Chapter 48
Toot-toot, toot-toot… The clatter of wheels lulled us to sleep as the red locomotive whisked us away from Hogwarts to London. Four whole months in that vast, ancient castle flew by, both quickly and nervously. The first month was tense, but then we calmed down a bit and relaxed, right up until the assassination attempt, when a green beam flew literally centimeters from Hermione. After returning to school, we spent almost two months lugging around an entire arsenal and constantly monitoring our wrist Sneakoscopes. It was very stressful, to be honest. I was incredibly tired and wanted only one thing – to rest, to relax…
I looked up from my book (I’d been staring blankly at the same spot for the last half hour anyway) and smiled at my fellow travelers. Hermione leaned back on the sofa and dozed, Jistine and Elvira were playing chess, and Ron was in the compartment with his brothers. Pulling out my sclerosis kit and running through my holiday to-do list, I realized there weren’t that many. The first day I’d catch up on sleep and relaxation, and on the second we had a trip to Diagon Alley planned. I needed to go to the public owlery to send gifts to friends and acquaintances. Then, on December 24th, there was the Christmas ball at Windsor Castle, to which my mother and I were invited, and the following day, a quiet family celebration was planned. Then, on December 27th, the Grangers and I go to the Soviet consulate and Portkey to Irkutsk, where Black will be waiting for us for the trip to Lake Baikal. And on January 5th, we return to the Empire, then to Hogwarts. I think I didn’t miss anything, right?
– Fuck! How could I forget?! – I rubbed my face with my palms and started banging the back of my head against the soft headrest of the sofa. – Got some sleep, Rigel! – Boom. – Rested! – Boom. – Lazed around in front of the TV! – Boom. – Chatted with Vika! – Boom.
– Riya, what’s wrong? – Hermione opened her eyes and looked at me worriedly.
“Everything’s great, Mia, just wonderful!” I slammed my diary shut. “I just forgot that tomorrow we have midterm tests for the semester at the Imperial High School, and I was already dreaming of getting some sleep and rest.”
– Rigel, I’m sorry to upset you… – Justin looked up from the chessboard and continued carefully: – midterm exams last three days and include not only tests, but also oral exams.
– Three?! – Hermione and I looked in horror at the impermissibly pleased Finch-Fletchley and the slyly smiling Smith.
“You shouldn’t be smiling like that,” I said, turning to the naive viper. “You’ve already been enrolled in this academy, so when you arrive, you’ll receive a report card and assignments for the last four months. We’ll take the exams together in July.”
Elvira looked dejected, but Justin chuckled contentedly. That nerd should have gone to Ravenclaw. Although he enjoys the regular school curriculum, Finch-Fletchley isn’t particularly drawn to the magical sciences, only studying number crunching, but he just loves counting and doing calculations. I’ve already ordered a Christmas present for Justin from my mom—a textbook on programming and computer programming. Maybe Google will create one, because the internet exists in this world, but normal services like YouTube haven’t been invented yet.
I’ll have to visit our DIYers; maybe they’ve figured out how to shield a laptop from magic? Sure, they’re big, heavy, and slow, but they speed up calculations exponentially! I’m really fed up with doing columnar math at Hogwarts; maybe they can at least protect a calculator from magic? From what I gather from our artifactors, magic and microelectronics don’t mix well. In August, they gave me a long, abstruse explanation about semiconductors and some kind of P/N junctions, and how magic causes everything to malfunction and burn out. I even tested it experimentally; my cassette player worked in the castle for a couple of seconds and then released white smoke, meaning its electronic soul had left the device. For good. We even gave it a ceremonial burial under a tree by the lake. Should I look for a vacuum-tube calculator?
Okay, that’s all for later. I dug into my bag and pulled out a standard ancient history textbook, which I studied carefully and didn’t find any particular differences from my previous life. Except that the Roman Empire lasted a couple of centuries longer and conquered much larger territories, after which it split into the Byzantine Empire and the Roman Republic. The Byzantine Empire held on until the early 11th century, while the Republic disintegrated into a bunch of small states, soon subjugated by European barbarians. The main differences began in the Middle Ages. Actually, I only recently learned one fact that simply blew my mind!
