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12.12% The Blood Queen (DxD x MultiCross) / Chapter 4: chapter 4

บท 4: chapter 4

Chapter 4: The First Hunt

–Valerie–

Two months later…

"This is Valerie," I whispered, tapping my earpiece as I crept towards the dilapidated building on the outskirts of London. "I'm moving into the old apartment building now…"

"This is Captain Rodriguez," a voice crackled back over the mic. "Lower floors are cleared of civilians. You're free to proceed, Lady Valerie. Be careful, the windows are all boarded up on the top floors. We can't give you any visuals."

Lady Valerie…

That's what the Hellsing troops had started calling me, ever since I joined their training. At first, it was a joke—something they used to tease me with because, well, I was pretty terrible at the start. Even though they knew I was a dhampir, half-vampire and all, they figured I was just some silly girl playing at being a soldier.

To be fair, they were right–at first. 

I had no idea what I was doing. I could barely throw a punch, and the only thing I had going for me was some patchy magic that wasn't even all that reliable. But I had motivation. Twenty years of horrible memories will do that to you. 

I never wanted to be weak again. The training was tough and grueling, but I chose to take whatever Hellsing threw at me and used it to make myself stronger. Strong enough so I would never be caged again.

And then, things started to change for me. 

Change for the better…

The blood Alucard "donated" to me pushed me way beyond what I was before. Sure, I was pretty pissed that he made me drink his blood without my consent, but I couldn't argue with the results. Before, even when I'd fed on blood, I was barely faster or stronger than the average human.

After the transformation? I could put Olympic athletes to shame without even trying. I was built different now—even by vampire standards.

Weeks passed, and I started handling the training with ease. Guns? I mastered everything they handed me, shooting with supernatural precision. Close-quarters combat? I could take on over a dozen of Hellsing's finest soldiers at once and walk away without even breaking a sweat. Normally, that would bruise an ordinary soldier's ego, but I had a feeling the guys at Hellsing didn't mind getting tossed around by a pretty girl like me.

Magic? I learned a lot more of that too, I spent an hour every third day learning new spells under Rowena's guidance.

A month into living at Hellsing Manor with my new "family," I finally realized I could trust them. That's when I decided to come clean about the thing I'd been hiding. 

My magic cups.

"These are what you wanted to show us, Valerie?" Integra eyed the three cups sitting on the table. "They look very expensive. You didn't steal these, did you?"

I pouted. "No, I didn't steal them. You can't steal them—they're soul-bound to me."

"Soul-bound?" Alucard's interest piqued as he leaned closer, inspecting the cups. "Something about these feels familiar." He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"They're the Holy Grails," I said.

All three adults in the room choked on their drinks.

"The Holy Grails?" Walter repeated, eyes wide.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes, Valerie," Integra said, her voice sharp. "Everyone knows there's only one Holy Grail, and it's been missing for centuries."

Unlike the others, Alucard believed me immediately. His eyes gleamed, and then he threw his head back in his signature maniacal laugh. "Hahaha! How do you like that, God?! Your precious chalices ended up in the hands of a monster after all this time!"

Integra shot Alucard a look of disbelief. "You can't be serious. Three Holy Grails? And these are them?"

Alucard grinned wickedly. "I wasn't aware there were three, either. But I can feel the divine power radiating from them. There's no mistaking what they are."

Integra turned back to me. She looked very conflicted. "...Explain what you meant when you said they're soul-bound to you. And what exactly can they do?"

With the introduction of my cups to the equation, my value to the Hellsing organization skyrocketed even further. 

The Resurrection Grail was reserved specifically for me, but I was more than happy to use the Blessed Grail and Healing Grail to help out Hellsing's soldiers. The Blessed Grail gave the organization an endless supply of the purest holy water, allowing them to bless all their weapons and bullets, making them far deadlier against vampires.

The Healing Grail, though? We discovered its power through a lot of trial and error. It could heal almost any physical injury—even missing limbs or organs. It could cure diseases, too, including the worst kinds of cancer. The only catch was that this Grail filled itself with my blood. Not a huge deal, though, since Integra had me on a steady supply of blood bags to make up for it. The Grail could generate about ten liters of healing blood for every single blood bag I needed to drink. It was actually way more efficient than I expected.

