A/N: Now I know I should be working on my other story, but I hit a slump with that one and wanted to do this instead. Have fun dudes *salutes*

Since Egypt has never spoken a word in canon material, he will be a mute here as well. More fun like that.

This chapter contains Romanian angst, Snarky ass Englishmen, and Sexy ass Scotsmen. And Norway.

This takes place in the Order of the Phoenix, mostly because I wanted to stick Scotland and Umbridge in a room together and see how it plays out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Hetalia. If I did, I would be doing better things than writing fanfictions, like reviving Fred Weasley or making a 2P episode.

"Right, that tears it." Alistair growled, crossing his arms and glaring at the three nations in front of him. One of which was trying to put on a I-totally-didn't-do-it face; a mischievous Romanian, to be exact. Another one, Alistair's own little brother, was shuffling his feet back and forth, trying to hide the wand behind his back. The third, a cold Norwegian, was just staring impassively back up at Alistair, as though he could really care less about this.

"That is the third time this week. Third bloody time that you've miscast a spell. I swear, you three have been getting worse and worse by the day. You've left me no other choice. I'm calling Albus." Alistair announced, and this raised a reaction from the younger sibling.

"A-Albus? You expect me to teach?" Arthur squeaked, and that's when he noticed Alistair creeping forward with a terrifying grin on his face. "…Alistair? …What're you doing? Alistair. SHTAP."

"I hate you. So much." Arthur hissed, tugging and picking viciously at a poor loose string on his sleeve. Dmitri and Lukas growled and muttered their own agreements, but Alistair just kept up with his infuriatingly smug grin. They were currently standing out behind the Leaky Cauldron, at the entrance to Diagon Alley. Or, to Lukas, Dmitri, and Hassan, a dirty, worn out brick wall behind an even dirtier and even more worn out pub. Yes, Egypt was there as well, simply because Alistair didn't think Lukas would be enough to keep Dmitri and Arthur in check.

And another thing? Dmitri, Lukas, Arthur, and Hassan had all been de-aged to fifteen years old, though Hassan was the only one who had been turned younger willingly. He knew that he, like the Magic Trio, could do magic, but he always seemed to have some sort of control over his that they didn't. But, since most of the other countries didn't believe in magic, he didn't flaunt his talents like the others did, though he was very curious about it. He was quite frankly excited about this whole going to…what was it…Pigfarts? Which was more than anybody else here could say. And he had to admit, their sour moods were putting him off quite a lot.

Ignoring Arthur, Alistair rolled up his sleeves and took his wand out of his pocket, turning to the group of teenagers behind him.

"Dmitri, Lukas, Hassan, you three have never been to Diagon Alley before, have you?" He asked, and Dmitri nodded, Lukas grunted, and Hassan remained silent. Alistair took that as an agreement, and ignoring Arthur's constant growling of "bloody highlander" and "jackass", tapped his wand a few times on a certain brick. Immediately the wall began to shiver and change, bricks sliding in and out place with a pleasing pinging and cracking noise, to create a brilliant archway.

Every fifteen year old, whether they'd seen it before or not, had an expression of pure awe on his face…save for Lukas. He just raised an eyebrow coolly. Alistair shoved them all through before they could properly process what they were seeing, and Dmitri turned his head back to see the brick wall shift back into place behind them. Not caring that one of his fangs was peeking over his lip, he grinned. That was so wicked.

"Firs' things firs'. Yer wands." Alistair said bluntly, hurrying them to the oldest shop on the street. Black paint was peeling off of it, and dust so thickly coated the windows that it was nearly impossible to see inside. Squinting up at the sign above the store, Lukas was barely able to make out the name. Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 395 B.C.

The others didn't get a chance to read it, since Alistair opened the door with a flourish, making the little bell above the door ring.

"After ye." He smirked at Arthur's evil glare, and just waited silently until all four teenagers had entered the shop. Dmitri glanced around curiously, barely containing his excitement at being here. His fingers were twitching anxiously, just dying to try every single wand in the vicinity. Lukas kept his face indifferent, but on the inside he was just as anxious as Dmitri was. Hassan was staring at everything wide-eyed, resisting the urge to hold onto one of the other boy's sleeves for fear of losing them in this odd, new place. Arthur was still too busy fuming at Alistair, who had settled down in the rickety wooden chair by the window and looked ready for a quick nap.

Ollivander emerged from a dusty old corner, his silvery gray eyes shining in the dim light and scaring the living daylights out of the boys.

"Ah yes, Alistair! Good to see you!" He exclaimed, and Alistair grinned cockily, getting up from the chair and shaking hands heartily with Ollivander, whom every boy nation there was now filing under 'creepy old guy'. "I trust these are yours, then?" Ollivander asked curiously, peering sagely at the boys, who took an almost unconscious step back.

"No, just this one." Alistair chuckled, wrapping a sneaky arm around Arthur's shoulders and pulling him forward.

"Right then, we'll start with him." Ollivander smiled, and Arthur shot many a loathing glare back at Alistair, who just smirked and sat back down in the chair. He seemed to be the only one who was comfortable here in the dusty shop; indeed, Lukas, Dmitri, and Hassan had almost subconsciously huddled closer together, watching the corners carefully in case anyone else was hiding there. "Hold out your wand arm, young man, and we'll get started."

