I don't own Hellsing or Harry Potter, and I'm not making any money from this.
No one at Hellsing was particularly surprised by the Daily Prophet article. Well... that wasn't entirely true. They were a bit taken aback by how readily they printed this 'BG' person's story without stopping to wonder how they knew so much. But putting a hateful, misleading story on the front page for all to read? No, that wasn't surprising at all. Syn was just a little disgruntled that they accused her of kidnapping and murder with no evidence to back it up. Being called names was something she had been forced to get used to over the years, but this... this was bigger and far more serious.
Keeping the redhead's fiery temper in mind, Sir Integra gave her some time off to clear her head. The lady knight would engage in a political chessmatch with the Ministry to figure out what was going on with them. They hadn't recieved a response yet. The damn wizards were probably embarrassed that they'd been caught and were scrambling to come up with a good story to save face.
Since Syn wasn't allowed to participate for the time being, she decided to distract herself with other things that deserved her attention. Namely, the six year old girl still cooped up in the hospital wing.
Ylenia was proving to be an interesting challenge. The redhead had known from the start that there would be difficulties with her. The poor girl had gone through a traumatic experience that could break an adult, so it was unreasonable to think she wouldn't be affected by it. It was just that when she woke up from her surgeries and listened to Syn explain the situation the best way she knew how, she didn't react anything like she expected her to. The girl didn't become confused, start crying, or beg to go back home. She just lay in her bed, staring at her with a blank expression, then nodded in acceptance. That was all. No emotional response whatsoever. The redhead thought that surely she felt something. Perhaps she was still in shock, or too overwhelmed by all the information to process it all. She even began to worry that the monsters in that basement room may have done something to the girl that left her an empty, hollow shell of a person. Alcuard gave her a much needed dose of reality by explaning that her actions most likely orginated from her culture. Apparently, the gypsies believed that when a death occured, a strict time period of grieving followed. Once that time ended, all grief came to a halt and the dead were never mentioned again to prevent them from turning into evil spirits that would haunt the living. Ylenia was already aware that her parents were dead and had probably gone through this process while she was held captive. If that was the case, her time of grief had been completed and there was no reason for her to get emotional. The vampire also told her that gypsy children were raised to be obedient to their authority figures and respect them without question. If the girl wore his herald, then her parents would have explained to her what it meant. They would have told her stories about him at the very least so that she would know who he was and their relationship to him. With her parents gone, Ylenia would naturally accept the authority of the next appropriate person who was around - which was Alucard. And since most gypsies who belonged to him were aware that he had a human consort with blood-red hair, the girl quickly figured out who Syn was and accepted her as well.
The whole thing was very strange and difficult for Syn to understand, but it explained a lot. A person's culture and system of beliefs was a big part of who they were, so even if she didn't 'get it', it was something she'd have to work with. From the way things were playing out, it seemed that Ylenia's odd superstitions would work in their favor and make the transition easier.
Of course, at this point Syn pretty much had to take Alucard at his word because he was one of the few in the manor who could effectively communicate with the girl. Until they all learned sign language, they could talk to her all day long but she wouldn't be able to say anything back. The vampires had the benefit of being able to read minds, so she could give them instant feedback with no room for misunderstanding. Maybe that was why she latched on to him so quickly. The redhead would have thought she would take to Seras or Pip faster, but that wasn't the case. Ylenia was a little nervous the first time she saw him but after Alucard spent a few hours alone with her, she began acting like she had known him her entire life. She did that with Mihnea too, funnily enough. Syn had no idea why she chose those two to bond with first, but at least she wouldn't have to convince the girl that she didn't have to be afraid of them.
That was the other worry Syn had that turned out to be unfounded. She had been concerned what her son would think about them taking the girl in and talked to Integra and Edmund about bringing him home for the weekend so that they would have a proper introduction. Lord knows she didn't want him to start thinking that he had been replaced with something new and shiny now that he was almost grown. They both thought it was a good idea and requested that Dumbledore allow Connie to come home as well. It was best for them to go ahead and get prepared for the change of having someone new in the house. The children were both a little shocked by the news, but took it as graciously as possible. Mihnea, who was Syn's primary concern, looked completely befuddled by the idea - like he had no idea what to think or feel about it. When the redhead took him aside to talk to him about it privately, he brushed off all implications of the girl taking his place as 'stupid' - but she could still see the awkwardness in him. However, when she took him to Ylenia's room so he could see her for himself, all traces of that discomfort slowly faded away. To Mihnea, she was no longer an idea but an actual person, and when he saw the shape she was in, he immediately grew angry. The redhead figured that show of protectiveness was a good sign. The two of them had several long conversations during the children's stay and by the time they had to return to Hogwarts, Mihnea appeared to be rather excited at the prospect of having a baby sister. Constance... well, she had more difficulty in the communication department, but she was sympathetic to the girl's plight and wasn't at all upset at the thought of having her around. But whatever time they spent together must have gone relatively well, because Ylenia was already asking when the two of them would be coming back home.
So with those things out of the way, the only thing left for them to worry about was whether or not the werewolf's bite had done anything to her. There had been a full moon Sunday night, but Ylenia remained human. The only thing of note that occured was that she appeared to grow more agitated, restless, and refused to sleep. It was possible that the moon had something to do with that, but one also had to take into account that she was a young girl who had been stuck in the hospital wing for several days with an injury. Such actions could be attributed to being bored out of her skull. However, Syn was given to believe there was more to it than that. Ylenia bounced back from her surgery a lot faster than a child her age should have - and when the full moon began to wane, she immediately became lethargic for no discernable reason. The redhead thought that was a strong indicator of the energy and mood cycle werewolves went through. That there had been no physical transformation may have been due to the seriousness of her injury. She was newly bitten - so the 'virus' (or whatever you wished to call it) may not have have had time to fully take hold - and her body may have been conserving what energy it had to heal itself. The vampires, who had all been nearby just in case, all unanimously declared that her scent changed, so something was definitely going on. They would just have to wait until the next full moon to see if there would be a difference.
A month's worth of waiting meant plenty of time to get to know each other. And there was no better way to bond with a six year old than by offering to color with them. It appeared that Ylenia had never encountered 'color by numbers' pictures before, so Syn immediately took it as a teaching opportunity.
"It looks kind of funny, doesn't it?" the redhead asked, seeing the bewildered look on the girl's face as she studied the open coloring book laying on the bed between them. She pointed to one of the divided sections. "It will all make sense in the end. Each number is a color, see? One is blue, two is green, three is red, four is yellow... and when they're all filled in, you'll be able to see what the picture is. Make sense?"
Ylenia peered at her thoughtfully, then extended a finger toward the page and pulled the sheets up over her head to hide herself. It didn't take much effort to figure out what she meant.