I had a sneaking suspicion I had Alucard to thank for that.

Or as he liked me to call him—Father. Yep, I'd been adopted by the most notorious vampire in history. Why? I hadn't quite figured that out yet, other than the fact that I was probably the only one of his descendants who wasn't a complete piece of shit.

I'll admit, I was nervous about having a father again, especially after what King Tepes put me through. But Alucard? He was actually a pretty fun guy once you got to know him. He lived in the basement of Hellsing Manor, and his room? It had a massive TV and pretty much every gaming console ever made. Honestly, hearing Dracula himself cursing out little kids in Call of Duty might just be the highlight of my existence. 

I had to cut off my reminiscing when the sharp scent of dried human blood hit my nose. I'd reached the top floor of the apartment building. The electricity hadn't worked in years, and all the windows were boarded up. It was pitch black inside, but that wasn't a problem for a dhampir like me with built-in night vision.

Carefully, I stepped around piles of rotting corpses as I stalked down the filthy, dark hallway. The stench of rotted meat was not something I particularly enjoyed. I could hear my targets talking inside the apartment at the end of the hall. The door was wide open—like they didn't care if someone walked right in. They probably encouraged it, hoping any stray human would just be an easy meal.

"This girl's blood tastes pretty good! Either of you want a bite?" a man's voice asked between disgusting slurping sounds.

"No, I've eaten my fill," a woman answered. Her voice was sickly sweet. "I love being able to live in a city again. There's walking blood bags everywhere, ripe for the taking!"

"Yeah, it's nice and all, but I'm still nervous about why we're all here..." a third voice chimed in. A nasally-sounding man. 

"Don't be such a pussy, Henry," the woman snapped at him. "We're lucky we were invited to join the Dark Lord! Other vampires would kill to be in our place."

"S–Sorry, Veronica…" Henry mumbled.

"All we have to do is wait a few months until he's ready to properly reveal himself, and then London will be ours for the taking! The Lestrange woman promised us we can feed on as many Muggles as we want!" the first guy said, his voice oozing with excitement. I heard a heavy thud a moment later—he'd dropped the body of the woman he was feeding on. "Mmm, she should tide me over for a few hours," he added, finishing with a disgusting burp.

"Only a few hours, Mario?" Veronica teased playfully. "You're simply voracious."

"I can't help what I am," he chuckled.

I was closing in on their apartment door when a rotted plank under my foot let out an obnoxious squeak. Immediately, the enhanced senses of the vampires picked up on it.

"What was that!?" Henry blurted out nervously to the others. "WHO'S OUT THERE?" he shouted from inside.

Captain Rodriguez's voice came through my earpiece, urging me to stay cautious. But I was already stepping through the doorway into the pitch-black apartment. The stench of decay hit me full force, and like the hallway, the room was filled with discarded, rotting bodies. These vampires lived worse than rabid dogs.

"Hi there!" I said, raising a hand and waving at them all with a friendly smile. A smile that was hiding my true nervousness. This was my first official mission after all.

Exterminating the three vampires who were the cause of over three dozen missing persons in the last week alone. Although, now it sounded like I had stumbled upon something even larger when they mentioned something about a Dark Lord and some Lestrange woman…

"Try and get some information out of them!" Integra exclaimed in my ear piece. She was sitting in the command truck a few blocks away with the Captain and multiple other Hellsing soldiers.

The three vampires turned to face me, they were all filthy and unkempt. Their tattered clothes were stained with blood, and it looked like they hadn't bathed in months. It was pathetic. Even the Tepes vampires, as vile as they were, tried to act like proper nobles of the night. These creatures? They were no better than vermin.

"Red eyes? I see you're one of us then. What the hells do you want?" the woman–Veronica–asked me defensively with narrowed slitted eyes.

"Are you a messenger from the Dark Lord?" Henry blurted out.

