Witchcraft and Devilry Chapter 3 (Patreon)

Akeno’s tortured scream echoed through the large, ornately furnished bedroom as her large, round arse lifted off the bed. Harry withdrew his vibrating tongue and massaged his aching jaw. The masochistic beauty had begged the both of them to experience parseltongue for herself, and Rias had agreed on the condition that they use it to test her limits. Believing that she’d be fine, Akeno agreed and actually shivered as Rias tied her arms and legs to the posts of the bed. That was a couple dozen orgasms ago, though, and now the glassy eyed, sweat-drenched woman was shaking like a leaf on the bed, her mascara streaking down her cheeks from her crying.

“I can’t...I can’t...I can’t,” Akeno babbled. “No more, please!”

“It’s okay,” Rias said soothingly as she stroked the other woman’s long, dark hair. “If it’s become too much for you, you just need to say the safe word and I’ll let you go, but if you think you could manage one last tiny little orgasm…”

She trailed off, grinning devilishly down at Akeno, who looked like she was warring with herself. Harry didn’t know if it was pride and her desire to prove to both of them and herself that she could endure more of this, or some sort of addiction to pleasure, but this wasn’t the first time in the last hour and a half that he’d seen her have this internal debate.

“O...one more,” Akeno whimpered, though if the way that her thighs tried to close, straining against the ropes holding her in place, was any indication, she wasn’t entirely sure this time.

“You’re such a good girl,” Rias cooed, stroking her cheek. Turning to Harry, she said, “Break her.”

Harry snorted and returned his face to between her thighs. Her nether lips looked an angry pink, and her engorged clit was nearly red from all the stimulation she had endured. The veritable river of arousal running down towards her puckered arsehole, however, showed just how much she had enjoyed this.

“Are you both sure?” he asked.

“Yes,” Rias replied. “Akeno knows that to end this, she just has to say the word, and she will, when she’d had enough.”

“Do...do it, Harry,” Akeno shuddered. “I can take it.”

The ear-piercing scream she let out when he just swiped his tongue over her clit brought that into question, but as he had learned in the time since she’d first undressed, pain was far from a turn-off for the devil in front of him.

Bringing his long, dexterous tongue out to play, he pressed it against her clit and said, “You asked for it.”

“FUCK!” Akeno shrieked, a long single pronouncement that changed octaves multiple times before she ran out of breath. “It’s too much; it’s too much!”

“Then say the bloody word,” Harry chuckled in parseltongue.

“I can’t!” Akeno wailed as the pleasure grew so intense that it drove her to tears again.

“I know you can, my good girl,” Rias purred, kneading one of the brunette’s large breasts and pinching her nipple. “I know you have one more in you.”

“Gah!” Akeno cried, tears streaming down her face again.

As Harry continued to vibrate his tongue against her tortured clit, she was reduced to wordless cries until, finally, a single squeal spilled from her full lips. Her whole body shook and convulsed like she was being electrocuted.

“Red!” she shrieked as it went on and on. “Redredred!”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Rias said, vanishing the ropes with a swipe of her hand and wrapping her arms around the shaking, crying girl. Stroking her hair, she said, “You were so good, Akeno. That was twenty-eight orgasms you managed.”

“I guess I lost count after a while,” Harry said.

“You’re going to be very well rewarded for helping me with this too,” Rias said, her blue eyes darkening with lust as she stared at him. After a moment, her eyes widened, and she started to look concerned. “Um, what time is it in Britain right now?”

“I’ve no idea,” Harry said, trying to think of how many meals he’d had since he got to the mansion in Hell to try and figure out the passage of time.

The problem was that Rias had had the servants bring them food whenever they got hungry, and they had spent so much time locked away in her bedroom that he honestly didn’t know how much had passed. She cast a quick spell and paled slightly at the results that it gave her.

“It’s Monday,” Rias said.

“What!?” Harry exclaimed.

“It’s alright,” Rias said. “You still have time to get the task done, but we cut it far closer than I realized. Hop in the shower, and I’ll send you back to Hogwarts. I’d join you, but Akeno here needs some serious aftercare.”

“If you joined me, I’d be guaranteed to miss the damn thing,” Harry said, rushing into her bathroom.

“I suppose time really does fly when you’re having fun,” he thought to himself.

*****

“Where the hell is he?” he heard Hermione mutter as he approached the tent where the champions were supposed to meet up. It had been set up at the entrance to the Quidditch stadium, the only place where they could hold this, he figured.

She was waiting outside it, pacing back and forth, and if the frazzled look on her face was any indication, she had spent much of the weekend worrying about him. Feeling immensely guilty, he rushed over to her.

“Hermione,” he called out.

“Harry!” Hermione exclaimed. “Harry, where on Earth have you been?”

“Around,” Harry replied. “I needed to practice what I was going to do and try to keep my head clear, and I guess it just ran long.”

“Ran long!” Hermione growled. “No one has seen you all weekend!”

“I went down to the chamber,” Harry said.

He hated lying to her, but he had no idea how she would react to learning that he had summoned a devil and spent the weekend in the Underworld and couldn’t tell her here at any rate.