"Wand arm?" Dmitri whispered.

"The arm you write with." Lukas answered coldly, and Dmitri nodded.

"Oh."

Arthur did as told, watching with casual interest as an enchanted tape measure began to measure the length of his arm, how tall he was, how far apart his eyes were, how wide his chest was, even the distance between his chin and collarbone. The three behind him were staring unabashedly at the tape measure, having never seen anything like it before. Meanwhile, Ollivander was scurrying about his shop, checking boxes seemingly at random and muttering to himself.

"That's quite enough now…" He announced loudly, and the tape measure curled up and dropped to the floor, seemingly lifeless. Ollivander handed Arthur a box, and so began the long tirade of wand try-outs for the Englishman.

First: Jumped out of his hand.

Second: Refused to get out of the box.

Third: Dissolved.

Fourth: Exploded.

Fifth: Melted into a green blob that stuck to the floor.

"A challenge, then? Don't worry, we'll find the right one."

Sixth: Sent Ollivander's desk flying back into the wall.

Seventh: Made the plant in the corner burst into flames.

Eighth: Sent lightening at the ceiling…without Arthur even touching it at all.

Ninth: Started screaming for no reason.

Tenth: Grew wings and flew away.

Eleventh: Snapped in two.

Twelfth: Suddenly became very heavy and fell to the floor, creating a large dent.

At this point, Arthur was becoming very frustrated, especially with Dmitri snickering at the 'heavy wand' incident. Alistair was smirking again, and Arthur was not happy about it one bit. Hassan looked a bit wary about being here now, and Lukas' mouth was twitching at the corners at Arthur's frustration.

"Picky customer…I wonder…" Ollivander muttered to himself, then he disappeared into a very far corner, looking over boxes that had long been buried in cobwebs and dust. Dmitri took this golden opportunity.

"Heavy wand…oh, that's just priceless…!" He gasped, doubling over in laughter as Lukas chuckled and Hassan smiled as well. Arthur tried his very best to ignore them, but his ears turned red in anger and embarrassment.

"Alistair, I never thought to ask, but what's your wand's core?" He inquired, and Alistair raised an eyebrow, pleasingly surprised that Arthur had asked. He looked at Arthur's wide, honestly curious eyes, and added this to the pathetically small pile labelled 'Actual Moments that Arthur Acted Brotherly Towards Me'.

"Oak, thirteen inches…'s got a dual core. Both of 'em are rare, so dornt go thinkin' ye'll git a special wand jus' cuz Ah did." Alistair growled, and Arthur rolled his eyes. "It's Demon and Angel feathers. Ta be honest, it's one a yer feathers. Plucked it from ye when ye were a wee bairn." He admitted, and Arthur's eyes widened.

"…Whoa…" He breathed, looking at Alistair with a bizarre kind of admiration in his eyes. Alistair raised his eyebrows again, looking at him confusedly. Fortunately, Ollivander returned at that moment with a dusty old box and saved Alistair from coming up with a witty reply.

"Here, try this one. Its dual cored like Alistair's; Unicorn hair and phoenix feather. Elm, eleven inches. Good for defensive spells and rather bendy." Ollivander explained, taking it out of the box.

"Oh God, now his wand is flexible and heavy…!" Dmitri whispered to himself, barely stifling his laughter even as Lukas elbowed him in the stomach. Arthur only had a moment to admire the wand's sleek, shiny black wood before it was shoved into his hands by Ollivander. Almost immediately, a strange warmth spread up his arm, and he hesitantly gave it a wave.

A few shards of wood from Ollivander's broken desk assembled themselves in response, only taking a few seconds to form a miniature pirate ship, which floated into the air and sailed around, the air rippling like water in its wake. Alistair clapped, honestly impressed with that show and the other boys each had their own way of showing their awe. Dmitri clapped too, Lukas whistled lowly and Hassan chuckled, amused by Arthur's surprised and very pleased expression.

"That's rather impressive, Mr…?" Ollivander asked, and Arthur jumped, almost completely forgetting he was there.

"Arthur." He answered meekly, and Ollivander nodded, clasping his hands together and turning back to the other three.

"Who's next?"

And so began Dmitri's pile of unusable wands, which was unsurprisingly larger than Arthur's. While Lukas and Hassan watched, anxious for Dmitri to get a wand so that they could get their's, Arthur chased down his pirate ship and caught it after a few moments of trying.

"That was so cool." He muttered to himself, a goofy grin on his face as he looked proudly at the little thing he created. He wasn't surprised at all that the ship was a perfect scale model of the Queen Anne's Revenge.

"Way to go, little brother." He heard behind him, and he turned around to see Alistair standing behind him, a proud grin on his face instead of his normal pompous one. Arthur's cheeks tinted red in embarrassment, and he scowled half-heartedly at Alistair, trying not to smile.

"I guess." He muttered, and Alistair put on a look of fake hurt.

"Aww, are we all done being brothers now?" He asked sarcastically, and Arthur glared at him.

"Let's not forget…" He started, keeping his voice low. "When I was fifteen, I thought you were the coolest thing ever. But you're still an asshole." He growled, and Alistair snickered.

