Harry Potter had always known who and, quite frankly, what he was

AN: Sorry about the delay in updates. I’m finding it a little strange to be writing about the first year. I keep thinking about what’s going to happen in later years, so my thoughts about this are slower in coming together. Hopefully the next chapter will be up a little sooner.

As always, I’m in need of a beta.

Chapter II - Hunting the Hunters

Harry Potter had always known who and, quite frankly, what he was.

The only child of a very powerful wizarding couple, he would have grown up with all of his needs taken care of. He would have gone to school, met a beautiful witch, been hired to work a notable job, had several children, garnered notable respect, and he would have died in his bed, arrogant, complacent, and plagued at every turn by adversity.

The seers had foreseen another path for him as well; one that would have come about not through the fates, but through the actions of one creature, no longer quite human. His parents would have been killed while he was still in infancy, and he would have been marked for life. He would have battled adversity, married a beautiful witch, worked a notable job, had several children, and he would have died, plagued by adversity, not really changing anything.

The night that James Potter made his pact with the Sídhe he erased both paths. The Aes Sídhe had taken Harry, and had given him to be raised by creatures of darkness; vampires, werewolves, harpies, banshees, and so many others: creatures of the night.

Raised as a human.

As a servant.

The seers of the dark clan Harry Potter had been invested to decided that since the boy was shuffling off the many chains of expected fate, he should be given a new name.

A new name to signify a new and foreign life.

They had called him Gabriel Cameo. The warrior of god, and the portrait of a shadow.

They were all convinced he would deliver them.

At eleven, Harry Potter had always known who, and what he was. He was Gabriel Cameo, ward of the Aes Sídhe, indebted to the dark clan with whom he was fostered, and forever living on borrowed time.

At the age of eleven, Gabriel was finally given a chance to start to repay his debt. Born to a powerful wizarding couple, it was to be expected that he be offered a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hogwarts; a place where vast numbers of dark artefacts were hidden.

A place his clan and coven had spent two years setting up his cover to get him in.

He could hardly wait.

MoEMoEMoEMoEMoEMoEMoEMoE

Gabriel woke early the morning of July 31st. He was aware that he would be required to keep daylight hours when he attended Hogwarts, but growing up with vampiric children and caretakers who preferred the nocturnal lifestyle left him more comfortable in the dark. He forced himself to sleep through the night, and so he saw no problem with waking a few hours before dawn to enjoy the solitude the early morning brought.

Creeping out of the room he shared with his guardian for the day, Cian, Gabriel went downstairs. He’d heard the kitchen staff at the Leaky Cauldron complain that they needed to be in early for a couple of customers leaving that morning, so he took a gamble that they might be able to fix him a quick breakfast as well.

He was more than a little startled to find his guardian sitting at one of the tables, reading the previous days paper, the current day’s paper not out yet. The young looking man smiled at the confused look he saw on Gabriel’s face.

“Just because I can walk about during the day doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the night time as much as the next fellow,” Cian said, pushing out a chair so that Gabriel could join him. “Besides, you made quite a bit of noise leaving our room just now. With your slow speed it wasn’t hard to make it down here without you noticing.”

At Gabriel’s petulant face, the young man laughed. This only seemed to make the Gabriel pout further. “Both Deanna and Lenson told me I was getting much better with stealth.”

Sobering, the man replied seriously. “You certainly have been. You nearly made it to the door before I roused. However, it’s going to take much more than that to get past a vampire who’s been around for more than a millennium.”

This seemed to cheer the boy up a fair amount, and his grin was nearly blinding when Cian whispered conspiratorially, “Besides, I think you’ve just gone through a growth spurt. It’ll take a little while for you to get accustomed to distributing the new weight.”

Gabriel stuck out his tongue at the elder vampire, and hopped into the seat that had been offered.

He supposed that to an outsider, it might be strange to watch a mere child treat a vampire who had been around since time immemorial with such disrespect, but it had always seemed natural to him. Cian was an elder vampire without any of the responsibilities of clan or sect leader. He had never been required to train the children of the clan, and he had no duties that Gabriel had seen. He simply seemed to wander from place to place, collecting stories and trinkets to bring back.

