chapter 13

Chapter 13: 

– Valerie –

Seras and I watched with raised eyebrows as the red-haired matriarch stomped up to Tonks, not giving a single damn that the entire bar was now staring at her. "Nymphadora!" she yelled. 

I saw Tonks flinch before she shouted back. "Don't call me Nymphadora!" Her hair shifted to a bright, annoyed pink, practically glowing under the pub lights.

The woman ignored Tonks's outburst and leaned in, eyes narrowing. "Where is Rose?" Then, she caught sight of me and Seras, her eyes widening with suspicion. "Vampires. Two of them! In Hogsmeade of all places? Did you bring them here, Tonks?" Her voice was loaded with disappointment, as if Tonks had singlehandedly brought shame to the entire wizarding world.

I exchanged a look with Seras, both of us trying not to roll our eyes at this witch's audacity. Who the hell did she think she was, talking to Tonks like that? I didn't think they were related, and even if they were, Tonks was a grown woman.

"Rose is perfectly fine and safe," I said, keeping my tone even. The last thing I needed was to escalate this scene.

The woman's eyes narrowed further, and she jabbed a stubby finger in my face. "Perfectly fine and safe!? As if I'd believe anything a monster says. How dare you wander around Hogsmeade like you own the place? If Dumbledore were still alive, none of this would stand!"

I scoffed, folding my arms over my chest. Of course, she was another one of those prejudiced witches. Why was I even surprised at this point? "Listen here, bitch," I said, my patience snapping. "Seras and I have every right to be here. We're paying customers, and we weren't causing any problems until you decided to storm in and start shouting like a banshee."

Before I could say anything else, a younger red-haired boy marched over, anger all over his freckled face. His hand was clamped around a wand that looked like it had seen better days, covered in nicks and scratches. Clearly, this kid had no idea how to take care of the most important tool a wizard could have. I always made sure my blood bracelet was spotless, and that wasn't even half as crucial as a wand since it was easily replaceable.

"Hey, don't talk to my mother like that!" he snapped, stepping up like he was some big hero.

Seras moved in front of me without a second thought, her eyes hard. My face heated up. She was protecting me, and I didn't know whether to be annoyed or flattered.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Seras asked, her tone sharp.

"I'm Ron Weasley!" he said, as if that explained everything. I glanced at Seras, who looked just as confused as I felt. We both turned to Tonks, who sighed like she was already tired of the drama.

"Ron is one of Rose's best friends," she muttered, rubbing her temples.

"Not only that," Ron declared, puffing out his chest and putting a hand over it like he was about to give a speech. "I'm also Rose's fiancé now! It's all been decided and everything." He sounded very proud when he declared that. The fuck was he even talking about though?

"What…?" I asked, the confusion clear in my voice.

"The hell are you talking about, Weasley?" Tonks snapped, crossing her arms. "Rose is a witch's witch, everyone knows that…" 

I glanced over at the rest of the red-headed crew, wondering if they were going to pile into this weird altercation as well. But they all looked thoroughly embarrassed, like they wanted to sink through the floor. The only ones who seemed remotely amused were a pair of twins who were barely holding back laughter. Their eyes sparkled with the kind of mischief that made me think they'd be fun at a party.

Before I could make a snarky comment, the only daughter in the group stormed over, her glare not aimed at me or Seras, but at her mom and brother. "Mom, Ron! We've already been over this. Rose is not going to marry into our family. I've told you a hundred times, everyone in Gryffindor knows Rose only likes women. It's not going to happen." She threw her hands up, exasperated. "Everyone knows she has a type, and it's sexy blondes with big boobs." She pointed straight at me, narrowing her eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if this sexy vampire here was exactly Rose's type!"

I couldn't help but smirk, flicking my hair back for dramatic effect. "I am her type. She actually confessed to me recently!"

The girl crossed her arms, looking vindicated as Ron's face turned as red as his hair and their mother's jaw tightened.

Molly Weasley's voice shook as she pointed at me. "Did you seduce the Girl Who Lived!? Are you the reason she's not responding to any of our messages?"

