Disclaimer: I neither hold nor claim any rights to either Harry Potter or Hellsing. Credit for both goes to their respective authors. This is a work of fan fiction only.

Chapter 7 - Cometh the Reaper

Harry and Seras appeared with a soft crack into a hive of activity. This of course is how the military officers present would describe the semi-panic caused by the visual sighting of a number of Zeppelins over London despite a complete absence of any prior warning. Integra was seated at the opposite side of a round table from Sir Penwood who was looking lost and confused as his officers attempted to organise some kind of defense of the city.

Harry indicated for Seras to follow him and walked up behind Integra's chair. "Ma'am. What's the situation?"

She didn't look at him, her gaze fixed on the confused knight across the table. "It appears that Millennium have managed to not only construct an entire fleet of Zeppelin airships, without anyone apparently noticing, but also have arrived over the skies of London with no warning whatsoever." She laughed mirthlessly then continued quietly "And to make it worse, this man is in charge of the defense."

Harry glanced at the man opposite. "Perhaps he has yet to find his courage ma'am. What are your orders?"

She turned her chair to face him, and steeled her fingers. "Were Alucard here, he would be chomping at the bit to go out there and slaughter every Nazi vampire out there. And I would give him the same order I will give you. Search and destroy. Bring down their airships, shoot their vampires, destroy every last one of them. Go."

For the first time in the service of Hellsing, Harry Potter straightened, stood to attention, and saluted crisply, perfectly imitating the seasoned soldiers of Hellsing.

"Yes sir".

Spinning on his heel he strode purposefully towards the door, meeting Seras' eyes as he passed and giving her a smile and a nod.

Walking up the ramp towards the exit he stopped as he reached the exit to street level, turning as he heard footsteps behind him. Turning, he didn't have time to talk before Seras Victoria, an angel in white and blue, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself up to him, planting her lips firmly to his. He reacted instinctively, his hands moving to her waist to hold her against him tightly as he returned the kiss, feeling his tongue brushing against her sharp fangs.

They stood there, silently bound together by passion, as the first shots of the battle were fired, their bodies highlighted suddenly by the bright red and gold flash of the first V1 bombs landing on London.

Seras broke the kiss first, gently pressing her forehead to his. "I swear you'd better come back or I'll hunt you down myself. You hear me mister?"

Laughing quietly, Harry nodded and pecked his lips on hers again briefly. "That's an order I promise I will obey ma'am. I'll see you out there." Pressing one last kiss to her lips he stepped away, tapped his forehead in salute and spun on the spot, disapparating silently.

On an almost deserted hulk of what used to be an aircraft carrier, slowly moving up the Thames estuary, Alucard smirked smugly. "Finally. Took you long enough, police girl."

Harry reappeared on a rooftop ahead of the Zeppelins and snarled at the sight that met his eyes. Bombs were raining down on the partially evacuated city. He knew the evacuation wasn't complete since he could hear the screams of the mortally wounded filling the air, drowned out by the explosions but highlighted against the low, constant roar of the fires which were already starting to engulf the areas most heavily hit.

Looking to the nearest airship, now almost directly overhead and coming slowly lower, he could see the doors opening and the humanoid figures silhouetted by the bright lights on board as the light streamed out into the night. The sides of the massive airship were still disgorging bombs which rained further destruction on the suffering city. He reached into a pocket and pulled out one of his older weapons, the trusty G36C he'd rendered as effective as a .50 calibre sniper rifle. Bringing it up to his shoulder he took aim at the massive engines powering the airship through the sky, took a deep breath, and opened fire.

The rifle barked loudly, the recoil barely affecting his aim despite the near-vertical shooting angle, and the rounds sped away into the night far faster than the should have been capable. He walked the line of tracers through the air until he caught the sight of sparks and flashes that indicated he was hitting his target. Seconds later the engine exploded into flame and he moved his aim to the next one along.

"Lieutenant Blitz! We are losing the engines on the port side!"

"WHAT?! How? They have no anti-aircraft batteries here!"

"I don't know sir. Something on the ground is firing at us and it is causing heavy damage."

