Chapter 44
Harry let out a self-satisfied sigh as he left the bathroom about half an hour after his birthday orgy finished. He'd half expected his gorgeous, devilish lovers to offer to wash his back, but they'd gone to shower on their own, something that he doubted had anything to do with them being too tired to go on. They had something else planned, and he was eager to find out what it was. He dressed quickly and headed downstairs, quirking his brow in amusement when he saw Hermione arguing with Gnarl.
"Perhaps if we just softened some of the spikes," the ancient minion suggested, sounding like he'd been at this for a while.
"I'm not wearing a big gauntlet around, Gnarl," Hermione muttered. "Spikes or no, I'd look ridiculous, not to mention conspicuous."
"But how else are you to command fear in all you survey if you don't dress the part?" Gnarl asked. "You are the Overlady, and this is a suit of armor befitting an Overlady. Plus, your ability to summon the minions through gates will be tied to your gauntlet and helmet."
"How exactly does that work?" Harry asked, reaching the bottom of the stairs. "She can already command them."
"Yes, but not in the sort of numbers that she could with this," Gnarl replied, pointing to the scroll of parchment he'd sketched on, and Harry cocked an eyebrow the moment he saw it. It looked like something out of a heavy metal album cover, a suit of heavy plate mail made of black steel, with a spiked helmet that would look intimidating on someone, he was sure, but which would look genuinely hilarious on Hermione.
"I didn't know you could draw this well," Harry commented, and Gnarl preened.
"One of my lesser-known talents," the minion replied.
"Look, I'm not dealing with this on your birthday, Harry," Hermione muttered. "We'll figure things out another time."
"Hermione, I don't need your constant attention all day," Harry chuckled. "I'm happy to help you out with this. The enchantments in the armor, could they be woven into something else? A bracelet perhaps? Hermione's a capable witch and doesn't truly need a suit of heavy armor like this."
"A bracelet?" Gnarl asked, not sounding like he particularly liked the idea. "I mean, I guess it might be possible, but I don't think a bracelet would strike fear in anyone."
"What about a ring?" Luna asked, and Hermione froze. "I've been reading those books you like so much, and something like Sauron's ring might work if it's just meant to help you command and summon the minions. If that Celebrimbal guy ever wrote anything down, we'd have his notes too."
"Celebrimor and...oh, wow," Hermione breathed, swallowing thickly as her mind raced with possibilities. She'd pretty much accepted that she was stuck being the minion's reluctant master if she didn't want them to end up seeking out someone worse, and while she wouldn't normally have taken inspiration from a being as evil as Sauron, she couldn't help but consider the idea of using something so Tolkienesque very cool. "I'm nowhere near as powerful as Sauron, so the ring wouldn't work the same way, but if I could figure out how exactly he forged it, I might be able to do something similar enough…"
She trailed off, a small smile forming on her lips at the thought of what a complex and intriguing research project that might be.
"Where are the others?" Harry asked.
"Rias, Akeno, and Fleur are in Castle Gremory, as are Kiba and Koneko," Hermione replied. "We stayed behind to wait for Sirius, who didn't come home last night."
"What?" Harry asked, instantly concerned.
"I'm sure he's fine," Luna replied. "It's early yet, and he's capable of taking care of himse…"
Sure enough, before she could finish that sentence, the door opened and Sirius strolled in with a satisfied smile on his face.
"Ah, Happy Birthday, Harry," Sirius grinned, hugging him the moment he spotted him. "Sorry I'm late, but I slept in far more than I expected."
"Not here," Harry pointed out, and his grin grew wider. "So, who's the lucky stray?"
"Fuck off, Harry," Sirius laughed, and he joined in. "Um, I'm actually sort of seeing someone."
"Really?" Harry asked.
"That's great, Sirius," Luna smiled, and Hermione nodded in agreement.
"Her name's Haruka, a widow about my age," Sirius explained. "It's early yet, and I didn't actually mean to spend the night like that, but we got carried away and…"
"Say no more," Harry chuckled. "How'd you two meet?"
"I was trying out one of the nearby restaurants when she showed up wanting a seat after they'd filled the place up," Sirius replied. "Rather than let such a beautiful woman wait, or worse, leave, I generously offered to share my table; we hit it off, and we've been on a few dates since. Got a bit awkward this morning, though."
"Oh?" Harry asked.
"The reason that I didn't intend to spend the night is that she has a daughter, a girl about your age, and we weren't ready to introduce me yet," Sirius sighed.
"That would be awkward," Hermione chuckled.
"Got weird, too," Sirius muttered. "I don't know if there's something wrong with the girl, but she caught us as her mother was trying to sneak me out, took one look at me, and just said, 'seven, very nice,' and walked off. Haruka spluttered and blushed, and I hightailed it out of there, not wanting to make things more awkward than they already were."
"That is weird," Harry replied.
"Yeah, I mean, I am at least an eight," Sirius argued.
Before any of them could say anything else, Rias' magic circle formed on the ground, and she appeared inside it a moment later. "Is he ba...ah, Sirius, good."
"I'm back," Sirius said. "Just give me a second to change, and you can bring me right over."
"What have you planned?" Harry asked, and Rias grinned.
"I know you didn't want anything over the top, so instead, I planned a simple gathering of our friends," Rias replied. "Happy birthday, Harry."
"The happiest yet already," Harry smiled, kissing her softly.
"Gnarl, do you want to come along?" Hermione asked. "Lord Zeoticus said you could look through the library, provided you don't damage anything."
"Yes, Dark One," Gnarl nodded, "and I am perfectly capable of looking through books without damaging them."
Sirius ran upstairs and reappeared a moment later, at which point they all teleported to the Underworld.
"So this is a whole other world out there?" Sirius asked, looking around. "I was a little preoccupied by the murder elves the other day and didn't get a chance to really take much in."
"Murder minions," Gnarl muttered, and he chuckled.
"Sorry," Sirius murmured. "What's up with you and elves anyway?"
"If you had ever met the elves of my world, you would understand," Gnarl shuddered.
"I didn't see Dobby or Kreacher earlier," Harry commented.
"I brought them here," Hermione replied. "Curiously, unlike the newborn ones, those two seem to have retained more of their old personalities."
"A lingering effect of the wizard's meddling, I suspect," Gnarl said. "I will admit, should the minions end up being a little smarter than they were before, that won't be a bad thing."
"To answer your question, Sirius, yes," Rias replied. "The Underworld, like Heaven, is a separate planet separated from Earth by the dimensional gap, a vast, nigh-unnavigable expanse of space occupied by a massive red dragon."
