Knight of Sitri chapter 2
Okay, this should not have taken this long, but it did, so sorry to those of you who were waiting. Here's chapter 2 for your enjoyment. I won't waste any more time, so go ahead and read.
Just one more thing to waste your time. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Highschool DxD.
Voldemort was elated! Harry Potter was dead! Killed at his hand. Before he had time to celebrate his victory, however, there was a flash of blue light next to Harry's bed.
A young woman with shoulder length black hair and almost shining silver eyes appeared from the blue magic circle that formed next to his bed. She wore a simple black shirt with grey sweatpants, and the only thing out of the ordinary about her were the Black wings on her back. Aside from a sideways glance at him, she showed no interest in Voldemort, instead looking down at the bleeding corpse on the bed.
"What are you doing, Nymphadora?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of Harry Potter as she removed the silver knife and tossed it aside, "Shouldn't you have been able to stop him on your own?"
"Most likely." the pink haired girl replied, breaking free of the ropes without effort, "But you were the one who told me to not reveal myself in front of witnesses, Zela."
"Yes, yes..." Zela sighed, "Than deal with him, alright? I've got to take what steps I can to prevent this boy from dying."
"Understood, my lady." Nymphadora bowed, facing a Voldemort who was not looking amused.
"Are you both done yet?" he asked calmly, though with obvious malice, "I wouldn't want to interrupt your last words."
"Yeah, I'm done." she smirked, forming a ball of bubblegum pink energy in her hand, "Thanks for waiting."
With a wave of her hand, the ball began spinning at high speeds, creating a small twister. Voldemort was caught inside before he could react, and sent flying out the doors with Tonks flying after him, black wings visbile.
Zela, meanwhile, strode over to Harry's still body, holding a few pale blue chess pieces in her hand. After a few moments of thought, she placed a single knight on his chest. At that moment, a pale blue magic circle surrounded him, and a similar aura formed around the girl.
In a low, firm voice, she chanted, "I order, by the name of Zela Sitri, that you, Harry Potter, rise again from the land of the dead. I resurrect you as a devil in the service of my family, to serve me as my knight. Rise now, and be glad that you may live again!"
The chess pieces glow,s before sinking into Harry's chest. The hole in his chest began healing at unnatural speed, closing in just a few seconds and leaving no sign that he was hurt other than the slice in the robes. Almost immediately, his breathing returns. The scar on his forehead suddenly started to bleed black blood, and a very faint scream echoed in the infirmary. An almost identical scream was heard in the hallway as Voldemort was struggling to fight on equal footing with Zela's queen.
'This cannot be!' he thought as every spell he cast was dodged effortlessly while she was throwing him around like a rag doll. She didn't even use her wand, simply waving her hand and sending gale force winds flying towards him. 'Even without having recovered my full strength, there's no reason that I could be losing to this meddling girl!'
More importantly, though, was the other one. He hadn't gotten his strength through stupidity. As powerful as the girl was, the other was far more so. And a drawn out battle would only work against him. When Dumbledore learned of his revival, then things would likely get complicated, but it was still better than having the old man stumble upon this battle while he was still there.
"I'll let you live this time!" He bluffed, turning and running from the pink haired monster.
Nymphadora moved to pursue, but Zela called her off, "There's no reason to go after him." she said calmly, looking down at her new servant, "We've accomplished our objective, and as he is, there's no danger in leaving him alive. We'll deal with it in time."
"That's just like you." Tonks sighed, but released her magic anyway as Voldemort slipped into a secret passageway behind the stairs. "He's not even awake, and you're already manipulating him?"
"Say what you will, but I'm just making sure that he has the proper incentive to come over to our side. It cost me a mutation piece to bring him back, and I don't want that wasted by him running off and denying what happened. He'd be dead within a week, and that would mean i've wasted my time here."
"You realize that this is why no one likes you?" Tonks asked.
"I'm going back." Zela shrugged, ignoring her queen's comment, "I completed the contract, so there's no real reason to stay here. You've got work here, correct?"
"Yes." she replied, 'What do you want me to do with him?"