"…Yes," I lied and decided to see where this went. "I am a messenger from the Dark Lord. My name is Valerie…"

Marco scoffed at me, crossing his arms with a sneer. "We don't care what your name is, you prissy bitch! Just look at you—so perfect, not a hair out of place. Afraid to get dirty like a real vampire?"

"No need to be so bloody rude," I growled, feeling my patience slip as I took a deep breath.

Marco bared his bloody fangs with a hiss, his muscles tensing like he was ready to pounce. I slowly reached behind my back, fingers brushing the grip of the .50 caliber revolver hidden from view. The bullets inside had been bathed in Holy Water from the Blessed Grail—perfect for taking out vampires.

Before he could move, Veronica stepped in, throwing an arm in front of him. "Our apologies, Miss Valerie. Marco gets a little jumpy when he hasn't had his fill…" she tried to defuse the tension.

I glanced down at the body lying at Marco's feet—a girl, no older than 13 or 14. She was pale and lifeless, drained dry. My stomach twisted. "He just drained her and he's still thirsty?"

Marco relaxed, a smirk spreading across his face. "Not that kind of FILL. I still gotta have some fun now that she's cooled off…" His eyes gleamed as he looked at the corpse while licking his lips.

Nope.

Not dealing with this sicko!

BANG!

Marco's head exploded in a shower of gore! His body swayed back and forth for a second before crumpling to the floor. The revolver smoked in my hand, and before the others could react, I had it aimed at Veronica.

Her eyes went wide with shock. "What the F—"

BANG!

A massive hole tore through her chest. The bullet, infused with holy water, ripped straight through her heart and blew past the wall behind her. She dropped to her knees, eyes full of disbelief, before collapsing. Vampires like these? Bottom feeders. They had no fancy regeneration powers, and no second chances after taking lethal damage. 

Not like Alucard…

And not like me either, now that I had become his blood-daughter

Only one target left…

I swung the pistol toward Henry, who was trembling so much that collapsed backwards on his ass. A dark stain spread between his legs. "P–Please don't kill me…" he stammered. "P–Please, I don't w–want to die!"

His sniveling didn't move me, not after what I knew they'd done to all the innocent people they'd hunted like animals. 

Still, he might have information I needed…

"Tell me everything you know about the Dark Lord," I demanded, keeping my gun steady. "Who is he, and why's he recruiting losers like you!"

"I–It's not j–just us he's recruiting," Henry blurted out, his voice cracking between words. "It's everyone! All the outcasts, the unwanted—everyone's flocking to him! They say he's gonna overthrow the Ministry of Magic... take over Britain next! The Dark Lord is an unstoppable wizard! They say he's immortal and even defeated Death itself!"

Henry kept spilling details, but he didn't know as much as Integra would've liked. I could practically hear her frustration through my earpiece as he rambled on about some "civil war" brewing in the British Wizarding World. According to him, some old wizard named Albus Dumbledore had just died, and he was apparently the only thing holding back the Dark Lord and his circle of followers. Now, Dark Wizards, rogue vampires, bloodthirsty werewolves, and who knows what else were flocking to Britain for the war that was about to erupt.

"Damn it!" Integra cursed sharply in my ear. "That explains the spike in missing persons. We need to put a stop to this now before it gets any worse. Kill the vampire and report back, Valerie."

I nodded, clicking my earpiece. "You got it…"

Henry, trembling and pale, tried to sound hopeful. "I–I told you everything you w–wanted to know… You'll let me go now, right?"

BANG!

The third shot echoed across the building as I put another round straight through his chest.

"No." I holstered the hot gun, grimacing as I surveyed the scene. I wished I could return all the bodies to their families, but the sheer number made that impossible. If a bunch of corpses suddenly sprang up all at once—especially ones drained of blood—it would lead to too many questions. A cover-up was necessary, and that was part of my assignment here.

I glanced down at the bracelet on my left wrist, a new addition to my wardrobe. The band was solid gold—silver burned my skin—but that was the least interesting part. What really mattered were the red gemstones inlaid on the band. It was a clever idea from Walter actually. The gemstones were crystallized drops of my blood. This bracelet allowed me to cast magic without having to bite myself or sacrifice a hand to hold a wand. 

