Harry Dracul

Disclaimer/Plot/Author's Note: SEE FIRST CHAPTER

Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this story to my fans: my recommended reads are The Chosen Two Saga by HeathenVampires, A Normal Life by Unknownmusic, Follow MY Footsteps by St3phP33l, Path of the Chosen Ones: Year 1 by JamesJW02, Shadow Phoenix and Twisted Fate by moonfeather58, Harry Potter: Lord of Darkness by AngelSlayer135, Harry Potter and the Darkness Within by DaggersBloodPain, Damaged Raven and Dark Lord Potter by JustBored21, Dracula Rising by ZenoNoKyuubi, Haemophilia (based on It's in the Blood by sakurademonalchemist) and On the Delights of Drinking Blood by Quatermass, Harbinger of Blood by Viscount Anarchy and The Downward Spiral Saga by BolshevikMuppet99

Key Pairings: Harry/TBD

Other Pairings: To be determined

Normal Speech

'Thoughts'

'Mental Speech'

/Parseltongue/

Review Answers:

AvidReader2425: Oh, don't worry: I definitely don't plan on 'Twilighting' Vlad like the series tried to do

JustBored21: I appreciate your feedback, friend: hope you enjoy this chapter

Before Robin could say anything, he found himself pinned to the wall, looking into a pair of jet-black eyes and a snarling, but fangless face as the Son and Heir of Count Dracula snarled at him.

"I know that blood's scent…you're a wizard, Robin Branagh!"

Chapter 3: Covenant of Blood

For what seemed like an eternity and then some, Vlad kept his black eyes fixed on Robin, who could only gasp and choke against the supernatural strength of the young vampire who held him up. At the same time, Zoltan snarled at the revelation that this rude intruder into his master's domain was one of the very people who, apparently, couldn't even wait one day before bothering the Dracula Heir.

And yet, even Vlad was surprised to notice Robin didn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to beg for mercy, let alone show a reason to stop Vlad or Zoltan ripping him apart.

Instead, the desperate breather looked down at Vlad as he gasped, "G…G…Go on, then: kill me! Trust me, nobody…no-one'll miss me!"

"Oh, you actually think killing you is the worst thing I can do?" sneered Harry, shaking his head slowly as he growled, "No, breather-magi; death should be a release, not a punishment…"

To Robin's surprise, Vlad seemed to emphasise his dark point as he dropped the now-pale Robin onto the ground, leaving the dark-dressed boy looking up at him, just like how Renfield was often forced to look up to the Count whenever he was being punished or scolded. At the same time, Vlad's eyes turned green again as he smirked thinly before he folded his arms in a dominant, powerful gesture while he stared down at the human cowering before him.

"But, I admit it: it's interesting to meet a breather who wants to die, especially when they're my age, which begs the question…why?"

"Because," replied Robin, rubbing at his neck as he gasped out, "I…I'm not even part of that family; they…they just think I'm weird or, in my stupid sister's case, something to be studied like a lab rat. So…so I let myself get…get lost in darkness and…and liking things that go bump in the night. I don't fear the dark, or…or the thought of dying. And, like I said, when…when I sensed you and your…your family, I…I knew…well, I hoped I'd found a way to…to escape them, even for only a little while or…or if you killed and ate me."

"Killed, maybe, but not eat," drawled Vlad, scoffing in amusement as he turned away from Robin and stared out of his tower-room window as he sneered, "I mean, I'd drink your blood if I could and not waste a drop, but nothing else: I'm a vampire, Robin Branagh, not some fleabag werewolf, no offence, Zoltan."

"None taken, Master Vlad," replied Zoltan, knowing his master meant the less-wolf, more-human-possessed mutants whom Zoltan had shared a little of his DNA with – namely the wolf part.

"What…what do you mean if you could?" asked Robin, looking from Vlad to the view beyond as he asked, "Hang on, it's still daylight out: how come you're not bursting into flames or disintegrating to ashes?"

"I'm what you might call a half-vampire," replied Vlad, a part of him knowing he probably shouldn't be telling this breather anything, but if he tried to run, Vlad could catch him and leave him as a new-home-supper for the Count, so he wasn't too worried, even as he continued addressing the little blood bag behind him.

"Until I turn sixteen, I can survive sunlight, be seen in mirrors and, regrettably, I don't have fangs or clawed nails like most full-vampires; however, unlike most other half-vampires, I have a slight advantage that comes from the fact that, like you, I'm also a magical being. A wizarding vampire, or Death Mage, as they used to be called, which means I have some of my vampire powers, as well as the thirst for blood, and a small portion of the strength and speed that can be strong or weak depending on how hungry I am."