"That's right!" Syn said with an approving smile. "The picture is hiding and it's your job to figure out what it is. Very good." she picked up the coloring book to flip through the pages. "Which one would you like to do?"
It was kind of a dumb question question because as they were, they all looked exactly the same, but the girl had shown herself to be rather independent minded for her age. She appreciated being allowed to make choices for herself. After flipping about halfway through the book, Ylenia finally held out her hands to stop her. Syn pulled over the lap table to give them a hard surface to work on, then readjusted herself into a cross-legged position at the foot of the bed so that she could color the picture on the left, while the girl worked on the one on the right.
Some people might think she was full of hot air, but Syn believed you could learn a lot about a person from the way they did simple things like coloring in a picture. Every choice, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant, displayed a certain facet of their character. For example, she was beginning to see that Ylenia was a very careful, detail oriented girl. Most six year olds would scribble haphazardly with little care for where the lines were. This girl did nothing of the sort. She made very small, deliberate strokes of the crayon and never went outside the lines. She also appeared to have an appreciation for unusual things. She was never satisfied with using ordinary colors. When something called for red, she would search for something in the same color family that had a bit more flair to it. Every so often, she would grow bored with using a single color and switch to another. At the rate she was going, the sky of her picture was going to be eight different shades of blue. The redhead didn't take issue with that at all. There was nothing wrong with being a little quirky. To her, it displayed intelligence and creativity - which were good qualities to have.
They had each been working on their respective pictures for a good while when Syn felt an insistant vibration come from her pant leg. Ylenia looked up from the coloring book curiously as the woman fished her phone out of her pocket. It was Ghost. She'd almost forgotten she had given the guy her number. Her lips twisting into a thoughtful frown, she pushed herself upright to slide off the bed.
"I have to take this." she said apologetically, then gave the girl a gentle pat on the head. "Keep working on that pretty picture of yours and I'll be right back, okay?"
Ylenia studied her for a brief moment, then nodded in acceptance and went back to her coloring. Syn stepped out of the room and carefully pulled the door closed behind her before pressing a button on the phone to answer it.
"Cutting it a little close, aren't we?" she asked without bothering to say hello.
There was a short span of silence, then the young man caught on to the meaning of her unusual greeting.
"You said not to call before 10:00." he pointed out. "Last time I checked, 10:05 was after 10:00, so I'm legal." he paused for half a second. "I guess this means I don't have to remind you who I am, huh?"
"No, I know who you are." Syn replied in a tone that was shorter than she intended. "Listen, if you're calling about the interviews, I've been really busy the past few days and I haven't had time to talk to anyone. If you give me a few hours, I might be able to tell you something by the end of the d..."
"Hey, it's not a problem." Ghost interrupted, surprising her. "That's not the reason I called."
One of the redhead's brows rose slightly. "Okay... so what's this about then?"
"I think I may have given you a bad impression of me the other night and I wanted to fix it." he explained. "And... I wanted to talk to you about something."
Syn wasn't sure what he was up to, but she wasn't impressed with his approach. "You're talking to me now."
"I mean in person." Ghost clarified. "This isn't something I'm comfortable doing over the phone. There's a little coffee shop on Turnage Street. It's in public, but it's quiet so we wouldn't be interrupted. I'll buy you a cup of coffee. And before you say anything," he added quickly, as if he could see her mouth opening in protest. "I'm not getting up to any funny business. This is important."
The redhead closed her mouth. He sounded serious. After considering her options, she cleared her throat.
"Would this have anything to do with what happened at the club?" she asked.
"Yes."
That was all she needed to hear. Syn thought it over, then gave him her answer.
"Okay." she told him. "I'll see what I can do. Is there a certain time you were thinking of?"
"I'm free all day, so just call me and let me know when you can be there." Ghost replied. "And I'd appreciate it if you came alone. Don't bring your master with you."
That was an odd thing for him to be worried about, considering what time it was. Syn snorted.
"It's the middle of the day." she pointed out. "What makes you think he would be there?"
"I wasn't talking about the vampire and we both know it."
With that single, mysterious statement, she was left listening to the empty air of a dead line. The man had hung up without offering any further explanation. Suddenly, she was very interested in hearing what he had to say.
While she didn't much like the idea of leaving her new charge so soon after visiting, it simply had to be done. Ylenia was a little disappointed by the news, but seemed to understand. Syn called for Rebecca to come stay with her while she was gone, then gave the girl her heartfelt assurance that she would come back as soon as possible.
Once she was assured that Ylenia was taken care of for the time being, Syn headed up to Integra's office to talk to her about the phone conversation she had just had. The knight found it just as interesting as she did.
"Hmm..." she said thoughtfully as she leaned forward to clasp her hands in front of her. "This is the same young man you spoke to at the club?
Syn nodded. "Yes, sir. I didn't expect him to do something like this, but I suppose after the place was shut down the same night I was there asking questions, it wouldn't take much to assume there was a connection. He may think I'm an informant for you."
Integra pursed her lips together and moved to pull out one of her cigars. "With the way things are going, we could use any information we can get." she said as she lit the tip. "Though I don't like the idea of sending you out by yourself."
"He mentioned a coffee house." the redhead told her. "Granted, I don't know exactly what he wants to talk about but if he was up to no good, I don't think he'd offer to meet in a public place during the day." she stopped to consider how Ghost behaved during their last face-to-face encounter. "He seemed pretty nervous last time and it took some convincing to get him to talk to me. If he's worried about someone finding out what he's doing, I can see why he wouldn't want too many people around."
The lady knight took a long drag from her cigar. "Alright." she conceeded. "If you think you can get something useful out of him and you're comfortable going alone, I'll allow it." she then gave her a serious look over the tops of her glasses. "But be watchful, Syn. The last thing we need right now is to walk into some sort of trap. Stay in contact with Alucard the entire time and if you notice anything out of the ordinary, I want to be notified immediately."
Syn inclined her head. "Understood, sir."
That wouldn't be a problem, seeing as how the vampire king usually kept tabs on everything she did anyway. She probably wouldn't even have to wake him up. Sure enough, after she called Ghost to inform him that she could meet him in half an hour, Alucard's voice intruded into her mind.
If this is the boy's way of getting a date with you, he'll be begging for death before I'm through with him.
Still with the jealousy, Syn wondered. Even though his badgering was annoying, it was still kind of nice that he was acting all possessive. But she'd be damned if she told him that. The gunsmith sniffed as she shoved her phone back into the pocket of her jeans.
Please. she thought back to him. If that's what this is, I'll be tearing into him myself.
Suddenly, she felt a new wave of interest from him. Is that so, little goddess? he purred. That's something I'd like to witness. I'll be watching closely.
I'm sure you will. she replied with a roll of her eyes, then tuned him out to focus on the task ahead.
