Chapter 39
Beta rose from the ass, so – becheno)))
“Maybe we should sit by the lake? The weather’s great today.” Justin turned to Ron. “So, what are we going to do there?”
“Oh, come on, Hagrid’s a good guy! Besides, he invited us over himself.” Weasley shrugged.
– Us? – Hermione looked questioningly at the redhead.
– Of course! Today during breakfast, a large white owl brought me a note with an invitation from Hagrid. He wrote that he was expecting me and my friends to visit. – Ron looked at us with a smile: – You are my friends!
A friendly quartet of us walked to the castle’s main gates, where Hagrid’s hut nestled not far from the edge of the Forbidden Forest. I confess, I was curious to see how our gamekeeper lived, and it would be worth getting him to talk. I didn’t intrude on our friends’ conversation, simply enjoying the spontaneous stroll. It only just dawned on me that we were in the Highlands of Scotland, the very Highlands where nature remains virtually untouched by humans.
I turned around and looked again at the mountains surrounding the castle, at the black expanse of the lake, and took a deep breath. The air was stunningly clean, devoid of the usual metropolitan pollution, only the scent of foliage and wildflowers. I should get out of the castle like this more often, when there’s no need to rush and you can simply stroll, enjoying the surrounding nature.
– Ron, have you known our forester for a long time? – I decided to keep the conversation going.
“Hagrid’s been visiting us often since he was a child.” Weasley saw the interest in our eyes and continued, “You’ve seen him, haven’t you? He’s huge, so it’s hard for him to choose his own wardrobe, and my mother is a seamstress.”
“Don’t they make custom clothes on Diagon Alley?” I glanced at the rather ungainly but well-built hut ahead. “Or is the forester’s salary too low?”
“No, it’s different. He’s a half-giant! Purebloods have all the ateliers within easy reach, and they won’t even let him in.” Ron scratched the back of his head. “I remember a couple of years ago, he complained to Mum that Malkin had kicked him out, even though Hagrid had plenty of money on him. The poor guy burst into tears of anger, and Mum had to give him her signature mead to drink.
“Are there no other decent tailor shops besides Malkin’s?” Hermione asked intrigued.
“There are a few at Knockturn, but Hagrid was often tricked there, he’s… bad at math.” Weasley looked a little embarrassed. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s not stupid, he just has a hard time with the exact sciences. Besides, Hagrid barters with his mother.”
“What do you mean?” Mia looked at the stone “hut,” next to which a low fence covered a well-kept vegetable garden and a small wooden shed. “Does he bring game from the forest?”
“No, of course not! Hagrid loves animals, and he probably wouldn’t hunt them…” Ginger thought for a second and continued, “He collects various rare ingredients in the forest and brings them to his mother, who then sells almost everything profitably on Diagon Alley. But unicorn wool is used directly; it’s not easy to buy, and sweaters and mittens made with it are warmer and last longer.”
As we talked, we approached a small but fairly tall stone house with a tiled roof. The small round windows were covered with blue and white polka-dot curtains, and faint smoke billowed from the chimney. The forester’s dwelling looked very well-kept and cozy. Ron stepped forward and banged his fist on the doorframe. A loud dog barked, the clatter of glass bottles, heavy footsteps echoed from the other side, and finally, the door creaked open.
“Shut up, Fang! You’ll scare the guests!” Hagrid looked at us with a satisfied smile. He was so huge! The doorway was two and a half meters high, and he still had to bend over. “Hey, Ron, I see you brought some friends. You, uh… Come in, why are you standing in the doorway?”
“Hello, Hagrid! Meet my friends,” Weasley began introducing us: “Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hermione Granger, and Rigel Hellsing. Guys, this is Hagrid.”
“Hello, Mr. Hagrid.” I stepped forward and nodded politely. The half-giant’s voice echoed with joy, goodwill, and a hint of apprehension that had appeared when Ron mentioned my name. It was a shame, though.
– You, that… Drop it, just call me Hagrid, that’s what everyone calls me. – The big guy politely invited us inside.
