NOVEL WEB Chapter 21: chapter 21
Chapter 21:
I sat cross-legged on my bed, the Resurrection Grail resting in my lap. The image of my dead magic teacher, Rowena, stared up at me. I'd been recounting everything that had happened in the past week.
Rowena nodded as I finished. "So your focus broke, and you couldn't cast spells against those vampires," she summarized flatly.
I sighed, nodding. "Yeah. That about sums it up."
"Are you an idiot?" she snapped. "Why didn't you just cut yourself and use your blood to cast the magic? You did it back when you escaped the Tepes castle."
I winced. "I was caught up in the moment. I lost my gun, then I fed on an innocent woman…" My voice trailed off. "I kind of forgot."
Rowena scoffed. "Forgetting something like that is how you end up dead."
"Thanks for the reminder," I muttered. It didn't matter much now anyway. Walter probably had replacement weapons ready for me already. As if on cue, there was a soft knock at the door. Two gentle taps. That had to be him. "Come in!" I called out.
Walter stepped into the room, carrying a sleek black briefcase. He paused for a moment when he saw me sitting there with the Grail between my legs. "Apologies, Lady Tepes. I didn't realize you were in the middle of one of your magic lessons."
"It's fine," I said, waving him off. "We're done for today."
"Hello, Butler. Thank you for looking out for my foolish disciple," Rowena called out from the Grail, her voice tinged with amusement.
Walter hesitated, clearly unsure how to address the disembodied voice. "Er… yes. Of course. It's my job to ensure all of Lady Integra Hellsing's people are in top condition."
The water inside the Grail began to turn silver, signaling that my time with Rowena was up. I picked it up carefully and pressed it against my chest. The Grail sank into my body with a small flash of light, leaving behind a faint warmth in its place.
Walter adjusted his glasses, his expression thoughtful. "It's still quite odd that you can simply communicate with the dead whenever you want to," he admitted.
"Are there any family members you'd want to talk to?" I asked. It wasn't the first time I'd made the offer. I'd extended it to both Walter and Integra before, but neither had ever taken me up on it. Rose didn't even know I could do it yet, though I planned to tell her eventually. She knew about the Healing Grail but didn't know I had two others fused to my soul. Technically, they were all part of the same Sacred Gear, but that was just semantics.
Walter shook his head. "No. I never had a good relationship with my parents, and I never had any siblings. Lady Integra is the only person I truly care about."
I nodded, understanding that the topic was closed. Walter placed the black briefcase on the bed next to me and flipped it open. My breath caught as I peered inside.
The revolver was sleek and black, the handle inlaid with blood-red gems that gleamed faintly against the polished silver. It was beautiful.
"Did you combine this with my magic bracelet?" I asked, running my fingers over the smooth surface.
Walter smirked, pushing his glasses up smugly. "Indeed. You can now cast spells and fire bullets using a single hand. The weapon is extremely durable, and I've ensured the blood gems are well-protected this time. You shouldn't have to worry about it breaking or getting damaged."
I picked up the gun, testing its weight. It was heavier than my last one, but that didn't matter with my strength. I couldn't stop smiling. "It's perfect, Walter."
…
Walter left my room, and I immediately slipped out of my pajamas and grabbed clothes for the day. It was the peak of summer, and the heat was relentless. I picked a pair of red jean short shorts that barely went down a couple of inches past my ass—just enough to show off my legs. They were perfect for staying cool and looking good. I pulled on a black tank top, then threw on my signature red jacket. The jacket was thick and bulletproof, so I used my new revolver to cast a few cooling charms on it. After tucking the revolver securely behind my back, under the jacket, I checked myself in the mirror and grinned. "Perfect," I said to myself before heading downstairs.
When I got to the dining room, I was surprised to see it half full. Rose and Seras were sitting together on one side of the table, while Narcissa and Bellatrix sat on the other. The two pairs of women were deep in conversation, though I noticed Rose and Seras sending the occasional glare in Narcissa's direction. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that was about. Who was I kidding? It was probably about me.
