Chapter 17
The evening was slowly drawing to a close, and we were still sitting in the dining room drinking tea and cake.
At first, it took half an hour to revive Hermione and her mother. Incidentally, Dan Granger turned out to be a strong man and recovered without any outside help. He only glanced thoughtfully at Victoria when he thought no one was looking. Then my friend remembered a gift for me, which the Grangers frantically scrambled to find all over the car. While the girl, blushing and embarrassed, congratulated me, another half hour passed. Then came the short walk to the manor, a walk we walked in complete silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Finally, we settled down in the dining room to enjoy refreshments. Integra, as usual, sat at the head of the table; Hermione, I, and a sweet vampire sat to the left of the ladies, and opposite us were the elder Grangers.
And so, for two hours, Lady Hellsing enlightened her guests about the magical world and their daughter’s social standing in that closed community. My friend listened to these revelations with her mouth open and undisguised horror in her eyes. Jean’s expression was not far behind her, and the father of the family was very thoughtful and very sullen.
“Are you saying that within the British Empire there are closed enclaves of people with superpowers who live by their own laws and rules?” The man leaned forward. “And our daughter is one of them, and at eleven years old she’ll be taken to a special school to learn magic!? To an ancient castle located in the middle of nowhere in Scotland!? Did I understand you correctly!?”
“Yes, Daniel, I’ve already repeated that three times.” Integra nodded wearily. “And my daughter will go to this school too.”
“And, according to you, almost all mages are outright racists, and my daughter will be reduced to the status of a black slave in the southern states of America?” Jean’s voice trembled with fear and anger. “Where is the Crown looking?! I thought your Order was supposed to protect its citizens?! This is simply outrageous!”
“SILENCE!” Lady Hellsing slammed her palm on the table so hard the cutlery jumped. All the arrogance from the elder Grangers immediately vanished, and my adoptive mother continued quietly. “Do you think the Crown is happy with the current state of affairs? Or do you think I want to send my daughter to a den of pure-blood fanatics? Do you even realize they marry close relatives just to preserve their ‘noble lineage’? There’s an ancient Treaty, also known as the Statute of Secrecy, and after it was signed, the mundane and magical worlds separated. And our daughters, by birthright, fall under the jurisdiction of the magical world!”
“But… But can something be changed?” Dan spoke quietly, more to himself. “Introduce troops into these territories, can’t we just bring a bunch of magicians into submission?”
“We can’t.” Integra massaged her temples with her index fingers. “Until wizards openly attack ordinary people, we have no right to interfere in their affairs. And in their reservations, they are free to do whatever they please. This is their land, their laws, their caste divisions based on blood purity.”
– What if I’m against it? As a father, I don’t want to send my daughter to this, what’s it called? Hogwarts? – Dan started to boil again. – Are they going to force me? Or just take my daughter away from me? By what right? I’ll call the police!
“If a monkey at the zoo gave birth to a human baby, would people ask her permission? Or would they just take an interesting specimen for experiments?” A bone-chilling, insinuating voice came from a dark corner of the cafeteria.
After these words, a silence fell over the hall, which the hosts of the house relished. The guests watched in mute horror as bright red eyes glowed in the shadow of the fireplace, seeming like portals to the underworld itself. Having briefly enjoyed his spectacular entrance, Alucard revealed himself fully to the guests and laughed quietly, slightly sarcastically. I was used to this by now, but Hermione clutched my left hand in a death grip and began to tremble. Dan surprised me: he jumped up and shielded his wife, who pressed herself tightly against his back. I told you, the man is a rock!
“Wizards are born and raised in a society where they’re fed stories of their superiority over other sentient beings. And they don’t even consider Muggles sentient. And yes, Dan, to them, you’re just a pathetic Muggle. In the wizarding world, this girl,” the Vampire pointed a finger at Hermione, “is nothing more than a powerless mudblood, a sweet little monkey, and you can’t change that. A closed society lives by its own rules. Besides, magical training is vital for her.”
“H-How necessary?” The friend’s father pulled himself together. “Why should she learn this incomprehensible magic? She lives in the ordinary world, and, according to you, mages face the harshest punishments for revealing the Statute.”
“Control, mortal, she must learn to control her gift.” The ancient vampire took an apple from the vase on the table. “Tell me, has your daughter ever done anything dangerous or destructive when she was deeply upset?”
“Once, for her fifth birthday, Dan and I gave Mione a beautiful doll, even though she’d asked for an anatomy book—she liked the pictures.” Jean spoke quietly, clinging to her husband. “She was so upset that the doll just burst into flames and crumbled into ashes.”
