Intro: This was an oddball idea I had a while back- Harry is moved after the Ministry battle and receives an odd visitor. After he makes the deal, he decides its time to take the fight to Riddle. Non-6th/7th compliant, Gray!Harry, Immortal!Harry, Harry/OC
A/N: *scribbles this in* I always…forget…the goddamn…disclaimer…
Disclaimer: If you for some reason think I'm J.K. Rowling, or am making any money off this story, you need help beyond that which I am capable of providing.
A/N 2: There is a more graphic lemon in this chapter, marked by "Lemon Start" and "Lemon End". But then, if you're reading an M-rated story, you should be prepared for that sort of thing. I actually had to tone it down and rephrase it so it could be put into this story.
Chapter 2: The Team
Harry's Flat
August 15th
Harry woke slowly, and kept his eyes closed, choosing to inhale deeply. The faint scent of Eva's shampoo entered his nostrils- vanilla. He was not sure how she felt about him, but he was pretty convinced that he was falling in love with this woman. Every day, they would rise from their shared bed and would begin either researching or training. Eva had been a bit of a shock to both Remus and Moody, who had believed that they could not have slipped up, but both had been sworn to secrecy. Their bruised egos were soothed by the knowledge that they had not been facing a mortal opponent. Harry had revealed everything to the both of him, and after a little good-natured teasing about sleeping with the devil, both had agreed to stand by him, for different reasons.
Remus had been offended when Harry had asked him whether he would stand by him or Dumbledore. As he had put it, "I have always been on your side. I never fought for Dumbledore- I fought for you and your parents." Moody had been concerned at first, but eventually, he too had agreed, and both had been made immortal.
They would be at the Leaky Cauldron on the 16th, providing security. Of course, if any Death Eaters happened to attack the Leaky Cauldron at that point, anything short of an all-out assault by Riddle himself would be met with five DA members, four Order members, and a former agent of the devil- not to mention Tom the bartender. Any confrontations would be short-lived, and if Tom got into the fight, the others might not even need to get involved.
Harry opened his eyes and gently untangled himself from Eva's limbs. In the past two weeks, the two lovers had become extremely close. Although they usually wore clothes now, to avoid the teasing from Remus or Moody when they had to scramble for clothing when one of them came by, the two were just as intimate with each other. More often than not, breakfast turned into either an all-out shag fest or a food fight. Lunch was usually cold sandwiches after their physical training and before their research.
With help from several Order members, Harry had moved a good portion of the vast Black family library to his flat in Diagon Alley. Harry had uncovered several 'gray' combat spells- more powerful and inventive than stunners, but less nasty than killing curses or other 'dark' spells. He had also learned a few healing spells that came in handy after almost every visit from Moody.
Aside from the anatomy lessons at night (and in the morning, and sometimes right after lunch), Eva had taught him about combat tactics, wizard etiquette, and magical statecraft. As she had put it, "You can't just defeat Riddle and Luc's son on the battlefield, at least not the physical one. You may need to fight him on the political battlefield as well." After stating this, she had promptly shagged him, claiming it would help him remember the lesson.
Eva had also taught him both magical and Muggle first aid, which would allow him to essentially "do anything except open the brain cavity" with minimal trouble or assistance. With the knowledge he now had, Harry stood a far better chance than he had before. In return, Harry had taught her how to cook, Muggle-style. At least he had attempted to. While she was a natural at making gourmet dishes- she had made a chateau brion for three that had somehow convinced Moody to break his "no food I didn't prepare" rule- Eva had also managed somehow to burn water. She was completely incapable of making some of the most basic dishes. Cornflakes were about her limit. Anything more than that required major repairs to the kitchen.
Easing himself from the bed, Harry rose and completed his morning ablutions- use the bathroom, shave via magic-another useful spell Eva had taught him (although she had had a different target for the spell in mind)- and brush his teeth. Harry left his hair uncombed, having long ago given up on fighting it. It never tangled but never would cooperate, so the boy cut his losses and let it sit where it wanted.