Tonks snorted so hard she nearly choked on her Butterbeer. "For Merlin's sake, it's the other way around. Rose has been trying to seduce Valerie, not the other way around."

The twins couldn't hold back any longer, bursting into loud, unapologetic laughter. One clapped the other on the back. "Oh, this is gold," one of them said between gasps.

I rolled my eyes. "As pleasant as this situation has been," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm, "I think it's time we head to the castle now, Tonks."

Tonks looked at me, her eyes twinkling with barely concealed amusement. "Right, before we get dragged into whatever drama this is." She stepped forward, pulling Seras and me with her. "Sorry, Molly, but we've got urgent business to attend to." 

With that said, the three of us pushed our way past Molly and Ron and left the Three Broomsticks. I was half expecting Ron to try and hex one of us in the back, but it never came. I don't know why Rose was friends with a guy like that, but in case she really was, I didn't want to have to rough him up too badly. 

"Wait up!" The red-haired girl caught up with us just as we left the pub, jogging to our side. 

"Hey, Ginny," Tonks said, a smirk playing on her lips. "I see Molly is as pleasant as ever."

Ginny snorted, rolling her eyes. "My mom is a controlling bitch, no need to sugarcoat it."

"Condolences," I told her honestly. I meant it. I would have given anything for a loving mother myself, but not if she was… whatever that whirlwind in the pub was.

"What was the deal with your brother saying he's going to marry Rose?" Seras asked, narrowing her eyes. "I was literally there when Rose confessed to Valerie. She definitely doesn't like guys."

Ginny made a face, half amused, half exasperated. "Oh, believe me, I know. Rose and I actually practiced kissing a bit last year in the common room when I was curious. But I decided I mostly liked men better."

A pleasant shudder ran down my body at the mental image of Ginny and Rose making out, and I had to take a few deep breaths to steady myself. 

Seras turned to me, whispering under her breath, "What's that sudden smell?" 

I blushed furiously, realizing her vampire senses had picked up on my arousal. "It's nothing," I muttered. I was thankful she still wasn't fully used to her heightened senses.

"So, what are you guys doing in Hogsmeade?" Ginny asked, crossing her arms and looking between us.

Tonks sighed, her playful demeanor slipping a bit. "We need some phoenix ashes to perform a ritual."

"Ritual magic? Isn't that forbidden by the Ministry?" Ginny's eyes widened in shock.

"What Ministry?" I scoffed. "There's only, what, four Aurors left now that Tonks quit?"

Ginny's jaw dropped. She turned to Tonks for confirmation, and Tonks nodded grimly. "Holy shit! Is it that bad out here now? Mom hasn't let any of us leave the Burrow all summer!"

Tonks nodded again, this time with a smirk. "I think the only reason the magical government hasn't already crumbled is because not even the Dark Lord knows how weak the Ministry really is right now. He's going to be real surprised when he tries to take over. But trust me, it won't last long after that." She shot me and Seras a wink. We both smirked back, knowing exactly what she meant.

"Why's that?" Ginny asked, a mix of curiosity and concern in her eyes.

I took a breath and gave her the short version. "I work for an organization called Hellsing. We used to specialize in hunting vampires, but lately, we've expanded to handle any supernatural threats that pop up across Britain. The Death Eaters are our newest targets, along with all the vampires, werewolves, and other nasties Voldemort's been bringing in to boost his forces."

Ginny's eyes went wide, and she looked at me like I'd just told her dragons were flying over London. "Woah! That's freaking crazy. I didn't know Muggles had advanced that far."

Ginny walked with us to the castle gates. On the way, she explained that Ron had always been in love with Rose and also Hermione. "Since he is a pureblood, he always fantasized about taking the two of them as his wives or something…" Ginny explained with a roll of her eyes. Considering he's failed most of his classes and sucks at Quidditch, she had no idea how he thought he was going to support two different wives. Unless he was planning on mooching off of the two of them. Which Ginny pointed out was a large possibility. "Rose and Hermione don't know any of this, mind you," Ginny continued. "This has only come out this summer and my mother is completely behind the plan because she wants a lot of grandchildren and she thinks the rest of us are lost causes because we all want to focus on our careers first." Having grown up poor, Ginny and the majority of her brothers all decided that's not how they would live as adults.