"For now, let him think that it was a lucky bit of random magic." Zela said, creating a magic circle on the ground, "Keep him safe for now, and I'll explain things to him when there isn't any risk of being interrupted. Tonight, try and find someplace safe for us to meet, alright?"
"Of course." she said as her King disappeared into the circle.
Nymphadora Tonks sighed as she reentered the Hospital wing. The boy Wealsey was just starting to regain consciousness, as was Harry, though Madam Pompfrey was still completely out of it with extremely shallow breathing.
"Harry!" she said loudly, snapping him out of whatever daze he was in just after awakening, "Come over here. We've got to deal with these before things get any worse."
"What happened to Voldemor-" Harry asked, but she cut him off, "Not now." she said simply, "I'll tell you everything once Madam Pompfrey won't die during the conversation. Now, I need you to check on him while I try and apply the counter curse. Worst case scenario, you might need to get Professor Dumbledore, because he's likely the only on who could remove the curse safely."
"Alright." Harry nodded, rushing over to his friend's side, though Tonks noticed that he inadvertently placed a hand over his heart, in the exact spot where a knife had been plunged by Voldemort just a short while before. Ignoring him, she turned her full attention to the old woman in front of her, and began chanting the counter curse. Despite her own skills in Defense against the Dark Arts, Voldemort's skills in the dark arts far outmatched hers, even in his weakened state. Still, she dared not use her devil powers in the presence of others. So, she continued her task.
"He looks like he'll be alright." Harry told her, "At least he's breathing."
"Get Dumbledore." She said, halting her counter spell just long enough to cast a different spell at harry, "That should protect you from the beast's deadly gaze, but be careful. If there were any other way, I would, but lives are at stake here. If he was to be believed, the basilisk is on the upper floors."
"Right." Harry nodded, charging out of the room.
The sounds of fighting echoed through the hallways as Harry raced to Professor Dumbledore. Despite running at a full sprint, Harry was surprised to notice that he was hardly feeling it. He didn't feel any different than when Wood had made them jog to build up stamina. As he passed the gargoyle statue that guarded Dumbledore's office, Harry caught a flash of red and gold out of the corner of his eye.
Looking towards it, he saw Fawkes, not the old bird who had caught fire several months earlier, or the chick fresh from the ashes, but a full grown proud, majestic Phoenix. Clutched in its talon was a tattered roll of black fabric.
"Hello, Fawkes." he said as the two of them sped up the stairs. Fawkes let out a soft song which warmed his heart, but at the same time put him on edge. Looking back forward, he saw why.
Dozens of wizards were casting all manner of spells at a colossal green snake, which would retaliate by whipping its tail at them. Not only did Harry see every Hogwarts teacher, but even Flich and Peeves were taking part.
Flich had somehow managed to grab hold of the basilisk's head and was whipping its eyes with heavy steel chains, causing the beast to try and dislodge him by any means, though the old man would not move.
Peeves, meanwhile, had grabbed its tail and slammed it inside one of the secret passages hidden on the sixth floor. The two of them seemed to be doing more damage than all the teachers combined, as the spells the teachers cast simply bounced off its tough hide.
After a few moments of watching the battle, Harry spotted Dumbledore at the front of the battle line, casting countless spell combinations at the flailing serpent. But with the basilisk between them, Harry couldn't find an opening to get to him.
Above him, Fawkes was circling while singing the same song, Harry looked up at him, and grabbed the roll of fabric he dropped. Unrolling it, he found it was actually the sorting hat. Extending from the opening with a silver hilt encrusted with Rubies.
Harry pulled it out, holding the sword in front of him. It seemed almost weightless despite being completely solid goblin silver. As if on instinct, Harry adjusted his stance perfectly to face his enemy despite never even holding a sword before.
Without even meaning to, Harry surveyed the area and saw an opening he could exploit.
The basilisk had finally dislodged Flich by slamming its head against the wall. Though the now likely crippled caretaker slid limply from the snakes head, the basilisk itself was also stunned from the impact. By Harry's estimation, it would be vulnerable for roughly ten seconds.
Before he could second guess himself, Harry jumped onto the basilisk's back and started running. Though difficult thanks to the slime that covered the serpent, Harry still moved faster than he should have been able to. He made it to the top of the snake head with two seconds to spare, and without hesitation stabbed sword through the top of its skull.
