Chapter 29
"I'm a what?" Harry asked, feeling the strangest sense of deja-vu. "But they're all…"
"That...does actually explain a lot," Rias replied, and she actually blushed when every eye in the room darted to her. "You have always been...oddly gifted, let's say."
"Rizevim," Sirzechs muttered. "What the hell did you do?"
"A question that I'd like answered more than you can imagine, old friend," Ajuka chuckled, his eyes alight with wonder as he stared at Harry, "but that will have to wait. Harry, I need you to come with me. There are a number of things I need from you, and they won't take much time."
"Ajuka, could I have a moment?" Harry asked, still feeling like his head was spinning, "I…"
"Rias, take him either to our family castle or Kuoh," Sirzechs sighed, earning a glare from the other Satan. "He can do whatever tests you have in mind tomorrow, Ajuka; let the poor man rest a bit."
"Don't take him out of the Underworld until then," Ajuka muttered, realizing that he'd find no allies in the room for this particular argument. "He'll have to take the train when he next returns here, and that offers variables I don't want to risk."
"Come, Harry," Rias said softly, taking his hand and staring up into his eyes, which seemed so much brighter without his glasses. "You can stay in my old chambers back home."
"That...sounds nice," Harry sighed. "Um, could you let Sirius and Fleur know that we're alright? The papers will…"
"I'll handle everything," Rias nodded. "Hermione?"
"Huh?" Hermione asked, having been staring at his horns that whole time. "Oh, uh, right. It was nice to meet both of you."
Ajuka and Sirzechs just nodded as Rias took her hand and disappeared.
"My study, now," Sirzechs muttered through gritted teeth, and Ajuka just chuckled.
"I'll meet you there," he said, disappearing, and Sirzechs flew over to his study, not bothering to even deal with the table they'd left in the middle of the antechamber.
Ajuka was already there when he arrived, pouring two glasses of what he knew was his favorite spirit. Handing him one of the crystal snifters, he said, "Nothing like a little Louis XIII to help calm you after world-changing revelations."
"Lucifer's light, I don't think I've ever been so simultaneously thrilled and disquieted by something before," Sirzechs muttered, sipping the cognac and sitting down heavily.
"At least you are thrilled," Ajuka replied. "You looked like Grayfia told you she was getting a breast reduction just now."
"Don't even joke about that," Sirzechs grimaced, and Ajuka barked a laugh. "Having a living incubus is a boon like no other, and this is undeniably good for our people, but it comes at such a bad time. We've been making actual diplomatic inroads with Heaven and the Fallen, and for just a moment I thought that lasting peace between the factions might be achievable, but I have no idea how they're going to react to this. Leviathan's success was such a dire threat to them that it actually pushed the Tyrant to agree to work with his fallen creations for a time. Now…"
"That was at the height of the Great War, and during his lifetime," Ajuka pointed out. "The long conflict goes on, but it isn't the same, and you know it."
"I know...I do," Sirzechs replied. "As I said, this is good for us and provided it doesn't push the angel factions to unite against us again, it will be invaluable for us long-term, but it is a massive complication on a number of levels. The fact that Rias is at the heart of it is also deeply unsettling for me."
"We can work to make Kuoh more secure," Ajuka said. "Serafall has reason enough to care about its safety, but perhaps we can provide her with reason to make a home of it."
"What?" Sirzechs asked, blinking up at him. "What are you talking about?"
"She's unmarried, and I imagine that we could convince her easily enough to get a taste of an incubus, even if her tastes generally veer elsewhere," Ajuka replied, and Sirzechs continued to just stare at him like he'd grown a second head. "You do realize that he's going to end up connected to every clan with an unattached daughter, yes? I give my brother about a minute after hearing about him to decide to introduce him to Latia."
Sirzechs groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose as he realized that his old friend was correct. "Rias is in love with him, Ajuka. I want to give them at least a little time to adjust to their new reality before half the women in the Underworld start trying to pile into their bed."
"We'll keep this to ourselves for now, but word will spread in time, Sirzechs," Ajuka sighed. "You can't prevent that. When the other clans learn what he is, they will all seek to gain the advantages that his seed can provide. His children will, theoretically, be incubi and succubi, and that means that every house that manages to put one of their own in his bed will gain fertile descendants, something our entire species has craved ever since the Lightbringer first realized that his creations were flawed. Even the Phenexes will likely seek to attach him to their daughter, and they're still furious at your family over Rias breaking her engagement."
"They're not likely to settle for mere samples of him either," Sirzechs muttered, placing the snifter down on his desk and burying his face in his hands. "Not when they could gain so much more by formal connections."
"I will, of course, be getting him to provide semen samples when he's next in Agreas," Ajuka murmured. "They can be frozen and secured, and that will give us some degree of insurance should anything happen to him. That boy is the most important figure in the Underworld now, and even the old lords who still balk at the idea of the evil pieces and using humans to increase our numbers won't be able to deny that."
"That's something that truly confuses me, though," Sirzechs said, looking up at him. "Rizevim hates humans with an intensity that exceeds his father's. Why in the world would he turn to one of them for whatever kind of experiment this was?"
"I don't think that he planned to actually make Harry an incubus," Ajuka replied. "Whatever he did was buried so deeply inside him that I didn't detect it when I examined him, and I think that's because of what he was until today."
"You think the horcrux suppressed it?" Sirzechs asked.
"It makes sense in a way," Ajuka replied. "Leviathan sought to create fertile devils and, from what few accounts we have of them, succeeded more than she intended. They were fertility itself, and had they existed for more than mere years before they were hunted to extinction, they would have provided us with enough offspring to fill this planet entirely within a few generations. They were, in a way, creatures of life, and the horcrux, as a work of necromancy and a creation of death, likely suppressed much of whatever he did just by its corrupting presence. That's not what bothers me most, though."
"Where are the other test subjects?" Sirzechs, realizing what he was getting at.
"I can't begin to understand what Rizevim did, which vexes me more than you can imagine, but I know that if I were running this experiment, I would have used multiple test subjects," Ajuka nodded.
"There's also the fact that he's had no contact with Harry that we could detect since he was a baby," Sirzechs muttered. "If he has any way of detecting what's happened…"
"Still think it's a bad idea to suggest Serafall move there?" Ajuka asked.
"If he's planning to transfer to Kuoh Academy, there'd be no point in doing so now, with their current term ending in less than three weeks," Sirzechs mused. "He can stay in Gremory Castle for the time being, and I'll work to make sure that they all remain safe in Japan when they return in the fall. As for the other matter, I think those two have had enough dumped on them for the moment. That's the whole reason that I told Rias to take him away."
"I suppose I can get my samples and run my tests tomorrow," Ajuka sighed, downing the last sip of his cognac. "Whether we like it or not, Sirzechs, their lives just got a lot more complicated. I know you wish to safeguard Rias, and we will ensure her safety, but there are some things that we can't prevent, and the reaction of our people will be one of them."
