The Girl Who Lived Volume 1 by Moishe Goldman Free Novel Reading Chapter 50

Realizing how many people had gathered in the large cottage, the girls set their alarms for fifteen minutes earlier, but only half the house was so smart. When they and Ria emerged from the guest room, grinning contentedly, they immediately found themselves at the end of the line for the bathroom. Only half an hour later were they able to visit the coveted meditation room and go for their morning jog.

When the girls finally made it outside, all the children of the Black family—or rather, those over ten years old—had already gathered in front of the house. At the head of this large, somewhat sleepy crowd stood two people. If Hermione remembered correctly, their names were Nina and Dima, they were almost adults and, apparently, already studying at the academy. The reason why teenagers were leading the exercise had just passed them by. Sergei, along with the older men and his slightly puffy, red-faced, but incredibly pleased father, were getting ready to leave. The teacher had promised winter fishing, but who knew they’d go on the very first day?!

“Hey, girls!” A sleepy Smith, wearing a black tracksuit, approached her friends from behind and stood next to them, silently yawning and rubbing her face with her hands. She didn’t even respond to their greetings, and Hermione felt as if Elvira was sleeping standing up.

Granger turned her gaze to her father, who, like the other fishermen, was dressed in a winter camouflage robe with a warm jumpsuit underneath, strange felt boots with laces and leather inserts on the heels and toes, and was carrying a heavy-looking backpack over his shoulders.

“Look how happy he is,” Hermione turned to her friend and nodded towards her hungover dad, who was grinning from ear to ear. “The last time he was this happy was when Hector was born.”

“Mia, the first forty years of childhood are the hardest in a man’s life.” Rhea chuckled. Where did she get that from? Hermione had never heard that saying. “They agreed yesterday. They’re not coming until tomorrow, they promised a rich fish soup and fried sturgeon.”

“Did they hide all the gear in their backpacks?” Granger glanced sideways at the massive load behind the fishermen.

“No, they’ll carry the tent in their hands.” Hellsing smiled slyly. “I didn’t see any fishing rods, but Grandpa put a bunch of grenades in his bag last night. A damn poacher.”

“And ten bottles of moonshine…” The Gryffindor became sad; her father drank very rarely, so it was extremely unusual to see him like this.

“Okay, girls, don’t be bored and listen to your moms.” While the friends were discussing this, the men decided to give the children some final instructions. Dan hugged his daughter and her friend tightly, dousing the girls with a fresh whiff of vodka. “We’ll be back tomorrow with a big catch.”

– What time? – The daughter made puppy eyes.

– It’s all bittern… – Father was a little embarrassed. – Um… As soon as we catch a lot of fish, we’ll go back straight away. Okay, don’t be bored.

The man kissed his daughter on the cheek, then kissed the Hellsing heiress on the forehead and ran contentedly to his friends, the alcoholic… ahem… fishermen.

“Everyone, pay attention! Listen to my command, form a column of two!” Dima barked, and the children quickly figured out the formation, even sorting themselves according to height. “I don’t get it, do the princesses from the tea kingdom require a special invitation?!”

“We?” Rigel looked questioningly at the disgruntled boy. “We have our own program, show us the direction, and we’ll run.”

“Listen up, island princesses, you’re on Black family land.” Nina approached the girls, placed her hands on their shoulders, and continued calmly. “While you’re here, we’re responsible for you. This isn’t the Moscow region; there’s all sorts of things in the forest. So don’t show off, and get into formation! We’ll also see how English training differs from Soviet training.” The girl said this last sentence with a predatory smile.

“I see, with its own rules…” Hellsing said quietly and nodded understandingly. Hermione completely agreed with her friend, and she was also interested in how the Russians trained.

“Good girls, then take your seats according to the tickets you bought.” Nina pointed to the middle of the line and nodded to her brother. “Dim, go on!”

“Finally. I hope our English friends know what formation is,” Dmitry grumbled, then switched back to commander mode. “I’ll lead and set the pace, Nina will bring up the rear. We’ll run five kilometers to the beach area, where we’ll warm up and spar, then back! Follow me, run—march!”

They ran at their usual pace, and Hermione didn’t even lose her breath. The young witch imagined their group and giggled. A wide, cleared path wound through the pine forest toward a vast lake, and now a dozen children in sweatpants and T-shirts were running along it, the older girls in sports bras, and the boys showing off their bare chests. It was minus thirty degrees outside, and such a scene would have stunned an uninitiated observer, as the athletes were oblivious to the Siberian cold, and the answer was simple: magic. Every child and teenager wore a comfort charm, so everyone was warm and dry, like in a diaper commercial.