“The chamber?” Hermione asked.

“I needed to get away from the other students for a while,” Harry said. “The pressure was driving me spar and I just needed to escape it. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I’ve been a terrible friend.”

“Just please tell me that you’ve figured out what you’re going to do,” Hermione pleaded, looking up at him with fear in her chocolate brown eyes.

“Mione,” Harry said tenderly, pulling her in for a hug. He felt her go stiff as he said, “I’ve got this. Trust me.”

With that, he pressed his lips against her forehead and was about to head inside when a camera flash shone all around them.

“Ah, young love, how sweet,” Rita said, approaching them with her cameraman inside.

“Miss Skeeter,” Harry said, frowning. “I’m sure your readers are going to find the story of the first task interesting.”

“My readers find many things interesting,” Rita grinned. “Oh, look, the poor dear’s in shock.”

Turning back to Hermione, he saw that she had gone stiff, so stiff that it honestly reminded him of when she was petrified in their second year.

“Hermione?” he asked, and she jolted backwards, her face turning red.

“Good luck, Harry,” she muttered before rushing off.

Harry just watched her leave in confusion, before he realized just what he had done. He had spent the entire weekend with two very affectionate women and had clearly gotten used to it quickly. He couldn’t recall if he had ever initiated a hug with Hermione, and he had certainly never kissed her in any way. Hoping that she didn’t think that was creepy and wishing that he could rush off and apologize, he sighed as he turned around in time to see Rita heading inside.

The tent was larger than it appeared on the outside, as he expected, and he noticed all three of the other champions standing there. Krum was leaning against a table, staring at nothing with a look of intense concentration on his face. Fleur was standing across from him, spinning a ring around her right ring finger with both confidence and nervousness warring on her face. Cedric looked irritated, though he suspected that that had much to do with Rita’s attempt to interview him.

“Miss Skeeter, this tent is for the champions and officials only,” Dumbledore said softly, yet firmly as he entered.

“I had hoped to get a word with each of the champions first,” Rita said, “you know, just in case.”

“Leave,” Crouch said flatly, glaring at her cameraman, who looked decidedly uncomfortable.

“Alright,” Rita sighed dramatically. “I guess there’s always after.”

“So,” Bagman said awkwardly as she left, “I know we’ve left you in the dark about what this trial of courage is going to entail, and you must be desperate to know, so the first task will involve getting past dragons.”

He emphasized the final word and paused dramatically, as though waiting for that bombshell to sink in. When four equally flat stares were the only response he got, he looked confused.

“Specifically, your task is going to be to steal a golden egg from a dragon,” Crouch said, visibly fighting the urge to roll his eyes at Bagman. “Each of you will draw from this bag an animated representation of the dragon you’re going to face. It will also determine the order you go in.”

Cedric was the closest to him and reached in to pull out a small silver dragon with a stubby-looking snout and glaring bronze eyes. It was a well-animated creation, whatever it was, and Harry wondered who had created it.

“That is the Swedish Short Snout,” Bagman said. “You’ll be going first, Mr. Diggory.”

Cedric muttered something under his breath and stepped back. Krum stepped up and pulled a small orange dragon with larger wings than Cedric’s and bright blue eyes.

“Chinese Fireball,” Krum murmured.

“Correct, Mr. Krum,” Bagman said, sounding excited. “You’ll be going third.”

“Ladies first,” Harry said, gesturing for Fleur to go.

The beautiful blonde gave him an odd look, as though she found him suddenly interesting and couldn’t figure out why, and walked over to Crouch. Even having spent an entire weekend in the company of goddesses like Rias and Akeno, he still couldn’t help but let his eyes be drawn to Fleur’s magnificent arse. She reached in and pulled a green dragon that honestly looked cute compared to the other two.

“That’s the Common Welsh Green,” Bagman said. “You’ll be going second, Miss Delacour.”

Harry breathed a sigh of relief at that, as it meant he would be going last. He was confident that Ajuka’s enchanted ring would work; the man was too desperate to keep him alive and figure out why the evil pieces didn’t work on him to give him anything faulty. He was concerned about being caught essentially cheating, however, and by going last, he’d be able to summon his egg and not have any of the others try it out and grow suspicious.

“That leaves the Hungarian Horntail for you, Mr. Potter,” Bagman said as Crouch extended the bag towards him.

Harry reached in and pulled out the most terrifying of the four dragons by far. Jet black and angry-looking, the beast in question glared at him balefully with its yellow eyes and actually tried to hit him with its spiked tail. If not for his little trip to the Underworld, he imagined that he’d be quite scared just now.

“Alright, with all four of you having chosen your dragons, we can begin,” Bagman said. “The first dragon has already been brought out, so, Mr. Diggory, just wait by the entrance until you’re called.”

“Best of luck,” Harry said a couple minutes later when Bagman’s amplified voice called him into the arena.

“Back at you,” Cedric replied before heading in.

Harry took a deep breath and let it go slowly. With an easy solution at hand and having spent most of the weekend having sex, he wasn’t just usually relaxed for where he was; he was more relaxed than he could ever remember being.