Harry padded into the main room of the flat, stretching and examining his surroundings. He was moderately happy in the flat. With its kitchen, sitting room, two bedrooms (each with its own bathroom), and spare room that had been turned into a gym and dueling arena, the flat was well equipped for the summer. It was safe, comfortable, and private- three things that Harry had never had all at once in his life. Although Harry did wish that Sirius was in the other bedroom, the guilt he had felt over his godfather's death had mostly faded.
Harry picked up a single book that had been set apart from the others- the photo album that Hagrid had given him years ago. He had added to it, placing pictures of Sirius and Remus with his family, as well as the entire trio together.
"Harry?" Eva was standing in the doorway, her hair mussed up from sleeping. "Come back to bed, Harry. It's still early."
Harry shook his head. "Too late in the morning for that, Eva. Besides, it's not like we'd be sleeping."
Eva managed a sleepy smile. "Did I say we would be sleeping?"
Harry mused on that for a moment. "Ah, what the hell. Let's go." In seconds, Eva was on the couch, waiting for him.
"So, how are we going to shag this time?" Harry asked, grinning. "Will it be from behind, or you riding me? Or would you prefer to be bent over the couch?"
The ex-satanic employee shrugged. "Do me from behind. We haven't done that one in a while, and I know you enjoy it."
Lemon Start
"Fair enough." Harry sat next to her on the couch and pulled her across his lap, nuzzling her neck. Her arms encircled his neck as he slowly scooted his hand up along her ribs.
"Get on with it!" She hissed impatiently, before moaning as Harry caught her earlobe between two teeth and twirled her nipple between a thumb and forefinger. She nipped at his neck as he bent and took one breast into his mouth, batting his tongue across the nipple. She yelped as Harry nibbled lightly on the nub. As he continued to suck on her breast, he reached around and squeezed her bum, before he gently slid out from under her and began kissing down her body. As Harry came to her flower, he spread her lips with two fingers and gently blew a stream of cool air across the nub. She gasped and jumped, letting out a low "Harryyyyyyyyyyyyyyy..." He grinned, and bent, sliding his tongue through her folds, eliciting a gasp. He continued to work on her for several minutes, bringing her to climax several times with his tongue and fingers. He stopped right before she became over-stimulated- he had become an expert at reading her body language and knowing when she was nearing the edges of her tolerance. She collapsed onto the couch, breathless.
"You get better every time, you know that?" She asked in between breaths. He nodded, grinning cheekily. "Would you like me to return the favor?"
"Definitely." He heard a low growl in her throat and she tackled him back onto the couch and began trailing her tongue down his body, stopping to nibble lightly at one of his nipples. She worked lower and slowly slid the head of his todger into her mouth, trailing her tongue around the base of the crown. She slowly worked her way down his shaft, inching it deeper into her mouth. Harry knew she did this deliberately, for the express purpose of winding him up, but his thoughts at that moment were mostly occupied with praying that she would not stop to speak. She slowly bobbed her head, wrapping her hand tightly around the part of his shaft not in her mouth and slowly jerking in time. She continued to work her tongue around his shaft as she sucked slowly on him, edging him closer to orgasm.
Eventually, Harry couldn't hold out any longer, and after a warning to Eva, he felt himself slip over the edge, spilling his seed into her mouth. As she swallowed it and trailed her tongue along her upper lip seductively, Harry was reminded of an old joke that brought a slight grin to his face.
"Something funny?" She asked, nipping at the skin of his stomach.
"No, I was just thinking of an old joke. What's the difference between love, true love, and showing off? Spitting, swallowing, and gargling." She laughed, and then kissed him hard, before running into their bedroom. Harry trotted after her, finding her on all fours, wiggling her bum in the air. Harry chuckled, and got onto the bed, rubbing the head of his tool against her entrance. "You want this, don't you," he said, his voice husky. "You want it in you."
"You have no idea," she moaned.
"I think I can ballpark it, but I sense you have something else in mind right now."