Hermione even briefly admired Dima and Yura. They were tall, muscular, and broad-shouldered, perfect for sculpting a statue of Apollo or Hercules. Why was there no physical education at Hogwarts? Quidditch and detentions with Filch were the only physical activities! She glanced at the athletes again, then thought back to her classmates, wondering “Who could compete with the Russians?” Crabbe, Goyle, maybe Justin in a couple of years and… That’s it?! Fuck, as her friend put it. Oh well, Rigel wants to change the Wizarding World, or more precisely, burn away all the filth that has accumulated there over three hundred years in a purifying flame. Hellsing hadn’t said so directly, but over the years of close friendship, the girls had learned to understand each other without words. Rigel didn’t say much out loud and hid much, but despite everything, Hermione believed her and was ready to help. And if necessary, die for her. After all, the girl had no one but Hellsing and her parents, and the little witch tried not to think about the question of choice.

The final destination of the forced march was a flat, cleared square on the shore of an icy sea—Hermione couldn’t bring herself to call it a lake. The expanse of snow stretched to the horizon, surrounded by distant mountains, looking simply fantastic; the girl had never seen so much snow and ice at once. And the gentle breeze, chasing snowflakes along the edge of the earth and swaying the branches of the centuries-old pines, gave the place an even more magical quality. She’d experienced something similar at Hogwarts, admiring the Forbidden Forest through the window.

‍​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‍But she wasn’t given long to enjoy the natural beauty around her; the children quickly formed a semicircle, forming a single line, while the older ones began demonstrating a series of warm-up exercises for all muscle groups. Most of them were familiar to Hermione, but she’d never seen some before and painstakingly repeated them, memorizing them—she wasn’t always perfect the first time. The girl glanced sideways at Rigel, who was doing everything without a hitch, and the question “How does she know?!” arose in her mind. They’d both been learning and training with the same program since childhood! ‘Mione had long noticed that her friend sometimes seemed to be recalling forgotten things rather than learning new ones. It was difficult to explain, and to understand, you had to know the black-haired witch (now streaked with white) well, but she never let anyone near her except Granger. Something was clearly wrong with Rigel; Hermione sometimes felt as if her best friend was hiding something very important from her.

She herself had almost no secrets from her friend; Hellsing always read her like an open book. Hermione understood that Rigel was completely open with her and trusted her completely, which meant no one knew this secret! To be fair, Mione had one vice that was incredibly difficult to overcome, and its name was curiosity! She was a very inquisitive girl, able to think and observe, and the gift Rigel sent to Quirrel added to her collection of questions. It was understandable about the other Heads of House, but such a rare and useless book, especially one ordered specifically for a professor? Why? Rhea knew or suspected something, but Hermione wasn’t upset; she was sure that when the time came, her friend would tell her everything.

However, today Mia decided to have a serious conversation with her about something else. She’d long ago guessed that Dumbledore had brought the Philosopher’s Stone to school, and Rigel knew about it. Hellsing regularly checked the Marauder’s Map and sneaked into the Forbidden Corridor every week. And why? Why did she need mountains of gold or eternal life? She had the money, and as for eternal life… At a pinch, she could ask Alucard. It was all the same—drinking blood or depending on the elixir. And she still had to know how to make the latter! Why risk her life? For what? Hermione clearly didn’t understand or didn’t know something. She needed to have a thorough talk with her friend and, if necessary, help her. Rigel was willing to risk her own life, but not the lives of those close to her. Despite all her cruelty and sadism, Hellsing was very kind and fair. Mia knew her friend inside out and knew perfectly well that all this cynicism was just a show. Well, almost all of it.

While Miss Granger was deep in self-reflection, Dima pulled out his wand and, with a wave of his hand, drew a large red circle in the snow, then called out the names of the youngest boys. The children obediently stepped out of line and took their places at the edges of the makeshift ring. Nina waved her hand, signaling the start of a sparring match without equipment or rules.

The dark-haired boys locked in a duel, seemingly to the death. One of the larger boys knocked his opponent down and, straddling him, began furiously punching him in the face, only to be kneed in the back. The prone boy freed his arm and landed a powerful punch to his opponent’s nose, then, with a clever twist, secured his arm. Nina’s whistle interrupted the fight, and the boys, helping each other, rose, embraced, and returned to the line.

“Sery, how many times do I have to tell you that!” Dima approached the boys. “Don’t swing your stumps like a windmill! Mishka, you’re a good boy, but you need to cover your face. What if he gouged your eye out again?! Would you have to run for grandma again?”

