Knight of Sitri 6
Well, it's that time of week again, so here's a new chapter for you. Also, I've added a poll to my page that relates to this story (details in the A/N at the bottom), so feel free to vote once you're done reading.
Disclaimer: I Don't own Harry Potter or High school DxD. They are property of their respective owners, and I'm just writing to ease the boredom.
Harry followed Tonks through the empty halls of Hogwarts, which seemed so much stranger without the normal hustle and bustle of students, until they reached the second floor girls' bathroom.
"Hello, Harry." Myrtle smiled as she glides through the air, "What are you doing here? People might get the wrong idea..."
"Dumbledore's orders." Harry replied, but realizing how weird that sounded, "He wants me to look around the Chamber of Secrets."
"oh." Myrtle nodded, "I knew that. I wish I could go with you, but there's some spell in place that won't let me pass. Still, if something kills you down there, you're welcome to come share my toilet."
"Thanks Myrtle." Harry gulped nervously, "Well, I'd better... get to work than."
Turning away from the ghost and Tonks, who looked like she were about to burst out laughing, Harry hissed, $Open$
The sinks started to sink into the floor, revealing the hole that the massive snake had crawled out of not even a month ago. With a wave of her wand, Tonks cleaned and sanitized the whole thing.
"No one in their right mind would slide down that thing." she said simply at Harry's questioning look and than smirked, "Me first!"
Without waiting for an answer, Tonks jumped down the hole and Laughed the whole way down. Giving her a minute to get out of the way, Harry followed after her.
The entrance to the chamber looked no different than it had the last time, except that the water that had been on the floor had evaporated. Tonks was standing nearby, brushing the muck off of her robes.
"Yuck." She shuddered, "Why couldn't Zela have cleaned this place too? I mean, it wouldn't even have taken her ten seconds." Glancing over at him, she shrugged, "But whatever. Let's go. She'll probably be waiting for you in the same place as last time."
Walking through the maze of hallways like she'd been doing it her whole life, Tonks lead him straight to the door that Zela had taken him through before. The room on the other side made him gasp in surprise.
The mold covered walls were cleaned away, revealing the granite beneath. Where before there had been a few inches of water, it was completely dry and carpeted. There were also a number of fine tables and chairs scattered around the large room. The rotted wood bookcases were almost perfect, and the books that should have been destroyed from centuries of water damage looked like they could have been written that very morning.
"Not bad." Tonks said next to him, "I didn't know she had it in her."
"I heard that!" Zela called from the next room.
"I know!" Tonks called back with a smirk, "Doesn't make it any less true."
A loud humming sounds vibrated through the air for a few moments before a swarm of locusts flew from one of the hallways. Tonks raised a eye for a moment before shrugging and forming a sphere of pink wind in her palm. Lightly tossing it through the air, it exploded outwards, vaporising the insects in a tornado of razor sharp wind.
"You think that would work?" Tonks asked before stiffening.
"Yes, I did." Zela answered, stepping out from behind Tonks, a long white sword held easily at Tonks' spine, "I thought you'd have known better than to let down your guard. I give you a week off and your reflexes get so slow."
"Only because I didn't know you had a weapon." Tonks countered, hands raised in surrender, "You NEVER use weapons."
"Which should have made you even more cautious." she replied, lowering the sword.
"Yeah, yeah..." Tonks sighed, turning to face her. Her eyes dropped to the sword in her hand and she asked, "What is that, anyway?"
"Well, ordinary swords won't do for training." Zela answered, "So I had a few craftsmen forge us a handful of Basilisk Bone Blades. They've been tempered to be as indestructible as Goblin Silver. Most of them are sharpened until they were battle ready, but I had a couple left dulled. That way, Harry has something to practice with that won't kill you with one hit. A few broken bones, maybe, but not kill you."
"Do you really have so little faith in me?" Tonks asked with a raised eye, "You think I can't beat some newbie who's never held a sword in his life?"
"Probably." Zela admitted, "But I don't trust you to be able to keep it up for long. Oh, you'll beat him until he's black and blue for a few weeks, but after that, I think he'll prove a much greater challenge."
Tonks turned around and glared softly at Harry, "We shall see."
Zela started chuckling as she sat down in one of the nearby chairs, gesturing for them to join her, "Well, now that Nymphadora's failed her performance assessment, we can get down to business. As I'm sure you've noticed, I did some redecorating while you two were hitting the books."