"I know," Sirzechs sighed, "but he had barely started processing the idea that his mother sold her soul for him when this happened, and there's the fact that Rias just watched him die, I imagine, so...let them rest a little. We can do that much for them."
"As you say," Ajuka nodded. "I'm going to be up all night trying to figure out how the hell he managed this."
"Him or some researcher he's allied with," Sirzechs scowled, knocking back the last of his drink. "Granted I haven't had terribly many interactions with Rizevim, but he'd never struck me as...well, you."
"He always struck me as a chameleon, appearing as whatever he felt like in a given moment," Ajuka muttered. "I do hope that we managed to impress upon Harry how stupid it would be to try to seek him out as he is now."
"Luckily for us, even we don't know where he is," Sirzechs laughed humorlessly. Handing him back his snifter, he said, "Thank you for that."
"I'll check in tomorrow if I have time," Ajuka nodded. "Farewell."
"Farewell," Sirzechs replied as he watched him disappear. It wasn't often that he was that thoroughly flummoxed, but he'd been taken entirely aback by Harry's transformation, and he could only imagine what both he and Rias were going through at the moment. "You never did anything by half, did you, little sister?"
"Rias, I...what the hell?" Venelana asked, staring up at Harry in shock, something which only magnified when she spotted his tail. "By the Lightbringer! How is that…"
"Mother, it's been a very long day, and I'll happily answer your questions, but right now, these two need a place to rest, and I need to go break some news," Rias cut her off, giving her a pointed look. In all her life she'd never seen her mother so shocked, and she couldn't even enjoy it.
"Right," Venelana replied, questions burning in her violet eyes, yet she trusted her daughter enough to let it go if she asked, at least for the moment. Turning to Hermione, she asked, "You are?"
"Hermione Granger, miss…" Hermione went to ask.
"Right, sorry," Rias winced. "Hermione, this is my mother, Lady Venelana Gremory. Mother this is Hermione, my future pawn. I'll take care of that once I get back."
"It's no rush," Hermione replied, looking up at Harry, who still appeared dazed.
"Grayfia!" Venelana called out, and a moment later, the silver-haired maid appeared, her eyes going wide as she spotted Harry.
"What in the world?" she asked as she saw his tail, and Harry would have grumbled about once again earning reactions like that if his mind hadn't been so unfocused.
"Later," Venelana replied. "Lead these two to two of the free rooms."
"Only one is really nee…" Hermione went to say only for Harry to cut her off.
"Actually, I'd like to be alone for a bit, Mione," he said, swallowing his guilt as she looked hurt for a second.
"We're here for you," Rias whispered, hugging him tightly and burying her face in his muscular chest. "Whatever you need."
"Right now, I just need to rest and try to wrap my head around...everything," Harry replied, and she stepped back, looking up at him sympathetically. She had watched him die less than an hour ago and was very reluctant to let him go, but he'd asked her to reassure Sirius and Fleur that he was alright, and she'd take care of that first."
"Right this way," Grayfia said, a hint of curiosity in her usually measured voice, and Harry followed her listlessly.
"Hermione, if you aren't that tired, could you fill them in on what you know?" Rias asked, and the brunette gulped as Venelana's piercing eyes fell on her.
"Okay," she replied, wilting a little under the clearly powerful lady's gaze. "By the way, Fleur would still be in Beauxbatons, so unless you have a way through its wards..."
"Damn it," Rias scowled as she realized that she didn't.
"My owl, Archimedes, will be able to bring her a letter if you address it to her," Hermione offered. "He's at Grimmauld Place."
"That'll have to do," Rias sighed. "Thanks, Hermione."
She disappeared in a crimson summoning circle, leaving the bushy-haired brunette alone with Venelana, who immediately gave her an imperious look.
"Come along, dear," she commanded softly. "I imagine we have much to discuss."
"How the hell did they even get in there?!" Sirius exclaimed as he scrambled out of his chair, letting the book he'd been reading fall on the floor.
"Dobby doesn't know," Dobby replied, "but Harry Potter's Rias did go to help him."
"Rias is there?" Sirius asked, and when Dobby nodded, he sighed in relief. "Okay, so now I just need to…"
He trailed off as a bright crimson light appeared suddenly in the middle of his living room, and he felt palpable relief as a familiar, crimson-haired figure appeared in the middle of it.
"Rias, thank goodness," Sirius breathed. "Is Harry…"
"Harry's fine," she assured him. "How did you...right, Dobby."
"Harry Potter, sir, is okay?" Dobby asked.
"Did he beat yo...Voldemort then?" Sirius asked.
"He did," Rias nodded, and Sirius sighed in relief. "He's gone for good now, and we slaughtered his followers too, so."
"All of them?" Sirius asked.
"All the ones he brought with him," Rias replied, shrugging. "No one who was in that room when my peerage and I arrived lived to tell the tale other than Harry."
The memory of seeing him fall, seemingly dead, hit her then, and she stumbled slightly.
"Rias?" Sirius asked.
"Harry is okay, I promise, but he did sort of die," Rias replied.
"How do you sort of die?" Sirius demanded.
"He was hit by Voldemort's killing curse and…" Rias went to reply, watching Sirius' eyes go wide in shock.
"Is he just immune to those?" he asked, cutting her off.
"No," Rias replied. "You remember the piece of Voldemort's soul that was in his head? It took the hit for him."
"Wait," Sirius smiled, instantly amused, "are you saying that Harry tricked that prick into killing off a piece of himself?"
"It wasn't intentional," Rias replied. "From how destroyed the hall was when we arrived, I can pretty confidently say that those two were equals in the end."
"Bloody hell," Sirius chuckled. "I actually fought him once. James, Alastor Moody, and I ended up on the wrong end of his wand during a mission for Dumbledore. He fought off the three of us with ease; it was like facing an entire squad of aurors. You're saying that Harry's that powerful?"
"He is," Rias replied. "He's in the Underworld now, resting in my family's castle, and I…"
"Don't let me keep you," Sirius smiled. "He just overcame a foe that's been after him since he was a year old, the man who murdered his parents. He deserves to celebrate that, and beautiful company always makes celebrations more fun."
Rias chuckled at that despite herself and said, "Thank you, but he asked me to let you know that he was okay and to check with Fleur as well. Could you show me to the owls? I don't know where Beauxbatons is and know nothing of their wards, so writing will be much simpler."
"Yes, of course, right this way," Sirius replied. "If Hermione's staying with you, maybe you could bring her her cat. I don't know if it's because of my Animagus form or not, but the little prick doesn't like me."
"From what she's said, he doesn't seem to like anyone other than her," Rias chuckled.
"So how did the Death Eaters even get in?" Sirius asked. "And where was Dumbledore in all this?"