By this time the airship was coming down fast. Without the lift generated by the engines it was simply unable to sustain flight and as it came down the troops aboard started to jump, abandoning the burning wreck as it crashed into and through buildings.

As the first vampire leapt through the door Harry already had his sights on it and pulled the trigger again, keeping it depressed while the vampire was riddled with bullets and fell from the aircraft a lifeless corpse. The next few, thinking he'd simply fallen, followed him into the door and at that point realised their mistake as rounds peppered them, ripping through their bodies and painting the walls around the hatchway bright red. Half a dozen fell to this before the rest stopped moving towards the door and fell back towards the main crew areas of the ship. The scene repeated itself at the other hatch on that side of the ship before the reports reached the command deck.

"Sir, we cannot evacuate. When we try to use the hatches we are suppressed by anti-aircraft fire."

"But there are no anti-aircraft guns here. Just one… WHAT!" screamed the scythe-wielding woman looking at the large screen display which showed the impossible. One man, one lone man stood on a rooftop with an automatic rifle single-handedly bringing down the supposedly unstoppable airship. Her eyes narrowed in fury as she realised that he hadn't stopped shooting yet even though his rifle should have run out of ammunition by now. His long dark coat concealed his features, not that she had time to examine him when, as if he sensed them watching, he turned his weapon directly towards the camera providing the outside view and the last thing shown was a bright red flash as the tracer round passed through the lens. The screen showed static for a moment before returning to a map showing their current location.

"God dammit how can one man bring down this entire ship!" Zorin raged, looking around her frantically. "We are going down, prepare for crash landing!" Even as she said it the massive aircraft finally encountered something it couldn't simply crash through and everyone was thrown forward violently. Most of the bridge crew were killed along with several of the soldiers there as the room shook, glass exploding in all directions. Screams mixed with the tortured rending of metal as the craft tilted upward for seconds and then, slowly at first but with building speed, down again. Everyone not holding onto something rose into the air only to come crashing down as the vessel stopped, killing several more.

Zorin Blitz rose onto her knees, blood streaming from a gash in her forehead as she levered herself upright with the assistance of her scythe. He teeth were gritted and she was shaking in rage at the insult done to her and Millennium by one solitary man. Roaring in anger she pushed herself to her feet and stalked towards the back of the ship where the most intact exit should be.

As the airship crashed down close by Harry took the chance to cause irreparable damage to two more, bringing them crashing down and hopefully killing at least some of the vampires on board. He then turned to the first one and apparated to the rear of the craft, arriving as some of the surviving crew staggered out of the rear hatch. His mouth set in a grim line, he raised his rifle and gunned them down, ignoring their pleas for mercy and granting them only a quick death.

Advancing into the wrecked craft, he moved from corridor to corridor with an almost casual gait, returning his rifle to its pocket and unslinging the AA-12 from his back. The remaining crew, vampires all, met their fate at the barrel of the unforgiving automatic shotgun as it belched forth clouds of buckshot while Harry advanced through the corridors of the once proud aircraft.

Entering the long, wide, central corridor, he stopped and took in the figure at the other end of the corridor. "Ah, I was wondering where you were. I figured an insane Nazi major would have one of his lieutenants in the first ship. I would give you my name but I don't think either of us is interested in names at this point."

Zorin snarled at the man facing her from the other end of the hallway. Armed only with her scythe she knew she couldn't afford to stay at this range for long, however she had just the trick for that.

Reaching to the ground, she planted her open palm on it and raised her head, staring straight into Harry's eyes, and started her mental assault on the pest that had brought her ship low and killed her men.

Harry raised an eyebrow as the corridor was coated in red for a moment before it shifted and changed, altering shape and color around him as it formed what he assume was an illusion of some sort. It almost formed into the form of a corridor from Hogwarts before he realised what he was seeing. He swiftly clamped down on his own mind with occlumency and broke the tendril linking his mind to that of his opponent, only to find himself back in the corridor with a scythe moments away from removing his head.

Dropping to the side in a roll, he spun to face her and raised his shotgun towards her face and starting to pull the trigger. This was wasted however as she brought the scythe round with supernatural speed and sliced the weapon in two, missing his hand by an inch.