“You seem very calm,” Fleur said.

Harry looked over at the gorgeous blonde and furrowed his brow. She hadn’t said a single word to him since she called him a little boy, and even that hadn’t been said directly to him.

“I’ve come up with my solution,” Harry said. “It’ll either work or it won’t, so there’s little point in worrying about it now.”

“I’d ‘ave expected you to be more nervous, given your age, and ‘ow you objected to even being in ze tournament,” Fleur said.

“This isn’t my first life-threatening situation,” Harry said. “It’s not even the worst.”

“What danger could you ‘ave experienced?” Fleur asked, sounding like she didn’t believe him.

“Well, there was this quidditch game I was in last year that was interrupted by dementors,” Harry said. “I nearly plummeted to my death during that.”

“Why in ze world would zere be dementors ‘ere?” Fleur asked.

“A prisoner escaped from Azkaban, and the government wanted to be seen doing something,” Harry said.

“So zey sent dementors to ‘Ogwarts?” Fleur asked.

“I didn’t say it was something good,” Harry chuckled. “Cedric was in that game too. Beat me to the snitch after I passed out.”

“The dragon seems to have taken the bait!” Bagman said, excitedly.

“And thankfully, it doesn’t speak English,” Harry snarked.

“Of course not; it’s from Sweden,” Fleur quipped, making him snort.

“Be careful with your Welsh one, then,” Harry replied, earning a smile.

“‘E’s going to be loud and obnoxious with all of us, isn’t ‘e?” Fleur asked after a moment, sounding worried.

“You think it might effect your plan?” Harry asked, figuring that would explain her unease.

“I’ll just ‘ave to be quick,” Fleur said.

Screams echoed from the stands, and Harry swallowed thickly. A moment later, Cedric ran into the tent, clutching the egg to his chest with one arm and holding the other against his cheek, where he had obviously been burned.

“He’s done it!” Bagman exclaimed. “Though not without injury, Cedric Diggory has successfully completed the first task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.”

“Come here, Mr. Diggory,” Madam Pomfrey called out. “The quicker I apply burn salve to that wound, the better it will heal.”

Cedric grunted, clearly in pain, and rushed over to the healer.

“Good luck,” Harry said as Fleur walked towards the entrance.

“Good luck,” she replied.

It took them several minutes to clear the arena of the first dragon and get the second one in place, but once that was done, Bagman called Fleur out, and she walked out with a confident gait. He looked over to Krum, who didn’t even acknowledge him, and, figuring that he wouldn’t have anyone to chat with this time, he just closed his eyes and focused on breathing.

A moment later, he was interrupted by one of the most beautiful things he had ever heard. Fleur was singing, or he was going insane and hearing things, and the sound sent chills down his spine. The song was very calming and soothing in a way that he didn’t think could be natural, and he wondered just what sort of magic that could possibly be. It honestly reminded him in a way of Fawkes gentle trills.

“She’s done it!” Bagman cried. “She’s got the egg.”

“Bagman, you idiot,” Harry muttered to himself.

Almost immediately afterward, Fleur almost dove inside the tent, unscathed except for some slight singeing of her skirt. She panted quietly as the adrenaline continued to course through her.

“Was that because of our lovely announcer?” Harry asked, pointing to her skirt.

“Surprisingly non,” Fleur said. “It turns out zat dragons can breathe fire when zey snore.”

“And I thought Uncle Vernon had a problem,” Harry thought to himself.

Krum walked past the two of them towards the entrance to the arena as Madam Pomfrey walked over.

“Miss Delacour, I need to examine you,” she said.

“Ze dragon did not ‘urt me,” Fleur said. “I put out zese flames before zey touched my skin.”

“Even still,” Madam Pomfrey said, and Fleur just shrugged as she joined her.

Krum’s solution involved a great deal of violence if the gasps from the crowd were any indication, and went well if the lack of screams were. He also finished more quickly than the other two and emerged from the arena looking barely winded. Harry just nodded at him and took his place by the entrance of the area. There were no eyes on him here, so he quietly reached into one of the pockets of his robes and pulled out Ajuka’s ring. The small piece of dark metal radiated magical power so clearly that he could feel it.

In truth, he had no idea if what he was doing was considered cheating or if there would be any consequences if it was, and he was caught. All he knew was that, alone as he was there, no one could see as he slid the tiny ring onto his wand, and once he entered the arena, the only one who might be able to see from the stands was Moody, thanks to that magical eye of his. Given that he was the only professor to try to help him overtly, albeit with a truly insane plan, he doubted that, even if the man saw, he’d say anything.

“And now we come to our final contestant,” Bagman announced. “The fourth champion in this triwizard tournament, our own native son, Harry Potter!”

There had been cheers for each of the three properly selected champions as they were called into the arena, but as Harry walked in, he was met with mostly quiet. Looking at the stands, he spotted Hermione’s bushy brown hair blowing in the breeze and smiled. No matter what anyone else thought, he knew that she believed in him and was thankful to have one true friend in the castle. He was so focused on looking around at the stands that it wasn’t until he heard a distinct, loud growl that he even looked at his dragon.