"Always will be." He chuckled, and Arthur sighed, just barely managing to dodge Dmitri's seventeenth wand, which decided to chuck itself at the wall, javelin style. Dmitri at least had the decency to look sorry about nearly impaling Arthur, even though he was trying desperately not to smile.

"Could you be…Hold on." Ollivander said abruptly after a brief moment of thought, and he ran back over to the shelf where he dug up Arthur's wand. He then promptly returned holding another box. "Here, this one seems to like you. Another one with a dual core, this time it's dragon heartstring and the hair of a Nightmare Horse. Very odd combination, but give it a shot. Willow, eleven and a half inches. Nice and rather pliable." Cautiously, Dmitri took it and a surprised look came over his face for a short moment, to be replaced by a look of newfound determination.

He waved it experimentally, and a fine golden mist spread out from the tip of his wand, taking only a few seconds to form into a flurry of bats, which then flew about the room, screeching and twittering before dissolving into the air.

Dmitri just grinned and moved to the front of the shop where Alistair and Arthur were waiting.

It took Lukas about twice as long as Dmitri to find a suitable wand, and his turned out to be another one with a double core.

"Twelve and a quarter inches, with a rather unusual wood as well as core. It's palm, which is very odd…troll whisker and the heartstring of a rather grumpy Norwegian Ridgeback…go on then!" He barked, seeing Lukas' disbelieving look. Troll whisker? He slumped his shoulders and sighed, resigning himself to his fate. He waved it disinterestedly, and to his surprise, a transparent green city appeared on the floor; one he recognized well. Asgard.

After a few moments of staring at the shimmering green city, it disappeared into smoke, and Lukas politely thanked Ollivander before hurrying over to Arthur and Dmitri, who were smirking triumphantly.

"I'm SO telling Mathias." Dmitri whispered loudly, winking at Lukas, who shoved him backwards in response. Now, it was just Hassan left, and it was obvious he wasn't so sure about this. After all, he knew he could do magic, but he'd never seen anything like this before. A whole community, hidden in plain sight! He was pretty nervous about the whole deal. What if he never got a wand? What if he spent the whole day here, trying and trying until every single box had been emptied and it had been decided that he wasn't magic enough?

Ollivander, deciding to be kind to the poor lad, just went straight for the dual cored wands this time. He came back after nearly three minutes of searching.

"Now, this one is one of the most unusual wands I have here. Cypruss tree, twelve inches, with the hair of a Chimera and supposedly, a scale of Apophis." Seeing Hassan's eyes widen in shock, he added, "Of course, Egypt's magical creatures are rare, and so this may just be a scale of a regular dragon. But just in case…" He mused, handing the now open box out to Hassan.

With trembling hands and sweat beading on his forehead, he took the wand out of the box. Before he could even wave it, three pyramids grew from the floor, and the temperature in the room increased suddenly. Seeing Hassan nearly melt in relief, Alistair cleared his throat as Ollivander began to mutter to himself again.

"How much for the lot?" He asked, digging his wallet out of his pocket.

"Hmm? Oh, thirty Galleons." Ollivander replied, and Alistair handed over the money and thanked him. They then left the shop, leaving Ollivander still muttering. Once fully back into the light of day (which Dmitri found curious, as it had been overcast before they entered the alley) Dmitri turned to Arthur.

"…My wand's longer than yours."

Alistair spent a good portion of time after that restraining Arthur, who looked on the verge of murdering the Romanian. In order to pacify him, he took the lot to Florence and Fortescue's for some ice-cream before dragging them to the next shop, which turned out to be Madam Malkins. Alistair did refuse to buy blood-red robes for Dmitri, and hurriedly got them out of there before someone blew something up. Hustling the four of them around Diagon Alley was a lot more work than Alistair had previously thought it would be, but luckily Lukas and Hassan still had some inkling of self-control left.

Hassan wished he was part spider. His neck was sore not five minutes into their journey from constantly swiveling back and forth between shops. At the very end of the street was a large, white marble building that gleamed and shined in the midday sun. Two red blotches stood guard on each side of the impressive doors, but he was too far away to really discern what they were.

"Gringotts." Alistair said, seeing Hassan staring avidly at the bank. Seeing the Egyptian's questioning look, Alistair explained, "It's a bank, run by goblins. Safest place in the magical world…besides Hogwarts, o'course." He said proudly, and Hassan blinked. Goblins? They actually had goblins here?

"You'd have to be insane to try and rob that bank." Dmitri suddenly cut in, still licking his strawberry ice cream cone avidly. "I heard they have dragons guarding the high security vaults; is that true?" He asked Alistair, his eyes gleaming in excitement. Alistair shrugged casually, but smirked in a way that set Hassan on edge.

"Why don't you go find out?" Alistair snarked, and Dmitri snorted and shook his head fervently.

"Not even I'm that nuts." He replied, and Alistair nodded.

"Good lad." He said with a faint smile, dragging the group off to the apothecary.

When they were crossing the wide cobblestone street, a group of teenage, giggly witches swept through the alley, all wearing pink t-shirt with The Salem Witches Institute printed on them. There was a brief scuffle trying to break through them, but the group of nations eventually did. Though, not all in the same spot.

