EPILOGUE:

THE DUST SETTLES

"…And that's when he threw the silver knife from that silverware store we wrecked to me," Alucard said. "I'm pretty sure that he did so deliberately, as he was hoping I'd kill him with it. In the end, I think all that poor mutt wanted was to be put down for good. He just wanted a good fight first."

Integra nodded. The remnants of Hellsing, the Wild Geese, as well as Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, had gathered in the office of Integra the day after the attack. Bathory had sauntered off afterwards, stopping only to confirm that her ritual was completely successful, that Voldemort was gone for good. Iscariot's operatives, those who had survived, were now readying themselves to head back to Italy. Schrödinger, the last surviving operative from Millennium, was also present, with Harry's friends.

Eventually, Integra said, "One of the only real bright sides to this sordid mess is that it could have been worse. Much worse. Millennium and the Death Eaters were stopped before they could destroy London in a re-enactment of the Blitz, thanks in part not only to the Ministry's efforts, as well as that of the Order of the Phoenix, but also Iscariot. But vast parts of London have been badly damaged, the civilian death toll already is in the thousands, and we're still cleaning up after the remnants of not only Millennium's foot soldiers, but also the ghouls they spawned. And there's also the possibility that some of the Death Eaters managed to escape, to say nothing of the fact that, with Fudge dead, the Ministry of Magic has been effectively decapitated, and traitors who worked with Millennium were found in high positions in the military and government, despite Schrödinger's warnings."

"But Voldemort is dead, along with the leadership of Millennium," Dumbledore said solemnly. "And if Bathory's ritual worked properly as she had claimed…he is gone forever."

"Indeed. Voldemort is dead, along with most if not all of Millennium's leadership," Integra said. "That is perhaps the best thing about it." She placed a hand to her forehead. "Still, what a damned mess this has been. I've sent people to the remains of the command zeppelin, the Deus ex Machina. I was hoping to retrieve the remains of the Major and the Doctor, along with what remained of Wilhelmina Murray. The former two will be disposed of, while the latter should be laid to rest. How the hell Millennium managed to get a hold of her, I have no idea."

"If not, the firebombs may have given her a Viking funeral," Alucard said, uncharacteristically solemn. "Mina deserved better than to rot away as a resource for Nazis. Still, I reckon the Statute has been blown wide open, more or less."

"Not necessarily," Dumbledore said. "The current cover story Madam Bones is considering will involve Millennium being a Neo-Nazi terrorist group that allied itself with another, which were the Death Eaters. The vampires and ghouls are due to some sort of hallucinogenic gas used as a chemical weapon, as was the sightings of magic. Still, it's a fairly large breach of the Statute, and the ICW is no doubt going to debate how to deal with it…and whether the Statute should be repealed. This is, after all, one of the greatest breaches since Gellert's misadventures in New York."

"What, you mean with Newt Scamander losing all those magical beasts? Ah, fun times," Alucard purred.

"In any case, Her Majesty wished to relay her sincere thanks to you all for resolving the situation," Integra said. "One of the many, many phone calls I have had to field over the past several hours, and one of the few ones that didn't cause me stress. In any case, the cleanup has only just begun. And Pip? I have decided to retain the Wild Geese group's services indefinitely for the foreseeable future, at least until we can start bringing in proper guards. Your service has been exemplary so far."

"Of course," Pip said, with a smile. "Thank you, Sir Integra. We're honestly glad just to have survived the night, though."

"Though others were not so lucky," Dumbledore said solemnly. "Not everyone who died was with Millenium or the Death Eaters. We need to remember them…"

The debriefing went on for some time afterwards, before they were finally released. Harry went to the rooftop of the Hellsing manor, and looked over at London in the distance. There was still a pall of smoke, with more than a few buildings still aflame.

Here he was. He was finally free from Voldemort, and that damned prophecy. But at what cost? Then again, it wasn't like he sought to fight, to have his life tangled up not only with Voldemort, but with Millennium.

"Deep thoughts?"

Harry turned to find Integra coming up behind him, lighting up one of her cigars. "Sort of. You need a break?"

"I need an extended holiday after all that, but unfortunately, while rank has its privileges, it also has its responsibilities," Integra said. "So I have to make do. If Walter was still around, I'd have him fielding my calls for the next few hours at least. Unfortunately, Alucard likes to troll people, Pip is uncouth, and Seras…she'd buckle under the pressure. She's a good soldier, but I doubt she can deal with paperwork and politicking. Besides, I'm not that cruel enough to inflict that on her, not when serious matters are involved. Professor Lupin has decided to help with the more pressing matters that aren't state secrets."

