"Say hello to the newest member of our family."
As Akeno came over to look at Harry, the sounds of footsteps came thundering down the stairs in a rush. As they finally came to a stop, there was a loud scream of horror from the stairs.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY VERNON, YOU FREAKS!?" She screeched.
"Just gave him a little bit of what he deserved." Akeno replied casually with a shrug before smiling at Harry. "Aw, he's adorable!"
"I'M CALLING THE POLICE RIGHT NOW!"
"They'll never find us." Rias said coldly. "Even if they do, they won't be able to do anything."
Akeno grinned, "Pray tell, Rias... What is our newest family member's name?" she asked, curious if Rias had learned it yet or not.
Rias smiled. "Well, I never really got a chance to learn it, but maybe you can beat it out of the sentient horse over there." She replied calmly but showing a grin as she spoke, as she ran her fingers through the child's messy black hair.
"A wonderful idea." Akeno agreed as she approached Petunia with a dangerous grin on her face. Petunia paled and took several steps back. After all, here was a young woman covered in blood, and smiling sadistically. It was only natural for her to be frightened.
"H-HARRY! HIS NAME IS HARRY POTTER!"
Akeno pouted, "Spoil my fun..." she said cutely while turning to look at Rias for directions on what to do next, "Should we still kill her, or wipe her memories, render her a blank slate fit for an asylum?" she asked.
Rias took a moment to think about it. "Very difficult decision..." She mused. "Hmm...I say just wipe her memory. Someone like her is not worth the effort it would take to lift your hand."
"You got it." Akeno replied with a smirk as she approached the horse-like woman. As her best friend took care of business with Petunia, Rias took the time to thoroughly study the little boy in her arms. She smiled. He was so tiny and adorable... It broke her heart to imagine such a sweet child suffering so much. The devil held the little boy closer and planted another kiss on top of his head.
"Don't worry." She whispered softly in his ear. "You're in good hands." As if responding to her reassuring words, Harry smiled softly in his sleep and snuggled up closer to her, letting out a soft cooing noise of content.
Akeno couldn't help it, she giggled, "Just wait till Koneko sees him Rias," she said, smirking at how Koneko would probably be more emotional with someone else so adorable around him.
Suddenly, they were interuppted by the sound of screaming, and its source was from the stairs.
Akeno turned to look, and had to arch an eyebrow in curioisty and confusion, "Is it just me Rias, or am I seeing a mini-clone of the walrus?" she asked, not sure if she should believe what she was seeing.
"I think it looks more like a beach ball with legs." Rias said, amused by the child's perfectly round appearance, but also tilting her head to the side confused as well as amused.
"Oh...Yes, I can see it too..." Akeno agreed, looking closer.
Dudley began slowly backing away, now terrified by what these women had done to his parents. He slipped on the stairs and fell on his rump. Rias sighed.
"Akeno...take care of it. But don't go overboard. He's still just a child, after all."
Akeno pouted, "And I had such a delicious plan for him too..." she said, sounding depressed she wouldn't get to execute her devious little idea that would make Dudley's future hell had it gone through. Akeno then shrugged her shoulders, "Fine, whatever..." as she then began approaching Dudley, causing him to squeal like a pig in fright, much to both the amusement, confusion, and incredulaity of Rias and Akeno, before he ran into his room. Akeno then looked at Rias with a raised eyebrow, "Guess he's a 'little piggy' too!" she said, getting her sadistic smile again as she turned back to look where Dudley had gone, "Wonder what he would look like with a tail..." she said as she walked up the stairs and into Dudleys room, closing the door behind her, and leaving Petunia for Rias to wipe her memories.
One hour later...
Rias and Akeno had made the return trip to their club room, and Rias had placed Harry down on the couch, before gently flipping him onto his stomach and slowly removing his shirt. She had to check the child's injuries. She had yet to heal them.
The sight that greeted her was an absolute mess of charred skin, puncture wounds, tiny glass shards, infected wounds, a little bit of raw muscle, and a proverbial minefield of scars.