"We noticed." Tonks murmured as s little red imp appeared on the table holding a tray of tea and biscuits.
"I left most of the outer chamber as is in case Dumbledore comes snooping before we're ready for him." She continued, pouring herself a cup of the tea, "Everything else, though, is now fit for devil habitation. I gotta give Slytherin credit. He didn't do anything halfway. I ran into a dozen more basilisks and found a hatchery a ways in. If anyone every actually made it that far with the intention of releasing those things, they could very well wipe out all life on the British Isles."
"Instead, they got taken out?" Tonks asked, munching on a biscuit.
"Naturally." Zela shrugged, "I harvested them all, and set aside a portion of the remains to outfit our group." Here, she looked Harry straight in the eye, "Speaking of, we never did get a chance to finish that chat from before. No reason to stop now. Go ahead and ask away. I'm sure you've come up with a few more questions since then."
"You mentioned that Hogwarts would be a recruiting ground." Harry started right where they left off before, the question he'd wanted to ask since then, "What did you mean by that?"
"Exactly as it sounds." She said to him, "I need to recruit more members to join my peerage. I've given it some thought, and I believe that it would be advantageous to select those who are naturally skilled in magic. Generally, the older a human is when they are reincarnated, the harder it is to adjust to their new powers. Tonks, however, is the complete opposite. Because she's been a devil since she was a baby, she's grown up with these powers, and as far as her demonic powers, she rivals even some high-class devils from noble families. Still, doing it that way has its disadvantages. So I decided to forgo that method, even if it would produce the greatest results, and opted to take the middle ground."
"Students." Harry muttered.
"Bingo." she nodded, holding up her hand as Harry opened his mouth to speak, "I know what you're going to say. And I will say this. I do not make a habit out of reviving the dead, and forcing someone to join would be counter productive to say the least. I want people who are willing to join if at all possible. I fully intend to at least explain and let them make their own choices. Obviously, those who refuse won't remember the incident, but it's their choice to make."
"So, who are you looking at?" Tonks asked, "I mean, I don't think you spent all this time exploring the chamber and fixing books."
"There are a few." she admitted, turning back to Harry, "There's a kid in Slytherin, Draco Malfoy. What do you know about him?"
"Too much." he answered, "He and I have been at each others throats since the first day of our first year."
"Interesting." Zela nodded, "He strikes me as someone with some potential. A tad on the arrogant side, but not so bad that I would rule him out. He's moderately talented, ambitious, and would probably jump at the chance to live forever with the bonus of achieving his world desires effortlessly. Still, I might have to rule him out."
"Why's that?" Tonks asked again, "It sounds to me like you're sold on him."
"Oh, he's got my interest, I admit." she confirmed, "But he's of more or less no use to me if he can't get along with Harry. No promises though. Now, next question?"
"You said that I would help you achieve your goal." Harry continued, "What is your goal?"
"Becoming Satan." She answered without hesitation before elaborating, "Well, technically, there's four Satans, but I'm aiming for the title of Asmodeus."
"Title?" Harry asked, looking throughly confused.
"Right, quick devil history lesson." Zela said simply, "There are, at any given time, four people who bare the title of Satan. Those four Satans are Lucifer, Beelzebub, Leviathan, and Asmodeus. Once, they referred to actual devils, but now their names are used as titles for the four devils that rule the underworld. My goal is becoming one of those four."
"Of those four, Lucifer and Beelzebub are monsters, even by Devil standards." Tonks continued without missing a beat, "And Leviathan is ruled out for personal reasons. So really the only choice is Asmodeus."
"However, its not so easy as to claim to be Satan." Zela nodded in response to Tonks words, "I need to make everyone- every single devil in the underworld acknowledge that I am superior to them and have the right to rule. The first step towards that goal is getting a strong peerage. So naturally, if you get stronger, my position improves as well. The master of a strong servant should be even stronger, correct? Of course, if you'd like to REALLY try, there's nothing say you couldn't try and surpass me and steal the title of Satan for yourself." Though her words were honest, Harry couldn't help but feel a sudden ominous pressure all around him that sent shivers up his spine.
His suspicions were confirmed, if nothing else. This person was not one to be taken lightly.
"Either way." Zela smirked like that was exactly what she wanted Harry to realize, "I want you to get strong. Nothing more. Do I expect you to fight for me? Of course. No devils, no matter how powerful, is going to be acknowledged without fighting. But whether you become strong to help me fulfill my goal or fulfill your own makes no difference to me. Do what you've got to do, and I'm sure I'll benefit in the end. Next question?'