"I...see," Sirius replied. "Hermione, is this what being a muggleborn thrust into the Wizarding World was like?"
"More or less," Hermione replied.
"I invited Seekvaira and Sona," Rias murmured to Harry. "You seemed to get on with them at the party, and I figured there'd be no harm in it."
"Not at all," Harry smiled. "I'm happy to get to know more of your friends, and it's not like Seekvaira knew what her mother was going to do."
"She'd have warned me," Rias nodded. "She did apparently get an eyeful, though, and I'd be lying if I said I'm not looking forward to seeing her fail to look you in the eye."
Harry chuckled at that and wrapped his arm around her waist, cocking an eyebrow at Luna when she wrapped an arm around his.
"It's been a while since we've been able to relax like this," he blonde said softly, and he sighed, kissing the crown of her head.
"It has," Harry replied. "A little relaxation is exactly what I need."
"You'll be permitted exactly one day of it," Grayfia said, and he stiffened, not having noticed her appear next to them. "We need to get you ready for Riser, and taking more than your birthday off would be...ill-advised."
"Riser?" Sirius asked.
"Rias' dickhead ex-fiance," Harry replied. "I'm slated to fight him on our wedding day."
"Is that some devil tradition?" Sirius asked, confused and alarmed.
"No," Rias replied flatly. "It was Sirzechs' idea."
"Your brother has every confidence in Harry's abilities," Grayfia replied. "He's running a little late."
"He's coming?" Harry asked, surprised.
"Of course," Rias replied, wrapping her arms around one of his. "You're family, Harry. We're mere weeks from making that official."
"I still can't believe you're getting married at your age," Sirius chuckled. "That is permitted here, right?"
"Plenty of things are permitted here, Mister Black," Grayfia replied, "especially for the nobility."
"That I understand well," Sirius replied, "and please, call me Sirius."
They were led inside the castle, and Harry was almost immediately struck by a fast-flying blonde, who wrapped her arms and legs around him and kissed him deeply.
"I see where your sister gets it," Harry chuckled as she pulled back and Fleur's eyes narrowed.
"Don't mention that little harpy to me," she muttered. "I'm still mad at her."
"What did Gabrielle do?" Luna asked.
"She kissed 'Arry," Fleur replied, and Sirius looked at them in shock.
"Isn't she just a kid?" he asked.
"She starts her first year at Beauxbatons in a month," Fleur muttered.
"I saved her from the lake during the second task, and she's had a little crush ever since," Harry explained.
"Something that saving her father's life didn't exactly diminish, I imagine," Sirius chuckled, shaking his head.
"Apolline spoke to her," Harry said. "I'm sure it won't happen again."
"Until she's old enough, since I apparently have a second Veela fully prepared to join my harem," he thought to himself, shaking his head slightly. "It's genuinely amazing how much my life has changed since my last birthday."
"I'll speak to the little brat myself if I need to," Fleur muttered. "Kissing my boyfriend without permission, the little pain in the ass…"
That last part she said in French, which Sirius didn't speak, but both Hermione and Rias looked at him in surprise.
"Later," Harry mouthed, and they nodded.
"The party won't start for a few more hours, so, Sirius, if you'd like a tour of the castle, we'd be happy to show you around," Rias smiled.
"Absolutely," Sirius replied. "This place is incredible. Even Hogwarts wasn't so large."
"The castle that used to stand here apparently wasn't quite so grand, but my brother blew it up when he was a few months old, so they built this in its place," Rias said.
"Ah, I...what?" Sirius asked, his brain catching up with his ears, and Harry chuckled.
"Seekvaira?!" Sona asked as she spotted the green-haired girl flying through the air and glided over towards her.
"Sona, hi," Seekvaira smiled, coming to a halt. "She invited you too, huh?"
"She did," Sona replied. "She's wanted me to get to know Harry better for a while, and this was as good an opportunity as any."
"I'm honestly surprised she invited me at all," Seekvaira muttered, and Sona furrowed her brow curiously.
"You're her cousin, and she's always liked having you around," she murmured. "She's marrying Harry in a few weeks, so why wouldn't she want you to spend more time with him?"
"She didn't tell you about what happened the night of the ball?" Seekvaira asked.
"Clearly not," Sona replied.
"My mother tried numerous methods over the course of the night to try and find out what was so special about him," Seekvaira replied. "When all of her attempts to divine things from him failed, she spiked Rias's drink with a lust potion and watched them go at it."
"I swear your mother makes Serafall seem normal occasionally," Sona muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose, and Seekvaira snorted.
"No comment," she replied.
"Was she satisfied at least?" Sona asked, swiftly blushing as she realized how that sounded. "Your mother, I mean."
"She thinks he's just some hunk Rias is addicted to," Seekvaira replied.
"Good, that's good," Sona sighed, and Seekvaira eyed her curiously, realizing from her tone that she likely knew more than she did.
After looking around to make sure that they were well within Gremory territory and alone, she drifted in closer and whispered, "You know what he is, don't you?"
"If I did, I couldn't possibly comment," Sona replied. "I wouldn't break Rias' confidence like that."
"Well, let her know that I didn't say anything to my mother about how many pawns he required," Seekvaira whispered. "For the moment, she is satisfied with the answer she'd gotten, and I didn't want her looking any closer."
"Why not tell her that yourself?" Sona asked, curious.
"It would sound like me snooping, and as curious as I am, I don't want to pry if she isn't willing to tell me what exactly made him require so many pieces," Seekvaira replied. "If anyone could convince her that she can trust me, though, it would be you."
"It's not really a matter of trust," Sona sighed. "Look, all I can say is that you will be informed eventually."
"Wait a minute," Seekvaira breathed, flying backward a little. "Do you know the truth because you're Rias' best friend or because you're Lady Serafall's sister?"
"Careful, Seekvaira," Sona said softly. "You're starting to sound like you're prying."
"Okay, okay," Seekvaira relented, holding up her hands. "I was just surprised is all. That wasn't a possibility that I had considered."
"Like I said, you'll learn soon enough, perhaps sooner, should Rias agree," Sona smiled. "Shall we?"
"After you," Seekvaira replied, and Sona smiled before flying off towards Gremory, with the green-haired beauty not far behind.