Inside, the house was clean and tidy, save for a pile of empty bottles near the enormous fireplace, where a fire was currently burning. A massive wooden bed stood in the corner, currently made up with a multicolored quilted bedspread, from under which a black wolfhound peered out at us. The dog growled timidly and huddled against a red iron-bound chest, on which sat a steel cage containing a beautiful snowy owl. A large round table, covered with an unfolded newspaper instead of a tablecloth, sat in the center of the room. Five rough wooden chairs were intended for guests, and needless to say, all the furniture was designed for the size of the owner of the house. Several shelves lined the walls, filled with clay pots, and a large oil lamp hung from the ceiling for illumination. That was about it. I also saw a closed door, presumably leading to the next room.
“Come on, make yourself comfortable, and I’ll put the kettle on.” The forester pointed to the chairs and, taking the can with the spout, headed towards the fireplace.
Only now did I notice the basin of coal on the table and the smell of burnt baked goods wafting through the room. Very burnt. While the owner of the house was busy with the boiling water, we quickly sat down at the table.
“So, tell me, kids, how are you enjoying Hogwarts?” Hagrid sat down on the last chair, which creaked pitifully under him. “I baked some cupcakes, but they’re a little burnt. You, uh, help yourself.”
“Everything’s great! I’m in Gryffindor with my brothers, I’ve already made friends!” Ron took a cupcake from the bowl and placed it next to him with a heavy thud, then pointed to the cage. “Did you pick up the injured owl in the forest?”
“Yeah, I wish I could. I bought it, I wanted to give it to her as a present.” While Hagrid looked sadly at the snowy owl, Ron quickly tucked the cupcake into his pocket. “It’s rare, so it’s expensive, and then there’s that damn cage. I practically spent my entire salary, only the rest is left to donate to the CAL.”
“What, what do you need to hand over?” I reached for the cupcake. It was hard to the touch and heavy as a rock, but I didn’t want to offend the big guy.
“Well, I’ve been a member of the College of English Foresters for almost forty years, and that, what’s it called?” The half-giant scratched his head. “Now I remember! You have to pay a membership fee every year, a whole twenty-four Galleons, that’s it.”
“Who did you want to give it to?” Ron asked, and we all began to examine this rare bird with interest. The owl was large, quite beautiful, and had intelligent yellow eyes.
“I wanted to wish Harry Potter a happy birthday when Headmaster Dumbledore, a great man!” Hagrid raised his index finger to the ceiling and continued sadly. “He entrusted me with an important task, right here at Gringotts, can you believe it? And it just so happens to be little Harry’s birthday! How could I have missed that? I mean, I remember those little ones as tiny little creatures! And he…”
The half-giant sighed heavily, pulled a white tablecloth from his pocket, and blew his nose into it. His lips trembled, and tears of resentment welled up in his eyes.
– Did he refuse such a luxurious gift? – Ron stared at the forester in disbelief.
– Yeah, can you imagine? Snowflake’s a real beauty, and they… And I… – Hagrid started wiping away his tears. Damn, he was a big kid. – And Black, right in front of everyone… In the bank… Me… And it’s my fault… Yeah… I didn’t have time…
“Hagrid, please calm down.” I was sitting closest and took his hand; his palm was very rough, but warm. One phrase caught my attention. “You said you remember them , who are you talking about? And what have you done wrong?”
– So, about Harry and his little sister, Dumbledore, he’s a great man, he trusts me with the most important missions, yeah. So, on that terrible night when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named died, he asked me to go to Potter’s house and bring the little ones to Hogwarts. But you, you know, to no one! – Hagrid calmed down a bit and looked at us seriously. – So, he gave me a portkey, a moment – and I was already there, yeah. But Black was already there with the mercenaries, standing right on the porch of the house and refused to let me in. I told him that Dumbledore himself sent me for the children, and Sirius just sent me away, yeah, with a curse. So, I went back to Hogwarts, I wasn’t going to fight them, was I?
“So, that night you were at the site of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s death? And what was it like there? Is it true that there was a terrible battle there? That everything around was destroyed?” Weasley, his eyes shining, bombarded the half-giant with questions.