The name “Russian Holy Church” kept nagging at me, but I didn’t pay it much attention. Then, in early December, Black wrote that they also celebrate Christmas on December 25th, in a quiet family circle, like everyone else in the union. I suspected something was wrong, found a couple of history textbooks in the Hogwarts library, and was stunned. There is no such thing as Russian Orthodoxy in this world! The difference was discovered in the 10th century.
In place of Vladimir Svyatoslavich, Boris “Mead” reigned. In 985, he visited the Vatican and conversed with the Holy Pope, Sylvester II the Destroyer, after which he converted to Catholicism! And in 986, the Bloody Baptism of Rus’ took place, and those who refused to believe in the Creator were drowned in the river or impaled. Things got even more hilarious, because five years later, the First Crusade occurred! Catholic Europe and Catholic Rus’ waged war on Orthodox Byzantium, and by the beginning of the 11th century, the ancient state was completely destroyed, and Orthodoxy was declared a false faith and heresy, punishable by death.
Well, in 1200, the Kiev Metropolitanate refused to pay the church tithes to the Vatican and declared its independence from the Holy Pope. Thus, the Russian Holy Church was founded, with Holy Archbishop Alexander as its head, and the Vatican declared Rus’ a gathering of heretics. Thus began the First Catholic War, which lasted almost twenty years. Rus’ and Europe would have continued to fight, but disaster crept up unnoticed: the steppe horde rolled up to Kyiv, and the Ottomans politely knocked on the Vatican’s door, so the Catholic brothers were forced to urgently negotiate and sign fraternal peace treaties. The Russian Archbishop was recognized as the brother of the Holy Pope, and that was the end of it. True, there were three more wars later, but those were on a smaller scale. When I read this crap, I sat in shock all evening, digesting the information. I’ll have to talk to my grandfather again; maybe he’ll tell me something interesting. I still don’t understand why there’s such friendship between the Soviet Union and Britain. It’s all so strange.
My thoughts were interrupted by the clink of dishes and the smell of food; clever Hermione had begun setting the table. After a hearty meal, we simply sat and chatted. I could see how tired my friends were of Hogwarts and how excited they were to see their relatives. When a cart of sweets passed by, I bought about half the saleswoman’s strategic stock. Christmas was approaching, and I needed to get the treats to Hector Dagworth in time; he promised he’d have time to modify them. I had special gifts in mind for some of my friends.
The rest of the journey was quiet and peaceful. Brown and the Patil twins popped into our compartment, and we had tea and a little gossip. Then Ron came by and invited us to stay at the Burrow. Even Malfoy and Greengrass stopped by and wished everyone a Merry Christmas. We didn’t see Potter and his gang because they stayed in their compartment the entire journey. And all thanks to Nymphadora! The school prefect came into our carriage as soon as the train started moving, sealed her relative’s compartment tightly, and then wished everyone a happy holiday before leaving with a smile.
Upon arriving in London, I immediately spotted my mother on the platform. A contented Victoria stood to her left, an unflappable Walter to her right, and behind them, the dashing Sergeants Ward and Banks, in full combat gear, waited nearby, while Lord Finch-Fletchley, five bodyguards, and Dan Granger waited nearby. Hermione’s father was chatting cheerfully with James. As soon as the train stopped, the entire crowd of schoolchildren rushed to the exit, but we decided to wait a little while and avoid the crowd. I stood by the window, watching with interest the goings-on in the magical part of the station.
My brother was one of the first to slip off the train, but it wasn’t Sirius who greeted him. A tall, stately man in expensive black robes stood on the platform, leaning on a black cane whose handle was fashioned to resemble a head of make-up. He looked to be in his early fifties, his short black hair slightly streaked with gray, and his bright blue eyes glared at the last Potter with reproach and anger. Against Sirius’s backdrop, the blond Malfoy procession in their milky white robes looked like a yin and yang. Whoa, what’s that?! Between Lucius and Narcissa stood a short, thin, fair-haired boy of about eight, dressed to match his parents. The boy eyed the train curiously and eagerly spotted someone in the crowd.
