A/N:  FINALLY, people reviewed for this story – I was getting worried that no one was reading it (which is ironic since this is the easiest for me to write) Thanks to the following reviewers: SJ, Zoan, Kari, KoraDee, Icelfame55, and lil badass (don't worry I haven't forgotten about the scoobies!) – without whose support I would not be motivated to update so soon

Chapter 5 – Introductions

Harry awoke to someone grasping his wand hand.  Startled, the boy wizard jerked back against the headboard and blinked with incomprehension.  Looking around, Potter realized that he was in his dorm room, and it was his friend Ron trying to wake him.

"Harry, if you won't get up you're going to miss breakfast."

Was last night all a dream? But it felt so real…

Nodding distractively, Harry reached for his glasses – finally noticing the added weight to his right hand.  Sure enough, there on his right index finger was the ring of the demon lord Caligula.  Blood still encrusted around the jewels.  Harry's eyes narrowed as he regarded the ring.  If the ring was real, then…

"Ron, you go ahead and I'll catch up."

Hungry, Ron gave no argument and headed off, leaving Harry alone in the room.  At least, he was alone for a few seconds before five figures appeared, seemingly from thin air.  Two of the demons, carrying a mace and axe respectively, headed to the doorway to stand guard.  The third thinner demon began to chant softly, guarding the room.  The last two demons gave a small bow to their master, and after giving the boy's attire a significant glance, turned their backs.  Harry dressed quickly, never taking his eyes from demons. 

Though their eyes were never on him, Harry felt their attention always upon him.  As if they always kept him at a certain awareness.  The impression was strongest from the small female, to whom he felt a connection. 

Finished dressing, Harry addressed the warriors.

"Um…thank you for helping me last night.  But, not meaning any disrespect, why did you help me?"

"You do remember that little conversation we had before you fainted, right?" the blond asked.

The others snickered and Harry turned a bright shade of red.

"Right, you said I was your master.  But how can I be your master?  I've never even met you before in my life, at least, not that I remember."

"You see, master, we – or more accurately Slayer – are connected to the ring.  Whoever wears the ring that has enough power to activate it, will become Slayer's master.  Since we are loyal to her, we are also now bound to you as well," Gawain said, taking pity on the young lord.

"You should be proud, I'm powerful so if you were able to activate the ring you've got to be pretty big power yourself.  Maybe I shouldn't have mocked Voldy for having a human boy as his mortal enemy," Slayer quipped.  At the mention of Voledemort's name, Harry deflated.

"It's not my power that activated the ring, it's Voldemort's.  I'm only able to access it because my mother protected me, causing his spell to backfire and leaving me connected to him," Harry said bitterly, looking at the floor.  He raised his eyes as he felt a hand on his arm.  He met Slayer's eyes, and in them was no pity, or sympathy, or expectation.  There, he only found acceptance.

"You're wrong, master.  The ring can only be activated by your power.  I feel it; your power is like fire crawling through my veins, while Voldy's power is like ice.  He is right to fear you, even if your first victory wasn't of your own doing.  So what if it was a fluke, I'm the leader of the Elite through a twist of fate.  Hell, I might not even be a demon but now I'm the leader of the most feared group of demon warriors in all the hell dimensions."

Harry grinned at that, and laughed as the other demons mocked Slayer – saying that even if they were half-human, she might be completely human.  Then Harry looked at the blond in confusion as he realized the meaning behind her words.

"Slayer, how can you not know if you're human?"

"Well," Slayer sighed, "I was tortured for a year after my capture, and I've forgotten all of my past except for a few slang terms.  Then, I was tied to the ring and that keeps me from aging until the day it's destroyed."

Seeing Harry's sad face, the slayer cracked a smile.

"But if you were as hot as me, wouldn't you want to stay young forever?"

Harry's response was eclipsed by sound of bells. 

"Oh my god, I've got to get to class, I have potions with Snape!" and with that Harry took off leaving behind five bemused demons.

"I think I'm going to enjoy having him for a master.  Have you noticed it hasn't even occurred to him to have us kill his enemies for him?" Gawain asked Slayer in amusement.

"Yup, and speaking of which, do you think we should pay old Voldy a visit?"

"One of us has to stay with the master, and since we don't know how much control our new master has over you, perhaps you should stay behind."

Slayer pouted.

"Go ahead and spoil my fun."  She sighed.  "All right, but don't try to kill him.  I heard about the prophecy connected those two from Caligula, and technically you're not a part of Harry's power.  If you try to kill him, there could be a backlash and I don't want to lose anyone."

Nodding, the four demons vanished.  Slayer searched for her master's presence, and smiled when she located him.

I wonder who Snape is?

************************** 

Voldemort was not normally a happy man.  But the events of the last twenty-four hours left his followers either far from his presence or dead.  He had been sure that his alliance with the demon lord would end in Harry Potter's death.  How could the boy possibly defeat the five most feared warriors in the hell dimensions? 

Instead, Potter was alive and apparently in control of the very demons that were sent to capture him. 

A quivering Deatheater approached the Dark Lord.  "Lord Voldemort, there are four demons here to see you.  I believe they are the same ones that serve, um, served, Caligula."  Before the Deatheater could finish talking, the warriors entered the room.

