Chapter XXX: Christmas morn.

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Alucard never understood why mortals celebrate Christmas. It took him fifteen odd years to understand the concept but still the fact that you must give a gift to someone eluded him.

Being raised by his father had some disadvantages. And one of them was learning the true spirit of Christmas. Only recently did he accept the tradition of giving gifts to your love ones.

When he found his true love.

Alucard smiled as he thought of the fair-haired maiden. Fairy of the forest, Siren of the seas, Angel of the wind... damn, he was running out of metaphors. But still he thought of her as he watched the glow of the candles in the Weasley's Christmas tree.

In his estimation, it was ten minutes before midnight.

Ten minutes before Christmas.

Smiling, Alucard waved his hand and the candles flickered as each changed colors. White, green and red. Then, the sweet melody of a soft Christmas carol filled the room and the lights followed the notes.

It was very soothing that Alucard didn't notice another presence in the room until she touched his arm. Alucard mentally chided himself for his lax alertness, but smiled as the person leaned on his shoulder.

"It's beautiful," Gabrielle sighed as she watched in wonderment. "I've never seen anything like it."

"I went to town and saw in one of the windows a Christmas tree with a set of blinking lights, that's where I got the idea," Alucard smiled as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Any more bright ideas?" she teased but Alucard left it unchallenged. The ideas forming in his mind were anything but bright. But he stilled those ideas for it was improper, immoral and downright sinful. Thoughts he thought that existed in his brother's mind.

"You'd better get some sleep," Alucard said as he guided her upstairs.

"I can't. Too exited," but her voice betrayed her condition. She still needed her rest for she was a little bit anemic from his bite earlier. "I want to be the first to open the presents." She was too cute to resist and Alucard smiled at her.

"No one's going to open the presents before you," he said softly.

"Promise?" Gabby asked half asleep.

"Promise. Now go to bed," Gabrielle sighed and went back to Ginny's room, joining the already sleeping ladies of the household. Before she entered the door, Gabby smiled at him sweetly.

"Happy Christmas," she said and entered the room. Alucard merely smiled and shook his head. The least he could do for her was fulfill his promise.

*

Bill woke at the commotion his brothers were making. Grudgingly he woke to see the morning light through the window. And then, he made sense of it all.

It was Christmas morning.

His brothers must have been exited to open presents and was fussing that they couldn't do so because everyone was not present. But why were they taking so long in waking him?

His answer came as a small tap on his door.

"Bill?" came Fleur's soft voice. Instantly he was awake. He jumped out of bed and found his wand. With a tap, he tamed his morning hair and fixed his clothes.

"You'll sweep her off her feet," the mirror teased making Bill blush. With a sigh, he gathered his courage and opened the door.

"Happy Christmas, Fleur," his smile was returned by the woman he loves.

"Happy Christmas," she kissed him and he surrendered to it. For a while, not caring if his brothers saw. They broke their kiss when they heard Mrs. Weasley shriek. Alarmed, Bill held Fleur's hand as he raced downstairs only to find that the whole household staring into the living room.

"What's wrong?" he asked but when he looked into the room, he found his answer.

A large being with a scythe loomed over the Christmas tree. He stood about eight feet tall and wore a black cloak. He merely stood there like a sentry over his watch.

And everyone in the room had their wands out.

"Is it a dementor?" Fred asked as he pointed his wand.

"I don't feel sadness," George said with a shrug.

"It's not a Death Eater," Harry frowned. "Or else it would have attacked by now."

"What's it doing in my home?" Arthur Weasley asked almost in anger. But no one had an answer.

"What's it doing?" Ron asked. Looking around, Bill could only see the male population of the household. Except his mother and Fleur, where are the girls?

"That's Death's Familiar," Hermione said as she joined them, her face was filled with wonder.

"Death's Familiar?" Charlie asked incredulously.

"Death's Familiar is an entity that serves as Death's vassal," Luna suddenly said making the other's jump. How can she appear suddenly was a mystery to them. "Death is not one person but something else. This is one of its forms."

"I want it out," Molly Weasley said but Gabby stepped forward and faced the creature.

"Gabby," Fleur reached out but her sister's smile reassured her that it was all right.

"I didn't know he would go this far to fulfill a promise," Gabby smiled as she approached it. The others held their breaths as they watched, still wands drawn. "Really, as if HE wasn't scary enough." She faced the creature with such calmness it surprised most of the Weasleys.