Three more duels proceeded in this vein; the children fought as if it were their last, but Hermione saw no rage or hatred. Interesting training sessions; their duels with Rigel must have looked the same from the outside; they’d broken each other’s limbs more than once. It was exciting to test their strength against someone they’d never met. Justin wasn’t much fun; he wasn’t a fighter and would go down with one blow. Ron flatly refused to fight them, and Elvira was out of the question. Fighting Rhea wasn’t fun either; they’d long ago learned each other’s habits and mannerisms, so their sparring often resembled shadow boxing.

“Hermione against Tanya! Riga, your opponent is Yana!” The girl heard Dima’s voice and immediately boiled over.

“Don’t you dare shorten my name!” Hermione screamed, realizing she and Ria had spoken at the same time.

– Really? – The guy tilted his head to the side and grinned cheerfully. – Once you put me on my back, I’ll stop. – Dima grinned sarcastically. – Hermie, Tanya, in a circle!

“Does it matter that she’s older?” Hermione stepped into the center of the circle and rubbed her fists with snow, then turned to the eldest, while glancing disapprovingly at her opponent.

“I’m looking at your weight and height,” Dima replied calmly. The girl’s opponent nodded amiably and assumed a fighting stance. It was outrageous for the Gryffindor to be without equipment or protection. “FIGHT!!!”

Her opponent, slightly taller, moved smoothly to close in, but Hermione, acting on pure reflex, jerked her head to the right, and a heavy boot whistled past her nose just a few millimeters. Miya took a step back and attempted a counterattack, but was immediately punched in the liver; the blow wasn’t strong, but it was painful. She spun around and delivered a two-punch punch to her agile opponent’s chest and stomach, receiving a satisfying blow to the cheekbone in return. The girls tested each other and were satisfied; their strength was roughly equal, only the Russian’s technique differed from Hermione’s, and she was slightly more experienced. For the next minute, the smaller Amazons dodged the blows, demonstrating their excellent agility and flexibility. Tanya dodged again and offered her right side, but Hermione smirked and kicked, falling for the trick. Her opponent caught her by the shin, then lunged at her with a powerful kick to the stomach, followed by a clever undersweep. Hermione fell backwards and slammed her head hard onto the ice, briefly seeing darkness before her eyes. She tried to roll to the side, but was immediately hit by a heavy boot to the kidneys and backside. She reflexively tried to cover, but her arm was immediately intercepted and locked in a painful hold.

“Enough!” Nina blew her whistle. “Not bad, very good, technique is evident, but experience is lacking.”

“You’re doing great.” Tanya leaned over with a smile and offered the lying girl her hand. Hermione smiled back and accepted the offer. “Shall we do this again tomorrow?”

– Of course! – Wincing from the pain in the back of her head, the witch assumed a vertical position.

Rising, Granger and her opponent approached Dmitry, who stood with his wand in hand. The younger Black quickly and confidently diagnosed and healed the wounds; the girls struck hard but with precision. Returning to their seats, Mione watched her friend’s fight with interest.

Rigel and Yana’s fight was fleeting, with Hellsing seizing the initiative almost immediately. Hermione had long noticed that her friend often held back in fights with her, but with Victoria, she acted completely differently. Now, Rigel lunged forward, dodging, and delivered a powerful punch to the solar plexus, followed by a blow to the back of the head. As Yana fell to her knees, Hellsing slammed the toe of her heavy combat boot into her face, causing blood to immediately splatter the ice.

“Stop!” Nina’s loud scream rang out, and Dima ran up to the unconscious girl, dropped to one knee, and began administering first aid.

“You’re a quick one, tomorrow we’ll find you a more challenging opponent.” The girl acting as judge patted Rigel on the shoulder with satisfaction.

Her friend nodded cheerfully in response and took her place next to Hermione, smirking as she nudged her shoulder. While Dima was reviving the loser, the other children whispered and eyed the guests from the British Empire with interest. Elvira hadn’t been assigned an opponent; Rigel had told the teacher just the day before that she didn’t know how to fight, so Smith watched from the sidelines with her mouth open and her eyes wide. The following fights followed a similar pattern and were quite interesting, especially Nina and Dima’s. They moved so quickly that sometimes their movements were difficult to discern, and in the end, Dima knocked her out with a powerful uppercut. The fight was very entertaining, and the friends carefully memorized the boys’ moves and movements, making sure to discuss them later.