When she arrived at the coffee shop Ghost mentioned, she understood why he had chosen it. The place was relatively small and situated in an area of the city that was active, but not so busy that it was distracting. Syn parked her bike in a spot out front and went inside. The atmosphere was pleasant and comfortable. Everything was immaculately clean and the large windows allowed in enough light to make the space feel open and bigger than it actually was. She didn't see the young man anywhere yet, but she had gotten there early. He might have gotten caught in traffic or something. The redhead decided to go ahead and order her coffee, then sit at one of the tables to wait. After giving the girl at the counter her order for an iced latte she pulled out her money to pay, but scarcely had the bills counted out before someone came up behind her and pushed her hand away.
"I told you I was paying." a familiar voice chided.
The redhead gave a start and blinked at the man now standing next to her. "Oh wow, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't recognize you." she narrowed her eyes at Ghost's solid black hair. "No white stripe anymore?"
He chuckled and rubbed his hand down over his bangs. "Yeah, well, being told you have skunk hair isn't the most flattering thing to hear." he said with a shrug. "I was thinking about getting rid of it anyway."
Syn pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I like it." she decided out loud. "You look better this way."
Ghost gave her a friendly smile and thanked her for saying so. You wouldn't think something so simple would make such a big difference, but that small change to his hair made him look like a completely different person. She wondered if it wasn't intentional to avoid sticking out like a sore thumb. She had certainly overlooked him. True to his word, the young man paid for her drink then invited her over to a secluded table in the corner once it was ready.
"Nice bike, by the way." he commented as they both sat down. "I didn't expect you to be the type."
The redhead arched a brow and took a sip from her cup. "Sorry to disappoint you."
Ghost waved a hand at her. "It's not disappointing at all." he assured her. "You just don't see many women riding them."
"I thought you would have figured out by now that I'm not like most women." she challenged, allowing her eyebrow to rise a notch higher.
"Oh, don't worry, I have." he said as he leaned back more comfortably. He shot a glance out the window at her motorcycle, then looked back at her. "It's kind of hot, actually."
Syn had been in the middle of taking a drink of her coffee, but wound up snorting and spiting it right back out. She wiped the back of her hand against her mouth, then leveled a serious look at him. Giving Alucard an excuse to show up and rip the guy to pieces was the last thing on her agenda this morning.
"Look kid," she began. "I appreaciate flattery as much as the next person, but you need to set your sights somewhere else. You're too young and you're not my type, so drop it."
Rather than taking offence, Ghost looked amused by her reaction. "That's right, I forgot. Your 'type' is tall, dark, and scary as hell with sharp pointy teeth." he said sarcastically. "How could a lowly human like me ever hope to compete with that?"
The redhead stared at him blandly and crossed her arms over her chest. "I hope for your sake that when you asked me to meet you, it was for something more important than flirting and talking about motorcycles."
He leaned back a bit and wrinkled his nose. "You can't fault a guy for trying." he said, apparently trying to explain away his actions. The young man sighed and decided to get down to business. "Listen, I'm not going to waste your time or mine by pretending that this is something it's not, but I've... come across some new information that I thought you needed to know. And I'll go ahead and warn you that you're probably not going to like what I have to say."
What a strange way to begin a conversation. He didn't even try to confirm who she was or who she worked for. Which... she assumed that he'd already put two and two together based on the evidence, but she would have thought he'd still ask. Feeling more than a little bewildered, she nodded and motioned for him to continue.
"Fine." she told him. "What is it?"
Without saying a word, Ghost leaned over to retrieve something from under his seat, then tossed a folded up newspaper onto the table. "I'm here because of this."
The redhead went very still and stared at the paper in shock. It was a copy of the Daily Prophet containing the article about Hellsing. Recognizing what it's presence meant, she looked back up and shot a scathing glare at the man sitting across the table.
"You sneaky little shit." she hissed. "You're one of them."
Ghost opened his mouth to respond, but Syn had already shoved herself back from the table to leave. The sound of Alucard's snarl rang through her mind and she knew he had probably just appeared in his master's office to inform her of the turn of events. This man was no victim or boy with a silly crush, but a goddamn wizard. A wizard who had seen things and knew far too much for her comfort. This was a set up. She got three steps away before a hand grabbed her arm from behind to make her stop.
"Wait!" Ghost said in a rushed whisper. "My name is Justin DuPre and I'm an auror at the Ministry of Magic. I was sent here to talk to you. I understand that you're angry and you don't have to like me, but at least listen to what I have to say." When she remained silent, he gave her arm an insistant squeeze. "Please."
Syn straightened her spine and shot a death glare at him over her shoulder. "If you like your testicles where they are, I suggest you get your filthy hands off of me."
Ghost - no, DuPre - immediately released his grip on her and took a step back, holding up his hands to show he wasn't a threat.
"I'm not here to fight." he told her. "I have official orders..."
"From who?" she demanded.
"Rufus Scrimgeour." he replied, then quickly glanced around to make sure they hadn't drawn too much attention to themselves. "Now will you please come sit down before you cause a scene?"
Syn honestly didn't give a damn if she caused a scene or not, but she had more than herself to think about. Keeping an eye on him to make sure he wouldn't try anything, she turned inward.
What does Integra want me to do?
The redhead couldn't make out all the details of the conversation going on at the manor, but she could tell the vampire was royally ticked off. Probably more because they'd been tricked than anything else. He hadn't picked up on the man being a wizard either. After a few moments of waiting, a decision was made.
Hear him out. Alucard told her. For now.
The woman took a deep breath to calm her nerves and beat back her temper. What were the wizards doing contacting her instead of Integra? It didn't bode well at all. And considering the contents of that article and what this man had seen with his own eyes... Syn would have to be extremely careful how she handled this. She slowly walked back to the table and put her hand on the back of the chair she'd been sitting in earlier.
"You have five minutes to convince me not to walk out of here." she said as she pulled it out to sit back down.
DuPre frowned pointedly as he returned to his own seat. "This is going to take a lot longer than five minutes."
The redhead narrowed her eyes. "Then you'd better come up with something worth listening to."
The man studied her for a moment like he was taken aback by the intensity of her attitude, then gave her a brisk nod.
"Fine." he said, then straightened himself into a more formal posture. "This case is one the Ministry has been keeping an eye on for a while now. We in the magical world are forced by necessity to keep our existence secret. However, we know that not every case of illegal magic will be reported - especially when it's used against muggles. We have highly trained people, 'sleeper agents' I suppose you'd call them, placed in various muggle agencies and businesses to keep their eyes open and ears to the ground so that if anything magical takes place, they can... gently prod the muggles to look in the other direction."
This was unbelievable. "Manipulate them with magic so they don't figure out the truth, you mean." Syn rephrased for him.