"Hey, everyone." I plopped myself down at the head of the table, glancing around at the group. "So, does anyone have anything interesting planned for the day?" As soon as I asked, my cheeks heated up slightly. I remembered that my night was already booked... probably. My eyes flicked over to Narcissa, who caught my gaze and winked before turning back to her hushed conversation with Bellatrix.
"Not really," Seras said with a shrug.
Rose shook her head. "Me neither, but I got some mail from my friend Hermione, and I was just about to look at it." She gestured to a stack of envelopes on the table.
I had met Rose's friend Ron, but I hadn't met the famous Hermione Granger yet. From what I'd heard, she spent every summer vacation with her Muggle family, even now, despite how tense things were in the magical world.
Rose chuckled as she pulled an envelope off the top. "She actually sent me a postcard. Who does that anymore?" She tore it open, and as soon as she saw the contents, her cheeks turned bright red. She sputtered something incomprehensible, making me raise an eyebrow.
Seras leaned over Rose's shoulder and let out a low whistle. "Is that a picture of your friend? She's bold." She giggled and snatched the postcard from Rose's trembling hands, ignoring the brunette's protests. Seras flicked it across the table to me, and I caught it with a smirk.
I glanced down at the postcard. It was a photo of a young woman with frizzy brown hair who looked like she was on a beach somewhere. A nude beach, to be specific. Hermione was topless, which was a pretty bold move for someone sending a postcard by owl, magical or not. I read the caption at the bottom out loud. "'You would have loved French beaches, Rose. There are naked blonde girls everywhere.'" I couldn't help but laugh. "Your friend really knows your type."
Rose groaned and buried her face in her hands, while Seras burst into laughter. I was about to tease her further when something strange happened. The postcard in my hand began to glow faintly blue, pulsing with magic.
"What the hell is this?" I asked, holding it up.
Before anyone could answer, Tonks walked into the room, a big grin on her face. "Watcher, everyone!" she called out cheerfully. Her grin disappeared the moment she saw the glowing postcard in my hand. Her eyes widened in alarm. "Valerie, let go of that! It's a Portkey!"
"What—" The word barely left my mouth before the postcard activated. My stomach flipped as I felt a sharp tug behind my navel, and the world around me disappeared. I was yanked through what felt like a whirlwind of chaos, spinning wildly through colors and sounds. Wizarding teleportation was the craziest ride of my life—both of my lives!
I let out a yelp as I landed hard on my butt on a rough wooden floor. The impact sent a sharp jolt through me, but I scrambled to my feet right away, instinctively reaching for my gun. My fingers brushed against the handle before I stopped, noticing who was in the room with me. The disgusting stench of a werewolf hit my nose first, followed by the unmistakable sight of red hair.
"Oh… it's you clowns," I said, my voice dripping with annoyance as I dusted myself off. "Is this your house? You've got literal magic. Why does the place look so dirty? Or, better yet, why is it even made of sticks and twigs?" I wrinkled my nose as I gestured around the room, the walls looking like they might collapse at any moment.
"It's rude to insult a man's castle," Mr. Weasley scolded.
"Watch your tone, young lady," his wife snapped. "Not every family is rolling in money."
I rolled my eyes, unfazed by their glares. "I mean, come on. Being poor when you have an entire family of magical people is like losing a boxing match against someone with no arms. There's just no excuse."
Their expressions darkened even more, but I didn't care. I had better things to deal with. I turned my attention to the only Weasley I could tolerate.
"What's going on, Ginny?" I asked, ignoring everyone else in the room. "Why did you send Rose a Portkey?"
Before Ginny could respond, Hermione, who was standing next to her with Ron, spoke up. "I was the one who sent that postcard Portkey," she said. "I did it because we all wanted Rose to be safe under some warded protection." She glared at me, crossing her arms. "Who are you, and why were you going through Rose's mail? That was personal and meant only for her!"
Her face turned bright red, and I smirked. "Yeah, about that. Maybe don't send topless photos if you don't want people to see them..."
Ron's face twisted in anger as he stepped forward. "This is the evil vampire, Hermione! The one I was telling you about who kidnapped Rose and brainwashed her!"
