CHAPTER 8:

ASSURANCES

They had waited a couple of hours before Morrigan went back alone to fetch Hedwig and Harry's belongings. Harry and Lilith, sitting in a luxurious bedroom that Morrigan had designated as their own in Castle Aensland, were silent for a time. It was an uncomfortable silence, like sitting on jagged stones, instead of on a soft bed fit for an emperor.

This near-miss with the Dementors highlighted just how vulnerable they still were, even with their newfound strength. Harry didn't want to have to be saved all the bloody time. And yet, because he was with Morrigan and Lilith, they had to retreat.

Morrigan had tried to reassure him, but it did ring hollow. In Makai, strength was what mattered. And he wasn't strong enough. He was the weakest link in the relationship. Maybe Lilith could have fended off the Dementors, but if he got attacked and Kissed, it meant their shared soul would be going bye-bye. Lilith would die because of his weakness. The girl he loved, who had been a part of him since before his birth, his first friend, and he couldn't help her. In fact, he was a liability to her.

With that self-loathing thought in mind, he got up off the bed, and walked out of the door. "Where are you going?" Lilith asked.

"I need some air. I need to think," Harry said. "It was my fault we nearly got Kissed."

"Harry, it wasn't…" But he closed the door in the face of her reply. Not slammed it, just shut it gently. He didn't want to hear her platitudes. He just wanted to be alone for the time being…

Lilith stared at the door after him. She barely even noticed Morrigan entering the room, luggage floating near her, with Hedwig perched on her shoulder. "Where's Harry?" Morrigan asked as she changed back to her habitual Succubus form.

"Gone. He claims to get some air, but…he said it was his fault we nearly fell to the Dementors."

"While he's not wrong," Morrigan said, "I'll be working to fix that. Anyway, it was my decision to bring you two to safety. I've managed to pick up Harry's belongings. He's also had some letters sent to him, and the Dursleys said that some blonde girl matching BB Hood's description shot the Dementors, and began nosing around. It looks like that damned house has been compromised, so I sent one of my familiars to Dumbledore. He wanted Harry to stay, but between BB Hood and the Dementors, I don't feel like you two are safe." Morrigan sent the luggage zooming into place around the room with a gesture, and then walked over, and sat down next to Lilith, putting an arm around the shoulder of the younger Succubus. "Lilith, don't ever think that you're weak or worthless. If Harry was here, I'd be telling him the same thing. You're not. Neither of you are. Harry is vulnerable, not weak. He's a human, and he took down a Basilisk with little help, save from a Phoenix and a sentient hat. Many powerful Darkstalkers would find that difficult, and he did it at the age of 12 with a sword. Okay, he needed that Phoenix to cry into his wounds, but still…I've seen through his memories, and listened to his stories. He is not weak. And as for you…well, you used to be part of me. And I'm not weak."

The words did little to soothe things. "But we had to retreat…"

"Yes, I know. And? I've retreated before when I had to. Besides, while I normally enjoy fighting, I detest fighting Dementors. I think they hate us Succubi because we're hot and they're not."

Lilith laughed a little at that. It was pretty weak laughter, but it was laughter all the same. She looked down at her body, and then laughed again. "I'd hate to think about who'd find a Dementor sexy."

Morrigan chuckled. "Some masochistic weirdos, no doubt. I mean, there are people out there who'd willingly couple with a Soul Bee." After a moment, she admitted, "Well, I'm one of them, so I can't talk, as long as I avoid getting implanted with their larvae."

Again, Lilith laughed. Though she wasn't laughing when Morrigan spoke next. "So…are you two going to actually kiss yet or what?" As Lilith stared at her older sister, Morrigan shrugged. "Look, take it from someone who's been on the dating scene for way longer than you, Lilith. Even without the familiar bond and being, well, two different parts of the same soul, you two are in love, and I mean the romantic kind. It's understated, but…you care for each other. I have to say, you're a lucky girl. I'm half-tempted to poach him off you, if he was a bit older, anyway. When I first brought you two to Makai, Harry was protective of you, despite the fact that, as a Darkstalker, you have more access to your shared power than he does. He stood up to my father. Okay, that was out of ignorance, but still…even in ignorance, that takes balls of steel."

"I shouldn't need protecting," Lilith said.

"And neither should he. Doesn't mean others can't. Besides, he was willing to protect you from unknowns more powerful than he was. That kind of loyalty literally cannot be bought. Doesn't hurt that, scrawniness aside, he's a looker. Plus, he looks the sort to be a considerate lover. I can teach you a few things to help reciprocate."

Lilith blushed. While technically, Succubi shouldn't be prudes, given that they were very much sexual creatures, it was still embarrassing to have her sister speak of Harry that way. She didn't actually object to having sex with Harry, she wanted to, but she also didn't want to rush things. They had barely turned 16 anyway, and for all Morrigan spelling it out about their love, Lilith knew that Harry would prefer it slow.

"How about we do it this way?" Morrigan said, ruffling Lilith's lavender hair. "I'll set up one of the dining halls for a candlelit dinner for two this evening. It'll be your first actual date! And I won't be a gooseberry! How's that sound?"

Actually, that sounded kind of nice. And Lilith had to admit, she was glad she had a big sister like Morrigan. Even if she was embarrassing…

Harry wasn't sure how it happened, but he ended up at the throne room quite by accident. He didn't realise until he heard Belial's voice come from the curtained-off throne. "You seem troubled, Harry Potter," rumbled the voice.