The castle wherein Zekram Bael lived was a sprawling gothic thing made of stone so dark is looked nearly black. Its numerous jutting towers and thick outer walls were a purely aesthetic choice, as they'd do little against an attack from one of their enemies, but the ancient devil, firstborn of Lucifer and Lilith's creations, was a man who had long since learned what he liked and seldom ever strayed from his very particular tastes in anything.
He had lived in this castle since before Venelana was born, and while she knew that it had been repaired and renovated numerous times over the centuries, it had only ever been to restore it as it was. She didn't think he'd changed a single carpet in over a millennium, always ensuring that if anything grew too tattered to keep, it was replaced by an exact replica. Her mother once told her that he kept a permanent catalog of his possessions, complete with pictures and exact descriptions spread across numerous binders, but she'd never seen them.
The guards at the gate spotted her but didn't move a muscle, having been informed of her impending arrival, and she paid them no heed as she flew inside, landing in the anteroom, where a familiar figure stood. White-haired and slight, Zekram's majordomo, Dagon, was a pureblood devil of a minor line who had served her oldest ancestor for longer than her grandparents had been alive.
"Lady Venelana," he said smoothly, his calculating dark eyes peering into hers. "The master is expecting you."
"I'm aware," Venelana replied. "He's in his study?"
"He is," Dagon replied, and she smiled before flying off towards the familiar room.
The door opened as she approached, Zekram having sensed her presence, and she floated in finding him, as she had so many times, seated behind his ebony desk. He was reading through some heavy-looking tome, scratching out little notes as he did so in the notebook next to it, and he didn't even look up as she sat down.
"Twice in one year," Zekram mused. "How unusual."
"I know you're a busy man, Grandfather," Venelana replied. "I don't wish to waste your time."
"Something I've always appreciated about you, Lana," Zekram replied, his purple eyes landing on her as he gazed upward without moving his head. "You would never waste my time for a simple house call, so tell me, what troubles you?"
"It's not a matter of trouble," Venelana replied, "but rather inquiry. Rias recently came across something locked away in a cave in Ireland, and I wondered if you knew anything about it."
That got his attention, and he finally set his pen down, straightening up in his high-backed chair.
"What did she find?" he asked and she took a deep breath.
"The creatures that the children of the Fallen call house-elves were brought here by one of us," Venelana replied. "One of the originals of that group still lives and clearly described the Power of Destruction as he recounted how he came to be on Earth. I was wondering if you either were the one who did so or knew who was."
"One of those blasted creatures still lives?" Zekram groaned. "I thought they'd have all died out ages ago."
"He was kept in a sort of magical stasis," Venelana replied. "Was it you then?"
"Why do you wish to know?" Zekram asked. "You wouldn't come here if this was mere curiosity on your part."
"If you know about them, then you know that they came from another world," Venelana replied. "My daughter has uncovered multiple references to the existence of worlds we know nothing about over the past several months, and I wish to know more about them. Whoever brought these minions here visited another world to do so."
"Rias has been exceptionally busy over the past year," Zekram muttered, raising his hand in the air.
Venelana tensed as she felt the Power of Destruction coil in the first Bael, not believing that he was about to attack her but being wary all the same, and relaxed when she felt him create a sound-destroying barrier around the study.
"I wasn't the one who traveled to that strange other world," Zekram explained, "but I knew who did."
"Who?" Venelana asked.
"Zekhail," Zekram replied, and she sighed, nodding.
"Oh," Venelana replied. Zekhail Bael was Zekram's son, the second oldest of their line, and a man who had been dead for the better part of two centuries, killed by angels who managed to ambush him while he was on Earth.
"Yes," Zekram replied, malice oozing from his features for just a moment before he schooled them again. "How much has your daughter uncovered about these other worlds?"
"They seem to be legion," Venelana replied, not wanting to explain just how she knew that. "They are presumably accessible from somewhere in the Dimensional Gap, but the paths to them have never been found, and those few who have found their way to them have only ever done so by picking up shed scales from the Apocalypse Dragon."
"Well done," Zekram smiled. "Few have any inkling of what you just said, and far fewer still have ever witnessed actual proof."
"Zekhail did, though?" Venelana asked, and he nodded.
"He did," Zekram replied. "On my order, he searched the Earth and Underworld both for scales, and nearly four hundred years ago, he managed to find one."
"How did you even learn about them?" Venelana asked.
"How did you?" Zekram asked, his ancient violet eyes peering at her intensely.
"Rias stumbled across a volume of Nicholas Flamel's journal," Venelana replied, and he chuckled.
"How fortuitous," Zekram replied. "I also learned of them from the old magician."
"You met with him?" Venelana asked.
"I did," Zekram replied. "I wanted the power of his Stone for myself and sought him out. I had thought to bargain with him, threaten him if I needed to, but in the end, I learned there was no real hope for the former and no point in the latter."
"Because it was bound to him," Venelana murmured, and he scowled before nodding.
"He demonstrated how it worked for me and handed it over, happy to let me try and fail myself," Zekram muttered. "As I was growing more and more furious with myself, he proposed a deal, a favor from me in exchange for the story of how he perfected the stone a century earlier."
"Why did you want it?" Venelana asked. "If you don't mind me asking."
"The Philosopher's Stone was an alchemical wonder," Zekram replied. "It could lead into gold, and that was its least useful function. Zekhail and I labored for decades trying to find a cure for sleeping sickness after Magna started to suffer from it."
"I assume you made a sample of the Elixir of Life part of your deal with Flamel," Venelana mused. "If it didn't work, why would you think that Stone still could?"
"Because the Stone was capable of creating far more than just that one elixir," Zekram replied, "or so I theorized. I didn't want to have to rely on a human for the experiments I had in mind for it and so sought to create my own. Given what I learned from him, I knew that our only hope was to find one of the great scales, but we had no idea how often the Apocalypse Dragon shed them or where they might have ended up. Zekhail handled most of that while I focused on my duties and tending to his sister. In the end, we weren't fast enough, and she did succumb, but he continued to search for answers long afterward."
"He did find one of the scales, though," Venelana said, and she scowled.
"He did," Zekram replied, "and he quickly learned that there were two major problems with our theory. The first was that the scales themselves seem to be almost impossible to control, and the second is that there are far more worlds out there than we thought. From Flamel's account, he and I both figured that the strange world the man went to was where the Apocalypse Dragon came from. It made sense that his scales, possessed of the magical power they apparently are, were capable of pulling people into that world because of that, though it turned out that we were wrong. The world he was taken to was nothing like the one Flamel was taken to, and he took the minions with him on a whim, not wanting the infuriating trip to have been for nothing."