"Just shut up and stick that thing in me already!" Harry was only too happy to comply, and slowly sheathed himself in her, feeling her inner walls clamp down around him. She gave a low moan, and Harry let a breath hiss through his teeth as he bottomed out. He slowly pulled back, before ever-so-slowly thrusting back in. He repeated this several times, watching the reactions of his lover.
"Harry James Potter, if you do not stop screwing around and fuck me properly RIGHT NOW, I swear to all that is unholy that I will-" she broke off as Harry slid back and slammed forward hard enough to disrupt her speech. He began pounding away, slowing only when he felt his second orgasm approaching. By this time, Eva had effectively been reduced to a boneless pile due to the multiple orgasms.
"Where do you want it?" He asked, feeling the orgasm rushing closer. In response, she pulled forward far enough to let his cock slip out of her, and then pushed back, sliding him in between the globes of her bum. Harry got her general idea and squeezed her cheeks together, before thrusting between them, using them to jerk himself to orgasm. He groaned as his cum splattered across her lower back.
Lemon End
Eva began kissing his neck again, but Harry shook his head, sat up, and stretched. "It feels strange to be turning down a second shag, especially so soon, but we really have to get to work. I still don't know how I'm going to pitch it to the others."
She sat behind him again, slowly massaging his neck. "It doesn't matter how you 'pitch' it to them. If they're worth giving the power to, they'll stick with you and give you the benefit of the doubt."
"It's not that simple. I can't afford to lose any possible allies."
"There's an old adage for this situation- If you try to please everybody, nobody will like it."
Harry snorted. "Well, I'm not trying to please everyone. Just those that I think will help me."
"My point stands. Tell it straight, without ladling bullshit on as Dumbledore would, and everything will turn out how it should be. If they don't side with you when you tell it straight, they wouldn't have if you tried to bullshit them either."
She continued to massage his neck, bringing a moan from him. However, just before the massage was about to degenerate into yet another screw, there was a smell of sulfur, and Harry turned, seeing a small leather-bound book appear on the table. A note sat attached to the front.
"The spells I owe you, as well as instructions on making others immortal and taking it away. If you need anything else, just call. Good hunting.
-Luc"
"Well, better get to work checking this stuff out. The rituals, not the spells just yet. I'll need the rituals first. Seeing as I can't try out a spell that makes your balls rot clean off your body on you, those will have to wait."
FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB
The Leaky Cauldron
August 16th
Harry sat under his Invisibility Cloak, sipping a butterbeer quietly. He spotted Moody and Remus in the corners of the pub. Remus was sipping at a butterbeer of his own. Moody had elected not to even have his hip flask out, wanting his hands to remain free, just in case. Eva was at the bar, chatting with Tom. The plan was for Harry to remain invisible for as long as possible. As soon as Harry doffed the cloak, he would essentially paint a giant target on his back. Common sense dictated that the less time spent with said target mounted on his rear, the better.
The door opened, and Tonks fell through the door, nearly landing on a wizard who was tossing back multiple shots of flaming firewhiskey. Hagrid squeezed through the door after her and picked her up by her jacket, setting her on her feet.
"Yeh all righ' there, Tonks?" He asked, brushing her off and nearly knocking her to the ground again.
"I'm fine. Thanks, Hagrid." The big man nodded and headed towards the bar, where Tom flicked his wand at a barstool. Hagrid sat on it, and the now-magically reinforced stool squeaked slightly but supported his weight. Tonks spotted Remus and headed straight for him, striking up a quiet conversation.
"Always thought those two had something…" Harry muttered to himself, taking another pull on his butterbeer.
About ten minutes later, the door opened again, and two redheads and a brunette stepped through. Harry had to resist running to the bickering couple as they stepped through the door. Ginny gave the two a disparaging look and sat at an empty table.
"Almost everyone is here…now where the hell is Luna and Neville?" It took time enough for Harry to finish his drink before the door finally opened and the last two prospective immortals stepped through the door. Harry choked on his butterbeer when he saw Neville's arm tightly around Luna's thin shoulders. "I knew it!" The two sat near the other former DA members, starting a cheerful conversation.
