Disclaimer: I don't own or have rights to KUROSHITSUJI or HARRY POTTER, like the rest of you reading this, I really wish I did.
Alright readers, you know it, I know it, & the demons know it. Now Hermione will know it to. No normal person can resist Sebastian.
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Chapter 4
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(Hermione's P.O.V)
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The place they were escorted to could only barely be called a house. No matter how Hermione looked at it words like 'mansion' and 'castle' came to mind. The inside proved to be just as impressive as the outside. For a moment she forgot her current situation as a strong desire to explore this place and more closely examine the various antiques, swept over her.
The décor was masculine and very 19th century. Were it not for the electric fixtures, she might almost have felt like she'd stepped back in time 100 years. Well, she thought, this is the home of an Earl after all.
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It was the voice of said earl that snapped her out of her daze.
"Sebastian will be serving a light lunch soon," the boy said, "In the mean time he will show you to the guest rooms. I advise you to shower quickly. A change of clothes will also be provided."
He glanced to the butler. "Sebastian, that's an order."
Sebastian bowed. "Yes, My Lord."
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Sebastian led them through a maze of hallways to the guest rooms. Hermione was sure though that she could find her way back, after all she was a top Hogwarts student and that place was both bigger and had moving staircases. If they needed to escape from this mansion, she'd probably have to be the one to lead the way. Harry might be able to manage, but she was certain that by now Ron was completely lost.
Sebastian came so a stop so suddenly that she nearly ran into him. He indicated three rooms on the right side of the hallway.
"Please wash up here, I will return shortly with a change of clothes for you all and guide you back down. If you finish early I would advise against exploring. Visitor's often get lost their first time here, and while it is often entertaining to hunt them down, I am sure that you three would find such activities far too troublesome to be worth the effort."
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He bowed to them politely and started to turn away when Hermione stopped him.
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"Excuse me, but can you tell me just what is going on? You and that boy have made it clear that you're neither an enemy nor an ally, yet you forced us to come here and cooperate with you. Just what do you expect from us?"
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The butler listened to her words respectfully. That creepy smile of his had disappeared sometime after they entered the Earls mansion, and she was glad to see it gone. But the courteous and politely respectful attitude and facial expression he now wore, while somewhat more comforting, gave nothing of his thoughts away.
If she was going to understand just what their situation was and how to get out of it, then logically the more information she had the better off they'd be.
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The handsome butler (wait, did she really just think that?) paused a moment before answering.
"Miss Granger, while I understand your desire for knowledge, such questions are better asked of my Master as he has not informed me of his intentions."
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Harry interrupted then with a question of his own.
"So you have no idea or guesses on what this is about?
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"Mr. Potter, even if I had any suppositions about what my Master desires I would not tell you. What kind of Phantomhive butler would I be if I gossiped about my Lord to strange wizards?"
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"Please Mr. Michaelis, can you at least give us some idea of what to expect when we go down to see Ciel again?" Hermione asked.
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The butler smiled kindly at her a moment.
"Miss Granger, there is no need to be so formal with me. I would prefer you to call me by my first name, Sebastian.'
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"Alright… Sebastian."
Her face seemed to feel hot. Was she getting a fever from her swim in the lake? Oh no! Was she actually blushing? Was that what this was? What was wrong with her?
"But you have to call me by my first name too."
Yep, there was defiantly something wrong with her. Those words left her mouth without even getting permeation from her brain. She gave herself a mental slap. Just because he was good looking and rather charming when he wasn't threatening to turn her into a knife studded pincushion, was no reason to trust him or let down her guard.
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"…ione? Miss Hermione? Are you well?" Sebastian asked. He had leaned down and his face was very close to hers.
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She felt her earlier blush come back with a burn.
"I-I-I'm fine. I was just distracted for a moment, thinking."
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Sebastian leaned in closer, lifted her chin with one gloved hand and looked seductively into her eyes. Their lips only inches apart.
"Are you sure? Miss Hermione you looked quite dazed. What were you thinking about?"
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She was certain her face was now as red as a tomato from the strength of her blushes. She gazed into those ruby colored eyes, heart beating fast, and lost for words. Her mind had gone completely blank.
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From behind hands suddenly grabbed her arms and shoulders, pulling her back to reality and away from Sebastian. A quick look over her shoulder confirmed that one pair of hands belonged to Ron and the other to Harry. She quickly looked away and stared at the hallways' burgundy colored carpet as if it was the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen in her whole life. She couldn't remember the last time she was this embarrassed. For a brief moment she'd totally forgotten her friends were even there.
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While she was memorizing the floor, Harry and Ron were glaring over her bent head at Sebastian.
"Hay! Just what do you think you're doing! Leave Mione alone."
"Back off! Stay away from Hermione!"
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Sebastian didn't chuckle. His lips didn't curl. Not by even a twitch did he betray himself. However, his red eyes, as he gazed back at the two angry boys, were so full of amused mockery that they knew he was silently laughing at them. The way his polite smile seemed to grow ever-so-slightly bigger let them know that he knew they knew he found them all laughably amusing.
He even kept his voice sounding perfectly courteous with just a hint of innocent confusion, when he replied.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I have merely responded to Miss Hermione's inquiries and asked after her health."
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In the silence that followed this statement Hermione, Harry, and Sebastian could almost swear that they could hear Ron grinding his teeth as his face started to darken with anger.
Before any explosion of temper could come, the voice of the little Earl suddenly thundered through the building.
"Sebastian, quit playing around and bring me my tea!"
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Now Sebastian did show a mocking smile.
