chapter 18

Chapter 18:

– Draco –

Draco leaned against the banister, panting heavily as he finally reached the top of the staircase in his own mansion. The climb had left him winded, a stark reminder of how much he'd relied on magic to bolster his own body. Without it, even something as simple as stairs now felt like an uphill battle. He couldn't help but think back to Hogwarts, where seven floors had been no problem at all.

He'd fallen so far so quickly…

Pushing open the door to his father's old study, now claimed by the Dark Lord, Draco forced himself to straighten up. "You called for me, my Lord?" he said.

The Dark Lord's glowing red eyes fixed on him as he entered. "Ah, Draco, there you are," the Dark Lord said, his gaze sweeping over Draco's form. "Your magic still hasn't returned, I see."

Draco clenched his jaw to stop himself from snapping. "No, my Lord. It must have been Potter! She's always hated me. This must have been some blood ritual… or something! She's kidnapped my entire family to pull it off. My parents, my aunt Bellatrix—they're all gone because of her!"

The Dark Lord tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. I never would have expected something so bold from Rose Potter, but I can think of no other explanation. To see a pureblood like you reduced to this… not even a squib, but a muggle!? Disgusting!"

Draco flinched as the Dark Lord's wand appeared in his pale, bony hand. Draco braced himself, gritting his teeth in anticipation of the pain he was sure would follow. But instead of a curse, there was nothing. When he dared to open his eyes, he saw the Dark Lord lowering his wand with a wicked grin.

"You're lucky, Draco. If any other filthy muggle dared look upon me, I would have tortured them to insanity before tearing their soul from their corpse," the Dark Lord said.

Draco's hands were shaking. "T–Thank you for your m-mercy, my Lord," he stuttered out.

"Yes… mercy." The Dark Lord's laughter sent chills down Draco's spine. He waved his wand, and a strange metallic object floated off a nearby table and into Draco's outstretched hands. "That, Draco, is a muggle gun. Their pathetic imitation of a wand. It only has six shots before it becomes useless."

Draco's lip curled in disgust as he examined the object, but he dared not drop it. The Dark Lord obviously gave it to him for some purpose. "I'll do whatever you wish of me, my Lord."

"Good," the Dark Lord said. "You are a tragedy, Draco. But even as a muggle, you have one last use to our noble cause. Potter's home is protected by powerful blood wards, a final defense set by Dumbledore. If any magical being, with harmful intentions towards Potter, tries to get within a couple blocks of her home the wards will attack them viciously. However, those wards will do nothing to muggles."

Draco's lips twitched into a vindictive grin as he started to understand.

"You will go to Potter's home and use that gun to kill her blood relatives. Without them, the wards will fall, and Potter will be vulnerable at last. Succeed, Draco, and I will help you reclaim your magic," The Dark Lord finished explaining.

Tears pricked the corners of Draco's eyes. He quickly wiped them away and straightened his back. "I won't fail you, my Lord. I'll kill Potter's filthy muggle family, no matter what!"

– Dudley –

Dudley Dursley stretched out on the couch, a bag of potato chips balanced precariously on his stomach. The TV blared in front of him, some action movie he'd already seen three times this week. Life had been peaceful since Rose ran off with that crazy hot blonde chick carrying a gun. His mum hadn't stopped complaining about the mess she'd left behind, but Dudley had moved on. 

The doorbell rang, pulling him out of his thoughts. He groaned and shouted, "Get the door, freak!" Then he remembered no freaks lived here anymore. 

With a sigh, he heaved himself off the couch, brushing chip crumbs onto the carpet, and stomped toward the door.

He swung it open. "Yeah, what do you—" He froze. A blonde guy stood on the porch, wearing robes that looked like they belonged at some Halloween costume shop.

"The freak's not here," Dudley said, scowling. He moved to slam the door, but the guy spoke before he could.

"That's even better!" The guy's grin was manic. "That bitch Potter can come home and find the bodies of her dear family lying here dead!" He let out an unhinged laugh.

Dudley took a step back. His instincts screamed that this guy was trouble. Before he could react further, the blonde reached into his robes and pulled out a gun! 

"Die, you filthy muggle!"

Bang!

Dudley flinched and stumbled back, his heart pounding. He looked down at himself, expecting to find a bloody hole in his chest. Instead, he found he was completely unharmed. Slowly, he peeked down at the porch. 