The Order members, apparently having passed some secret signal, stood in a staggered burst and converged on the DA members, guiding them towards the stairs were Harry sat. As per the plan, Eva remained at the bar, although she did give a slight nod in Harry's general direction. Harry stood aside and remained silent as the crowd went up the stairs and into a random room in the upper floor. After the door closed, Harry saw Eva start a small stopwatch that was strung around her wrist. He counted out a full minute, and then stepped through the door, leaving it slightly ajar.
"…mean, you can't tell us what's going on?" Ron was demanding of Remus. "We got ourselves all the way over here, and you won't even tell us what's going on? And where's Harry?"
"Same old Ron. Such an inconvenience to you, eh?" Harry said, not removing the cloak yet.
Ron spun, nearly falling out of his chair. "Harry, that you?"
"No, it's the Ghost of Christmas Fuck You. Who do you think it is?" With that, Harry pulled off the cloak, tucking it under his arm. Hermione 'squee'-ed and ran to hug him, and the rest chose to speak their greetings rather than risk smothering the boy. She let go of him at last and gave him a confused look.
"You've been working out!"
"Among other things. Now, I've called you all here tonight for a special reason…and I'll explain exactly what when our last guest arrives."
"Who else would be here? Dumbledore?" Harry snorted.
"Not hardly. This is above Dumbledore's pay grade. And…ah, here she is. C'mon in, Eva. Everyone, this is-" Eva interrupted him, making her own introductions and working her way around the room.
She skipped Remus and Moody and started with Hagrid. "You must be Rubeus Hagrid. Harry's told me nothing but good things about you, especially about how you pulled him off that shack in the middle of the ocean." The big man was blushing furiously behind his beard as she moved on to Tonks. "It's Tonks, right? Never…that other name?" The Metamorphagus nodded.
"Never ever."
"I'll try to remember that." She kept moving down the row, coming to Neville. The formerly shy boy was giving her a slightly suspicious look. "You're Neville Longbottom?" The boy nodded, and her eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment. "I knew your parents when they were in school. We'll talk later, okay?" Neville broke out in a smile, and Eva moved on. "You're Luna Lovegood, aren't you?"
"Well, I was the last time I checked," Luna said. "Am I still Luna Lovegood?"
"I believe you are. Have you found the Snorkacks yet?"
"Not yet, but we're still looking. In fact, we were searching in Greenland when Harry called us here."
"Don't give up. Try Sweden." Luna had a thoughtful look as Eva moved on to Ginny. As the two spoke, Harry stepped closer to Moody.
"Can you secure this room against eavesdroppers? At least for now?" The scarred man nodded and flicked his wand at the door, as well as the walls.
"Done. Any devices in the walls or outside will only hear silence."
"Good." Harry turned back and spotted Eva talking to Ron, who had a dumbstruck look on his face. Hermione looked slightly uncomfortable. It was understandable- wearing a pair of dragonhide boots and a jacket, a pair of tight black jeans, and a black tank top that showed her midriff, Eva cut an impressive figure. Harry was wearing trainers, a comfortable pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, all black.
"No worries, though- your brothers do care about you." She came to the last person- Hermione. Harry wasn't sure if she had done it deliberately or not. "So, you're Hermione Granger. The smartest witch of the age. Harry Potter's best female friend. The 'know-it-all'." Harry heard a distinct snigger from the other side of the room and gave a faint smile. Hermione nodded. "Good. Never repress your intelligence. If you're too smart for other people, that's their problem."
Harry stood. "Well, now that we've all been introduced, on to business. We won't be staying here, mainly for security reasons. But before I can take you to where we will be, I have to ask that everyone here take a magical oath to keep this secret. If you can't take that, you can choose to leave now and we'll wipe your memory." He took a slow breath. "But know that once you're in, there's no going back. Anyone have a problem with that?"
"Harry, after the Ministry battle, we've all been marked. We're committed. None of our families are 'neutral'," Neville said. "The Order members are even worse off."