– What do you mean… – The forester waved his hand. – I went straight back to school and went to the headmaster, and told him everything about Black, yes, that’s how it happened. Dumbledore got really angry then and went to get the children himself, yeah, and I went to the gate to meet them. I waited a long time, yeah, about an hour for sure, but then they all showed up in a crowd.
“Who showed up?” Hermione shifted nervously in her large chair.
“Well, the Headmaster, Black, and the mercenaries, they were arguing loudly and completely forgot about the children. I then ran up to them and took the babies from the mercenary; they each fit in my palm.” Hagrid showed us his huge hands. “Harry’s face was covered in blood, and he was screaming like crazy, but his little sister was in really bad shape, she was sleeping and breathing really hard, yeah. As soon as I handed them over to Poppy in the hospital wing, I ran home as fast as I could. I grabbed a bucket and, like, ran into the forest. Every minute counted…”
“Why the Forbidden Forest?” Justin asked as Hagrid stared silently at the table in front of him.
– I had to, I have a herd of unicorns there fed, yeah, and mares with foals. The girl was really bad, I, uh, could feel it, yeah. So I ran for the unicorn milk, it should have helped. But I didn’t have time… – The half-giant sobbed and blew his nose into his sheet. – By the time I found the herd, by the time I convinced the mare to share her milk, they, you know, understand everything, they just can’t answer. The sun was already, uh, rising when I ran to the hospital wing as fast as I could. And Severus is coming towards me, angry as a manticore and with some kind of bundle, yeah. It’s my fault… I didn’t have time! While I was running, the girl, uh, died. The Prince told me so, Dumbledore, a great man he is, entrusted him with burying the child. I almost killed him then…
– For what? – I leaned forward, after all, he is a Prince! Well, bitch, he went to bury me, the creature.
“Well, I understand that Lily left him for Potter, but you can’t do this!” Tears streamed down the half-giant’s face. “The child isn’t to blame for anything, and he started saying such nasty things about the dead girl, he was just bursting with anger, yeah. If I hadn’t been holding a bucket of milk in my hands, I definitely would have killed him… I ran as fast as I could, but I still didn’t make it… Black was right, I’m, uh, stupid and useless…”
Hagrid couldn’t take it anymore and burst into tears, bitterly and sobbing. While the boys tried to calm this kindhearted man, I sat there, consumed with shame for ever thinking the half-giant a simpleton. While Blackbeard and Fleas were dividing up the Chosen One, only the gamekeeper tried to help me! And he still blames himself for not having done so in time. While the boys swarmed the weeping giant, I quickly walked around the room and found a bottle of moonshine, judging by the smell. I poured a hefty mug almost full and handed it to the half-giant. Hagrid nodded gratefully and finished the container in a couple of sips, sniffled a couple more times, and began to calm down. Just then, the kettle began to boil.
Pulling himself together, the half-giant quickly prepared us a rather pleasant herbal infusion, and for his own tea, he poured a little alcohol… Well, not much, about half of his one-and-a-half-liter mug. After sitting in silence for a couple of minutes, we continued our conversation.
“Hagrid, stop beating yourself up, you’re not stupid or useless!” Ron clenched his fists in resentment for his friend. “You do so much for the school, but if it weren’t for you, wild animals would have eaten half the students here by now! And forget about Black and that arrogant Potter, they don’t deserve to be friends with you! That’s it!”
“Thank you, Ron, your family, you know, has always been so kind to me…” The Forester smiled sadly. “Now I visit Lily and her little Rigel every year, yeah. They were buried next to James, but everyone forgot about them, yeah. I’m the only one who looks after their grave; Madam Sprout even brought out some pretty flowers at my request, so they’d, like, bloom longer. It’s not nice to forget good people…”
Hagrid sighed heavily and took a long sip from his mug, and a tense silence fell over the room. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, only Weasley was looking at me suspiciously. Damn it, the kid’s not stupid and seemed to have figured out that girls named Rigel aren’t often seen. I’ll talk to the redhead later; I don’t need any unnecessary conversation.