"Tonks said that you never lie. Is that true?" He continued with the next question on his mental checklist.
"Depends." she responded easily, "What is the truth and what is a lie? Certainly, I've never told you anything that wasn't true, but that shouldn't mean that I was entirely truthful to you. If you must have a direct answer, yes. I won't lie to you, but that doesn't mean I'm telling you the everything either. Also, if I say that I don't want to talk about something, than I expect you to respect that."
Harry nodded his head. That was fair enough. Everyone had some things they would rather not talk about.
"Than what's next?" Zela asked.
"I think that's about it for now." Harry answered. Not entirely accurate, but he'd asked enough for now, and she'd been polite enough to answer despite the likely stupid questions.
"If you like." she shrugged, "So, if you're done asking questions, I trust you don't mind my asking?"
"That's fine. "Harry nodded.
"Well then, let's start with an easy one." she said, looking him in the eye, "What is your goal?"
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"As I told you last time, if you try at it, there's no reason you can't fulfill whatever goals you might have." She reminded him unnecessarily, "It might not really be any business of mine what you seek to do, but if you'd like to tell me, I'd be more than willing to give you some advice and adjust your plans accordingly. No reason for someone aiming to become the strongest to waste their time with meaningless contracts, is there?"
Nodding his head, Harry replied, "I haven't really decided what I want long term, but I'd like to start with becoming strong enough to stop Voldemort for good."
"Makes sense." she nodded, "But this does make things much easier. Nothing promotes growth like a maniac trying to kill you."
"Speaking from experience, Zela?" Tonks joked, but Zela just replied with a perfectly straight face.
"You know how many Angels, Fallen Angels, Exorcists, Heroes, Devils, Gods and Buddhas have tried to kill me?"
"Touche." Tonks said meekly before sending Harry a telepathic message, "Just a warning. Zela's scary."
"I heard that." Zela said to them both, a smirk on her face, "So, moving on, there' a few more things I need to get straightened out here before we move on to training."
"What?" Harry asked.
"First of all, I'd like to check you memories." she told him, a serious look on her face, "I'm sure Tonks told you that I was responsible for the sudden if not exactly unwelcome sacking of your Defense teacher?"
"If you call getting dragged out under an armed guard 'sacking' then yeah." Harry nodded back.
"The reason for that is he altered your memories."
Harry froze the instant he heard those words. All this time, he'd never even given it a second thought, but if what Zela was saying was true...
"That day..." he muttered, "He altered...?"
"That's right." she nodded, "Not just yours. Your red haired friend too."
"Is there any way I can..?" Harry started, and Zela raised a hand to silence him.
"Not for you, but there is for me." she replied, "And I will, if you'll allow me. However, I'm warning you now that there might be some trouble recalling anything that's happened since then, at least at first. The minds' not meant to be erased, altered and restored like some computer. It might take a few days to a week before you can remember everything that's happened since then without suffering from a headache. Is that alright with you?"
"Yes." Harry answered immediately. He could feel himself growing angrier by the second, and he didn't even know what had really happened. All the strange events from that day were starting to make sense, and he wanted to know exactly what Lockhart had erased.
"Alright." She shrugged, getting to her feet. Pale blue lightning crackled between her fingertips as she stepped towards him, "Also, you might feel a slight shock, and you will almost certainly lose consciousness. Don't try to fight it, or you'll end up doing some serious damage to your mind. See you in a bit." At that moment, the blue lightning struck like a serpent almost dead on Harry's scar, and after what felt like a static shock, Harry felt himself drifting away.
The moment the lightning touched Harry's skull, he slumped forward unconscious on the table.
"So, what's next in this little scheme of yours, Zela?" Tonks asked, sipping her tea like their newest member hadn't just passed out in front of her.
"I'm offended." Zela scoffed before adding, "When have I ever schemed?"
"Pick a day since you were born."
Without acknowledging Tonks' response, Zela sat back down in her seat, grabbing her own cup, "We've got to figure out Dumbledore. Looks like the old man's not as stupid as he seems. He's already asked around about Harry. Seems he didn't really buy the 'random bout of magic' bit."
"Go figure." Tonks said with a raised eyebrow, "Really, Zela, did you think that would work? You could have come up with something better if you'd tried."
"Maybe, but it would've come out eventually" she replied, "The boy's too famous. The moment that he debuted in a game, the secret would've been out."