I gave her a nod of respect as a working woman myself… Although my job mostly involved murdering evil monsters. Meh, work was work.

"I don't know Rose very well, but I don't think she's going to be too happy to hear any of that…" Seras pointed out.

Ginny giggled. "I know right! Fred and George have a secondhand camera, and we want to be there to film it when Ron confesses his love to both girls and they start hexing his bits off!" 

Ginny chatted with us the rest of the way to the gates. She was a cute fiery little thing whose company I didn't mind at all. She didn't follow us further though, and said she had to get back to her family.

…

"Can we just walk inside?" I asked when we arrived outside its gates. I let out a whistle of appreciation. Hogwarts was absolutely breathtaking and Rowena would be surprised that it was still standing to this day. 

"I think we might have to wait for one of the remaining staff to come let us in," Tonks started to say before the gates swung open by themselves. "Oh, never mind then…"

"Welcome, successor of Rowena."

A voice whispered quietly in my mind. I almost didn't hear it. Successor of Rowena? Was Hogwarts sentient, and it could somehow tell that Rowena herself was my teacher? Magic was continuously full of strange surprises. With a shrug, I strode up the castle grounds with Tonks and Seras jogging to catch up to me. Every single door automatically swung open for us when we made it inside the castle itself. Tonks kept commenting on how weird that was, but neither she nor Seras could hear the faint voice of the castle welcoming me. Tonks knew the directions to the Headmaster's office. Apparently, she had been sent there more than a few times as a student for getting in schoolyard fights. 

Tonks scoffed. "Because I can technically take any form I want, a lot of boys kept asking me to turn into naked versions of their favorite witch celebrities…"

I let out a chuckle followed by an exaggerated sigh of disappointment. "So you won't take any of my requests then…?" I let out a yelp as Tonks smacked me on the arm.

The gargoyle statue shifted out of the way, revealing a spiral staircase that led us up to the headmaster's office. As soon as we entered, I got a sense of the chaos. The place was a mess—papers, books, and strange trinkets were scattered all over the place. It looked like someone had torn through it in a hurry, like they were desperate to find something valuable.

Tonks cursed under her breath as she took in the scene. "Bunch of vultures, the lot of them," she muttered, sounding disgusted. "The rest of the Order couldn't wait to get their hands on Dumbledore's stuff once he was gone."

I raised an eyebrow at her, not surprised but definitely annoyed on the old man's behalf. Not that I knew him, but still—it was his stuff. 

"Let's hope they didn't take what we're looking for," Seras said, her voice cautious.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Nothing to do but start looking." 

So we got to work, digging through the mess. It felt like ages, but really, it was only about ten minutes. Still, I felt like I'd gone through a dozen dusty shelves, random cabinets, and stacks of parchment. Every so often, I'd stop to carefully examine some odd trinket, but I didn't dare touch anything that looked too magical. You never know what kind of paranoid enchantments wizards throw on their stuff.

"I think I found something!" Seras called out, standing next to a shelf filled with what looked like potion ingredients. She was holding a jar filled with ashes—golden ashes. As I got closer, I could practically feel the energy rolling off the jar. My vampire senses practically buzzed just being near it. This was it.

"Are those the phoenix ashes, Tonks?" I asked, my eyes glued to the jar in Seras's hands.

Tonks moved in for a closer look, her brow furrowing as she inspected it. "I've never actually seen them before," she admitted, "but nothing else in this office even comes close to that." She gave me a nod. "Looks like this is our best bet."

I smirked, feeling a surge of satisfaction. "Alright. That's that, then. Time to get this ritual going." 

"What the hell is going on here!?" an older woman stormed into the office behind us. Her sharp eyes locked onto us like she was ready to toss us out herself. "Nymphadora! Are you stealing from the Headmaster too?"

Tonks let out a groan that practically echoed in the cluttered room, and I couldn't help but snicker. Every older woman we'd encountered seemed to insist on calling her by that name.

