<h4>Chapter 2: Reunion with Nico mel</h4>


    No. 21 Montmorency Street, within a room of medieval style filled with an aura of the bizarre, Drac loungedfortably by the window, gently swirling the wine ss in his hand.


    "So, a lot of interesting things happened while I was asleep for a hundred years?" He took a small sip of the crimson liquid, musing.


    "Global wizarding war, the love and hate entanglements of two genius wizards, an intriguing magical creature expert and his Muggle friend, a terrifying Dark Lord... Damn it! How many fascinating events have I missed in my century of slumber?"


    He then turned his gaze to the elderly man before him and asked, somewhat irritably:


    "Old man, why didn''t you wake me up?"


    Standing before Drac was an old man with white hair and a face full of wrinkles, looking at him with helplessness.


    "You never told me where your coffin was hidden. How was I supposed to wake you?" the old man replied.


    Drac nced silently at therge crystal ball on the workbench by the window and couldn''t help but curl his lip.


    "We''ve known each other for centuries, and I still don''t know you? I think you were just afraid I''d join forces with that Grindelwald guy!" Drac downed the remaining wine in his ss and added, "Otherwise, your divination skills must be pretty useless."


    At this moment, another elderly woman with white hair approached, refilling Drac''s ss with a rich red wine, and said with a smile:


    "After not seeing each other for a hundred years, it''s understandable not to be moved to tears, but why start arguing right away?"


    "Perennelle, you came just in time. Judge this for us," Drac thanked her and then, picking up his ss again,ined, "Do you think this old man Nics did it on purpose, making me miss so many interesting things."


    Perennelle mel just smiled withoutmenting.


    "Alright, alright, I knew you''din, so I found you a new interesting ce to be," Nics mel, seemingly guilty, said with a smile.


    Drac, about to raise his ss, paused mid-air and turned to look at him.


    "In recent years, there''s been a phenomenon at Hogwarts that I think you''ll be interested in," Nics continued. "It''s said that the Defense Against the Dark Arts position is cursed by a Dark Lord, and for fifty years, no professor hassted more than a year in that role."


    Looking at Drac''s expression, Nics teased, "How about it? Would the legendary Count Drac be afraid of such a curse?"


    A knowing smile slowly spread across Drac''s lips.


    "Interesting."


    With a tter, Drac mmed the wine ss onto the windowsill.


    He then pushed open the window beside him and stepped onto the window frame.


    "Nics, Perennelle, we''ll meet again!" Drac turned to the mels, who had yet to react, and cheerfully bid them farewell.


    The next moment, he leaped from Nics'' window.


    Apanied by a flurry of bats, Drac''s figure vanished into the night sky, leaving only the blood-red wine in the ss swaying on the windowsill.


    The reflected moon in the wine turned crimson, shining brightly.


    The mels stood there, bewildered, exchanging nces.


    "Is he not even staying for a meal?" Perennelle asked, half-amused.


    "You should know Drac by now," Nics shook his head slightly and sighed, "He''s always been like this. If he finds something interesting, he''ll go for it no matter what."


    "After all, a thousand years is a long, dull time..."


    ...


    In the still of the night, a towering castle stood firm against the backdrop.


    The castle''s spires rose high, with countless windows lit, mingling with the stars above. The distant rising dawn added a purple-red hue to the castle''s edges, enhancing its mysterious grandeur.


    In the brightly lit headmaster''s office at Hogwarts, Drac, d in ck and red robes, appeared silently by the window, surveying the room.


    The oncezy phoenix, feeling his presence, pped its wings and warily perched on the shoulder of an elderly white-haired man before the desk.


    The tall, slender man, dressed in a purple wizard''s robe, had silver hair and a beard long enough to be tucked into his belt.


    Seeing the uninvited guest, he seemed unsurprised. He gently stroked the phoenix Fawkes to calm its nervousness.


    Then he looked at Drac, smiling and gesturing to the several cups on the table.


    "Good morning, Count Drac. Nics often mentioned you," he said, as if greeting an old friend. "Tea, juice, or coffee?"


    Drac frowned at the drinks before him and lightly shook his head.


    "No need." He pulled out the chair in front of the desk and sat down, addressing the old man, "You must be Albus Dumbledore, the current headmaster of Hogwarts?"


    Dumbledore smiled and nodded.


    Simultaneously, he rummaged through the desk drawer, eventually pulling out a blood-red lollipop.


    "I almost forgot, vampires probably don''t like these ordinary drinks." He handed the lollipop to Drac, cheerfully adding, "Try this! A blood-vored lollipop from Honeydukes'' Sweet Treat Pack. You might like it."


    Drac''s mouth twitched as he looked at the lollipop.


    "Headmaster Dumbledore, I''m here to discuss something very important. Please take this seriously," he said, decisively refusing the lollipop and producing a parchment filled withplex runes from his pocket.


    "This is the deed to Hogwarts. Szar Slytherin set a thousand-year lease starting in 991 AD, and this year, 1991, marks the end of that lease."


    "Headmaster, the lease on Hogwarts is up!" Drac smirked. "You wouldn''t want the students to be homeless, would you?"


    Dumbledore''s face showed a brief moment of surprise, then returned to his usual calm.


    Adjusting his sses, he took the parchment and examined it closely.


    From Dumbledore''s perspective, he could see the magical energy identical to that of the castle, along with the signatures of the four founders, confirming its authenticity beyond doubt.


    Considering Drac''s age and his rumored connection to Slytherin, Dumbledore had to acknowledge the deed''s legitimacy.


    "Count Drac, I hear you were great friends with the four founders," he said, trying to soften the situation. "Hogwarts was their pride and joy. You wouldn''t just take it back, would you?"


    "That depends on your performance." Drac leaned back in his chair, chuckling. "If you can find me something interesting, maybe I''ll extend the deadline a bit."


    "That can be arranged," Dumbledore sighed with relief, pulling out a prepared letter from his desk. "We have an opening for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. The position has seen numerous professors leave due to various misfortunes over the past fifty years. Perhaps, Count Drac, you might find it intriguing."