Here, Vlad smiled as he turned to Robin, who wore a look of shock, as he went on, "And, even when I ascend to full vampire status, I'll still be able to walk outside in sunlight and, apparently, I'll even have a few powers inside of me that normal vampires won't, even those who are as old as my Dad and even older. So, in case you're wondering, this is why I can't rip your throat out and drain you…well, not with my fangs or nails, anyway."

"Wow," whispered Robin, swallowing hard as he asked, "But…but you do drink blood?"

"Yep."

"Human?"

"Duh!" sneered Vlad, earning a nod from Robin, even as Vlad went on, "But before you get any ideas, Robin, I've already drunk my fill today, so don't think I can feed on you anyway, because if there's one thing I hate doing, it's ruining my appetite…I leave that right to Renfield's cooking."

To Vlad's amusement, Robin laughed at his dry remark, even as the young vampire continued, "So, you say your sister experiments on you?"

"She's as much a nightmare as the rest of them," said Robin, rubbing his neck again as he went on, "When…when I first used magic, she tried debunking it…you know: proving it doesn't exist and that I couldn't have made it happen? But then, in my anger at her snobbish desire to know everything, which is even worse because she's younger than me, but, apparently, a child genius; anyway, when I got angry, I made her science kit blow up, leaving a bad cut on her face and nearly costing her the ability to see with both eyes."

"I don't like nearly," drawled Vlad, earning another snigger from Robin.

"Really? I found it quite funny, especially when she was actually trying to tell me to make it right, as if I knew how."

"Accidental Magic has that downside," agreed Vlad, earning a curious look from Robin that prompted the vampire boy to explain his point, "When wizards, even Death Mages like me, get angry or scared during our younger years, our magic has a bad tendency to come out and have some fun with the world around us. Sometimes, it can be a small thing like something flying across the room or the temperature changing, but, at other times, like your sister, it can be violent, memorable and funny, if not disappointing because she can clearly still see."

"Yeah, but that didn't stop her trying to figure me out," said Robin, earning a pitying look from Vlad that was only because he was a wizard, not a breather, even as the other boy continued, "She was basically trying to get me to use my magic just so she could study it and, when she wasn't doing that, she was leaving notes and even cameras around."

"So…do you want me to introduce her to Dad, maybe? Or even Zoltan?" asked Vlad, earning a loud, barking laugh from Robin.

"As far as I'm concerned, Vlad, you can introduce the whole lot of them to your family!"

"So, Mum, Dad and…siblings? All as bad as Little Miss Insufferable-Know-It-All?"

"Got it in one," said Robin, moving to sit on the end of Vlad's bed, even as he continued his response, "I don't know why, but Dad never really pays attention to me, unless Chloe, Ian or Paul are making up lies and complaining about me being…well, me. Otherwise, he's avoiding me like I've got the plague and, when it was revealed by Chloe that I had magic, he basically shut me out, all but disowning any knowledge of me and leaving me to deal with her myself. All the while, Ian and Paul treat me like the butt of their every joke and love spreading rumours about my liking for darkness and encouraging Chloe to keep looking into me; they even said about finding a cure for my weirdness."

"And again, I find myself offering you the chance to let me kill them," drawled Vlad, earning a cold smile from Robin.

"Believe me, I wouldn't even try to convince you to spare them, especially not Mum; she looks at me like I'm some sort of poison on her and, even though she had precious Chloe, her prodigy child who'll one day rule the world, she often claims I ruined her life and nearly cost Mum her marriage with him! And when I tried talking about Chloe's experiments and how she was basically torturing me, Mum gave me this look, as though she was not only encouraging Chloe, but helping her set me up, and she told me straight: if you don't like it, you can leave…there's the door."

"No wonder you're so willing to be vampire food," remarked Vlad, leaning against his window sill as he asked, "So, I'm guessing none of them know you've come up to the castle, then?"

"No, but they probably will do soon," replied Robin, earning a sneer from Vlad as he explained, "The rope and hooks I stole to get up here were meant to be part of a family campout to celebrate Chloe getting on some Advanced Course that'll probably see her in Oxford or Cambridge by the time she starts bleeding from her…"

"I get it," agreed Vlad, though not before he laughed as he added, "So, the Deadbeat Dad, Misery-Loving Mum, Self-Delusional Sister and Bastard Brothers will be coming up here to see if we know anything about your location?"

"That and Elizabeth…sorry…I mean, Mum will be putting on her airs and graces to get to know our new neighbours; trust me, if she doesn't make at least one judgmental remark about you living here, I'll feed myself to your wolf alive!"

"Actually, Zoltan's a Hellhound, but I appreciate the wager nonetheless," chuckled Vlad, holding up a hand to silence Zoltan's hungry growls, even as he went on, "However, there is a much-simpler way you can deal with the disgusting breather brigade, if you're up for it."