Koneko, who had been eating cookies off to the side, saw the patchwork skin and had to stop eating because the sight before her made her feel ill. Rias had to put a hand over her mouth. "Those monsters... If I had known it was this bad, I would have allowed Akeno to torture the woman in that hell hole..." she said, growling a bit in disgust. She then turned to Koneko, "Can you look after our new family member while I go get some cloths and disinfectant to clean his wounds?" She asked, really worried about her new son. She could worry about finishing up properly adopting him later.
Koneko blinked, then nodded. "Sure." She said coolly as she sat on the couch next to Harry. "But after, would you mind explaining what happened?"
"Of course." Rias replied with a sad smile before rising to her feet and walking out of the room. Akeno blinked when she noticed a tear slide down the older devil's face and onto the floor.
Akeno looked at Koneko, "So, first thoughts of our new family member?" she asked, curious about what Koneko thought of Harry.
Koneko blinked. She had only just seen the child, and hadn't had much chance to interact with him, so she wasn't fully sure of what to say. She looked down at the sleeping boy, then smiled very slightly.
"...He's...cute." She replied coolly.
Akeno giggled, "I think you showed a bit of emotion there, Koneko..." she teased.
"Suck it." Koneko replied flatly.
"By the way, where's Kiba?" Akeno asked. "I want to know how he feels about him."
"He's on an assignment." Koneko replied.
Rias then reentered the room once again, carrying the supplies she would need to tend to the little boy's wounds. She wanted to take care of the infections and as much as she could, before using magic to heal him.
Akeno smiled sadly. "He really did have it tough, huh?" she said, looking at Rias. Rias nodded,
"Yes...That's why I intend to adopt him and raise him as my son." she said. This caused Akeno to blink.
"You would go so far as to make him your son, not just a member of the family?" she asked in surprise. Rias's words had also caught Koneko by surprise as well, and she looked at the red haired devil with wide, surprised eyes.
"Yes." Rias replied in a tone that conveyed that she was entirely serious. "I would. Of course, I intend to wait a while until he calls me his mother on his own terms. I'm not going to tell him I'm his new mother when he wakes up."
"Why wait?" Akeno asked. Rias smirked.
"I don't want to force it on him. Besides, it'll be much cuter for him to decide when I get to be his mother." She replied casually.
Koneko took a bite of one her cookies, mostly out of subconscious habit. "If he becomes your son..." she asked, "What will that make the rest of us to him?" she finished, still in her emotionless voice, but, saying more words then usual for once.
"I'm his aunt!" Akeno declared firmly. "And you're his big sister." Koneko nodded. "I can deal with that." The white-haired devil replied. Rias smiled.
"Now then...I'd better tend to his injuries..." She kneeled next to the child, well, her child, now, then placed the disinfectant on the wounds marking his tiny, fragile body.
Harry squirmed in his sleep a bit. The disinfectant was doing wonders for his infections, but that didn't mean it wasn't causing him discomfort of course.
Rias looked at him sadly and ran her fingers through his hair, having an almost immediate calming effect on him. She continued to tend to the wounds, and breathed a sigh of relief when it was done. Harry's back was in far better shape now. You could actually recognize the skin over all the injuries... She knew it was all she could do for him right now, until she could take him to a proper healer in the underworld, but she hoped it would be enough for now.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Harry stirring. She looked down at him as his eyes slowly fluttered open...
As Harry slowly woke up, he noticed he longer felt constant pain from the numerous scars on his back, he also noticed he didn't have the constant soreness from his green wounds, seeing as he didn't know that they were actually infections...finally, he found the strength to open his eyes, and blinked a bit in surprise, looking around, then, trying to find his glasses, which had apparently been removed at some point, causing him to fumble around with both arms, trying find his glasses that were apparently not in reach.
Rias smiled at the awakening child, then grabbed his glasses from a nearby desk and placed them on his face. Harry blinked, then looked up at her.
The child's eyes widened when he saw the redhead woman from the store smiling down at him. He was confused as he looked around and saw two other girls, one with long black hair, the other with short white hair. The black-haired woman smiled at him, while the white haired woman nodded in acknowledgement.
"Hello, there." Rias said gently, drawing his attention back to her.
"Um...H-Hi..."
