AN: Wrote the first chapter while nearly delirious from sleep deprivation, so there's a few errors in formatting and spelling in there. I'll retool it some other time. Also I'm going to try to stick to the sequence of events in Hellsing however I'm sure some stuff will get mixed around. Deal with it.
Chapter 2
Harry grumbled as he completed the repairs to Hellsing's training grounds. Integra had been getting ready to call the landscaping company they used, however Harry insisted since he had indirectly caused the damage. The wheels in his mind were turning trying to discover a way to get revenge on the mischievous vampire king. He had to find something that would sufficiently humiliate or annoy the ancient monster without actually earning his ire. He was still kicking himself for informing Alucard that since he had consumed his blood, the Black Family Magic protecting their tomes would not affect him.
Seras had encountered a far better reaction to her change than she'd expected. There were a few of the Hellsing regulars that were leery of her but the Geese were overjoyed that she was no longer suffering, and also taking every opportunity to turn a complement about her new eye color into cheesy, embarrassing pick up lines. Walter had been especially proud of the young vampire for taking such a difficult step. While she was walking away from the armory after practicing in the range, she was intercepted by Integra who asked for a moment of her time.
"Seras, I require your assistance. We have a meeting with a... man... named Father Enrico Maxwell. He's a representative from the Vatican and heads their infamous "Iscariot" organization. They fancy themselves the Catholic equivalent to the Hellsing organization. We'll be meeting at the Imperial War Museum, however there will be tours moving through and I want you to follow them and try to remain as inconspicuous as you can. See Potter about temporarily changing the colour of your eyes." Integra said.
"Yes, Sir. Are you expecting them to cause trouble?" Seras asked.
"No, however Iscariot tends to employ extremists and zealots, I'm sure you've met Alexander Anderson before." Integra said. Seras shuddered, despite having been on several combat missions and being a supernatural being that consumes human blood to survive, the image of the priest having been blown apart by Harry still haunted her.
"Yes Sir. I will be ready when you are." Seras said, before saluting and leaving upon being dismissed. She followed the hall letting her mind wander as she made her way on autopilot down to Harry's quarters when she heard a loud crash and saw Harry fleeing in terror around the corner.
"Shit shit shit shit SHIT!" He yelled, grabbing her as he ran by, and a moment later she saw what she now considered the most hilarious thing she'd ever seen. Running down the hall, both pistols drawn with a terrifying expression on his face ran her master, still wearing his trademark red trench coat but in lieu of his fedora he was sporting a white heart-shaped haircut similar to the one worn by Dracula in the Coppola film. Seras allowed herself to be lead down the hall and out through the door into the courtyard where they both fell to the ground laughing hysterically.
Alucard caught up and loomed over the two before raising his gun and shooting Harry point blank in the chest.
"Owww. Not cool, man." Harry said, looking down at the gaping hole in his chest. It stopped bleeding almost immediately and began closing itself
"Change.. It... BACK!" Alucard roared, his voice so terrifying that poor Seras nearly wet herself in response. Harry rolled his eyes and lazily pointed his wand at Alucard returning his hair to it's natural state. He reached up taking a few strands in his hand and brought them in front of his face to inspect it. Satisfied that he had returned to normal he turned and stomped his way back into the compound.
"Harry, Are you ok? God I thought he was going to kill you!" Seras said, patting down his chest looking for any injuries.
"You remember I told you about that whole master of death stuff right? I'm not sure I even can die. However he did ruin my Iron Maiden shirt, and that is so not on." Harry said, getting up to his feet.
"Jesus Harry I've never seen him that angry." Seras said
"Oh he's not angry. He might be annoyed but I'm pretty sure he's having as much fun as I am with this little game we've got going." Harry responded
"Just leave me out of it ok? He's my master after all." Seras said, rolling her eyes.
"Not a problem. So Sir Integra told me you needed to change the colour of your eyes for the upcoming mission? Pity that, they're quite lovely as-is." Harry said lifting his wand to her eye level. With a muttered incantation, Seras felt a tingling in her eyes and blinked several times before Harry produced a mirror from his coat. Seras was astonished to see her reflection looking back at her, but instead of the glowing crimson she'd become accustomed to, her eyes were emerald green. She thought they were almost as beautiful as Harry's.
"Hope you don't mind a little vanity on my part there." harry said, grinning before leading her back into the compound and to his quarters. He reached into his trunk and pulled out a stopped flask full of his blood as well as an amulet. He handed the flask to her and fastened the amulet around her neck.