DuPre didn't show any overt reaction to her harsh statement. "If you choose to look at it that way, then yes." he admitted. "It's as much for their protection as it is for ours." he shook his head and got back to the point. "Anyway, when muggles die for no good reason or start doing things they wouldn't normally do, we take notice. Everything in this case pointed to the use of Unforgivable Curses. I'm sure you came to a similar conclusion yourself."
The redhead crossed her arms over her chest and remained silent. The man took that as a sign that he should probably keep going.
"People willing to throw around Unforgivable Curses like that tend to be dark wizards who are very good at covering their tracks." he said. "When the previous owner of Purgatorium was put under the imperius curse to facilitate the changing of hands, I was sent in undercover to try to figure out who was responsible. The situation intensified after the Pinkerton girl was killed and when we learned that the muggle police were turning to Hellsing for help, I was ordered to observe and assist where appropriate, but to stay out of your way. The entire thing was a jurdisdictional nightmare because we couldn't accurately determine who or what was involved or to what degree. Rufus believed it was in everyone's best interests to let your people handle it due to your being more skilled and better equiped when it comes to monsters."
Syn gaped at him. "So the Ministry's idea of letting Hellsing do it's job was to sit back and make us do all the dirty work, then print some bullshit story in one of your newspapers making out that the whole thing was our fault?" she demanded.
"Look, I don't make the rules here." DuPre insisted, though he did visibly wince. "I'm just telling you what my orders were. All we knew was the someone was killing muggles with magic and it was tied to something going on in that building. We didn't know about the children or the werewolves." he paused to give her a sideways look. "If they even were werewolves..."
The woman bristled. "They were." she said firmly. "And how did you not know about the children? If the Prophet wasn't lying about all of them being half-bloods, then surely the magical parents would have reported them missing. Or does your precious Ministry only care about what happens to pure-blooded children?"
The young man's face twisted into a hard expression. "You know as well as I do that kids go missing all the time. It's very unfortunate, but there was never a sudden surge of disappearances, so there was no way we could have known there was a connection."
Syn badly wanted to tear into him for his choice of words. Making it sound like children being kidnapped was no worse than getting a hangnail. However, she held herself back because deep down, she knew he was right. It was one of those awful, terrible things that not only happened, but occured on a regular basis. Picking a fight over something that ultimately had no point would be a waste a time. So she just sat there and glared him down for a few moments before taking a deep breath and running her hand back through her hair. She grabbed her coffee in irritation to drink down the latte before all of the ice melted.
"Why are you talking to me?" she asked pointedly. "Sir Integra has already contacted the Ministry about this to show that we're not hiding anything and we're open to collaborating with you. She's the boss here, so any official business needs to go through her."
DuPre arched a brow and casually leaned back in his chair. "Sir Integra isn't the one we're concerned about." he told her. "You are."
The redhead blinked at him. "Excuse me?"
His expression became more serious and he thrust a finger out toward the newspaper laying on the table between them. "That story wasn't approved by the Ministry and it should never have been printed. The editors at the Prophet have been disciplined and we've opened an investigation to find out who this 'BG' really is. But regardless of how questionable the source was, the article was designed to play upon very real fears that are present in our world. I can't speak for the others who have met her, but I know that Rufus believes that Sir Integra is a very honest, capable woman. Even if he doesn't always agree with her beliefs or methods, he has the impression that when she says something, she means it. You, on the other hand, are a more mysterious figure. The only thing anyone knows about you is what all the stories and rumours say. Sir Integra may be the most capable person in the world at her job, but she is still a muggle. You are the magical authority she turns to for explanations when things like this happen. All of that, coupled with the fact that you have openly done many things which can't easily be explained, has caused many within the Ministry to question where your true loyalties lie."
Syn's jaw clenched at the accusation he was throwing at her. "You people think I'm manipulating her so I can do whatever the hell I want and get away with it?"
"I don't know if I'd use the word 'manipulate', but we believe there's a strong possibility that her opinions may be colored by any personal biases you hold. And there are many who feel that Sir Integra may not be aware of the..." he paused as if searching for the right words. "Full extent of your activities outside her organization."
The redhead continued to meet his intent gaze whilst trying to keep her expression as unreadable as possible. "Sir Integra is aware of everything that I do." she told him. "In fact, I'm pretty sure she's aware of a few things about me she'd rather not know."
"Would you being owned by a vampire be one of those things?" DuPre asked, his voice surprisingly casual.
"What makes you think I'm owned by a vampire?"
"You were wearing a herald the other night." he pointed out.
She arched a brow. "Do you see me wearing one now?"
The man smiled as if he knew something she didn't. "You may not be wearing the flashy collar, but you do have that." he said, then pointed at her hand. "A ring on your left hand. Interesting design too. Now, either you're married and your husband loves dragons so much that he had the exact same image used by that vampire you were with engraved on your wedding ring, or it's a herald designed to be less noticable."
Syn just stared at him, wanting desperately to wipe that damn knowing smirk off of his face. He thought he'd caught her between a rock and a hard place with no room for escape. The position she found herself in wasn't the most ideal, but she'd been in too many uncomfortable situations in the past to let herself fall into a panic. It was time to start playing logic games. The redhead returned his self-assured grin with one of her own.
"Trust a wizard to think they've got it all figured out when they haven't stopped to consider the obvious." she said snidely. "When I am sent out on an undercover mission, part of my job is to get the vampires and their humans that I am surrounded by to trust me. Pretending to be one of them is the most efficient way to do that. I am not a bleeder, a donor, a pet, or a human servant to any vampire, so you can put the thought of me being 'owned property' out of your head. As for this," she held up her left hand to show her ring. "If you actually paid attention to what's in front of your face instead of assuming things, then you would know that this engraving is not the same as the herald I was wearing the other night. The only thing about the two that's similar is that both designs use dragons. I can also guarantee that if you did a little research, you would never encounter any herald which looks anything like the image on my ring. So nice try kid, but you're going to have to do better than that."
DuPre slowly leaned back away from her in surprise. It was clear he hadn't expected her to come with a response like that - or do it so quickly. The balance of power had shifted and she imagined he felt it. Trying to recover some semblance of control, he attempted to use a different tactic.
"Very clever of you, but you still haven't denied that you may somehow be involved with a monster without your employer's knowledge." he said, as if that would scare her into saying something she shouldn't.
Syn snorted. "I haven't denied that I might be a flying purple unicorn masquerading as a human either, but you'd be a fool to believe it."
Again, he looked surprised. Completely befuddled even, and bordering on impressed. Poor kid, she thought. With how young he was, he probably didn't have much experience with interrogation. A good interrogator would have gotten frustrated with her by now. He studied her intently with a new light of appreciation gleaming in his blue eyes.