"And he quickly concluded that they weren't worth the trouble," Venelana muttered. "So the scales just take a person to some other world the moment they're touched?"
"They do, and picking them up telekinetically didn't help either," Zekram muttered. "That's what Zekhail tried to do so he could study it at length, figuring that physical contact would be needed to trigger that teleportation, but it flew into his hand the moment he lifted it from the ground. After that failure and Magna's death, I gave up on the notion entirely. I know that Zekhail continued to study the Apocalypse Dragon afterward, becoming rather obsessed, honestly, but he was never one to take extensive notes, so whatever, if anything he discovered died with him. I hope you aren't thinking of keeping those wretched little creatures around."
"A member of Rias' peerage has managed to convince them all that she's their master and I'm leaving them in her care," Venelana replied, making him roll his eyes.
"You'll regret it," Zekram muttered, "but if you want to learn that particular lesson for yourself, I'll leave you to it. Was there anything else you wanted?"
"No," Venelana replied, and he nodded.
"Give my best to Rias," Zekram commented as she stood up, and she stilled. "Between this and the strange letters you brought to me a few months ago, it would seem your daughter has been quite busy this year. Should she prove herself further soon, I will want to meet with her."
"Of course, Grandfather," Venelana nodded, smiling. "Good day."
"Good day," Zekram replied, returning to the tome he'd been pouring over as she left. "Just what have you been poking your nose in, little Rias?"
He smiled and shook his head, deciding to wait and see what else she managed to find.
"I still can't believe a baby destroyed half of an actual castle," Sirius muttered as they finished their tour.
"Keep in mind this is the guy who wiped out the dementors and made it look effortless," Harry reminded him.
"I'm suddenly glad I didn't flirt with that gorgeous maid," Sirius shuddered. "Still, if it led to the construction of this place, I can't say the destruction was all bad."
"My thoughts exactly, Venelana smiled, and Rias nearly jumped.
"Mother," she breathed. "I thought you were out."
"I was, dear," Venelana replied. "Is your father still in the factory?"
"I haven't seen him yet, so presumably," Rias replied, and she shook her head.
"That man and his projects," Venelana muttered. "Excuse me."
She flew off towards the door, and Rias chuckled, shaking her head affectionately. They entered the main sitting room in the wing of the castle where their rooms all were and spotted Akeno and Koneko playing chess while Kiba chatted with a cardboard box.
"So, has the stress finally gotten to him?" Harry asked, and Rias snorted.
"No," she replied. "Gasper, come out. There's someone I want you to meet."
"Do I have to?" a clearly young boy asked, his voice coming from the box, and Rias sighed.
"I'd like you to meet my fiance, and the rest of the peerage," she said sharply, and a whimper came from the box.
"Oh, right, your bishop," Harry breathed. "I forgot you mentioned him to be ho…"
He trailed off as the box opened and what looked like a little girl popped out.
"You said 'him?'" Sirius asked, looking down at the quivering little platinum-haired girl wearing what looked like the Kuoh school uniform.
"Harry, Hermione, Luna, Sirius, this is Gasper, my bishop," Rias smiled. "He is a boy, Sirius; he just prefers women's clothing."
"Whatever floats your boat," Sirius shrugged. "Hi, kid."
"Oh goodness, you're adorable!" Luna exclaimed, moving to fly towards him, only to freeze when he reared back.
"Hello, Gasper, I'm Hermione," Hermione said gently. "I take it you have a rather extreme case of agoraphobia, or is it just new people?"
"B...both," Gasper stuttered, looking like he wanted to jump back in his box more than anything. "It's nice to meet you all. Could I get back in my box?"
"I would prefer that you stay out for at least a few minutes," Rias sighed. "If you really push yourself, you'll be able to spend greater and greater periods of time outside. You can't spend your entire life in a box."
"I like boxes, though," Gasper replied. "They're dark and sturdy, and they keep me hidden."
"Dark One, I think I found one of the books you mentioned," Gnarl said as he wandered in, and Gasper yelped at the sight of the aged minion, jumping back in his box and closing it up. As Rias glared at him, the minion asked, "Was it something I said?"
"Hey, where's Fleur?" Harry asked, noticing that the Veela wasn't in the room.
"She popped off to check on her family," Akeno replied. "Checkmate!"
"Shit," Koneko muttered, flicking her king over.
"Did they reach out to her?" Harry asked.
"No, but she figured they'd all be up by now, and her father met with his healer yesterday evening," Akeno replied, and he nodded.
"How do you expect his recovery to go?" Sirius asked. "He seemed like a pretty good guy when we chatted the other day."
"We ended the curse before it could reach its final stage, but it did have a lot of time to wreak havoc on his body," Harry replied. "With luck, he'll be able to recover from most of the damage caused by it, but there's no guarantee."
"I swear I can still occasionally smell that foul blood," Koneko muttered.
"Ah, I got back in time," Fleur said as she walked in, and Harry hugged her, noting that she seemed tense.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"Mama is still struggling with coming to terms with what I am now," Fleur replied, and Harry furrowed his brow, pretty sure she'd just lied to him.
"She'll come around, Fleur," Luna assured her, hugging the other blonde.
"She did learn just a few days ago," Harry added, deciding to let her keep whatever secret she had for the time being.
"This could work," Hermione breathed, and they all turned to see her looking through a thick tome with her brown eyes wide with obvious excitement. "This could just work."
"What is it?" Fleur asked, eager for a distraction.
"These are Celebrimbor's notes on the forging of the Rings of Power, something from Tolkien's work," Hermione replied. "I think I could just about replicate a lot of this; even the physical aspects of hammering metal should be doable now that I'm a devil."
"You are rather stronger than you look," Akeno grinned. "What are these rings?"
"Something that I think could help me with the minions," Hermione murmured. "Gnarl's been trying to convince me to have a set of armor forged for me, but I would rather place all the same enchantments in something I can actually wear in public."
"I don't know," Harry grinned. "I think you'd look rather sexy in a cuirass."
Hermione's lips quirked as she looked at him, and she set the book aside.
"Provided I was wearing nothing else, I imagine," she replied.
"I'll go," Sirius said. "Kiba, do you want to grab that box? It seems Harry's about to…"
"Don't finish that," Harry muttered, making the older man snort.
"Actually, we should go downstairs," Rias replied. "I just saw Seekvaira and Sona fly by that window, so aside from Sirzechs, we're all here, and I'm sure he'll just pop by later, busy as he is."