"I'm not just talking about secret from the general public. I'm talking about secrecy from your families, even from Dumbledore and most of the Order." That brought some disturbed murmurs. "I know it sounds strange, but I'm absolutely serious."
Hermione spoke first. "What's happened, Harry? Do you not trust Dumbledore after what happened to Sirius?"
Harry shrugged. "I've got plenty of reasons not to trust him, but its more of I'm hoping for absolute secrecy. The more people that know about it, the greater the chance of being compromised."
"Know about what, Harry?"
"You'll find out once you take the oath."
"Don't trust us either?" Ron snarked.
"No, I just don't want to risk anything right now."
One by one, the guests took the oath, binding themselves never to reveal what went on for the rest of the night without getting permission from Harry first.
"Seems I'm not such a crappy judge of character after all." He pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket and scribbled something out on it.
"Read it and pass it around." Everyone looked at the paper revealing where he lived, and then passed it back to Harry, who incinerated it with a tap from his wand.
"Let's go, then. Disillusionment Charms, everyone." Everyone except Hagrid was Disillusioned, and together, they trooped silently out of the Leaky Cauldron. Hagrid stayed behind a moment to pay the rather significant bill, before heading out after the group and into Diagon Alley. Everyone was silent as Hagrid inconspicuously herded the minors down the empty street, the Order members lining the sides of the street and leapfrogging the distance to Harry's flat.
The group quietly stepped into Harry's flat, Hagrid squeezing through the door and shutting it tightly as Moody, who was in the rear at that point, came through the door and disillusioned himself.
"Nice flat, mate," Ron said, looking around the room.
"Yeah, it's great, Harry. Who did the decorating?" Neville asked to scattered laughter.
"Thanks. I have no idea who did the decorating, I moved into the flat as it was. I'd give you the Sickle tour, but I'd doubt it'd be worth the Sickle. We have two bedrooms, the kitchen, this sitting room, and another room that I've been using as a workout and training center. The second bedroom is going to be enlarged and divided up into sub-rooms, in case anyone wants to stay here."
"Well, tell us what's going on, and we'll see, Harry," Hermione said impatiently, sitting next to a pile of books and putting her arm on top- a subconscious claim to them.
"Alright. Tea, anyone?"
"Oh, for god's sake, Harry," Eva said, rolling her eyes. "Tell them. Remus, could you do the tea, while Fumble Nuts here explains?" There was a chorus of snickers at Harry's expense as Remus set the kettle.
"Fine…okay, several weeks ago, not long after school got out, I persuaded Dumbledore into moving me out of the Dursley's house."
"How on earth did you manage that?"
"I told him that if he didn't relocate me, I'd put out word exactly where I was. Frankly, I expected him to move me to Grimmauld Place, but since Sirius died, I guess the Fidelius there isn't as reliable anymore. So, after getting the go-ahead from Dumbledore, I purchased this flat, and he put a Fidelius Charm and other security spells and wards on it. As those of you capable of Apparation may notice, you can't apparate anywhere in this flat except for directly into the oven. I haven't had a chance to test that yet, and I'm hoping not to. You also can't Disapparate from anywhere except one of the bathrooms. As I was saying," he accepted a cup of hot tea from Remus and set it next to him to cool, "I was moved here. With Remus's, Tonks's, and Moody's help, I moved a good chunk of the Black family library from Grimmauld Place to here. For a while, all I did was research and train. Every day, one of these two," he gestured to Remus and Moody, "would come by and check on me. However, that didn't change one simple fact- I was in an emotional hell. Then, one day, I made the…let's call it the slip…of saying I would sell my soul for a way to end this war."
Hermione gasped. "Harry! Did you do what I think you did?"
"I sincerely doubt it. As I was saying, I said I'd sell my soul for a way to end this war. I guess somebody heard me, because almost as soon as I finished saying it, none other than the Devil himself showed up in my flat." There was a chorus of gasps. "Yes, I know. Turns out that among other things, Voldemort is actually the son of the devil and Tom Riddle fused together. Riddle wasn't evil at the start, per se- he was just power-hungry. However, with Satan, Lucifer's son, having been fused with him so long, he's been corrupted and is now evil as well."