The asshole was writhing on the ground, clutching his arm, which was now bleeding profusely. Somehow, he'd managed to shoot himself. The gun had been facing the wrong way for some reason when the guy pulled the trigger!

"What the actual fuck…" Dudley muttered while taking a calming breath. He stared down for a moment, then sighed, closed the door, and walked back to the couch. He cranked up the volume on the TV to drown out the crazy wizard that was screaming in pain outside and shoved another handful of chips into his mouth. 

He wasn't dealing with any of that shit...

– Valerie –

I stood on the gun range behind Hellsing Manor. Instead of practicing with any weapons, though, I focused on my magic. The blood gems on my left wrist glowed a vivid red as I fired spell after spell at the targets in the distance. Each spell left a faint hum in the air before exploding on impact.

Wizarding magic was useful for a lot of things, but when it came to combat, it was surprisingly limited. Most of the effective spells boiled down to firing a beam of light that traveled in a straight line until it hit something. Evil wizards liked to use all kinds of flashy dark curses, but they all worked the same way. Honestly, it all felt kinda pointless. Aside from the Unforgivables, every curse could just be blocked by a single Protego spell.

The first spell I ever used to take a life was also the most practical in combat. Bombarda—or its more powerful version, Bombarda Maxima. Why waste time with a blood-boiling curse when blowing someone up was faster, cost less magic to cast, and far more effective? Even if a Bombarda missed, the explosion would still hit anything nearby with the force of a grenade. Incendio worked on a similar principle. A wave of fire erupted in front of you, and even if you missed your target, you were bound to hit something.

A few Hellsing soldiers stood nearby, watching me practice. When a torrent of red fire burst from my hand and incinerated a wooden target twenty yards away, I heard a few appreciative whistles.

"That was awesome, girly!" one of them called out.

"Damn, I'm kind of jealous. Magic looks like so much fun!" said another.

"Why don't we have flamethrowers? That seems pretty useful for us regular soldiers."

I glanced at them, curious myself. Before I could voice my thoughts, Captain Rodriguez, standing by a nearby table cleaning his personal rifle, chimed in.

"Flamethrowers aren't practical," he said, not looking up from his weapon. "Against vampires, who move faster than anything you've ever faced, a soldier with a napalm flamethrower is more likely to hit his own team than the target. It's just too risky. Easier to stick with assault rifles. Pump the vampire full of so much lead they turn into paste."

I grimaced at the mental image. Still, I had to admit it made sense. I was lucky. With my enhanced reflexes and magic, I didn't have to rely on messy methods like that.

Focusing back on the range, I raised my hand and unleashed another wave of fire, watching as the target turned into ash. The soldiers cheered again. 

I lowered my left hand, the red glow from the blood gems fading as I let myself relax. My breathing was steady, but I could feel the beginnings of fatigue creeping in. I'd been at this for a while, and my thirst wasn't helping. Integra had promised me a couple more death row inmates to feast on, but that wouldn't happen until later in the afternoon.

The soft sound of footsteps caught my attention, and I turned around, a smile tugging at my lips when I saw Rose walking toward me. There was something in the way her green eyes lit up when she looked at me that made me feel… worshipped. Like I was the most beautiful, perfect creature in her world. 

"Hi, Rose," I said. "What brings you out here?"

Her smile dropped a little, and she threw her arms into the air. "You're not going to believe what happened this morning. Apparently, the Dark Wanker sent someone to kill my muggle family back in Surrey!"

My stomach twisted. "Are they okay?" I asked. I knew Rose didn't exactly get along with her muggle family, and she didn't seem to love them at all, but I didn't think she wanted them dead.

Rose scoffed. "Yeah, they're totally fine. The person the Dark Lord sent? It was Draco Malfoy. He's an absolute idiot…"

"Oh." That was awkward. Narcissa was my maid… and kind of my lover, too. We hadn't really put a label on it, but after that time in the shower… Well, it was something. I tilted my head. "Does Narcissa know what happened?"

"Yeah, she knows." Rose crossed her arms. "The whole situation is weird. Malfoy is apparently a muggle now. He's lost all of his magic..."

I nodded. That didn't surprise me. It was the whole reason Narcissa and Bellatrix had shown up at Hellsing Manor in the first place, practically begging my father to let them keep their magic. Alucard had pardoned most of the Black family… except for Draco. 