“Fuck me,” he muttered to himself as he took in the sight of the Hungarian Horntail.

The small animated construct that he’d pulled out of the bag had been very well-made, and it had glared at him with malevolence, but it had nothing on the real thing. The black dragon was enormous, and as her yellow eyes fixed on him and she breathed a small warning plume of flame, he was sure that without Ajuka’s help, he’d have been doomed. There were large boulders scattered about, presumably because even the tournament organizers realized that the champions would benefit from some cover.

He spotted the nest full of eggs and saw the golden one gleaming in the sun. He was about to just summon the egg when a thought occurred to him. Stealthily slipping the ring off of his wand, he pointed it at his throat and cast, “Sonorus.”

“Pardon me, could we speak?” he asked in parseltongue, wondering if the dragon might understand him.

The beast did react to his hissed words as concerned murmurs began to echo through the stands, rising up and cocking her head like a curious dog, but she didn’t reply.

“Eh, fuck it, worth a shot,” Harry muttered, only belatedly realizing that he’d left his sonorus charm on.

Flushing as people in the stands began to laugh, he decided that it was time to end this and ended the charm. After stealthily placing the ring back on his wand, he pointed it at the nest and cast, “Accio golden egg!”

The fake dragon egg was pulled from the nest with great speed, attracting the attention of the dragon, who roared in rage. Harry caught the egg and had only a moment to relish his success when the dragon breathed a torrent of fire his way. He dove inside the tent, having not moved very far away from it, and felt the warmth of the flame from just how close it had come to hitting him.

“He’s done it!” Bagman cried. “By simply summoning the egg from its nest, Harry Potter has finished the first task in less time than any of his competitors and seemingly without injury!”

“One down,” Harry sighed to himself, looking down at the golden egg in his hands.

It had some weight to it, but not as much as he’d have expected if it were solid, and he got the sense that it was likely more important than it seemed.

“Mr. Potter,” Madam Pomfrey said. “That was quick.”

“Plan A worked for once,” Harry said. “I didn’t even get singed.”

“Will miracles never cease?” the matron asked as she cast a few diagnostic charms on him. “You’re good to go.”

“Thank you,” Harry said.

He headed to the designated area where the other champions were standing, just in time to see the judges giving him his scores. Both Dumbledore and Bagman gave him tens, while Crouch gave him a nine, Maxime gave him an eight, and Karkaroff gave him a four. When Dumbledore made all four of their scores float in the air with their names, he was surprised to see that he was in first place. At forty-one, he was a point ahead of Krum at forty, while Fleur and Cedric followed with thirty-nine and thirty-eight, respectively. The fact that he had come in first place while Cedric came in fourth was not going to go over well with much of the castle, but there was nothing he could do about that. He did seem to be the most grievously injured of them, though from what Harry could see, the burn salve was already helping his skin heal.

“Well done, all of you,” Bagman said. “Let’s get a round of applause for all of our successful champions!”

The crowd erupted in cheers as the clearly entertained crowd made their excitement known.

“Now, the second task will take place three months from today,” Bagman said. “Just as this task was a test of bravery, the next one will be a test of cunning and resourcefulness. Hold onto those eggs, you four, because within them lies the only hint you’ll get as to what it will entail.”

Harry had figured as much and decided to examine the egg with Hermione as soon as possible, stuffing it into the mokeskin pouch he’d bought before returning for that year. After the scores were given, Bagman announced that the first task was completed and that everyone should return to the castle. Harry made a beeline to the gates, beating nearly everyone there, and took a moment to just breathe and internalize the fact that he had survived one of the tasks. He figured that he could wait there for Hermione, but it was Seamus who approached him first.

“You couldn’t even put in a good show?” the Irish boy scoffed.

“I beg your pardon?” Harry asked, scowling.

“It’s bad enough you cheated your way into the damn tournament; do you really think you’ll be able to cheat your way through it too?” Seamus asked.

Harry was about to snap at the idiot when he thought better of it and just rolled his eyes instead. “If you’d like to test yourself against a dragon, ask Ron. I’m sure his brother Charlie could arrange something.”

Seamus just sneered and turned when he heard Ron and Dean talking as they entered. Ron didn’t even look at him, and Harry swallowed thickly as he realized that nothing had changed between them. A pair of different Weasleys approached him soon afterward.

“Congrats, Harry,” one of the twins said.

“First place and everything,” the other added.

“Thanks guys,” Harry said, smiling.

A few other Gryffindors showed up to congratulate him, including Angelina, who seemed to be over her disappointment at not being selected, but most of them didn’t seem to know how to react to his win. It seemed that half of them still thought that he’d tricked his way into the damn tournament, and even seeing that he’d been put up against a dragon hadn’t changed their minds.

He briefly wondered if their tune might have been changed if he had gone with Moody’s idea and survived. It would have been a lot flashier than just summoning the egg, and he would have ended up in far more danger. It was a moot point, though, and after having spent the last weekend the way that he did, he found that the opinions of his schoolmates mattered a lot less than they had before.