"He had been lured away," Rias replied, "and Voldemort had a student repair some kind of enchanted cabinet for…"
"Wait, a vanishing cabinet?" Sirius asked. When she nodded, he swore and hissed, "Why the hell was there a vanishing cabinet in Hogwarts? Did he have it smuggled in?"
"According to Malfoy, it had been there since his school days," Rias replied, and Sirius went still.
"Draco Malfoy was the student who repaired it, huh?" he asked.
"He was," Rias replied. "Did you know him?"
"We never met, but he's my cousin's son...you said was," Sirius replied.
"Yeah, he's dead," Rias replied. "No one who aided Voldemort this time lived, though his death wasn't at my hand. I'm sorry…"
"No, it's fine," Sirius replied. "Narcissa was...well, I always thought there might be something more to her under the frigid exterior, but I haven't seen her since before I went to Azkaban, and I can't imagine that the years made her kinder. As for her son, I'm sure he was Lucius' creature through and through, and that prick can rot."
"By the way, my brother wiped out the Dementors," Rias smiled, and Sirius froze again. "I figured you might enjoy hearing that."
"How did...but they…" Sirius stammered.
"The Power of Destruction can destroy nearly anything," Rias smiled, "and Sirzechs had apparently been meaning to find the time to destroy them for a while."
"Well, thank him for me when you get the chance," Sirius chuckled. "I'll sleep easier knowing those things are gone. It's a pity Wormtail didn't get to suffer more of their hospitality, though."
"I'm sure he'll suffer anyway," Rias grinned as they reached the owlery.
She conjured a piece of paper and wrote a letter to Fleur, informing her of the basics of what had happened and assuring her that no one died and that Harry, Hermione, and Luna would be fine.
"Be sure to tell her this address," Sirius suggested. "On the off chance that Harry never mentioned it, it will be a lot easier for her to floo over and see Harry if she actually knows where to go."
"Good point," Rias chuckled. "Archimedes?"
A great horned owl went to move towards when a furious screech from the snowy owl next to him made him go still. Hedwig flew over and grabbed the letter, apparently insistent on being the one to deliver it.
"Okay, you can do it," Rias chuckled. "Bring this to Fleur Delacour, Hedwig."
The owl flew off without a sound, leaving the very amused pair in her wake.
"Spirited that one," Sirius chuckled. "Not as scary as Alice, though."
"Alice?" Rias asked, and Sirius just pointed at the stygian owl in the corner, whose orange shone with palpable malice as she glared at them.
"Luna's owl," Sirius explained, and Rias just blinked at the sheer contrast between the owl and her owner.
"Anyway, now that that's done, I should be getting back," Rias sighed. "I'll let Harry know that I informed both of you of what happened, and if Fleur comes by, please give her this."
She handed him a summoning paper, which he pocketed with a nod.
"Harry will be returning soon, right?" Sirius asked. "You said he was resting, but…"
"He will," Rias replied. She briefly considered telling him about the other bits of recent insanity in Harry's life, but she knew that it wasn't her place. What Harry told him and when would be up to him, and the last thing she wanted to do just then was add to his considerable stress. Saying goodbye, she teleported away, hoping that her boyfriend had managed to get some rest while she was away, planning to make a stop in Kuoh before she returned to Gremory Castle.
"Yer a wizard," Hagrid had said.
"You're an incubus, Harry," Ajuka said.
"Should have bloody known I wouldn't be normal," Harry muttered to himself as he conjured a ball and bounced it off of the wall, which he enchanted to be silent.
He had already found that magic was infinitely easier now that he was a devil. What he had needed a wand to do before, he could do with just concentration and willpower now. He had yet to test it out too much, but he'd already run through a dozen basic spells and found that they all worked just as well, if not better now. He was seated on the large bed, his tail curled around his waist like a belt, and as he caught the tennis ball again, he vanished it and unfurled the tail, bringing the heart-shaped tip in front of his face.
"That is so bloody weird, and yet it feels like it's always been part of me," Harry said to himself. His brain had adapted more quickly than he'd ever imagined possible. He had as much control over the new appendage as he had over the rest of him, and he's already played around with moving it about, something which proved capable of distracting him for about ten minutes.
"Harry?" Rias called out, knocking on the door.
"Harry, are you okay?" Luna asked. "Rias said something about your devil transformation having horny consequences."
"I said he had horns and was an incubus," Rias corrected her.
"That's what I said," Luna replied, and Harry snorted at that.
"If he wants space, we…" Hermione went to say just as he opened the door.
"Oh, wow," Luna breathed, staring up at him in awe. "And I wanted to climb you like a tree before."
"Luna, I...oof," Harry grunted as she jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms and legs around him and burying her face under his chin.
"It'll be okay," she whispered as he grabbed her arse with one of his large hands and snaked the other around her neck.
"Luna, I…" Harry went to say.
"She's right, you know," Hermione breathed, wrapping her arms around one of his biceps. "We've faced impossible odds before and come out on top. You just defeated Voldemort."
"Voldemort is nothing compared to this Rizevim, though," Harry argued, setting Luna down and stepping back to let them all in. "You saw Sirzechs, Hermione. He destroyed the Dementors casually, like it was nothing, and this asshole is as strong as he is. I…"
"When you first learned that Voldemort was still alive, did you have the faintest hope against him?" Rias asked.
"No," Harry replied. "Not at all. I was a first year and hadn't been a terribly good student through that year. If he wasn't so weak then and if Quirrell hadn't touched me, I'd have been dead then and there."
"Were you a match for him when we first met?" Rias asked.
"Fuck no," Harry replied, shaking his head. "I get what you're saying, but this…"
"Is just another mountain to climb," Rias argued. "Your position relative to Rizevim isn't entirely different than your position relative to Voldemort was back when you first saw him again after that Halloween night. You reached his level, and I know you'll reach Rizevim's."
"How do you know that?" Harry sighed, sounding more tired and weary than any of them had ever heard her.
"Because she knows you, Harry," Hermione replied softly, "and because she watched you this year go from a wizard who wasn't even the top of your year to one who could go toe to toe with one of the most feared dark wizards in history. You will surpass Rizevim; you will rescue your mother's soul and…"
"We will have a big orgy to celebrate," Luna cut in.
"I was going to say that we would reach a point where we weren't constantly thinking about battles to fight, but, well, you are an incubus," Hermione finished, making Harry smile.
"Thank you," Harry sighed, sitting down on the bed. "I've known for a while that my mother sacrificed herself to save me, but learning just what she did made it so much worse. You'll all tell me that it isn't my fault, and I'm just never going to believe that deep down. I…"
He trailed off, looking away, and all three of them hugged him; Hermione and Luna wrapped their arms around his neck from either side while Rias climbed into his lap and pulled his head into her cleavage.
"She loved you, Harry," Rias whispered, running her nails through his hair, "and she saved you but Hermione's right, you will save her too."
"It's kind of your thing," Hermione quipped, and he laughed even as his eyes filled with tears.