Narcissa never talked much about him anyway, except to mention that he was the spitting image of his father, who was still rotting in the dungeons beneath the mansion. That reminded me. I'd been meaning to ask what they were planning to do with Lucius. Devil blood was one thing, but I couldn't help wondering what wizarding blood tasted like. The thought sent a shiver through me, and I bit my lip to push it aside.

"So, what did Draco do?" I asked. "Besides fail of course."

Rose's lips twitched into a smirk. "He managed to shoot himself! He tried to use a muggle gun and didn't even know which way to point it! Hellsing had a couple of undercover agents watching my house from across the street, and they recorded the entire thing. It was honestly pretty hilarious to watch! They patched him up, took his gun away, and now he's in the dungeon cell right next to his father."

"Well now… That's certainly something." I understand that some wizards are really ignorant of muggle culture… but how the hell do they not know what guns are!? 

I supposed I'd have to check up on Narcissa soon. I know that she basically disowned her son, but with him being in the same building as us I know she was probably going to have a lot of emotions going on. 

I wanted to make sure she was ok.

It was pretty obvious at this point… I think I was starting to catch feelings for the women in my life. 

It probably wasn't appropriate to rank them, but at the moment I think I cared about Seras the most, Narcissa was a close second, and Rose was a bit further in third… If only because I had yet to spend time with Rose alone, other than the first day I met her. I'd made it clear that I didn't immediately want to commit to any full-on relationships, but if things happened naturally on their own, I wasn't going to go out of my way to fight them. 

The idea struck me as I watched Rose chatting with some of the soldiers, telling them what had happened as well. Seras was tied up with her own training session with Alucard—that poor police girl—and I figured I should give Narcissa some space with her sister before checking on her. Spending time alone with Rose sounded like the perfect plan for today.

"Hey, Rose… do you want to go on a date?" I asked. It wasn't something I overthought, the words just came out.

A couple of the nearby soldiers started whistling at us. I flipped them the bird without hesitation.

"Damn, that's hot!" one of them said.

"If the beautiful girls are all dating each other, what's left for me?" another groaned.

"Your hand, private!" Captain Rodriguez barked, and everyone burst into laughter.

Rose, meanwhile, was staring at me like I'd just grown a second head. Her face turned a deep pink, and for a second, I thought she might pass out. Then, she started nodding enthusiastically. "Absolutely! I'd love to go on a date with you, Valerie!" she said.

…

It wasn't quite noon yet, so Rose suggested we stop by a cafe and then check out an early movie. Her idea for the movie was a cheesy vampire flick. She thought it would be funny.

The cafe was small and cozy, tucked away on a quiet street near the manor. We grabbed a table near the window, and I ordered an iced coffee while Rose got a caramel latte. The moment the drinks arrived, the conversation shifted to how her training was going and when she could start going on missions.

"It's been going pretty good," Rose said. "I've learned most of what I need to know. The only thing left is getting myself into proper shape. I can't keep relying on magic to bolster me every time I get tired."

I nodded, remembering my own grueling training sessions. "Yeah, that's the hard part."

I had to do so many crunches, but damn they were worth it.

– Rose –

Rose couldn't stop grinning as she walked hand in hand with Valerie down the sidewalk. A couple of older ladies shot them disapproving glares, but Rose didn't care. She held her head high and stuck her tongue out at them. She was on a date with the girl of her dreams. The opinions of bigoted muggles meant nothing to her.

Her mind wandered to what it would be like in the theater. The lights would be off, and they'd lean against each other as the movie played. Maybe their hands would even start to wander. 

She refused to be left behind!

Valerie had already gone on a date with Seras, and something had clearly happened between Valerie and Narcissa. Malfoy's mom had given Rose a smug, cheeky grin the other day and told her to step up her game. Rose had been jealous ever since!

Valerie's laugh broke through Rose's thoughts as she gripped Rose's hand a bit tighter and picked up the pace toward the theater. Something about Valerie's laugh was musical, and Rose felt her heart skip just hearing it. 

But of course, her infamous Potter luck decided today was one of those "fuck you, Rose" days.

Valerie suddenly tensed, her grip on Rose's hand tightening so much it was almost painful. Rose winced, and Valerie immediately apologized before pulling her into a small bookstore. It was a hole-in-the-wall kind of place with a few rows of shelves and an older woman behind the counter.