"The blood has been under a stasis charm so it should be fresh, and this amulet I'd like you to wear as much as you can. I've been working on this one for a few days now. It will make you more comfortable in sunlight, and dampen the effects of blessed weapons on you." He said.
"Oh!. Thank you!" Seras said, admiring the pretty amulet.
"I was going to give it to you on your birthday but we're going to be meeting Iscariot and there's no doubt Father Anderson will be with him. Those bayonets will still hurt but you'll heal much faster after pulling them out." Harry said. He walked over to the window and opened it to let in the owl that Seras hadn't even heard tapping, and relieved it of its burden.
"Oh no.." Harry said, sitting down on his bed, paling as he read the note.
"What's wrong?" Seras said.
"Shack wants to meet with Sir Integra. Diagon Alley, it's a commercial hub for magical folks in London, was attacked by a horde of ghouls They were taken care of but there were a lot of deaths, including a school friend of mine." Harry said, tears forming in his eyes.
"I'm so sorry!" Seras said, gathering him into a hug. He read the rest of the letter, knowing it was from Hermione before he got to the signature at the end simply because he recognized her neat handwriting.
"Tell me about them." Seras said.
"His name is Seamus Finnegan. He was in Gryffindor with me. Wasn't a great student, but I hardly have any right faulting him for that. He had the tendency to make things explode, even when they never should have. Potions, Levitation charms, what have you." Harry said, and continued to tell Seras stories about the pyrotechnically-inclined Irishman until Walter gathered them to dine with Integra.
When they arrived, and complemented Walter's excellent cooking, Integra briefed them on what security measures were going to be taken for the Iscariot meeting, then half-heartedly scolded Harry for pranking the Lord of Vampires, but dissolving into giggles as Harry withdrew an enchanted photo frame that could show images of memories and showed her Alucard with the ridiculous hair style angrily chasing him.
"Also, Sir Integra, Shack, that is Minister Shacklebolt has requested a meeting with you when it's convenient. The vampire attacks on the magical world are overwhelming their aurors and hit wizards." Harry said.
"Finally. Fool of a man, how many had to die before he saw reason?" Integra asked. Harry flinched at this and Seras put her hand on his shoulder.
"Harry's school friend Seamus died in an attack, Sir Integra. We just learned today." Seras explained.
"Oh! Oh no. I'm so sorry, Harry." Integra said, she looked mortified.
"It's ok, you couldn't have known. Not the first time I've had to bury a friend." Harry said, shrugging.
"You're right though. Shack was a fool. He's a good man, and he fought just as hard and lost just as much during the war. He should have stayed in the aurors, he's not built for politics. With your permission, I'll head out tomorrow to inform him in person. I need to restock a few potions anyway." Harry continued.
"Of course." Integra said, and stood, and to Harry's and Seras' shock walked over to harry and hugged him.
"I'm sorry for your loss." She said.
"Thank you Sir Integra." Harry said. The rest of dinner was spent regaling the two women with stories about Seamus' antics at Hogwarts, and how he got fired from the Ministry for accidentally burning too many inter-department memos, and how he constantly rooted for his favorite football team and tried to get the wizard kids interested in the game.
The night wound down and Harry bid both ladies adieu and went to his quarters, and was mildly surprised to see Alucard there waiting for him.
"Oh, hey Alucard, what's up?" Harry asked, Alucard handed him a package, which he carefully unwrapped, not trusting the vampire not to have rigged it to explode or something. Inside he found an aged looking Iron Maiden t-shirt, similar to the one he'd destroyed however it featured in messy handwriting Bruce Dickinson's signature.
"From their '81 tour. Figured you can resize it. One of the best concerts I've ever been to." Alucard said, smiling.
"Wow, thanks. You didn't have to do this, man I was really asking for it before." Harry said. Alucard shrugged, and gestured at him to try it on. Harry removed his old shirt and pulled the new one over his head, waving his wand so that it shrunk over his smaller frame. He looked over at the mirror and admired the shirt, scratching idly at his neck.
"It's perfect! Thanks... Wait a minute." Harry said, scratching harder He pulled the shirt up to see that hives were forming on his skin and it itched horribly. Alucard with a devilish grin leaned in towards harry and spoke.
"Fred and George told me to tell you they said hi." Alucard said before letting out a menacing laugh and disappearing through the wall. Harry laughed the whole time he spent healing his skin and cleaning the shirt.