Chapter 3
"I don't want excuses! Get out there and find it!" Integra shouted. Harry nodded
"Of course, Integra." Harry said, standing up and walking out. He almost bumped into Seras who had heard the exchange and was about to Integra a piece of her mind when he stopped her.
"Come with me, Love. Please." Harry said.
"But she just.." Seras said, but harry interrupted her.
"Please, Seras." Harry said, with a sad smile. Seras reluctantly nodded and followed him into the elevator.
"Harry why aren't you letting me scream at her right now?" Seras asked. Harry sighed.
"She's going through nicotine withdrawal combined with the beginning of her hormones being out of whack due to the pregnancy. I was expecting irritability, even hostility. She'll realize it later and apologize." Harry said.
"But you shouldn't have to take that from her!" Seras said. Harry smiled.
"I've taken that and worse from people who hated me Seras, if I can do that I can handle it from someone that loves me. Let's go, I've got a missing debit card to find." Harry said. During a supply run to restock the kitchens, one of the Hellsing soldiers with him had dropped the Hellsing expense card on the way out, and Harry refused to let the poor soldier take the blame for it so he said he'd lost it.
Harry didn't want to burden Seras with the knowledge of it, but Integra shouting at him hurt immensely, but rationally he understood that it wasn't really Integra doing the shouting, it was her nicotine dependence and the little fetus he'd helped to put inside of her throwing off her hormones. He couldn't bring himself to blame her.
An hour later Seras and He returned with the missing debit card, which had been run over and broken down the center. Thankfully Harry had been able to repair it. When they stepped through the entrance, Harry was nearly knocked over by Integra who wrapped her arms around him and cried.
"Harry I'm so sorry, you didn't deserve that at all. I don't know what came over me.. I was just so angry!" Integra said.
"Told you." Harry said to Seras who was smiling.
"What?" Integra asked.
"Come on, we'll talk up in your office, I have to let you know about something about the wizarding world anyway." Harry said, leading them both to the elevator.
"Seriously Harry you did not deserve that." Integra said.
"It's not an issue at all Integra. We knew this might happen. You're forgiven." Harry said.
"What did you mean earlier?" Integra asked.
"Seras overheard our conversation, she was coming down to give you a piece of her mind. I asked her not to and told her you'd eventually apologize once you realized what had happened." Harry said.
"I'm sorry to you too, Seras. God I hate this, I wish I'd listened to you and quit when we started trying." Integra said.
"No point in playing the I told you so game now. I promise you when Harry Jr. 3 is born it'll all be worth it." Harry said with a grin.
"You ass." Integra said grinning.
"So, Phase 4 has officially begun. This time next week most likely I will be majority owner of wizarding Britain's most prolific newspaper. I'll also be approximately 2.7 million galleons richer." Harry said.
"How much is that in our currency?" Integra asked.
"Around 10 million pounds." Harry said.
"Jesus!" Integra said. Harry shrugged.
"The best part is that Malfoy will be completely bankrupt. The Goblins won't do business with him any more." Harry said with a grin.
"I'm reluctant to ask, but aside from being an ass and a death eater, why has Lucius Malfoy gained so much of your ire?" Integra asked.
"Second year, his actions directly led to Hermione being petrified. If she had not found out about the Basilisk minutes before that happened, I'd have lost her. Lucius Malfoy has not even seen the beginning of my retribution. Hermione is like a sister to me. Fuck with me all you want, but don't even fucking think of hurting someone I love." Harry said, ending with the angry sneer that turned Seras on when it was directed at others. Harry clutched his chest.
"Seras why didn't you tell me you were hungry?" Harry asked. She looked sheepish
"You were busy." she said lamely.
"I'm never too busy for you. Come on, let's go to our quarters." Harry said. Seras nodded and stood.
"Again, Harry I am truly sorry." Integra said.
"Water under the bridge, love." Harry said, walking over for another hug before leaving with Seras. Seras sat on their bed, fidgeting with her hands. She'd really let it go on too long this time. She could have easily borrowed some from Alucard, but the thought of drinking any blood that wasn't Harry's was wholly unappealing to her. Harry washed off the other side of his neck, they were afraid of disrupting his mark, and sat beside her, pulling his hair aside.