Upon returning to the cottage, a heated bathhouse was already waiting for the children. The boys were sent in first, and half an hour later, the girls went to wash. This made sense: the house was large, but there were only two showers, and by the time everyone had finished their turn, it would be lunchtime. The bathhouse wasn’t hot; it had been heated for washing, not steaming. Rigel tensed up as she undressed in the dressing room with everyone else, but the other girls merely frowned at the sight of her scars, but didn’t make a fuss and behaved as usual. This moment lifted the spirits of both friends; they quickly washed up and, wrapped in terry blankets, ran to their room.

After a hearty breakfast, the British witches were taken for a walk by the local children. The day flew by joyfully. They started out making snowmen, but then one of the boys threw a snowball at the girls, triggering a veritable artillery battle. With magic, a simple snowball fight turned into something unimaginable, joyful, and wild, with mountains of flying snow and small avalanches. Wet, happy, and covered in snow from head to toe, the children returned to the house, where they were quickly dried and cleaned, and then given a hearty meal. After lunch, the fun continued: the whole crowd of children went sledding down a steep slope. Dima surprised everyone by dragging a huge old cast-iron bathtub instead of a sled. Hermione, along with Elvira and Rigel, squealed as they raced down the slope in it. All in all, it was an extremely eventful day.

Hermione’s mother wasn’t bored either, having a good time in the company of Olga and Integra: the women spent the entire day babysitting the kids, and Hector also found company.

After dinner, the girls went to their rooms. Elvira was placed with Masha, who spoke excellent English and found the British witch an excellent conversationalist. However, being constantly surrounded by the loud and cheerful crowd was unnerving, so when the friends were finally alone in their room, they breathed a sigh of relief, enjoying the silence. Rigel approached the bed and fell onto it with a blissful smile, while Hermione remained standing by the door, glaring at her friend.

“Mia, what’s wrong?” Hellsing turned on her side and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“Ria, do you trust me?” Granger asked quietly.

– Of course! I trust you as I trust myself. – Rigel sat up and looked her friend over carefully. – What’s wrong with you? You’ve been so thoughtful these days.

– Then answer me, why do you need the philosopher’s stone?

– Damn… How did you guess? – Rigel exhaled resignedly and lowered her head.

“I’m not stupid. That conversation with Hagrid, the forbidden corridor, plus our dear headmaster was Flamel’s student.” Hermione smirked. “There’s a whole chapter dedicated to Dumbledore in The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts. Even Weasley figured it out.”

– Ron? – Surprise appeared on Rigel’s face. – Why does he need the stone?

“You need to spend more time with your friends and listen to what they have to say.” Hermione looked at her friend disapprovingly. “Redhead said he didn’t need the stone and complained that you’d have to be a complete idiot to try to steal it from under Dumbledore’s very nose, especially at his own school.”

“I don’t understand why Weasley doesn’t need the stone?” Rigel looked with genuine interest.

“Ron said that true wealth requires earning it yourself, that’s what his father taught him.” Granger put her hands on her hips. “Don’t go off topic, why do you need the stone? And why didn’t you tell me? Are you planning to commit suicide in splendid isolation? Or do you seriously think I’m going to let you storm that vault alone?! I don’t know why you need eternal life or mountains of gold, but I will always support you! I made a vow and I’m not going back on it! You are my best and only friend!”

Hermione rolled up her right sleeve and showed her friend the tattoo on her wrist. Rigel looked Hermione over seriously, then, with a sad sigh, lowered her head and stroked her lower abdomen. A switch clicked in the Gryffindor’s head, and she quickly rushed toward her friend.

– I’m sorry… I didn’t know… The elixir can really help you? – She whispered, hugging Hellsing. – Why didn’t you tell me right away… I would have… I would have blown everything up… But I got it… – Tears of shame streamed down Hermione’s cheeks. How could she have forgotten?!

“It’s fine… Few people know about this property…” Rigel hugged her back. “Smethwick said that just one sip would completely cure me…”

“You must tell Lady Integra everything, she’ll figure out how to get that damn stone!” The girl looked into the sad green eyes. “Your mother will send an assault team, and maybe even Alucard himself!”

“No! We’re not entirely sure! What if it’s a fake? You understand that the Order’s entry onto school grounds is a direct declaration of war?” Hellsing placed her hands on her shoulders and grinned wickedly. “Besides, I have a plan that should work!”

“What’s the plan? How can I help? When are we going to rob the director?” The girl’s shame and regret gave way to curiosity and excitement, and she slapped her friend on the back of the head. “Why the hell are you planning on doing this alone?!”