"You're not alone, Harry," Luna soothed.
"Thank you," Harry whispered, not trusting his voice as he wiped his eyes. "Rias, you reached out to Sirius and Fleur?"
"I did," Rias replied. "I got there just in time, too. Dobby had told him about what happened, and he was panicking."
"Fuck," Harry groaned.
"I wrote to Fleur as well," Rias nodded. "Your owl insisted on being the one to deliver it. You filled my mother in on what had happened, yes?"
"I did," Hermione replied. "She's quite...intense."
"She is," Rias chuckled. "How did she take it?"
"She didn't give much away, though I imagine she'll want a word with you soon," Hermione replied.
"Right, does anyone have any pressing business on Earth?" Rias asked. "She can be rather pushy when she wants to know something, and I have few answers to give on this subject."
"I'd like to see Sirius, but Ajuka insisted that I stay here for the time being," Harry muttered. "I may as well just go to Agreas. It's not like I was able to sleep at all."
"Here," Rias whispered, pressing her fingertips to his forehead, just over the faded scar, and he passed out immediately.
"Is that safe?" Hermione asked. "I know that dreamless sleep potions can be rather troublesome if abused."
"It's not something you want to use often, but sleep spells have their uses," Rias replied, "and he clearly needed it. Stand up, and I'll tuck him in."
"Luna, I need to...wait, how are you this awake?" Hermione asked. "You looked like you were moments from passing out just like that the last time I saw you."
"Rias woke me with a spell," Luna replied, smiling. "Apparently it will wear off rather abruptly at some point."
"An energy spell," Rias replied as she finished moving Harry into bed. "You should be good for a few more hours."
"Well, in that case, I'd like to show you my home," Luna said. "We can floo there from Grimmauld Place if you bring me there first."
"Luna, I...there's something that I should tell you," Hermione piped up before Rias could reply. "Malfoy confessed to tipping Voldemort off not just about where to find my parents but also about the fact that you and I were Harry's closest friends. He had hoped that he would abduct them and use them to lure Harry into a trap."
"I see," Luna replied, her face falling. "Where is he now?"
"Dead," Hermione replied. "I imperiused him and used him to get rid of Nagini. He didn't survive the fight."
"Are you okay?" Luna asked, pulling her in for a hug.
"Honestly more worried about how little I was affected, actually," Hermione whimpered, and Rias rested a hand on her shoulder.
"As I told Harry when he killed his first man, you're not going to have the luxury of a peaceful life if you want it to be a long one," she said. "You avenged both of your parents and rendered Voldemort mortal in the process. You did well."
"Thank you, Hermione," Luna whispered. "He was always a terrible boy."
"He was," Hermione sighed. "Can I come along? I'd like to see your house too."
"Sure," Rias replied, opening a teleportation circle and taking them back to Grimmauld Place.
Sirius wasn't in the sitting room when they arrived, and they quickly helped themselves to some floo powder and made their way to the Rookery.
"Oh," Luna whimpered as she looked around. There weren't any signs of a struggle, as he had clearly been abducted outside, but the home looked plainly like no one had lived there in months. "I know this makes sense, but I still didn't expect it to look quite so…"
"Hey, I've got you," Hermione whispered, hugging her tightly.
"It's nice," Rias said, looking around. "It's got a very Victorian feel, at least from what I've seen of Victorian English décor."
"Thank you, but I really wanted to show you the outside," Luna replied, blinking away the wetness in her eyes and leading them towards the door.
Hermione and Rias followed, both of them wondering why exactly she was so keen on showing them the outside of her family home, though they quickly got their answer.
"Oh!" Rias exclaimed as she looked up at it. "It looks just like…"
"Why do you think we call it 'The Rookery?'" Luna asked.
"In thought you family just kept rooks," Hermione replied.
"You know, funny enough, you're not the first to think that," Luna smiled.
"It's a big rook," Rias marveled. "Sona would love this place."
It was made of solid black stone and so seamless that it had clearly been made with magic. Wide at its base, it tapered inward gently as it reached the middle, extending upward five stories, the top floor of which was much larger as it flared outward. The roof featured crenelated edges, giving it a distinctly medieval appearance.
"Your devil friend, right?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, the heiress of House Sitri," Rias replied. "One thing that we'll be working on over the summer is teaching you three all about the pillar houses."
"I'm always happy to learn," Hermione said.
"Do you like it, though, Rias?" Luna asked.
"I think it's beautiful; why?" Rias asked.
"Do you think it would look good in Kuoh?" Luna pressed.
"I…" Rias trailed off, giving it some thought. It would certainly turn heads and look nothing like the rest of the local architecture, but it wasn't so garish that people would sneer at it.
"I ask because I don't think your home there is big enough for all of us," Luna replied. "It's sufficient for your current peerage, but…"
"Actually, on the topic of your peerage, where's Akeno?" Hermione replied. "You didn't order her to stay there."
"She seemed pretty distracted when I saw her," Luna replied, "and come to think of it, she wasn't nearly as horny as I'd have expected after a big fight."
"She heard a name that she hadn't in a while, and it bothered her," Rias replied. "I won't get into more specifics than that. It's her tale to tell."
"Right," Hermione replied, wondering just who Baraqiel was, as she remembered how the other devil had reacted to hearing it. It sounded biblical, and she figured he was an angel, which raised a number of questions, but as Rias said, they were Akeno's to answer if she wanted to.
"When I first moved to Kuoh, my father offered to have a palace built for me," Rias replied. "I turned him down, wanting to experience life in a less grandiose home for once, but you're right, and we'll have to upsize soon. If you want something like this, I wouldn't necessarily object; it is lovely, and seeing my father's face when I ask if he could get his architects to design a giant rook would be undoubtedly funny."
"Oh, there's no need to bother him," Luna smiled, placing her hand on the outside wall. "Game over."
As soon as the words left her lips, it was like an earthquake hit the region. The tower trembled, shaking faster and faster as it began to glow with bright blue light. Rias flew forward, intending to pull Luna back in case it started to crumble and fall on her, but as she reached her, she noticed that the house had begun to shrink. Smaller and smaller it got until finally it was the size of an actual rook, floating above a giant hole in the ground that had, she assumed, been their basement, though it was completely empty. It floated towards Luna, who caught it in her hand and smiled at Rias.
"We can just plant it in Japan," she explained.
"Luna, what in the world did I just watch?" Hermione asked.
"My great-great-great-great-grandfather, Aldous Lovegood, was a big fan of chess," Luna explained. "One day, as he was playing a game with his dog, Brutus, it occurred to him that a rook looked lot like a real tower, and he wondered what it would be like to live in one…"
"He was playing chess with his dog?" Rias asked.