"Fair enou-" Tonks sighed, but was interrupted by the sensation of magic. Both she and Zela turned to the side just as a blue magic circle baring the Leviathan family crest appeared on th floor.
Both girls got to their feet in anticipation of their guest.
The one who appeared from the magic circle was a beautiful girl who didn't appear that much older than Zela. Her black hair was pulled back into twin ponytails, held in place by two star hair pins. Her blue eyes sparkled in the dim light. Her outfit consisted of a somewhat revealing pink dress with a long golden magic wand on her hip.
"Hi, Zel-chan !" She said cheerfully, rushing over to her.
"Hi, Sera!" Zela laughed, throwing her arms around her older sister.
Tonks stood back a ways and bowed, "Good day, Lady Leviathan."
"Hiya, Nymmie!" She answered, looking around the room, "So this is the new place, huh? Looking pretty good !"
"Yeah, I thought so." Zela said, gesturing for her sister to sit while Tonks poured her a cup of tea, "It's a hidden chamber underneath of a magic school."
"What's with you and So-tan?" Serafall pouted, "You're both always going to school!"
"Well, it was chance, really." she smiled, "My newest servant was a student and Tonks happened to find this place. Personally, I think it's a great base. There's rooms to train, I could house my entire peerage without any trouble, and there's a basilisk hatchery that'll make me a small fortune."
"New servant, huh ?" Serafall said, glancing over at Harry, "What happened to him?"
"Some loser altered his memories." Zela shrugged, taking one of the tea cakes from the plate supplied by Tonks' familiar, "So I offered to restore them for him."
"I got that." She frowned, "But look at him! He's too thin, and he's covered in scars!"
"Mind telling me how you know that?" Zela frowned, "I mean, I can't say I've given him a through inspection, but I can't figure out how you can tell he has SCARS through his robes after about ten seconds."
"It's not that difficult ." She replied cheerfully, forming a sphere of green energy in her hand. The glow of the sphere soon engulfed Harry, making him glow for a few minutes before it disappeared. "That should do. He'll heal up completely in a couple of days ."
"Thanks, Sera." Zela nodded, "So, to what do we owe the pleasure?"
"What? You mean your big sis can't drop in and say 'hi' ?" She pouted again.
"Anytime you want." Zela smiled, refilling her sister's cup, "But I was under the impression that you had something to do all this week."
"Relax !" She giggled, drawing her magic wand and twirling, "I've got some free time before lunch, so I thought I'd see what you found !"
"As usual, you're too carefree." Zela sighed, but the smile never left her face.
"You think ?" Serafall asked like she'd never even considered it.
"Yup. But that's not a bad thing. If anything, it helps me relax."
"Yeah! But what's your plan now, Zel-chan?" She said as she accepted the cup, "I mean, you've had your evil pieces for YEARS now. I even traded you my spare mutation piece!"
"Well, I've spent the last twenty years waiting, so I think it's about time for me to build my team." Zela answered, "And don't you worry about a thing. I know exactly who I'm going to use that piece on..."
Serafall smiled even wider, "Anyone good yet?"
"Well, aside from Harry and Nymphadora here, I haven't got anyone yet. But there might be a few people I'm interested in." Zela said with a grin.
"I know that grin." Tonks muttered, "It's the same grin when you do something crazy."
"She's right !" Serafall nodded, "Details!"
"I might want to poach the holder of Absolute Demise from Mephisto..."
Tonks groaned in response to Zela's claim, "You do realize that your relationship with the magicians is bad enough as it is? This is really not going to help you change that."
"Probably not." She admitted, "But I'll gain a Longinus user. That more than makes up for it."
"You're hopeless..." Tonks sighed, looking at Serafall hopefully, "Lady Leviathan, can you try and talk some sense into her? She won't listen to me..."
"Don't worry !" Serafall smiled at her, "If Meppy tries something, I'll set him straight!"
Once again, Tonks groaned, 'This family's beyond crazy...'
So, there's chapter 6. There's going to be at least one more member joining before the end of the summer, but that won't be for another couple chapters. Next time, the matter of Dumbledore's snooping is discussed, and Harry starts his training like a real devil. Expect Harry to get a bit more ambitious as the story progress.
Also, as I mentioned in the story, Draco is a possible addition. I'd like to hear what all of you have to say. Should Draco be a devil, and if so, should he be one of Zela's or another master's? The polls on my page, and if you'd like to leave your reasons in a review, I'll take them into advisement.