Cursing quietly, he disapparated to the end of the corridor she had originally come from, and drew his katana from the pocket it lived in. She spun as she heard the sound of the sword sliding from its saya and charged at him, swinging her scythe back to prepare for a blow that no man could survive. As she got closer she screamed in rage and started the forward swing, confident that he would not survive the blow.

Harry prepared himself, dropping lower on his knees and keeping the blade down as he positioned his weapon in a backward guard. She telegraphed her attack so well that there was an obvious weakness, assuming that his weapon was sharper and harder than hers. As she swung forward he brought his hands down and then up, the katana slicing upwards straight towards her body as he ducked inside the coming blow and spun past her as she charged past him.

As Zorin came to a halt she realised she had missed, and a fraction of a second later realised that he was not all she was missing. The blade of her scythe had spun away when Harry's katana had sheared through the shaft and embedded itself in the ceiling.

She barely had time to realize that he was definitely not a bad guy as the cold sensation of tempered steel as it passed cleanly through her neck. Had Harry been a bad guy she might have had a few moments left while he gloated over his victory. Her world went dark immediately and Harry watched as her head fell sideways as her body slumped forward. Her body instantly burst into bright blue flames and he turned away.

"One down" he said, and apparated back to his rooftop to hunt some more Nazis.

The sight that met his eyes was certainly not what he expected however. As well as the multiple airships still in the air disgorging vampiric Nazis onto the streets of London, he could now see numerous helicopters, some of which were landing and dismounting troops. "What the fuck? Actual knights?"

Moving to a closer building to get a view of what was happening he froze in rage as he saw both sides slaughtering civilians. As he watched a family were gunned down by the troops he could only assume were from the vatican before the troops moved on. He could hear the recognisable voice of Enrico Maxwell goading his troops on echoing out across the city-turned-battlefield.

He could feel the deaths of thousands around him. The vast numbers passing on sang to his soul and he grew cold with rage. He'd vowed to protect these people, dedicated himself since he arrived here to protecting them from the monsters that go bump in the night. And now they were callously gunned down by two other sides of what was now clear was a three way war.

Flicking the elder wand into his right hand he raised it and wordlessly cast a deafening cannon-blast charm, the thundering sound crashing through the night sky. All the combatants on the ground stopped and looked up at him as he was surrounded by a green aura that shone like a beacon in the night.

His voice when he spoke echoed throughout the city. "You come here, bringing war and death to those innocent of your depravity. You dare defile this land with your vile presence. No more! Vengeance will be wrought this night."

Raising the elder wand straight up, he concentrated, building his will to control the spell he was about to cast. Above him the clouds spun and boiled, and his green aura was tinged red with fire.

Suddenly a pillar of flame exploded from the tip of his wand and soared skyward. As it rose, it formed into the shape of a huge bird, wings wreathed in flame and its long tail leaving a trail of flame behind it. Lowering the wand, Harry directed the cursed fire down into the street and soon the screams of the vatican troops and the shouts of dismay from the vampires rose into the air as both sides were engulfed in the inferno, feeding it as it grew further and further. Hundreds died in seconds as it flashed back towards the vatican landing areas before rising up into the sky and engulfing one of the Millennium airships, exploding it in mid-air raining melted shrapnel down to the ground below.

Harry fought to control the fiendfyre. It was a feat of magic tried by few. Even Voldemort had withheld himself from using it, preferring simpler and more personal methods of killing. Vincent Crabbe had used it in the room of requirement but had lost control almost immediately. Harry Potter however held his ground as it attempted to wrest itself from his control, which would have condemned all below to a fiery death.

The entire battle halted at the sight of the Zeppelin exploding, and Harry forced his will upon the flame, slowly drawing it down and back under his control. The phoenix of flame fell towards his roof and stopped just short of him, fighting him for control before subsiding slowly and dying down slowly.

In the quiet of the aftermath, Harry's radio crackled to life and he went deathly white at the words that were emitted.