"Do you feel any better?" Rias asked, placing a hand on her little boy's cheek.
"Y-Yes..."
"I'm glad." And without another word, Rias pulled Harry into a tight hug.
Harry was taken aback by the hug, and stiffened immediately, shaking a bit in fear, something that caused Koneko to frown, and Akeno to glare, not at him, but in regards to the fact that it was clear he had been abused at his former residence.
Rias rubbed the back of his head. "Shhh...Don't be afraid, dear..." She whispered in his ear. "It's all over now. I'll never let anyone hurt you like that again." Harry found himself immediately relaxing at the sound of her voice. He looked up at the redhead with a confused look on his face. Rias's immediate reaction was to smile sadly and plant a gentle kiss on his forehead.
Harry blushed at the kiss on his forehead. It was the first one he could ever remember getting in his life. "A-a-are you m-my mommy?" he asked innocently, also with a bit of fear as he looked down sadly, it was hard for him to ask, as, one the one hand, he hoped she was, on the other, it was possible she wasn't and he didn't want false hope, especially after seeing that picture from the attic of the red headed woman.
Rias blinked and tilted her head, then smiled and reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out the picture. "Do you mean this woman?" She asked. Harry looked down and nodded shyly. "I'm sorry, sweetie. But I'm not that woman." Harry looked crestfallen, and wiped away a few falling teardrops that formed in response. Rias grabbed his hands, moved them away from his face gently, and placed her hands on his cheeks, making him look up into her eyes. "...But I AM your new caretaker. And I'll take care of you, just like a mother would." she paused, "And, if you want, I could become your new mother, but, ONLY if you want me to, I cannot make that choice for you, I will not replace your mother, but I can become your new mother," she said, trying to make it clear, she would not be a replacement, instead, she would be filling a role as a new one entirely.
Harry thought about it for a moment, "Give me time?" he asked, hoping she would allow him to have some time to think about it. "But, I am happy to have a new family..." he said, smiling shyly.
Rias tilted her head and giggled. "Well, of course you can have some time to think about it, dear." She said gently. "And I'm glad you're happy with your new family. Now then..." She picked him up and put him in her lap. "Let me introduce you to the other members..."
Harry nodded, and tried to shrink into her front behind her arms holding him on her lap as he took notice of the other two people in the room. Given his upbringing so far, he was shy around new people, and people in general, sticking close to those he felt he could trust.
Akeno smiled warmly. "Hi, sweetie! I'm your new auntie, Akeno!" She said cheerfully. "And this is your new big sister, Koneko!"
"Hey." Koneko greeted.
"H-Hi, Miss Akeno...Hi, Miss Koneko..." Harry said softly and shyly, which also happened to be cutely as a result.
"You're not his aunt yet, Akeno." Rias said, rolling her eyes in amusement.
"Key word here being 'YET'". Akeno teased. "Now hopefully his big brother gets back soon..." Rias shook her head with a smile.
"I hope you can get used to us." She said to Harry.
Harry nodded, and turned to hide his head in Rias's front as he blushed from getting so much attention, although, he would admit, he was secretly happy to have a new aunt and big sister. Not aware that as he hid his face in Rias's front, it endeared him to all three women, with Koneko privately promising to protect him like a true big sister would.
Harry may had just woken up, but that was from being injured. The unbelievable events that had occured, the knowledge that he now had a family, and that it was one that seemed to actually care about him, and the comfiness of his new caretaker's arms were too much. The little boy let out a long, but soft, yawn. Rias smiled.
"Are you tired, dear?" She asked. Harry nodded absentmindedly, though it was clear he was trying stubbornly to stay awake, not wanting to take his head out of the woman's comfy chest. "Well then, you'd better get some rest." She kissed his head again. Harry let out an adorable coo-esque sound of content, and then he was out like a light, sleeping soundly in his new guardian's arms.
Akeno giggled, "It seems to me, that he won't need much time to decide, Rias," she said, grinning at the red headed king, "Then again, you do have red hair just like his birth mother apparently..." she teased.
Koneko nodded, "He's adorable..." she said simply.