Blushing horribly and wiping himself of dirt (he got knocked over in all the chaos), Dmitri looked around for the rest of his group.

But they weren't anywhere to be seen.

Dmitri looked left. He looked right. He looked to. He looked fro. He looked up and down and every direction he could from that one spot his legs were suddenly glued to, but he couldn't see his friends. Not even Alistair's brilliant red hair could be spotted above the crowd. Feeling a little bubble of panic well up in his chest, Dmitri focused on his breathing, running over a mental checklist in his head.

So…he was lost and alone in the middle of Diagon Alley, which was Arthur's magical thoroughfare. They were headed off to the apothecary…but Dmitri didn't know where that was. He didn't remember passing that shop on the way in. Was it just him, or did the street suddenly get much longer than it used to be?

Of course, his stubborn pride wouldn't let him ask for directions, and he seriously doubted that anyone would be willing to help him thanks to…well, looking the way he did. People were already shooting him distrusting looks as they walked, and he clenched his mouth shut to try and hide his fangs better. It really wasn't his fault his culture was so vampire-centric! He wasn't a vampire! Sagging his shoulders and sighing, Dmitri resigned himself to just walking around aimlessly until he was either found by Alistair or he found them first. Besides, his ice-cream cone was starting to melt.

Shoving a hand in his pocket, he strolled around, doing his best to ignore all the looks he was getting. He hung out for a while in front of the broom shop, staring at the latest models in quiet fascination. It was still weird to him; why on earth would you enchant a household cleaning instrument to fly? He never really understood that part. Like, why a broom? Why not a couch, or a bed so that you can lay down while you fly? He moved out of the way when a crowd of children surrounded the window, ogling at the brooms and pressing their faces against the glass. He saw that he was scaring them just by being there, he could easily see, and the parents were glaring at him pointedly. But he was used to that.

Soon, he finished his ice-cream cone. About halfway through it, he realized that picking strawberry flavor probably wasn't the wisest move on his part, considering the whole…vampire thing.

He loitered around inside Eyelops Owl Emporium, finding the hooting and rustling to be calming somehow. He really liked a particular barn owl and it seemed to return the favor, gently cooing and nipping at his fingers affectionately whenever Dmitri would stroke it through the golden bars of its cage. It was when he was occupied with the bird when it started.

He heard the small noise of a throat clearing behind him, but assumed that whoever it was had been trying to get somebody else's attention. After all, nobody would probably be caught dead talking to him in public.

There was relative silence for a while, but then, a sharp pain shot through his arm and he let out a strangled scream as he was jerked away from his owl. His head turned to see the man who was working behind the counter earlier glaring daggers into his soul, the man's fingernails digging into the flesh on his forearm. The pain was starting to make Dmitri's eyes water, but he stood his ground.

"What do you think you're doing to me birds, freak?" The man (his nametag identified him as Roy) snarled, shaking Dmitri roughly and making him whimper and bite his lip in agony. Dmitri's head was reeling from the shock and pain, and he didn't quite comprehend Roy's words at first.

"F-Frea…? Wha?" Dmitri mumbled, and Roy's blue eyes hardened, his face turning purple in rage.

"Damn right you're a freak. We don't serve your kind here! Who let you in anyways? Vampires ain't allowed past the archway, monster." Roy shouted, and it all clicked in Dmitri's head. Oh. Ooohhhh. Dmitri's eyes began to water with much more than pain now, but he tried to yank himself away, but Roy had a grip like iron. Glancing around in panic, Dmitri spotted a family of three standing by the counter; a small girl and her parents. Suddenly, it all made sense.

The father was looking at Dmitri with smug satisfaction, his arms crossed haughtily over his chest. The mother was staring at him in fear and revulsion, and the little girl was watching him in terrified curiosity. He had been scaring the girl.

Roy snapped Dmitri's attention back to the real problem by reaching into his pocket and grabbing something. Something shiny…Dmitri's eyes widened in horror. Who the hell carried a knife on them in an Owl store?!

Dmitri's long instilled fight-or-flight instincts immediately kicked in his panic, and he began to shout and struggle and curse with all his might. He felt a pang of guilt go through his heart when he saw the little girl shrink back behind her parents, terrified of him, but what could he do? He would never take something like this lying down! This Roy guy was clearly overreacting! He was just petting an owl! He knew what he looked like, but…it wasn't his fault.

"Roy, what's all the-?" A new person who was wearing the staff uniform poked their head out of the back room, obviously trying to figure out what exactly Roy was screaming about. When they saw Roy, holding a knife to the throat of a teenager, his eyes widened in horror, but they immediately hardened when they saw exactly what that teenager was. The other staff member immediately drew his wand, and Dmitri gasped.

"No! This is just a misunder-! No! I'm not a vam-!" He shouted desperately, trying with renewed vigor to escape Roy's grip. His shirt ripped along the sleeve from his efforts, but Roy was anything but letting go as he raised the knife.

White-hot pain raced up and down Dmitri's arm, the knife slicing through his flesh as though it was butter, and he screamed, stars exploding in front of his eyes.