It truly was amazing what sex with supernaturally beautiful women could do.

Just as he was about to give up on the common room and go search the library, he spotted Hermione coming in and rushed over to her.

“Hermione,” Harry said warmly.

“Harry,” Hermione said, smiling widely. “Congratulations. I’m so glad you’re okay. When did you decide to try and summon the egg?”

“It occurred to me over the weekend,” Harry said. “I figured that if I could summon a broom, why not try and get the egg itself first?”

“Thank goodness it worked,” Hermione said.

“Could we talk, privately?” Harry asked.

“Of course,” Hermione said, turning around and leaving the crowded common room.

Once they were mostly alone, he quietly said, “I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Don’t be,” Hermione said. “I was the one who froze on the spot awkwardly.”

“I was briefly reminded of second year,” Harry said.

“You’re not usually that affectionate,” Hermione said.

“It’s not something I’m used to,” Harry admitted. “I just realized what a pillock been all weekend, disappearing on you without a word, and I felt guilty.”

“It’s okay,” Hermione said, turning and stopping in her tracks as she looked up at him. “You made it through the task without getting a scratch. If it took you going off on your own for a couple days to figure out how to pull that off, it was well worth it.”

She hugged him then, and he let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding.

“For the record, you can hug me any time,” Hermione said softly.

“The way you took off, I worried that you thought it was weird,” Harry said.

“Not at all,” Hermione said, smiling up at him. After a moment, she pulled back and said, “Did you look at that egg?”

“No, I decided to wait for you,” Harry replied, pulling the egg out of his pouch. “I figured it had to be hollow from the weight.

“This decorative part on top seems to be the only thing that isn’t seamless,” Hermione said.

“Right, just let me try pulling on or twisting it,” Harry said, gripping the supposed cap and applying pressure.

It twisted easily enough, and soon the egg opened, only to emit the most awful screeching noise either of them had ever heard.

“Agh!” Harry cried while Hermione covered her ears.

Grabbing the sides of the egg, he forced it shut and sighed with relief. As his hearing returned to him, he noticed a couple students had rushed over to see what the noise was. Mrs. Norris was also there, standing with her back arched and hissing in his general direction.

“Sorry!” Harry called out. “Tournament thing.”

“That was singularly wretched,” Hermione said, wincing.

“That was supposed to be a hint,” Harry said, grimacing. “Maybe the next task will require ear protection.”

“Doubtful,” Hermione said dryly. “That awful screeching must signify something. We’ll need to do research, though I’m drawing a blank on where to start so far.”

“I have three months,” Harry said as he pushed the egg back into his pouch. “We’ll think of something.”

“We always do,” Hermione said.

“Well, you always do,” Harry chuckled. “I wouldn’t be here without you.”

“That’s quite mutual,” Hermione said, her warm brown eyes staring right into his. “Do you want to start now? We could go to the library.”

“Harry?” Rias’ voice sounded in his head.

“Huh?” Harry asked, freezing in place.

“What’s wrong?” Hermione asked.

“Relax, Harry,” Rias said, sounding amused. “I placed a spell in your ear to let us talk remotely.”

“No...nothing,” Harry said. “I think I might need to relax a bit.”

“You’ve earned yourself some time off from all of this,” Hermione said. “I’ll see you later.”

“Later, Mione,” Harry said, smiling as she left.

“When you’re alone, just let me know, and I’ll head your way,” Rias said.

“Just a tick,” Harry said quietly as he made his way towards Myrtle’s bathroom.

“Hello, Harry,” the teenage ghost said. “It’s nice of you to come visit.”

“Hello, Myrtle,” Harry said. “It’s been a while.”

“It has,” Myrtle said. “Did you come to chat?”

“Actually, I came to see the chamber,” Harry said.

“Why?” Myrtle asked.

“Well, the last time I was down there, I killed the thing that killed you, but I didn’t have time to really look around,” Harry said.

“Oh, well, it’s a dangerous place,” Myrtle said.

“I can handle myself,” Harry assured her.

“Oh no, I just meant that if something goes wrong down there, you’re welcome to share my toilet with me,” Myrtle said, smiling.

Harry just blinked at her a couple times before laughing and saying, “Thanks Myrtle.”

“Open,” he hissed, and watched as the wall and sink in front of him transformed into the entrance to the chamber. He was about to slide down when a thought occurred to him, and he hissed, “Stairs.”

Before his eyes, the smooth tunnel that he and Ron had ridden down the first time transformed into stairs. He laughed out loud, though realizing that he wouldn’t be able to laugh with Ron about how stupid they were the first time put a damper on his mood. He drew his wand and started casting cleaning charms on the steps as he descended.

“Was that yet another girl I heard you talking to?” Rias asked.

“That was Myrtle,” Harry replied. “She’s a ghost who was killed back in the forties by the dickhead who killed my parents.”

“Did he teach in your school?” Rias asked, sounding confused.

“No, he was a student back then,” Harry said. “I can only assume that he was born the way he is.”

As he reached the bottom, he cast a quick lumos spell and pulled out the ornate little paper she’d given him.