She bit into him, and she was transported once again into her own personal heaven. The euphoria was stronger since she was so hungry, and Harry's feelings were more apparent. She could feel his love for her, as well as the little bit of lust associated with the bite turning Harry on. Under it all, though, she felt hurt. It was strange, normally she could only feel happy emotions from him, and the pang of pain was enough to shock her into detaching from Harry.
"Seras?" Harry asked.
"What's wrong?" Seras asked. Harry hesitated.
"Earlier, with Integra. It was harder than I was letting on." Harry said, his expression morose.
"Tell me." Seras insisted. He looked up and into her eyes.
"Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing is one of the most important people in my life. Moreso than the vast majority of people I had known before meeting her. Even knowing that she didn't mean it and wasn't in control of her feelings... I don't know. I guess there's a part of me that just doesn't know how to deal with it." Harry said. Seras frowned and leaned into him.
"I think you did a very good job in responding to it, but you should let her know when she's hurting you.." Seras said.
"Not going to happen." Harry said seriously.
"Harry, it's not just about her. She needs to know when she's being awful to you, she'll hate herself if you just let it keep happening. I'm not telling you to get into a fist fight, I'm saying don't roll over and take it. It's not good for you and she won't appreciate it." Seras said. Harry shrugged.
"It's not really within my nature to do that." Harry said.
"Too bad!" Seras said with a grin. Harry laughed.
Harry met Zorin and Rip in front of a modest house in a suburban neighborhood about three miles from Hellsing Manor. Harry had driven Integra's Jaguar which was parked on the street outside of it.
"Ok Harry, Why was it you wanted to meet us here?" Rip asked.
"Shh... Wait until we're inside." Harry said, looking around to make sure they weren't observed.
"Ok.." Rip said.
"Also watch your heads, the doorway wasn't designed for sexy seven-foot vampire chicks." Harry said with a grin. They both rolled their eyes. Rip had taken a while to get used to Harry's flirtatious nature, at first he thought she was making fun of her, but Zorin had convinced her that while Harry was not making a move on them, his compliments were indeed genuine, then Harry proved it when she drank his blood. Once they were inside, Harry closed the door and turned to see the two vampires staring in awe. The interior was massively larger than the exterior would have suggested.
"Expansion charms. They're tied to the wards, so it's permanent. You like this place?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, it's amazing..." Zorin said, before reaching a hand up and catching something that Harry had thrown to her.
"Good because it's yours." Harry said with a grin. Zorin looked down in her hand and saw a set of keys. She and Rip stared at him in shock.
"Harry.. This is too much." Rip said, recovering first. Harry shook his head.
"Rip, the city of London lost a million people during the battle, that number would have been astronomically larger had you not spent half a century risking your lives to undermine Millennium. The whole country owes you a debt it will never be able to repay, especially because they aren't allowed to know about it. I do know about it so I can provide this insufficient gesture." Harry said.
"Insufficient gesture? This house must be worth a fortune!" Zorin said, finally recovering her senses.
"I got a good deal. Besides, I just made 10 million pounds squeezing a bunch of jerks that have owed my family money for generations. This is a drop in the bucket." Harry said, leading them through the entrance hall into the parlor. The whole house was lavishly decorated.
"I can change anything you don't like, I kind of guessed on the décor." Harry said.
"It's perfect.." Rip said with a watery smile.
"At the risk of sounding like the sappy romantic I am, you both spent decades longing for each other, and damn near got yourselves killed trying to save the lives of millions who don't even know you exist. You've earned the chance at being happy, and I wanted to give you a place to find that happiness. It doesn't hurt that you're a fifteen second superhuman vampire run to Hellsing in case something happens to Integra while I'm off doing stupid wizard shit." Harry said.
"So you're only doing this to exploit our bodyguard services?" Zorin said jokingly.