Harry, seeing the eldest Black, froze in his tracks, but was immediately nudged in the back by Nymphadora, who was following him with Vega. He trudged, head down, toward his relative. Orion Black, smiling paternally, hugged the girls and, giving Potter a stern look, moved toward the communal fireplace, motioning for the children to follow him. Lucius glared at Potter, but as soon as Diana appeared on the platform, the illustrious lord suddenly warmed and moved toward his daughter with a kind smile. However, he was beaten to it—a fair-haired boy ran into her and began babbling something, beaming. Interesting, I didn’t know Diana had a brother.
I also noticed three tall, athletic, broad-shouldered young men in expensive black robes standing next to Black and Malfoy. Greengrass, Crabbe, and Goyle moved toward them, and the children began to hug the adults with smiles and tell them stories. I wasn’t interested in what happened next, as I jumped out of the carriage and landed in the arms of a tall, platinum-blonde woman in a dark blue pantsuit. I turned on my empathy and, literally drowning in love and care, tightened the embrace, trying to convey my feelings to my mother. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mia and Justin hugging their fathers. Elvira looked at us with sadness in her eyes, but then Laurie approached her, knelt down, hugged the unfortunate orphan, and whispered something in her ear. Smith smiled contentedly and literally stuck to Sergeant Hellsing.
Having finished hugging, we were about to head for the exit, but I noticed movement to the right. The Malfoy family was approaching us, Diana in front, and her father, mother, and younger brother following behind.
“Hellsing, Finch-Fletchy, Granger.” Before the wizards had even approached, the Slytherin girl began introducing her relatives with the utmost seriousness. “Allow me to introduce you: my father Lucius, my mother Narcissa, and my younger brother Romus.”
The entire Malfoy family nodded respectfully as my daughter mentioned their names. I sighed and began introducing our delegation. At my mother’s name, Lucius stepped forward and gallantly kissed the air above her hand.
“Lady Hellsing, as the head of the Hogwarts Board of Governors, I would like to offer you my sincere apologies.” The blond bowed his head sadly. “I swear I didn’t know what the Rowleys were planning, but I in no way condemn your response. If there had been an attempt on Diana or Romus’s life, I would have acted exactly the same way.”
“Thank you, Lord Malfoy.” Mum nodded politely in response; in the Wizarding world, a man held the title of Lord of Magic. “I’m glad we understand each other.”
“Lucius, to you, the incomparable Lady Hellsing, I’m simply Lucius.” The man smiled sincerely, and his wife nodded contentedly. “If you have any questions or need information, I’m always at your service. You can send me an owl any time of the day or night.”
“Of course, the Order of Protestant Knights is always ready for constructive dialogue and cooperation.” Mom smiled and nodded in response. “Then you can simply address me as Lady Integra.”
“It’s nice to talk to intelligent people.” Malfoy looked over our shoulders and smiled sadly. “I won’t keep you any longer. I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Lady Integra, Lord Finch-Fletchley, Mr. Granger.”
The pureblood wizards bowed politely and quickly departed, leaving us to be attacked by a gypsy camp—pardon the pun—the Weasley family. The red-haired family approached us almost in full force, missing only the older brothers. The Weasleys couldn’t care less about aristocratic trappings. Molly, with a kind smile, began hugging everyone in turn, complaining that Victoria was painfully thin and needed more baked goods, complimenting Justin’s father’s coat and straightening Dan’s tie. When it was Integra’s turn, Ron’s mother tearfully thanked her for raising me and for helping her son overcome the effects of the troll attack. Arthur was more relaxed; the man with a kind smile simply shook everyone’s hands and then began asking Dan about Muggle advances in prosthetics. Arthur remembered that Hermione’s parents were doctors, and in some respects, Muggle medicine had made considerable progress. So the man wondered if it might be possible to create a more comfortable and functional prosthesis for his son. Dan promised to ask his friends.
About twenty minutes later, the Weasleys began to say goodbye to us. Molly gave everyone another big hug, and Arthur shook the men’s hands goodbye. We were all invited to join them and promised a delicious dinner, and all the Weasley children nodded in agreement, praising their mother’s meat pie and blueberry pudding. We politely declined, saying we were leaving for another country, but Mr. Weasley issued an ultimatum: he was expecting us for the Easter holidays, especially since it was his youngest son’s birthday, and friends simply had to get together. At that point, we had to agree.