Watching as Harry stepped away, Seras smiled and raised a hand to her face, feeling the lips that were still tingling from the kiss she had just shared. A warm glow filled her that she had not felt since her turning and she turned and headed back to the HQ to find Sir Integra.

She arrived to see Integra sliding a pistol across the table to Sir Penwood, who was looking more serious than he had when she left. It was clear that Integra had worked her own magic and helped him to find some kind of courage. Integra's ability to bring out the best in her people was one of the things that endeared her most to Seras, and the young vampire respected her both as a commander and as a woman.

Integra rose from her chair and turned towards the exit. "Seras, Walter, we're heading back to the manor."

The three headed up the tunnel in time to see the explosions on the first Zeppelin as Harry went to work, and headed to Integra's car. Walter slipped into the driver's seat and Seras got into the back with Integra, pulling one of the smaller guns from her pocket as she did so, in case anything happened and she needed a weapon immediately.

The car roared to life and sped away from the approaching airships, heading towards the manor even as London started burning. Seras kept watch on the rooftops as they drove, and Integra remained quiet, thinking about her plans and how best to manage the battle.

Suddenly, Walter slammed on the brakes as the road ahead was blocked by wreckage. A dozen vampires dropped from the surrounding roofs and opened fire on the car. Seras responded immediately, her own weapon crackling loud and fast as she poured rounds into the vampires who stood, smugly overconfident, in the open. The car, armoured as it was, took the punishment well and Seras rapidly dealt with their opponents whilst being hit herself by a shot which grazed her cheek, allowing a thin trickle of blood to run down her face.

Walter backed the car up, executing a perfect J turn, as the road behind them was blocked by debris from the rapidly falling airship Harry had been firing at. Seras felt a surge of pride that Harry, her Harry she said to herself, had done that well already. She opened the door and stepped out of the car, putting away the gun she had been using and pulling the mini-gun in front of her, unclipping the short sling to bring it to a ready position. Integra got out after her and Walter climbed out of the driver's door. They assessed their surroundings and were about to start out again on foot when gunfire crackled around them. The shooters were yet more Millennium vampires, silhouetted on the rooftops. Seras spun on her heel, bringing her weapon up and pulling the trigger lever.

The weapon immediately emitted a stream of 7.62mm rounds which formed a near-laser of tracer as she worked her way along the rooftops. When the rounds impacted buildings they tore through walls and ceilings, frequently coming out through the rooftops. Where the rounds hit vampires they exploded and burned immediately. Despite Seras' best efforts however she couldn't get all of the vampires and they were surprised when the remaining vampires came under fire from a second direction.

All eyes shot to the rooftop where a recognizable man stood proud and tall, the cross hanging from his neck glinting in the moonlight. He jumped down and landed heavily, followed shortly by several others dressed in similar white/grey coats not unlike Seras' own.

"Paladin Anderson" drawled Integra. "To what do I owe the displeasure?"

Anderson grinned, and the Iscariot agents moved to surround the three Hellsing personnel. Seras turned slowly, menacing them with the massive gun at her side, while Integra looked completely at ease, pulling out a cigar and browbeating one of the Iscariot agents into lighting it for her.

"We've come to extend the personal invitation of our leader. Archbishop Maxwell looks forward to your presence Sir Hellsing." He raised a bayonet to make his point clear and his colleagues cocked their pistols and obviously readied to fire.

However, at that moment a booming voice rang out over the battlefield, stopping everyone immediately. Seras' gasped at the depth and power of Harry's voice as he declared his vengeance on his enemies. Everyone turned as the pillar of fire lit the night sky, jaws dropping at the awesome power Harry was displaying. Only Integra seemed, as always, unflappable in the face of the bird of fire that consumed all in its path.

"What the hell?!" Anderson cursed, turning and running towards the fire. His men did likewise, seemingly forgetting about Integra, Walter and Seras in their haste to see what was going on.

Seras was still staring at the fire when Walter's quiet voice came quietly.

"Well. This is inconvenient. I had intended this to go unannounced but it appears that I have little choice in the matter. Still, I can at least start to clean up shop before I leave."