I groaned, rubbing my temples. "Not this crap again." I turned to Hermione, ignoring Ron's accusation. "Can you just make me another Portkey back to London? I'll fly home from there." I didn't feel like dealing with this shit and I got yanked away before I could even have breakfast!
Not cool…
"Not so fast, young lady!" Remus yelled, and I sighed, already regretting this conversation. "You need to tell us where Rose is! She's in danger! Just look at today's newspaper."
He shoved a copy of the magical newspaper into my hands. The moving photo on the front showed a younger Rose Potter, her eyes darting as if she were being followed. The headline read, "Undesirable Number One," and underneath it was a reward announcement: 10,000 Galleons for her capture, courtesy of the Dark Lord, the new ruler of magical Britain.
I shrugged, folded the newspaper, and slipped it into one of my jacket's many pockets. Pockets were the best. "Okay… and you guys thought that kidnapping Rose and keeping her in this shabby fire hazard of a house was a safer option than leaving her in an armored mansion full of hundreds of armed soldiers and over a dozen mounted turrets…?"
– Hermione –
Hundreds of armed guards? What? What was this girl talking about?
Hermione was at a loss.
The second she'd gotten back from France, she'd been whisked away by the Weasleys, who told her that her best friend Rose had been abducted by an evil vampire harlot and that they needed Hermione's help to convince Rose to come back to them. Of course, trusting them and Professor Lupin implicitly, Hermione had immediately agreed to help.
Obviously, she should've asked a few more questions first, because while the blonde girl in front of her clearly had vampiric traits, she didn't exactly give off evil vibes. Hermione liked to think she was a pretty good judge of character after dealing with Slytherins all these years.
"I told you all this was a dumb idea," Ginny said. Then she turned to Hermione. "Also, why did you send Rose a topless picture, Hermione?"
Hermione flushed bright red. "I wanted to make sure she'd look at the postcard long enough for the Portkey to activate," she mumbled.
"Why'd you send her a picture of that then? You should've sent her a picture of me naked instead!" Ron declared loudly. "She wouldn't have been able to look away!"
The room went dead silent. Everyone stared at Ron. Hermione facepalmed.
Valerie took a moment to look Ron up and down. "No," she said flatly.
"Oi! What do you mean, 'no'?" Ron shouted, his face going red with indignation.
Valerie didn't bother responding. She turned and began walking toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Remus called out to her.
"The stench in here is giving me a headache, and this house makes me nervous," Valerie said over her shoulder. "It looks like it's about to collapse or burn down at any second."
Hermione couldn't argue with that. She'd always been a little on edge when visiting the Weasley home. If the magic holding all those sticks and boards together failed for even a moment… everyone inside would be in serious danger. She glanced at Ginny and followed Valerie outside. Ginny trailed after her, and once they were out of earshot, Hermione turned to Ginny. "What's really going on here?" she asked.
Ginny hesitated before sighing. "You agreed to help so quickly that I didn't have time to warn you. My parents, Ron, and Remus all have no idea what they're talking about. They think they know what's best for Rose, even though she's a grown witch who can make her own decisions. Fred and George agree with me, but that's why everyone waited until they were out of the house to rope you into this plan."
"So the vampire girl isn't evil or keeping Rose prisoner?" Hermione asked. She was starting to piece things together. If she knew Rose as well as she thought she did, this was all starting to make sense. Her eyes drifted to Valerie, who was walking ahead of them. Her legs looked amazing in those shorts, and from the front, her beauty could put any Veela to shame. Hermione was almost positive Rose had left with this girl willingly.
Ginny nodded. "Valerie's awesome! She's a dhampir who works for Hellsing, a vampire-hunting organization. They keep Britain safe from the actual evil undead. Apparently, the pay's really good, too. I'm even thinking about joining them after I finish school!"
– Valerie –
The girls followed me outside, but I barely noticed. I was too busy breathing in the fresh air, trying to get the stench of werewolf out of my nose. Stinky werewolves and tight spaces—definitely not a good combination.
Hermione sheepishly walked up to me, looking like she wanted to disappear from embarrassment. "I'm sorry for kidnapping you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
I gave her an unimpressed look. "You're going to need to apologize to Rose too. She's probably freaking out since I disappeared in front of her. She probably thinks I was kidnapped by Voldemort or something." I snorted at the thought.