With one last look at the horrific scene, I raised my hand, channeling my magic through the blood gemstones. "Incendio!" A flamethrower sprang out of my left hand. I started setting everything on fire.

Everything erupted in fire and smoke as I stepped out of the building, the heat licking at my skin. The fire department had been ordered to show up only after the place burned to the ground. I couldn't help but feel a twisted satisfaction at the chaos.

"Well done, my daughter. You didn't hesitate at all when you disposed of those vermin." Alucard's wide grin revealed too many teeth for comfort.

I crossed my arms, huffing in annoyance. "They were disgusting and completely feral, barely a step above animals."

"They were monsters," Alucard replied calmly. "...And so are we. Never forget that fact."

"Yeah, but I'll never be a monster like that." My reply was firmer than I actually felt. In the past two months, I had fed on live humans–at Alucard's insistence. Draining the life force of a person basically gave me "an extra life" in case I took damage beyond what my already insane regeneration was capable of healing. The humans I fed on were all convicted death row inmates though. I never wanted to stoop so low as to kill innocent people…again.

I learned that the three homeless men I had fed on hadn't survived after all. Hellsing picked up their bodies from the alley the next day. The combination of blood loss and the drugs in their systems had been too much for all of them. They all perished shortly after I left the scene. When Integra informed me of what I'd done, I admitted that I felt like shit.

I would have to live with that for the rest of my possibly immortal life.

"So, what do you think about this so-called Dark Lord?" I asked Alucard, trying to steer the conversation away from my guilt as we strolled down the street toward the rest of the soldiers. The nearby area was completely cordoned off for this operation.

Alucard chuckled darkly. "It sounds like he's building an army of all kinds of nasty monsters. I think you and I are both going to have a lot of fun in the next couple of months, hunting them all down. I hope they don't die too easily." 

My new father was definitely a sadist. He thrived on the thrill of the hunt and loved it when his prey fought back. As much as I wanted to roll my eyes at his grim enthusiasm, a part of me couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement as well… 

I didn't admit it out loud, but killing those three vampires so easily made me feel good. It made me feel powerful…

When we got back, Alucard and I hopped into the same van as Integra and Walter. The engine roared to life, and we sped back toward Hellsing Manor. I had a feeling we were all going to be very busy for a while, sifting through everything Henry had told us and plotting our next moves.

"We've been avoiding it long enough, you're going to have to go undercover into Diagon Alley, Valerie," Integra said with a heavy sigh. Even though she'd been in the room multiple times while Rowena's ghostly reflection taught me magic, Integra still wasn't comfortable with magic as a concept. Especially when she learned about all the fucked up spells witches and wizards were easily capable of casting on "muggles" like her. Mind control? Memory manipulation? Spells like those rightfully terrified Integra. Because of her dislike for magic, Integra hadn't allowed me to wander into the magical side of Britain at all up to this point. "We need to find out what's going on in the magical world and you and Alucard are the only members of Hellsing that even have magic…"

What was left unsaid was that no one besides the two of us would be able to even find the alley with the anti-muggle wards that were supposedly erected around the area. She couldn't have any of her soldiers trained in espionage handle this.

"Don't worry, mam. I'll handle it," I reassured her with a soft smile.

Integra faintly smiled back at me. "Well, you did do an excellent job today," she admitted. "You followed orders and flawlessly executed those three vampires. I'm sure everything will be fine…" Integra said, reassuring herself more than me.

"Hehehe! You just had to go and jynx it, my master." Alucard chuckled and I cringed. 

XXX


next chapter

บท 5: chapter 5

Chapter 5:

–Valerie–

"Ugh! Why did I think taking the bus was a good idea?" I muttered, pinching my nose to stave off the urge to gag. The Hellsing organization was filthy rich, I could've borrowed any car I wanted. But no, I decided to take the public bus halfway across London instead because I was trying to be incognito–also I didn't know how to drive.

Normally, my decision wouldn't have been a big deal, but my enhanced senses made this bus ride a nightmare for me... 