"Right," Sirius smiled. "Come, Pup. Rias showed me a picture of the cake the other day, and it looks amazing."
Harry smiled and went downstairs, being followed closely by most of them.
"Are you sure you just want to stay here?" Kiba asked, staring down at Gasper's box.
"I'm sure," Gasper replied. "Before you go, could you plug this in? The battery's run pretty low."
He pushed his Gameboy out of the box with the charger in his other hand, and Kiba sighed before taking them.
"Sure thing," he replied, happy to help the younger boy.
"I understand you've grown strong enough to command Gasper now," Zeoticus murmured, and Rias smiled.
"I have, though the extent to which he follows those commands still leaves a lot to be desired," the crimson-haired beauty replied.
"You know better than most that it will simply take time," Venelana whispered. "Prior to Harry, I don't think you had ever taken anyone into your peerage who wasn't rather damaged. You've always had a thing for wounded birds."
"Wow, that is…" Harry went to say, staring down at the cake.
"Amazing, huh?" Akeno asked. "The recipe Rias found has apparently been in the British royal family for decades. A chocolate Genoese sponge cake, sandwiching layers of chocolate ganache, and covered in even more ganache. My mouth has been watering since I first laid eyes on it."
"Oh, it looks gorgeous," Harry smiled, "but I was referring to the candles. Your idea, Sirius?"
"It does seem like something I'd come up with, but no," Sirius replied. "Incredibly lifelike."
"And based on a pair I know so very well," Harry thought to himself, gazing down at the pair of candles stuck in the cake, each of which was shaped like one of Rias' breasts. The white wax breasts looked like they were floating on a sea of chocolate, the nipples each having a short, two inch wick sticking out of them.
"It was Sirzechs' idea," Rias sighed. "Grayfia had already created them before word of it reached me and I figured since she'd put the work in…"
"They are remarkably accurate," Luna smiled.
"Indeed," Sona murmured. Handing him a meticulously wrapped present, she added, "Happy birthday, Harry."
"Oh, thank you, Sona," Harry said, feeling the sizable box and wondering what was in it.
"Happy birthday," Seekvaira said, handing him a gift-bag overflowing with tissue paper while she kept her gaze on his lips, not quite meeting his eyes.
"Thank you so much," Harry smiled, not having expected anything from her.
"Now, let's begin," Venelana called out, drawing everyone's attention to her. "Harry, when Rias first brought you here last winter, I could not have imagined that you'd have ended up having as profound an impact on her as you have. Today she is stronger, more capable, more focused, and happier than I can ever remember her being, and you are responsible for so much of that change. You will also be part of our family formally soon, something I am more than pleased by, so believe me when I wish you a truly happy birthday that I mean it sincerely."
"Indeed," Zeoticus asked as Harry swallowed, moved by her short little speech. "You've made our little girl very, very happy, but more than that, you have, over these past several months, helped her greatly along the path to becoming the sort of devil we always knew she could be. May this be the first of thousands of happy birthdays you spend with her."
"Thank you, both of you," Harry said, his voice strained by emotion.
"Don't thank us yet," Zeoticus replied, grinning wickedly. "You haven't gotten our present yet."
"That can come in a moment, though," Venelana grinned, and he wondered what they had done that they seemed so oddly pleased with. With a wave of her hand, the breast-shaped candles lit and Harry walked towards the cake, with just a single wish in mind.
"Let there be day, not too far from now when my loved ones and I can live in peace, our enemies destroyed and our safety assured," he thought to himself as he blew them out.
They disappeared the moment the fires went out and thick slices of cake started flying out towards waiting plates. A tray filled with a towering stack of champagne glasses appeared next to the cake, and Harry chuckled at how absolutely different this was from any other birthday he'd ever had.
"Oh, wow," Sirius groaned as he tasted the cake, and Harry absolutely agreed the next second as he did.
"We should rob royal houses of their recipe books more often," Venelana commented as she tried it and Zeoticus chuckled.
"We technically have all of them," he smiled.
Few other spoke over the next few minutes, focused as they were on devouring one of the greatest cakes any of them had ever had, and Harry eagerly floated over a glass of champagne to wash it down with the moment he finished. He spotted Rias looking at him and smiled as she beckoned him over towards a small table where a number of presents had been stacked. With a wave of his hand, he unwrapped them all and cocked an eyebrow as he looked at some of them.
"I got you a chess set I enchanted to teach you the game," Sona replied as he opened the heavy wooden box she'd handed him and pulled out one of the ornate metal pieces.
"Thank you," Harry smiled. "I've played before, but I was never terribly good at it."
"We also haven't found the time for me to teach you," Rias muttered.
"We might have a quiet few weeks someday," Harry chuckled, pulling Seekvaira's gift out of the bag she'd put it and cocked an eyebrow as he saw it was a rather thin notebook.
"I noticed you looking at Sairaorg at the ball the same way Sona here looks at math problems she can't immediately figure out and asked him to jot down his workout routine," she replied, and he laughed.
"Thanks, Seekvaira," Harry chuckled, picking up Fleur's gift and pulling out a gold medallion.
"Open it," the Veela purred, and he did so, only to snap it shut immediately, making her giggle. "For any nights we might spend apart, mon amour."
"Oh, is that why you wanted to take naked pictures of us?" Luna asked, and Sirius snorted. "I thought it was just for fun."
"Thank you, Fleur," Harry smiled, pocketing the medallion before turning to the small chest that had come from both Hermione and Luna.
"This is something we worked on together," the brunette explained.
"My other gift, you'll get later," Luna added, her silver eyes alight with mischief.
Harry furrowed his brow as he opened the chest and looked surprised when he pulled out a single match lying atop what looked like a small mountain of clothes.
"You dress better than you used to, but your wardrobe is still rather limited, so we decided to fix that," Hermione explained.
"The match is for your cousin's old things, which I know you still haven't thrown out," Luna added, and he snorted.
"I have been rather busy," Harry chuckled as Sona and Seekvaira both gave Rias a querying look.
"I may or may not have given them a little input on that," Akeno chuckled as she saw him open her gift, his brow furrowing in confusion as he saw the small leather book with 'massage coupons' written on the cover.
He opened up the book, and his confusion was quickly replaced by desire as he saw the many, many pictures of her in skimpy outfits alongside the descriptions of what she'd be doing to him if he went with it.
"You can be so stressed out sometimes, baby," Akeno purred, cupping his cheek. "I thought that some really, really good massages might be exactly what you need now and then."