Outside the Emporium, passerby were stopping and staring in horror at the dark shop. They couldn't see what was happening inside, but there was an awful amount of screaming and shouting coming from the interior. Was a Death Eater attacking? None of them knew, but they certainly weren't staying long enough to find out, and they quickly continued on their way, not wanting to get involved.

However, one particular plump, red-haired woman stuck around longer than most, her heart and mind debating furiously against each other. The screams that were emanating from the Emporium were obviously that of a young boy, and being the mother of six boys, couldn't ignore it. But on the other hand, if it really were Death Eaters in there, sticking her nose in wouldn't be the best idea.

Without warning, the screams doubled in volume and frequency, and she couldn't stand by anymore. Dropping her luggage on the pavement and rolling up her sleeves, grabbing her wand as she did so, she set off towards the shop.

Before she could even reach the door, it slammed open by itself with a mighty bang, startling both the pedestrians on the street and the birds inside. A thick, burly man, holding a bloody knife in his left hand and a strawberry blonde teenager in his right appeared in the threshold. Roaring with fury, the man threw the teen hard onto the pavement, brandishing the knife as a warning.

"And don't come back, freak!" Roy spat, slamming the door behind him as he disappeared back into his store. The teen didn't say anything, simply scrambling to his feet, tears shining in his eyes and on his face. Rage boiled in Molly Weasley as she saw the torn shirt, the blood coating the teen's right arm, his disheveled hair, teary eyes, and all the blood on his back.

"How dare he…!" Molly hissed to herself as she watched Dmitri solemnly wipe his face dry with his intact sleeve, using his left arm to pinch the two halves of his shirt together. Passerby were staring openly and unashamedly at his misery, but not helping, and a protective urge overcame Molly.

"What are you lookin' at?" Dmitri mumbled when he saw her staring, trying to muster up a glare but failing. Molly's eyes softened, and she walked towards him slowly, noticing the way he traced her every move with his eyes, no doubt thinking she was going to hurt him as well.

"Are you alright?" She asked him softly, and he chuckled darkly, giving her a half-hearted shrug.

"What'd you think? I'm fine." He said just as quietly, his voice devoid of any emotions yet still shaking. He turned away from her, shakily walking away. "Jus' leave me alone…" He added, and Molly's heart twisted painfully in sympathy. Grabbing her dropped bags, she quickly caught up to his brisk pace. He glanced at her nervously when he saw her following him, but looked away as soon as she tried to catch his gaze.

"Why don't you let me get you something? You look like you could use a cheer-up right about now." She tried, and he grimaced as a couple glared at him pointedly.

"No thanks." He mumbled, wiping his face again after a fresh wave of tears. "Listen, if you know what's good for you, you should stay away from me…" He told her quietly, and Molly blinked.

"Why?" She asked in confusion, and he snorted.

"Don't want to be seen with a vampire." He said, gesturing to his fangs with his free hand, wincing as the movement agitated his wound.

"At least let me clean that up for you." Molly offered, holding up her wand. Dmitri sighed, tired and pissed and so not up for this. True, the thought that at least somebody cared warmed him slightly, but not enough. This was why nobody ever saw him anymore. This was why he never went to meetings and barely left his home, why he had no real friends besides Arthur, Lukas, (maybe Hassan?), and Alfred, why he couldn't stand looking into a mirror anymore. He was scared. Terrified.

"No, that's okay. I'm…used to this kind of thing." He sighed, swiping his fringe out of his red eyes. Admitting it –especially out loud- made the storm inside him even worse. Molly scowled, understanding the real meaning behind his words. To be honest, it wasn't until he made the vampire comment that she even noticed his fangs and red eyes. She knew what real vampires looked like, and he didn't even come close. "I…I just want to find my friends and leave."

Molly humphed, pulling out her wallet and checking it avidly. She had enough, but what she had was still a meager amount, and it would definitely put a strain on their expenses for a while, but it would be worth it.

"What's your name, sweetie?" She asked gently, and he sniffed.

"Dmitri." He replied shortly, and she put on her most caring smile.

"I'm Molly Weasley. Now tell me Dmitri, if you could have anything from this street, what would it be?"

Dmitri stopped dead in his tracks, looking at her with pure concern in his eyes.

"Y-You don't have to…I'm fine, really." He insisted, but she waved him off, glaring at him and placing her hands on her hips. Dmitri cowered under her stern gaze, her posture and attitude reminding him strongly of Hungary.

"You most certainly are not fine. Do you honestly plan to parade around in a torn shirt that's caked in blood all day?" She scolded, and he shifted uncomfortably, his back still burning and stinging horribly. His arm wasn't the only thing Roy cut with the knife…Molly grabbed him by the shoulders, staring at him in genuine worry.

"Please, let me help you. I've got six boys, and I know how stubborn they can be, so please." She whispered, and Dmitri hastily wiped away more tears with his shoulder, her kindness reaching to him in a way he couldn't explain in words. Molly took that as an okay, and pulled out her wand to begin cleaning him up.

"Not here." Dmitri suddenly whispered, grabbing her wrist in…was that fear or shame in his eyes? "You can help, just….not here." He elaborated, glancing around the street and the staring wizards and witches. He seemed to shrink into himself as he noticed all the stares and furious looks he was getting. This was without a doubt one of the worst days of his life so far, and he was just too tired to argue with this Molly Weasley anymore.