*****

“Before you go, I just wanted to make it clear that you’ll need to summon me again to get me back into Hogwarts,” Rias said.

“Can’t you just come in now that you know where it is?” Harry asked.

“No,” Rias said. “The wards around that castle are impressive, and while I might be able to get through them, I doubt that I could do so without being detected.”

“But Grayfia…” Harry went to say, confused.

“Grayfia is significantly better at that than I am,” Rias said, cutting him off. “I’ll be able to get out on my own, as few wards are ever used to keep people in, and they wouldn’t have set any up to specifically keep devils in, but I will need to be summoned inside.”

“Hmm,” Harry said, not wanting to voice how annoying that would be. It wasn’t like seeing her wouldn’t be worth it. Just then, another thought occurred to him, and he said, “What if it was a spot outside the wards?”

“I don’t know how far the wards go,” Rias said. “I’ll have to ask Grayfia where she began before she started carefully opening a hole she could teleport through.”

“No, I mean the chamber,” Harry said. “It’s a complete unknown to everyone who’s ever worked on the wards. It might be outside them.”

“Hmm,” Rias said. “That was where we wanted to go anyway, so it would be convenient.”

“Exactly,” Harry said.

Reaching out, Rias summoned a small sheet of paper with a red magic circle on it, much like the one she had appeared inside before, and handed it to him.

“Hold this out and call my name once you’re in the chamber,” she said. “If your theory is correct, then I’ll appear. Otherwise, you’ll have to summon me properly.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Harry said, pocketing the paper.

*****

She had sent him on his way not long after that. Holding out the page, he said, “Rias Gremory.”

Just like before, a circle of glowing crimson light appeared on the ground in front of him and she materialized in it.

“Hey,” Harry said, feeling giddy to be with her again. It had only been a few hours, and he had already missed her.

“Hi,” Rias said, brushing her long crimson hair behind her ear. “I guess it worked.”

“How’s Akeno?” Harry asked.

“Sleeping it off,” Rias laughed. “We’ll have to work on her stamina.”

“I’m happy to help,” Harry said, his voice low and rumbling.

“I bet,” Rias smirked, walking up to him. “She does taste good, doesn’t she?”

Before he could reply, she kissed him, and he wrapped his arms around her. As she broke the kiss for air, she finally looked around to see where she was.

“You know, as far as first date locales go, this is pretty unconventional,” she said.

“Date?” Harry asked, and Rias just grinned at him before wandering into the chamber.

He caught up with her quickly and took her hand. She looked at him in surprise for a second before smiling and blushing slightly.

“So where is this…” Rias cut herself off as they stumbled across one of the shed skins. “What in the world?”

“That’s one of the basilisk’s shed skins,” Harry replied. “It’s a bit smaller than the actual beast was.”

“This is smaller than the thing you killed?” Rias asked, sounding distinctly impressed.

“Mmhmm,” Harry said, touching the shed skin. It crumbled under his touch, turning to dust.

“This was shed a while before you killed it, I’d guess,” Rias said, “and its inherent magic wouldn’t have preserved a simple shed skin that much anyway.”

“Well, the whole thing is just ahead,” Harry said, and they continued onward.

“Ah, right,” Harry said as they reached the caved-in part of the tunnel. “I’m going to need to fix this.”

“No, I can do it,” Rias said, waving her hand in front of her.

Harry watched as the wall that Lockhart’s backfired spell had broken almost knitted itself back together, looking like nothing had ever happened.

“There,” Rias said before they continued on.

When they reached the final door before the main chamber, he saw that it had closed itself since he last left and hissed a quick command for it to open. Rias shivered, and he looked over at her, cocking an eyebrow.

“Just memories,” Rias said, giving him a lustful grin.

Harry returned it, and the two went inside, only to stop dead in their tracks. They were both shocked for different reasons. In Harry’s case, while he had no particular reason to doubt Rias, he still couldn’t quite fathom that a creature wouldn’t have rotted a year and a half after its death. Nonetheless, the basilisk lay there, looking just as it had the day Harry killed it. In Rias’ case.

“Fuck me!” she exclaimed, tugging her hand out of his grip and walking towards the dead basilisk as though in a trance. “This is seriously impressive.”

“I just did what I had to,” Harry said.

“Humility isn’t as attractive to devils as it is to humans,” Rias said archly. “Killing something this dangerous, especially in the way that you did, at the age that you did, would get you serious recognition among my people if you were a devil. To pull it off as a human is remarkable.”

Harry flushed slightly under her praise and then furrowed her brow as she pulled out another one of those papers.

Seeing his confused look, she said, “I need to summon my mother for this. Harvesting creatures isn’t my thing, but she’s been doing it for some time.”

“You told your mother about the basilisk?” Harry asked.

“I told her that you were sitting on a potential goldmine and that she would want to check it out,” Rias smirked. “I wanted to see the look on her face when she found out what specifically I was talking about here. Venelana Gremory.”

Harry was about to comment on that when a purple magic circle appeared between them, and the basilisk’s corpse and Venelana materialized inside it.

