25: The Fall
"Something's wrong! Eve's falling!" Miles Bletchley shouted.
Alicia Spinnet exclaimed angrily, "I saw it! That girl bumped into her just now! How dare she—they're both Slytherins!"
The twins grew frantic, yelling toward the sky, "Steady yourself, Stock! You can do it!"
Nolan Von Draugr, however, calmly remarked, "Actually, she can't."
Eve was far too timid. Faced with sudden danger, she panicked completely, forgetting how to fly and clinging desperately to her broom. This only made her broom careen wildly through the air, tilting and spinning uncontrollably. She was moments away from falling.
"Nolan, do something—!" Miles instinctively turned to Nolan but realized he was already gone.
The dark-haired young vampire was sprinting across the field, a broom clutched in his hands. After a running start, he mounted the broom and kicked off the ground, launching straight into the sky.
"He's airborne!"
"And so fast!"
"That's amazing!" George and Fred Weasley cheered loudly.
But Alicia's sharp eyes caught a disturbing sight: Nolan's broom was rattling ominously. "Oh no! His broom's falling apart! He's going to crash!"
Miles shouted back, "Nolan won't crash!"
At that moment, Nolan wasn't thinking about his broom at all. His crimson eyes stayed locked on Eve. In his mind, he could see her wide-eyed, mouth open, silently crying out for help.
She was always helpless, always isolated. A fool and a coward, too weak to handle things on her own. Why did she always come to him for help?
And why, despite everything, did Nolan feel compelled to save her?
Eve was just a fledgling witch—nothing more than a Muggle before discovering her magic. To Nolan, she was an inferior being. A Muggle wouldn't care about the life of a cat or dog, would they?
…Then again, perhaps they would, if those animals were their pets.
"Faster." Nolan tightened his grip on the broom. By now, the tail of the broom had burst into flames.
"Faster." He pressed his body flat against the handle. The wooden frame began splintering, chunks breaking off.
Nolan and the broom streaked through the sky like an arrow, leaving behind faint black smoke and falling shards of wood. By the time he reached Eve, the broom had completely disintegrated beneath him. With one last burst of speed, Nolan lunged through the air, grabbing Eve's small frame and tearing her away from the out-of-control broom.
"He's going to crash into the tower!" Miles shouted, clutching his hair in panic.
"Oh my God!" The young witches covered their eyes, unable to bear the sight of two children smashing into a wall.
Nolan's expression remained steady. He tucked Eve's head under his arm, pivoted mid-air, and used his shoulder to slam into the tower.
A deafening crash echoed across the grounds as bricks shattered on impact. A large bloodstain marked the tower's wall as Nolan and Eve began their descent.
Thunk! That was Nolan hitting a windowsill.
Crash! Rustle, rustle! That was Nolan tumbling through the branches of a tree.
Five or six seconds later, the two of them hit the ground, rolling across the grass.
Eve staggered to her feet, surprisingly unharmed. Her silver hair was a bit messy, her little face smudged with dirt, and her robes were torn from the branches, but she didn't seem injured.
But what about Nolan?
"Nolan!" His ever-loyal roommate Miles was the first to rush over, but he didn't dare touch him. Nolan looked so battered and bloodied that Miles couldn't even tell if he was still alive.
"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…" The twins could do nothing but run in circles, muttering in helpless panic.
"Someone go get Madam Pomfrey!" Alicia, the only one who still had some presence of mind, shouted desperately.
Eve stood frozen, staring blankly at Nolan's blood-covered body. Her legs buckled beneath her, and she collapsed in a faint, completely unconscious.
"Good thing he survived, otherwise... A vampire dying from falling? That's a joke you could take all the way to Hell and still get laughs."
Half-asleep, Nolan Von Draugr heard someone speaking near his ear.
Next came a familiar female voice snapping, "Shut up, Severus Snape! Say another word about my brother, I dare you! Do you think your status as a Death Eater guarantees your safety? I'll lock you up, let a ghoul tear your flesh piece by piece, feed your blood to the bloodfruit plants, and use your marrow to feed the fish!"
The first voice fell silent.
A second female voice chimed in, "I must say, Mr. Von Draugr has truly surprised me. His willingness to use his body to save a witch demonstrates remarkable nobility."
The first female voice sounded pleased. "Go on, say more! I approve!"
The second female voice hesitated, then softened with a tone of reluctant admiration, "Although vampires think differently from wizards, Mr. Von Draugr has shown that he can integrate well into the wizarding world if he chooses to. He may appear cold, but unlike most vampires, he does care for others. However, it's likely he follows his own rules—rules that won't bend to common sense. He sees his own principles as paramount, which might come off as stubborn or arrogant. But in truth, we haven't taken the time to communicate with him. Now, I think he's a noble young man, no different from any wizard."
A deep, aged voice added, "Well said, Minerva. I believe Mr. Von Draugr has earned our trust through his actions. Duchess Felicia, I imagine your brother will grow into an exceptional Slytherin."
The first female voice replied proudly, "Of course! My brother is the best. He doesn't need to become a Slytherin, though, because he'll surpass all you wizards combined! Besides, I've noticed Nolan's recovery rate is accelerating—an indication of his growing strength. I suppose it's time I start looking for his next thrall…"
After a long while, Nolan finally awoke.
When vampires are gravely injured, they enter a state of restorative sleep, emerging only when their bodies have fully healed.
Nolan swiftly sat up in bed. As soon as he raised his head, he was met with Albus Dumbledore's wise eyes gazing at him over half-moon spectacles.
"Good evening, Professor."
"Good evening, Nolan," Dumbledore replied cheerfully, gesturing toward a pile of candies by the bed. "Would you like some Bloody Toffees? Professor McGonagall brought them earlier; she said you're fond of the flavor."
"Indeed, I am," Nolan admitted eagerly, tearing open a wrapper without hesitation. At that moment, replenishing blood was exactly what he needed.
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Note: Ashley Thatcher has been renamed Cho Chang, and her sister, Maya Thatcher, has been renamed Bai Chang. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
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