"You do have magic hands," Harry whispered, and she grinned wickedly at him.
Kiba and Koneko both got him a selection of Japanese chocolates, which he appreciated, and while it might have seemed more impersonal, he wasn't exactly close to either of them yet, so he understood that. When he picked up the final gift, though, an envelope containing a single piece of paper, he wondered what exactly Rias and her parents had gotten him, his curiosity intensifying when he saw that there was but a single word written on the sheet.
"Revenge?" he asked.
"One of the greatest gifts of all when done properly," Rias grinned wickedly. "We won't go into detail here, but I know what your relatives were like to you, and as I pondered what to get you, it occurred to me that we haven't paid them back yet."
"What did you do?" Harry asked, smiling slightly at the sheer malice he could feel emanating from his fiance.
"Rias came to us with an idea, and it was one I quite instantly enjoyed," Zeoticus replied. "It took very little on our part, as we just had to reach out to the owner of a certain company and see if he was willing to sell."
"A company?" Harry asked, "what...Grunning's?"
"Walter Grunning is getting on in years, and neither of his children seemed fit to take over for him, so we made him an offer," Venelana replied, "one which he accepted."
"I'm sorry, I'm confused," Sirius replied. "What's Grunning's?"
"A drill manufacturing company," Zeoticus replied. "One which will be yours a few years from now, and which I'll run in trust for the time being."
"My uncle works there," Harry said, already deeply amused, and Sirius barked a laugh.
"Ah, so you can fire the prick," he said. "Nice."
"Fire him?" Zeoticus asked. "Oh, no, no. That would be amateurish."
"The sale isn't going to happen for a few more months, and we convinced Walter Grunning to hold off on telling anyone there for a while," Venelana replied. "You two will be accompanying us to their holiday party this year, where the sale will be announced and we'll have a chance to meet our new employees."
"They'll learn that Harry's your son-in-law there," Hermione breathed.
"Firing him would be a simple thing, a one-time heavy blow," Zeoticus explained. "Having him learn that the nephew he so despises has married into a wealthy family, one that now owns the company he works for, will be a two-pronged assault on his psyche. He'll seethe in rage about it at first and then instantly become terrified that his job may be in peril, a fear I plan to stoke periodically for our amusement."
"That, Harry, is revenge," Venelana grinned.
"What do you think?" Rias asked. "I know it seems more like a Yule gift, but I wanted your anticipation for seeing the looks on their faces when they see you to build over the next few months.
"Remind me not to piss any of you off," Sirius mumbled under his breath.
"I love you," Harry replied, kissing her deeply as the rest of their guests grinned.
"I got you this," Sirius said as he let her go, pulling a large notebook from his mokeskin pouch. "I can't wrap things to save my life, and with both Dobby and Kreacher less obedient than they used to be…"
"You could have asked me to get them to do it, or to do it for you myself," Hermione reminded him.
"What is...is that Dad's handwriting?" Harry asked.
"There's some of mine and Remus' in there too," Sirius replied. "It's our old book of prank ideas. Your father contributed more to it than either of us and while I know you have a copy of it in here somewhere, I thought the original might mean more. Flip to the end."
Harry did and smiled as he saw a picture of his father with Sirius and Remus, smiling and laughing at something. They looked a little younger there than he was."
"Took me a while to find one that the rat wasn't in," Sirius muttered.
"Thank you," Harry breathed, hugging him. "All of you, thank you. I can honestly say this is far and away the greatest birthday I've ever had."
"It's not over yet," Venelana smiled. "Enjoy yourselves, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask the servants."
"Oh, Mother, did you get a chance to meet with Lord Zekram?" Rias asked.
"That's where I was just now," Venelana replied. "It was Zekhail who found the minions. He apparently became rather obsessed with the Apocalypse Dragon for a time, though if he found anything, it was lost with him."
"He died?" Harry asked.
"Some time ago," Venelana sighed. "Zeoticus and I have a few things we need to go over, but we'll see you all again later for the feast."
"Well, that answers that question," Harry muttered as they both left, having hoped that whoever found the minions was still alive.
"Hey, no pouting on your birthday," Rias said, hugging him.
"Right," Harry replied, shaking his head.
"Now, I thought about fun things we could do together and came up with a few ideas, but first, I think you might both enjoy and benefit from a mock Rating Game," Rias grinned. "Sona and I will divide up who we have here and go out onto the grounds."
"Sounds great to me," Harry grinned.
"Forgive me if I sit this particular one out," Sirius chuckled.
"I am stuffed," Harry sighed hours later as he sat down on Rias' bed. "Your chefs outdid themselves."
"I made sure they did all your favorites, love," Rias smiled, kissing his cheek and joining him. "We have one more present for you to enjoy, and the others have already gone back to the Rookery for it."
"Oh, right!" Harry exclaimed, standing up. "I completely forgot about the moon."
"I have kept you wonderfully distracted today," Rias purred. "Come. Our own little moon is probably quivering with anticipation right now."
She took his hand and opened a magic circle formed around them. A moment later, they reappeared right past the entrance to the Rookery, and Harry spotted Sirius stumbling upstairs.
"You okay?" he asked, and the older man chuckled.
"Better than I'll be in the morning," Sirius sighed. "It's been some time since I've had champagne, and I forgot how much I liked it."
"You have a hangover potion on hand, right?" Harry asked.
"On the side table," Sirius nodded. "Night, Harry."
"Goodnight, Sirius," Harry sighed, smiling as he watched his godfather go upstairs.
"Your new servant awaits," Rias grinned, opening the door to the ritual room, and Harry grinned, walking inside.
"Harry," Luna smiled as soon as she spotted him, her voice breathy. She sounded like she was already dripping wet, and he chuckled when he saw she was already in the ritual circle.
"Eager are we?" Harry asked, grinning widely, and she shivered at his tone.
"I've wanted to be yours, truly yours, for so long," Luna purred. "Having you take my throat, pussy, and ass over and over again, reshaping my holes to fit you and you alone, has been wonderful, but with the master-servant contract, we can go further."
"Fucking hell, Luna," Harry groaned, feeling his cock harden rapidly at her words.
It wasn't just the filthy things she was saying that got to him, but how utterly innocent she sounded while she spoke them. She was far from innocent, he knew, but she'd always sounded like that, all the way back to when they first met.
"I'm sorry," Harry remembered saying as he held Luna in his arms, having bumped into and barely caught her.
