"Are you sure it's Cerberus?"
"Is there another illegal animagus in the castle?" He asked genuinely curious.
"No. But judging by Potter's rising interest in Transfiguration, there will be." she mumbled to herself while starting to pace around. "How long does it take for one to master the animagus form?"
"Only the potion takes a few months to prepare. Dylis can't be sure because it depends on each witch and wizard." He answered, calming down now that he told her the news. "Dylis will follow Miss Ophelia no matter what decision she will make. Miss saved my life." He added looking up at her with big blue earnest eyes.
"No one else will die because of me. Especially not Cerberus. Go and warn him."
"Oh but Dylis has already informed Master Knowingall."
Ophelia froze as millions of thoughts came together into one conclusion. That's what he has thought about himself ever since he arrived...a sacrifice.
It was no surprise when she barged inside his office at midnight, making a lot of noise.
"Do not think for one second that I'll let you die!" She screamed.
Cerberus was writing a letter when he jumped in his seat, spilling ink over his parchment. He looked at the furious girl with wide eyes before he actually asked.
"What?"
Ophelia scoffed and stomped to his desk. It was messy.
"Dylis told me. Dad wants to kill you."
Cerberus raised an eyebrow thinking what to tell her. She seemed fired up so that was nice in a way.
"I'm flattered you care enough to barge in here and scold me but I'm safe. Hogwarts is the safest place in the world." Cerberus explained, sitting back down. "You don't need to worry about me. I'd like if you'd worry about yourself and your grades."
"I'm getting good at everything except Potions and Herbology."
"I noticed. A duck came running to me and I had no idea it was Black until McGonagall changed him back." Cerberus answered chuckling to himself. He also wanted her to relax and think carefully of what she was doing, which seemed to work.
"They were disrupting the rest during the dueling club. But he seems more bothered by his brother rather than what I did. He's suffocating poor Regulus with his protection and all."
"Sounds familiar," Cerberus mumbled taking another piece of parchment, "Exams are coming soon. You should study."
"Only if you promise me something." She said, thinking about her decision, "If staying by my side becomes dangerous, you leave. You are not going to sacrifice anything for me."
Cerberus glanced at the black kitten and smiled softly. The fluff ball was listening closely to their discussion and seemed content with Ophelia's personality.
"Deal." He said and shooed the student out.
"Now, I want everyone to listen to me. Victor is a vampire but he's also a person with emotions, some more powerful than others, so I want you to be civil. Do you understand?" Cerberus asked, his owlish eyes moving over every third year student from every house. It was burdensome to have all of them meet the vampire at once but there was no other way.
"How did he even find a vampire to come willingly and respond to childish questions?" asked Black, slightly impressed by his professor.
"Just because he's a creature of the night doesn't mean he's a savage." answered Lily, scoffing at Sirius' prejudiced impression of vampires. "Not all dark creatures are monsters." she added, hitting a very touchy subject for the boy. He glanced at his brown haired friend and sighed.
"I guess you're right, Evans."
"Well, isn't that a first," whispered Cissney rolling her eyes.
As soon as the door to the Great Hall opened, every student turned to look at the vampire. In all truthfulness, Victor didn't look different from any of them. Ophelia swore her father looked more dangerous than this vampire and Tom was still very handsome in his own dark way. Victor was a middle aged man with deep dark circles around his eyes, skin as white as milk and hair that could rival Lucius' if it wasn't for how greasy it looked. Actually, Victor looked like he needed a shower and a vacation.
They kept their eyes on the vampire until he arrived next to Cerberus and both men shook hands before they turned to the children. Victor's eyes were very dark, even more than Tom's and Ophelia had seen those snake-like eyes red at some point. It seemed like a lot of thoughts were running through his mind as he looked at each and every student. His eyes lingered on Remus a bit more and a smirk, very subtle but visible, appeared on his lips.
"What's wrong?" she asked Remus seeing how the boy was staring at the vampire with intensity.
"He knows." Remus mumbled, still feeling those dark eyes on him.
That answer must have been heard by Potter too, who was on Remus' other side because he suddenly straightened up as if he wanted to protect his friend from whatever evil creature was around.
"This is Victor and he's a vampire. You can ask him anything as long as it's respectable. Do not make a joke of this meeting. Everything discussed here will be in your exam." Cerberus informed his students, suddenly everyone taking the matter more seriously.
One by one, students raised their hands and started to ask almost everything they read in books. From questions about how to become a vampire to what vampires eat when they can't have blood, to how they live their day to day life and if they ever feel discriminated or they enjoy solitude. All kinds of questions popped up and Victor willingly answered all of them with patience, making Cerberus smile contently to himself. And then James asked his curiosity, which had nothing to do with education.
"Why did you accept to come all the way to Hogwarts just to answer to stupid questions? I'm sure people have been staring at you, making remarks about you and your lot. I'm sure you knew they would so why did you risk and came nonetheless?"
It was one of those rare occasions when Potter was surprisingly mature and elegant. Of course, that questions raised the tension in the hall and students started to whisper to each other their theories.
"A very good question, one that has a very simple answer, Mr.-"
"Potter, sir. My name is James Potter." he added with pride.
Victor smiled although he visibly tensed, his eyebrows furrowing even if he tried not to.
"Well, Mr. Potter, I came because your professor asked me. He told me it will not be a waste of time, that what I will see at Hogwarts will amaze me. I was honored by his invitation. " Victor answered elegantly. "Anything else you'd like to ask, Mr. Potter?"