“Now, mortals, imagine that you could have been in the doll’s place.” The apple in Alucard’s hands turned black and crumbled to dust. Hermione’s parents flinched, and my friend sobbed and pressed herself even closer to me. “At Hogwarts, children are taught control above all else. A wizard is simply obliged to keep his magic in check. The ancient wizards were not fools and they built this school for a reason. Now, please shut up and listen to my Lady. He-He.”
I’d never seen him like this. To me, Alucard had always been this eccentric weirdo who simply enjoyed annoying and tormenting those around him. Now, standing before me, he was an ancient and somewhat distraught monster. And his chuckle even sent shivers down my spine.
“What do you want?” My friend’s father lowered his head and continued. “You didn’t invite us here for nothing, not for revelations about the magical world.”
“Your daughter will sign a magical contract pledging to assist, protect, and keep the secrets of my daughter and the Order, and in exchange…” Integra looked closely at the Grangers. “In exchange, you will receive the protection of the Crown as vassals of the Hellsing family, your clinic will receive several lucrative contracts from the Imperial Ministry of Defense, and I will pay for your daughter’s education at Hogwarts and provide tutors who will teach her everything the scion of the most ancient and noble family of wizards knows. At school, our children will find themselves alone against a horde of pureblood fanatics. And they will have no one to help them there!”
“This is a very tempting offer and my wife and I must discuss everything…” The man began to speak.
– I agree! – Hermione pressed herself even closer to me. – Rigel is my best friend! She’s the only one who stood up for me! She’s always helped me! She’s the closest person to me! If necessary, I’ll die for her! I swear!
With those last words, my friend’s body was momentarily enveloped in a transparent mist, which was absorbed almost immediately. I felt a slight burning sensation on my left wrist and saw something resembling a bracelet tattoo there, while my friend also gazed in bewilderment at a similar decoration on her own hand.
“Ha-ha-ha…” Alucard laughed quietly. Fuck, his laughter chills you to the bone. “Looks like a magical contract won’t be necessary—the girl decided everything herself.”
With a movement that was barely perceptible to the eye, the ancient vampire appeared next to Hermione and me. He placed his hands on our shoulders and leaned down so that his head was level with ours.
“In the next lesson, I’ll tell you why you shouldn’t throw words around in the world of magic, and what magical oaths are.” He grinned and gave me a sly look. “Now, Rigel, show your friend your room. The adults need to discuss the details.”
I looked at Integra, received a silent nod in response, and, taking her hand, led her out of the cafeteria, under the stunned gaze of her parents. I think they realized that their daughter had just thoughtlessly lied, and what the consequences of this verbal diarrhea would be.
***
As soon as the dining room doors closed behind us, I stopped and looked closely into my friend’s eyes.
– Why? Do you even understand what kind of oath you just made? DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT DEATH IS? DYING IS REALLY PAINFUL! – I was already screaming the last words.
“If someone attacks me in this Hogwarts, will you just walk by and not help?” She looked at me stubbornly, and I shook my head. “So what makes you think I’d leave you? I’ve been alone my whole life! My parents are afraid of me and avoid me, other kids tease and bully me! That was until I met you! I don’t want to be alone anymore!!!”
What a child Hermione is! The fear of loneliness is stronger than the fear of death for her. And yet in the movies, she followed my brother and his red-haired friend around like a dog. Red constantly insulted her, Harry only copied her homework, and that idiot did everything she could to avoid being alone. In her fourth year, she was the only one who believed Potter, and she lived in the library for a whole month just to help him. In the end, after the first test, Ron didn’t even apologize and simply said that NOW he believed Harry, and that idiot with the scar immediately forgave him! They both immediately forgot about Hermione and went off to waste time instead of studying. Ungrateful idiots!
“Now you’ll never be alone.” I stepped forward and hugged my friend. We stood like that for a couple of minutes in silence. “Come on, I’ll show you my room and introduce you to Vasya.”
***
– W-What is this? – Hermione stared at the pink chthonic monster huddled in the corner of the living room. – How disgusting.
“Meet Cthulhu, a Christmas present from Alucard.” I dragged my friend further into the chambers. ” Vasya, come out! I want you to meet my friend!”
Vasya found himself on the bed in the bedroom, lazily raising his head. He’d grown a little over the past six months, reaching about thirty centimeters in length.
– Mistress, I’m sleeping, go fuck yourself! – The impudent hose curled up and pretended to fall asleep.
– How beautiful! – Hermione ran up to the baby snake and began to stroke it intensively. – Can I pick it up? Is it poisonous? And what did you just hiss? Can you talk to snakes? Can I do the same?