It didn’t hurt that he’d always seemed to have a soft spot for the young human.

All-in-all it made him the perfect choice to accompany Gabriel while he fetched his school supplies. An elder who was unaffected by sunlight with no other tasks to perform and no noticeably dark characteristics wasn’t easy to find. More importantly, to find such an individual willing to chaperone a human for the day was even harder.

While the seers and current clan leader did see the benefit of having a human wizard under their care, and the younger members of the clan had grown used to his presence amongst them, many of the older and elder clan members saw him as a nuisance at best. The majority saw him as a liability. After all, he was human, and they were sure he would sympathise with his kind.

Gabriel frowned at the thought. One of the elder werewolves had gone so far as to suggest he be turned before they sent him to Hogwarts. That way he would remain forever loyal to them.

He would have no other option.

Brows furrowed, Gabriel tried to dismiss his concerns. Cian had always treated him as an equal, and the clan leader was able to keep the rest of them in check.

“The Aes Sídhe brought you to us,” Cian stated bluntly, but quietly, breaking Gabriel free of his thoughts. “They saved you from Tom Riddle for a purpose, and they brought you to us for a purpose. They did not change you, and they did not mark you beyond the scar on your forehead. They wanted you to remain human, and it is only as a human that you will be able to accomplish whatever tasks are set before you by the gods.

“The others do not understand any of this but they will, with time. Tzadkiel and I know you are destined for great things, and so long as he is clan leader, nothing with come in your way.”

The statement caught Gabriel off guard. He shot Cian a sharp look, hoping for clarification, but the elder vampire had gone back to reading his paper.

Still, the knowledge that he’d been brought to the clan for a purpose, and that both Cian and Tzadkiel were behind him in it, set his mind at ease. Before he could voice the sentiment, however, a server brought out a plate of pancakes and pumpkin juice and all of his thoughts turned to his breakfast.

MoEMoEMoEMoEMoEMoEMoEMoE

That Gabriel was ecstatic to be purchasing his first wand was no secret among his peers and the clan elders. Among those in the clan with magical abilities, none had been educated in mortal wand magic; most only knew crude forms of focusing they’d taught themselves, and most were lucky to be able to light a candle without setting themselves on fire first. That Gabriel would be able to learn wand magic, and bring it back to his clan was something he was greatly looking forward to.

It was unfortunate for the clan, but any adult wizards turned by the vampires or werewolves usually refused to join the great clans, preferring to keep themselves isolated in their own groups, convinced of their superiority over the “savage creatures.” Any wizard or witch who hadn’t been turned was too fearful of the “beasts” to spend the time with them required to teach the skills, even if they did want to impart their most powerful weapon on creatures they’d been doing war with since before they could remember.

Gabriel knew he would be able to teach the clans whatever he learned, one of the few ways he had to repay the clan leader for raising him and housing him over the years.

Bouncing as he went, Gabriel followed Cian as he was led towards Olivander’s, Maker of fine wands since 394BC. He rushed ahead when he saw the sign, headless of anything else on the street, and pushed the door open.

He was amazed by what he saw.

Boxes lined the walls, white and pristine, with gilded trim. Though the front of the shop had two large windows on either side of the door, boxes had been stored carefully below the frames, and up the sides of each window. Older boxes were stored behind a desk with an old cash register, the white cardboard yellowed slightly, but Gabriel could tell they’d been handled with the same care as the others. Behind the desk was a door the led to the back of the shop, and Gabriel was certain even older boxes were stored there, waiting for owners to claim them.

He continued to look around the store, seeing if he felt any pull towards a particular wall, or a particular box, but there was nothing. Turning at the sound of the chime indicating Cian had followed him in, Gabriel finally spotted the owner of the shop.

“You’re not human,” he pointed out rather stupidly. And for all intents and purposes, it was true. The elderly man did not feel like any of the humans he had been around before. He emanated an unnatural sense of… superiority.

