Late into the night, the old wizards—still consumed by unanswered questions—retired to their guest rooms to rest.
Their problem remained unresolved, and this discussion was clearly going to stretch into the next day.
Nolan sat alone in the living room, staring blankly at a sheet of parchment covered in Runic inscriptions.
…
"Having trouble?"
Fleur's light, teasing voice floated into his ears as she placed a glass of tomato juice beside him.
"Trouble…" Nolan muttered absentmindedly, before picking up his wand and tracing over several Runes, showing them to her.
"The Transfiguration spell Ancestris functions normally, but these specific Runes—" he tapped at the parchment, "—can only be processed by a vampire's body. If an ordinary wizard tries to use them, it causes irreversible effects—either a state of berserk frenzy, or complete transformation into an animal. We're trying to replace these incompatible sequences… but it's not easy."
"If it were easy, wouldn't creating new spells become a trivial matter?" Fleur smirked.
She wasn't particularly interested in the technical aspects of Transfiguration, but she was very interested in watching Nolan's concentrated expression—the way his brows furrowed in deep thought.
It was exceptionally pleasing to the eye.
She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice.
"Tell me, vampire—do you think those old wizards have figured out who you really are?"
"Of course they have," Nolan replied without hesitation, utterly unconcerned.
"Ancestris is a spell that only a vampire could have invented. These wizards are experts in spellcraft, and rational thinkers—they figured out my identity long ago.
"But they don't mind."
He leaned back slightly, twirling his wand between his fingers.
"In the eyes of these wise old men, my identity is an open secret. In fact, there's never been much conflict between vampires—especially those from the Mystic Order—and wizards. If anything, they're actually thrilled that I'm willing to contribute knowledge of vampiric Transfiguration to their research."
Fleur chuckled.
"But what if the Hogwarts students found out? Don't you think they'd panic?"
Her smirk turned mischievous.
"They'd all be terrified of you."
Nolan cast her a sideways glance and replied in a deadpan voice,
"They already are."
Fleur raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? And what exactly are they afraid of?" she mused.
"Afraid that you'll charm every witch at Hogwarts using your vampiric allure?"
She leaned in closer, her silver hair shimmering under the dim candlelight, and smirked provocatively.
"So? Looks like it's not just Veela who have that kind of talent, hmm?"
Nolan's expression didn't change.
"I'm already being very restrained," he said evenly.
…
At that moment, Rachel walked over.
Noticing Nolan and Fleur sitting together, she frowned slightly, clearly unhappy about the scene before her.
"Oh. Am I interrupting something?" she asked, her voice just a touch too casual.
Fleur shrugged.
"Not at all," she replied lightly. "We were just chatting."
Rachel hesitated for a moment before stepping forward.
She placed a small dessert in front of Nolan, her cheeks tinged pink.
"I made this in the kitchen," she murmured, her voice a little shy. "Eating something sweet can help replenish energy—it's a common Muggle method for boosting mental focus."
Nolan eyed the dessert.
"I don't really like—"
He paused.
Then sighed.
"…Alright. Thank you."
Rachel pressed her lips together, her face glowing red as she hurriedly turned to leave.
But as she walked away, she shot Fleur a sharp glare, as if warning her to stay away from her vampire.
Fleur's jaw dropped slightly.
Then she turned to Nolan, her expression full of incredulity.
"This is what you call restraint?" she demanded.
"You seriously want to tell me that you didn't use your vampiric charm on her?"
Nolan's face darkened.
"…I've been very restrained," he muttered.
Then, without another word, he shoved the dessert toward Fleur.
"I don't like sweets. You can have it."
Fleur let out a delighted giggle, dramatically nodding in agreement.
"Alright, alright~" she hummed.
…
As she nibbled on the dessert, she rested her chin in her palm, eyes glinting with amusement.
"If Rachel confesses to you tomorrow, what will you do?" she asked.
"Reject her," Nolan said flatly.
Fleur pouted playfully.
"You're so cruel."
Then, after a moment's pause, she leaned in again, her voice curious.
"I heard that a lot of vampires—especially purebloods—have a… hobby of collecting beautiful women from different species.
"You don't have that kind of interest?"
Nolan's expression turned even darker.
"Veela, perhaps we should change the subject?" he suggested coldly.
Just then, another young wizard entered the room.
The moment he saw Fleur laughing and chatting with Nolan, his face twisted in displeasure.