Integra turned to face her now gun-wielding butler. The weapon he was carrying was one of the larger Hellsing pistols, typically loaded with blessed ammunition for taking down vampires rather than ghouls. Integra gasped when she saw where he was aiming it. "Walter!"

"It was all supposed to be about me getting to fight Alucard. I just wanted to fight him properly one time. They promised they'd make it happen. But how better to start than by destroying his childe." And he pulled the trigger. The weapon cracked once, the muzzle flash lighting up the street, and Integra screamed "WALTER" as the round flew true, into Seras' chest over her heart, penetrating the protection of her coat and felling the Draculina instantly.

Integra stared unbelieving at Seras as Walter vanished into the night, unable to take in what had happened. Walter a traitor, it made no sense. Shaking herself she made the only call she could. Pulling out her radio she keyed the transmitter.

"Harry, Seras is down.. Walter has turned and shot her through the heart."

Harry turned white as he heard Integra's voice crackle from his radio.

"No. No this can't…. She can't…" He stammered. Had this happened before he dispelled the fiendfyre he would undoubtedly have perished. His shock was momentary however before he forced himself to act.

Integra was crouched over Seras' body when a deafening crack filled the air and a dark shadow fell upon her. She looked up and Harry was there, stood tall for a second before he dropped to his knees and lifted Seras into his arms, carrying her exactly the same way Alucard had when he first turned her. He reached out with his hand from under her and took hold of Integra's arm, then the world spun and she felt as if she were being forced through a straw.

They arrived in the manor with a loud crack and Harry strode rapidly to the door to the dungeons, disappearing down the stairs rapidly. Integra watched him leave and then called for any of the defending soldiers to find her.

Pip Bernadotte ran down the stairs and stopped in front of her. "We're still secure mademoiselle Hellsing. We thought one of the airships was heading here before it was shot down but so far nothing has happened here."

Integra regarded him for a second. "Good. I need to head to the HQ and see what is going on. Walter has defected to Millennium and Seras was shot. Harry is with her now but I think it's too late."

Seras drifted in and out of consciousness, the shock of the bullet had caught her out and she felt pain like she could never had imagined. As her vision cleared and darkened she caught glimpses of what was going on around her. She saw Integra, and the bright moon above them. Then Harry leaning down over her, and she felt herself being lifted, the same warm feeling from earlier briefly intruding on her agony. Then a tight, squeezing sensation followed by movement.

The next thing she felt was warm skin pressed to her mouth. Instinct took over and she bit down weakly, still able to penetrate the skin thanks to her sharp fangs.

Harry had taken her down to his chamber and sealed the door. The execution of the battle was forgotten in his drive to save the woman he had come to feel so much for. He laid her on the bed gently and removed his coat, leaving hers on to avoid aggravating her wound. A scan with his wand showed that the bullet was lodged in her heart, its velocity dampened by her coat probably saving her unlife.

Laying down next to her, he gently maneuvered her mouth to his neck, and simultaneously vanished the bullet in her heart as he felt her fangs penetrate his skin. He hadn't even thought twice about it and realized even as he felt his blood leaving him why he had so unthinkingly decided to sacrifice himself for her.

Seras was rising to consciousness again as the hot, magic-filled blood filled her. She recognized the feeling of it and realized with a start what it was. She tried to pull back but he held her firmly to him, forcing her to keep imbibing his lifeblood as she heard him say softly. "I should have said this earlier but I was a fool not to realize it. I love you Seras."

With that he fell limp and she pulled away from him, immediately leaning down over him and checking him for a pulse. She found none and began to sob when a voice intruded on her consciousness. "Seras. Don't worry. I'm here with you."

"H-Harry?" she asked shakily, aloud.

"It's me Seras. It had to be this way. You had to drink, to absorb a soul, to become what you should have been. But I never wanted that for you, never wanted you to gain by living off the souls of others like Alucard does. I'm sorry I failed you but I am so happy that it was I that could grant you this."

She sobbed quietly and then, without knowing why she did it, she leaned down and kissed Harry's limp body, fixing her lips to his one last time.

As soon as she did, everything stopped. The world around her went completely silent, no ticking of the clock by Harry's bed. A silence so profound it hurt her superhuman hearing.