"It's okay," Luna replied. "I always wondered what it would be like to be a golden snitch, and now I know."
He smiled at the memory, walking inside the ritual circle and noticing that Hermione and Akeno were sitting off to the side, watching with smiles on their faces. As Rias joined them, he turned back to Luna, seeing her big silver eyes gazing up at him lovingly. It had been she who sent him on the crazy journey he'd been on over the last several months. If not for her giving him the book that she had, none of this would have happened. He wouldn't have met Rias, wouldn't have learned about the horcrux in his scar, wouldn't have met the other devils and wouldn't have defeated Voldemort. He'd have probably ended up burned, dismembered, and swallowed into the belly of a dragon.
"I hope you're thinking about good things at least," Luna whispered, and he chuckled.
"I was thinking about what my life would have been like if you hadn't come into it, so no, definitely not," Harry replied, and she took his hand in her own.
"You never need to think about that again," Luna whispered. "I'm yours, now and forever."
She kissed him, and he returned it hungrily until Fleur cleared her throat.
"Reluctant as I always am to interrupt a passionate embrace, I must insist we begin," she said, and they both smiled, stepping back into their places in the circle.
Fleur held out her hands, and Harry immediately felt the power of the ritual circle begin to swirl around him. This was so much easier with her being a devil than it ever was before. She didn't need to rely on her wand, for one thing, and as she was so much more powerful than she'd been when she did the first ritual, she managed to empower the runes inscribed around the edge of the circle much more quickly.
"Now," she said the moment it was done, and Harry and Luna reached out to the magic in the circle, feeding it with their own. Red and silver streaks began to appear in it, the light and power flowing from their hands, until they were completely in tune with it.
"Harry, Luna, do you both wish to form this master-servant contract and thereby bind your souls together?" Fleur asked.
"I do," Luna said, her voice thick with emotion.
"I do," Harry said at the same time, smiling down at the beautiful blonde.
"Luna, take my hand," Fleur commanded, and she did so, her smile growing as she began to feel the ritual working.
She launched into the familiar chant, conducting the ritual to bind their souls together with far greater confidence than she had the last couple times. Luna gasped when she felt the warmth envelop her, and Harry just smiled, anticipating it by then. The same joy he'd felt coming from Rias, Fleur, and Akeno when they undertook this, he felt come from Luna, and as golden light filled the circle, he swore he'd never tire of this. It ended a moment later, and Fleur pulled back.
"The moment the circle appears on Harry's hand, kiss it," she said, and Luna nodded, her eyes not leaving his right hand.
It appeared after a moment, and she grabbed his hand, her own shaking slightly; she was so excited, and she happily pressed her lips to it, feeling the ritual conclude.
"Congratulations, Luna," Hermione called out, well aware that, while she didn't particularly want to do this ritual, the blonde had wanted it for a while.
"Yes, congratulations," Akeno and Rias said in unison, happy for Luna.
"Happy birthday, Harry," Luna beamed. "You're a jerk."
"What?" Harry asked, looking down at her in confusion.
"That didn't work" Luna muttered, tapping her chin. "Oh! You have a very small penis, and you're bad at sex. Why isn't it working?"
"Lu...Luna, are you trying to trigger the punishments of the bond?" Harry asked as Fleur giggled.
"I want to know how it feels," Luna explained. "I thought just insulting you would do it, but I think the fact I know those things aren't true and I don't mean them is getting in the way. Could you order me to suck your cock?"
"If you're sure," Harry chuckled, shaking his head. "Suck my cock, Luna."
Luna shivered at how he sounded saying that, his deep, rumbling voice making her pussy clench around nothing and she was instantly tempted to drop to her knees and worship him, but she took a step back instead.
"No," Luna replied. "No, I don't...oh!"
"We're all so lucky you're a good guy, Harry," Hermione muttered, watching Luna flush immediately as a blood-red collar appeared on her neck.
"None of us would enjoy putting ourselves in his power like this if we didn't know he'd never abuse it," Akeno said. "At least not without us begging him to."
"Wow, my vagina feels like it's on fire," Luna gasped, backing up until her back was pressed against the wall. "No wonder you like it so much, Akeno."
"It's so intense," Akeno purred. "It's like being high on some sort of sex drug. Your body heats up, you soak your panties almost instantly, and after a few moments, the only thing you can think of is how much you need to cum and how much you need your master's touch. You know, Hermione, if you wanted to try it out for a month…"
"If I wanted to feel what it's like, I could just do a sensation-linking charm sometime," Hermione replied. "Not only am I not nearly submissive enough to seek this out, but I don't know if putting myself under another's power so completely would have an impact on my control of the minions, and I really don't want them leaving and seeking someone worse than me."
"Fair enough," Akeno replied, watching as Harry approached a quivering Luna and undressed her with a wave of his hand.
"You're so wet," he rumbled, grabbing her by the throat and ghosting his fingers over one of her wet inner thighs, making her gasp and moan.
"It's so...so good," Luna whimpered. "I can feel my pussy clenching almost constantly, so terribly desperate for your big, thick cock to fill it. I'm dripping so much, I'll soak the floor if I stay here much longer, and my clit is in a near-constant state of throbbing. I think the slightest touch would make me cum."
"Is that so?" Harry grinned, moving his fingers higher and higher until he was a hairsbreadth away from her slick folds before moving it up to curl around the back of her head, making her shudder.
"Please, Harry," Luna begged. "Please fuck me."
"What do you call me, Luna?" Harry asked and she gasped.
"If I use the m-word, it all ends, and I desperately want to be fucked in this state," Luna replied, flying up out of his grasp and twisting around before pressing her back against his chest and sighing happily when he wrapped his arms around her. "I've been a bad, bad girl, Harry, and only your massive cock can fuck the bad out of me."
"We're devils now, Luna," Harry whispered, nibbling on one of her earlobes as he grasped and gently kneaded her breasts, making her mewl and moan. "I don't think I could fuck the bad out of you."
"Not with that attitude," Luna replied impishly, and he laughed, moving his arms lower until he could hook them under her knees.
"I guess we could try it," Harry grinned, "but it will take a long, long time, I'm sure."
"Fuck me, she's wet," Akeno purred, joining them and wrapping her hand around his cock, moving it until he was lined up properly. "Fuck her, Harry. Fuck the little slut's brains out like she's been dreaming about for weeks now."
"Yes, please...YES!" Luna shrieked as he pulled her down onto his cock, burying every wrist-thick inch inside her with one thrust.