"So the mighty Elite are reduced to running errands for a human boy?" Voldemort snarled.

"It's a job," Gawain dismissed.  "We just came to see how you were doing, since you left in such a hurry last night."

Gawain's companions chuckled.

"Also, you made a commitment to our late master – we delivered the boy to you, now deliver the Orb to us."

Voldemort stood in shocked silence.  How dare these insolent swine try to swindle him, the Dark Lord.  He ordered his men to attack the demons, but they only grinned and said, "We were so hoping you would say that." 

Within a matter of minutes, over a dozen Deatheaters were dead and Voldemort stood trembling before the demons.  Gawain moved to kill the human, but remembering Slayer's words, stopped. 

"The Orb, now."

Voldemort, seeing he had little recourse, did so.  Holding the Orb, the four gave extravagant bows before disappearing.  Leaving behind dead bodies and a trembling wizard as souvenirs of their visit. 

Reappearing outside Hogwarts, Talyn turned to Gawain.

"What does the Orb do anyway?"  Gawain shrugged.

"Not a clue, but it looks pretty doesn't it?"

*****************************

Harry Potter hated Potions class; not because it was bad subject, or even because it was with Slytherin, but because Professor Snape taught it.  Not that Snape was a bad teacher, since he a brilliant potion maker, but because Snape hated Gryffindors – in particular, Harry Potter.  So every class consisted of Snape trying to make a fool of Harry, and deducting points from Gryffindor for every mistake. 

Finally finishing his potion, Harry waited for the Professor's opinion.  As usual, Snape appeared ready to criticize Harry's work when he stopped.  The potions master reached a hand to his neck and when he looked at it, it was covered in blood.  A small line of blood appeared across the professor's neck, from what appeared a small cut. 

The cut wasn't life threatening, but Snape was unsure of the cause of the wound.  He looked sharply at Harry.

"Mr. Potter, is this your doing?  You do realize that intentionally injuring a teacher is an expellable offence."

"Sir, I didn't do anything.  I'm not even holding my wand," Harry replied, though he had a sinking suspicion that in a way he was responsible. 

"Mr. Potter, that'll be twenty points from Gryffindor."

"But…" Harry trailed off as a beaker exploded by the professor, covering him with cuts, but leaving Harry untouched.  Both sets of students huddled towards the front of the class, watching their classmate in horror.  Even Hermione and Ron were looking at Harry in dismay.

"Mr. Potter, go see the Headmaster.  Now!"

Without a word to anyone, Harry gathered his things and left the class.  As he walked the deserted hallways, he felt a presence by his side.  Without looking, he knew who it was.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because that human was going to insult you.  No one insults my master and gets away with it, it would ruin my reputation," Slayer said brightly.  Angry as he was, Harry chuckled.  It had felt good to see the professor uncertain and afraid.  Then he remembered that it wasn't only the professor who had felt that way.

"Slayer, this is very important, I don't want you to hurt anyone again unless I tell you to.  All right?" Harry asked sternly.

Slayer sighed dramatically, slinging her arm over Harry's shoulders.

"You're lucky I like you, since you keep spoiling all my fun, but I'll do what you order."

Harry was about to enter Dumbledore's office when he heard her say, "But to make it up to me I get to kill Voldy."

The Boy-who-lived turned to see Slayer's grinning face – with eyes that knew what it would cost Harry to kill in cold blood.

"Deal."

***********************************************        

Harry waited in Dumbledore's office, knowing that the longer he waited the more trouble he was in.  The door opened and Dumbledore entered followed by Snape and McGonagall.  The boy wizard winced at the look in his professors' eyes.  Especially Dumbledore's, whose eyes usually twinkled in amusement, but now were deadly serious. 

"Mr. Potter, can you tell us why you chose to attack Professor Snape, especially since he gave you no provocation to do so?" Dumbledore asked. 

"I didn't do it, sir." Harry said quickly.

"Make the boy take the Veritus potion, then we'll know if he's lying or not," Snape demanded, his neck still bandaged.  Dumbledore sighed.

"I suppose it's the only way to be certain."

Harry looked at the professor's in panic.  If he took the serum, he might tell them about Slayer and the others.  They were able to enter and leave Hogwarts with ease, and had done so to capture him and take him to Voldemort.  What if they tried to hurt the demons?

Dumbledore handed Harry a glass of pumpkin juice, and Harry reluctantly swallowed.

"Harry, did you injure Professor Snape?" Dumbledore asked.

"No."

"Do you know who did?"

"Yes."  Harry winced as the word left his mouth unbidden. 

"Who did it then," Snape asked impatiently.

Before Harry could answer, another voice did it for him.

"Me."

Suddenly, a blond female appeared by Harry's side with a small dagger drawn.  Protectively, she stood between the boy and the professors – smirking at Snape's awkward retreat.

"And you would be?" Dumbledore asked fairly calmly.

At that moment, Harry wished for nothing more than to disappear.  Sensing her master's need to flee, Slayer touched his arm and they disappeared – but not before the serum reacted.

"She's my demon slave."

TBC

Wow, that was my longest chapter to date – see, this is what happens when people review!