The king of serpents ceased moving, falling instantly to the ground and sending Harry crashing to the ground. A sudden pain shot up his leg from the impact, and it snapped into an unnatural angle.
He barely registered it before Dumbledore had dragged him to his feet, eyes wide and angry.
"What in Merlin's name did you think you were doing?!" he shouted, making Harry wince from more than just the pain in his leg, "I expressly told you to stay away! You could have been killed!"
"I'm sorry, sir." Harry mumbled before he remembered the reason he was there, "Sir! Voldemort attacked the hospital wing!"
"What?" he asked sharply, "What do you mean?"
"Please, sir!" Harry said, struggling to his feet by leaning against the wall, "There's no time to explain! Madam Pompfrey's been cursed!"
Dumbledore gazed deep into Harry's eyes, and for a moment Harry thought that he would think him delusional. But that moment passed and Dumbledore's face grew serious.
"Minerva, with me." he said calmly to Professor McGonagall, "Filius, tend to Mr. Potter's injury and keep him here. Everyone else, gather the injured and treat their injuries as best you can. I will return shortly."
Neither teacher objected to his instructions. Professor McGonagall ran after him immediately, while the miniature Professor Flitwick rushed to Harry's side. The rest split up and aided the few teachers on the ground that were injured in the attack.
"Sit, boy." he said kindly, "I may not be quite at Madam Pompfrey's level, but a broken bone or two shouldn't be too difficult." placing his tiny wand just above the broken leg, he began wordlessly chanting. As the seconds go by, the pain in his leg soothes, and after a few minutes it felt completely fine.
"Thank you." Harry said to him, and Flitwick looked at him as though puzzled.
"It shouldn't be healed yet." he muttered, "But it doesn't seem to be broken anymore... Very strange. Still, all's well that ends well. I must say that I'm very impressed with the way that you handled yourself, Mr. Potter. I was unaware you has any training with a sword."
"So was I." Harry smiled at him glancing down at the silver sword in his hand, "I can't explain it, but I somehow, I knew exactly the right way to wield it. It was tough, but I eventually managed to get into position to finish it."
"A natural then!" Flitwick chuckled, "I must say I'm impressed. Though..." his face suddenly became very stern, "That was an incredibly foolish thing to do, Mr. Potter. In the future, you must learn that not all challenges can be faced by a student, regardless of talent."
"Believe me," Harry insisted, "If given the choice, I'd stay out of things like this."
"Well, perhaps you're right." Flitwick nodded thoughtfully, "May I take a look at that sword for a moment? I am quite curious about where it came from."
"Sure." Harry answered, handing him the hilt of the sword, "I pulled it out of the sorting hat."
"Out of the hat you say?" he asked, wiping away most of the blood and fire from the blade and looking at it with a critical eye, "As I thought." he said with a smile, "The masterpiece of Ragnuk the First. In the tongue of goblins, it is called Diurst. Serpent slayer, and it certainly lived up to its name today. Over one thousand years ago, this sword was given as a crafted as a gift for one of the founders of Hogwarts, Godric Gryffindor by the greatest smith of the age."
"This is Gryffindor's sword?" Harry asked in amazement. In response Flitwick turned the sword back towards him. The blood had been wiped away from the blade, but some remained stuck inside of the letters etched into the blade. Godric Gryffindor.
"And it seems to have grown even stronger." Flitwick added, looking at the sword again, "You couldn't have picked a better place to stab it."
"Why?" Harry asked him.
"This sword is goblin sliver, and of course it is crafted with many thousands of enchantments some of which even the goblin craftsmen do not fully understand. Things such as dirt and grim will never stick to the blade, as shown when I wiped away the blood with ease.
However, the opposite is true of anything that would Strengthen it. Any such substance would be absorbed and never disappear. When you slayed the basilisk, the tip of the sword just pierced the venom sac. Though it was a tiny amount, it was enough. This sword now possessed the same destructive powers as basilisk venom, making it almost infinitely more powerful. After all, the slightest cut would be enough to kill even a dragon."
"Wow..." Harry gulped, almost dropping the sword when Flitwick handed it back to him.