"Brutus was apparently a particularly smart English Wolfhound," Luna replied. "There's a portrait of him in here. Anyway, he figured out how to enlarge one into a home he and his family could fit, enchanted it to remain perpetually that size, and moved in. Of course, he accidentally placed it right in the middle of a bit of land claimed by a centaur colony, and when the colony demanded one of his daughters in exchange for letting him live there, even though Eleanor Lovegood volunteered and was apparently quite disappointed when he turned them down, he figured out a way to shrink it back down and moved it here. So now, whenever the head of the Lovegood family places their hand on it and says the key phrases, it enlarges or shrinks."
"So we could put that in Kuoh?" Rias asked, trying to grapple with everything that Luna had just said.
"Mmhmm," Luna replied. "It will take care of the foundation and everything, even giving us a very nice basement, which you can still see the shell of here."
"What about the furniture and everything else that was in there?" Hermione asked. "Is all of it enchanted to shrink with the house?"
"No, that would be terribly inefficient," Luna replied. "The Rookery is enchanted to safely shrink everything inside it when it gets shrunk down. It also purposefully ejects living creatures from it before it shrinks, like that little rat over there."
"Rat?" Hermione asked, whipping around.
"I felt him get tossed out when the tower was shaking," Luna replied. "Poor little guy's probably very disoriented, but he's okay."
Rias laughed as she watched the rat finally notice them and run off, and she held out her hand, examining the rook as Luna handed it over. She was hardly a stranger to enchanted chess pieces, and this wasn't exactly an evil piece, but it was still a remarkable bit of enchanting.
"No one other than you can affect it?" she asked as she gave it back.
"Mmhmm," Luna replied. "Aldous Lovegood was very adamant about that. If Daddy were still alive, it would be tied to him, but as I'm now the last of us…"
She trailed off, looking down at the rook in her hand, and Rias took the other one, earning a warm smile from her.
"Hold onto it and we'll find a place in Kuoh," Rias smiled, already having decided that the Rookery was worth putting in town at least. "In the meantime, speaking of chess pieces..."
She summoned a pair of pawns and held out the evil pieces.
"Just tell me I'm not going to end up with cloven hooves or something," Hermione muttered.
"I swear that physical changes like that are very rare," Rias winced.
"To be fair to the evil pieces, weird things do happen to Harry a lot," Luna pointed out. "Besides, if you do end up with cloven hooves, I promise to knit you cute little socks and enchant them to soften any blows in case you kick us in your sleep."
Rias snorted at that as Hermione just shook her head.
"I do want to be a devil, despite everything," she admitted, stepping forward.
"Come," Rias smiled. "The first time a new devil enters the Underworld, they're legally required to do so via train, but if I turn you there…"
"You can bypass the requirement for now," Hermione nodded. "Right."
With a simple spell, Rias took the three of them back to the Underworld, leaving a big gaping hole in the ground in her wake. The next time anyone came to see the Rookery, they'd be very confused.
"Harry?" Luna whispered. "I can sense you waking up."
Harry grumbled and went to roll over, finding, instead of a pillow, a pair of perky breasts, which worked much better.
"I'm glad these things curl back as sharply as they do," Luna murmured, tracing her fingers over his horns. "Having you rest on my boobs would be far less fun if there was much chance of you accidentally goring me."
"Huh?" Harry asked, opening his eyes and looking up at Luna, who was cradling his head and had started running her nails over his scalp. "Mmm, feels good."
"Scalp scratches always do," Luna sighed happily. "How do you feel?"
"I…" Harry trailed off, remembering everything that had happened the previous day. "I slept well at least."
"Yeah, Rias' spell worked really well," Luna replied.
"Luna, I said not to bug him," Rias sighed as she flew in, followed by Hermione, who Harry realized after a moment was flying too.
"What the...oh!" he exclaimed, watching her grin widely as she flew about the room.
"I finally found a method that I like," the brunette beamed. "I never feared flying so much as falling, but now…"
"I take it you're a devil too?" Harry asked, looking over at Luna, who willed her bat-like wings to appear.
"Mmhmm," the blonde replied dreamily. "Rias turned us while you were sleeping, and then the three of us cuddled together."
"At least these ones went off without any issues," Harry grumbled as he sat up and Rias sat next to him.
"I'm sorry about this," she sighed, stroking one of his horns.
"It's not your fault, and honestly I'm kind of used to it by now," Harry chuckled. "I stopped yearning to be normal a while ago."
"Normal's overrated," Luna said wisely. "Now, would you mind standing up? I want to see how tall you've gotten."
"Oh, right," Harry muttered, flying out of bed and landing in front of them.
Rias conjured a measuring tape and telekinetically moved it next to him, stretching it out against him.
"You're officially half a foot taller than you were when we met," she declared.
"Really?" Harry asked.
"You were my height when you first summoned me," Rias replied, "gained a couple inches over the course of the year and had quite the sudden growth spurt when you became a devil. You now stand at about 6'2, not counting the horns."
"Your feet are a lot bigger too," Hermione commented. Noticing a pair of black leather shoes by the door, she asked, "You conjured these?"
"Figured I needed something," Harry replied.
"Oh! I wonder if your penis is any bigger," Luna exclaimed, and before Harry could say a word, she spelled his clothes off. "Oh, wow."
"Holy hell," Hermione breathed.
"Fuck me," Rias moaned.
"What?" Harry asked, staring down at his cock, which had grown hard almost the second they started gawking at him. "It might be maybe half an inch longer and a little thicker at most."
"Harry, you…" Hermione went to reply only for Rias to beat her to it by summoning a full-length mirror in front of him.
"Oh," Harry chuckled as he finally realized what had made them stare like that. His body looked like it had been chiseled from stone, his every muscle strong and firm. His shoulders were broad, his neck thick, and his arms large, corded with muscle. His well-developed pectorals were prominent, and his stomach was flat, with six very distinct abs lining it. He looked like he'd spent years working on his physique, and while the past several months of intense training had paid off well, he hadn't looked nearly this good the day before. He was about to vanish the mirror when he felt a sharp pinch at his right buttock and looked behind him to see Luna.
"Sorry, but I just had to feel if that was as hard and firm as it looked," the blonde replied. "Feel free to pay me back in kind later."
"Wow, I didn't realize just how much you'd changed," Hermione breathed, running her hands up and down his left arm, seemingly entranced.
"You know, Harry, I did promise you that if you won the tournament, you could fuck my ass," Rias purred, flying behind him and pressing her breasts against the back of his head as she ran her hands over his chest.
"If I'd known you'd all react like this, I'd have trained even harder this year," Harry chuckled.
"Hermione, why don't you get him nice and wet for Rias?" Luna suggested. "As we both know, it's a very tight fit back there, and we wouldn't want her hurt."
"Of course," Hermione replied, vanishing her clothes with a wave of her hand and flying up to him, wrapping her arms around his head and her legs around his back as she slowly lowered herself down on his shaft, picking it up with her mind to make sure she was lined up perfectly. "Oh fuck!"
