"I can certainly lend you a flying device, but on one condition—you must leave someone behind to assist me." The witch's gaze locked onto Nolan, her eyes glinting with unmistakable greed.
"If I'm not mistaken, you are a vampire, aren't you? How intriguing. A dark creature like yourself actually coexisting peacefully with humans? Aren't they afraid you'll drain them dry?" The witch sneered, her tone laced with mockery.
She had expected her words to stir fear and distrust among the humans, but to her surprise, Harry and the others showed no sign of rejection.
"We are comrades. We would never harm one another," Harry declared with conviction. If not for Nolan's help in the Chamber of Secrets, Ginny might have fallen victim to Tom Riddle's sinister plot, and he himself could have perished from the basilisk's venom.
"What an odd little group. But no matter, I don't particularly care about such things. As it happens, my latest research requires vampire blood. If this fine gentleman here…" The witch's gaze darkened as she fixated on Nolan, her voice dripping with anticipation. "If our dear vampire friend is willing to assist, then I will not only lend you a flying device but also teach you a spell to accelerate your journey back to the school."
Her meaning was clear—if Nolan refused, she would not hand over the flying device.
"That's out of the question! Nolan, we should find another way!" Astoria clung to Nolan's arm in distress, unwilling to let him agree to such a demand. This wrinkled, hideous old hag was clearly up to no good—she couldn't be allowed to get her way.
"You only need vampire blood?" Nolan mused, appearing deep in thought.
If it was merely a matter of blood, there was no real issue. Nolan could simply summon one of his subordinates and have them offer some. It was nothing worth worrying over.
"Yes, just vampire blood." The witch believed she had successfully ensnared her prey, her eyes flashing with a sinister light. She could almost taste the scent of fresh, rich vampire blood in the air.
Without another word, Nolan stepped beneath a large tree, ensuring no one else could see him, and retrieved a glass vial. With a slight movement of his hand, a bat suddenly materialized in front of him. At his command, the bat squeezed out several drops of its blood into the vial before vanishing into the night.
When Nolan returned to the witch, holding the now-filled vial, the woman's greed became almost tangible. It was as if a pair of invisible hands were reaching out, desperate to snatch the vial away.
Nolan, however, did not immediately hand it over. He held the vial high. "The flying device, and the spell to accelerate it," he demanded coldly.
The witch, utterly consumed by her obsession with the blood, barely hesitated. She hastily tossed the flying device into Hermione's arms and quickly instructed her on how to operate it, along with the spell that would increase its speed.
After confirming the device worked, Hermione nodded toward Nolan.
"This is the only blood you'll get. I won't be giving you a second vial," Nolan stated firmly before finally relinquishing the glass vial.
The witch had originally wanted to keep Nolan himself, hoping to extract blood from him continuously. But realizing that the students had alternative means of travel and would not be entirely helpless without her device, she had no choice but to settle for the vial of blood and allow Nolan to leave with the others.
"This is absolutely outrageous…" Dumbledore's anger was palpable when he learned what had transpired. His usual calm demeanor shattered, replaced by genuine frustration.
He could scarcely believe the reckless audacity of these students.
"It wasn't anyone's fault," Ginny spoke up timidly. "It was my brother's curiosity that got us into trouble. And we only left the castle to gather moonlight-cured cinnamon bark for our studies…"
"I sincerely apologize, Professor Dumbledore." Ginny's eyes were filled with guilt and remorse, her voice trembling slightly.
Her pitiful expression softened Dumbledore's fury somewhat. He let out a slow sigh before addressing the group again.
"Ron's condition is dire. His body can no longer withstand any magic. Thankfully, Nolan acted swiftly, freezing him in time before the curse could devour him entirely. Otherwise, he would already be dead."
"I will contact a specialist to perform an exorcism spell and extract the lingering resentment from his body. However, this process will take time. You should all return to your dormitories and rest. You will see a healthy Ron again in a few days."
Dumbledore clearly did not wish to dwell on the matter any further. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed them, eager to begin preparations for Ron's recovery.
After leaving Dumbledore's office, Nolan made his way to the Dark Arts professor's office and knocked on the door.
"Come in," came the refined voice of Laurie Faulkner.
Nolan entered and placed a small, writhing toad on the professor's desk.
"This is what you asked for." Nolan's gaze briefly flickered with intrigue, as if he had noticed something amusing, but he quickly concealed his expression.
"Well done." Laurie Faulkner's lips curled into a pleased smile. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to seek me out. When it comes to the Dark Arts, I am willing to share all I know."
The professor had high hopes for Nolan. A vampire, a dark creature by nature, who had shown remarkable talent in magic—it was an opportunity too rare to ignore.
Faulkner was eager to push Nolan further, to see just how powerful he could become.
Unfortunately, Hogwarts had strict regulations, and even he had to abide by them.
Upon returning to his dormitory, Nolan paused at the entrance.
He furrowed his brows slightly as his eyes landed on a petite figure curled up on the common room's sofa—Astoria.
The moment she saw him, Astoria immediately stood up, her expression filled with apprehension. "Do you think Ron will be alright?" she asked nervously.
For once, she wasn't trying to flirt with him. This was an unexpected change.
Raising an eyebrow in slight surprise, Nolan walked over to the table, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to her.
"Judging by Dumbledore's attitude, he intends to handle this personally. With him in charge, Ron's life should be safe," Nolan replied calmly.
There were some things he chose not to say aloud.
After all, if worse came to worst, Dumbledore still had his pet phoenix.
A few drops of phoenix tears could cure almost anything.