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From that day on, Dracula never ate in the Hogwarts Great Hall again.
He was the oldest vampire in existence. This meant he did not suffer from the common weaknesses of lesser vampires—like being harmed by sunlight, silver, or garlic. However, his natural dislike for these things was a deep instinct he could not shake.
Luckily, things had changed since 1811. Grogan Stump, who was Minister for Magic then, established a new definition of 'being'. Goblins, vampires, hags, giants, house-elves, Veela, and werewolves in human form were all included. As a result, foods and drinks suited to magical creatures like goblins and vampires had slowly become more common over the last century.
Since waking up, Dracula had found many drinks and foods in the magical world made just for vampires. These included Honeydukes blood-flavoured lollipops, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour's blood-flavoured ice cream, and many other blood products. It was because of these much tastier options that he was completely unwilling to go to the Great Hall and face dishes like Sângerete.
In the month before school started, Dracula gave all the lesson plans and other prep work to his teaching assistant, Quirrell. He himself wandered all over Britain, looking for interesting things to do. As for any sense of duty as a professor—Dracula probably did not have such a thing.
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Before they knew it, the 1st of September arrived. This was the day Hogwarts started its school year.
The older students got out of the Thestral-drawn carriages one by one. They went past the main castle building where classes were held. They made their way to the magnificent Great Hall in the southwest wing.
Inside the hall, 4 incredibly long tables stretched out. Thousands of candles floated in the air above them, making the huge space bright. Shiny gold plates and goblets were set on the 4 tables. Another long table was on a platform at the head of the hall—this was where the teachers sat.
'Lee, fancy a wager with us?'
Beside the Gryffindor table, 2 identical red-haired boys stood shoulder to shoulder. A familiar mischievous look was in their eyes as they spoke to the dark-skinned boy next to them.
'Never mind anything else,' said George, one of the twins, with a knowing wink. 'Let's bet on how long this year's Defence Against the Dark Arts professor can actually last in the job!'
Lee Jordan, the dark-skinned boy, turned his head away with a dramatic sigh. 'Oh, here we go. No, I am not betting with you 2—you're walking, talking trouble!' he declared, though a smile played on his lips.
'Oi, come on now, Lee, don't be like that, mate!' Fred, the other twin, slung an arm casually around Lee's shoulder. He pulled him back into their group. 'Just hear us out! Our very generous guess is… the new prof won't even make it 6 months!'
Lee Jordan's eyes widened. The whites of his eyes almost seemed to glow in the candlelight against his dark skin. '6 months? Are you completely barmy?' he exclaimed. The challenge in his voice was clear. 'Alright, you're on! That's practically giving money away! I say 9 months, easy!'
George scoffed, nudging his brother. 'Dream on, Jordan! 9 months? He'll be lucky to see past Halloween, let alone Christmas! 6 months is us being kind. Even a slightly competent garden gnome could probably last longer than that. Prepare to hand over your sweet stash, mate!'
Jordan confidently slammed a gold Galleon onto the table.
Fred and George exchanged knowing smiles. They had already decided that if the professor had not left within 6 months, they would—ah—lend a hand to help the new professor's timely departure.
Just as the 2 were beginning to imagine how to spend the Galleon they were about to win, a slender, pale hand reached over. It placed a thick stack of Galleons next to Jordan's single coin.
Fred and George: '!!!'
The twins could swear on Merlin's beard that they had never seen so many Galleons in their entire lives.
The 2 turned their heads in shock to look at the owner of the hand. They saw a silver-haired wizard standing behind them. A playful smile was on his lips.
'I will bet 20 Galleons that the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor will not leave.'
Hearing Dracula's words, Fred and George were overjoyed. Everyone knew that no Defence Against the Dark Arts professor ever stayed. The position was cursed. They were definitely going to win this time.
'It is decided then, no take-backs!' they said at the same time.
The 2 high-fived each other and jumped up and down in the hall, as if the 20-odd Galleons were already theirs.
However, as they jumped, Fred and George suddenly realised that the air around them had become strangely quiet. Lee Jordan, next to them, kept winking at them urgently. But because they were so caught up in their excitement, the 2 did not see his warnings at all.
'Ahem!'
A stern cough sounded in the twins' ears.
The 2 slowly turned their heads. They saw Professor McGonagall standing beside them. Her lips were pressed into a thin, disapproving line. The angry blush on Professor McGonagall's cheeks showed her growing fury. Her hands were clenched into fists, trembling with anger at these 2 troublemakers.
Only then did the twins realise that the hall was already full of people. Only the 2 of them were still jumping around as if no one was watching.
On the platform where the professors' seats were, only 2 seats were still empty. One of them was next to Dumbledore, who was looking at them with amusement. This seat belonged to Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall.
It did not take much imagination to figure out who the other empty seat belonged to. It was for the silver-haired wizard who had just made a bet with them. In this situation, anyone with a little sense could see that he was the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.
George and Fred opened their eyes wide in shock. They looked stiffly at Dracula, who still had a playful smile on his lips.
'Profe…Professor,' George said weakly. 'Would you believe us if we said it was not on purpose?'
'We just saw that Jordan was a little unhappy and wanted to make him laugh,' Fred added with a strained smile.
Lee Jordan, who was just trying to look like an innocent quail in the seat next to them, turned his head sharply when he heard this. He looked at Fred in disbelief.
'Quiet, Weasleys!' Professor McGonagall, having clearly had enough, snapped. She firmly guided the 2 red-haired boys back towards the Gryffindor table. Her voice was sharp with annoyance. 'To my office after the start-of-term feast. There will be quite enough detentions waiting for you to keep you busy for the next month!'
With that, Professor McGonagall swept from the Great Hall without a backward glance. She made her way to the entrance courtyard to welcome the new students.
Dracula looked at the 2 with interest, then chuckled and walked to his seat.
'Professor, your Galleons are still… Mmph.'
Fred wanted to discuss the 20 Galleons with Dracula. But he was immediately gagged by the quick-witted Lee Jordan. Lee took the chance to get back at Fred for his reckless attempt to blame him.
George then joined the scuffle. The 3 of them became tangled up like a knot of ropes.
But soon they separated again and sat bolt upright at the long table.
Because Professor McGonagall was back, bringing with her a group of eager new students.
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