Harry grunted the same thing as he felt himself sink inside her soaking wet pussy, and he stumbled back against the wall. He'd have normally gone with some degree of foreplay first, but she was clearly soaking wet, and as he felt her start to bounce on his cock in the air, there was nothing he wanted more than to pound her within an inch of her sanity. Nothing, even harpy Fleur, had ever felt this good, and he could only grunt and groan as her pleasured moans echoed through the room.
"Yes, yes, yes, yes!" Hermione screamed. "So fucking good!"
"I told you," Rias chuckled as she watched the brunette fuck their boyfriend hard and leaned in to graze her nails over both of their scalps, "everything feels better as a devil. Food will taste better, your eyes will take in the beauty of the world in ways you've never experienced, and pleasure will be all the more intoxicating. If you weren't what you are, Harry, I might have worried that you'd have trouble holding back, but then, you've never lacked staying power."
"Truth be told, we should have known he was a pseudo-incubus ages ago," Luna piped up as she undressed both herself and Rias by snapping her fingers. "Why else would a virgin boy have been able to have sex with you without cumming instantly?"
"I nearly did," Harry grunted, picking up his pace as he held Hermione by her wonderfully round arse as he fucked her hard, "but then I kept going."
"Don't stop!" Hermione squealed. "Don't ever stop. HARRY!"
She shrieked as she came, writhing in his strong, powerful arms, and Luna bit her lower lip at the sight of her copious fluids running down along Harry's balls and falling to the floor below. Harry turned her around, pressed her up against the wall, and fucked her even harder, pounding her against it and drawing out her titanic climax further.
"I don't think we have to worry much about his cock not being sufficiently lubricated now," Luna commented, making Rias laugh, "which leaves only your tight little asshole."
"Wha...ahh!" Rias cried as she felt a sudden cold sensation as her bowels were cleaned and lubricated by Luna's spell.
"There," Luna smiled up at her. "That should take care of it, though; you did promise me that I could be more thorough."
Before Rias could even ask what she meant, Luna flew low behind her and, spreading her cheeks wide, pressed the tip of her tongue against her puckered rosette.
"Luna!" Rias cried, stumbling towards the bed and grabbing the sheets as she bent over. "Oh, fuck!"
"It feels really good, huh?" Luna asked as she continued rimming the gorgeous redhead.
"Shit, you're good at that," Rias moaned, comparing her to Akeno in her mind. It wasn't something that they did often, as she much preferred having her pussy eaten, but she was not opposed to rimjobs at all."
"More, more, more!" Hermione cried, lost in a sea of bliss.
From the moment Harry was undressed, she'd felt lust and desire in a way that she'd never known before. She wasn't sure if it was just her reacting to how gorgeous he'd become, her devilish nature making her wanton, or if he had some kind of allure now that he was an incubus, and in that moment she didn't care. All that mattered to her was feeling his long, thick cock spear into her again and again, driving her wild and making her scream in pleasure. He'd felt amazing inside her before, but this was an entirely different level, and she swore that she actually felt his cock shift inside a little when she started riding him. As it was angled, he was hitting her posterior fornix every time he drove deep, and she swore she was starting to lose her mind at the sheer intensity of her ecstasy.
"Hermione, when you next cum, let Rias have a turn," Luna called out. "She's dripping with anticipation."
"There's no need to ru...oh, wow," Rias snorted as she saw the look on Hermione's face. It was flushed bright red, and her jaw was slack as Harry's every rough thrust inside her made her scream again. Her eyes had rolled back, and she looked mindless, writhing in his arms through what she thought might be one long orgasm. "Harry, I doubt a devil can cum so hard she dies, but you might want to ease up a little."
"Huh?" Harry asked, shaking his head as her words cut though the haze of lust he'd been in, and he noticed just how out of it Hermione looked. "Um, are you okay?"
"So...good!" Hermione panted, sounding dazed as she stared at him with wide, unfocused eyes.
"I've got her," Luna replied for her, flying over and grabbing her under her arms to pull her off of him. Licking a trail up her neck, she giggled, "Ooh, salty."
Hermione just whimpered and shuddered as she felt his cock slip out of her depths, leaving her feeling terribly empty, but even that couldn't break through the haze of her endorphin flood.
"Harry, you worked really hard this year," Rias purred, looking over her shoulder at him and grinning lasciviously. "You deserve a reward for all your hard work, and I did promise you something really special if you won the tournament."
"You did, didn't you?" Harry chuckled, flying over as Luna laid Hermione down on the bed and started running her fingers through her hair.
"This started with you taking my virginity," Rias smiled, "freeing me from Riser and sending us all on this long, hedonistic journey together. I think it only fitting that we start the next chapter of our lives together the same way."
"And what a tight fit it will be," Harry rumbled, pushing one of his long, thick fingers inside her arse, making her gasp. "Are you sure this is what you want, Rias? I'm a lot bigger than my fingers, and you're so fucking tight back here."
"I do!" Rias cried, her grip on the sheets tightening until her knuckles turned white. "You already took my mouth and my pussy; take my ass too, and I'll be utterly yours, every inch and all three holes!"
"Thank you for yesterday," Harry whispered in her ear as he leaned in close and pulled his finger from her ass. "For coming to save me, giving me space when I needed it, and helping me sleep afterward. This all started with you agreeing to save my life, and you did, multiple times."
"You saved me too," Rias whispered, her throat tight as she grew emotional, peering into his dark green eyes and feeling love on a level she never had before. "You saved me from a life I would have hated and gave me so much. Now I want you to give me something else, something I promised you months ago."
"Gladly," Harry grinned, fisting his still wet cock and brushing her slick arsehole with the head of his cock, making her whimper. He pushed forward, and they both moaned as she gave way for him.
"Oh fuck!" Rias moaned, trailing off in a laugh as she felt him spread her anus wide. "Shit!"
"Fuck me, you're so tight," Harry groaned, grabbing her wide hips and going still.
"No, give me more!" Rias whimpered. "You feel so good already."
Harry pushed forward, sinking another couple inches of his cock inside her molten heat. He preferred vaginal sex for numerous reasons, the biggest one being the way that every inch of his lovers' pussies massaged him while he fucked them, but that didn't mean that anal wasn't incredible as well. The sheer tightness and pressure from her puckered rim was incredible, and the heat of her insides was just as amazing. He fucked her slowly with short thrusts, burying a little more of his cock inside her each time he pushed forward, all while she grunted and moaned, clawing at the sheets in front of her. She was being stretched in a way that she'd never experienced, and she swore he felt like he was pushing into her stomach.
"It feels really good, doesn't it?" Luna asked, joining them as Hermione sat up stretched her arms over her head.
"Merlin, Harry, that was amazing," the brunette purred. "My legs are still shaking."
"It...oh!" Rias cried out as she felt his hips press against her plush ass. "It was way more intense, wasn't it?"