– Shut up already! You’re fucking annoying! Mistress, this two-legged thing is even worse than a fucking bloodsucker! – The snake tried to crawl away, but found himself in the tenacious hands of the girl, who continued to pet him. – He was lying there, not bothering anyone. I am the king of snakes, the future one, and they’re squeezing me like some kind of kitten. Mistress, come on, tell her!
“Hermione, let the snake go, he doesn’t like it.” The girl freed the captive snake, and it, grumbling discontentedly, quickly crawled onto the windowsill. “Yes, I can talk to snakes, but it’s an innate gift, I don’t think it can be learned. And Vasya is a common snake, he’s not poisonous.”
– Well, fuck you! I’m not simple, I’m absorbing your power, Mistress, and I’ve begun to change, I can feel it. – The snake raised its head proudly. – A couple more winters and I’ll have poison! I’ll become a formidable predator! There.
– What did he say? – My friend looked at me questioningly.
“That under the influence of my magic, it began to mutate and in a couple of years will become poisonous.” I looked at Vasya in surprise. ” Are you sure?”
– I’m not a bullsh*t! I feel the power that’s changing me! – Shoelaces puffed up importantly. – I’ll tell you when I get stronger, but for now – shut your fucking eyes and let me sleep.
– This is amazing! We should start a journal and record every change! – Hermione’s eyes flashed with excitement. – I wonder if magic changes all the animals? Do dragons exist? What do you think, Rigel?
So, discussing the influence of magic on animals and imagining what other magical creatures might exist, we sat in my apartment until almost late in the evening. The adults spent a long time discussing my friend’s future and other matters, although everything had been decided beforehand. Hermione is my friend, and I won’t let anyone hurt her!
Around seven o’clock, Victoria came in and said the Grangers were getting ready to go home and it was time for us to say goodbye. I went to see my friend off, and a very thoughtful Dan and Jean were waiting for us on the porch. They said a hasty goodbye, put their daughter in the car, and quickly drove away.
“What have you decided?” I asked Integra, who was contentedly watching the car drive away.
“Your friend has decided everything for us.” Lady Hellsing turned her gaze to me. “Now you will study together. Until the start of the school year, Dan will bring her in the morning and pick her up in the evening after dinner. From the first of September, you will both come to the estate after school and study until the evening, and on the way home, Father will pick her up.”
– I see, what about magic? – She promised in August, I remember exactly.
“I always keep my word. We’re going visiting tomorrow, and after dinner I’ll help you pack. We’ll be there for a couple of days. And one more thing…” The vampiress appeared next to her foster mother, holding an oblong black briefcase a little over a meter long. “Happy birthday! I know it’s a bit big for you now, but in five or six years it’ll fit perfectly. The work of the Empire’s finest craftsman!”
She opened the case and showed me the contents—a genuine combat broadsword! A steel blade about a meter long, covered in runes and symbols, with an openwork guard, stylized as grapevine branches, protecting the entire hand. Holding my breath, I grabbed the black leather-covered hilt and was amazed—the sword was incredibly light, clearly less than a kilogram. I swung the pick a couple of times to test it out and put it back; it was still a bit too big for my height and small hands. But what a boost! Judging by the runes on the blade, this wasn’t just a broadsword, but a full-fledged wonder weapon.
– Thank you! – I hugged Integra and Victoria in turn. – I will definitely learn how to use it!
– Of course you will, but now go get changed for dinner. – They patted me on the head. – Tomorrow is going to be a long day.
“And when you come back from visiting, I’ll definitely show you my collection.” Victoria grinned in anticipation, as I still haven’t made it to her chambers. “I even have a club that can turn an enemy’s head into mincemeat with one blow! I tested it!”
***
That morning after breakfast, my foster mother and I piled into the car, and Walter headed for central London. It was odd, the airport seemed to be on the outskirts of the city, or were we heading to the train station?
– Where are we going? Or does this man live in London? – Childish curiosity is pure evil.
“We’re heading to the Soviet Embassy, from where we’ll travel to Moscow via the portal arch. It’s much faster and safer than by plane,” Integra replied.
“My teacher is Russian? How did you meet? Will I be studying in Moscow? Does he speak English? My Russian is excellent, of course, but I’m not sure I’ll understand everything he says.” “I’m turning into Hermione with nerves, but it’s interesting!” And it’s best not to show off my knowledge of Russian for now to avoid unnecessary questions, although foreign languages are studied at school from the first grade. Russian and French turned out to be the most popular. I, of course, chose the great and powerful, but my friend surprised me – she studied both available languages!