"You're really something, you know that?"
Inside her mind, the redhead felt a wave of intent awareness from Alucard at the same moment the door of the coffee shop opened to admit a new customer. Something had caught the vampire's interest enough to draw his attention away from the conversation she was having.
Watch yourself, Syn. You aren't alone anymore.
Ah, so that's how it was. Syn noticed that DuPre's gaze briefly flicked over her shoulder and from the annoyed frown that pulled at his lips, she had a hunch she knew who had just come in. The footsteps approaching their little corner confirmed her suspicions. A tall man with a ruffled mane of tawny brown hair streaked with gray came into view and walked over to his side of the table. It was none other than Rufus Scrimgeour himself. He smoothed a hand down the front of his black, pinstriped suit and looked down at the man sitting across from her.
"Take a walk, Justin."
DuPre winced in frustration. "I can handle it, sir."
"Obviously not, or the woman wouldn't be making a fool out of you." Scrimgeour said firmly. "Now go."
The young man grit his teeth and huffed, then shoved his chair back to do as he was told. Syn watched him march off and turned back around as the elder wizard took a seat and set his briefcase on the floor beside him.
"Mr. Scrimgeour." she greeted with a curt nod.
"Miss Newsom." he said, returning the gesture with one of his own.
The woman studied him as he clasped his hands in front of him in a businesslike manner, then cleared her throat.
"I don't know whether to be amused or upset about you sending a little boy like that to waste my time." she told him. "Did you think I would fall for the schoolboy crush routine, or were you hoping I would take it easy on him since he obviously doesn't know what he's doing?"
"Justin's interrogation skills may be lacking, but he is very capable in other respects." the wizard replied calmly. "I am a man who prefers to see things for how they really are as opposed to how they seem." he made a sweeping gesture toward the door of the shop. "Mr. DuPre is a very open-minded, tolerant young man whose opinions are rarely colored by outside influences. He was the most appropriate candidate to give me an accurate profile of you. Being a muggleborn certainly didn't hurt."
Syn blinked in confusion. "What does being a muggleborn have to do with anything?"
Scrimgeour's head tilted slightly as he regarded her. "Given your antagonistic attitude towards us in the past, I am given to believe you hold a deep seated predjudice against wizards. It is typically easier for people such as yourself to interact with wizards they have more in common with." he arched a brow in interest at her pointed frown. "You don't like hearing that, do you? If my assumption about you is wrong, by all means, feel free to correct me."
The redhead's brows furrowed. "Being a wizard has nothing to do with it." she decided on saying. "I am predjudiced against ignorant idiots. It just so happens that your world is filled to the brim with them."
If the man was offended, he didn't show it. "I could say the same thing about the muggle world, Miss Newsom." he countered, then shrugged as if it meant little to him. "But I do hope, for your sake, you don't make the mistake of believing that I'm one of them."
While he appeared to only be making idle conversation, the last bit was said in a tone that held a note of warning and his eyes glinted with seriousness. This wasn't a man to be trifled with and Syn wasn't foolish enough to try. That didn't mean she was going to let him walk all over her though.
"Are you trying to scare me, Mr. Scrimgeour?" she asked.
"Not at all." he replied. "You strike me as a woman who is afraid of very little, so it would be a waste of my time and yours to try to frighten you into submission. But while you might be able to play mind games with one of my aurors, it will not work with me. I expect honesty and respect, and I'll give you the same in return." he paused to lean forward intently. "But no matter how good you think you are or what hidden talents you may possess, don't even think of lying to me. If you do, I'll know it."
That should go without saying. A person like him was probably a living, breathing lie detector. The redhead set her jaw firmly and did her best not to glare at him.
"I don't lie, Mr. Scrimgeour."
"Good." he said as he returned to his previous comfortable position. "Then we shan't have any problems. Now, in regards to the vampire..."
Oh Jesus Christ in Heaven, this again? Syn huffed in irritation and rolled her eyes.
"I don't intend to answer the same questions over and over again." she told him pissily. "I am not involved in any 'innapropriate' relationships - be they with humans, vampires, or anything else you people can think of to throw at me. If you don't believe me, please, go ask Sir Integra or any of my co-workers. They'll tell you the exact same thing."
For a moment the wizard looked upset that she'd interrupted him, but it lasted only a second. His gaze narrowed and became more focused.
"I don't think that will be necessary." he said. "I have the distinct impression that Sir Integra has been listening to everything that has been said since you arrived here, just as I have." he studied her silently, apparently trying to make her sweat. "You may not be lying, but you are hiding something. I am choosing to accept your response only because your 'personal relationships' as you call them aren't my most pressing concern." he gave her another of those warning looks of his and clasped his hands in front of him again. "There are a number of details about the incident that took place in that establishment which do not make sense. I would like you to clarify them for me. Namely, the fates of the children you discovered."
At the rate she was going, the redhead wasn't going to have any teeth left after grinding them so much.
"I have already made an official statement to Sir Integra and a written transcript was included in the report she sent when she contacted the Ministry." she said in a short tone. "That has everything you need to..."
"I don't give a damn about the 'official' statement." Scrimgerour interrupted, his voice deadly. He looked so upset with her he wanted to slam a fist into the table but was holding himself back. "I've read through that report several times and I'm aware of what it says. I want to hear about what happened from you."
Syn went very still and stared at him. The situation suddenly felt more dangerous and urgent in a way. Her action wasn't provoked by nervousness or anger, but in that moment she genuinely didn't know if this little game they were playing should be allowed to continue or for how long. Knowing that Alucard would hear her, she turned her thoughts inward.
I need orders.
In a few second's time, her request was relayed to Integra and when the vampire returned her decision, it was almost like the knight was speaking through him rather than him speaking for himself.
Cooperate. he told her. Follow the trail and see where it leads.
The redhead inclined her head, which was more for her benefit than anyone else's, then took a deep breath and did as she was instructed. She gave Scrimgeour a full recounting of her actions that night, from the moment she arrived at the club up to the team's return to the manor. A few key details - such as Alucard's involvement and Ylenia's survival - had to be left out, of course, but the basic facts remained true to what occured. The full weight of responsibility would rest firmly on her shoulders, but she was willing to endure that if they could get this mess sorted out. The elder wizard listened to every word in rapt attention. When she was finished, he leaned back in silent consideration.
"So according to you, the children were murdered by monsters and there was nothing you could have done to save them?" he questioned in a serious manner. "That there is no possibility whatsoever that you stood back and allowed them to die because of who they were or because they may have no longer been human?"
Oh, that was it. An interrogation she could deal with, but this continued assault on her character after laying the facts bare for him to see was going too damn far. Syn planted her hands flat on the table and lowered her voice to a level of intensity that would make anyone with an ounce of sense quake in terror.