Rias looked at Akeno with a smirk. "Well, I hope you're right, Akeno." She said. "I think I would literally die of happiness if he started calling me his mother."
Akeno suddenly grinned in her usual manner when she was up to no good, "So..." she started, trailing off with her mischevious grin, "Where will he sleep, or should I actually be asking, will he be sharing your bed?" she asked, "After all, he seems most comfortable and safe around you, so, I cannot see him, sleeping anywhere else but in your bed..." she said, still grinning mischievously.
"That sounds totally wrong." Koneko said flatly. Akeno's response was to simply shoot her a grin.
"Yes...He will be sleeping in my bed for the time being." Rias answered. "I'll have to ease him into sleeping on his own though...eventually..."
Suddenly, a portal appeared in the room, and Kiba stepped out. "I'm back!" He called.
"SHHHHHHHHH!" All the girls in the room whispered harshly. Kiba blinked and raised his hands defensively. "Sorry..." He said. "What's going on?"
Koneko looked up, "New family member..." she said. Akeno nodded, "Come take a look at your new little brother Kiba," she said, smirking, "Before his new mother goes off to bed to let him sleep..." she said micheviously.
"Kiba raised a brow. "Little...brother?" He asked questioningly, now quite confused. He approached Rias as she adjusted her arms so he could see Harry. Kiba knelt down curiously, and looked him over. "Whoa...What happened to him...?" He asked.
"Akeno will explain." Rias replied gently. Kiba nodded. "What's his name?"
"Harry."
"Well, then...Welcome to the family, Harry." Kiba said, nodding in approval. "But...little brother?
"Yes." Akeno said. "Rias is going to be his mother, and I'm going to be his aunt. You and Koneko are his big brother and sister."
"...Wouldn't we have to be Rias's children for that?" Kiba asked with an arched brow.
"You don't have to be related to be an older sibling figure." Koneko retorted with amusement, causing the others to look at her with shocked and surprised looks.
Akeno suddenly ran to the open window to look at the sky, Rias realised what she was doing, getting the idea for party planning already, and got up, carrying Harry with one arm, and then walked over and smacked Akeno over the back of the head. "You're a fool." she said simply. Then she left the room. Before she did, she said, "Wake me up only if its important. We can properly welcome our new family member when he has had a nice, long, sleep, along with me of course," she said. Then, she, carrying Harry, left the room for her bedroom.
Akeno rubbed the back of her head, it was still a bit sore. She then sighed and said, "Well, I guess the party planning is up to me the-" she began only to be cut off by Koneko of all people.
"I don't think a party's a good idea for a while." She said calmly. "Too much noise, too many people. He needs time to get used to us first..."
"Yeah, he's just a little guy." Kiba agreed. "He'll probably be shy..."
"It's not just that." Akeno replied, having stopped pouting. "...I'll tell you what happened to him.
Meanwhile, in Rias's room...
Rias carefully took Harry's clothes off the rest of his body, until he was only wearing his underwear. She would REALLY need to get him a new wardrobe... For now, a blanket would have to do as a toga, and she could give him one of Kiba's shirts to wear in the mean time as a kind of dress until they could get him a new wardrobe after he woke up later. She would be damned if she would let her son wear rags from those monsters that USED to be considered his family. When she was finally done setting up the make shift toga for him, she got undressed and then put on a nightgown. Normally she slept in the nude, but she wasn't going to do that with her son. it would be weird to do so. Finally ready for bed, she pulled back the covers, tucked Harry in, then got into bed beside him. She then kissed his forehead again, and whispered, "Sleep well Harry, my son," she said, smiling as he wiggled in closer to her, snuggling into her side. Rias smiled, and wrapped her arms around him, pressing him tightly against her body. "I love you." She whispered in his ear. If at all possible, Harry's smile grew even wider as he slept peacefully in his new guardian's arms, having good dreams probably for the first time he could remember in his life. Rias smiled lovingly, then closed her eyes. Sleep took half an hour to come to her, and she embraced every moment of her awake state. Her last thought before drifting off were "I just met him today, and already I love him so much... like a true mother would..."
And so, mother and son slept peacefully, wrapped in each other's arms, enjoying happy dreams.