“And you are,” Olivander replied with a sharp smile, his voice radiating poise. He inclined his head towards Cian before continuing. “What interesting company we both seem to keep. So out of touch with our nature.”

Gabriel watched, confused, as Cian gave the wand-maker a slight bow. It was more a bow of acknowledgement than of respect, but for an elder vampire who would not even bow to Tzadkeil it meant far more than Gabriel could comprehend.

“Gabriel here will be attending Hogwarts this year, and requires your services,” Cian explained, looking around the store. “Three wands: yew, holly, and… willow, I think should do.”

If Olivander was startled by the request, he didn’t show any signs. The old man simply started taking notes on a pad of paper with a large plumed quill. Both had appeared out of thin air. “You do realize the ministry frowns upon a wizard being assigned more than one wand.”

Cian flashed a grin, baring sharp, pointed canines. Whether it was a threat, or a show of superiority, Gabriel could never figure out. “Then I trust you will be discrete when you complete this order.

“Now, I don’t care what the cores of these wands are, so long as they suit my ward. I will, however, require a fourth wand made. In this case the wood is unimportant. It will need a core of jade twined with obsidian.”

“That’s next to impossible.” Olivander physically balked. “Working stone is beyond my skills, and solid cores are all but impossible to deal with.”

“Then I suggest you find someone to help you with it, because I require it within the end of three years.”

Gabriel tried to follow the conversation, but knew very little about the workings of wand making, or the different meanings of cores and woods. He decided his time would be best spent searching the store for the wand that best suited him.

The voices of the two inhuman beings echoed behind him as he snuck into the back room. Here he began to feel the pull he had expected before. It surprised him that he felt pulled in more than one direction; he followed the one that felt strongest.

Not too far from the entrance to the back room, he saw the first box that was calling to him. Labelled clearly in a flowing script, the wand was described as: “11 inches, Holly, Phoenix Feather.”

Gabriel was quick to grab a stool so that he could scramble up the shelf which held the box, which held his wand. He didn’t even wait to descend before opening it.

Inside was the most precious thing he’d ever seen.

Gabriel vaguely heard Olivander yelling at him to get down from the shelves as he waved the wand in a short arc. To his great pleasure several fireflies seemed to come into existence following the path of his motion. The danced and flittered briefly before flashing out of existence, but Gabriel barely noticed. He was intoxicated with his first taste of magic.

So intoxicated, in fact, that he fell backwards off the stool.

He was caught by Cian, who’d moved with unnatural speed to reach him.

Expecting to be scolded for his impulsive behaviour, Gabriel didn’t look the vampire in the eyes. He missed Cian grinning at the elderly wand maker. “That takes care of the Holly wand. Now… could we move onto the yew and willow?”

“Of course, Master Cian,” Olivander replied, much more receptive this time around. “Will these be having the same properties?”

“No. I’m quite certain they’ll be unique and likely much older…”

Gabriel missed out on the remainder of the exchange, too enthralled by his first wand to really care.

Gringotts bank loomed beside them as Gabriel and Cian walked towards their next destination. Gabriel wanted to go inside to see the goblins, but Cian put his foot down. They had all of the gallons they needed, though Gabriel didn’t know where Cian had procured them from, and they were on limited time.

The large building behind them, Gabriel decided he would make a point of visiting when he had more time.

They passed a few book stores, among other things, as they made their way down Diagon Alley. Cian had to grab Gabriel by the upper arm and forcibly lead him away from Flourish and Blots, all the while promising there would be plenty of time to explore the alley once he’d gotten himself fitted for his school robes.

They found the shop with little difficulty, but Cian found a seat outside under a large shade tree, begging off going inside on the basis of sun-stroke. It left Gabriel alone to contemplate and deal with the people he found inside.

There was already a portly looking boy being fitted when Gabriel made his way into Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions. The boy’s build and facial features didn’t scream any particular house, but something about the boy’s comfort in the setting told Gabriel he was at least wizard-born. There was even a good probability that he was a pureblood.

A quick glance to the corner where an elderly woman of more regal stature sat and looked upon the boy told him it was likely true.