"I did not kill those children." she hissed, seething in fury. "And I didn't stand back and allow them to die either. I didn't know they were magical beforehand but even if I had, it wouldn't have made a difference. You've got some nerve accusing me of murder when I actually did my job."
Ooohh... he didn't like hearing her say that one bit. The wizard's eyes narrowed.
"I don't appreciate the implication that I was negligent in my duties, Miss Newsom." he said in a short tone.
The woman sniffed. "I don't appreciate being treated like a criminal when I haven't done anything wrong either, but that's not stopping you, is it?"
Scrimgeour's jaw clenched in irritation. "If I wanted to formally accuse you of a crime, I would have you taken into custody and brought before a full criminal tribunal." he paused to lower his voice a hair. "And I may be tempted to do just that if you continue being diffucult."
Was that supposed to be intimidating or something? Syn crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at him. "I would love to see you try."
For a few moments, they did nothing but stare at each other. What the wizard was suggesting would require an army - and she sincerely doubted they'd be able to enter the grounds of Hellsing manor even if he tried to put one together. That kind of clash would ignite an all out war between them, which was something neither side could afford if they could help it. Syn had just called his bluff and he knew it. She wondered if Scrimgeour was trying to come up with another kind of threat to frighten her, but when he cleared his throat to speak again, he simply returned to the business at hand.
"How did you know they were werewolves?"
The woman blinked, not expecting the question after the shift in atmosphere. "Excuse me?"
"How did you know the men you saw with the wizard that night were werewolves?" Scrimgeour repeated. "This incident occured three days before the full moon, meaning they would have been in human form. It is virtually impossible to distinguish a werewolf from an ordinary human when they aren't transformed, so how were you able to determine what they were?"
Syn bristled internally, interpreting the question as an insult to her intelligence. "When you've done this job as long as I have, you learn how to tell." she said simply.
The elder wizard wasn't impressed. "You're asking me to take you at your word?"
"Why?" she countered. "Are you calling me a liar?"
Scrimgeour made a sweeping gesture with his hand. "I'm willing to accept the possibility that werewolves were involved, but the circumstances and location make it difficult for me to believe they weren't something else. I need to be convinced, Miss Newsom, and I'm afraid that you saying they were werewolves isn't good enough."
The redhead's face twisted into a scowl as she thought about how to handle this. Of course her word wouldn't be good enough. She was lucky that he had accepted her statements thus far (or hadn't tried to blow too many holes in them, at any rate). To prove the presence of werewolves would essentially prove everything else. It was just coming up with proof he would accept - and that she could live with herself for giving - that was the hard part.
"They could smell me." she finally offered. "They picked up on my scent when they arrived and immediately figured out what it meant. And, if you read the report Sir Integra sent to you, you should have seen in the children's autopsy reports that their injuries were caused by an extreme amount of physical force. No human on this earth has the strength to tear through a body like that."
The wizard's expression remained passive. "No human perhaps, but vampires certainly do."
"If they had been vampires, the damage would have been much worse." Syn said with a frown.
"I'm aware of that." Scrimgeour said with a nod. "But it is also possible that the damage was inflicted by vampires who weren't using their full strength - as is known to happen in some cases. The injuries alone are far from definitive, and you know that." he leaned back to study her as her frown deepened. "I don't know what the purpose of this little game of yours is, but allow me to give you some incentive." the wizard leaned over to retrieve his brieface and placed it on the table. "I have in my possession some information that your employer would very much like to have. Information Hellsing could never obtain on its own." he tapped his finger against the case meaningfully. "Give me what I'm asking for and I'll hand it over to you."
Information? Syn wondered. The promise certainly pricked her interest, but she remained cautious. She glanced at the briefcase then looked back over at him.
"I'm not stupid, Scrimgeour." she told him. "I don't make bargains when I don't know what I'm bargaining for."
The corner of his lips twitched as if he'd been expecting her to ask. He gestured to the folded up newspaper still laying on the table between them.
"The name and location of the man responsible for this story." he told her. "Whom I believe we both suspect is the same wizard you saw that night."
The redhead froze as a dozen different things took place in her mind. Both Alucard and Integra - who was kept filled in on every detail - were keenly interested in obtaining this 'information' that was being dangled under her nose. Syn understood this was something Hellsing desperately needed, but her maternal side shrank back at the thought of the cost. Uncomfortable didn't come close to describing how she felt.
Tell him, Syn. The No Life King instructed, sensing her resistance.
The woman grit her teeth. She's just a baby, Alucard. she thought back harshly. I don't want to drag her into this. Do you know what the wizarding world does to people who have been bitten by werewolves? How they treat them?
We don't have a choice. he countered. The vampire paused for a moment, then went on. I'll kill anyone who tries to touch her.
From the calm intensity in his voice, Syn knew he was serious. Hearing that declaration made her feel a bit better, but only slightly. She closed her eyes and shook her head to clear it, taking a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to do.
"There was a survivor."
When her eyes slid open, she found Scrimgeour staring at her with a deep scowl on his face. Caught somewhere between surprise and anger at the revelation.
"What?" he demanded. "The report sent to the Ministry said nothing about..."
"That report was intended to provide information about what happened at the club and details about the casualties." she interrupted before he could finish. "The girl who survived is my daughter and since our family is exiled from your world, there was no reason to tell you about her."
The wizard's mouth snapped shut and he blinked at her in shock. "You have a daughter?"
I do now, she thought to herself. Rather than responding with words, the redhead only gave him a curt nod.
Scrimgeour quickly recovered from his bout of surprise and fixed her with that pointed, searching glare of his. "And how, Miss Newsom, did your child manage to survive when the others did not?"
She didn't appreciate the implication hidden behind the question but considering the circumstances, she supposed it was a fair thing to ask. She took a moment to figure out the best way to explain.
"They saved her for last." she told him. "And they... took more time with her than the others."
Suddenly, the atmosphere between them shifted again. The wizard before her no longer appeared angry, but somber and thoughtful instead. Perhaps he could see that her outrage at the situation was genuine and interpreted it to be the reason for her so called 'difficult' attitude. Whatever the reason was, the man calmed considerably and changed his approach. The directness and businesslike manner remained, but he seemed to choose his words more carefully.
"How old is your daughter, Miss Newsom?" he asked.
"Six."
His frown deepened. "Is she well?"
Of all the stupid... "She was kept in a cage for months while they did God knows what and was nearly eaten alive by a goddamn monster!" Syn spat at him. "How well do you think she is?"
Scrimgeour held up a hand in a calming gesture, but a new light of interest arose in his eyes. He leaned forward in expectation. "You're saying she was bitten?"
The redhead grit her teeth. "Yes."
The wizard watched her for a moment, then sat back pensively, rubbing a hand against his chin.