"Ahh, it seems that I have lingered here too long. My little Lord is calling and I must come."
He started to walk away, then paused, "In answer to your earlier request, Miss Hermione, my young Master is easily angered and cannot tolerate any disrespect. Guests are expected to conduct themselves with their very best manners and behave courteously at all times. As a member of the Nobility this is only to be expected. If you should find that you have nothing good to say it would be best to remain silent unless demanded otherwise."
The butlers' eyes flicked over the three young wizards, lingering momentarily on Ron and Hermione.
"Since it appears that I have somehow upset the three of you, I will give you a valuable piece of advice. Do not tell lies. Whatever you say, make sure it is the truth. Due to his past and present circumstances, Ciel Phantomhive hates lies in others. His current nature is such that he can detect that sin instantly. Do not waste time with hollow words."
With that, the butler once more turned around and started walking away. The wizards didn't move until he turned a corner and disappeared.
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Hermione knew that the best thing to do would be to quickly talk about everything that had happened since meeting the Earl and his butler, but after what just occurred in the hallway between Sebastian and her, she didn't want to talk to anyone. She felt too embarrassed and wanted a little time to calm down and collect herself. Besides Ron was still angry and it would be a waste of time to try talking to him when he was like that. Hopefully he'd be in a more reasonable mood after his shower.
This was why, as soon as the butler vanished from sight, she immediately opened and entered one of the guestrooms, locking the door behind her. She listened for a few seconds, but didn't hear anything until the sounds of the other two guestroom doors opening and closing came to her ears. Ron and Harry must not have felt like talking either.
Oh well, since she was here she might as well wash up. A hot shower sounded really good right about now. It was a good thing the guestrooms each had their own bathroom.
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(Demons P.O.V)
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Ciel was seated in the parlor when Sebastian arrived with a cup of fragrant tea. He was very amused, having heard everything that had passed between his butler and the young wizards. Demonic hearing did have its advantages and he could well imagine the expressions on his guests' faces when Sebastian had no doubt flirted with that girl right in front of them.
Sebastian set the tea cup down on a nearby table and turned to his master when he heard Ciel's quiet laughter.
"Does something amuse you Young Master?"
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"Sebastian, are you enjoying our guests?"
"Indeed, My Lord. I find their reactions most entertaining."
"Then perhaps it was good that I called for you as I did. It certainly seemed like a good time for you to exit the conversation. What do you make of them?"
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Sebastian spared a moment to consider the question.
"They are young and somewhat impetuous, especially Mr. Weasley. I suspect that he has strong feelings for Miss Hermione. He seems to me to be the least intelligent of the three and the most impulsive, as well as the quickest to show anger. I believe that he is also extremely loyal and protective to his friends."
Sebastian decided to give his report on Hermione next.
"Miss Hermione is unquestionably the most intelligent of the three and I suspect that she possesses a curious nature that is always thirsty for knowledge. She has a measure of bravery, but is not given to recklessness. "
The demonic butler remembered how red her face had turned as a result of his teasing. It made him want to laugh. He would enjoy toying with her some more if he got the chance.
"Mr. Potter is the leader of their group. While I have not personally observed much from him myself, if I was to base my judgments on what I have heard, I would say that he is brave, reckless, lucky, clever, and has some measure of a hero complex. If even half of what is said about him is true, then he is lucky to be alive at all. I have also heard some rumors about his being part of a prophecy."
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Ciel snorted with disdain at the very idea of such nonsense.
"Prophecy's are nothing but the ramblings of the mad and deluded. By our choices we make our own fate. One need only read the myths of the old Greek classic's to see what happens to those who let fear of some oracles insane babbling lead to creating the very disaster the listener wished to prevent."
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"Indeed, Bocchan, that is very true. Self-fulfilling prophecies' are like that. The harder you try to escape the predicted fate, the more swiftly and cruelly it comes about. Often resulting in the creation of the very enemy that hearer desired to avoid."
Sebastian smiled and shook his head. Humans were such pathetic creatures.
"However, Bocchan, the magical community takes such things seriously and in fact makes a point to collect all genuine prophecies as well as recording their eventual outcomes. For this reason, they have some cause to place their faith in such things, since the foretellings have a tendency of coming true."
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Ciel shook his head. Somewhere deep inside where his long ignored more empathetic feelings were locked away, he felt a slight stirring.
"If this is true then, in his own way, Potter is just as cursed as me."
"That is true My Lord. However, no matter what becomes of him, I highly doubt that his eventual fate will mirror yours."
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They were both quiet for a few moments before Sebastian broke the silence.
"If I may ask, Young Master, what are your intentions?"
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Ciel looked at Sebastian and smiled mischievously.
"I have several things in mind. Plus I have been a bit bored lately and playing with wizards looks like a fun game. At this time, Sebastian, I do not have any useful reason to make enemies of them and I have an idea that a more beneficial possibility may even be possible. On that I will have to wait and see. So I would like you not to get too carried away while entertaining our guests. Is that understood?"
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Sebastian bowed, "Yes, My Lord," before leaving to prepare lunch and deliver the promised change of clothes to the guests.
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Well, this chapter's done. Every time I go over this I keep hearing all the conversations that didn't take place. I tried thinking of ways to work them in but, as good as they would defiantly have been, they just don't fit.
* sob *
I'll try to work those absent conversational threads into the next chapter, but I make no promises.
Hopefully this chapter was good enough and a few of you even liked that little fan-service scene between Hermione and Sebastian.
I look forward to hearing your reviews.
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