The Devil as a Father, Chapter 26
Lucifer found himself having more fun than he realized possible with all the children. He spent several hours with Neville discussing plants and they started a hydroponic system on the unused floor of the Lux Harry had asked for. Using magic and hydroponics together, they also got fish to be part of the enclosed ecosystem. Neville was always quiet around Lucifer until the plants started bearing fruit. Then he got as excited as Harry did over a successful idea and danced all over. He planted flowers to place fresh on the tables of their restaurant too, but the first flowers went to Chloe and Narcissa.
Draco had a subtle sense of humor and an excellent poker face. He could play chess with any adult and had beaten Dan at a game to the detective's chagrin. He was also fastidious about clothing and often asked Lucifer about styling and his opinion on outfits.
Octy seemed to have what Lucifer explained was shadow magic. One day he would be able to hide in shadows. Why his family had rejected him was because his talents ran more to wandless magic. Since no wand responded to him, they considered him a squib. It made Lucifer furious every time he thought of it.
Daffodil was a seer, but not one that anyone in the modern times knew of. She would get and give visions when she sang. Rose was a true squib, but Lucifer had already healed the part of her that couldn't access magic, so she would be able to do magic as she grew up.
Les or Hercules had animal magic. He could become any animal and could only do wandless magic whether in human or in animal form. Lucifer began to wonder how many children had starved to death on the streets or died horribly for having rare magic.
Daffodil loved playing with her new grownups and Les spent a lot of time with Aradia and Goldie, treating them with rare love. He was starting to understand both of them, which everyone took as normal because the rings gave the rest of the household mind speech.
Lucifer Harry Lucifer Harry Lucifer Harry
Harry and his Dad were driving to school with Trixie. "I miss the little ones already," said Trixie, "I'm just getting to know everyone,"
"I know", said Harry. "I miss Dad and Mom at school too."
Goldie stuck her head out of Trixie's pocket and trilled her opinion too. She had made close friends with their new babies, especially Hercules, but she wasn't leaving Trixie alone in that place in case the mean man came back.
Goldie then sent a specific mental picture of Mr. Houston with his bum on fire running down the corridor smacking his bum with his hands to put the fire out. Harry snorted. Goldie was so funny. Aradia sniffed and wondered if the mean man's flesh was toxic to hell hounds. Trixie said, "Ewwww, I bet it's very nasty."
Harry felt very happy that he could at least have Aradia with him as his special service dog.
Lucifer reached over and ruffled Harry's hair and said, "I feel the same. I miss all of you all day. Now that your Mom is cutting her hours, we'll have more time with her. If you want to study at home all the time, we can think about doing that, but you both have made nice friends at school, and I don't want you to miss out on that."
Trixie sighed, "But I can't bring them home. They might see magic."
Lucifer looked upset, "We can do special magic that make them not notice spells or think they are tricks, or we can simply tell them that they are magic and have them give a magic oath not to tell. You should be able to have your friends over, that means you too Harry."
"In fact," continued Lucifer, "I'll ask your mother to have a weekend party or overnight party or something fun and you can invite all your friends. You could all camp out, or we could go to a park, or the beach or anywhere that would be fun."
Harry began to make excited noises and then said, "Dad, no Disneyland, Okay? I don' think I could stand remembering."
Trixie next to him nodded solemnly, "I feel the same Dad, even knowing you warded it, I still have nightmares about you dying."
So, do I, but it's all of you dying, thought Lucifer with understanding. "I understand. We could go that restaurant where they joust, or the one with a pirate show, or anyplace you can think of, or just stay home."
He parked at the school and walked them to the door. Suddenly the door flew open and the school secretary rushed out.
"Mr. Morningstar," she said urgently, "I need to talk with you immediately."
"What's wrong, dear lady?" he asked.
"Mr. Houston has powerful friends on the school board and he was given the position of deputy headmaster in charge of security. We all think the man is unbalanced and I remember how he traumatized Trixie before." She fell silent.
Lucifer Morningstar was always helpful and had done wonderful things for the school. But right now he looked frozen with rage. She could swear his eyes were burning red with fury.
"That's it." said Lucifer. "I'm taking the children out of school and we will home tutor them. I have no intention of letting them near that horrible man. He was going to TOUCH my little girl."
"I understand completely. Come with me and we'll fill out the paperwork. The children should stay by your side."
Harry put his arm around Trixie and Aradia gave a threatening growl which looked really cute while she was in Chihuahua form.