My nose was on fire. The entire bus stank so badly. I wanted to freaking murder the man sitting on the seat in front of me!

Yesterday, I was literally in a building full of rotting corpses and yet the man in front of me still smelled worse than that experience. A lot worse. I couldn't wrap my head around how that was even biologically possible! 

"I can't take it anymore!" I shouted, standing up from my seat.

The bus driver slammed on the brakes. "What the hell, lady!?" he spun around and glared at me for my random outburst. "You almost made me crash!" 

I ignored him, and bolted right to the front of the bus! I was getting off!

Before I stepped off, I spun around and glared at the man who had been sitting in front of me—an older guy with scars all over his face, wearing oversized robes for some reason. He didn't seem homeless so I didn't feel bad about what I said next.

"Take a goddamn shower!" I yelled at him. "Your the smelliest fucking person I've ever had the displeasure of being around, and I've been around literal rotting corpses!"

The scarred and very stinky man sputtered at me in disbelief. "Now listen here, young lady—"

I didn't let him finish. I stomped off the bus, desperate to escape his foul odor. How was everyone else on the bus not losing their freaking minds as well!? I couldn't even breathe in there!

The driver shot me a look as if I were insane before the doors slid shut, and he sped away. 

London wasn't exactly famous for its fresh air, but I took a few deep breaths anyway, trying to purge my nostrils of that guy's awful stench. 

No cabs were in sight, making my trip a lot less convenient. Of course, I'd gotten off the bus in a residential neighborhood, which didn't help. I scanned the area for any signs that could clue me in on where I was.

"Surrey…?" I spotted one and furrowed my brows. I think I recognized that name. 

Since I wasn't native to Britain or London, Integra had arranged for private tutors as part of my training. British geography had been one of the topics, and I suspected I was still a couple of miles away from Tom's Pub, the rumored entrance to Diagon Alley—at least that's what Rowena had said.

I sighed and started walking.

Dressed as a ridiculously beautiful young woman in designer clothes and a stylish red coat—yet another gift from my new father and a perfect way to conceal my gun—I inevitably attracted attention as I strolled through this cookie-cutter neighborhood. Seriously, every house I passed looked like a mirror image of the last.

I threw some friendly waves at the curious suburbanites, who peered at me suspiciously from their front porches and through their windows. You'd think they'd have better things to do than stare out into the street all day.

I turned onto a street called Privet Drive. As I passed house number four, a tall, awkward woman who resembled a giraffe sneered at me from her front garden. She glared at me for some reason. I could barely make out her muttering something about me being a "freak" as I walked by with my enhanced hearing. 

How rude… 

"Fuck you too, lady!" I glared back at her, flipping her the bird. The gasp she let out, and the scandalized look on her face was priceless. I kept walking and ignored all the other derogatory remarks she yelled behind my back.

Eventually, I passed by a small park, where my obvious beauty finally caught up to me and caused me some trouble…

"Holy shite, Big D! Check out that blonde bird!" a boy–I called him a boy, but he was probably around my age–yelled loudly, pointing at me and drawing the attention of his two friends. 

One of his buddies started wolf-whistling and catcalling me next. "God damn! Look at the tits on her!"

I ignored the jeers and kept walking. They weren't worth my time, and I really didn't want to have to explain to Integra why I hospitalized three stupid, horny guys. Though, to be fair, she was a beautiful woman who walked around with a sword all the time for a reason—she would probably understand.

"Whoa! Hey there, baby! Where are you going?" The third boy finally shouted, he was clearly the one called Big D. He towered over me at over six feet and probably had a hundred pounds on me. 

Not that weight class mattered much in the Supernatural World. Plus, I had a literal gun under my coat…

"I'm not interested," I said, barely sparing them a glance. 

They all wore cocky smirks as if I should be impressed by them or something. It was a weekday at ten in the morning, shouldn't they all be in school or at work? Even I was technically on the job right now. What was their excuse?

"C'mon, beautiful, don't be like that!" the lankiest one reached me first, blocking my path down the sidewalk. 

I let out a sigh of exasperation.