"May I open my present now?" she asked. The Familiar bowed and stepped aside, permitting her to near the stack of presents under the tree. Looking confused, she faced the creature again. "Can you tell me which one is from Ally?"

The creature pointed his scythe to a large, flat rectangular present and Gabby opened it. As she ripped it open, the Familiar suddenly vanished much to everyone's relief.

"That was a very powerful summon," Luna said as she looked at Ginny.

"Really?" she asked.

"There are a lot of requirements to successfully summon Death's Familiar," Hermione said rather wistfully. "First, you must know the incantation..."

"Which is easy enough to learn," Luna interjected.

"Then there's the gathering of the ingredients..."

"Which will take time," Luna sighed.

"And then comes the ritual which could last for months on ends," Hermione smirked as Gabby listened to her, pausing in opening her gift.

"And you must be as powerful as Voldemort to pull this off," Luna added much to the other's surprise.

"And even if the summoning was successful, there is no guarantee that the Familiar will heed the summoner's call," Hermione looked at Bill with scrutiny. "99% of the time, the Familiar will take you with him."

"Why isn't Gabby disturbed by this?" Harry asked as he saw her calm demeanor. But instead of answering, she continued to open her present.

Full unwrapped, Gabby gasped at her present. It was the painting she saw months ago in Alucard's vault. A palace by the lake. But when Mrs. Weasley looked at painting she gasped at the scenery.

"What's wrong?" Mr. Weasley asked in concern. And when Hermione looked at the painting, she was out of breath.

"T... that's... impossible," she said as she stared into the painting.

"What is?" Ron asked as he peered into the painting, noting that the palace was familiar somehow.

"Years ago, before Hogwarts was established, the sight where the castle stood once was ground to a myth," Luna said as she too, looked at the painting. "A castle so elegant that various warlords wanted it for themselves. The castle withstood siege after siege but in the end, the castle was destroyed and no one wanted it. Until, Rowena Ravenclaw found it and made it her own, then made it the sight for Hogwarts."

"What's so special about this castle?" Fleur asked as Bill listened intently.

"It is rumored that this castle belonged to King Arthur," Hermione said much to the other's shock.

"Not quite," Gabby said but not in her voice as she placed the painting down. "And this is NOT Camelot."

"It's not?" Bill asked. He knew that it was Lilith but the others didn't. Aften a quick explanation, they seemed to understand. And then, something clicked into place. "Of course. This used to be Merlin's castle."

"The old geezer gave it to the two nobles that Alucard and Bismarck met. After their disappearance, it was left in shambles," Lilith said.

"Ally painted this?" Gabby asked almost in tears.

"He was rather talented," Lilith said with pride. Gabby smiled as she looked at the painter's sign.

"A. R. Alucard Rimidalv," both Molly and Hermione blinked in surprise at the mention of his name.

"Pardon me, my dear," Molly smiled, trying to give the girl comfort. "But by any chance Alucard is a Vampire?"

"In a way," Gabby said, confused as to where their conversation was headed. "What is it?"

"I forgot to mention something concerning the summoning of the Familiars," Hermione cringed. "Only the most powerful wizard could summon the familiars."

"I think you told us that already," Ron smirked.

"What I didn't tell you that this wizard could bypass the rituals and summon the Familiars at whim," Hermione said.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.

"Dead is dead and alive is alive, his is both and neither where darkness thrive," Bill, Fleur, Gabby and Lilith chanted in unison. "He lives on blood and feeds on fear, the guilty shriek when he is near. When death comes, he comes for your soul, and vengeance reins on us all."

"What is that?" Harry asked.

"It was written in Alucard's tomb," Bill explained. "It took me months to figure it out but I did."

"Alucard is both and neither alive or dead," Gabby looked at them softly.

"The summon worked because the summoner was not really alive or dead," Hermione said.

"Who is he anyway?" Ron asked.

"One of the most feared sorcerers of all time," Luna said. "Next to him, Voldemort seems like a squib."

"The Vampiric Warlock," Molly looked at the entrance and the rest followed her gaze. But the door was Alucard, leaning on the frame, seeming not interested on the topic.

"Vladimir... Dracula."

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A/n: Sorry for the delay. Got buried in schoolwork. Actually it avalanched on me. I'll try to update this and the other stories sooner.