Harry nodded, before looking out across at London. Integra eventually broke the silence. "You feel it, don't you? The weight of responsibility, of having to live up to a reputation you don't feel you've earned."

Harry nodded again. "Yeah."

"I feel it too. I told you about how the leadership of Hellsing fell on me at a young age, thanks to my father dying, and my uncle's actions soon afterwards." The dark-skinned young woman took an inhale of her cigar, blowing the smoke away from Harry, thankfully. "…Sometimes, it's too much. Even with Alucard, with the Round Table, even when Walter was still serving me…it was too much at times. I may not have had a prophecy hanging over my head, but I know what it's like to have people have too high expectations of me. And of course, the blood of Abraham van Helsing runs through my veins. Those are pretty big shoes to fill."

"…Well, how do you cope, then?"

"…Everyone has different ways to cope, Harry. But I suppose strength of will was a major factor. It's part of the reason Alucard deigns to help me, that he respects my force of personality, my willingness to stare him in the face, a being who could kill me with contemptuous ease. Then again, maybe it's because I remind him of a female Abraham van Helsing."

"Well, you pull it off well," Harry said. "But…well, Voldemort's dead, most of the Death Eaters are gone, so is Millennium. What now?"

"That is indeed the question. There will always be a need for Hellsing and its ilk to exist, to fight off the things that go bump in the night. Still…if you don't want to continue working with us, at least until you're older, I understand. You were conscripted into this thanks to Millennium and the Death Eaters. There'll always be a place for you here, Harry. But you're still young enough to make the decision yourself."

"I know. Hermione told me I have a 'saving people thing'. That won't change. I might take a break from that, catch up on my schooling…but maybe I could continue working for Hellsing."

Integra chuckled. "So earnest…in any case, I meant to tell you something earlier. You and Hermione were made wards of Hellsing due to your natures as dhampirs. Of course, this was nothing like a familial guardianship, especially as Hermione's parents still live, and are willing to take her back, albeit with precautions due to her diet and to any attempting to attack her. But with you, given that the Dursleys died in Cheddar…I've been working on adopting you, at least until you come of age. I deferred speaking about it because I wanted the final decision to be your own."

"…Adopting me?" Harry asked, stunned by what Integra was saying.

"Indeed. Harry…since you came to us, I have to admit, I've come to see you as like a little brother. I couldn't quite act as such most of the time due to the crises coming at us, one after the other. But like you, I have lacked for loving family. My mother died so early in my life, I have few memories of her. I have more of my father…and of my uncle. But my father died, murdered by my uncle, who tried to murder me. Walter and Alucard have been the nearest things I have to family, but Walter proved false, and Alucard…well, is Alucard. And there's always something strange and dangerous about considering Dracula a family member, as you know yourself."

"Ugh, don't I know it?" Harry muttered. "But…are you serious?"

"Well, I could be droll and say that's your godfather's name, but I won't," Integra snarked with a smirk. "Besides, he and I may be courting each other in earnest before long. He can be part of the family."

"…Family, huh?" Harry looked out across the Hellsing estate. While he had entertained fantasies of living in a manor more than once, they were more idle daydreams than anything serious. He had just wanted to be away from the Dursleys, and with people who'd give a damn about him. Like the Weasleys, or the Grangers. Hell, he'd wanted to go with Sirius if he got exonerated, though Pettigrew's flight put the kibosh onto that.

But here was someone offering to adopt him, give him a home. And while as the head of the Hellsing Organisation, he did somewhat fall under her purview, given his heritage…he had to admit, he had grown to like Integra over their time. Despite her sternness, she knew when to be gentle and kind with others. Her strength was not just of her martial ability or her determination, but her compassion.

Still, it was a big step to make. He looked to her. "How did Dumbledore take that idea?"

"I've been discussing it with him for some time. He didn't put up much protest, especially with the Dursleys gone, and you having no blood relations as close as they were. That Marge woman wasn't related to you by blood. Alucard's been thinking of taking a rather enthusiastic walk to see her and introduce her to Baskerville, and I've had to dissuade him."