"My name's Miles. Don't you want to get to know me better?" He flashed a smile he probably thought was charming.

"No…" I said, just as the other two caught up with him. "I'm technically working right now, and you three are bothering me. Go away."

"Working? Pfft, what are you? Some kind of undercover cop?" the second boy snickered, stepping closer into my personal space. "A sexy officer like you can arrest me anytime you want..." he finished with a wink.

I shot him a deadpan stare that made it clear just how unimpressed I was with his attempt at seduction. "...I'm not a police officer, but I do have a license to shoot anyone who gets in my way," I said seriously. Of course, they didn't believe me. 

The big one laughed. "Cute and funny. I like you! I'm Dudley. Dudley Dursley. Do you live around here? I figured I would've remembered a babe like you."

They just weren't letting me go, were they? 'Fucking suburbs…' I internally groaned. Why did I think taking the bus was a good idea? Obviously I couldn't have predicted the horrific smelly man, but still…

"No, I'm not from here," I said, stepping off the curb and into the street to walk around them. "Goodbye."

"Hey!"

"Where are you going?"

"Hold on! We're still talking to you, bitch!" One of the boys rudely reached out and grabbed my arm with his grubby little hands!

I quickly overpowered his grip and yanked my arm free. Words were one thing, but touching was crossing the line! A genuine hiss escaped my lips as I turned my head and glared at the trio. I heard all their heartbeats quicken as they instinctively backed away, shocked and scared. It had been pointed out to me that when I got angry, my eyes glowed bright red. I had a feeling that was what was terrifying them. Or maybe it was the killing intent I was releasing…

"Hey! Leave her alone!"

I barely registered that there was a girl running toward us from across the park. My slitted eyes remained locked on the three boys, who were slowly realizing they'd fucked up. My hand darted into my coat, behind my back. I yanked out my revolver and aimed it directly at Big D's forehead.

"Holy shit!" the girl cried out as she reached us.

I pulled back the hammer of my revolver. "Clearly, your mothers failed to teach you arrogant pricks this lesson, so I guess it falls to me! When a girl says no, it means fucking no!"

I tilted my gun into the sky and pulled the trigger!

BANG!

The three boys covered their ears in pain from the loud gunshot so close to their heads. My nose twitched as I caught a whiff of something unpleasant—the boy who had grabbed me had soiled himself.

"Get the hell out of here!" I hissed. "Or the next bullet won't be a warning shot!"

They didn't need to be told twice. All three of them bolted away in complete terror! I had trouble keeping the smirk off my lips at the sight. Although it dipped a bit when I realized I still wasn't alone.

Somewhere along the lines, a girl with short brown hair and bright green eyes had shown up. She was staring at me in shock… and a tiny hint of awe I think? 

"Wow… that was wicked," she said. "I think Dudley pissed himself…"

"Actually, that was the other one, but close enough." I said to the girl. "Who are you?" Something about this girl felt slightly off to me. Her scent was different compared to the average human. It smelled more…electrifying

–Rose Potter–

Rose Potter had experienced some pretty terrible summers in her lifetime. And with Dumbledore murdered just two weeks ago and Voldemort's forces rising, she expected this summer to be the worst yet.

She was still shocked they'd sent her back to the Dursleys. With Dumbledore and Sirius both gone, it felt like no one was really looking out for her anymore. Maybe the Weasleys would come to their senses and realize Surrey wasn't safe for her anymore. Under the circumstances, Rose thought they'd come pick her up early—at least she hoped so.

For now, though, she was sitting on a bench in the park with a muggle novel in hand, trying to savor a few last moments of normalcy before the wizarding world erupted into total chaos with herself right at the center as always. The soft rustle of pages as she read her book and the warmth of the summer sun on her skin helped her push away those annoying worries for a little while.

Dudley Dursley and his two goons hanging around the park made it harder to relax, though. Rose grimaced as she glanced at them from the corner of her eye. Even though Dudley usually left her alone after that whole dementor fiasco a few years back, his mere presence was enough to sour her mood.

She turned back to her book, determined not to let him or anything else ruin her one moment of peace. Of course, the universe wouldn't even allow her to have that.