Neville held up a hand. "Wait, slow down. So You-Know-Who is part demon?"
Eva broke in. "You really should just call him Riddle. It's faster, simpler, and for fuck's sake, he's not the boogeyman. But yes, that's how he survived when he tried to kill Harry all those years ago. Demons can't be killed by most conventional means, and Satan wasn't too keen on giving up his host." She sat down on the counter, her mug of tea next to her. "So let's recap - Riddle's in league with the son of the devil, who escaped from Hell. The Devil wants him back, bad. Here's where things get interesting."
"Yeah. Turns out I have the backing of none less than the Fates themselves."
"The Fates? As in the Greek Fates?" Hermione looked skeptical.
"Turns out they're just extraordinarily rich businessmen. I'll explain that to you later. Anyway, they figure me winning is better than Riddle winning, so they've somehow convinced the Devil to help me out. Leaving out some of the minor details, I'm immortal now. The Devil is holding my soul…in escrow, as he put it, until I kill Riddle and all his minions. I also have the ability to make anyone else I choose immortal, and to take that gift away from anyone I've given it to."
"They also gave him some rather potent spells, but once he beats Riddle and his followers, that goes away," Eva broke in again.
"Yes. They pull the immortality and I lose the ability to use those spells."
"Sounds like a pretty one-sided deal," Hermione said.
"Yeah, I know, right? Maybe it was just my turn for some good luck. Now, here's the part where you guys come in."
Hermione spoke first, her eyes closed. "You want us to join you and fight Riddle. And you're willing to make us immortal. Right?"
There was silence for a moment. "If nobody is willing, then I'll just wipe your memories of this and send you back. But Eva, Moody, and Remus are with me."
Hermione looked at him. "You're asking us to put our families in danger, as well as our friends who aren't involved in this. You're essentially asking us to give up our very souls temporarily. Have I got that right?" Harry nodded, and she stood. "Where do I sign up?" Neville was right behind her.
"I stood with you at the Ministry, and I will now. The Potters and Longbottoms were always close. This is no different." Luna stood as well and voiced her assent.
Harry nodded. "Ron? Ginny? I'd hate to put your family in danger."
Ginny snickered. "Because we weren't marked as blood traitors already, right?" She stood and offered her hand. "Count me in."
Harry shook her hand and turned, giving Ron another few seconds. "Tonks? Hagrid?"
Hagrid stood, nearly knocking his head on the ceiling. "I've been with yeh since yeh were just a tyke. I'm not backin' out now." He patted Harry on the shoulder, and Harry had to support himself on the table.
Tonks looked concerned and unconvinced. "I might just lose my job over this, you know that?" She took a deep breath, and nodded. "But I'd never forgive myself if I didn't get to help."
"You already have our answers, cub." Remus said, smiling warmly. Moody grunted.
All eyes fell on Ron. He looked up, and met Harry's gaze. "Harry, I just don't know. It sounds insane."
Harry nodded. "I know. That is why it is going to work. If you haven't noticed, I make my living on insane. I've been hunted by the magical equivalent of Hitler for my entire life. I've been the magical world's response to David Copperfield. This is relatively normal."
Ron dropped his gaze for a moment, but when he looked back, there was the same fire in those eyes that Harry had come to expect from his friend. He stood. "Ah, what the hell. Not like I can die in the attempt, right?" There was a chorus of laughter.
"Glad to have you aboard, mate." Harry stood, and stretched. "So, we need a name. On the list I made, I just had 'The Team', but that sorta lacks creativity."
"Don't suppose we could get away with Potter's Army, huh?" Ginny asked innocently. Everyone who had been present for the events of the previous year broke out in laughter.
"Or how about Demon Hunters?"
Numerous voices broke out, all suggesting names. Eva passed Harry a sheet of pre-prepared paper with a name written across the top and several lines of text below it. Harry cleared his throat.
"I believe we have a name." He turned the sheet around.