“Well, Rias, what is this opportunity you’ve been so tight-lipped about?” she asked.

“Hello, Ve...er, Mrs. Gremory,” Harry said.

“Lady Gremory,” she corrected him.

“Turn around, Mother,” Rias said, sounding amused.

Venelana did and she gasped as she took in the sight of the basilisk.

“Oh my!” she breathed. Turning back around, she looked at him and said, “You mean to tell me that you killed this thing?”

“Yes,” Harry replied.

“How?” Venelana asked.

“I stabbed it through the roof of its mouth with a sword,” Harry replied.

Venelana just stared at him like he was insane for a moment. “You didn’t get bitten?”

“Oh, I got bitten,” Harry said. “If not for the phoenix tears, I’d be dead.”

“Phenex?” Venelana asked, looking confused.

“The actual bird,” Rias piped up.

“Oh,” Venelana said. “That makes marginally more sense.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, actually, why do the bird and the family have the same name?” Harry asked. “Did they just like them?”

“That’s actually an interesting story,” Venelana said. “When Lucifer was cast out of heaven for defying the Tyrant, he was enraged and sought to strike back against him. He found common cause with the first human woman, Lilith, who had also been cast out of a paradise for the crime of defiance. Using the pages he had stolen from the Book of Creation, he remade her to be like him, and together, the two of them found the Underworld…”

“What is the Book of Creation?” Harry asked. “You mentioned back at the mansion as well.”

“A powerful artifact that the Tyrant found before he found the Earth and which he used to both make the original angels and remake the primitive humanoids that populated this planet into modern humans,” Venelana asked.

“I thought he made humans along with, you know, everything else,” Harry said, confused.

“Pure propaganda,” Venelana said flatly. “We refer to him solely as the Tyrant for a reason. All that he created, he did so for the purpose of his own amusement. He enjoyed above all other things, creating nigh-impossible standards for his creations, watching them fail, and then punishing them for their failure. This he did for eons, but eventually he grew weary of the day-to-day management of his realm and sought a right hand who could carry out his will and enforce his laws. He looked to his prior creations but ultimately decided to make a new angel, one far beyond the rest.”

“So he created Lucifer,” Harry commented.

“Lucifer was made for the purpose of being the Tyrant’s administrator, and he was, perhaps unwittingly, made with his creator’s imperiousness and pride,” Venelana said. “He ultimately deemed his creator unworthy, wondering why he should rule for the sake of another who was too lazy to do it himself when he could just rule. Taking some pages from the book as insurance, he confronted the Tyrant and tried to shake the faith of the other angels by pointing out that his rule was unjust and playing it off as an attempt to reason with him. Some of the angels were shaken by his words, but none would ultimately end up becoming his followers. As for the Tyrant, he was furious, and in response, he ripped the wings from Lucifer’s back and cast him out, only realizing afterward that his precious book was missing some of its most vital pages.”

She laughed at that, and Harry got the sense that this story was very popular among the devils.

“He had already remade himself into the first devil by the time he found Lilith,” Venelana continued, “and together, the two of them created more. These first devils, who would go on to become the progenitors of the seventy-two pillars, the great devil families, were each created with a unique power. The first Sitri was a master of ice magic, the first Bael was a master of destruction, and the first Malphas’ words became reality. The one exception was the devil, who would go on to become Phenex.”

“Her original name was lost to time,” Rias added, “as she wanted all record of her early life destroyed. Most of what we do know is from second-hand accounts given later.”

“What was wrong with her?” Harry asked.

“Nothing really,” Venelana replied. “She had all the normal powers and abilities of devils. She just didn’t have any unique powers of her own and was looked down upon by her brothers and sisters as a result. When she complained to Lucifer, he roared at her for being weak and not seeking her own solution to the hand fate had dealt her as he did.”

“What did she do?” Harry asked.

“She traveled to Earth,” Venelana replied, “and on Earth, she managed to find, capture, and ritually consume a phoenix. It’s powers became hers, and she went from being seventy-second of all devils to being thirty-seventh. Lucifer was most impressed by her drive and ingenuity.”

Harry blanched at the idea of eating a creature like Fawkes.

“Wait, do you mean all of the phoenix’s powers?” Harry asked once he’d recovered.

“Yes,” Venelana said. “Their command of fire magic is unrivaled; they can heal from almost any physical injury, and their tears can also heal others. Now, let’s take a look at what we’re dealing with.”

Her bat-like wings sprung from her back, and she bolted up into the air to look over the basilisk’s corpse from above.

“You can fly?!” Harry exclaimed.

“You didn’t think they were just for show, did you?” Rias asked.

Harry’s eyes widened at the thought of flying under his own power. Before he slept with Rias, there was nothing he enjoyed more than flying. Zooming through the air without care or fear made him happy and relaxed in a way that little else did. Brooms were awesome, and he wasn’t looking to replace his firebolt, but the idea of being able to fly without it, without any restriction at all, was something he had never really realized that he wanted.

“Man, I hope Ajuka figures out my scar problem,” he thought to himself.

“It’s a pity about the eyes,” Venelana commented as she examined the ruined orbs.