"Holy shite, Big D! Check out that blonde bird!"

Rose let out an exasperated sigh as she overheard Dudley's friend, Piers, start catcalling some poor girl walking down the sidewalk. Now that they had graduated from secondary school, she'd have thought they would have grown out of this kind of behavior. Not that it was ever really appropriate even when they were younger.

Curiosity got the better of her, and she glanced up to see what was happening. 

She froze for a moment!

'Wow…' Rose thought, eyes widening as she spotted the blonde girl being harassed. She was absolutely stunning—possibly even more gorgeous than Fleur. Fleur! The sexy French Veela who had been responsible for Rose's "gay awakening," as Hermione liked to tease her about. This blonde girl might've just set a new standard in Rose's book.

The girl's discomfort was clear as Dudley and his friends circled her like vultures. Typical. They really needed to stop loitering around the neighborhood and get actual jobs. Rose could overhear bits of the blonde's frustrated complaints, something about the boys hindering her from doing her job. Even though Dudley had gotten slightly better since the dementor incident, he was still an arrogant git when he wanted to be.

Rose snapped her book shut, tossing it aside on the bench before jogging over. She wasn't exactly sure how she was going to help, considering she couldn't use magic outside of Hogwarts until she turned twenty—a few months away—but she'd figure something out.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Rose called out, her voice more confident than she felt as she approached the group.

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the blonde whip out a pistol and point it directly at Dudley's head. Rose's heart skipped a beat. 

Was Dudley about to die?!

"Holy shit!" she squeaked, her mind racing.

BANG!

The gunshot rang out, far louder than Rose had ever imagined. Guns didn't seem nearly that loud on the telly. She instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, her pulse pounding in her ears.

When she dared to open them again, she half-expected to see her cousin lying dead on the pavement with a bullet hole in his skull. But no, to her relief, Dudley was still standing, though he was shaking like a leaf. The blonde had fired a warning shot into the air, and now she was threatening the three boys with such authority that they bolted like frightened rabbits.

Rose bit back a laugh, wishing she had a camera to capture the pure terror on Dudley and his mates' faces. Maybe now they'd finally get the message and stop wasting their time harassing girls who aren't interested.

"Who are you?" the blonde girl asked, up close, she was even more stunning with flawless skin and hair. And beyond those features, Rose found herself unable to look away from the blonde's striking ruby-red eyes. They were almost hypnotic… and, were they slightly slitted?

Rose gulped…

"Are you a vampire?" she blurted out, and immediately regretted it. 'Brilliant, Rose!' she mentally scolded herself. 'That's really the first thing you blurt out to a pretty girl!?' Everyone knew vampires couldn't be out during the day–all of their Defense Against the Dark Arts textbooks said so!

The girl blinked at Rose. "Um… yes?"

Rose's brain screeched to a halt. 'Wait, what? She is a vampire!?'

"Technically, I'm only a half-vampire," the blonde said, her voice smooth but edged with something darker. "The proper term is dhampir. My name is Valerie Tepes. Who are you?" She asked again, her sharp gaze narrowing on Rose. "And how do you know about vampires? Most people think they're not real."

"Oh… I'm a witch," Rose replied, a little awkwardly. "My name is Rose Potter…" she paused waiting for recognition to appear in Valerie's eyes after she introduced herself. To Rose's surprise, it never came. 'Woah! Someone from the magical world who actually doesnt know who I am?' That was a first. It was also a relief in a way because the media had not been portraying Rose kindly these past few years. She was either an insane liar, or the next Dark Lady ready to take over the world right after Voldemort. "...I learned about vampires at Hogwarts. But I've never heard of dhampirs being real. I thought that was just Muggle make-believe," Rose continued.

Valerie grimaced, her expression tightening. "We're not make-believe. There's just a reason we're not more well known."

Rose caught the flicker of pain in the girl's eyes, the kind that hinted at a very sad story. Wisely, Rose chose not to pry. Instead, she cracked a small smile. "So, what's a pretty dhampir doing in Surrey, of all places? Besides threatening my dumb cousin and his even dumber friends with a real gun, of course." Rose chuckled lightly. "Why do you even have a gun…?"