Molly looked befuddled, but nodded nonetheless, and let Dmitri lead her into a secluded alleyway. He sighed, self-consciously shrugging off what remained of his shirt. Molly mended it and cleaned it to the best of her ability, Dmitri staring pointedly at the ground behind her, melting into the shadows. When his shirt was cleaned, she turned to Dmitri.

"Now let me clean those wounds." She said, gesturing for him to come closer. Dmitri's eyes widened, and he shook his head, taking a step back in fright.

"Y-You don't…"

"Dmitri…" She warned, and he sighed, taking tiny steps towards her, his arms wrapped around himself. She didn't see what he was so worried about until he turned around. She gasped in horror and anger, her eyes screaming bloody murder as she started seeing red in her rage.

Carved into Dmitri's back with a practiced hand was the word. The word he hated with all his heart, the dreaded word that followed him, haunted him, everywhere he went, no matter what the circumstance. The word that started this whole mess in the first place.

FREAK

"Dmitri…" Molly breathed, and he flinched, trembling terribly.

"Don't." He whispered, as though he could sense her oncoming sympathies and condolences. When she opened her mouth again to argue, he shamefully dipped his head to the side. "Just don't."

Molly sighed but nevertheless said nothing, knowing how hurt he had to be. She set about cleaning and dressing his wounds in an awkward silence. Though she tried her best, those cuts were going to scar, leaving that horrible word burned onto him for the rest of his life. When she was done here, she was going to march right back to Eyelops and utterly murder that man who did this to him. Who would do this to a child? Dmitri seemed so shy and sweet, there was no way he had been doing something to warrant that kind of punishment. If that man treated him like this just because of the way he looked…!

When she was done, Dmitri slipped his shirt back on, awkwardly shuffling back and forth.

"Thank you." He finally said, not quite sure what to say to this kind, strange woman who cared so much about him. Before he could blink three times, she swept him into a gentle hug, holding him close, and it took all of Dmitri's self-control not to break down crying right then and there.

"It was nothing." She smiled, pulling away, and he blushed pointedly, looking at the ground again. Already in his mind he was going over various ways to thank her properly for her kindness. "One last thing, Dmitri." She said suddenly, rifling through her wallet. "Have you got yourself a pet?" She asked, and he sighed, wanting to deny her kindness again, but knowing by now that she would insist.

"No…" He admitted, knowing that even if he said yes, she would probably buy him something else.

"Well if you come with me you'll soon have one." Molly grinned, grabbing his wrist and practically dragging him out of the alleyway towards the Magical Menagerie. They got plenty of weird looks, especially Dmitri, but one glare from Molly would put the pedestrian in their place.

Twenty minutes later, the two of them emerged, Dmitri with a cardboard box with holes poked in it, and Molly with a significantly lighter wallet. Despite how shitty his day had been, Dmitri was still grinning from ear to ear. He couldn't stop thanking her, much to her amusement. As they started their way towards the Apothecary, Dmitri was suddenly tackled by Arthur.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU EVERYWHERE ARE YOU ALRIGHT JESUS CHRIST DMITRI DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I'VE BEEN ALISTAIR IS WORRIED SICK AND I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD WANDER OFF LIKE THAT WHEN YOU KNOW THE SITUATION AND OH MY GOD-!" Arthur screamed, all in one breath. Dmitri looked down at the Brit who was clinging to him desperately and grinned a bit. Lukas and Hassan then rounded the corner, Hassan breaking into a grin when he saw Dmitri, and Lukas giving an almost audible sigh of relief.

"Hey Arthur." Dmitri said, a bit more subdued than normal, and Molly cleared her throat.

"Are these the friends you were talking about?" She asked, her eyes twinkling in amusement and Dmitri blushed again and nodded, trying with difficulty to pull Arthur off of him and hold his box at the same time.

"Are you okay?" Lukas asked bluntly, noticing that Dmitri's eyes were puffy and tinged with red, his skin paler than normal, his tousled hair, and most importantly, his sad demeanor. Dmitri didn't do sad. "And I swear to Odin, if you say you're 'fine', I will cut you open with a rake." He added, seeing Dmitri practically close in on himself. Dmitri sighed, knowing that he was going to have to tell him sooner or later, just…not now.

"I'm better now at least." Dmitri answered, smiling at Molly, and it was her turn to blush.

"It was nothing." She smiled at Lukas, who nodded politely at her as though he just noticed her there. Dmitri finally succeeded in prying Arthur away from his person, only to have Hassan take his place. Luckily, Hassan just gave him a quick 'I missed you' hug instead of a crushing death grip like Arthur. Love for his friends swelled in Dmitri's chest, and he held it back with difficulty.

"Where's Alistair?" Dmitri asked Lukas, since Arthur was still muttering to himself and wringing his hands.

"He went to search Knockturn Alley for you. He should be back any-"

"DMITRI!" Alistair's voice suddenly thundered and Dmitri barely had time to even turn around before he was pulled into a bone-crushing, cinnamon smelling hug. Alistair knocked the box Dmitri was carrying out of his hands, but luckily Lukas caught it before it could slam into the cobblestone street. Whatever was inside mewled in annoyance. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT NO YOU ARE NOT I CAN TELL YOU'RE HURT AREN'T YOU I'M SO GLAD I FOUND YOU YOUR SISTERS WOULD HAVE KILLED ME!" Alistair shouted, much like his younger brother.