"Right," Hermione said, cringing like she'd just realized how bad the situation really was.
Remus, the Weasley parents, and Ron finally made it outside after Hermione and Ginny, and I could see Mrs. Weasley already gearing up to yell at me.
"Now, see here, young lady!" she started, wagging her finger at me like I was some misbehaving child. "You have to tell us where Rose is! It doesn't matter how many Muggles are guarding her, they can't stand up against magic!"
"Uh-huh…" I said, cutting her off. I reached into my jacket and whipped out my revolver in one smooth motion, pointing it directly in front of her face. Her eyes went wide, and everyone else froze. I smiled casually. "Bang. You're dead…" I lowered the gun slightly, keeping my grip steady. "Guns are a lot more dangerous than most curses," I explained. "Bullets are infinitely faster, and you don't need to think to pull the trigger. Even if I cast a spell silently, I still have to think its name and the magical process behind it before it works. This?" I held up the revolver. "Point and shoot."
Hermione stared at the gun, her mouth hanging open. "Guns are illegal in Britain," she muttered, sounding like she was reciting a textbook.
"Not for me," I said, tapping the barrel of the revolver against my bare thigh. "I literally have a license to kill. Wanna see it?"
"I'll take your word for it," Hermione said quickly, but Ginny stepped forward, grinning.
"I wanna see it." I shrugged and handed her the card from my jacket. She looked it over and laughed. "This is awesome! It's like those James Bond movies I sometimes watch when I sneak out to visit my half-blood friends..."
"Listen, Valerie…" Remus said, stepping forward with his hands up like he thought I might shoot him. I obviously wasn't going to do that, this guy was still important to Rose… Sort of.
I took a step back instinctively. "You can keep talking, but stay more than ten feet away from me. You stink," I told him flatly.
He sighed but stopped moving. "We just want to keep Rose safe. The Burrow has been in the Weasley family for generations. It might not look like much, but it's protected by their ancestral family magic. It's one of the safest places in the country besides Hogwarts. She'd be perfectly safe here with us! Tonks should come too, of course…" he added with a small grin.
I rolled my eyes. Tonks and Remus used to have some kind of thing going on, and I wasn't one to judge, but… ewww. Tonks could literally make herself look like anyone, and she was biologically immortal. She could have done so much better!
I tilted my head and looked past everyone. "If the Burrow is so safe, then why is it currently on fire?"
They all gaped at me, then spun around. Sure enough, the entire magical shack was going up in flames. Shadowy figures dressed in black robes flew over the house, raining down fire curses on the property.
"My home!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked, her voice breaking with despair.
"You bastards!" Ron shouted, running toward the burning house with his wand out. He immediately started firing spells into the air, but his aim was terrible, and the problem I'd mentioned earlier became obvious. Spells were just too slow to hit moving targets, especially ones flying through the air.
The Death Eaters overhead cackled and started shouting insults. "Mudblood-loving blood traitors!" one of them yelled. "A family full of dirty redheaded whores!" another sneered.
Hermione and Ginny both raised their wands and started firing spells too, but none of them hit. The Death Eaters retaliated, shooting sickly colored spells down at us. The ground around us exploded as the dark magic hit, sending chunks of dirt flying everywhere. One spell landed close enough to me that I felt the heat from it.
'So anyway… I started blasting…' I thought to myself with a giggle. But honestly, that's pretty much what I did. My brand-new revolver was already getting a live test, and I had to admit, it performed beautifully. I rapidly fired six shots, and three Death Eaters dropped out of the sky like broken dolls. They screamed as they hit the ground, rolling violently before going still.
The remaining Death Eaters hovered in the air, clearly recognizing me. "It's the whore that vampire wants us to kill for him!" one of them shouted. "Get her!"
I rolled my eyes. Subtlety wasn't their strong suit. I already knew they were working with my brother and the remnants of the Tepes clan, but this was solid confirmation. A dark curse streaked toward me, but I was faster. I cast a quick Protego, and a shimmering shield snapped up in front of me, absorbing the spell. Without lowering my gun or the shield, I flicked the revolver open, slid in six fresh rounds, and snapped it shut again.