"Like nothing else," Hermione sighed, resting on her back and watching them intently.
"Luna, I want you to try something," Harry said.
"Oh?" the blonde asked.
"I want you to see if I can eat you out while I fuck Rias," Harry replied. "Flying should make that possible."
"Ooo, that sounds like fun," Luna grinned, lifting herself off of the bed.
"Face me," Rias instructed, "and then spread your legs and move back. You can rest your thighs on his shoulders. They're clearly broad enough."
"Let me know when I can move, baby," Harry smiled down at her, and Rias returned the look.
"You can now," she replied, "but I wouldn't mind if you waited until Luna was in position."
Harry nodded and watched Luna fly towards him, flattening herself out in the air and spreading her legs wide. As she moved backward, he ghosted his hands over her legs and pulled her back into position until her dripping folds were right on his lips. Grinning as he felt her smooth thighs rest on his shoulders, he gave her a long lick from her clit from her perineum and pulled most of his length from Rias' ass.
"Oh yes!" Luna cried as Rias yelped at the sudden movement.
Harry grinned, working his way up to a slow, steady pace with his crimson-haired lover, wanting to give her a chance to get used to him, as his tongue began to dance through Luna's dripping wet folds. The blonde mewled and moaned, faltering in the air a couple times as she soared towards her peak, but holding on well enough. She stretched her arms down, ready to catch herself if she fell, hoping to avoid collapsing on Rias directly, and she clenched her thighs around Harry's head.
"Harder!" Rias cried, and he picked up his pace, fucking her with long, hard strokes.
She dug her nails into the sheets and started throwing her ass back against him in time with his thrusts, clenching her inner muscles each time he pulled back. Harry groaned in pleasure and began swirling his tongue around Luna's clit, making her moan loudly. There were countless reasons for him to want to be rid of the Horcrux, and after he'd learned all that Voldemort had to teach him, there was no strategic reason to avoid that. There was one thing that he feared he might lose with it, though, and as Luna began to shake, drawing close to her orgasm, he decided to test out if he still possessed one of his most useful abilities.
"Cum," he hissed in parseltongue, and he sighed in relief when he heard her squeal in pleasure.
"YES!" the blonde shrieked, writhing in ecstasy as it thundered through her body in waves. Her control over her flight slipped, and she was forced to hold herself up on her arms, her hands landing on either side of Rias' body, but she didn't care at all, lost in the mind-melting pleasure that was coursing through her.
"More, more, more!" Rias cried, feeling the pressure inside her build rapidly.
"I never would have expected it, but I really do enjoy anal," Hermione smiled as she settled next to her. "The overwhelming fullness, the feeling of his bulging veins against me, the throbbing heat of him; it's all so intense back there."
"Yes, it...is!" Rias cried. "Fuck, I'm so close."
Hermione looked up at Luna, seeing her steadying herself in the air as she came down from her high and bade to Harry continue eating her out and then looked back down at Rias, whose whole body was beginning to quiver. Grinning to herself, she licked her fingers and reached under the redhead, finding her clit and making her squeal.
"Hermione?" she asked, looking over and shuddering at her.
"Cum for him, Rias," the brunette grinned wickedly. "Cum for him, and I'm sure he'll be nice enough to pump your bowels full of his thick, white seed."
"HARRY!" Rias squealed as she came, and Harry groaned in pleasure, pulling back from Luna's pussy as his thrusts grew erratic.
He let go with a roar, filling her with rope after rope of cum, and Rias' eyes bulged at the feeling. She came again hard, squirting all over him and Hermione, and her pleasured screams echoed through the room. Writhing in pleasure, she fell forward, her mind lost in a haze of bliss as her vision went white. When Harry pulled his still-hard cock from her depths, Luna immediately flew down and started lapping at her gaping asshole, drinking down his cum as she waved her hand at Hermione and pointed at Harry's cock.
"I think she wants me to clean you up," Hermione purred, lifting his heavy cock up and winking at him as she lowered herself down towards him. This was another act that she'd have balked at not long ago, but in that moment she didn't care at all and didn't hesitate to wrap her lips around his shaft, bobbing her head up and down on him.
"Holy fuck," Harry groaned, resting his hands on her head as she did her best to suck his soul out of his cock.
This had been one of the raunchier sexual encounters of his life, and as he looked around the room, he knew that it was far from over. Yesterday had been very difficult, and he knew damn well that he had challenges ahead of him like nothing he'd ever known, but he also knew that he wasn't going to have face to them alone. He had overcome seemingly impossible odds before and won, and with his devoted girlfriends at his side, he had to believe that he would do so again.
Hours later, Harry went to explore the grounds of the castle, with Luna and Hermione tagging along, and Rias sent her servants to show them around, wishing for a moment alone. From the top of the tallest tower, she peered out at her family's demesne, stretching for miles in every direction, and thought back to the last two fights she'd been in.
The second she was close enough, Rias switched the positions and unleashed a massive blast of power at her unsuspecting foe, hitting him directly.
Elias didn't even have a chance to scream as he was atomized by the blast.
Holding her hands out in front of her, her tiredness was forgotten for a moment in her anger, and she unleashed the Power of Destruction on her masked foes in a wave of power the likes of which she'd never managed before. A half a dozen of them were atomized before they even realized they were in danger, and horrified screams rang out across the room at the sight of the enraged devils.
Holding her hand outstretched before her, she conjured a ball of crimson destruction, watching its terrible power grow denser and denser as she fed it.
"I think I owe you an apology," Venelana murmured as she joined her.
"What?" Rias asked, struggling to recall the last time her mother had apologized for anything.
"When you used Harry to break your engagement to Riser, I thought your method crude and done in unnecessary haste," Venelana replied, "and yet so much good has come of it both for you and for the family at large. I misjudged you, and I'm sorry for that."
"Hermione told you what Harry is," Rias said, and she nodded.
"The girl is bright, something that shone even through her complete confusion," Venelana chuckled. "She's the one who figured out how to make that magical room produce our new library, yes?"
"She is," Rias replied, smiling softly. "She's been a great asset, and she's become a good friend; they all have."
"Even the Veela you mentioned?" Venelana asked.
"Things with Fleur have been rockier than they have with the others," Rias replied, choosing not to mention the ritual, "but they've improved over time. I might take her along with them on the train the next time we come to the Underworld."
"Right," Venelana nodded. "Rias, the Phenexes are furious with us; that hasn't waned."
"Have they made trouble?" Rias asked, furrowing her brow.
"Not overtly, but an angry devil can be a subtle adversary, an angry clan of them even more so," Venelana replied. "I don't know how Harry became what he has…"
"Even Lord Ajuka doesn't have a clue about that so far," Rias replied.
"But he could be a great help to us here," Venelana continued.
"How could Harry help with the Phenexes?" Rias asked. "They have more reason to be angry at him than any of us, save for me."