His tone was sharp, almost impatient as he called out loudly,
"Vandor!"
Nolan raised an eyebrow.
"…Sorry," he said, giving the boy an unimpressed look. "I don't know your name."
Fleur let out a stifled snort, nearly bursting into laughter.
She grabbed Nolan's shoulder, as if trying to hold herself together.
The boy's eyes flashed with jealousy before he clenched his jaw and declared,
"I am Sareth Bernard—the greatest Transfiguration prodigy of Beauxbatons!"
Nolan frowned slightly.
He turned to Fleur.
"…He goes to your school?"
Fleur shrugged, her expression utterly indifferent.
"To be honest, we're not very familiar with each other," she said lazily. "He only tagged along when he heard that I was coming to Britain with my grandmother for this Transfiguration conference. I never invited him."
"Oh, I see." Nolan nodded thoughtfully, then turned his gaze toward the self-proclaimed Transfiguration prodigy standing before them. "But he just called himself a genius?"
The Beauxbatons wizard puffed out his chest with undisguised pride.
"I placed third in the Youth Division of the European Transfiguration Tournament!" he declared, his tone full of self-importance. "At Beauxbatons, no wizard surpasses me in the art of Transfiguration!"
Fleur gave another nonchalant shrug, as if to say, Well, that part's actually true.
Nolan let out a slow sigh, rubbing his temples.
"Alright, Mr. Third Place," he said dryly. "I have no idea why you came looking for me, but go ahead and say your piece."
The Beauxbatons wizard—Sareth Bernard—glanced at Fleur, visibly swallowing when he saw her bright smile. Then, composing himself, he turned his gaze back to Nolan and sneered.
"Do you even know who those old wizards are?" he demanded.
"Fifty years ago, every single one of them had the opportunity to become a high-ranking Ministry official—but they chose not to. Instead, they dedicated their lives to magical research! They are remarkable scholars, pioneers in their field!"
He jabbed a finger at Nolan, his voice full of scorn.
"And you—a mere beginner in Transfiguration—are nothing in comparison! So wipe that arrogance off your face!
"When the masters are speaking, you should shut your mouth and stand quietly to the side!"
The room fell into an abrupt silence.
Nolan and Fleur stared at him—both wearing identical expressions of sheer disbelief.
For a brief moment, there was no reaction.
Then, slowly, Sareth's smugness grew. He folded his arms, quite satisfied with himself, fully believing he had put Nolan in his place.
But before Nolan could respond, a sudden commotion erupted from upstairs.
A voice—loud and excited—echoed through the halls.
"Nolan! Nolan!"
It was Madam Helene, one of the elder wizards, and she was hurrying down the staircase, clutching a parchment full of Runes in her hands.
"I found a solution!" she shouted excitedly, nearly tripping over her own robes in her rush to reach him.
Nolan's eyebrows shot up.
"You really did?" he asked, taking the parchment from her hands with genuine surprise.
Madam Helene beamed with pride.
"I am certain this approach is correct! We can finalize the Transfiguration spell Ancestris!" she declared, her voice brimming with confidence.
"Even though it's an extremely complex spell, it doesn't require your vampiric bloodline as an ingredient—nor any other rare magical essence.
"We can substitute it with an enchanted concealment artifact as a stabilizing medium!"
"That's fantastic news."
Nolan wasted no time—he quickly copied the Runic sequences onto a fresh parchment, then raised his wand and began testing the modifications.
"A completely new approach," he muttered under his breath, carefully observing the effects.
After a few moments, his serious expression softened into one of satisfaction.
"I think we can crack this, Madam Helene," he said, nodding in approval. "You're a genius."
Fleur grinned proudly beside him.
"Of course, my grandmother is a genius!" she said, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
She had always admired her grandmother's brilliance.
"In Beauxbatons, no professor is more respected than her! Even Madame Maxime holds her in high regard!"
Madam Helene laughed fondly, reaching out to pinch Fleur's cheek in a playful, affectionate gesture.
She had always doted on her granddaughter.
Then, turning back to Nolan, she said, "Truthfully, we all know the real genius here is you, Nolan."
"If you weren't already Minerva's prized student at Hogwarts, I would have invited you to Beauxbatons myself!"
She chuckled.
"Even Olympe would have supported my decision. But alas, you already belong to Hogwarts."
The moment those words left her lips, Sareth Bernard's face turned absolutely black.
~~~----------------------
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