[Episode 132935] [Episode 132935]"Good news, Harry!"
Harry and Ron looked up from their game of wizard's chess at Integra's excited announcement. Not that it was particularly hard for Harry to do so... he was getting thoroughly beaten by Ron. The fact that the pieces he was using were very vocal in their displeasure at his lack of skill wasn't helping his game, either. "What is it?"
Integra had a letter in her hand, with the Hellsing seal on it, so the boys could only guess it was from her father. An assumption that Integra quickly validated. "I told you I would see about getting you away from that horrid family of yours, remember?"
Ron blinked at this, but Harry nodded, his eyes widening. "Do you mean I won't have to go back to the Dursley's?"
Integra blushed a bit, and shook her head. "Not... exactly. It turns out that there are some protective spells on you that require you live with them..."
Harry looked confused at that. "What? Why would I have that kind of protection?"
This time, it was Ron than answered. "Oh, come on, Harry! You're the Boy-That-Lived! And anyone with any sense knows that a lot of the Death Eaters managed to get off unpunished. Any one of them would have loved to kill you, just to boost their own reputation."
"Oh."
Integra nodded. "Exactly. So Father can't just remove you from the Dursleys. So instead, he hired your uncle."
"What?!" Harry cried.
"Yes, your Uncle is now working for the Hellsing Organization, making sure the right people get the right supplies so they can do their jobs. As such, his family - and yourself, during the brakes - will now be living in one of the houses on the Hellsing Estate. That mean that I'll be just a short jog away. So even if you do have to live with those horrible people, help will always be nearby."
Harry nodded, liking the sound of that. "Still, I don't know... it sounds like their getting rewarded for what they put me through."
Integra gave a wicked smile. "Don't worry... according to my father, the Dursleys are in for a bit of a surprise, once they move in..."
_-=^=-_
"What the bloody hell is this?!"
Vernon Dursley was not happy. Petunia and Dudley had not been pleased with the notion of moving, even if it was into a house in London itself. Even if the 'small' house the Hellsing people provided for them was larger than #4 Privet Drive, or that the 'Company Car' he now used was, in fact, an older Rolls Royce. Getting them moved in had been a chore, but Vernon had been certain they would warm up to things, once they got there.
At least he had been, up until getting woken up, along with the rest of his family, by Walter Ddollneazz, and some soldier chaps, at 4:30 in the morning!
Walter was completely unfazed by Vernon's anger. "It's quite simple, Mr. Dursley. As you are now working for Hellsing, and as your family lives on Hellsing grounds, there are certain requirements that you must meet. You, at the least, must be ready and able to act at any time of the day or night. We won't always have the luxury of a 9-5 schedule for you, and if we need you at one AM, then you had best be able to do your job then, as well. Furthermore, it is required that all people living on the grounds meet certain standards to defend themselves. To that end... yourself and your wife will be heading to the shooting range with Sergeant Vincent, to learn some basic gun care. When you are reasonable marksmen, we will stop waking you at such an early hour, outside of emergencies."
"WHAT?!" Vernon raged again.
Petunia looked nervously at her son, and then back to Walter. "What about Dudley? I don't want him using a gun!"
Walter graced Petunia's concern with more respect than Vernon's rages. "I understand, Mrs. Dursley, but it is required. However, your son will not be learning to shoot right away. As he is only eleven, we won't teach him to use a weapon until we are certain he has the needed... discipline to handle that responsibility. Instead, he will be under the care of Sergeant Wilson, our personal trainer, to get the boy into shape. Normally, he won't need to get up until dawn, but I thought it best to get this all over with at once, today."
Petunia glared at Walter, while Dudley whined about wanting to go back to sleep. Then she turned her glare on her husband.
Vernon huffed. "Well, then we'll just be bloody well leaving!"
