Vlad is a sleepy little boy.

[Vlademiere Astor]

Vlad yawned loudly as he entered the Great Hall, stretching his long arms. He hadn't slept well last night and his throat was scratchy. Vlad made a habit of retiring to bed early (he needed his rest), but it was no use if Vlad's throat was bothering him too much to sleep. Vlad had picked up a virus or something when he was last at Hogsmeade and it had been tormenting him ever since. It was terrible. He had a sore throat and he was on strained terms with Mira. She had been very angry with him and Vlad was slightly worried for their relationship. Still, at least his throat thing wasn't bad enough to make him want to go to the Hospital Wing (Vlad was a fairly robust young man; he got over most illnesses fairly quickly), but it was still bothersome enough to keep him awake at night. Vlad claimed a chair near the middle of the Hufflepuff table among some friends and sleepily blinked at the plate of pancakes set before him. He wasn't hungry. He was sleepy. So sleepy. Vlad could fall asleep right here if it weren't for the fact that he had class in thirty minutes.

Vlad rubbed his nose and picked up a fork. He picked absently at the the syrup-soaked pancakes. It was too bad Vlad hated coffee. He could really use a caffeine boost right about now. It would help him focus in class, maybe soothe his scratchy throat, and perhaps even help him to think up a way to win Mira's favor back. "Ah, what the heck." Vlad sighed, putting down his fork and reaching for a pot of coffee nearby. He poured a little into his cup and started adding sugar. Maybe if it was sweeter, it would taste better. Still, coffee was coffee and Vlad had always hated the stuff. It probably wouldn't matter how much sugar he added to it.