“I wanted to talk to you after the holidays…” Rigel smiled guiltily. “The short answer is that the stone is…”

Discussing all the nuances and problems that could arise during the expropriation of the stone, they talked until late into the night. Hermione was once again amazed by her friend’s knowledge. Maybe she was an oracle or a Pythia? Absolutely! Rigel had the gift of foresight! Mione immediately remembered the Marauder’s Map: Rigel KNEW it was in that chest, and childhood memories had absolutely nothing to do with it. Maybe she knew about that too? Granger smirked. Sooner or later, but when she deemed it necessary, her friend would tell her everything. Secrets must be respected; Hermione had one too, and someday she would confess to Rigel… But not today.

Everyone in the house was already in bed when the girls took turns showering, quickly rinsed off, changed into pajamas, and fell asleep. As soon as she was under the covers, Rigel began snoring rhythmically, while Hermione fidgeted slightly and, a few minutes later, snuggled close to her neighbor, and then, before she knew it, she’d fallen asleep.

A few hours later, when everyone in the house was fast asleep, Hermione Granger rose silently from her bed. In complete silence, she drew her wand and cast the Silent Walking Charm on herself, then, without getting dressed, left the room.

 

***

 

I woke up with a jerk, and for the first few seconds I didn’t understand what was happening, but then it dawned on me—the homemade bracelet on my wrist was on fire. Swallowing, I turned my head and didn’t see Hermione. The bed next to me was empty, and judging by the red-hot stones, my friend was in mortal danger! Unsure of what to do, I jumped out of bed and, guided by instinct, ran out into the hallway. My path led to the first floor, to my grandmother’s room. I literally slammed my whole body into the oak door and began pounding my arms and legs. A few seconds later, the wooden barrier slid open, revealing a sleepy Maria Black in a lovely purple silk robe.

“Rigel, what happened?” the woman asked tenderly.

– Hermione is missing! She’s in danger! – I showed the woman my wrist with the bracelet.

Maria stared at me blankly for a few seconds, then understanding dawned in her eyes. Suddenly pale, Grandma waved her hand, and ten seconds later the doors to the adjoining rooms swung open, and all the adult women of the Black family rushed out into the hallway. I heard footsteps, and Mom and Jean Granger appeared on the stairs.

“Masha, what happened?” Olga looked closely at her mother-in-law. The others were standing with magic wands in their hands, and Hermione’s and my mothers were clutching pistols.

– Khan Khute-Baabai… – My grandmother whispered, Valentina and Alevtina turned pale, and Olga’s jaw muscles began to twitch angrily.

“It’s still so early! There are still two days until the sacrifice!” the youngest of the Black women, red-haired Valya, screamed angrily. “The death row inmate isn’t supposed to be delivered until tomorrow evening!”

– So he took a liking to the girl, especially since she’s a stranger… – Grandma Masha’s eyes lit up slightly. – Well, the insatiable bitch… I won’t allow it! Rigel!

Grandfather’s wife yelled so loudly that I jumped up and down.

– Granddaughter, can you tell me the direction? – The woman wasn’t asking, she was stating, and I nodded in response. – Accio Comet!

A graceful white magic wand appeared in Maria’s hand, a distant roar echoed, and a dozen brooms flew at breakneck speed toward our group. Grandma caught one of them, and the rest fell at our feet.

“Olga, Rigel, grab the brooms and follow me!” the evil witch began to bark out orders. “Valya, Alya, raise your shields, the children are on you! Tegra, calm Jean down! We’ll be back soon!”

“Maybe we should call Sergei and the other men?” The fair-haired Alevtina asked her mother-in-law hesitantly.

“I know Seryozha, they’re in Ayaya Bay now, three hundred kilometers from here, and it’s only a couple of minutes’ flight for us to Shamanka…” The woman sighed heavily. “The men are drunk now, we can scare off this god ourselves.”

– And then? – The young daughter-in-law did not calm down. – He will not calm down.

“We’ll solve this!” Grandma looked at me and pushed me toward the exit. “Lead the way, we’re behind you. We’re flying at top speed! And remember, no matter what happens, don’t be afraid. You have our blood in you, he won’t touch you!”

I nodded silently, ran to the exit, and, as soon as I was outside, straddled my broom and soared into the sky. My internal compass clearly pointed in the direction my friend was heading, and I knew there was very little time left. Masha and Olya flew behind, wands in hand and wearing colorful short robes, and I, in panties and a pink pajama top, was quite a sight. A rescue squad, damn it…

 

***

 

“Alucard!” the head of the Order of Protestant Knights shouted, entering the room and hugging the crying Jean.