“Rigel, don’t babble. Respectable ladies speak measuredly and to the point.” She frowned at me. “He’s English, from a collateral branch of a very ancient and noble family, as they call themselves. But at the beginning of the century, he went to the Russian Empire and became so imbued with the spirit of the revolution that he rose from an English mercenary to an officer in the Red Army. Then he married and, upon receiving Soviet citizenship, changed his name. As far as his English relatives are concerned, he’s long dead.”
– How do you know him? – I wonder whose relative he is? What kind of pureblood sided with the mudbloods? Or did the Soviet government buy him off somehow?
“He was a friend of my father’s. They met during the Great War, when they were preparing to storm Vermork. The Nazis were developing nuclear weapons there, guarded by Grindelwald’s dogs—elite Ahnenerbe troops. Many good soldiers died, but the factory was destroyed!” Integra slammed her fist on the armrest. “Not a single Nazi scum escaped alive! The assault was carried out jointly by three Hellsing companies and four Vityaz companies, and my father saved Sergei’s life. From then on, we visited each other almost every year, as long as my father was alive.”
– And now? Do you still communicate? – What interesting friends we have.
“Yes, we keep in touch, but mostly on business. He’s a high-ranking figure in the USSR Ministry of Defense, though formally retired. He led Vityaz for almost fifty years… It’s the Soviet equivalent of Hellsing, only more numerous and with combat mages on board.” Integra saw the confusion on my face. “After the execution of the royal family, the Statute of Secrecy in the Union fell, and since the treaty was signed by the ruling monarchs, there was no one left to receive magical kickbacks. Then came the genocide of the aristocracy, both magical and non-magical. And since then, all wizards in the USSR have served the state, usually in the army or security forces. Well… They also actively advance science.”
– Holy shit! – I immediately got a slap on the back of the head, but I didn’t care. – So that’s how the Soviets are building a base on the Moon, that’s why there’s so little corruption in government agencies! Why can’t we do the same? Like put all the wizards in the service of the crown?
“Rigel, what were you listening to?” Lady Hellsing looked at me seriously. “The Statute was signed by the King of England, and the royal family is responsible for its implementation! If we break the Treaty, the consequences will fall first and foremost on the Windsor family, and I swore to serve the Crown! And if you utter one more bad word in my presence, I’ll wash your mouth out with soap, understand?”
– I see. – How bad it is to be a child. – And who is responsible for the Statute for wizards? And what is the rollback?
“A rollback is the punishment for breaking a magical contract. It always varies, but most often, a wizard loses their magic and becomes a sorcerer, while an ordinary person dies.” Integra thought for a moment and continued. “Originally, the Council of Lords of Magic, as they called themselves, was responsible for overseeing the Statute. Then the wizards created the Ministry of Magic, which seated the Council of Lords in important positions, and the Wizengamot, which doubled as a court and parliament. Basically, it’s not entirely clear who’s responsible for what; the wizards have created quite a bureaucracy. But it seems to me these are the names of the first Lords of Magic, the most ancient and influential at the time, the so-called ‘List of the Sacred 28.’ However, half the families on that list are now considered extinct, or close to it.
“So, if we slaughter these ‘Sacred 28’ or kill the entire royal family, the Statute of the Empire will fall?” I thought for a moment and grabbed another slap. “Ouch! For what?”
“Enough of this small talk! The Order of Protestant Knights has served the Crown and protected the ruling family since ancient times!” Integra looked stern. “There must be no thought of harming Her Majesty! Understood?! Hellsing is the avenging sword of the British Empire! A weapon of vengeance in the hands of the reigning monarch! Do you understand?”
– Yes, I understand. – I rubbed the top of my head; something smelled of fanaticism.
“Rigel, I’m serious. You are my future heir and will soon swear an unbreakable oath of allegiance to the Crown.” She looked at me expectantly. “Do you understand the burden of responsibility that will fall on your shoulders? Are you ready to defend the interests of your homeland your entire life?”
But really, for some reason I hadn’t thought about it. I’m no longer a girl from an orphanage or Elena Ivanova; I’m Rigel Hellsing, the heir to the Hellsing line, who will sooner or later lead this organization. Thousands will serve under my command, and I’ll have to decide who lives and who dies. Will I be able to send a hundred loyal fighters to certain death? Yes, I can, if the death of a hundred saves thousands. And as for paying homage to the crown, in my past life I dedicated twelve years of my life to serving the state. I looked at Integra—she’s strong, smart, strong-willed, and very beautiful. Do I want to be like her? Absolutely! So we’ll study, and I’ll prove myself worthy! And when I become the head of the order, I’ll exact my little revenge, and the pureblood fanatics will burn in the righteous flames of my wrath!
