Harry Potter: The Vampire Prince

Percy felt like a puppet, being led around in a daze.

There was no greater humiliation than this!

He had to stand by helplessly, watching the girl he adored laughing and chatting with another… boy. She was as cheerful as a lark, her voice light and bright as she spoke to him.

And damn it, why did Nolan Von Draugr's words always seem to amuse her so much?

That playboy—or rather, that juvenile playboy—Percy had no idea what she saw in him!

They had lunch at the Three Broomsticks.

By the way, for some reason, this pub actually served blood-flavored beer. Percy couldn't fathom who on earth would ever order such a thing.

He had assumed, quite maliciously, that the drink was doomed to sit on the menu for eternity, untouched by any reasonable wizard.

Yet, to his utter disbelief, Nolan and Penelope not only ordered it—they enjoyed it. They downed it in one go and even asked for a second round, looking rather pleased with themselves!

Between sips, the two of them engaged in a bizarre conversation, passionately discussing the flavor profile of blood-flavored beer.

"That's definitely chicken blood! I'm starting to pick up the subtle notes in it." Penelope said cheerfully. "It seems like they added real chicken blood, though I think the taste could be a little richer."

"The fermentation is well done," Nolan commented. "This kind of beer spoils easily. If not for the hassle of preserving it with magic, I'd buy a few more kegs to store away—maybe let Baron Dura or Dalric have a taste."

"I think our family's pub in London should start serving it too. What do you think?"

"Not sure, but we could give it a try."

That was their conversation.

Percy could make neither heads nor tails of it.

And to make things worse, their talk only got weirder.

"I bet the Three Broomsticks has served plenty of vampires before."

"That's possible. You'd be surprised how often those stray ones wander into our territory."

From there, their conversation veered into completely unintelligible territory.

Percy sat stiffly at the table, feeling like an outsider. These two seemed to live in a world of their own, one where he was merely an uninvited guest—no explanations, no attempts to include him, nothing.

By the time they finally left the pub, Percy was thoroughly exhausted. Stepping outside, he breathed in the crisp winter air of England and let out a long sigh.

Penelope wanted to visit Honeydukes to buy sweets for her dormmates, who were stuck preparing for exams. Nolan was coming along as well—apparently, Cho had mentioned wanting something sweet recently.

And Percy… well, Percy had no choice but to tag along. He couldn't let himself be the loser who got left behind, so he forced himself to follow.

On the way to Honeydukes, they ran into Professor McGonagall.

The formidable Transfiguration professor was carrying a paper bag filled with various candies. Even from a distance, the sweet scent of honey lingered in the air.

"Good afternoon, Von Draugr, Weasley, and Clearwater."

All three of them were among Professor McGonagall's top students.

Nolan needed no introduction—his brilliance was infamous. Percy was Gryffindor's academic pride, and Penelope was one of the leading members of the Transfiguration Club.

"Good afternoon, Professor McGonagall," they responded in unison.

Percy's eyes lit up.

Here was a perfect opportunity.

Few people in Hogwarts understood his talents better than Professor McGonagall. After all, if there was anyone whose words could carry weight, whose opinion could put Nolan Von Draugr in his place, it was her.

Percy desperately needed the professor to say something about his greatness—especially in front of Penelope.

"Professor, it's a pleasure to see you outside of class," Percy said, his voice almost overly enthusiastic. "And might I say, I'm delighted to see you wearing that hat."

Professor McGonagall's hat today was enormous, decorated with all manner of feathers and floral embellishments.

Nolan was quite convinced that if the hat weren't so heavy, McGonagall would have attached a live cat to it just for aesthetic purposes.

"Indeed," McGonagall nodded. "It's actually your Transfiguration assignment from before the holidays. Well done, Weasley. Keep up the good work, and I have no doubt you'll achieve an Outstanding in your N.E.W.T. Transfiguration exam. And you as well, Clearwater—your enchanted music box was particularly impressive."

Percy practically beamed at the praise.

Finally! Recognition from the professor herself, in front of everyone!

But then McGonagall turned to Nolan.

And for some reason, her gaze was noticeably warmer than when she had looked at the other two.

Percy had a bad feeling about this.

"I heard you've begun working on magic that switches forms?"

"Yes, Professor."

"That's no easy feat," McGonagall said approvingly. "Although, I knew you'd attempt it sooner or later. It's an incredibly complex Transfiguration—blending shape-shifting with spellwork in ways no one has ever seen before. If you need assistance, Von Draugr, you may always seek my guidance—just as you did last year."

Then, to Percy's absolute horror, McGonagall actually chuckled.

She was enjoying this conversation!

"We make quite the team, don't we?"

"I suppose we do, Professor," Nolan said, shrugging casually. "Although, I must admit, I haven't made much progress yet."

McGonagall fell into deep thought for a moment. Then she hesitated before saying,

"As your professor, I shouldn't say anything too reckless… but Von Draugr, why don't you take a closer look at Miss Granger's current situation? That, too, is a complex transformation—perhaps it might give you some inspiration."

Percy frowned.

Hermione Granger?

Oh, right. The whole turning-herself-into-a-cat incident.

If he thought about it… that was precisely the kind of transformation Nolan was aiming for.

Shifting between vampire and wizard, or vice versa—it bore some resemblance to Granger's predicament.

"Thank you for the suggestion, Professor," Nolan said politely.

"I look forward to seeing what you come up with, Von Draugr. And you as well, Clearwater. I heard about your situation from Miss Von Draugr—I'm truly sorry about what you went through."

Penelope blinked.

"Oh, it's nothing, Professor. Honestly, I've started enjoying it."

"I'm sure you will," McGonagall said knowingly.

With a final nod, she bid them farewell and walked away, her hat wobbling slightly as she went.

Percy's mood plummeted.

What was all of that?

What on earth were Nolan and McGonagall plotting?

Whatever it was, it was clearly something far beyond his understanding.

And once again, Percy was left feeling like nothing more than an outsider.

He hated being an outsider.

That was when Alicia Spinnet burst onto the scene.

"Hey, Nolan! And you two as well!" Alicia was her usual energetic self, practically running over to them. She blinked, then grinned. "I heard Percy is on a date with Penelope… so why is Nolan here?"

Percy scowled.

"Von Draugr seems to have nowhere else to be."

Penelope shot him a glare before turning to Alicia. "Nolan is with me."

Alicia nodded, secretly amused.

Most likely, Penelope hadn't wanted to be alone with Percy—so she had called over the one boy she trusted the most.

"Mind if I join?" Alicia asked, grinning. "Let's make it a group of four!"