"What tipped you off?" he muttered, before wincing, realising that he had just been sarcastic to, effectively, his father-in-law. Who was the ruler of Makai, and the strongest demon.

However, if Belial took offence, it didn't show in his tone. "It is rare that a human may wander the halls of my castle with impunity. Indeed, technically, it is forbidden, though Morrigan violates that tenet on a regular basis, bringing men and women back to the castle to couple with. But given your relationship with Lilith, you are welcome here any time. Many others in Makai would not feel the same way, so you should not leave this castle, save to return to the human realm. Even in the company of Morrigan and Lilith, you are at risk."

"Like I'm not every day," Harry muttered in annoyance. "I have a genocidal wizard out to kill me, and Dumbledore won't tell me why, I had Dementors sent after me, and if I die, so does Lilith. I feel useless."

"Do you? And what, Harry Potter, do you intend to do about that?"

Harry didn't trust himself to respond.

A tenebrous chuckle echoed around the room. "While the inhabitants of Makai place great store by strength and power, to admit weakness is not a sin. To continue to be weak when you can do something about it is, and I know you want to better yourself anyway. In addition, Morrigan has consented to help you, to guard you and Lilith. She will be your crutch only as long as you need to be, for that is what a crutch is for: to help those who can't walk until they can walk again. You have part of my daughter's power within you. All that is needed is for your body to be able to withstand that power. Even I, the most powerful denizen of Makai, did not reach my full potential until later in my life. There is innate potential, and there is hard work. Both of these give you strength. You have the former, and you are not afraid of the latter. Strive, then, to become stronger, to protect yourself and Lilith, as well as your friends."

"But how much stronger can I become?"

"My daughter's power rests within you in part. And her potential was almost limitless. In a way, I should thank you. The revelation about your existence and Lilith's awoke a sense of responsibility that had not quite been present, not normally. I expect my daughter to take my throne some time, but she indulges herself in hedonism. It is, admittedly, in her nature as a Succubus, but she feels that taking up my position will put an end to her pleasure. But with you two, she has found something more to fight for. She is not without a sense of altruism, as she fought for humanity before, and for humans. But her learning of her sister's existence has given her something else. This, I believe, will help temper her into the ruler I know she can be."

"Maybe…but how do I get stronger?"

"Train. Learn. Hone your body, mind, soul and heart. You have already begun, long before Lilith split from you, by simple dint of having Voldemort come after you. Before long, I believe you will be able to fight on a par with other Darkstalkers. Your weakness is in your body more than anything. Your soul and heart already burn with a fire that is enviable in its strength. If that was equivalent to fighting ability, you would approach my power already."

"I'm sorry, but that's not reassuring," Harry said. "Dementors aside, I feel very out of my depth here."

"That is a sane response. We Darkstalkers do not always act in a manner humans would view as moral, though many humans would act in a manner equivalent to the worst of the Darkstalkers. An alien mindset, coupled with power…it's no wonder much of humanity fears us. And is that part of the reason for your discontent? Not just your powerlessness…but the fact that, appearance and your original biology, you are now no longer wholly human? That you are part-Darkstalker?"

"…It's a factor. But I've lived with Lilith for all my life. She was my friend when I had none, even if she wasn't human. I don't really care about not being human myself…just what others will think of that. I feel like a human…well, a person. I don't want to suck blood or eat souls or devour flesh, and if I don't have to, I don't see what the problem is."

"I see." There was the sound of a door opening nearby, and then, Harry looked over to see Lilith entering gingerly. "Lilith…are you all right?"

"I'm feeling better now, Lord Belial…Father…"

Harry could all but hear the proud smile in Belial's voice. "I am glad, then. You are fortunate to be bound to one such as this, given his commitment to your wellbeing. Harry, do you have anything to say?"

Before he could apologise, Lilith shook her head, smiling. "I already know what he will say. And there's nothing to forgive, Harry. I know you're worried about letting me down. Don't be. Just promise me you'll get stronger, so we shouldn't have to worry about that happening again."

"I'll try," Harry said quietly. "I don't want to be the weak link here…"

The dinner Morrigan arranged was surprisingly intimate. They were served by Mudo and Lucien, but otherwise, nobody else was in attendance. While technically Lilith didn't need to eat food like normal humans, given that she subsisted on Harry's magic, she enjoyed the experience of eating food. Morrigan had even joked during their time at the Dursleys' that Lilith needed to eat a little more to enhance her…assets. Harry thought her assets were generous enough already. He was again thankful that her apparent age was the same as his own.

The dining room also felt…well, homely. Even in a dark and gothic castle in the middle of Makai, he thought that this dining room felt like a more intimate version of the Great Hall back in Hogwarts, and for all the dangerous adventures that he had had there, it felt more like home than the Dursleys' house ever did.

Then again, given what he learned, Aensland Castle probably was his home now. He was part of the family here. And if he wasn't safe (from Voldemort, at least) here, then where was he safe?

So, he was determined to make sure he wasn't a liability. If Lilith needed to fight, he was going to fight by her side, on equal terms…

CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:

Whew! So, Harry and Lilith have been through some self-recrimination, only to be brought out of it by Morrigan and Belial.

Now, it's worth pointing out that, by this time, I managed to get a hold of Darkstalkers/Red Earth: Maleficarium. I'll be honest, it sucked, big time. It didn't really have any plot, and left a lot in the air. And while the Udon series left things on a big cliffhanger, it at least resolved one big story arc. So, any of you guys pestering me to get a hold of that, or the OVA, or the manga, STOP IT. NOW.

No numbered annotations this time.