Harry Potter and His Immortals
-Harry Potter
-Eva Wright
-Hermione Granger
-Ronald Weasley
-Remus Lupin
-Tonks
-Alastor Moody
-Luna Lovegood
-Neville Longbottom
-Rubeus Hagrid
-Ginny Weasley
Below each name was a space for a signature. "Once you sign the roster, you're in. It's the equivalent of a magical oath. Sort of like the DA roster last year." The newly christened Immortals signed, becoming part of a team that would take the fight to Riddle.
FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB-FB
Harry lounged back, feeling slightly winded. He had just made the Immortals immortal, and the exercise had taken a bit out of him. "More of a strain than I expected." Hermione and Eva guided him to a seat on the couch.
"So, where did you come onto the scene?" Hermione asked politely.
"Er…maybe that would be best for Harry to explain." She asked, giving Harry a grin.
"Cheeky monkey…okay. When I made the deal with Luc, I had to seal the contract somehow, right?" Hermione nodded.
"Any contract or ritual like that would require a blood contract of some kind."
"Well, that's what I was expecting. Didn't quite happen that way. What happened was…well, er…"
Eva broke in. "Any contract with the Devil requires a sexual act. To be more precise, the party making the bargain with the Devil has to climax in some fashion. With women, they usually sleep with Luc; for men, Luc usually sends a succubus. For his more high-roller clients, however," she looked fondly at Harry, "He usually sends a human agent."
"Who was…?" Hermione apparently still was not picking up on it.
"Her, of course, silly," Luna broke in, sitting down opposite Harry.
"You shagged her?" Neville said, looking at Eva.
"Multiple times," Eva said, winking at him before turning back to Hermione. "Actually, it only requires that the party making the deal climax once, and Harry was done right quick the first time, but something told me to stick around. He learned fast. Not only was it damn fun, but I've felt some…some sort of a pull, to Harry, that I haven't felt in all my time as an agent of the Devil. And I was working for him for over forty years."
Hermione choked on her tea. "Forty years! How old are you?"
Eva chuckled. "I'm technically sixty-four years old, but since agents don't age, I could be considered to be only twenty-two."
"I didn't know Harry was into older women," Neville joked.
Hermione ignored him. "How exactly does one become an agent of the Devil?"
"Well, I volunteered. I was a few years out of Hogwarts, had NO idea what to do with my life. I had been floating from job to job for years, and heard about it from an employment agency, so I figured 'what the hell?' and volunteered. I worked for Luc until I met Harry, who talked him into releasing me from the bond. Normally, when agents are released, they instantly gain all the years that they skipped aging and pretty much combust on the spot, but Luc gave me a break."
"He wants you back afterwards?"
"Well, the way he put it, I'm always welcome but he won't make me come back."
"What have you been up to since then?"
"I've been staying here and working with Harry. Aside from being essentially an advisor and an aide, I've been teaching him what I know about both the magical and Muggle world and training him for what's to come. I know Dumbledore didn't do it worth a damn, so I filled in as much as I could. So far, he's learned Occlumency, a load of Muggle combat skills, as well as a few nasty spells we found in the Black family library, and a bunch of other things, like wizard politics and such. Better than that, I taught him so he could teach others, not just so he could use it in a rudimentary form."
"Great. Could you teach me?"
"Sure, if we ever have time. Gotta tell you, I'll have to use a different teaching tactic."
Hermione nodded, satisfied for the moment. Suddenly, Harry could almost see a question spark in her brain. "Wait. Harry, you said that you were going to enlarge and divide that second bedroom. So where is Eva going to be staying?"
Harry looked at her. "For the brightest witch of the age, you sure are slow on the uptake." Hermione stared at him, and her eyes widened as the answer came to her.
"You mean, you two…are still…y'know?" Eva nodded.
"Yes."
Hermione looked down for a moment. "Eva, could I speak with you for a moment?" The two stepped into the spare room and shut the door. Neville jerked his head at the door, silently asking whether to grab an Extendable Ear, but Harry shook his head. A few minutes later, the two came back out, both looking extremely happy. Harry gave Eva a quizzical look, but she shook her head.
