeared again like a lingering ghost.

"Help me, Clvat!" Percy Weasley was pale and panting as he pleaded in a hushed voice. "My brothers are right behind me. Nolan knows about them—they've always been awful! If they see that you've ditched me, I'll be humiliated in Gryffindor!"

"Your brothers?" Penelope asked in surprise, peering over to where he had been glancing nervously.

Nolan also noticed them—just around the corner of the Hog's Head Inn, two vivid red heads bobbed back and forth, unmistakably familiar.

Of course, George and Fred Weasley. Where there was chaos, there were the Weasley twins.

And as a bonus, they were accompanied by Lee Jordan, as dark as coal. Fantastic—the Gryffindor trio most adept at causing trouble.

Nolan recalled that the Weasley twins had always had a good relationship with their family—except for Percy, whom they openly disdained.

Given their personalities, they wouldn't miss an opportunity to humiliate Percy. The twins didn't care if the Weasley name was dragged through the mud, as long as the one suffering was Percy. That alone made it worth it!

When they heard Penelope was actually dating Percy, Fred and George flat-out refused to believe it. They knew exactly what kind of person their older brother was—no girl could tolerate his smugness and self-righteous attitude.

So, even if Miss Clearwater had somehow gone blind and decided to give Percy a chance, the twins were convinced she would dump him at the earliest opportunity.

They planned to capture that historic moment on camera and spread it all over Hogwarts.

Which was why they had been tailing Percy all day, forcing him to run to Penelope for help.

Prideful as he was, Percy refused to let himself be made a fool of!

"I see what's happening now." Nolan nodded lightly and then pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. "I'm not unreasonable, Weasley. You have your difficulties. While I wouldn't mind watching you make a fool of yourself, I'm also willing to hear Penelope's opinion."

"Really?" Penelope was a little surprised.

She had always thought her little master was an extremely self-centered person, one who would be difficult to compromise with even in relationships.

But Nolan had given her a pleasant surprise, and she was flattered.

She wasn't fond of the Weasleys, but that was her best friend, Miss Hanks' fault.

If Percy weren't so pushy, Penelope would have been willing to clean up Miss Hanks' mess for her.

"Oh, if that's the case, then Weasley, you can come along." Penelope finally agreed, crossing her arms. "As long as you don't hold us back."

"Of course! Of course!" Percy clung to her words as if they were a lifeline. "I'll just follow along, I won't say anything, I won't complain!"

"Of course, you won't." Nolan tucked away his pocket watch and added, "Although I was planning to get some serious business done today... let's have some fun first."

"Fantastic!" Penelope cheered enthusiastically.

She had her own little scheme. If Percy weren't tagging along, Nolan would head straight to see the house. But with him here, they could wander around to more interesting places—just like a normal date.

…

"They're on the move!"

"Keep up!"

"So, can someone tell me why Nolan is hanging out with them?"

The two Weasley twins and Lee Jordan whispered among themselves as they tailed the trio, moving like highly trained spies—or Eastern ninjas.

"I heard Nolan and Penelope are pretty close," said either Fred or George. "Someone spotted them together at the train station. Maybe they even spent Christmas together."

"Oh, that," the other twin replied casually. "Penelope and Nolan's sister are good friends. Apparently, she invited Penelope to spend Christmas at their house... Man, I envy Penelope. Nolan's house must be huge. Maybe they even have a swimming pool full of Galleons!"

"Maybe they cut their grass with golden scythes and plow their fields with golden hoes too," Lee Jordan scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Come on, guys. Real wealth is beyond your imagination."

"Which is why I envy Penelope... I'd love to know what Nolan's house looks like! Why can't he invite us over too? Hurry up, they're heading into the Three Broomsticks!"

"Percy looks stiff as a board. Like a total idiot. I bet he's barely spoken to Penelope," one of the twins snickered. "Like I said, even if Percy somehow convinced Penelope to give him a chance, there's no way he'll make it to the end of the date without getting dumped."

"Yeah, he's not handsome like Bill, and he's definitely not as charming and witty as us," the other twin added smugly.

"Are you serious? You two think your antics are actually attractive?" Lee Jordan rolled his eyes again.

"Say whatever you want, mate. I know you're just jealous of me and Fred's luck with the ladies. Ah-ha! What did I tell you? Look—Nolan and Penelope are whispering to each other like a real couple. And Percy? Hah! He's diligently carrying their drinks. You know what he looks like? Like that bartender we saw at that Muggle pub last time!"

"What are you guys staring at?"

Perhaps their behavior was too shady, or maybe just too suspicious, but other Gryffindors were starting to take notice.

Alicia Spinnet, accompanied by Angelina Johnson, skipped over and squeezed in beside Lee Jordan. She let out a low whistle. "So Percy is really trying to win over Penelope? I thought that was a joke!"

"You think he'll succeed?" Angelina asked doubtfully. "They don't seem very close… and why is Nolan there?"

"Cho told me Nolan is in Hogsmeade today to buy a house," Alicia answered matter-of-factly.

Over Christmas, Alicia had run into Nolan and Cho in Diagon Alley, and afterward, she had made an effort to befriend Cho. Now, they were on pretty good terms—Alicia was the kind of person who got along with everyone.

"Buying a house? Merlin's beard. My mum dreams of owning a new house!" One of the twins sighed.

By the way, the other twin had already moved to cozy up to Angelina.

"I don't think Percy stands a chance," Katie Bell said pessimistically. "Penelope has famously high standards in Ravenclaw. Percy… well, he's not hopeless, but he needs to try harder. At least say something instead of just standing there."

"I know what to do!" Alicia raised an eyebrow mischievously. "Alright, everyone—watch and learn!"

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