"As a Ravenclaw, I can't call myself it's owner, but as a teacher, I can't allow you to carry something so dangerous." he said simply, tapping the edge of the sword, "I've placed a small barrier along the edge so that you won't have to worry about cutting anyone. Hold onto it until Professor Dumbledore returns, alright?"
"Yes sir." Harry nodded.
Dumbledore softly chanted a long string of counter curses to the Matron of the hospital wing, who had finally stopped convulsing. Professor McGonagall and Miss Tonks were searching the school for Voldemort. By now, a group from the ministry should have arrived, so they should have cut off his escape to the grounds, tohugh it wasn't likely with Voldemort's knowledge of the secret passages.
"So I was right all along..." he sighed, ending the counter curse when he was sure that Madam Pompfrey was healed. "It was Tom... But how could this have happened..? His body should have been destroyed when he attacked Harry, yet not only has he returned, but he's seemingly repaired the damage caused my decades of dark magic abuse..."
After a moment of thinking, he shook his head, "No, that's not it. He hasn't repaired the damage. If he had, there is simply no question that Harry would have been killed. No, he isn't in the prime of his power. Judging from this curse, he isn't any more powerful than he was in his sixth year. A small miracle, I suppose. Otherwise, we would likely have suffered far greater causalities."
Madam Pompfrey stirred in front of him, and he backed away to allow her up. "Headmaster?" she asked softly before her eyes grew wide, "We were attack-"
"I know, Poppy." he cut her off, "I'm going now, but I need you to watch over everyone here. And lock the door. Don't let anyone in until you get a patronus message from me or Minerva. Am I clear?"
"Yes headmaster." she answered, and Dumbledore ran out of the room and down the stairs to the entrance hall.
A large group of ministry wizards wearing various pieces of armor and weapons were standing the entrance hall, looking around impatiently.
"About time, Albus." the lead man growled while limping forward. He was easily the scariest looking of the bunch. His left leg was replaced with a peg leg, and his face was covered in scars. The most striking feature was his left eye, which was bright blue and whirling around wildly. "Just my luck. The day before I retire, you rope me in to fighting a basilisk!"
"Alastor, the situation has progressed far worse than that." Dumbledore said gravely, "We've slayed the basilisk, and determined who was the mastermind behind the attacks."
"Who was it?" Alastor Moody asked, drawing his wand, "And where is the bastard?"
"Voldemort." He answered, and half the group jumped or cried out in shock. The remaining half flinched away slightly.
Only Moody was unaffected by the name, "Are you serious, Albus? I thought he was out of commission for the time being!"
"I'm afraid so." Dumbledore nodded back to him, "He used the basilisk as a diversion while he attacked Mr. Potter in the hospital wing. thankfully, there was no permanent harm done. At the moment, I believe his powers aren't fully returned. He may have fled, in which case we cannot do more, however if he is still in the grounds, it is imperative that we find him. I would like all the aurors to fan out and search. If found, send up a signal to alert myself, Auror Moody, or Professor McGonagall. Voldemort currently appears as a young man, around sixteen years old, with short black hair and red eyes. be on guard.
Basilisk suppression team, I ask that you investigate the chamber of secrets. I highly doubt that there are, but we cannot risk a second basilisk attack while my staff is still recovering from the first one. And alert the ministry to get reinforcement to join the search for Voldemort."
"You heard the man." Moody called to the group, drawing his wand, "Albus, where was the last place he was seen?"
"The hospital wing." Dumbledore replied, "He was driven off by first year Auror trainee Tonks. I don't know if he fled the castle, or is hiding somewhere inside. So I'd like to split the force to check both areas. I'm not willing to let the students anywhere outside the common rooms until we're sure that he's gone."
"Aye." Moody nodded, "But Tonks did it? I'm surprised. I didn't think the ditz had it in her. I might have underestimated her."
"Auror Moody, I'd like to bring a few aurors with our team." the leader of the suppression team, Amos Diggory said while the aurors began splitting into groups, "As I understand it, the chamber is rather inaccessible, so its a likely hiding spot if he's still inside the castle."
"Right." Moody nodded, "Shacklebolt, take your squad and guard them. I'm going to stay here and see if this eye of mine can find him."