He groaned at the feeling of her incredibly hot, tight tunnel, her wetness flowing down over his balls as he started bouncing her on his shaft. She stopped flying and slumped in his arms, forcing him to hold her, but she was very light, and he was more than strong enough to hold her. He fucked her hard and fast, his every brutal thrust making her scream like she was being murdered, and he conjured a mirror in front of them so she could watch. She was a vision of sin, her pale face, neck, and chest flushed red, and her breasts, which had grown so much over the past few weeks, bouncing hard. Her hair had fallen over her face, a sea of gold obscuring many of her features, and he pulled it back with his mind, grinning when he saw how nearly black her eyes were.
"Look at yourself," Harry whispered in her ear. "You look so good like this, baby, wearing nothing but a collar of light and completely consumed by desire. You'd do anything to cum right now, wouldn't you?"
"Yes!" Luna cried. "Oh, fuck, I need to cum!"
"I'm blocking it," Harry said, grinning as he watched her jaw drop and her eyes go wide.
"Wha...what?" Luna asked.
"I'm blocking your orgasm," Harry replied. "If you want to cum, Luna, you know what you have to call me."
"Oh, fuck!" Luna cried, feeling like she might weep.
Her every nerve ending was on fire, the intensity of the pressure in her core more than she'd ever known. Harry's pistoning cock had never felt better, her pussy had never been more sensitive, and her brain had never swum in such pleasure outside of orgasm before, and part of her wanted it to never end, but she needed to cum more than she needed air just then, and while she held out for a couple more minutes, drowning in the madness-inducing pleasure of it all, she knew it was too much.
"MasTER!" Luna squealed at the top of her lungs as Harry pulled back the magic keeping her from cumming, the punishment ended, and her orgasm hit her like a freight train.
She spasmed around Harry's cock so hard he slipped out of her and squirted all over the mirror, soaking it like a hose as she writhed in his arms. He managed to line himself back up despite how she was convulsing and began fucking her again even as she came harder than she ever had in her life. She swore she could feel him in her very soul, his every thrust setting her brain alight with ecstasy, and her orgasm flowed into another and another, locking her in a chain that seemed like it might go on forever. The pleasure thundered through her body in wave after soul-searing wave, rendering her mind utterly blank by the time it finally subsided and she slumped in his arms, panting for breath and feeling completely spent.
"The mirror was a good call," Rias grinned, and he turned to see all four of his other lovers looking like they were barely managing to restrain themselves from stripping down and pulling him over to them.
"I don't think any of us have ever squirted quite like that," Hermione breathed, wondering if maybe a sensation-linking spell would be a fun thing someday soon.
"Luvoo," Luna sighed, her eyes fluttering shut as she passed out, and Harry chuckled, pulling his cock from her depths and moving her around until he was holding her bridal style.
"Shall we continue this upstairs?" he asked.
"Definitely," Fleur purred.
Hours later, he sighed happily, resting on his back and running his fingers through Rias' hair as her sweat-soaked form clung to him, her face resting on his chest.
"Best birthday ever," Harry murmured.
"That was the idea," Rias sighed, still partly conscious.
Harry checked the time with a quick tempus spell, noting that it was after midnight, and said, "Fleur, are you still awake?"
"If you want another round, just fuck me as I sleep," Fleur sighed, cuddling with Hermione behind him. "Pussy or ass, I don't mind either way."
"Seeing as my birthday's over, would you care to tell me what was bothering you earlier?" Harry asked, and she froze, waking up fully immediately.
"Are you sure?" Fleur asked.
"After the month we've had, I don't know if I'll sleep unless I know what's wrong," Harry replied.
"Just tell us," Akeno sighed, kissing Luna's temple as she spooned with her.
"Your problems are our problems," Luna added, having woken up while Harry was fucking Rias against the wall earlier.
"Papa met with Healer Allard," Fleur replied. "They're all but certain that he'll live, but not all of the damage that the curse did is reversible."
"Which parts?" Harry asked, concerned.
"They fear the damage to his testicles is permanent," Fleur sighed.
"Fuck," Harry sighed. "I was afraid of that. I'm so sorry, Fleur."
"Keeping in mind that you and your mother seem more open than most children and parents, has she mentioned whether or not he can…" Hermione went to ask, and Fleur sighed.
"She doesn't need to," the blonde replied. "Veela can sense arousal and dissatisfaction in others, and I can tell it's been a while for her. If that goes on much longer, or if this does turn out to be permanent, I…"
"Could the devils help?" Luna asked.
"I can ask around, but healing the effects of dark magic is something that we can struggle with as well," Rias replied. "Our healing magic isn't perfect; if it was, sleep disease wouldn't claim so many of us. I will, if he asks for help, have him examined by the best specialists I know, but I can't guarantee anything."
"That's what I feared," Fleur sighed. "The worst part is, I can't feel sexual frustration in him at all. It really is like he has no sex drive to speak of, and if he can't satisfy Maman...they've already been through so much, but Veela can't endure prolonged periods of abstinence without going mad or worse, taking on the harpy form."
"We'll figure something out," Harry sighed.
"If we had any inkling how to get what we need to make a Philosopher's Stone, that could probably help," Hermione sighed.
"I'm still annoyed by what we learned earlier from Venelana." Harry groaned. "Learning that there was another person we knew of who had touched one of the Apocalypse Dragon's scales made me wonder if we could actually talk to them, but…"
"Zekhail died," Rias sighed.
"If we still had the damn Stone, this would be different," Harry muttered. "Losing the cloak hurt because it was my dad's, but that was the most powerful of the Hallows by far."
"You're only here because it was sacrificed," Fleur whispered, kissing him. "I wouldn't trade anything for you."
"I love you," Harry smiled, though it quickly fell as he thought about the small black stone he'd owned for mere months before he lost it.
"We have everything ever written by the angels in the library too," Luna commented. "Maybe they have some ideas we could use."
"That's definitely worth a try," Hermione nodded.
"It was so easy," Harry muttered, not paying attention to them as he pictured the Resurrection Stone in his mind and gazed down at his outstretched palm. "I could have just turned it three times in my hand, said Zekhail Bael, and…"
"What?" came a sudden voice, and Harry jolted up as he saw a glowing, ghostly apparition of a dark-haired man with purple eyes appear in his hand. "Where am I? What is this? Who by the Lightbringer are you?"
"Uh, did Harry actually fuck my brains out, or is there a little glowing man in his hand?" Luna asked, and the rest of them just stared in muted shock.