Having finished all the introductions, we finally headed out. Enough magic for today; I wanted to go home, lounge on the couch, and watch TV. Mia was also burning with anticipation; she missed her mom and brother. Elvira, however, just wanted to see the Hellsing estate; they’d already prepared her private quarters next to mine.
***
The start of the holidays flew by in a blur. On the first day, right after dinner, we went to our rooms. Elvira was assigned to Lori, who, with a smile, went to show her around her new place. Once in my room, I took a quick hot bath and lounged in my pajamas in front of the TV. About fifteen minutes later, Mom walked into the room in her red silk robe. She sat down next to me, I rested my head on her lap, and we stayed like that until late into the night, watching Christmas movies and just chatting.
The next morning, a three-day marathon began, with exams taking up the entire day. Around eight o’clock, Hermione and I, as drained as a tax inspector’s lemon, left the academy building. The teachers were extremely demanding and latched on to every detail, like pliers squeezing our knowledge of their subjects, but, thank goodness for Occlumency, we had answers to even the trickiest questions. In the end, we passed all our exams and tests with straight A’s, even a couple of A+s between us—that’s how smart we are. Justin also boasted excellent grades; he took his exams in the neighboring building. At the Imperial High School, they’re strict about this; boys and girls study and live separately. To avoid, so to speak.
Immediately after passing our final exam and receiving our report cards, Hermione and I, accompanied by Second Lieutenants Banks and Victoria, headed to Diagon Alley. That’s right, in mid-December, the former sergeants received their new epaulettes and got married, and we congratulated them on the occasion. It was already late, past eight, but there was no other option—the next day was Her Majesty’s Christmas reception, and the whole day was already booked. Thank goodness, the wizarding post office operates around the clock and accepts deferred delivery orders, for a fee, of course. And I had quite a few presents prepared.
For Ron, Lavender, and Parvati, I made scarlet scarves with the Gryffindor crest embroidered in gold thread. For Padma, I knitted a blue scarf with a black raven; she often visits her sister and gossips with us. For Diana, Daphne, and their bodyguards, I knitted four dark green scarves and embroidered Vasya’s portrait on them in silver thread. The snake proudly posed for me for several evenings in a row, then gazed with pleasure at his portrait. Naturally, all my handiwork was inscribed with runes, charms of warmth and comfort.
I prepared some “special” sweets for the Marauders; Dagworth swore by Merlin that no test would detect his special additives. Nothing dangerous or lethal, but I decided to have a little fun, too. Hector also helped with a gift for a certain bastard potion maker, and we prepared this one especially carefully. I’ve also been working with some artificers these past few days—they listened attentively to my gift ideas for the other professors and happily agreed to help. I’ll give the gifts to my family and friends personally, and Woland will deliver Hermione’s gift on Christmas Eve; it’ll be good for him to stretch his wings.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t even notice how we arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and, after greeting Tom, found ourselves in festive Diagon Alley. Mia and I looked around in delight; the magical quarter was brightly decorated and literally radiated Christmas spirit. Magical, multicolored lanterns floated leisurely through the air, and every shop was draped in a multitude of garlands of various shapes and colors. Fluffy snow fell slowly from the sky, melting as soon as it touched the stone pavement. Magical fireworks exploded periodically, and various animals and beautiful flowers flashed across the sky. Overall, everything was very festive and solemn. It was already late, almost ten o’clock, so there weren’t many people around.
We quickly reached the public owlery and, after greeting a tired, middle-aged woman in a gray robe and red cap, asked her for some special forms. The magical mail service works very well; parcels were always delivered on time, safe and sound. Hello, Russian Post! Magical mail is very cheap, but that’s understandable—the owls feed themselves or are treated by the recipient, and magical birds are omnivorous. Having received a couple dozen parchments, my friend and I began filling them out. Each form required the recipient’s name and delivery date; there was even a time column, wow! It was bureaucratic, but the process was quite logical: fill out the form, place the parcel in a special enchanted bag, and pin the completed form to it. Then the postal worker places all the bags on a shelf marked with the dispatch date. It’s all quite simple and convenient. I paid only ten galleons for almost twenty parcels, that’s fifty pounds, that’s all! My friend had fewer parcels, so it came to five gold coins and a few small change. Well, time to go home.