"I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall," Tonks said, sounding like a kid caught stealing cookies. "We really needed some phoenix ashes for a ritual to help my friend Valerie here," she explained, nodding towards me. I was standing there with the jar clutched in my hands like it was made of gold—which, to be fair, it basically was.

McGonagall's eyes shifted to me, her stare hard and unblinking. "Ritual magic has been forbidden in Britain by the Ministry," she said, echoing what Ginny had already pointed out earlier. "Furthermore, it's incredibly dangerous. One mistake can lead to disastrous consequences."

"You don't have to worry about that," I said, trying to sound reassuring. "The ritual we're performing is simple. All we're doing is summoning a Devil." The second the words left my mouth, I knew I'd messed up. McGonagall's eyes went wide, and her mouth dropped open in shock.

"Summoning a Devil!? In Hogwarts of all places. Have you lost your mind, Nymphadora?" McGonagall's voice reached a pitch that had me wincing on Tonks's behalf.

Seras and I exchanged amused looks while Tonks shot us a death glare, her face flushed. "It wasn't my idea, Professor! This is all Valerie's doing."

"I wasn't planning on performing the ritual in Hogwarts," I said quickly, trying to steer things back on track. "But even if I did, it wouldn't make a difference. We're going to kill the Devil right after we interrogate it."

McGonagall's expression darkened, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. "What in Merlin's name is going on here?" she demanded, looking more exasperated than angry now. "Explain everything to me. Now."

So we did…

"I don't like any of this," she said after a long pause, glancing between us. "But I'd rather not have spawns of the underworld running around London unchecked either." She sighed, her eyes softening a bit. "Hogwarts has old ritual rooms from back when such practices were still legal and common. You may use one, but you must promise to be careful. And no more trouble for this castle." She frowned. "We're in a very precarious position without Dumbledore and without Professor Snape, who turned traitor. In terms of defense, we're down to myself and Professor Flitwick." I couldn't help but think that if Rowena Ravenclaw were watching, she'd be rolling over in her grave.

As I'd said earlier, the ritual I planned was straightforward. Tonks and Seras stood off to the side, ready for anything. Tonks had her wand clenched in her hand, eyes narrowed and focused. Seras held my revolver, her finger resting lightly on the trigger. McGonagall waited outside, having sealed the door with some heavy-duty spells, muttering that she'd rather the lot of us die in here than let a Devil loose in Hogwarts. The old Scottish witch definitely didn't hold back.

I carefully drew the summoning circle onto the stone floor with some chalk. It didn't need to be perfect, just good enough to indicate that I was calling forth someone from the Phenex Clan. With the circle ready, I took the jar of phoenix ashes and scattered them along the borders, watching the golden dust glimmer under the dim light.

"Here goes nothing," I whispered. I took a few steps back and began the chant, my voice steady. "Come forth, scion of the Phenex Clan, come forth and answer the call on the ashes of your ancestors!" I repeated the chant over and over, each time feeling the energy in the room shift. The circle started glowing red, lines of power crisscrossing over the stone.

"Here we go," Tonks muttered, her grip tightening on her wand. Seras's finger inched closer to the trigger.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, almost blinding. I squinted and tried to steady myself as a figure appeared in the middle of the circle. 

"EEEEeeep!" A small, blonde girl landed in the middle of the summoning circle with a thud, falling right on her ass. Her hair was long, golden, and done up in frilly curls. She wore an extravagant white dress that looked fit for a fancy ball, not a fight. "What the hell was that?" she muttered, standing up and dusting herself off. She glanced around, her bright blue eyes wide and curious. They locked onto us, and her expression shifted from confusion to panic as she took in Tonks with her wand pointed right at her and Seras holding the revolver steady. "Oh, shit," the girl muttered, eyes darting around like a cornered animal. She was definitely a Devil, that much was clear. And judging by her appearance, she had to be from the Phenex Clan. But she wasn't the one I'd been trying to summon…

Seras blinked, taking a moment to process. "Uh, Val? That isn't Regis."

"No shit," I replied. 

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