"F-Fine…need….air!" Dmitri gasped, struggling for breath in Alistair's iron grip. Alistair looked up to see a very confused yet entertained Molly Weasley, who blushed when she saw how handsome he was. Letting Dmitri go suddenly, he walked up to her, grinning widely.

"You helped him didn't you?" Alistair deduced aloud, and Molly nodded shyly, twirling her hair. Alistair took her hand and kissed it in gratitude, and Molly giggled like a little schoolgirl. Lukas rolled his eyes and Arthur pretended to vomit onto the sidewalk, which made Hassan snicker uncontrollably. Tuning out Alistair and Molly, who were now arguing over whether or not Molly deserved payment for helping Dmitri, Lukas looked down at the box in his arms. Whatever was inside was fairly light, like a puppy, and was shifting around, poking a wet black nose out of the holes in the box and sniffing curiously.

"What's in here, Dmitri?" He asked aloud, and Dmitri jumped, startled. Arthur, Lukas, and Hassan all gave him strange looks; since when was Dmitri surprised when people talked to him? Arthur and Hassan shared a dark look. Whatever happened to him when they got separated affected him in the worst way, and by Dobby's socks, they were going to find out what happened. They could see it in his eyes. He was scared. Behind that crimson fire and energy he always had in his eyes was terror and something even worse. Sadness. And the way he kept glancing over his shoulder and gripping at his left arm…

Fear and depression clashed so badly with Romania's normal personality that it was making all of them queasy just being near him.

Recovering quickly, Dmitri smiled brightly, taking the box back from Lukas.

"It's a baby Zburator." He said proudly, and Arthur's massive eyebrows shot up into his hairline. A Zburator? Blimey, he hadn't seen one of those in about two centuries! He thought they'd gone extinct. Judging by the look on Lukas' face, he thought so too. Hassan just had a confused frown. Seeing this, Arthur explained.

"They're like a cross between dragons and wolves. If I'm correct, they used to be a symbol of power and nobility in Romania." He said, straining his mind, and Dmitri nodded.

"That, and they look really cool." He said happily, sticking his fingers into one of the holes and stroking the pup lovingly. It purred gently at him, and he smiled.

"I thought you would have gotten a bat…" Lukas frowned. The reaction was immediate. Dmitri's whole body stiffened, his eyes widened, and he went drastically pale. As much as he wished it to, this reaction did not go unnoticed by his friends, who all scowled. Who the hell would do this to him? They knew him, and they all knew, without a doubt, that he hadn't been doing anything to warrant mistreatment. He was mischievous, sure, but never cruel.

"W-Well…I was going to…but…" Dmitri whispered, but whatever he was going to say was cut off by Alistair, clapped his hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"We still got loads a shopping to do, so shall we go?" He quipped cheerfully, and Arthur glared at him viciously, growling at the hand on his shoulder with eyes full of hate. Dmitri nodded, grateful for the interruption, though the remaining scowl on Lukas' face told him that he was going to have to explain at some point.

Arthur seemed to be adamant on getting an owl, (his last one died a few months ago. A moment of silence for Lancelot; he will always be in our hearts.) but Dmitri point blank refused to go inside Eyelops with the group. He wouldn't explain why, though the rest of them had a sneaking suspicion that this store was part of the reason why Dmitri was suddenly so scared to be out in public. In fact, the Romanian refused point blank to even be near the store. Seeing the Dmitri was not going to budge in his horror, he gave him a handful of Galleons and sent him and Hassan to buy cauldrons while Arthur shopped for his bird.

"Stop looking at me like that, Hassan." Dmitri finally sighed when they walked out of the store, four collapsible pewter cauldrons stuffed into Alistair's hammerspace backpack. Ironically, Alistair had styled the pack like the TARDIS. All the UK brothers were incredibly fond (and jealous) of the bag. Though he could say nothing, the stare Hassan had been boring into the back of Dmitri's head was driving him up the wall. He wanted to be alone right now. He wanted to go home and curl up with his cat, call up Bulgaria and drink his troubles away. But he was fifteen now and didn't know how to get back to normal, which meant no alcohol until the end of the school year.

Hassan shot him a very demanding look, and Dmitri scowled.

"No, I'm not saying what happened. Not now. Not here." He hissed, and Hassan coolly raised an eyebrow. "You can't make me tell." He growled, and Hassan rolled his eyes, making a face at him. "Not happening." Dmitri replied, quickly walking to where Alistair now stood, tapping his foot impatiently.

"You got everything?" He asked, and Dmitri nodded, looking curiously at the barn owl perched on Arthur's shoulder, which was grooming his hair affectionately.

"Dmitri, Hassan, this is Gwen." Arthur announced proudly, and the owl hooted in greeting.

"Must you always name your owls after characters of Arthurian legend?" Lukas muttered, but the corner of his lip was twitching upwards. Arthur nodded adamantly, and Alistair smirked. Wow, did he miss Guinevere. She was damn hot for girls in that era…

"Anything else we need?" Lukas asked, and Alistair scratched his chin, pulling the list from his jacket pocket.