"Miss Newsom, I realize this situation is a difficult one and it's personal to you." he began. "I believe you're telling me the truth - but my beliefs aren't enough to warrant action on the part of the Ministry without any proof to back them up. If you would consent to your daughter being examined..."
Syn stopped him right there. "Absolutely not." she said firmly. "Have you not heard a word I've said? She was held prisoner and probably tortured numerous times by a wizard. She's in a fragile state right now and I won't risk her being traumatized even more by you people swooping in and doing things that will scare the hell out of her."
"I'll grant that you have legitimate concerns, but I'm not finished." Scrimgeour told her calmly. "There is a test newly developed by the Department of Mysteries which accurately detects the presence of antibodies to Lycanthropy. If your daughter were to test positive for them, it would be incontrovertible evidence that your story is true and I will approve a full disclosure of any resources and information the Ministry possesses that may be useful to you in relation to this case."
Holy hell, that sounded like a lot more than just the name and wherabouts of the wizard in the article. The Ministry would have the names of the magical children who were missing and if their blood-status was included in the missing person's reports, it would help them narrow down who they were looking for and where they might be. The woman sucked in a nervous breath.
"What does this... test involve?"
"The only thing it requires is a small vial of blood." he replied. "I understand that muggles draw blood for medical reasons all the time, so I imagine you have the means to obtain an adequate sample." he paused to look at her seriously. "Though I would require that an official from the Ministry be present so that we can be assured of who the blood came from. Aside from that, there would be no need for any other interaction between them. Your daughter wouldn't even have to know they were there."
Of course he'd require something rediculous like that. But then, she supposed she should be thankful he wasn't demanding something more invasive.
"And who would this 'official' be?" the redhead questioned. "You?"
Scrimgeour retrieved a pocket watch from the front of his vest to check the time. "I will have to put in a request for the testing materials and, unfortunately, I have other business to attend to today. But I don't believe Kingsley would take issue with leaving the Prime Minister's office for an hour or two."
Syn arched a brow. "Kingsley Shacklebolt?"
"Yes." he confirmed. "Unless you'd prefer the job go to Mr. DuPre?"
The redhead wrinkled her nose. She'd prefer that a wizard not be involved in at all but if she had to choose, Shacklebolt was a much better prospect than DuPre. At least she knew he wouldn't try to flirt with her the entire time.
"No, Shacklebolt is fine." she told him. The woman took a second to gather her thoughts then cleared her throat. "I'm only allowing this to happen because you're twisting my arm, but I want to make something very clear right now. My daughter remains annonymous. No identifying information about her will be printed or shared with anyone else at the Ministry - and her name will not be put on that God forsaken registry I've heard you people have for werewolves."
Scrimgeour sat back thoughtfully. She couldn't tell what was going through his mind but when he spoke again, she was surprised by his response.
"Done." he said without hesistation. "So we have an understanding?"
Syn blinked at him. He wasn't even going to try to argue about her terms? That was... unexpected. "Wait a minute." she said, holding up her hands. "Just like that?"
"Just like that." the wizard repeated. "Considering your situation, I don't believe your demands are unreasonable." he gave her a small smile that was more meaningful than friendly. "I have the ability to make a number of things happen, Miss Newsom. I'm no miracle worker, but if you give me what I want, I am more than willing to return the favor. Now," he extended his hand out toward her. "Do we have a deal?"
She stared at his hand for a long time. While the conversation itself seemed to have taken a turn for the better, she was still anxious about trusting him. She was going to have to get over it if they wanted to get anywhere, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She coughed and leaned back a bit.
"What about the information you promised us in return?" she questioned.
"I will send it along with Kingsley." he replied. "If the test he performs shows a positive result, he'll hand it over then."
So everything would hinge on the results of that stupid blood test. How terrible was that? Being put in a position where you had to hope that a child being bitten meant that they were infected instead of praying that they weren't. And yet, Syn already instinctively knew what the result would be. That was the only reason she found the peace of mind to reach out her hand to shake on it.
"Deal."
"This had better be worth it, Shacklebolt." Integra warned in an icy tone. "I don't appreciate being manipulated into this position."
To say the knight was livid would be an understatement. The entire situation was downright insulting and she took it personally. Not only was Syn forced to use the girl she'd taken in as a bargaining chip to get information that should have been shared freely, but Integra also had to make arrangements for a wizard to come into her home. She didn't think Shacklebolt would cause any trouble, but there was still a security risk involved. Her trust would only go so far. After discussing the matter over the phone, Kingsley arrived at the manor about half an hour after Syn returned from her encounter at the coffee shop. Jackson met him at the door and escorted him up to the knight's office. She would take over from there.
The man standing before her frowned. "I did tell you that I don't always approve of the Ministry's methods." he told her. "But I assure you this will be worth it, sir."
The woman's good eye narrowed. "We'll see about that." she wordlessly pushed herself up from her seat behind her desk and strode toward the door. "Everything is prepared down in the hospital wing. Follow me."
This was something she could have assigned to someone else, but she wanted to keep her eye on the man to ensure he didn't go sticking his nose into any areas he had no business being. Shacklebolt inclined his head and fell into step beside her, following her lead. They made their way through the house and down to the medical wing. Ylenia's room had a window which one could look through from the hallway, so there had been no need to move her. The wizard would be able to observe everything from outside. The door was ajar when they arrived and they both could see the redhead sitting on the side of the girl's bed, doing her best to calmly explain that the nurses needed to draw blood for a test and that everything would be fine. Ylenia herself was wide eyed with anxiousness. With all the tubes and IV's she had already, it was understandable that she didn't want to be poked and prodded by needles again. Integra stepped toward the door and knocked gently before sticking her head inside.
"Syn." she said.
Once she had the woman's attention, she beckoned to her with a finger. Syn looked up, nodded in understanding, then kissed the girl on the forehead and told her she'd come right back. She came out into the hallway with them and pulled the door shut behind her.
"Mr. Shacklebolt." she greeted, then held out her hand.
Kingsley took it somberly. "Miss Newsom, I'm truly sorry about all of this." he said, sounding sincere. He glanced toward the window to look into Ylenia's room. "How is she?"
"As well as can be expected." the redhead replied in a short tone. She looked through the window herself and sighed deeply, running a hand back through her hair. "She's afraid of needles." she explained. "Scrimgeour said a small vial but we have several different sizes. One of the nurses is bringing a few so you can pick which one we use. I only intend to do this once."
"I understand." the man replied with a nod. He inclined his head toward the room. "She's a beautiful girl."
Syn studied him cautiously. Once she came to the conclusion that he didn't mean anything by the compliment, she allowed herself to relax a bit. "Thank you."