“Mr. Hagrid, did you know Lily and Professor Prince well?” Hermione turned to the forester, who smiled and combed his beard with his hand.
– Of course, I’ve been working here for a long time. I remember them when they were still little brats, yeah. I remember it like it was yesterday, I go out to the edge of the forest, and there’s a red-haired girl and a dark-haired boy crawling around on all fours and picking moth flowers, a good herb, yeah. – Hagrid took a couple of sips and added a few more degrees to his tea. – At first I wanted to scold them, yeah, it’s dangerous for children to be at the edge of the forest, but I see they’re smart kids, so I told them where and when the best time to pick the herbs is. Then Lily and Severus often came to see me, we’d drink tea and talk about all sorts of things, yeah. Only Potter and Black often bullied the guy, and made really hurtful jokes, I even stood up for the Prince once, they were in their fourth year, I think. Then, however, my hut burned down, I was just then examining the forest, yes, that’s how it happened.
– Wait, Black and Potter burned down your house because you stood up for the Prince? – Ron turned red with anger.
– No… It was an accident, the little rascals were just playing near my hut, yeah. – Hagrid waved his hand. – Dumbledore himself told me so, he’s a great man! How could kids burn my house down on purpose? That’s what I mean, I didn’t do anything bad to them. Besides, the professors built me a stone hut later, it turned out even better than the first one.
– Hagrid, tell me, what animals live in the Forbidden Forest? – I decided to change the subject, enough digging around in the past.
After our question about animals, the gamekeeper straightened up and began pontificating about the flora and fauna of the Forbidden Forest. Over the next couple of hours, we learned that the forest was home to several herds of unicorns and a herd of tame thestrals, and that a family of manticores had their lair in the eastern part of the forest. Then the half-giant warned us about acromantulas and explained where it was best not to meddle. He also showed off his weapon—a rapid-fire crossbow with a round magazine holding who knows how many metal bolts, enchanted for him by Flitwick and Babbling. It was a very interesting specimen; I examined it carefully and memorized all the runes and symbols.
Around lunchtime, Hagrid, like a hospitable host, decided to feed us. He dragged out a huge ham of incredibly delicious-smelling smoked meat and began slicing it thinly. Then he quickly whipped up a vegetable salad and pulled out some fresh bread.
“Mr. Hagrid, what kind of meat is this?” Justin threw another slice into his mouth and closed his eyes with pleasure. “It’s very tasty, did you cook it yourself?”
“Of course, myself! I have my own smokehouse in the forest.” The forester straightened up proudly. “It’s horse meat, and I’ve learned how to cook it properly.”
“Do ordinary horses live in the Forbidden Forest?” Justin was just making himself a monstrous sandwich out of meat and vegetables.
– Yeah, a whole settlement, all wandering around the forest and admiring the stars. They attacked me about twenty years ago, yeah, they shot at me with their bows and kept saying it was their forest, they even wounded me then, yeah. That’s when I’ve been mad at them ever since. – The forester tossed a huge chunk of meat into his mouth. – Their hams are amazingly tasty, and the horses don’t go anywhere near the edge of the forest anymore. Beta remembered an old joke: – Are you even aware that according to the Third Intergalactic Convention, you can’t eat creatures whose IQ exceeds your own? – What are you getting at? – Put the tangerine back!
We all froze and stopped chewing. Those little horses that shoot bows and admire the stars—they’re centaurs, so that means we’re eating centaur meat now, or whatever the correct term is? They’re intelligent, and half their bodies are human, but we’re eating ham, which is horse meat. Oh well, the main thing is it’s not human. I shrugged and picked up a slice of the melt-in-your-mouth, aromatic meat. Ron and Justin exchanged glances and, nodding to their friend, continued eating. Only Hermione didn’t stop—she continued eating silently, nibbling off small pieces for Flora. After the bonding, the winged little thing started eating meat occasionally, even though all the reference books say fairies are herbivores. Closer to Christmas, we plan to start teaching her to read and write, and I think we’ll succeed.