"Ye got yer robes, wands, cauldrons…ye still need textbooks, potion starter kits, a star map for Astronomy, and…oh yeah, Lukas and Hassan still need pets." He said to himself. Lukas was about to protest that he didn't want a pet since he had his troll, but he knew better than to argue against Alistair. Hassan perked up at that. He wasn't allowed to bring Anubis to Hogwarts, since she got skittish around crowds.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. Dmitri was uncharacteristically silent for the whole three hours they spent there, only quietly pointing out items in shops and talking to his Zburator in Romanian. Everyone kept shooting him concerned glances, and he was obviously getting fed up with it. As the day went on, he got quieter and quieter, until he didn't say a word, even when they asked him questions or tried to make small talk.

Arthur, being the expert in body language that he was, noted every little thing Dmitri did, everything that was so unbearable NOT Dmitri.

He kept his shoulders hunched in at all times, his red eyes fixed firmly on his sneakers. Occasionally he would grab on to Hassan or Alistair's sleeve and follow the group like that, because he refused to look up, even to see where he was going. Hassan was worried, but didn't seem to mind this behavior. Alistair on the other hand would give him a very, very surprised and concerned look, becoming flustered, but he would let Dmitri hang on for as long as he wanted. Every time Dmitri did this, Arthur and Lukas would share looks, letting their eyes speak for them.

Why does he do that?

He's scared, Arthur.

I know, but…of what?

I think it's a who, actually. Do you see the way he's sticking close to Alistair?

Yeah, but why?

Because…I think, because Alistair is the adult here. The protector.

Oh come on, since when did DMITRI need protection?

You and I both know that Alistair is an ass, but he takes care of those under his care and guards them with his life. Dmitri knows that too.

He's been avoiding everyone on this street besides us. He won't get within two feet of anyone else, did you notice?

Duh.

When I get my hands on whoever did this to him…

I pity that person. Because they have you, me, and Alistair to deal with.

What about Hassan?

I don't know. He's hard to read.

"If you two could stop eyeballing each other, we're here." Alistair grumbled, pointing to the Magical Menagerie. He handed Lukas and Hassan thirty Galleons each, but went inside with them nonetheless to make sure they didn't buy anything that could kill. This left Arthur and Dmitri outside the shop, Dmitri still holding his cub and Arthur with Gwen still perched on his shoulder. While they waited Arthur had a frown on his face the entire time, watching Dmitri slowly shrink in on himself. Every time a shopper passed by the two, Dmitri would duck his head and not-so-subtly hide behind Arthur.

"Dmitri, stop it." Arthur growled, shoving Dmitri back out from behind him, a bit too roughly perhaps. Dmitri said nothing. "And stop that whole silence thing. Hassan is already mute, and you and I both know Lukas is a terrible conversation partner." He said, trying for a joke, but Dmitri didn't smile. And he still said nothing.

Arthur hated this. He could clearly see Dmitri collapsing inwards, becoming more and more withdrawn with every word Arthur spoke. He felt like grabbing Dmitri by the shoulders and screaming in his face, but he knew that would only make it worse.

"Dmitri, why the hell won't you speak?" Arthur demanded, putting his hands on his hips in a way so similar to Alistair and Molly Weasley that Dmitri almost smiled. But he couldn't find the energy. He could barely stand right now. He wanted to be alone. What was the point of explaining? They wouldn't understand. Their citizens smile and wave and flock to them, not spit on them and avoid them like the plague. People were never scared of them.

"Why won't you ever tell us what's wrong?" Arthur asked softly, but Dmitri kept his face deathly blank, like a corpse. He doesn't understand. He will never understand. His citizens never tied him up and tried to burn him at the stake. They never tied his limbs together and tied rocks to his feet and threw him in a lake. Arthur never had his stomach cut open, his insides replaced with stones and tossed over a cliff. They couldn't know what he'd been through. They couldn't understand. He wanted to be alone.

Every last memory Dmitri had of his own people hating him and hurting him was flooding through his mind like a tsunami and it made him want to scream until his throat bled. How could Arthur know? How could any of them know?

That's why he liked his Zburator so much, even though he just met him. The cub didn't care what he looked like. The cub loved him no matter what.

Dmitri was saved by a full-on interrogation when Lukas and Hassan exited the store, Alistair close behind them. Lukas was holding a snow white monkey-like creature with large tusks, Hassan had simply chosen a black cat. He was normally a dog person, but he loved cats a lot. Alistair, surprisingly, was holding a birdcage with a white cloth over it, smugly grinning at all of them like he just found Atlantis.

"To the Leaky Cauldron."

A/N: Now, if you think I'm laying on the angst too thickly, I agree, but to be honest, people in the dark ages were terrified of anything that looked mildly evil, like say...people with red eyes. In a time where the church ruled, red eyes were demonic, so people's reactions to Dmitri back then were considered normal. (I have nothing against the church, I'm just pointing this out; people were very superstitious back then.)

So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Ugly? Potato?

Review please! I love you all! Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Draco dormiens nunquam convehunt, filli.