"Ah my master. What a conundrum you find yourself in" said a quiet but clear voice. It was androgynous and seemed to be made up of many voices at once. "The vampire has absorbed your life and soul but wants nothing more than to give it back I feel."

Harry's deep, calming voice answered. "I would make the same choice if faced with the same decision. I would gladly sacrifice my soul to help this one and you know it."

The other voice seemed to address Seras next. "And what would you desire, would you make the same choice?"

She answered slowly, truthfully. "He is a light in the darkness, warmth where there is only cold. I would give anything to bring him back."

The owner of the voice went silent, the void growing tense for a moment before it spoke again. "My master. I cannot allow your soul, of all souls, to be bound to any being but myself, you know this. But I will trade with you for the vampire's life and soul."

"What do you wish, Death?" responded Harry.

"Her soul is mine. I may allow her to pass on now without regret and your soul will return to its vessel. Despite what was done to her she has yet to bind any souls to herself. She remains pure, your sacrifice only strengthens my resolve on this. I may not change what she is, but I will bind her soul to mine, as is yours, for eternity. Will you pay this price Seras Victoria? Understand that if you bind yourself to me you may never reach the beyond, never rejoin with your family, your loved ones. This is the price of eternity as I offer it to you. You may choose now to pass on if you will, this I will allow as thanks for your refusal to give in to your sire's urging to take a soul."

To never see her family, never be allowed to truly die and move on. Seras thought that she had come to accept the immortality granted to her by her master but now she realized that she had never really accepted the costs of it. Ever since the deaths of her parents she had believed in her heart that one day they would be reunited. She could only barely comprehend the price being demanded of her in exchange for Harry's life and her own. If it was for herself she never doubted that she would choose death, but could she choose for Harry. Could she give up everything she had started to feel for him, at such a high price.

"I… I want Harry to live, for me."

There was the sound of a bell ringing gently as if in the distance, and she felt the voice accepting her choice.

"Her sire bears a multitude of souls, who should have been allowed to pass. I demand this of you my master. Send them to me when the time is right and I will consider this debt repaid."

There was no hesitation in Harry's reply. "So mote it be."

"So mote it be, my master, my mistress" said the voice, before the void faded and was replaced by the familiar sensations of Harry's dungeon chamber. The room was filled with a blinding light and the walls seemed to ring as Harry's body shuddered beneath her and took a shallow breath, followed by another and then another. His eyes flickered open and met hers and the warmth that exploded inside her almost made her cry.

Author's Note: Another chapter up, the first of the proper combat episodes. I decided to change the sequence of the battle significantly due to having another protagonist in play. I also had plans to take Seras down a different path to canon so here it is.

Regarding the romance between Seras and Harry. Yes it's fast, yes I've probably not built it up as well as I could but whilst I am a romantic I'm not a great writer of romance. My intent thus far has been to show how Harry came to care for her and how she came to care for and to an extent rely on him. It's deeper than I've perhaps made clear and I apologize to anyone that thinks it's just too fast.

As far as the combat goes, I hope you enjoyed the first smack down delivered by Harry onto a Millennium officer. I didn't want to make it seem too easy for Harry to take her on but I never intended it to be an Alucard/Anderson scale fight because, quite frankly, Zorin was outclassed by Harry. Pretty much the only combatants in this story who can match Harry in a straight fight are Alucard and possibly Anderson after he uses Helena's nail. I particularly hope you enjoyed the spike in magic use, although I'm trying to keep it balanced with physical/firearm combat to stay reasonably close to the feel of the anime.

I hope you enjoyed the fight, and the subsequent treachery by Walter. I apologize if the ending felt rushed but I realized that that scene was going to spiral out of my control and dealt with it quickly.

Finally, apologies in advance. I will not, as I have said before, attempt to capture the Alucard/Anderson fight in words. I don't feel that I can do it justice so I'd rather leave that to your imagination/memory/anime viewing. What is upcoming is a lot of dead Vatican/Millennium types and probably someone going medieval on Walter's treacherous ass.

As always, reviews are welcome and appreciated. No flames please. I hope to have the next chapter up soon.