“Yes! I’m ready!” I looked stubbornly at my adoptive mother. “The interests of the Crown come first. I will study hard and prove myself worthy!”
Integra smiled warmly and hugged me.
– Know that I will be there for you as long as I can. You can always turn to me for help or advice.
“If you’ve finished, I’m informing you that we’ve been standing in front of the Soviet Embassy gates for five minutes now,” Walter spoke calmly through the lowered window separating the driver’s seat from the passenger compartment. “I think the guards are starting to get nervous.”
***
After leaving the car, we took our luggage – two black ladies’ bags with a charm of invisible expansion or whatever it is called, and approached the high forged gates, decorated with red iron stars.
“Lieutenant Smirnov!” a tall, blue-eyed, blond man in a dress military uniform approached us, speaking English with almost no accent. “What are your documents and the purpose of your visit to the Soviet Embassy?”
“Lady Integra Hellsing and her daughter.” The woman handed our passports to the man who greeted us. “Business visit to your country. You should have been warned.”
“Yes, we were informed about you.” The guy carefully checked the documents and, turning his back to us, headed towards the checkpoint. “Follow me! They’re already waiting for you!”
As we passed through the metal detector, it was as if I had been doused with ice water, my breath caught, and I grabbed Integra’s hand.
“Similar to the Thieves’ Bane, hm.” The woman didn’t see the understanding in my eyes and continued, “A special artifact that removes any spells and compulsion potions, as well as the effects of disguise and appearance-altering potions, artifacts, and spells. Similar ones will be installed in our estate this year.”
Through a small, blooming, green courtyard, we emerged at the oak doors of a three-story, gray building from the last century, a red flag with a hammer and sickle proudly fluttering from its roof. Inside, it was quite imposing: a mahogany-paneled hallway, windows covered with blue silk curtains, crystal chandeliers on the white ceiling, and walls hung with portraits of people, mostly in military uniform. We descended a red carpet to the basement and entered a small room with an incomprehensible magic circle etched into the floor, and various symbols were also inscribed on the walls and ceiling.
“Oh, beautiful Lady Integra!” We were greeted by an elderly, slightly plump man with short, completely gray hair, dressed in a gray business suit. He spoke Russian with a wonderful Odessa accent. “You blossom and bloom with each passing year! And is this your daughter? Just like my granddaughter, Sarah—such an angel!”
“Hello, Solomon Markovich,” Lady Hellsing replied in almost unaccented Russian. “You look well too. How is your wife? I hope she’s well?”
“Oh, vey, Tsilya will outlive us all put together!” The man gestured demonstratively. “We bought a dacha, and what do you think now? For this woman, the tomato harvest has become more important than her beloved husband’s dinner!”
“I sympathize with you.” Integra smiled cheerfully and handed Solomon a sheet of stamped paper. “We’re going to Moscow as usual. They’re already expecting us.”
“I understand, young people are always in a hurry. Come to the center of the circle, we’ll move you in the best possible way!” He placed the paper on the table. “Say hi to your friend and remind him what that punk promised my Semyon for fishing!”
We had barely reached the designated spot when everything around us was bathed in a bright white glow, causing me to close my eyes. When I opened them, we were standing in a completely different place. A large, bright hall, three times the size of our gymnasium, the walls were painted light gray and covered in ornate moldings. A white, equally ornate ceiling with strange light fixtures was visible about six meters above. And around us were another twenty similar runic outlines, with civilian greeters and armed soldiers in dress uniforms lining the walls. The whole environment looked rather strange, but organic.
– Well, hello, princess! – While I was turning my head from side to side, a tall, dark-haired man who looked about forty years old approached us. – Do you ever take off that pioneer tie?
The man smiled kindly, embraced Integra without ceremony, and kissed her on both cheeks. He was taller than my adoptive mother, broad-shouldered, with slightly predatory features, even aristocratic. And with his bright blue, almost illuminated eyes, he clearly reminded me of someone. Our greeter was dressed in a tight-fitting black T-shirt, which only emphasized his powerful, sculpted figure, and blue jeans with black sneakers.
“Hello, Sergei, I’m glad to see you too.” Lady Hellsing gently released her embrace and placed her hand on my shoulder. Incidentally, they spoke English, and I heard almost no accent in the man’s speech. “Meet my daughter, Rigel. Rigel, this is Sergei the Black, a friend of the Hellsing family and your future teacher.”
“Well, hello there, Star!” This giant dropped to one knee in front of me and grinned cheerfully, and I realized with shock who he reminded me of.
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