Valerie shoved the weapon back inside her coat. "It's an effective tool for killing vampires. The bullets are coated in silver and blessed with holy water."

"Huh?" Rose blinked at that. "Holy water actually works on vampires? I always thought that was made up. Our textbooks only mention fire or wooden stakes."

"Those are fine for the lowest-tier vampires," Valerie explained. "But if you want to take down a more powerful vampire, you need something with more... oomph."

"So, what are you doing in Surrey, Valerie?" Rose asked again.

Valerie's eyes flickered over Rose, as if she was sizing her up for reasons Rose couldn't quite grasp. "Look, you seem like a nice girl, but you're asking a lot of questions, and I'm on a bit of a schedule here. I really need to get to Diagon Alley..." she trailed off.

Rose blushed. She hadn't meant to be nosy, but Valerie was the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen, and that made it hard not to want to know more! The words spilled out before she could stop herself. "Do you need to get there because of your job?" And now she just asked another question…

Valerie shot her a pointed glare, clearly not amused by the relentless questions.

Realizing she'd overstepped, Rose hurried to change the subject. "You should stay away from Diagon Alley," she warned, her voice softer now. "The Death Eaters have been more active lately. I don't want you getting hurt..."

"I have a gun," Valerie pointed out bluntly.

"And they have magic," Rose countered.

"So do I."

"Wait, really?" Rose's eyes widened. "I thought wizards and witches lose their magic when they become vampires." That's what had happened to Sanguine, at least. She'd met him at one of Slughorn's strange parties last year.

Valerie shook her head. "I told you, I'm only half-vampire. And powerful vampires can still use magic. My... father... can use it just fine, even though he's a pure vampire." Her voice dropped to a murmur. "His magic is... very strange though."

Rose had always suspected the education she received at Hogwarts wasn't as top tier as advertised, but now she was starting to wonder if anything they learned about magical creatures in Defense Against the Darks Arts was even remotely correct? Vampires being able to use magic seemed like a pretty big deal! Something that wizards and witches should have known about at the very least…

"Do you want some company?" Rose offered, her heart racing a bit. "The Alley would be safer with the two of us." She didn't mention the little detail that she technically wasn't allowed to use magic yet, being only nineteen.

Valerie bit her lip, clearly torn. "I suppose it would be less conspicuous if I wasn't walking around the Alley alone... but," she hesitated, letting out a sigh. "You seem like a nice girl, Rose. So, I'd rather just be honest with you."

Rose's breath caught. Honest? About what?

"I work for a certain... organization," Valerie began, lowering her voice, "that isn't too keen on this recent Dark Lord's rise to power. He's been recruiting vampires and werewolves from all over, bringing them to London. I'm going to the Alley to scout and gather information for our future attack on the Dark Lord and his growing army."

Rose's mouth fell open. "You're doing what?"

Valerie shrugged. "You heard me."

"Um…how many people are in your organization?" Rose asked, still in disbelief. She wondered if they were similar to the Order of the Phoenix? The Order had almost 20 full time members when Dumbledore was still alive. Did Valerie also belong to a small group like that?

"We have about 400 trained soldiers," Valerie said, causing Rose to immediately sputter.

"F–Four h–hundred!?" What the fuck!? That wasn't a SMALL organization! That was a literal army! An army of trained soldiers too, not just random people Dumbledore pulled off the streets! Rose was in complete disbelief. There was an actual competent organization out there in the world that opposed Voldemort? 

Where can she freaking sign up!? 

 

…Did Voldemort even have 400 Death Eaters? Was he screwed? Was her terrible Potter Luck finally turning around for the better?

Rose had so many questions, but she didn't want to annoy Valerie with them all at once. "If you want some help taking down Snake-Face, then I'm definitely your girl!" Rose told Valerie. Yes, it was technically very dangerous for her to be wandering around Diagon Alley at this time, but she couldn't miss out on the possibility of potentially joining such an amazing organization! 

Rose would save the rest of her questions until then. 

XXX


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