Once we were all full, Weasley began idly examining the newspaper tablecloth, which turned out to be quite old, dating back to August. It was in it that he found the article about the attempted robbery at Gringotts, which reported that someone had broken into the bank, killing a dozen goblin guards in the process. The thief had managed to bypass all the traps and open safe 713, but by a strange coincidence, it was empty. Now the goblins had filed a protest note with the Ministry and were practically threatening another uprising, but a large combined force of Aurors and gamekeepers from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures had already been dispatched to the bank. In response, the goblins barricaded themselves in their dungeons, and Ministry representatives are currently negotiating with them.
– Things… – Ron finished reading the article and looked at the half-giant. – You’d have to be a complete psycho to go into the dungeons to see those evil little guys. Hagrid, you were at the bank that day, don’t you know what was in that safe?
“I don’t know! And I wouldn’t advise you to pry, either.” The forester shook his head so that his unruly locks of hair became even more disheveled. “I’ll tell you what, you, uh, stay out of this business!”
“Did the Headmaster order you to retrieve that thing from the bank? After all, no one but you could have delivered it to Hogwarts safe and sound.” I asked and poured the gamekeeper some moonshine.
– Yes, Dumbledore, he’s a great man, he trusts me! – The gamekeeper proudly downed a mug of alcohol (no tea now) and then blushed sharply. – That is to say – no! Eh… I shouldn’t have said that… Children, this is none of your business, that’s all.
– Whose business is it? Was there anything valuable there? – Ron still didn’t let up, his eyes lit up.
– What the hell… – Hagrid poured himself some more. – I nearly threw up when I picked up that abomination, yeah. I’m half-giant, you know, we’re sensitive to magic. I can’t imagine how Dumbledore and Flamel manage to use that abomination. Ugh!
The giant downed the entire contents of his mug in one gulp, as if trying to wash away the unpleasant taste in his mouth. I, for my part, wondered what the Philosopher’s Stone was made of. After the Great War, the Russian Holy Church, the Vatican, and the Anglican Church were scrambling to find Flamel; a huge bounty had been placed on the old alchemist’s head. Rumor had it he worked for the Ahnenerbe and conducted his experiments in death camps—at Grindelwald’s personal invitation, by the way! Apparently, even Dumbledore was interrogated as his former student, but he couldn’t help. As always, there are more questions than answers.
“I remember a couple of years ago, a five-legged creature showed up in the forest, yeah, and they only live on the Isle of Drear, can you believe it?!” Hagrid got completely tipsy and started telling us his stories. “And those little creatures are really dangerous to people, yeah. Then twenty gamekeepers, including Macnair himself, arrived to catch it, yeah, we then…”
We sat with the gamekeeper until almost evening. Whenever the conversation turned to magical animals or the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid literally transformed. We enjoyed listening to his stories, which turned out to be very interesting and informative, despite the half-giant’s manner of speech. Now I understand why he was appointed as a teacher in the third film.
When the sun was already beginning to set, we got ready to go to the castle, and Hagrid, being a hospitable host, threw us some of his cupcakes for the road, as if to treat our classmates, and decided to accompany us to the gate.
– Kids, I have, uh… I have a favor to ask of you. – The tipsy half-giant blushed even more. – Can I write you, these, letters?
“Why? We study next to each other.” Weasley stared at the forester in confusion.
“It’s all Snowflake’s fault. I let her go, but she refused to fly away. She’s a post owl, you know, she’s supposed to deliver letters.” Hagrid sighed sadly. “And I have no one to write to. My mother’s illiterate, and she might accidentally eat a bird.”
– Okay, but then we’ll write you letters too. – I decided to support this big kid.
“Just you, uh, write bigger, okay? My eyesight’s getting bad, you know.” The forester broke into a happy smile; we were already standing at the main gates of the castle. “Well, here we are. You, uh, come by more often, and don’t forget about me.”
“Of course, Hagrid! We’ll be back.” Ron nodded politely to the gamekeeper.
– Goodbye.
– Good night, Mr. Hagrid!
– See you!