"You mean you're not going to kill me?"

"Not yet," sniggered Vlad, his eyes flashing black again as he beckoned Robin forwards with a single finger.

"Follow me…I'll explain on the way."

Dracul

To Vlad's surprise, by the time he'd dealt with his intruder, and then gone to lead Robin out of the tower and back into the main body of the castle, the Count was up and about, earning a surprised look from Robin while Vlad smiled with a mixture of amusement and relief when he saw his Father sat upon his throne, his eyes closed in meditation while an air of ominous, dark essence seemed to linger in the very air itself.

Nearby, an ornate fireplace was filled by low-burning, darkest-golden-coloured flames while, as Vlad looked around, he saw cobwebs being spun in the rafters while the windows themselves slowly darkened, thanks to a very thick band of dark thunderclouds that seemed to cover the skies over the head of the castle.

"Direct sunlight hurts vampires more than daylight itself," explained Vlad, sensing Robin's urge to ask about what was happening, even as the vampire boy continued, "Dad's not a Death Mage like me, but he does have an exceptionally-powerful Dark Core, which is where all vampires draw their supernatural gifts from. Then again, he's not only over six hundred years old, he's also…"

"Count Dracula," finished Robin, earning a surprised look from Vlad while, in his throne, the Count's eyes snapped open and flashed blood-red, even as Robin indicated the spot behind the Count's throne, "I remember seeing the dragon crest in one of my books: I probably should have guessed it, mind you, given your name's Vladimir."

"And yours," growled the Count suddenly, earning another surprised look from his son and heir, even as the dark master rose from his throne, his eyes fixed on Robin while his fangs were bared hungrily as he snarled, "Is apparently dinner, breather-mage…"

"Dad, no!" insisted Vlad, spreading his arms wide in a bid to defend Robin.

However, when the Count looked to his son and heir, Vlad smiled wolfishly as he told Count Dracula, "I know how hungry for fresh blood you are, but you can't touch him because I claim him: from this day forth, the breather-mage known as Robin Branagh is now mine by the Ancient Laws of Blood-Branding!"

To Robin's disbelief, even with everything Vlad had explained about what he was going to ask of the elder vampire on his way down to the throne room, Count Dracula's bloodthirsty demeanour vanished as quickly as it had appeared; even his eyes returned to their normal, alluringly-dark colour, while the elder vampire smiled with a mixture of fatherly pride and curiosity as he asked, "You…you claim him? But Vladdy, I thought you said you didn't want to go through claiming anyone until you started to go through your teenage years?"

"Well, he is a wizard, like me, which means he'll be getting a letter soon, like me, and that might even mean he'll be going to the school, like me," said Vlad, shrugging at his Father's proud, but still-dumbfounded look, even as the young vampire asked, "Can you think of anyone better to be there by my side against the rest of these peace-and-light-loving breather-magi?"

"Perhaps," replied the Count.

"And besides," said Vlad, clasping Robin's shoulder as he explained, "He did offer himself to me and was even willing to let me kill him if I wanted to do it and, as much as I would like to ease your hunger and give him to you, Dad, I think I'd prefer it if anyone who offered themselves to me was bitten, marked and turned, if not killed, by me!"

To the Count's surprise, as well as Vlad's mild shock, the last word in Vlad's argument was edged by a bestial snarl of his own, which made the room darken that little bit more while an air of dark magic and pure evil seemed to lace Vlad's expression, earning a proud, booming laugh from the Count as he moved towards his son and heir.

Kneeling down as he reached Vlad, the Count clasped his son's shoulders as he asked, "Did you hear that, Vladimir? Your voice started to break: oh, this is a grand day indeed! It means your powers are advancing much faster than we thought; why? You never know, my son and heir; you might even have the fortune of going through your Transformation before your sixteenth birthday!"

"Awesome," laughed Vlad, though not before he cleared his throat as he indicated Robin, "But we can talk about that later, Dad; for now…what do you say? Can I keep him?"

The Count hummed in response, even as he looked from Vlad to Robin as he asked, "Do you know what it is he is asking me to allow him to do with you, breather-mage?"

"I know it will, basically, make me his slave…his pet, and nothing more than a light bite if he needs it," said Robin, though his voice was a little shaky, having witnessed his friend's power for himself in the presence of the elder, stronger and just-as-scary-looking vampire lord.

And yet, Robin didn't back down, even as he continued, "I know it's so binding that the bond will only be broken when he turns me or he kills me, whichever comes first. I also know it'll basically put a leash around my neck that he can use to make me obey him, but, with all due respect, Count Dracula, sir…like he said, I was willing to give myself to him anyway; all this would be is like…um…putting the first collar on a new puppy…"

Then, to Vlad's amusement, Robin cocked his head to one side as he drawled, "So, all I have to say about that is…woof-woof."