Satisfied, we left the post office building (incidentally, located next to the bank of the green-skinned shorties) and were about to leave when another freak out happened. I wonder which of Hermione and I is attracting trouble? Or maybe it’s the Potter curse? Or whatever it was, like attracts like? Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Before we could even get far from the owlery, a little girl ran out of a gateway, looked around, and, seeing our procession, ran in our direction.
A few meters away, the girl stopped, wiped her tear-stained face with the sleeve of her dirty sweater, and stared at us hopefully. She looked about five years old, with fair hair and brown eyes, dressed in a dirty pink sweater that was clearly too big, gray pants, and sneakers of an indeterminate color. She smoothed down her dirty, matted hair and nodded politely.
– Hello. Tell me, p-p-please, are you aristocats? – I just now noticed that the baby is shaking from the cold, and her lips have a bluish tint.
“You almost got it.” Laurie stepped forward with a smile and pointed at Hermione and me. “These girls are aristocratic, and we’re escorting them. Did you want something?”
“Thank Merlin!” the girl breathed a sigh of relief. “Neighbor Jane says nobles don’t hurt little children, they might just i-i-gnore them or give them a slap on the back of the head. And if nobles are in a good mood, they might even help. I noticed you were smiling, and so…”
The girl lowered her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. What the hell? No, it can’t be! Quirrell warned us that the hag wouldn’t attack a group of wizards alone, especially when accompanied by a higher vampire. Magical creatures have a keen sense of their own kind, and from Victoria, any magical creature would run before its own screech.
I quietly pulled out my wand and cast Revelio, but nothing changed. Oddly enough, I tugged the vampire’s sleeve and, meeting her gaze, sent a mental image of the hag. Seras nodded understandingly and, examining the girl carefully with a faintly glowing gaze, shook her head. So the girl was real and needed help, and my conscience wouldn’t let me pass by a small child. Yes, I have a conscience!
Stepping forward, I knelt down in front of the crying, shivering girl, thought for a moment, and then reached into my bag. After rummaging around a bit, I pulled out the amulet-warmer I’d bought from Goldstein. I said yes, I bought it, at full price! The greedy Jew flatly refused to give the artifact away for free; even the twins had bought it themselves. He argued that business doesn’t tolerate nepotism, so all finished products must be sold at market value. Otherwise, we’ll soon be begging or, worse, working for the Ministry of Magic.
“What happened? Did someone hurt you or are you lost?” I placed the piece of wood in the little girl’s palm. The girl shuddered, then pressed the amulet closer to her chest and smiled weakly.
“No, I’m not lost,” the little girl sobbed. “But I’m scared. Can you walk me home?”
“Okay. First, tell me what happened and where I need to take you.” Lori gave her a stern look, and the girl, under her gaze, began to sob and burst into tears. Mia couldn’t stay away either and quickly ran up to us.
I pulled a thermos of hot chocolate out of my bag and, handing the girl a mug of the steaming drink, began to calm her down. And then we learned a sad, maybe even disgusting story.
In short, the girl lived on Green Alley, which borders Knockturn Alley. Yes, the Magical Quarter wasn’t limited to Diagon Alley; it encompassed dozens of streets and alleys, home to several thousand wizards. The girl’s mother was a weak sorceress and could even cast magic with a wand. But that’s not the point. The girl’s mother sniffed a white powder and afterward lost her personality, and her new father became very angry and scary. Valerie, as the girl introduced herself, was afraid to be alone with them in such a state, so she went to her older brother. The boy worked as a waiter at the Drunken Dwarf tavern, located at the entrance to Knockturn Alley. But the girl was frightened by a strange woman; a sweet lady in a blue dress offered her candy and invited her to visit. All children in the magical world know from the cradle that nothing happens without a reason, so the little girl ran away and was now afraid to go to her brother, and at home, Mom and Dad Jim would fight again or teach the girl good manners. In short, it was a total mess.