The night wore on. Remus produced a case of butterbeer and firewhiskey, and the team talked and joked well into the night. "…So the elf says to the gnome, 'of course, it didn't help matters much that she had a kneazle tail sticking out of her skirt!" Everyone laughed.
Harry set down his empty butterbeer and clapped his hands. "Not that I'm trying to kick you people out, but I've been wondering- who's staying here, who's going to go home?"
Seeing Ron facedown on the table and Ginny chatting amicably with Neville and Luna, Hermione answered for the Weasley party, "I guess we'll have to go back. Their mother will get more suspicious than usual if we don't show up. As it is, we'll probably be facing the Inquisition when we get back. Molly is practically a master interrogator on her own."
"Tonks has to get back to her flat; she's on duty at the Ministry tomorrow. Remus and I have things to do tomorrow. I'm going to be working on something for Dumbledore and he's going to be hung over," Moody answered, having been the only one to abstain from drinking. "I don't think you could put up Hagrid if you tried. He's a nasty bugger when he's been drinking the night before."
"Well then, get him home. Let Dumbledore deal with the mess he'll make. Luna? Neville? Should I make up a pair of rooms for you two?"
"I think you'll have to. Unless we go to Neville's house, we'll probably be staying here. I told my dad we probably wouldn't be coming back for a while," Luna said in the same airy fashion Harry had always known her to speak in.
"Wonder how she knew…I also wonder why I'm talking to myself." Harry snagged Moody and the two enlarged and divided the spare bedroom into two bedrooms with a common bathroom.
Around one in the morning, everyone who was not staying the night had gone. They had all gone in a group, the Order members leaving at the same time as the children to safeguard their trip home. Hagrid had been carrying Ron and leaning on both Moody and Remus at the time. Harry had conveniently ignored the fact that Hermione had nicked some of the books she was leaning on earlier. However, he did notice that Eva was dozing off, her head on his shoulder.
"Well, I think we're gonna call it a night, guys." Harry gently gathered Eva into his arms and carried her to their bedroom, laying her down on the bed and gently stripping her down. Elena came around to some degree.
"Honey, I know its fun, but I'm really tired tonight," she murmured. Harry snorted.
"Don't worry; I doubt I could even get it up right now. I'm just dressing you for bed." He finished, leaving her in one of his old pullovers and her knickers. He slid her under the covers and kicked off his trainers and jeans before joining her.
"Harry?"
"Yes, Eva?"
"Did you leave protection in their room?"
"Rooms, dear. And yes. In each room's nighttable, there is a King James Bible, two packs of condoms, and two pairs of lead-lined jockey shorts. They'll be protected from everything except the common cold."
"Good. Because if they spend the night in different rooms, I'll be very surprised."
"You think they're shagging?"
"If they aren't, I'm the Queen of England."
"I don't buy it. Luna is a bit odd, but I doubt she would be willing to have sex, especially in a friend's house on the first night. And Neville's not that kind of a boy."
"Harry?" Eva was talking without opening her eyes.
"Yes, Eva?"
"Do you think you can beat Riddle?"
"Does it matter?"
"These people are going to need a leader. One who believes in their cause and believes that they can win."
Harry thought about it a moment and realized with a shock that really, he wasn't sure. "Honestly, I don't know. I remember someone once saying that the lost causes were the only ones worth fighting for."
"Don't spout clichés, Harry. They don't suit you at all."
Harry sighed, thought about their situation again, and realized there was a spark of hope. Not quite a flame, but hopefully a spark would be all he needed. "Yes. I believe that we can win this war."
"Good. Now stop talking, you're keeping me awake." Harry opened his mouth, thought about it a moment, and shut his mouth again without saying anything. "Yeah. That's what I thought," Eva said, without opening her eyes. Harry shrugged and snuggled closer to Eva, before raising his head again a few moments later. He could swear that he had heard…and there it was again!
"Damn it, you were right about those two!"
Kinda corny at the end, I know. R&R.
-Lightning