They followed her into the principal's office and she already had the paperwork ready. She stuttered a bit, "I never want you to ever go through some of the things you have in the past, Trixie," the distraught woman said softly, "So I got this ready in case your Father and Mother wanted it done."
Lucifer already sent a mental message to Chloe and she responded with, "That's it! Take the kids out of school."
"My thought exactly, my Darling," he said back, "and the school secretary already had the papers ready in case we felt that way. Lovely woman."
While they worked on filling out the forms, the door slammed open and Mr. Houston walked in with a very nice suit and a smirking expression.
"Well, well, well, it looks like we have a problem," he said triumphantly, "You're children have a pet with them. We can't allow that, it might bite someone."
Aradia turned around and growled and then barked. Mr. Houston paled and backed away, "If that animal touches me, I'll have it put down." he shrieked.
Harry picked up Aradia. "Don't worry, Mr. Houston, we don't want Aradia to catch anything. I'll hold her right here."
"And for that comment you are going to have to go into detention," snarled the overwrought man.
Harry went cold at the thought of being in a room with the man.
"No, he is not," said Lucifer, "I'm taking both my children out of school permanently."
Mr. Houston apparently had not expected that because he turned red, "We'll see what the truant office has to say about that." he shouted.
"We have already arranged for tutors. I shall miss the excellent teachers and staff here, but your negativity to my children is unprofessional and verges on stalking." Lucifer spoke calmly and pretended he was Chloe, otherwise, he might have turned into his devil form and thrown the blithering coward out the window.
Aradia barked again and growled, and the man stomped out of the office.
"I had no idea administrators acted like spoiled first preschoolers," remarked Lucifer.
"He's the only one Dad," said Harry. Then he frowned, "Did we break him?"
"Everyone knows that your family is special," said Mrs. Danvers, "He's just a bully and he can't stand someone being stronger than him." She let Aradia sniff her fingers and then began to gently pet the Chihuahua. "Even Aradia knows Mr. Houston has something wrong with him."
Mrs. Danvers smiled at the children and walked them out of the office. "We'll miss all of you, and the teachers are all sending in a petition about Mr. Houston's actions. But I agree that this is safer for your children. If he yells at me like that, I'm going to walk out."
XXXX
Lucifer brought the kids home to great rejoicing. The tutors working with Neville and Draco were pleased and recommended more tutors for the little ones.
Lucifer realized he had to visit the goblins. He told everyone where he was going and popped to Gringotts. He was worried that the Goblin Nation was going to reject him over this and it made him sad. He really liked them. He quietly asked a Teller if he could speak to the King and was lead deep into the bank to the King's chambers. There he met with the King.
"My dear friend, I have bad news," he said, "I have learned that the humans treat dragons as creatures and they told me you too use them as chained guards in the banks."
The King stared at him. "I don't understand my friend. Are not dragons creatures?"
"They are intelligent life. They speak."
Lucifer waited for rage, he didn't expect a tear of anguish to appear in the king's eye. "We have lost our honor," he whispered in horror. "We truly didn't know."
"Let us go and see the oldest Dragon you have and I will talk to it," said Lucifer gently, "Your Honor is my Honor and I shall uphold you all in this and help make reparations to the dragons."
The King, who Lucifer knew to be a brave and doughty warrior, trembled. "You are our Father," he said.
They went together to the old dragon. Lucifer was horrified. It was underfed to keep it dangerous, and had been trained from birth to fear a noise the goblins made.
"Elder Brother," he said in the dragon tongue, "Can you understand me?"
The dragon lifted its head and stared at Lucifer with golden eyes; then it gave a cough and said, "You speak to me, human?"
Lucifer smiled at the creature, "I am Lucifer Morningstar, the devil," he said simply, "I am not truly a human."
The dragon looked at him, "You stand with one of the masters. No one ever talks to us and I am alone. I have not heard a nice voice in a long time, since they took me from my mother. Tell me if there is really a blue sky and a sun that lights it?"
"Yes," said Lucifer. He walked right up to the dragon, and put his arms around its great head gently, "There are stars in the sky at night that twinkle down too and a moon. Are you hungry?"
"I am always hungry, but they do feed me enough to have the strength to kill those who steal," said the dragon.
Lucifer kissed the dragon over its eye. "That felt like when my mother would kiss me," remarked the dragon, "Does that mean you love me?"
"Yes." said Lucifer, and kissed it again.
"If the goblins give you to me, will you wish vengeance on them?" asked Lucifer, getting to the crux of the matter.
"Do not all dragons work for the Masters?" asked the dragon.