“Maybe we should call the Aurors?” Judging by her intonation, Hermione asked the question simply for the sake of decency.
“It’s no use,” Lori replied. “Wizards don’t have guardianship or anything like that, not even orphanages. It’s not customary for wizards to abandon children.”
Everyone stared at me with interest. Okay, so I’m technically in charge, but they probably won’t like my plan, but whatever. I’ll call Mom later, just present it as a fait accompli! What did it say in the newspaper? Every child in the British Empire should have a well-fed, warm, and safe Christmas! So I’m carrying out the will of the Crown!
“Valerie, how old are you?” I asked the girl, smiling.
“I’m already six!” the girl continued proudly. “And Olaf just turned eight! He’s big and already working! He earned a whole ten sickles last week, and he brings home food in the evenings. He promised to treat me to ice cream tomorrow, because I’ve never tried it…”
Valerie said that last sentence very quietly, but we still heard it. “I’ll strangle her mother, the fucking junkie.” James clenched his fists, and Laurie’s jaw muscles twitched. Victoria nodded seriously and smiled at me.
– You can count already? Great! – Mia praised the girl. – And who taught you?
“My older sister! She’s already fifteen, she taught my brother and me.” The girl grew sad. “Nancy worked at the White Wyvern and forbade us to go there… She promised that she would save up money and we would leave Mom… But… But this summer, Nancy disappeared, Olaf and I searched for her until the cold weather set in, but we still couldn’t find her… Mom says Nancy left, but we don’t believe her…”
“Valerie, calm down, let’s find your brother first, and then we’ll take you home.” The girl smiled happily in response and, taking my hand, pulled me toward Knockturn Alley.
The tavern building was constructed of time-darkened stone and looked quite sturdy and well-maintained. A large animated sign featured a pot-bellied gnome dancing, a huge wooden mug in hand, splashing a foamy drink. Inside, the tavern was little different from the Leaky Cauldron, save for the heavy smoke and loud music. A motley crowd gathered at wooden tables, including strange, homeless-looking men, and at the next table, respectable wizards in expensive robes drinking. Everything was quite peaceful, even somehow cozy; the hubbub of voices and cheerful laughter could be heard through the loud music. The patrons didn’t react to us at all, everyone was busy with their own affairs. People were playing dice at a couple of tables, and in the far corner, I spotted a roulette wheel. Nice.
The girl towed us to the bar, where three men sat with mugs of beer, and a couple more were already dozing, using plates of snacks as pillows. Behind the bar stood a burly fellow, slightly shorter than Hagrid, muscular and broad-shouldered. The bartender’s front was covered in a snow-white apron, and with an equally white towel, the man was polishing a large beer mug. He was completely bald, revealing several gruesome scars on his scalp, and a well-groomed hussar mustache fluffed up his brutal face. Seeing Valerie, the man placed his mug on the bar and smiled kindly, but then eyed us suspiciously.
– Hello, Douglas! – The girl waved at the big man with a smile. – Where’s Olaf?
“Hello, little bead, your brother’s sleeping, the tired slacker.” The bartender addressed the girl with noticeable warmth. “He’s in the back room, go wake him up. I left some stew for you on the table, eat it while it’s hot. And who’s with you?”
“These are my friends! They’re Aristo-Caths!” The girl pointed her finger at us proudly. “This is Rigel, this is Gemivona, and these are their guards, here. They’re good, really!”
“Well done, little bead, you’ve found new friends.” The man smiled, causing his mustache to twitch merrily. “Run to your brother, and in the meantime, I’ll meet your friends.”
– Thank you, Douglas! – The girl waved her hand to the bartender and turned to me. – Rigel, we’ll be there soon.
The girl quickly disappeared behind an inconspicuous door in the corner of the room, and I poured ten galleons onto the counter. The big guy, with a practiced gesture, scooped the gold into his pocket and, nodding contentedly, looked at us.
