Chap. 4: Birthday

Once they got home, Alucard went to meet with Integra, while Vladimir went to pack his things. After he'd finished this, he went to visit Seras, the blood pops in a bowl with many other candies.

"Hey Seras! Can I come it?" he called out.

"Yeah," she called. A second later she opened the door. "So, how was it?"

"Great! I even got some of these candies. Their new ones. Wanna try?"

"Oooh! Yes. I haven't had any of this wizard candy yet." She took a handful. "So tell me how it was."

"Well, I got two wands. The first one was a gift from Mum and Dad. It's a 12 in, blood wood, with some of Dad's hair as the core." Vladimir said, taking a Bertie Bot, and keeping a straight face as Seras popped a blood pop in her mouth, her face lighting up with delight at the taste.

"The other was found by accident. I'd knocked into it and when I picked it up, it did the same as the first did, filling me with a sort of warmth. So, I just got them both."

Seras went to grab more of the- unknown to her- blood pops, leaving all the other candies alone.

"I also got to get a broom, even though first years aren't supposed to."

"What? Why? And how come you got to?" Seras said, popping another blood pop in.

"I don't really know why first years aren't allowed, but I guess it's a safety thing. But apparently, it wasn't like this when Mum went to school, so Dad thought it was ridiculous that I couldn't have one."

"Mmm..." Seras said with pleasure at another blood pop. "Well... Anything else?"

"Humm... No, not really. I guess there's the fact that people kept calling me Harry Potter, but father said not to think about it... Other than that... Oh! Yeah, we scared some other pure bloods. They were from the Malfoy family, and I introduced them to father."

Seras laughed, knowing exactly what they did. "Ha! Wish I'd been there..."

"Vladimir, come up here..." came the voice of Alucard in Vladimir's head.

"I gotta go. Dad's calling."

"See you later, Vlad." Seras said as he went through one of his portals.

He reappeared in his mother's study.

"Yes?" he said walking over to her desk.

"I'm afraid that you can't have your broomstick this year, Vladimir." Integra said, her eyes serious.

"What? Why not?"

"Because, it's not a law in the wizarding world, it's a law at the school. I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait for the next year." Integra said, and Vladimir knew there was no arguing, so he just nodded. It really wasn't that big a deal, anyway. He hadn't exactly wanted one in the first place, but having one did have some benefits.

"But we do have something for you." Integra said, smiling slightly.

Vladimir's eye lit up with curiosity at this. Alucard was reaching into his coat and when he retrieved his hand, he pulled out a snake.

She was a beautiful snake too. Jet-black, but shined a sheen red in the light. She had six eyes, like most of Alucard's familiars did. When Vladimir took her, he saw her underside was a dark ruby red. She was as long as one of his arms, including his hand, and as thin as two fingers were wide.

"She is yours to name..." Alucard said, smiling slightly as Vladimir marveled over his new snake.

She coiled up into a flat circle in his palms, making a black circle with a red ring around it. "Crimson Eclipse... Crimson, for short." He said, smiling down at her.

Alucard smiled a toothy smile. "Perfect..." he said with a purr to it. "She can grow bigger- as she is actually suppose to be bigger- but because your mother doesn't want a ruckus to be caused- haven't the slightest idea why-" Integra glared at Alucard at that, "- she is to stay small, and easily hidden. In the case of an attack, she can grow though."

Vladimir smiled up at his parents. "Thank you so much! I love her!"

"Happy Birthday Vladimir." Integra said, beaming, something she didn't do too often. She then controlled her face into the business like one she normally had on. "Now... you're leaving for Hogwarts tomorrow, so I'll let you stay up; but you need to be up on time, got it?"

"Right..." Vladimir said, wrapping Crimson around his neck. She coiled around it and got comfortable.

{Hum...} she said in delight.

"Now, why don't you go to Walter, I think he'll be wanting to make your Birthday Dinner. He'll need to know what to make. He said not to hold out on his account, he wants this one to be special, seeing as you leave tomorrow."

With that, Vladimir went to the kitchen.

"Ah! Vladimir! There you are. So! What will you want for your dinner?" Walter said, a big smile on his face.

"All of my favorites! And I want to help."

Walter looked at Vladimir in surprise when he said the last bit. "But, Vladimir! This is your last-"

"I know... excuse the interruption, sir... But that's why I want to help."

Walter's face softened at this. "Well, I can't very well say no when you put it that way. So I'll just say: Very well. You can make the main course, if you'd like."

Vladimir grinned as he got to work on his end.

After a half hour of doing their own tasks silently, Walter cleared his throat to speak.

"So, I hear you have a snake now. What's its name?"

Crimson had uncoiled and was slithering down his arm, so that she might be of more assistance.

"Crimson Eclipse, but Crimson for short." Vladimir said and hissed an instruction to her.

Walter looked around and took in the six eyed snake, an eyebrow raised as she handed him a knife. "A fine name. And a fine snake as well."

Crimson gave a snake-ish kind of laugh.

"And what about your gun? That was my present, by the way. I wanted to be the one to tell you, but I couldn't have given it to you, with all the work here, and Alucard being able to go with you. Both Alucard and I had thought you should have something muggle made, but Integra was insistent it being magical. So I came up with the idea of that. I was a little worried you wouldn't- Oh?"

Vladimir had walked over and given Walter a hug. "I love it! Thanks."