"Well that and it's nice to have some eye candy in the neighborhood." Harry said with a grin. Both women approached and hugged him, which must have looked hilarious as they were both a foot taller than he was. They chatted for a while, and Harry told them to contact him if they needed anything, or if they made any friends who were in on the wizarding world secret that needed to be keyed into the wards. For everyone else, the house appeared to be abandoned with a for sale sign in the front and anyone who approached would be compelled to ignore it. After he left Rip turned to Zorin and smiled.
"When you told me about him I didn't believe you. How could a human, a man, ever look out for someone else, especially people like us?" Rip asked. Zorin chuckled.
"I was convinced he was going to fry me the first time I saw him. When the fat little nazi toad started bringing wizards into the fold, I saw that they could burn things with their magic. I was terrified." Zorin said.
"Then I overhear him telling the Frenchman that he thought I was beautiful, and the first thing he does is come over and feed me. He was so kind, and sincere." Zorin said, tearing up as she reminisced.
"He's a good friend. I wish we still had the journals, I missed our conversations." Rip said. Zorin nodded.
"Well what we have now is better anyway." Zorin said, holding Rip's hand and strolling with her through the house. When they found the master bedroom, there were two packages on the bed, one with Zorin's name and the other with Rip's. Curious, they unwrapped them and stared fondly at their two journals. They were singed around the edges, having been rescued from two separate burning zeppelins, but were otherwise completely intact. Zorin opened hers and briefly browsed through the conversations they'd had, shuddering at her desperate plea for help when she'd been found out. She glanced below it and smiled.
Zorin and Rip, my beloved beautiful vampire friends,
I was feeling sentimental during the cleanup efforts and managed to track down the crashed zeppelins, and found these amongst them. They still work fine, as I am verifying while writing this now. I'd love to continue our unique little correspondence even though we're probably going to be seeing each other most days.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the house, I left dozens of flasks of preserved blood in the cupboards, don't worry I spaced it out and didn't even pass out once! Seras threatening me with a sex embargo may have had something to do with it. On the topic of sex, this bed is heavily reinforced both with titanium and magic. Do with that information what you will.
With love,
Harry and Seras.
"We really don't deserve a friend like him." Rip said, crying.
"Oh I'm sure he'll find a way to make us hate him eventually." Zorin said with a grin.
"So. Let me get this straight. You fill yourself with the emotion, any emotion, like with the patronus, and just cast the spell like normal?" Hermione asked. Harry didn't like the twitch he saw in her eyelid.
"Uh yeah that's the jist of it. Give it a try." Harry said. Hermione stared at him for a moment and then cast
"Lumos." Hermione said. A pulsing orb of green light the size of a basketball hovered over her wand.
"See?" Harry asked with a grin. Hermione canceled the spell, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The next two hours of Harry's life was a marathon of answering a non-stop litany of questions, some of which Harry had explanations for, absurd accusations of breaking magic, begging him to to demonstrate it with numerous spells, and finally a point-by-point critique of the paper he'd written out for Minerva.
"Where did you even get the idea to do this?" Hermione asked. Harry went to speak then stopped.
"You're gonna be mad." Harry said. Hermione glared at him. Harry sighed.
"Ass Cannon." Harry said.
"WHAT?!" Hermione shrieked, waking up one of the twins. Harry didn't know if it was Harry Jr. or Harry Jr.2.
"In the forest, when I figured out how to cast it, and then you were mad at me for like no reason at all..." Harry said
"You exposed us to snatchers!" Hermione yelled
"My pants were on the whole time!" Harry said.
"You know that's not what I meant stop changing the subject!" Hermione said.
"The whole reason I was out there playing with the flame lash was because I wanted to change its color." Harry admitted. Hermione paused.
"You exposed us to snatchers... at the height of the war... after Ron had abandoned us... so you could change its color." Hermione said. Her eye twitched, and Ron walked in
"Hermione! What was that about? I just got Gideon down for a nap!" Ron said, storming out of their new manor. Hermione started slowly walking towards Harry with a stormy look in her eyes.
"Uh... I need an adult!" Harry said, when Hermione grabbed him by his lapels.
"I am an adult." She growled before berating him for another hour.