And then we learned the Barry family story: Linda, the girl’s mother, was a weak sorceress who graduated from a school in Liverpool. However, she didn’t want to work, and after the death of her parents, who became accidental victims in a clash between Death Eaters and Aurors, she found work as a dancer at the White Wyvern. Besides dancing, she offered additional services. Linda was a very beautiful girl and even had several regular clients among the aristocracy, but after the birth of three children from unknown fathers, her beauty faded somewhat. Clients began to prefer younger and more beautiful ones, and soon the woman became hooked on lotus pollen and became a drug addict. This creature first got her eldest daughter a job as a dancer at the White Wyvern, and then sold the girl to the owner of the establishment for a few hits! The girl proved very stubborn and tried to escape, after which she was sold to slave traders. The bartender clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white as he told us this. Nancy had simply been chopped up into ingredients. The man was afraid to tell the children about their older sister’s fate and helped them as best he could, but they wouldn’t last long with a mother like that. The slave traders’ lair had been destroyed a couple of months ago, so Linda had already inquired with the innkeeper about selling the boy, but she’d been sent packing.
– So, I need to contact my mom. – I turned to the bartender. – Where is the restroom?
The man pointed to a door near the counter, and Lori and I headed for the ladies’ room. The sorceress locked the door, and I quickly pulled out the Wonderphone and called Lady Hellsing. Mom listened attentively, then pursed her lips, lit a cigarette, and was silent for about a minute.
“We can’t abandon them. Take the children and take them to St. Ursula’s Orphanage.” Integra smiled at the corners of her lips. “I’ll contact Lady Priscilla now and go there. You can take Hermione home at the same time.”
– Got it. – I smiled sincerely. – Thank you, Mom, I love you!
“And I you.” The woman smiled warmly. “You can’t live without adventures. Okay, wait for me at the shelter.”
We emerged from the restroom and witnessed an interesting scene: a drunk man swayed up to Victoria and tried to make her acquaintance. The vampire smiled contentedly and hit him in the chest with an open palm. The man flew across the room, crashed into the wall, literally fell to the floor, and lay still. A roar of laughter erupted in the room, and a couple of people grabbed the loser by the scruff of the neck and threw him out into the street.
It’s fun here. Approaching my friends, I nodded contentedly to my friend, and Hermione smiled happily. A couple of minutes later, Valerie and her brother appeared. He had the same blond hair and brown eyes, but was a little taller than his sister and very thin, his faded gray sweater and worn pants hanging off him. He looked at us suspiciously.
“Guys, do you want to leave here?” I turned to the children as soon as they approached us. “I know a great place where they feed you well, clothe you, and will take care of you.”
“Why should we believe you?” The boy pushed his sister behind his skinny back. “Nobles don’t help for free, so you must want something, and there’s nothing to take from us. We won’t go into slavery!”
“There will be no slavery.” I looked into his serious brown eyes. “I suggest you go to a Muggle orphanage; there are a lot of children there.”
“I’ve heard there’s nothing good in orphanages.” The boy frowned. “They do all sorts of things to the children there… I don’t believe you! My sister and I are of no use to anyone, and no one will help us for no reason.”
“And I decided to help.” I knelt down in front of the stubborn boy and continued quietly. “I lived in this shelter myself and I know what it’s like when no one needs you.”
– But you are noble. – Olaf looked at me suspiciously.
“I was adopted.” I nod calmly at the child. “I truly want to help you and I have no ill intentions. I swear!”
Fuck, you idiot! In the world of magic, you have to watch your words! A golden mist enveloped me and soaked into my chest. To demonstrate, I had to take out my wand and light a Lumos.
“Boy, this girl isn’t lying, she swore, and magic accepted her oath, so don’t worry!” The bartender stroked his mustache contentedly. “Don’t miss your chance, this only happens once in a lifetime!”
– Okay. – The boy looked at me thoughtfully and nodded. – But first we need to go home!
“Do you want to pick up anything or say goodbye?” Laurie asked the children.
“Koldofoto, this is the last thing left of Nancy.” Olaf lowered his head.
– Just be quick! – I looked at the children. – But I won’t let you go alone, we’ll go into the house together.