"Good luck, everyone." Dumbledore nodded, sending three patronus charms soaring through the halls, "I will join the patrol of the grounds. Report anything you find, regardless of its significance to me. Take no chances here. Voldemort is ruthless and skilled. Even if his powers are not at their peak, he is more than a match for all but the most skilled."
With those words, the groups split to scour the grounds for the Reborn Lord Voldemort.
As a whole, the students of Hogwarts didn't sleep much that night. Harry was no exception. Shortly after Dumbledore left, a silver phoenix arrived in front of Flitwick and the remaining teachers. It spoke in Dumbledore's voice, leaving a very straightforward message.
"Return Harry to the hospital wing, then lock down all common rooms. All teachers are to search the corridors for a young man with short black hair and red eyes. Be on alert."
Almost the instant that the bird vanished, Harry was whisked away from the scene of the basilisk by Professor Flitwick, along with a still very cranky Flich. Evidently, while his ability to move was unaffected by the incident, he had suffered some brain damage, as he was under the impression he had killed the basilisk by flogging it in the dungeons.
As they approached the Hospital wing, the doors opened quickly and Madam Pompfrey ushered him and Filch inside while the teachers split up.
The pink haired witch was sitting in one of the chairs next to what would have been Harry's bed. Behind him, Madam Pompfrey was casting dozens of spells at the door before declaring that no one would be entering or leaving until Either Dumbledore or Madam Bones of the DMLE undid the charms.
And so, with no way out of the room, and no way to receive information, Harry anxiously tossed and turned in his bed late into the night, desperate for some information.
"Madam Pompfrey." the witch, Tonks, said kindly, "Why don't you get some sleep? You've been through a lot today, and you're clearly dead on your feet. The mandrake draughts is ready, and tomorrow morning, I'm sure that everything will be fine. I'll keep watch for you."
"I think I will." madam Pompfrey sighed, "In all honesty, I'm getting too old for this."
After the door to madam Pompfrey's office shut, Harry heard a few steps next to his bed.
"I know you're awake." Tonks said, sitting next to his bed, "We've got a couple of things to discuss, Harry."
Harry turned over and opened his eyes. For a moment, he was sure he was seeing things, but even after rubbing his eyes for a second, nothing changed.
On her back were a pair of leathery Black wings.
"That did the trick." she chuckled at his expression, "Well, since I have your undivided attention, do you remember this?" from her pocket, she removed a slip of parchment with a magic circle drawn onto it. The same parchment Harry had taken from Lockhart's office.
"Where'd you get that?" Harry asked, putting his hand at his pocket and finding it empty.
"From you." she answered, "We collect them after we fulfill the contract."
"Contract?" Harry asked her.
"I'm a devil." she replied like it was the simplest thing in the world, "Like you."
"Devil?" Harry said questioningly.
"Yup." She smiled, "To be precise, a queen."
"What did you mean like me?" Harry asked her, sitting up in his bed.
"Well, I'm sure that this afternoon made quite the impression on you, didn't it?" Tonks answered, poking him in the chest, "It's not every day that you get stabbed in the chest and come back to life, is it?"
"That was real?" Harry gasped when he remembered Voldemort throwing the knife into his chest.
"Of course it was real." Tonks replied, "Do you honestly think that you just imagined something like that? No, you were definitely dead. A friend of mine brought you back as a devil." Before he could ask any more, she stood up and walked over to the corner of the room. With a few quick hand movements, a pale blue magic circle appeared on the floor.
"If you want answers, than step through here and meet our 'King.'" Tonks said simply, stepping aside, "I promise you that no one will notice you're gone."
Nervously, Harry got to his feet. Next to his bed, he grabbed the sword of Gryffindor from his end-table and walked towards the circle. Tonks made no attempts to stop him from taking the weapon, and when he was inside the circle, she gave a little wave.
"I look forward to working with you, Harry Potter." she smiled, and Harry felt himself sink into the floor.
So, that's chapter 2. Hopefully i'll remember to update again next week for Harry and Zela's meeting. Until then, I'd be happy to read any suggestions, comments, concerns, and constructive criticism. Just post a review, and I'll take a look.