"They don't know how to speak to you," said Lucifer, "and because of that they think you are powerful wonderful beasts that they can use to protect the bank. They didn't know you had a language and were intelligent. Now they know and want to make it right. And no, many dragons are free."
The dragon rubbed its head gently against Lucifer and said, "I am the eldest here. I sometimes hear the songs of my brethren in the bank. I sing back to them." He howled, a long bugling noise that reverberated in Lucifer's bones and went all over the bank. There was a moment of silence and then all the dragons began to bugle back, so that the whole bank shook. The dragon cried out again and blew flames in the air and then listened to the returning howls and cries.
"We all like the honorable work of protecting things from thieves. We don't like the clacker things that scare us and we all wish to fly sometimes to meet the sky and see if it is real. If they fed us better as payment and let us do our jobs without scaring us, and let us out of the chains, then we will be friends with the Goblin Nation. If someone can translate for us, we will teach them ancient dragon songs, and be able to help them more than we do now. Some of the dragons are angry, but they will obey me as the only eldest they have." He bugled again, and Lucifer heard strange howls come back that reminded him of music and Harry.
Lucifer stayed with the dragon a long time, while the king ordered his people to bring him the keys to unlock the shackles that kept the dragon a prisoner and slave.
The King asked Lucifer to request of the dragon if he could loosen the lock. The dragon nodded to the King. Without fear, the Goblin King freed the dragon and looked up at the great beast, his eye glittering with emotion.
Then he stood and didn't stand back. Lucifer watched and realized the King would not attempt to protect himself if the dragon chose revenge.
Lucifer knew that the King meant to seek punishment and he readied himself in case the dragon changed his mind. But the dragon looked at the King and sniffed at the chains and then gently nudged the King and said to Lucifer, "Tell him thank you for freeing me. When we sing our songs, we will always sing of the Goblin King who removed our chains so bravely."
When Lucifer told the King, the King stood up and stared at the dragon with wonder and respect. "I will do everything possible to help you. I consider you to be a Goblin friend, as Lucifer here is our Father."
Lucifer smiled and then grinned. He truly was a good father. They quietly walked through the dungeon and met up with the next dragon. Again, Lucifer talked to the dragon, who was furious until he realized he would be set free. He listened patiently to the older dragon, and Lucifer asked them what their names were. It turned out they didn't have names. Dragons earn their names later in life, and these dragons and been isolated.
"Son," said Lucifer, and found pleasure in the saying, "These dragons have not learned or experienced all the parts of their culture they should. They have not been given names. I would like the honor of giving these two names and see if they like them."
The King smiled, "You give honor to Goblins and now to Dragons."
Lucifer turned to the oldest dragon and said, "I name thee Chain Breaker,"
The dragon looked at him with delight. The younger dragon looked excited.
"That is a good name," said the young dragon. "And you, who rejoices for your brother dragon, I name Good Heart," said Lucifer. The Dragon unfurled his wings and bugled in delight.
There were eight dragons imprisoned in Gringott's depths. Lucifer and the king went and personally freed them all. The dragons had one female, who Lucifer named Beauty.
Lucifer wanted them to eat their full, but he felt they should start learning more about being dragons too. He sent a mental message to Headmaster Flitwick and asked if there were any monsters that would make a nice feast for some newly freed dragons.
Flitwick was as always delighted to hear from him. "Lord Morningstar," the diminutive part human part goblin, said, "I actually do know of a problem. We found out that Dumbledore allowed a large infestation of acromantula in the Forbidden Forrest that are destroying the local ecology and starting to attack the unicorns and the centaurs. There's no telling when they will endanger the children and Hogsmead next."
Lucifer responded, "That will really help with my problem. I am bringing 8 newly freed dragons with me and will teach them the way of the hunt. We will meet with the centaurs next and ask their permission to hunt."
Lucifer walked with the King and the dragons to a door that would lead them out of the dungeons into an unpopulated area. He realized it was a portal as soon as they arrived, and was pleased. He didn't want the dragons to hurt anyone, but he wanted them to enjoy the pleasure of sun and sky. The dragons followed him and the King with great shyness like giant half-frightened puppies, and sat on the haunches gazing at the clouds and trees. A bird flew overhead and they watched it fly, each head swiveling to see its flight path. Lucifer unfurled his wings, "Come children, fly with me. I am taking you to kill spiders that are eating unicorns and centaurs and are a danger." He flew up in the air, and hovered until the dragons finally followed him. He noticed Beauty was the first. Chain Breaker was the leader, but they all deferred to Beauty. He didn't blame them at all.