"Welcome. Thanks for stopping by. Is there a specific book you're looking for?" the woman asked, smiling kindly.

Valerie ignored the question. "Does this place have a back exit!?" she asked quickly. 

"Um… no? Is something wrong?" The woman's smile faltered, and she gasped when Valerie pulled her revolver out of her red coat!

"We're completely surrounded, Rose," Valerie said. She barely glanced at the woman, who was now visibly panicking.

"Is this a robbery?" the woman asked, her voice rising.

"No!" Valerie said quickly, making up a lie. "I work for the government, specifically counter-terrorism. It looks like my partner and I have been made."

"What?! But that's—"

"Confundo!" Rose pointed her wand at the woman and cast a confusion charm.

The woman's eyes glazed over, and her panic melted away. "Oh dear me. I hope you two survive. I'll just take a nap here behind the counter." She calmly lay down on the floor and closed her eyes.

Rose sweatdropped, and Valerie chuckled. "I'll have to remember that spell," Valerie said, patting Rose's arm.

"We're surrounded?" Rose asked nervously. She glanced out the window but didn't see anything unusual. People were walking down the sidewalk, going about their day.

"Yeah," Valerie said with a sigh. "At least ten vampires. They're on the rooftops, wearing thick black cloaks to block the sun."

Rose looked up at the rooftops through the window and spotted a figure in a black cloak trying to stay hidden. The moment the figure realized they'd been spotted, they moved.

"Oh shit!" Rose yelled. The figure reached down and picked up something bulky and metallic. "Is that a rocket launcher?!" Rose threw her wand in front of her and Valerie. "Protego Maxima!"

The shield shimmered into existence just as a rocket flew across the street, smashing through the window. It hit the shield with a deafening explosion, and the entire world erupted in fire.

Rose screamed as the blast overwhelmed her shield. She was thrown backward, crashing into the back wall of the store. The impact knocked the wind out of her, and she slid to the floor, landing hard. Pain shot through her body, and she gasped, clutching her side. Her hand came away sticky with blood. Her eyes widened in shock when she looked down and saw a large wooden splinter lodged in her stomach.

"Fuck…" 

That was all Rose could say before she blacked out…

– Valerie –

People outside the shop were screaming and running for their lives after the explosion. I had been flung violently behind the counter, landing hard on my right arm. The sickening crack told me it was broken. My head throbbed, and the constant ringing in my ear, along with the blood dripping down the side of my face, made me pretty sure one of my eardrums had burst.

My body wasn't healing fast enough, nowhere near what it should have been. It had been too long since I'd had fresh blood. The stale blood packs I'd been relying on kept me going, but they didn't do much else. I was now paying the price for that mess with the centaurs and the giant spiders.

I glanced down at the older woman on the ground. She was somehow still sleeping peacefully, protected from the blast by sheer luck. Across the room, Rose lay crumpled against the back wall of the shop. Her gut wound looked bad, really bad. She was unconscious, and I could hear our attackers moving closer.

"Do you think they're dead?" one of them asked.

"I don't know. Go and fucking check."

"Fuck that. Just fire another rocket."

"We don't have another rocket, idiot! That was the only one. You think it's easy to smuggle a weapon like that into London? Why couldn't the traitorous bitch have run off to America instead?"

I gritted my teeth, trying to push myself up with my left arm. These vampires didn't seem particularly smart, but they were organized enough. Something told me they were leftovers from the Tepes faction. The Devils had failed, so now they were coming after me directly.

I flexed my fingers and tested my broken arm. It sent a sharp jolt of pain up my side. There was no way I was fighting off ten or more armed vampires in this state. Low on blood and magic, I was barely hanging on.

Unless…

I looked down at the unconscious older woman behind the counter. My throat tightened. She was completely innocent, just someone running a peaceful shop, minding her own business. This was my fault. All of it. She was going to die anyway because I'd dragged this chaos into her life. If I didn't do something, both Rose and I would be dead before help could arrive.

My stomach churned as I scooted forward with my good arm. My fangs ached as I leaned down.

"I'm sorry," I whispered before sinking my fangs into her neck.

XXX

I have a patreo n. My subs can read advanced updates of my stories ahead of standard release.

Link:

Patreo n .com (slash) Starwaves