After saying goodbye to the gamekeeper, we wandered into the common room, but I was uneasy at the Weasleys’ furtive glances at me. I tapped my school bag; I carry everything with me, and there should be a couple of magical non-disclosure contracts in it. Meeting Mia’s eyes, I sent her a mental image of an empty classroom. By the way, this is incredibly difficult; we only just started getting the hang of it a couple of days ago. This kind of communication requires eye contact, knowledge of Occlumency and basic Legilimency, and absolute trust between the two of you. My friend nodded and smiled, pointing to the nearest shabby door.
“Ron, we need to talk. Urgently.” I took the redhead by the elbow and led him to the door, which Hermione had already opened for us.
– Yes, I already understood. – Weasley did not resist.
The classroom was abandoned, but there was furniture, so Ron and I sat at the nearest desk. My friend stood behind the redhead, and Justin remained standing by the entrance. Weasley frowned at us, swallowed nervously, and stared at me, while I activated the pyramid and placed the contract and the bloody quill in front of him.
“Ron, no one must know that I’m Potter’s sister and that I survived that night.” I handed Weasley the quill. “Please sign the non-disclosure agreement.”
“And I thought we were friends.” The guy sighed sadly and, without reading, signed the parchment.
“We are friends, this is primarily for your safety,” Mia said, smiling and placing her hand on the upset boy’s shoulder.
“Well, since we’re friends, then tell me! I already signed your paper and I should know what not to blab about.” Weasley stared at me demandingly.
– Fuck. Okay. Long story short, I’m Potter’s biological sister. I was thought to be a Squib that night and abandoned to my Muggle relatives, and when I was six, they died, and I was sent to an orphanage. – Red looked at me with his mouth open. – Integra Hellsing noticed me there, adopted me, and raised me as her own daughter. The Blacks know about me and have already tried to bring me back to the family, but they failed. Ron, this is very important, no one can know about my relationship with Harry.
“I knew it!” Weasley jumped up with a smile and slammed his fist into his palm. “I just thought you were Vega or Nymphadora’s sister. Merlin’s underpants! What a mess!”
It took us about half an hour to calm Ron down, after which I packed everything into the bag and we finally headed to the living room. It had been a busy day, and after dinner we still had to prepare our base – soundproofing it and reinforcing the firing wall.
***
Time flew by until September 19th. Starting in the third week, the prefects stopped accompanying us, and all the first-years were free to roam. Classes, homework, and library visits, not to mention our operational base and morning training. Speaking of which, after the visit to Hagrid and my revelations, Weasley began spending more time with us and even joined us for morning exercises one morning. Ron proved to be very resilient, thanks to his childhood in the countryside and frequent Quidditch games, but he nodded off all day, and the next morning he flatly refused to get out of his warm bed.
My best friend’s birthday fell on a Friday, perfect! As soon as we took our morning showers and changed into our school uniforms, I walked over and gave Hermione a big hug.
“Happy birthday!” she congratulated and handed Mione a red cardboard box decorated with a bow.
“Thank you, Rhea.” Granger always blushed so cutely when she was embarrassed. She carefully opened the box and stared with a goofy smile at the bracelet made of multi-colored flat stones inscribed with runes. “Very beautiful! What does it do?”
“It’s similar to the matching bracelets my mom and I used to wear,” I showed Mia my bracelet and pointed to the black stone on it. “And I linked it to mine. Now if we get lost, we can always find each other, and I was also able to add some kind of a Sneakoscope to it. If you’re in danger, I’ll know about it. Stop staring and put it on.”
“You’re a master artificer.” My friend put the bracelet on and looked at it with pleasure. “Thank you again! You’re the best friend!”
– Yeah, I’m trying. We still have to go to McGonagall’s after class so she can open the fireplace. – I said all this in one breath, as I was trapped in a bone-crushing embrace. – Let go, you idiot. I’m still too young to die.
– Boo, you’re always grumbling like an old woman. – Mia let me go and admired my gift again. – Is the dean really going to let us go?
“Where would she go? As the heiress, I can take a few days off from school. On important family business, of course!” I smiled at my friend. “And you are my loyal vassal and bodyguard, and a member of my family, mind you. And what could be more important than a family celebration?”