"They are angry because their pride was wounded," Venelana explained. "We are proud creatures by nature, my daughter, because Lucifer made us that way, but pride is not our only sin. We are also covetous, and there isn't one among us who doesn't crave power. Think about it for a moment; you're no fool, Rias."
"Ravel?" Rias asked, her eyes widening, and her mother just smiled.
"I already explained my reasoning for seeking the union between you and Riser," Venelana replied, "but the Phenexes had their own reasons. It would have tied them directly to the family that produced Sirzechs, not only giving them a connection to him but also giving them a chance to produce similarly impressive children. Tying their daughter to an incubus would be a greater boon than that, and it would still tie them to us as they desired."
"You're suggesting that I use Harry to repair our diplomatic relations with another house?" Rias bristled, and Venelana just laughed.
"You are still so young, Rias," she grinned. "You have no idea what you have in your grasp."
"What are you talking about?" Rias asked.
"You love him, yes?" Venelana asked.
"I do," Rias nodded.
"And you have turned him, made him your pawn," Venelana continued. "You have already allowed him a harem, one you seem to have actively built. He loves you too; that much is clear, so marry him, be his wife, and in time, when people ask who is the most powerful woman in the Underworld, your name will be mentioned in the same breath as Serafall and Grayfia."
"You want me to marry him?" Rias asked in surprise. "I figured that I'd need to spend ages warming you to the idea."
"If he was just a newly turned devil, I would have my reservations, but he is an incubus, and that changes everything," Venelana grinned. "What do you think the other clans are going to do when they learn about him? I spoke to your brother earlier, and he made it clear that he is trying to keep things quiet for as long as possible, but word will spread."
"They'll want him," Rias breathed, finally realizing what her mother was getting at. "They'll all try sending their daughters to seduce him."
"Your cousin Seekvaira, Latia Astaroth, Roygun Belphegor, Ravel Phenex, the list goes on," Venelana grinned. "Be his wife, and you will be the mistress of his harem, even more than you already are. Every clan in the Underworld with a suitable daughter will seek to send her his way, and as his wife, it will be you they all end up kneeling before for a taste of him. You cannot fathom such power, my daughter."
Rias swallowed thickly, imagining all four of them and even more begging her for Harry's seed. Her beautiful cousin, the bratty little firebird, the proud regal lady, and even the top-rated female devil in the Rating Games; each one would happily lick her cunt for a chance to have him, especially if they'd already felt the pleasure of his touch, the exquisite allure of his lustful aura, and the madness-inducing ecstasy of coming around his massive cock. For all her talk of being a creature of sin, Rias was generally rather tame for one of her kind, but in that moment she felt a desire for power the likes of which she'd never known.
"I won't rush into anything, and I won't push anything on Harry, including my hand," she muttered a moment later, shaking her head and trying to calm the heat in her core. "We will be partners; I might be his master, but I won't rule him like that."
The bright red collar appeared on her neck for a fraction of a second as she mentioned being his master, but Venelana was rolling her eyes at the time and didn't notice. It also faded quickly, which she was grateful for, as the last thing she wanted was to end up in her punished state in front of her mother.
"There isn't a straight man alive who would turn down what I described," Venelana scoffed, "but I will leave this with you. You've proven yourself more capable than I ever realized, and I am proud of all you've accomplished this year."
"Speaking of my accomplishments, there was something that I meant to ask you about," Rias replied. "Have you ever experienced a sudden boost in your power?"
"When I was young, it developed rapidly at certain points," Venelana replied. "Why?"
"I got into a couple fights yesterday, and I seemed...significantly more powerful than I had been," Rias replied. "One of them was against some very disoriented wizards, and I wouldn't have struggled with them at any rate, but I wiped out half a dozen of them with one attack."
"Curious," Venelana mused, twisting the rings on one of her fingers as she thought about it. "Care to spar?"
"Sure," Rias replied, her wings spreading out from her back as she took to the air, followed closely by her mother.
Venelana hadn't fought seriously in some time, but there was a time when she was deeply feared in the Underworld, as most members of the Bael line generally were, and she wasn't someone to take lightly.
"Alright, Rias, show me what you've got," she grinned, bracing herself as she felt her daughter's aura flare.
Rias launched a massive blast of destructive energy her way, and Venelana grinned, flying out of the way and letting it pass harmlessly by her. As it did, though, she felt the sheer amount of power that her daughter had put into the attack, and her eyes widened.
"Impressive," she grinned. "Manage more attacks like that, and I might consider you on Millicas' level."
"Your shit-talking loses its bite when you can't fully suppress the impressed tone," Rias laughed, lobbing a condensed ball of destruction at Venelana, who chose to shield against it, grunting as she felt the power of it bash against her barrier.
Pointing two fingers together at her, she focused her power tighter and tighter, forming little black and crimson balls, which she then launched right at Rias, whose eyes widened at the sudden onslaught. She conjured a series of three shielded, and felt her arms shake as her mother's rapid attacks slammed into them with great force. The barrage went on and on, sounding and looking like machine gun fire, and just as she managed to break through Rias' first shield, she stopped and flew back down to the tower.
"I've seen enough," Venelana smiled as Rias joined her. "Your technique still needs work, but you are certainly more powerful than you were the last time we did anything like that."
"I'm more powerful than I was a few months ago," Rias replied, "and I didn't even notice until I was forced to fight seriously against a particularly annoying stray in Kuoh. I don't get it."
"There's nothing you can think of that might explain your sudden improvement?" Venelana asked. "No other strange fight you were in or work of magic that you undertook."
"The pact!" Rias thought to herself, knowing that the ritual she'd undergone with Harry certainly counted as a work of magic. She'd have honestly wondered if having sex with an incubus could have such an impact on her, as the rush of energy she felt when he came inside her had been nothing short of soul-searing, but she'd noticed the effects before he transformed.
"Did you think of something?" Venelana asked.
"I'm not sure," Rias replied. "I have an idea, but it seems unlikely. I could check the library, though, and see if there's anything there that could explain it."
"I'll show you," Venelana smiled. "You should see the sheer number of space-extension charms that went into the construction of the tower. It extends taller than any of the others, burrows down as many floors below the ground as it rises above it, and we still had to expand each floor to fit everything in."
"In Hogwarts, the room extended farther than we could see after we had it create the omnilibrary," Rias chuckled.
"I slipped in earlier, by the way, and finished sealing it," Venelana commented. "Now, only one of our blood can access it. I made a point of looking around and trying to get a sense of how it was made, something that I might continue doing over the next couple months."
"You would try to recreate it?" Rias asked.
"It's already proven to be quite the boon, and if I could, that would be extraordinary," Venelana replied. "Come, I think you'll enjoy my decorative choices for the library."
Rias chuckled and flew after her as she went towards the library, hoping that she'd be able to find something that could tell her if there were any side effects of the ritual that the scroll hadn't mentioned.