He flew and they followed joyfully. Then he signaled them and they returned to where the Goblin King stood watching them. "You have done well and flown, now I am going to take you to your first hunt."
Beauty trilled and flipped her wings. Lucifer laughed and popped them all just outside the forbidden forest. "First we must ask the centaurs leave to hunt," he said.
"Why?" asked Beauty.
"Because this is their hunt territory, and we want to be polite to the centaurs, they are wise," said Lucifer.
"Will they fight us?" asked Good Heart.
"Probably not, especially if we are polite and tell them what we plan. They will hopefully be pleased." Lucifer gave a call that went through the woods like fire in the blood.
There was silence for a while, but the dragons were very patient. They were outside and they had flown and this was joy as far as they were concerned.
Finally, a large group of creatures that looked half human and half horse appeared at the edge of the trees. They had long bows and looked fierce.
Lucifer waved to them and said, "Step forward without fear. I am Lucifer and I come to ask your permission to hunt the spiders."
The centaurs came forward. One who was big and looked wise waved and said, "Ho, Lucifer the maker of the stars?"
Lucifer walked forward and said, "Yes, I am that Lucifer," there was a bit of sadness in his voice. They probably were going to be unimpressed with the fallen angel.
Then to his surprise, each Centaur lowered his front legs and bowed to him, "Hail, Lucifer Morningstar. The stars spoke of change, but not of you coming. You gave us the stars and magic. We are honored you are here."
Lucifer gave them a grin his wife and children would recognize, "I have some new friends, some dragons that the Goblins have freed from slavery, for they did not know they were thinking, sentient beings. I have given them their first names, and we have been flying, but I would like them to hunt. I understand you have a giant spider issue and I think we could help you by hunting some. So we can to ask your leave."
"We would be delighted," said the Centaur, "The spiders are voracious and constantly breeding. They have killed some of our foals, and encroached on our territory."
"Wait," said a rather rebellious looking centaur, who had just come up, "How do we know you made magic and the stars? This could be a human trick."
Lucifer grinned at him, "What is your name?"
The centaur stood proudly, "I am Bane,"
Lucifer unfurled his wings and flew to Bane and then landed right in front of him. "Look at me with the wisdom all centaurs have and tell me what you think I am?"
Bane stared into Lucifer's eyes and saw fire, the fires of hell, but also the incredible power of the stars and fainted.
"Well, that settles that," he said.
"I am hoping that the spiders are good barbecued, because these dragons deserve a good feast."
"We have eaten spider," said one of the Centaurs, "They are good eating. They make wonderful sausage."
"Then farewell, Centaurs of the forbidden forest and blessings on your tribe," said Lucifer.
He took flight and the eight dragons followed him. They landed outside an area where everything was covered with silk. Lucifer landed and said, "Children, use your flames and get the big ones, they are the most dangerous. Stay near me Beauty."
He turned to the female dragon, "Beauty, their fires will chase some of the spiders out of the forest. I want you to meet them with flame. Meanwhile, I'm going to do a little magic on their webbing."
Beauty flipped her tail in pleasure and stood by Lucifer. The rest, anxious to see if they could get food and also to show off before Beauty, flew over the nests and formed a line which began to flame large acromantulas. Lucifer meanwhile, began to cause the silk of their thousands of webs to form huge spools. He planned on giving them to the Centaurs and Flitwick for trading purposes.
Soon some really big upset spiders raced toward them. Beauty squealed with pleasure and fried them before they could reach her or Lucifer and his little project.
When they were done, they had hundreds of dead cooked spiders in piles, and Lucifer had thousands of large spools of very strong silken thread. He separated the sticky thread from the unsticky in case there was use for sticky stuff.
He turned and realized the dragons were waiting for permission to eat. "Tuck in, Darling children. I hope it tastes good."
Beauty jumped on the largest corpse and big into a leg. She ate every leg and then stopped and bugled, "It's YUMMY," she cried.
All the boys jumped in and soon had finished a great meal. Lucifer took some of the flesh and packaged it in stasis to take home to experiment on. He looked at his little band of hunters and laughed. They were asleep with their giant tummies extended and looked very content.
"Chloe," he called in mind speech, not wanting to wake up his new charges. "I've adopted 8 dragons and no, I won't be bringing them home. While they are underfed, they are still too big for the Lux. I'm teaching them to hunt and the Goblins will pay them in food for guarding the bank vaults. I was most impressed with the King. Oh Chloe, they've been underground all their lives and never saw the sky till today."
He felt Chloe's shock and then a burst of love and pride washed over him, "You are such a wonderful dork," she said, which was highest praise from his wife.