221: Felicia, You Set Me Up!

"Absolutely delighted!" Penelope said with a smile—before her expression quickly turned cold. "Did you really think I would say that, Professor?"

"What a pity." Archduchess Felicia squeezed herself into the seat that Sheila had vacated, leaning against her brother as she murmured like a whisper before sleep, "I only gave you a chance to get closer to Nolan. Look, aside from Miss Eve, no other girl at Hogwarts is closer to him than you now."

"Don't take it out on Felicia," Nolan said softly. "Like I told you, Penelope, this is entirely your own doing." Then, turning to his sister, he asked, "So, Felicia, what made you take an interest in Penelope? What sets her apart from the other witches?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I know you enjoy playing games, especially watching self-proclaimed clever fools dance in the palm of your hand. But you wouldn't go so far as to toy with an underage witch just out of boredom. You started pulling strings with Penelope back when I was a first-year. So what exactly have you been planning?"

Felicia snapped her fingers, then gleefully wrapped her arms around Nolan's neck and kissed him hard on the lips. It was only after a long moment that she let go, smiling mischievously. "You're as sharp as ever, Nolan!"

Penelope blinked her wide eyes, momentarily stunned before she gasped in horror, frantically warning, "Professor, have some decency! Nolan is your blood brother!"

"Decency?" Felicia looked genuinely puzzled. "Why should I care about that? I remained single for centuries—so lonely I nearly perished from it—until at last, my mother bore me my destined partner. And you're telling me to be decent?" She turned to Nolan and added sweetly, "Miss Penelope is the dead-bond I've prepared for you."

"I figured as much. But hold on a moment." Nolan began counting on his fingers. "Sheila, Yurisha, Lúthfa, Shafa… I already have four dead-bonds. Adding a fifth now seems a little rushed, don't you think? I'm only fourteen."

"Lúthfa's transformation into a dark elf will take a few more years. She's your fourth dead-bond, technically."

"So, please, can we slow down a bit? I can barely keep up." Penelope, who was already overwhelmed, anxiously asked, "What is a dead-bond? Professor Felicia, what exactly do you want from me? I'm a student at Hogwarts! If something happens to me, Dumbledore won't just stand by and let it go!"

"You overestimate Dumbledore, my dear," Felicia said with a teasing smile, licking her fingers. "The transformation ritual for dead-bonds is set for tomorrow. You have one night to digest this new knowledge, little wildcat. But here's one thing I can tell you—some vampire clans call it a 'familiar bond,' while others refer to it as something else… a vampire bride."

…

Night, or perhaps day.

Penelope wasn't sure. There were no clocks in the room the Von Draugr family had assigned to her, and she couldn't rely on the view outside. After all, in Randall Gorge, the silver moon hung high in the sky twenty-four hours a day, as though the sun had never existed.

She tossed and turned on the soft bed.

There was no way she could sleep.

Penelope reflected on her life thus far—a simple and unremarkable existence. Though her family wasn't wealthy, they had enough to get by. She was born into an ordinary wizarding household, with Muggle-born parents who had no real ties to the magical world. As for their Muggle relatives, they had long since lost contact.

Because really, how could a normal family remain close with someone they considered a terrifying wizard?

Gold was, without a doubt, important—Penelope had always understood that.

And now, an opportunity was right in front of her.

Should she become a vampire and join the Von Draugr family?

The initial shock had passed, allowing her to think more rationally.

First, there was the enigma of Professor Felicia.

Two years ago, when she taught Defense Against the Dark Arts, she had never cast a single spell throughout the entire year. Instead, she focused solely on teaching students how to fight. Looking back, that was highly unnatural. How could a professor at Hogwarts not even carry a wand?

Did Hogwarts truly not know about the Von Draugr siblings' identities?

Penelope doubted it.

From what she had witnessed today, the Von Draugr family was clearly a noble house among vampires. Even at the ballroom, where she had clung to Nolan's side like a lowly concubine, those elegantly dressed vampires had still shown her respect.

That meant the Von Draugr family was high up in the hierarchy.

And if that was the case, there was no way Dumbledore didn't understand the weight of their name.

Yet, despite knowing this, he had still allowed Nolan to attend Hogwarts and let Felicia teach there.

What did that mean?

Was Hogwarts trying to curry favor with the Von Draugr family? Was the great white wizard Dumbledore actively seeking their goodwill?

The mere thought made Penelope's hands and feet go numb.

The smarter she was, the more terrifying truths she could deduce from Nolan's true identity.

Dumbledore was trying to win over the Von Draugr family. That much was undeniable.

But why? To seek immortality?

No… that was unthinkable. Dumbledore was not one to chase eternal life. If anything, he abhorred it. His close friend, Nicolas Flamel, was a renowned alchemist. If Dumbledore had wanted immortality, he could have easily borrowed a Philosopher's Stone.

Then was it for the Von Draugr family's combat prowess?

To fight against someone?

Voldemort?

Just like how Dumbledore now went to great lengths to protect Harry Potter.

Which meant that, in Dumbledore's eyes, the Von Draugr family was not an enemy of the wizarding world.

They were an ally. A faction that could be courted, appeased, and treated as partners in battle.

Wizards and the secretive vampire clans…

If that was the case, then becoming a vampire wouldn't mean betraying the wizarding world or her parents.

A long lifespan. Unimaginable wealth. A mind that transcended human understanding. Many rich and powerful figures surely craved such things.

And all she had to do was accept Archduchess Felicia's invitation.

Penelope could hardly find a reason to refuse.

The offer was too tempting.

So tempting that a mere Hogwarts student like her stood no chance of resisting.

"But…"

Penelope was not a good witch.

She played mind games, used her beauty to string boys along, fed them unrealistic fantasies, and fought younger girls for the attention of the most outstanding wizard in the school—Nolan.

And even after leaving Hogwarts, she would probably continue scheming her way through life.

However…

Though she wasn't sure what made a good witch, she at least knew what she shouldn't do.

If her parents found out she had become an undead, never to feel warmth again, never to have a normal family…

How heartbroken would they be?

With that thought, Penelope slapped her cheeks and sat up from the bed.

She pushed open the window and looked out.

"Get a grip, Penelope. Nothing has started yet."

~~~----------------------

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