“Fawkes, the phoenix that I told you about, clawed them out so that his gaze wouldn’t kill me,” Harry said.

“Her,” Venelana corrected him.

“Her?” Harry asked, and he paled as a terrifying thought occurred to him. “Could she have laid eggs?”

“No,” Venelana replied. “Basilisks are unable to reproduce, and each one has to be made by a magician. To the extent that they have sex characteristics, however, they are all female.”

“Thank Merlin,” Harry sighed with relief.

“Hmm, so about sixty feet long, and with the exception of the eyes and one of the fangs, in near mint condition,” Venelana said. “How long ago did you kill it?”

“About a year and a half,” Harry replied. When she gave him a look that was half disbelief and half rage, he added, “I didn’t know it was worth anything. I also just really wanted to get out of here after surviving my fight with the damn thing.”

“I’ll have to lean on my people to work quickly,” Venelana said as she descended to the ground. “This thing is going to make us both a fortune. You killed it, but my harvesters are going to be doing all of the grunt work, and I’m going to be overseeing the sale of it. What say that we split the profits and anything else connected to it fifty/fifty?”

“I…” Harry went to reply.

“That seems a touch excessive,” Rias said, sounding amused. “Harry was the one who risked his life, after all.”

“He was also going to let it rot,” Venelana said, giving her daughter a questioning look.

“Splitting it like that sounds fine,” Harry said, not wanting to cause any more of a rift between the two of them than he already had.

“If you’re sure,” Venelana said, extending her hand to him.

“I am,” Harry said, shaking it. He felt his hand warm up for a moment, and when he pulled it back, he saw that there was a small glowing symbol on his palm that quickly vanished.

“The pact is set,” Venelana said. “The profits and any part of the basilisk that we end up not selling are yours.”

“Not selling?” Harry asked.

“I would strongly advise against selling the skin,” Venelana said. “Genuine basilisk skin is worth a fortune, but it’s also incredible useful.”

“We’ll figure that out once it’s been harvested, I guess,” Harry said.

“Very well,” Venelana said. Turning to the basilisk, she waved her hand, and the entire thing was enveloped in purple light before vanishing. “Harry, Rias, until we see each other again.”

She disappeared herself then, leaving the two of them alone.

“You got screwed, you know,” Rias said. “Mother doesn’t get fifty percent on anything.”

“It’s money I didn’t know I had,” Harry shrugged, “and I didn’t want to be the cause of any further strife between you two.”

“We’re doing fine,” Rias said, shaking her head, “and she would have respected you more if you had negotiated. Of course, given what she discovered you did, her respect is something you’ve probably earned anyway.”

“Oh,” Harry said.

“You should be more assertive,” Rias said. “Not only is it sexier, but it’s just a better way of being in general. The meek only ever get what they inherit, which is often nothing at all. The strong take what they like.”

“I like you,” Harry said, pulling her in and kissing her soundly.

Rias giggled as she pulled away, saying, “And you took me plenty. Alas, I’m not fucking down here.”

“It is rather unsanitary, huh?” Harry chuckled.

“Like I said, not a great date spot,” Rias said teasingly.

“I guess I’ll just have to think of something better then, huh?” Harry asked, grinning at her.

Rias gasped, saying, “Harry Potter, are you asking me out?”

Harry felt his heart rate spike but managed to keep his voice from wavering as he said, “I guess I am. Will you go out with me, Rias Gremory?”

She laughed and said, “Yes. It’ll have to wait a bit, though. I let a few things pile up while I tried to get my parents to back off on the whole Riser thing.”

“I’ll ask again in a little bit then,” Harry said. “I guess you need to get going?”

“I’ll walk upstairs with you,” Rias said, hooking her arm around his.

As they walked back towards the entrance, he asked, “How are things going with the Phenexes, anyway?”

“I have no idea,” Rias said. “Father will work something out with Lord Phenex. It’s not like I actually broke a contract or anything, so it’s just a matter of ruffled feathers. As for the asshole in question, I’ve yet to hear a word from him, though I expect to eventually.”

“He won’t make trouble, will he?” Harry asked.

“Probably not,” Rias said. “We won’t come to blows at any rate, but he might have a couple dickish comments for me the next time we see each other.”

Harry hissed the command for the door to open, and the two of them emerged from the chamber. Myrtle didn’t seem to be there, and he was glad to not have to get the ghost to promise not to mention seeing Rias. He thought that she would have agreed if he asked, but avoiding it entirely was still better.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding about the entrance being in the girl’s room,” Rias said, looking around.

“I choose to believe that this room was simply something different when Slytherin created the chamber a thousand years ago,” Harry said. “The alternative is much worse.”

“I imagine the castle has changed a fair bit since then,” Rias said reassuringly.

“So, despite it being a bad place for a date, you did seem to enjoy yourself,” Harry grinned.

“That I did,” Rias said, closing the distance between them and kissing him deeply.

With her tongue plunging into his mouth, she coaxed his own out to play quickly enough, and soon the two of them were snogging passionately, both of them unaware of the girl who came in midway and watched them with wide brown eyes.