Gabriel stepped up on a stool to be fitted, and he offered a smile while he waited to be measured. He was pleased to note, while he tried to ignore the measuring tapes moving around him rather intimately, that the boy returned a tentative smile.

I guess he’s lacking confidence, Gabriel noted. He probably has a lot to live up to in his family. Definitely not first generation pureblood then.

“Are you starting at Hogwarts this year, as well?” Gabriel asked him, trying to put the boy’s mind at ease. The boy didn’t meet his eyes, instead looking over to where the elderly woman had been seated.

She was too busy arguing with a seamstress over fabrics, her red pheasant-topped had threatening to tumble off her head, to offer any support.

“Yes,” the boy finally answered, looking at his feet.

“I’m Gabriel Cameo,” he introduced, trying to produce a façade of bewilderment and amazement. “None of my family has every attended Hogwarts, but my brother managed to convince them to let me come.”

He gestured to where Cian was sitting in the shade just outside, reading that day’s edition of The Daily Prophet. “He was schooled in Egypt, but he’s heard a great deal about the kind of education Hogwarts can provide a wizard.”

It was all true, technically. The coven was his family, and none of them had ever been trained, whether at Hogwarts or not. Also, Cian was better classified as an older brother than anything else, and he was instrumental in giving Gabriel the chance to attend Hogwarts.

He’d always been taught never to tell falsehoods when the truth could be bent to almost any purpose.

Gabriel focused his attention from his thoughts back to the other boy, seeing him offer a hesitant smile in return. His own smile turned to a genuine grin. Finally, I’m getting somewhere with him.

“I’m Neville Longbottom,” the boy replied with a faint stutter. Gabriel recognized the surname, but not the significance, and made a note to look up the family further. The boy named Neville continued speaking. “My whole family has been to Hogwarts. They were all Gryffindors, too, but Gran expects I’ll be sorted into Hufflepuff.

The dismay in Neville’s voice at the end gave Gabriel pause. He didn’t know much about the houses aside from their main characteristics, and he needed more information before he decided which house to go into. Perceptions would play a large role in that.

“What’s wrong with Hufflepuff,” he prodded.

Neville looked at him as though he were a half-wit, leading Gabriel to believe this was a very common perception. “People only wind up in Hufflepuff if they don’t fit into any of the other houses. Gryffindors are brave, Ravenclaws are smart, and Slytherins are cunning. Hufflepuff aren’t good for anything.”

Gabriel thought to leave the conversation at that; offer the boy some empty words of comfort, and then ignore him, having gotten what he wanted. After all, it wasn’t his concern. He was only at Hogwarts for the clan. Still, it confused him, and from what he’d read he didn’t like the confusion.

“I’ve always heard that Gryffindors are notoriously brash rather than brave. You can’t be brave if you’re not facing something you fear. Ravenclaw house values the pursuit of knowledge, meaning book smarts don’t help you if you don’t know how to use it. Finally, Slytherins are ambitious and know how to get what they want. I don’t think I’d trust one as far as I could throw one, unless I knew him. And even then, it would only be because I knew how much he weighed.

“Hufflepuff on the other hand are a completely different breed. They appreciate the value of hard work, and are very loyal. I’m sure they might be a little slow to act, or lack initiative, but I’d rather have one Hufflepuff who knows the value of keeping watch than ten Gryffindors who are going to charge off at the first sight of the enemy.”

Realizing he was starting to rant, Gabriel cut himself off. He looked at Neville expectantly, but the boy was too deep in thought to reply. Gabriel couldn’t tell either way if his words had any effect on his future schoolmate.

As he stood in silence the tape measurers finished with him. Neville also finished with the seamstress, and the pinning of his robes. When the robes were off, he turned to Gabriel. In a quiet voice, he said with unexpected confidence, “You’ll be in Ravenclaw.”

It was Gabriel’s turn to pause and think, but he didn’t think so hard as to miss Neville walking out of the shop with his grandmother, his spine a little straighter than before.