The children nodded contentedly, and we walked outside, stepping over the body of the loser who’d tried to hit on Victoria, and made our way through the alleys to the home for the street children. Remarkably, the children reacted completely calmly to the half-corpse in the middle of the road; apparently, they’d seen worse, with a mother like that. I’ll strangle that thing! Sell my own daughter into slavery, bitch, how I want to look her in the eyes and then put a bullet between them.
About fifteen minutes later, we arrived at this fucking place. The Barry family’s apartment was a two-story wooden shack, the last building on the street, and it looked really bad. This pit of a house literally stood out against the neat little houses. A rickety wooden shed with broken windows, at first I thought it was uninhabited, but no. Bitch! You have magic, what’s so hard about fixing this hellhole up!? I understand you’re a bunch of drug addicts and uneducated losers, but you can still perform the magic of a first- and second-year student, right? It would take a couple of hours, and the place would be in perfect order!
Hermione and Valerie remained outside, under the cover of two lieutenants, while Victoria, Olaf, and I went up to the second floor and entered the apartment. Holy shit… A real den and a pigsty. I wonder where the kids slept? It was suspiciously quiet; I should have been more careful; a pistol materialized in my hand, just in case. Drug addicts can be very aggressive. We took a few steps down the dark hallway, and a half-naked man emerged from the nearest room, holding a knife.
– Aaaah… You showed up, you bastard, brought some food!? – The man looked at us with a bleary gaze and jabbed the tip of the pick in our direction. – Who did you bring with you, you little bastard!? Now, get the f*ck out of here! Before you cut yourself into belts!
Victoria instantly found herself in front of the aggressive addict, grabbed him by the throat, lifted him up a little, and threw the wheezing addict back into the room.
“Little sister, you pack your things while I talk to this boor.” The vampiress smiled contentedly. “I’ll explain to the fool that he shouldn’t be rude to respectable people.”
The boy and I nodded, and a smiling girl with golden hair entered the room and closed the door behind her. Olaf quickly led me into the next room, whose only furniture was a small, shabby wardrobe and two beds with greasy mattresses and no linens. The floor and walls were very dirty, and here and there I noticed blood stains, which gave me even more questions for my mother. The boy quickly ran to one of the beds and, pulling aside a floorboard, pulled a small package from its hiding place.
“That’s it, we have nothing else of value.” The child looked sadly around the room.
“Well then, run downstairs, and I’ll call Aunt Victoria.” The boy nodded and ran out of the apartment.
I waited a couple of minutes and then peered into the second room, hmm… A slaughterhouse branch. The walls and ceiling were covered in blood; Victoria hadn’t wasted any time… In the corner of the room lay the headless and broken body of an aggressive drug addict, a sizable pool of scarlet liquid leaking from it. Apparently, the vampire had disdained such food, and rightly so. Now she stared with red eyes at the terrifying woman huddled in the corner. The battered addict sat on the floor, shaking with fear, a stinking yellow puddle gathering under her skinny ass.
– Please… Don’t kill… – This scum babbled.
“How much did you sell Nancy for?” I asked in a soft voice, and the woman looked at me in surprise. “Just tell me how much you got for her, and we’ll go, I promise.”
“F-f-fifty Galleons and ten doses of pollen!” the woman squeaked. “I a-asked for a hundred, but Aaron wouldn’t give me more.”
– I see. – I looked into Victoria’s eyes and nodded.
The vampire waved her hand silently, and the creature’s head rolled across the dirty floor. Some people are simply unworthy of life. We left the den—for I can’t call it anything else—in complete silence, feeling disgusted and wanting to plunge headfirst into a hot, chlorine-filled bath. Once outside, I activated Occlumency and, smiling cheerfully, took Valerie’s hand. Our entire group headed for the exit; this evening promised to be a long one.
We still had to take the children to the orphanage; I hope Mom had already sorted everything out and made arrangements. And I also had to explain to the little ones not to blab about magic. I hope the adults would clean up the mess I’d made, but I couldn’t do anything else! Abandoning two hungry children on the street, especially with a mother like that… Well, at least the world has become a little cleaner, but it still feels disgusting inside. And I just wanted to send gifts to my friends and acquaintances… I hope they’ll like my presents, but I’ll find out about that later… Right now, I needed to help the children celebrate Christmas warm and safe.