Walter smiled. "Well, you are very welcome." he said and returned the hug. "Now!" he said, grabbing his shoulders. "Let's get this dinner made. I have a feeling it'll be the best we've had yet."

After about an hour, Vladimir had made, just as Walter had predicted, his finest dinner yet. He'd even made a special dinner for Seras and Alucard- though Seras would know nothing of its contents.

As he was setting the food out, Alucard came over to him, smiling like he and Vladimir were in on a joke, but there was a seriousness and gratitude in the look as well. "Your plan worked marvelously." and Vladimir knew exactly what he was referring to, as Seras walked in, looking healthier than Vladimir had ever seen her in his life.

"Wait till you have what I've made." Vladimir said, and Alucard raised an eyebrow. "It's specially made for you guys..." Alucard raised his head a little, looking at the food Vladimir had already set out. He smelt the very much hidden sent of AB+. "Hummmm... And how were you able to hide it so well?"

"Crimson helped. With her high sense of smell, she was able to get it to where she could just barely smell it. I really don't know what she did, but it looks like it worked."

"Good... Seras will be as healthy as I by time this dinner is done, I'm guessing. Now if only I could get her to drink my blood…" though he never let it show, Alucard was concerned for his child of the night. He'd only admit it to Integra, and that wasn't very often either. It was only because Vladimir knew him so well, that he could tell what his father was feeling.

Once everyone was seated, Integra gave a small speech on how far Vladimir had come, and then they tucked into the great dinner. Many times, Vladimir would see Seras reaching for the same things that had blood hidden in them, and he'd catch Alucard's eye and they'd smirk.

Walter had to leave every now and then to check on the deserts, but never took too long.

They talked about how much fun Vladimir would have when he got to Hogwarts, and how lonely it'd get without him there- this would come from Seras and Walter for the most part.

Normally, the other members of the organization would be attending too, but they decided on having a more close knit family thing. But, half an hour before dessert came, they got another member. Pip, the leader of the Wild Geese, was invited by Seras, as they had started to go out- which Seras only relented to do because he kept begging- though she seemed to enjoy his company a lot now.

"Sorry I'm late..." Pip said, sitting next to Seras after giving her a peck on the cheek. "Couldn't believe the traffic today. Had to abandon my car in an alley and run the rest of the way."

Everyone laughed at this- or at least Pip, Seras and Vladimir, where as Walter gave a very short laugh, and Alucard and Integra merely smiled/smirked. Pip then pulled out a wrapped box and passed it to Vladimir. "Here, thought you'd like these..." Vladimir opened the box, and found four things. The first two, he noticed with a laugh, where very well crafted fangs, and a "blood" pack- looked like a blood pack that had red liquid in it, that definitely wasn't blood but still drinkable. The third thing was a small black case and when he opened it, it had two color changing contacts. He popped them in and looked at himself in a spoon, seeing his eyes were red. He was also able to see without the glasses.

"Yeah, those were just jokes, but I thought you'd get a kick out of 'em. Though the contacts might come to be of use." Pip said, as Vladimir slipped the fangs on. They fit perfectly. Pip must have gotten a mold of his teeth somewhere.

He pulled out the third item, and saw that it was a badge. "Our Honorary Member." It read in a ribbon. Above it, there were Wild Geese members all in the traditional geese triangle formation, guns drawn and pointing outwards; and at its tip, was Vladimir on a broomstick. Vladimir beamed. He'd always liked the Wild Geese, and wanted to work with them when he was old enough.

"This is really great, thank you Pip." Pip beamed and grabbed some food.

"I'll have to give you your gift after dinner." Seras said. "I only finished it right before I was called up. So it's not wrapped yet."

"So, I still can't believe you're going off to a wizard sch- eeep!" Pip was interrupted as Crimson had just slithered on the table over to one of the bloodied foods near him. "I take it that's your snake?" he said with a shaky laugh, but calming down.

"Haha... Yes, that's her." To Crimson, he said, {Nice one.}

{My pleasure, Master.} she replied, and gulped down a chicken leg, then made her way back over to him.

After they finished dinner, Walter brought out a huge cake. Vladimir blew out the candles, and they finished the cake off too. Seras had disappeared after she'd finished hers, and was back now, holding a big, black box, with red ribbon.

"Here you go, Vlad." She said, setting it in the chair next to him.

He got up and popped the lid off. Inside, he found a red hat, black suit, red trench coat, and black boots and orange glasses. He went to the nearest bathroom, already smiling, and put them on, and came back out looking like a shrunk down version of Alucard.

Everyone clapped, and Seras beamed, checking her work and making sure it all fit right.
"Hummm... it's missing something..." she said, looking at his face, sure it was something there. Then she had it. She quickly walked over to the table and grabbed something after some searching. She came back and handed him the fake fangs Pip had given him and the blood pack.

"Here, put these on, and hold this!" Vladimir did so, and there was another round of clapping.

Now, with the blood pack, fangs, and red contacts- he hadn't taken them off- he looked exactly like Alucard. They even had him stand next to Alucard, and although he was much shorter than him, he still looked just like him.

"We'll have to get a painting made with you two..." Integra said, smirking. Alucard looked at her in a are-you-joking sort of way.

After this though, Vladimir had to go to bed. After making sure he had everything, he said goodnight to Hedwig- the owl- and Crimson, who chose to coil comfortably around his neck.