Gabriel waited in line to purchase his potions supplies at the Apothecary in Diagon Alley, his things loaded in to the pewter, standard size two cauldron. Knockturn Alley would have had more of what he needed off the syllabus, but it was necessary to stop at all of the places an average Hogwarts student would stop. It didn’t bother him, the fact that he needed to make two stops. Of all the things he’d do at Hogwarts, Potions was the one subject he didn’t have to worry about.

Cian had begged of joining him once again, this time saying he was going to make a few purchases at another shop. The idea didnt bother Gabriel at all; the chance to move about on his own in the magical community too exciting.

Letting his mind drift, he nearly didn’t notice someone step up behind him. He turned to face the presence behind him, and smiled when he saw who it was.

The boy had pale skin, a pointed face, and hair that was almost unnaturally blond.

Unmistakably a Malfoy.

The young boy was on the list of people he should make contact with at Hogwarts. Known supporters of the Dark Arts, and known to be in possession of many Dark artefacts, it was believed that the family could prove useful in the future.

To Gabriel’s delight, the boy spoke first, possessing the certain air expected of pureblood elite.

“Hello,” Draco Malfoy greeted. “Hogwarts, too?”

“Yes,” Gabriel started to reply, but before he could add anything more, the boy continued.

“My father is dealing with the Goblins at Gringotts, and my mother has gone to pick out an owl for me. I still need to get my wand and robes, and then I’m going to drag them to look at racing brooms. I think it’s ridiculous that first-years can’t have their own. I suspect I’ll find a way to smuggle one in regardless.” He paused here, eyeing Gabriel speculatively. “Do you have your own broom?”

Knowing it was his change to make good impression, Gabriel replied quickly. “Yes. I have a Cleansweep now, but I plan on getting the Nimbus 2001 when it’s released so that I might try out for the Quidditch team.

The boy’s face broke out into a wide grin, white teeth flashing. “I play Quidditch, too. Father says it’s a crime if I’m not picked for my house, and I must say I agree. Do you know what house you’ll be in?”

Gabriel hid his amusement in his returning smile. Despite the boy’s pureblood airs, Draco Malfoy was still just a child, talking too quickly, and spoilt to the core. He could easily play to the boy’s vanity to get what he wanted, and forever be in the position of favoured lackey. He decided against it. It would be better to work at it a little more and have the connection be on equal terms. “I think all of the houses are worthy, but some are more likely than others. I’m not crazy enough to be a Gryffindor, but I suspect Ravenclaw might suit. I’d be quite happy with the former. They’re fairly neutral, and they say knowledge is power.”

“I know I’ll be in Slytherin. All our family has been. Ravenclaw is alright, but can you imagine being in Hufflepuff? I think I’d leave.”

Gabriel smiled again, amazed by how Draco blindly parroted what his father said. “I see nothing wrong with Hufflepuff. I doubt I’d suit the house, but some of the greatest accomplishments in wizarding history were accomplished by them. They’re amazing at working in cohesive groups, and they’re supposed to be the most loyal of the houses.”

Snorting, Draco eyed him speculatively. “What’s your surname?”

“Cameo,” Gabriel answered, extending his hand in greeting. “Gabriel Cameo.”

“I’m Draco Malfoy, the boy responded, seemingly pleased to see his new friend was also pureblood. An expected fallacy, ad the cameo family was a notable and prolific pureblood family centralized in Italy and Sicily. “Father is on the Board of Governors at Hogwarts. He can help me bring a broom in, and if you make it into Slytherin I might let you ride it.”

Only smiling once gain, Gabriel turned back to examine the potions ingredients he’d purchased. He counted the seconds until the other boy started talking again.

“Do you like potion-making?” He asked, peering over Gabriel’s shoulder at the supplies.

“Yes. It was one of the few things I could practice at home, since my parents didn’t think it appropriate for me to have a wand before school started.”

“Mother gave me a practice wand, but it was only good for simple charms. Father let me practice potions, though. He even had the Potions Master from Hogwarts come tutor me in the summer. His name is Professor Snape. He says I have the skill to do well. Father says Snape dislikes any house except Slytherin, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind a Ravenclaw, if you have talent.”