One of the nurses arrived just then with her hands full of different sized vials. Shacklebolt picked out one which he felt was the best size and she and the redhead excused themselves to go back into the hospital room. The moment Ylenia saw the nurse and the supplies she had brought with her, the girl's eyes nearly bulged out of out of her skull. While it couldn't be said she went into a full panic, she came pretty close to it. Syn sat down next to her and did everything she could to try to calm her down - even going so far as letting the nurse draw a small amout of blood from her own arm to prove that it wouldn't hurt much.
"See?" they heard her say, though her voice was a bit muffled from the glass between them. "It's not bad at all. If you don't watch, you wont even feel it."
The girl looked like she didn't believe that for a second, but the redhead somehow convinced her to give it a try. The moment her head was turned in the opposite direction, the nurse swooped in to take advantage of the opening and quickly inserted the needle into a vein. Thank God the woman was good enough at sticking people to do it painlessly. Of course, Syn then had the task of keeping Ylenia distracted so that she didn't grow tense or freak out while the vial was being filled, but she did an admirable job. All in all, the task took less than a minute to complete and when the girl realized she that hadn't felt a thing, she was absolutely amazed. The redhead smiled and arranged for a treat to be brought as a reward for doing a good job, then took the vial of blood from the nurse to bring it outside.
"How long is this going to take?" she asked as she extended it out to the wizard.
"From what I understand, only a few seconds." Shacklebolt replied. He retrieved a stoppered bottle filled with a milky white fluid from one of the pockets of his robes. "You're free to watch, if you like."
Both women nodded and he uncorked the bottle to pour the blood into it. There was scarely any time for the blood to stain the potion red before it shifted to a bright, almost neon shade of green.
Integra arched a brow. "I take it that's a positive result?"
The man's lips pressed into a firm frown. "It is." he affirmed, then turned to Syn with a solemn expression. "I'm sorry."
The gunsmith shook her head. "I didn't need a test to tell me she was infected. I wouldn't have agreed to this otherwise." she told him. She glanced briefly at the knight and squared her shoulders. "Scrimgeour said he would send the information he promised with you."
Kingsley nodded and took a step back. "Indeed he did." he said as he reached into his robes again, this time to pull out a scroll of parchment. "Rufus is working on getting a list of the magical children who have gone missing so you can check the names against any muggle records you have. Those files should be sent to you within a day or two. But this," he held up the scroll. "We can give you now."
Integra took it from him and unrolled it to read. It looked like a personel file for... Her good eye narrowed.
"This man works for the Daily Prophet?"
Shacklebolt inclined his head. "He not only works for them, but is their head editor. He probably wrote the entire article himself." he gave Syn a sideways look and gestured to the picture included in the file. "Do you recognize him?"
The redhead leaned over to get a look for herself. "That's him." she confirmed. "That's the bastard who was ordering the werewolves around." she studied the name on the scroll. "Bartholomew..." she noticably paused. "Goeth?"
"Yes." Kingsley replied with a frown. "And I'm not surprised to hear he's been getting up to no good." he pointed at the parchment in Integra's hands. "You won't find anything about this written in there but after the Wizarding War, he was brought to trial for being a Death Eater. He escaped conviction by claiming that He Who Must Not Be Named used the imperius curse on him."
The lady knight gave a start. "And you still allowed him to work at a newspaper knowing he would have influence over what was reported?"
"If I had my way, I wouldn't let anyone with an ounce of suspicion hanging over their heads have a job like that, but unfortunately, I don't have the power to make those decisons." he told them. "It is impossible to prove when the imperius curse has been used on someone unless the person is actively under the spell. At the time, the Ministry chose to err on the side of caution. If someone was found innocent, their public records were expunged to prevent the stigma from affecting them any further. This enabled many Death Eaters to save their skins and return to their former jobs. Some we can't be sure about, but there are several who we strongly suspect of lying. And considering that some of those people work at the Ministry of Magic, we try to keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't... fall back into their bad habits."
Now that was an interesting piece of information... Integra cleared her throat. "And if you knew about this man's involvement at the club, why haven't you taken care of the problem yourselves?"
Shacklebolt made a sweeping hand gesture. "Mr. Goeth may not work for the Ministry itself, but he has many friends who do." he said. "Some of them work in very high ranking positions. If we tried to take action against him, we would be blocked at every turn and there would be huge public debacle. The most we've been able to do legally is force him to take a temporary leave of absence from the Prophet with the understanding that he would announce his retirement shortly thereafter. We've been tracking his movements ever since. According to our intelligence, he left the country immediately after taking his leave to 'stay with relatives' in Germany. He's currently in a small town about thirty miles north of Munich." he paused to cough meaningfully. "I believe Rufus has already alerted the German Minsitry of Magic to the situation, so if you chose to track Mr. Goeth down for... 'questioning', they'll stay out of your way. As long as there isn't too much of a spectacle, of course."
Integra and Syn just looked at each other. "Of course." the lady knight proclaimed, then held out her hand to signal that their meeting was over. "I thank you for your help, Mr. Shacklebolt, and I'll be looking forward to recieving those missing persons reports."
The wizard nodded and shook her hand. "It was no trouble at all, Sir Integra."
The lady knight called for Jackson to escort him out and once the man was gone, she fixed her gaze on the documents she'd been given. Next to her, Syn cleared her throat.
"I'm not sure how common that name is, but wasn't there a high ranking Nazi officer named 'Goeth'?" she asked.
"Indeed there was." Integra replied. "And he was in charge of one of their precious camps, if I recall correctly." her frown deepened. "Alucard!"
The vampire immediately materialized through a wall to their left, as if he'd been waiting for her summons. His crimson eyes light up in expectation.
"Yes, master?"
The knight thrust the scroll out toward him. "You and Seras are going to Germany." she informed him. "Find him and make him tell you everything he knows." she paused to give him a look. "And try not to make too much of a scene."
The No Life King's lips pulled back into a terrifying smirk of approval. "And after we've questioned him?"
"Kill him." she said icily. "As slowly as possible."
"Yes, my master."
A.N. I am very, truly, extremely sorry for taking so long to post this. I was... abducted by aliens! Yeah, I was abducted by those creepy four foot tall, gray, balloon headed aliens with the ginormous eyes and they took me to their home planet and did all these weird, scary experiments... and the whole time I was like 'dudes! You have to take me back home 'cause I have a story to finish, yo!'
Okay, fine. That's a lie. I actually had a character - who has only been mentioned once so far - jump inside my head and take over, forcing me to write an insanely long chapter from his point of view - which isn't going to appear for a while. His writing style is completely different from mine, and it took a while to bounce back from it and get him to shut the hell up.
And maybe the boyfriend has been distracting me a lot lately. He likes to do that. But the thing about the character taking over my brain is totally true.
... I'm going to shut up now.