Harry chuckled darkly at the thought of Aunt Marge being confronted by Baskerville. At the very least, that bitch deserved a scare from Baskerville, he thought. "But Dumbledore was okay with it?"

"Indeed. But the choice is yours, Harry. While you're still a minor, I don't want to push you into it. This was more of a whim, and I'm not usually prey to those. Give it some thought first. Even if you refuse, you're always welcome here at Hellsing."

Harry shot Integra a grateful smile. "Thanks. Don't get me wrong, it's a generous offer, and I'm grateful for it. It's just…after everything I…no, we've been through, I need time to think about it, and about all sorts of other stuff. We all do, don't we?"

Integra nodded, before looking to the distant city of London, wreathed in smoke. "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few," she murmured to herself.

"Pardon?"

"That came from one of Winston Churchill's speeches during the Second World War," Integra said. "My father knew Churchill personally, and told me many stories about him, good and bad. In the end, you were one of those few, Harry. Britain, no, the world owes you a great debt in stopping Voldemort and Millennium. You may not have been alone, but you played a key role. Never forget that, Harry. You saved the country, and many people. You're a hero, no matter what your lineage, no matter what those cretins amongst the wizards and witches may think…"

"Sooo…are you going to bang Pip or what?"

Seras blinked at her sire's sudden question as they stood in his chambers. "I…uhh…buhh…what?"

"It's a simple question. I could see the way you've been making googly eyes at each other." After watching her splutter in denial for a bit, Alucard's expression softened, and he leaned forward. "Look, I know you have…issues with intimacy, given what was done to you. I saw your file…hell, I saw a little of your past when I made you my fledgling, Seras. But…you've got a much better chance than I did. My first wife…it didn't end well. My second wife, Justina, well, I got turned into a vampire, and that kind of makes things awkward. I've had more wives consecutively and concurrently than the average Hollywood actor. With Pip…well, I reckon he's got the balls to have a vampire wife. Just remind him that if he hurts you, well, I eat people."

"I…uhh…okay. I'll…take your advice into consideration, Master."

"You do just that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to wind down a little with a video."

As Seras left, Alucard sighed, smiling softly to himself. True, he hadn't died in battle, which was admittedly something of a hope of his, if only because of the self-loathing he felt. But in the end, what mattered was that he got a good fight, and that Britain was saved.

And Alucard had found a family. Admittedly, his descendants from his lifetime were still running around in Romania, but still, to find he had a more direct descendant, and not just one of the many vampires he had sired…he had found a new purpose for living. If nothing else, he was going to ensure Harry Potter was ready to deal with anything the world may throw at him. Voldemort and Millennium may be gone, but there were sure to be other threats that may arise.

And not just Harry, but Harry's fledgling, Hermione. And Alucard's own fledgling, Seras. Recently, they had accrued quite the family around themselves in Hellsing. And even though Alucard was jaded as hell, something about that appealed to him.

That being said, while he doubted things would be boring in the near future, the fact that Millennium and the Death Eaters were gone did remove a few sources of entertainment. He needed a new one. But would could help?

Hmm, maybe I could send intimidating letters to the Pope? Ah, by carrier pigeon! That would be fun, and funny. They'd fly right into the Vatican. Hmm, but what else?

And so, the No-Life King sat on his throne, pondering new amusements to leaven his immortality. One thing was for sure, though. While this misadventure was over, there would be more to come, and he and Hellsing would face it…

THE END

EPILOGUE ANNOTATIONS:

So, there it is. After seven years, four of which were on continual hiatus…this fic is finished. I'm sorry if the ending isn't quite up to snuff, but honestly, I just wanted to get this fic over and done with. I considered saving it for October, for all the Halloween stuff, or even for my December mass-update, but honestly, I just wanted to do it now.

Still, this is my most popular fic by far. I'm sure many of you are glad that I managed to finally finish the damn thing. I hope you enjoyed it anyway.

Before I sign off for good, I want to give one last shout-out to sakurademonalchemist. Without her, this fic would never have existed in the first place. Without her, you wouldn't be reading it.

And of course, this fic also owes a lot to Team Four Star, and especially Curtis 'Takahata101' Arnott's portrayal of Alucard. I dunno whether you have ever read this, Takahata101, but…thank you for your take on Alucard. For all that Crispin Freeman and Jouji Nakata have made their mark, I feel you are the definitive Alucard.

No numbered annotations this time.