Walter's smile thinned. "I don't believe you want to do that, Mr. Dursley. You signed a ten year contract with the Hellsing Organization... and Sir Hellsing does not like those who do not keep their words. If you break the contract an quite, I fear you will find it impossible to attain new employment within England, and quite likely far beyond our shores as well. And, of course, if you reveal what exactly is going on here to others... well, let's just say it could have some very... unfortunate consequences. I do suggest this is the time to just grin and bear it. Things will be easier if you do so..."
Vernon had paled considerably as Walter spoke, and then glanced at Petunia's intensified death glare. And had a feeling he would be sleeping on the couch for a long time to come...
_-=^=-_
"I thank you for making the time to see me, Countess." Lucious Malfoy said with a small bow. He was dressed in full Death Eater uniform, and was currently backed up by four other Death Eaters.
It was, after all, the minimum number he could bring and still feel relatively safe in meeting a vampire as old as the one before him.
"How could I refuse," the vampire replied in a sultry voice, "when you come bearing such wonderful gifts?" she finished, indicating the freshly drained corpse of a nun at her foot of her seat. In the background, several young girls stood in a daze, compelled not to run from the fate that was about to befall them.
The vampire leaned forward, her dark hair glistening in the candlelight, and displaying her creamy white skin and generous bosom to the men before her. Around her, four male vampires, her fledglings, all stood, ready to strike for their mistress.
"It was nothing, my dear Countess Bathory. Nothing at all."
Countess Elizabeth Bathory, the infamous 'Bloody Countess,' leaned back and smiled, showing off her fangs. "So, what brings such illustrious men as yourselves to my home?"
Lucious smirked a bit. "I wish to propose as small... alliance."
Bathory raised her eyebrows. "Really? I did not side with your Lord, while he was around. Why should I join your cause, so long after he is gone?"
"I am not asking for a long term alliance, just a short exchange. I would like for one or two of your... family... to make strikes at several locations in England."
Now Bathory frowned. "You realize you are asking me to send my fledglings to their destruction? Smart vampires do not traverse to England casually."
"Surely you do not fear Hellsing?" Lucious asked with a smirk.
Bathory snarled at the man. "Do not presume too much, Death Eater. Suffice to say I have my own reasons for not antagonizing the Hellsing group."
That surprised Lucious, and he made a mental note to research why that might be at a later date. "Very well, but I believe I can make it worth your while, Countess."
"Really? And what could you possibly have that would be worth sacrificing my fledglings for?"
"Once the job is done, I will give you the Gem of Amara."
Lucious smirked to himself at the sudden greed he saw on Bathory's face. The gem was a powerful artifact his lord had recovered, only to find that its powers could only be used by Vampires. Useless to him, but to Nosferatu, it was practically the holy grail...
"Very well... I think I may be able to accommodate you, after all. What do you wish done?"
"A simple double strike. While one attacks a muggle hospital, the other will go through a backdoor I've prepared into St. Mungo's. Let your boys rampage, create a lot of Ghouls, and so on."
Bathory looked at the Death Eaters with narrowed eyes. "I take it this has a purpose beyond simple chaos?"
"Let's just say that the results of these attacks will keep some mutual enemies busy dealing with politics rather than their jobs."
The Bloody Countess laughed at the thought. "Very well. I will arrange for a pair of my children to accommodate you. But for now I suggest you and your 'friends' leave," she said, once again showing her fangs. "I'm still feeling a bit hungry."
Lucious bowed, and the Death Eaters left. He smiled to himself as they walked away from the room. Thanks to some arrangements he'd 'suggested' to Fudge, when the attacks came, any truly effective Auror would be too far away to deal with St. Mungo's. Hellsing would have to handle both situations, which would infuriate Fudge. That, in turn, would force Hellsing to focus on the Minister's attacks, rather than looking any further into places the muggles shouldn't. And none of it could be linked directly back to him.
None of the Death Eaters even flinched as the screams started from the room behind them.
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(Posted Mon, 21 Feb 2005 00:14)
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