Even as Vlad laughed in response to his new companion's willingness, the Count's dark laughter resonated through the throne room once again as he looked from Robin to Vlad before he added, "In that case, as the Lord of Clan Dracula, I give you permission and my approval to claim him, my son and heir…RENFIELD!"

Again, the room trembled as the Count roared like the dragon on his crest, earning several loud crashes from beyond the throne room as the dirty manservant hurried to obey his master's summons. "Yes Master?"

"First, don't take so long to respond next time, you pestilent toad-spawn," growled the Count, though not before he indicated Vlad and Robin as he added, "And second, fetch the Blood Branding Set: my son is about to make a very special decision that cannot wait!"

To Vlad's amusement, knowing what he did about the pus-riddled freak of nature, Renfield scowled at the fact that it was Vlad who was going to make the choice and not the Count himself, whom Renfield had been trying, and failing, to convince for years to give him The Bite. Now, here was Vlad with this newcomer breather and, within a day, he was already being Blood Branded.

As Renfield sulked and left, muttering under his breath, Vlad looked back to his Father as he added, "Also, as I'm claiming him, I want Robin to stay here in the castle; he'll share my room, but you might have to go and hypnotise, or maybe capture, kidnap and slowly torture and make beg for death, the disgustingly-arrogant breathers he lives with!"

When the Count's eyes widened at his son's dark request, Vlad winked as he asked, "Come on, Dad: I promised you I'd find you someone to eat, remember? You just have to learn to ration the blood, so they're left begging for death…after all…you know my belief."

"Death should be a release, not a punishment," agreed the Count, laughing in his dark way as he hugged Vlad close, the fatherly pride and warm, but dark sense of familial joy and love both awe-inspiring and a little awkward to witness as the Count exclaimed, "And that is why you are always going to be the greatest thing I have ever done in over six hundred years, Vladimir!"

"Ah," added Vlad, removing himself from his Father as he turned to Robin, who looked somewhere between alarmed and in an almost-limitless, immeasurably-potent state of gratitude and wonder, even as Vlad addressed him again. "And since I'm letting you live long enough to help me at school, Robin, you ought to know that my true name is Vladimir Dracula, but, once upon a time, I was known by a name you'll hear a lot about when the rest of the breather-magi decide it's time to make themselves known."

"What name…Master?" asked Robin, earning a proud smile from the Count, even as Vlad chuckled in response before he answered Robin.

"Once upon a time, before I was fully-accepted into my Father's clan and anointed as his heir, I was known as Harry James Potter."

Chapter 3 and, wow, talk about more surprises and curiosities: I'm sure you can fill in the blank, but I'll ask anyway: could there be a reason for Robin's persona non grata status with the very annoying Branagh Clan?

Also, how will he react to the so-called truth of the status of his friend-turned-Master as the two of them prepare for magic school?

Keep Reading to Find Out

Next Chapter: Vlad and Robin finally receive their letters for Hogwarts, which brings out some curiosities in Vlad that leaves very little room for arguments, especially since one of those curiosities concerns his new pet;

Please Read and Review

AN: Robin and the Branaghs

So, as I said, I bet you can figure out where I'm going with Robin in this, but let me say this much:

In Young Dracula canon, Robin is the ONLY Branagh I can stand!

Honestly, any fans of the show will probably agree with me when I say it's like looking at Muggle/Breather versions of the Weasleys and the Dursleys put together;

Chloe's so annoying with her 'I know more than you' thing that it's like looking at Hermione crossed with Percy Weasley and then throw in the arrogance of everyone else, while the naïve mind and overly-motherly attitude of Elizabeth is like looking at Molly without magic.

And as for her husband and those bratty twin brothers…I wouldn't go so far as to insult everyone's favourite demons, but as for the Branagh twins, they're basically dense, less-fat versions of Dudley with about as much common sense as the Dursleys, and probably Percy Weasley, have between them, not to mention Ron's jealous streak, naivety and weak-willed thoughts turned up to the highest-level possible when it comes to Ingrid paying attention to anyone, but them

And the husband/father of the brood is so stupid; it's like Arthur Weasley's naivety about how 'fascinating' Muggles are turned up to an 11, especially when it comes to him voicing his opinions on things and his jealousy aimed at the Count because of how he is towards Elizabeth – who, let's face it, only escaped biting because the writers had to keep it clean – is basically Ron's envy turned up just as high.

So, for me, they're better off not really featuring in this story and, at the same time, a reasonable explanation for the way Robin's nothing like them – thank Darkness.