Still smiling politely, Gabriel nodded at the appropriate times and waited contently in line as Draco Malfoy began to list the qualities and deficiencies of all the professors at Hogwarts. He was astounded to see the distain in the boy’s voice at the thought of muggles and mud bloods. While Gabriel did agree that Purebloods should lead and muggleborn should follow, since they didn’t know anything of the culture, it was asinine to belittle them instead of teaching them.

Gabriel wondered how many other pureblood children believed in blood purity as firmly as the Malfoy family apparently did.

Even so, it was energizing to watch the fair-haired boy talk so animatedly and enthusiastically about everything. Befriending the family would not be an onerous task.

Draco continued talking until it was Gabriel’s turn to pay. The young witch at the desk weighed each ingredient carefully, giving Gabriel the time to bid the pureblood boy goodbye.

“I’m looking forward the seeing you at Hogwarts,” he said, inclining his head slightly to the side. He then took a step closer and whispered, “Through midnight tides, may the Lord of Morning guide you.”

It was ancient pureblood farewell still used among many Dark families. Draco’s eyes widened to hear it. As a whole, the Cameo family was neutral, leaning towards Light. He obviously hadn’t expected Gabriel to be versed in the darker pureblood traditions. Draco did recover himself enough to give the expected reply.

“And the shadows lead you home,” he finished, before reiterating with more sincerity, “I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts.”

Gabriel inclined his head again, smiled and left, confident that at least one of his tasks was already well underway.

MoEMoEMoEMoEMoEMoEMoEMoE

The last stop of the days scheduled trips was to be the book store.

Flourish and Blots was quite unlike any book store hed seen. Books re-shelved themselves, floating to their proper places heedless of the people ducking to avoid them. Children, with hands sticky from just-finished ice creams, handled the books without fear or repercussion. The walls were lined with books from top to bottom, too high for even the tallest person to reach, and there didnt seem to be any sort of order system to it all. In the back of the store parents handed the clerks the book lists, and were handed in return bundles of books bound together by simple twine.

It was one of the most magnificent places Gabriel had ever seen.

The line-up to speak with the clerks was nearly to the door, so Gabriel decided to search for other useful books; anything that caught his interest, truly. He browsed the stacks, seeing no particular reason for why one book was sorted on one shelf and not another, and no way to reach the books at the tops of the shelves. He also could have sworn that the books moved around, and that when he looked away from a book for only a moment, another would be in its place when he looked back.

Gabriel stared around the book store, wide eyed, and was about to pick up a copy of 1001 Household Charms when he heard a bushy-haired girl near him begin to whine.

“But Mum, how can you possibly expect me to choose between Hogwarts; A History and Great But Unknown Spellcrafters. I’m going to need all of the help I can get if I’m going to fit into this school. I’m certain all of the other children are going to be ahead of me in their educations and there’s nothing I can do about it now. All I can do is make sure I know as much as I possibly can about the world.”

She’s muggleborn, Gabriel realized with a start. Her parents are one-hundred percent, pure born muggles.

The thought was quite startling, as the only time Gabriel met with non-magical beings was when a muggle had been turned; an uncommon occurrence, and then they weren’t exactly non-magical any more.

A second thought came to him, and filled him with a sort of comfort. This girl is just like me. She’s a witch who’s leaving all she knows to enter the magical world.

Without even thinking through his actions, Gabriel approached the bushy-haired girl, not thinking about how he could use her, but rather thinking about how he might be able to befriend her.

“If you read either of those, you’re going to know more about the world around you than any of the pure-blooded wizards we’ll be going to school with,” Gabriel piped up, approaching the family. “Personally, I think you’d have better luck searching for an etiquette book with pureblood and wizard terminology, but it’s not something you’d be able to find here. Wizards don’t realize how much trouble muggleborn students have adjusting to the magical community.

“Still, if you’re going to pick between one of the two, I’d go for Hogwarts; A History. You’re going to be living there for the next seven years.”