James frowned and shook his head but he still wasn't seeing the vampire in a good light. There was something else there, he didn't travel so far just for some petty students.
"I swear, that vampire is not here just for us." Potter stated again in the Common Room.
"Professor Knowingall wouldn't have brought him in if he was dangerous." Lily replied for what felt like the seventh time already.
"He's a vampire, though. What if he messed with Knowingall in order to be asked to come?" asked Peter, trying to back up his friend. "You never know."
"It's not only professor Knowingall but the headmaster too that invited him. I don't think Dumbledore would ever put us in danger." Alice added, fully trusting the head of Hogwarts. "It's Saturday and Mr. Victor must have traveled from very far. We should be thankful since he makes studying easier. His answers were far better than a book." the girl added, taking her quill and getting ready to do her DADA paper on vampires.
"What do you think?" Potter turned to Ophelia, the one person that didn't say anything yet. "Do you really believe that vampire?"
Ophelia did wonder about him too. A vampire came after Dylis informed her about Tom's plan. But they already knew a vampire will come so it's not like Cerberus was stupid enough to let himself be messed around with, especially since he wasn't a bad Occlumence. And yet, her father could manipulate people in very diverse ways.
That was one problem that could be explained only later in the night, during the dark arts lessons. It wasn't a surprise that she met Nott there, right in front of the entrance. He blushed and rushed in before she could say a word, already seeing her eyes glint with amusement. It was hard to control it around Slytherins with how pent up they were.
"Good evening, Lucas." she greeted Mulciber when she passed him. The boy scoffed and glared at her but didn't dare touch one strand of hair from her scalp. Why? Well, something happened during one Saturday around the beginning of March. Something that raised a few questions in the Slytherin common room.
"Stupefy!" was heard loudly in the Room as Avery flew straight into Severus, both falling on the ground. "That's how you do it!" Mulciber exclaimed.
Ophelia was surprised and helped Severus up, also reaching for Avery but he pushed her hand away.
"I don't touch the filthy hands of a mud blood." He said, glancing at her hand. But then something shiny caught his eye. "What is that on your finger, Molley?"
Nott looked up, remembering how he asked the same thing back in February. He watched as Severus grabbed Ophelia's hand and held it down, covering the ring.
"It's not important."
"Really? Why, did you give her a present, Severus?"
The boy looked at his friend before he looked at his classmates. He didn't want weird rumours to spread in the castle but he knew it was important to keep her identity hidden.
"I did." Lucius stated, gasps of surprise and shock filling the Room. Narcissa Black was there too but she didn't react in any way. "Anything else, Avery?"
The boy glared at Ophelia but kept his mouth shut. That didn't mean he kept his mind shut as he started to swear and curse the Gryffindor. Lucius walked over to Narcissa and told her something before the elegant seventh year took Snape's place.
"I hope you duel well," threatened the blonde.
"I hope you do too." Answered Ophelia in a tone that would have pissed off Bellatrix but not her younger sister.
It was definitely something to watch as Ophelia showed not only good dueling skills but also elegance and simplicity in her technique. Rabastan couldn't help but feel proud of her. Nott's eyes widened as his heart started to beat faster at the sight and there was Mulciber who wasn't watching the duel but Malfoy. The blond man couldn't keep his eyes off Ophelia and even covered for her. He sent his future wife to her aid which again was too much of a bother for a mud blood Gryffindor.
After the lesson, in the Slytherin dormitory, Mulciber waited for Avery and Nott before he started,
"Molley's become a real pest. It feels like we're being ignored whenever she participates in the dark arts lessons."
"That's pretty much every week," Avery commented sitting on his bed. "Rabastan and Lucius are watching her like guarding dogs."
"She's always surrounded by people, even in Hogsmeade. Our plan had to be interrupted after Zabini found out and told Potter. Huh!" Mulciber scoffed, yet he couldn't confront him just yet.
"Zabini is Lestrange's faithful friend, remember? And Rabastan has been very lenient with Gryffindors these past three years." Nott added.
"Ever since he started tutoring Molley. Isn't that suspicious? There must be a reason why that mud blood has them in her palm."
"We can't enter Molley's head, I tried before. But we can use a different way. One that will hit deep in the Gryffindor house." Avery started, smiling evilly as the plan started forming in his head.
And from that point on, Mulciber started to act as if Molley wasn't a burden anymore; he simply ignored her even if he did want to curse her now and then.
Sunday morning, while Slytherins were taking breakfast, Avery slipped into the first years' bedroom, expecting young Black to be there by himself. As expected, Regulus was having a hard time because of his older brother but Avery had a way to help him.
"What are you doing here?" Regulus asked having the same glint of defiance in his eyes as Sirius.
"Don't need to be so rude. I'm here to offer you an opportunity to become one of us. You only have to do one simple thing." Avery went straight to business, not wasting another moment of his life.
"What's that?"
"Act as our informant. It's a small favour to which in return you will receive the place you deserve in the Slytherin house. After all, you are a true Black, aren't you? A true believer in the Dark Lord and his ways."
"And who do you want me to get information about? My brother?" asked Regulus, already annoyed that older students believed he was easy to manipulate.
"Molley. Do whatever you need, befriend her, stalk her, use whatever manner you find proper and find out who she meets, where she spends her free time, what she fears, what she likes to eat, every little detail of her life."
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