There were obvious pros and cons to having my gun double as my magical focus, but being able to reload while keeping a shield spell up? Huge pro. Back when I used the blood bracelet on my left hand, I wouldn't have been able to pull that off without growing a third arm or something. And honestly? That sounded gross.
I raised my gun again, unloading another six rounds into the air. The remaining three Death Eaters dropped one by one, their bodies hitting the ground with bursts of blood and the sickening crunch of broken bones.
With a flick of my wrist, I yanked their limp forms toward me with a summoning charm. They landed in a heap at my feet. Two of them were obviously dead—perfect headshots tend to do that. Another was barely clinging to life, blood pooling beneath him. The last three were alive, though in bad shape. They'd live with proper medical treatment, assuming anyone cared enough to patch them up.
I reloaded again. Then I pointed the revolver at the head of one of the masked Death Eaters who was still conscious. His breath hitched as I pressed the cold barrel against his temple.
"You know about Marius Tepes?" I asked sharply. "Where is he hiding?"
The Death Eater froze, his eyes wide behind the mask. I could see the fear in the way he trembled. "I… I don't know—"
"Wrong answer," I snapped. I pulled the trigger and executed the Death Eater with another headshot. His buddies let out yelps of shock and terror as his body slumped next to the others.
It took my so-called "allies" a couple of seconds to finally process what had just happened. Hermione's voice broke the silence, shaky and shocked. "Valerie! You just executed that man!"
"I sure did," I said, not feeling the least bit guilty. "These guys would've gotten life sentences or the electric chair if they were Muggle criminals. And, honestly, I'm going to execute the other two unless they tell me what I want to know." I glanced at the remaining Death Eaters. I would make them talk…
"Stupefy!"
I felt something slam into my back, making me stagger. My eyes drooped, and a wave of exhaustion hit me like a truck. I managed to stay on my feet, but barely. My vision swam as I spun around, catching sight of Ron with his wand raised.
"Oh, you son of a bit—"
"Ron, what are you doing?!" Ginny shouted, her voice filled with outrage.
"Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!"
The words came from all directions, and I felt the hits one after another. Three spells hit me in rapid succession—chest, side, and legs. My knees buckled, and the revolver slipped from my fingers as I crumpled to the ground. My vision blurred, and the last thing I heard before everything went black was Ginny's furious voice shouting at her family and Remus.
– Ron –
"Ron, what are you doing?!" Ginny shouted at him as the damn vampire slumped to the ground.
The bitch wasn't so scary when he could easily curse her in the back. He was surprised that he couldn't bring her down by himself, but with his parents and Remus helping even she couldn't stay conscious!
"That was uncalled for, Ron! She saved our lives!" Hermione shouted at him next.
Ron rolled his eyes and turned his wand towards Hermione and Ginny next. Honestly, these women needed to learn when to shut their traps. "Stupify! Stupify!" Two more stunning spells and both girls dropped to the ground as well.
"Good thinking, Ron…" Remus said with a sigh.
"They were obviously under the vampire's enthrallment already! We learned in Defense Against the Dark Arts how sneaky these blood suckers were!" Ron explained.
"What should we do with her?" His dad asked out loud.
"We should kill her while she's defenseless!" Ron said immediately. "She tricked Rose into falling for her, and I bet she was trying to do the same to Hermione and Ginny!"
"No, Ron." Remus shook his head. "She might be a monster, but we need to be better than that. Dumbledore wouldn't have wanted us to kill in cold blood like our enemies."
"We have to take your sister and Hermione and get out of here." His mom said, nervously looking back at their burning family home. "Let's just leave the vampire here. You heard the Death Eaters say they were after her. She'll be their problem when they come back..."
Ron smirked. This might be the only time he was ever looking forward to the Dark Lord torturing and killing someone…
XXX
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Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters:
The Fallen Gamer ch 305-309
The Blood Queen 24
The Titan 18
The Fox Hole 35
The Fox Hole 34
The Blood Queen 23
The Fox Hole 33
The Titan 17
The Blood Queen 22
The Fox Hole 32
The Supe Devil 14