– Is Justin with us?
– Where will he go? I won’t leave him here alone. – I adjusted the bulletproof vest under my robe. – Let’s go to breakfast.
“Did you remember the apple juice? I can’t stand that pumpkin crap!” Hermione followed me.
***
After class, the three of us approached our Head of House’s office, and I knocked politely. A couple of minutes later, the door swung silently open, ushering us in. The room itself was small, and the bookcases lining the walls were literally piled high with various papers. So was the desk, where McGonagall sat, looking tired. To the left, I noticed a large fireplace and several photographs in gilded frames on the mantelpiece.
“Miss Hellsing, Miss Granger, Mr. Finch-Fletchley. What brings you to me?” The professor looked up from her scroll of parchment and eyed us with displeasure.
“Mr. Finch-Fletchley and I need to leave the school for maternity matters, and Miss Granger will be accompanying me.” I walked over and placed two sheets of expensive paper with the coats of arms of the Crown and our families on the table. “We’ll be back Sunday evening.”
“According to the rules, you must be accompanied by an adult wizard.” The dean, as always, decided to get to the bottom of it.
“Should I tell Mom to send someone from the Order or a minister of the Anglican Church?” I blinked innocently, and the professor involuntarily shuddered. “There will be security at the exit, don’t worry.”
“Fine, but next time, warn me in advance!” McGonagall pursed her lips in displeasure and, walking over to the fireplace, touched it with her wand. “I dare hope you know how to use floo powder?”
– Of course, Professor, thank you. – I pushed Hermione towards the fireplace. – We will arrive on Sunday at eight o’clock, please keep the fireplace open at that time.
– Leaky cauldron! – My friend flew to London, Justin followed, and I brought up the rear.
– SISTER!!! – That’s the first thing I heard when I tumbled out of the fireplace and was immediately wrapped in a tight embrace. – I missed you so much! How are you? Did anyone hurt you?
Victoria, in her burgundy, indecent Hellsing uniform, hugged me with a joyful smile. Having broken free from her clutches, or rather, having been released by the vampire, I looked around. Mia and Justin stood next to our brave sergeants and smiled, while the bartender, Tom, pale as chalk, tried to disappear under his bar and not show off. I discovered four wizards on the floor, their limbs bent at unnatural angles, and five more homeless individuals huddled in the far corner of the pub, shaking with fear and devoured by the vampire with their eyes. Apparently, someone had the audacity to be rude to our hot-tempered cutie. At least they were alive, I think, idiots.
– Where is mom? – I turned to Victoria.
“Helping the Grangers set the table, let’s go!” The nanny winked at me and cast a hungry glance at the wizards huddled in the corner. “The treats won’t eat themselves.”
***
As I approached my friend’s house, I sensed an anti-magic field. After McGonagall’s visit, my mother had ordered the Grangers’ home to be secured. Hermione’s parents and Lady Integra, holding Hector, were already waiting for us at the door. After getting out of the car and hugging each other, we all headed into the house.
The celebration itself was a quiet family affair: we ate cake, joked, and shared our impressions of school. The birthday girl’s parents gave her a luxurious hair care set, complete with silver hairpins, combs, and other necessary accessories. Justin gave her a large book on numerology and spellcasting, and my mother had already given us our gift of an heiress’s set back in late August. The set consisted of a determinant ring, a pair of rings that created protective shields, earrings for mind protection, and, of course, a Portkey piercer necklace.
Hermione is my best friend, so my mother pulled this expensive and precious set out of our family vault. The Hellsing family used to be much larger, so there was plenty in the vaults—enough to decorate another ten people as Christmas trees.
Justin’s father arrived around eight o’clock, and with a satisfied smile, he said goodbye to us and headed home. We stayed until almost ten o’clock, when Walter politely reminded us that Lady Integra had an important meeting the following morning.The drive to the estate passed in tense silence. My mother kept looking at me with disapproval, and with empathy, I sensed anger, fear, and resentment from her. Could Dumbledore have snitched on the suicide vest?