The family he’d approached looked at him as though he was both a pariah and a saviour. It was the girl who recovered her wits fast enough to respond first. “Oh, are you wizard-born then? You really don’t think I’ll be too far behind, just finding out now that I’m a witch? Oh! See these books I already have? Which ones do you think will be most useful?”

Gabriel couldn’t help the smile that came to his lips. The girl was quite enthusiastic for a child encountering the unknown for the first time. If she wasn’t a Ravenclaw, given the number of books she was carrying, she would definitely be in Gryffindor. “All books have knowledge, so they’ll all be useful, but the ones you have there on foreign wizard cultures are probably going to be most helpful right away. It’ll help you see what other wizarding communities are like, and you can learn a fair bit about what Britain’s wizards think about the rest of the world. It’ll help you blend in with the rest of the students. “

Pausing his speech to extend a hand, Gabriel introduced himself.

“I’m Hermione Granger,” the girl responded, offering her hand. “And these are my parents. They’re both dentists. In the muggle world they…”

“Keep people’s teeth healthy,” Gabriel finished with a smile. “I know. Not all wizards are ignorant about the muggle world. Just the backwards ones.”

He shook the hand she held out. The girl, Hermione, smiled brightly, looking extremely relieved. Behind her, Gabriel noticed her parents relaxing, probably happy that they’d found a wizarding child to help them out.

“Where can I find an etiquette book?” Hermione asked.

“There is a muggle-born witch who opened a shop a few streets up off of Diagon Alley. She’s been trying to get Hogwarts to start a Wizard Studies class for Muggleborn, but hasn’t had any luck so far.” He didn’t tell Hermione that he’d already made a discrete trip to the store before. He wanted to ensure that he could pull off his pure-blood persona without being called out.

“Oh! Thank you very much! I was feeling ever so lost here.”

Gabriel smiled empathize with the girl. “If you’d like, I can answer any questions you have when we get to Hogwarts. To help you fill in the blanks.”

“Truly? That would be wonderful! There are so many things I’d like to know, and I don’t think I could ever buy enough books to answer them all.”

“I’ve heard the Hogwarts library is bigger than even this book store,” he told her conspiratorially, “So I’m sure you wouldn’t have much difficulty finding what you need.”

The girl was positively beaming when her parents decided it would be a good time to finish their shopping.

“Thank you again!” she exclaimed. “I’ll be sure to wrack your brain when I see you on the Hogwarts Express.”

Nodding, Gabriel waved her goodbye. For a brief moment the corner of his mind that was always working started to question what sort of advantage she might provide; an in to the Muggleborn at the school, or a research aid. He tried to quash the idea, but the seed had already been planted.

A quick shrug of his shoulders sent the idea back to the corner of his mind where it belonged.

After all, Gabriel thought, People are rarely friends with someone who can’t benefit them in some way. This is how any normal person would act.

His mind was quiet as he continued to browse the book store. Unseeing, he grabbed books like Artefact Hunters; Ancient Treasures and Their Powers, and Tips to Treasure Hunting for the Average Wizard. He picked those up with his school books once the line shortened, and went on his way.

Gabriel met up with Cian once more at the Leaky Cauldron when his shopping was finished. The vampire noticed the strange expression and the altered gait as Gabriel came up beside him, and asked curiously, “Are things going according to plan?”

Gabriel nodded, looking back towards the door. “These children all seem so young. I don’t see how they’ll be of use.”

Cian smiled fondly, resting a hand on the human’s shoulder. “Unlike us, the Malfoys and Longbottoms of the world have never had to hunt for their supper. And, more importantly, they’ve never been the hunted. They’ll grow up in time, and with maturity will come influence in the wizarding world. You begin now so that when the time comes your bonds and connections will allow us to wield that influence.”

Gabriel gazed up when he saw Hermione Granger walking with her parents through the inn towards the muggle world. He felt something akin to longing as he watched them disappear through the door. He hadn’t felt like that since he’d first realized he wasn’t like everyone else in the clan; that he didn’t have a family like everyone else. “Was I ever that young?”

Cain’s smile widened, showing a glimpse of fangs. “No Gabriel. You were always so much more than that.”