CHAPTER 5:
MEET THE TEAM
In his office, Azazel sighed to himself, before he began dialling a number on his phone. The fact that the leader of the Grigori had something as mundane as a mobile phone could be seen as extraordinary, but in truth, he loved the new technologies humanity had created over the centuries. According to myth, he was the one responsible for teaching humans forbidden knowledge, but while that was not wholly inaccurate, that was mostly on an ad hoc basis rather than him being responsible for as much as the apocryphal texts claimed at times. Really, his main sin was lust. After all, he Fell because he developed a thing for a good pair of tits.
Mundane technology had its advantages at times, and whether he used it compared to magical communication was a matter of choice and preference. But for this, he wanted to deliver the news by phone. He waited for a time, hoping it'd be picked up, before finally, it was. "Hello, Remus Lupin speaking."
"Remus! It's me, Azazel!" Azazel said cheerfully. "Listen, have you got time?"
"…At the moment, I have quite a bit. Teddy's asleep, and Dora's out working. But if it's another set of questions about Harry, I'm not really up for it."
"Oh, believe me, while I have plenty of questions about Harry, I also have an answer for one of them, and the answer is 'yes'," Azazel said. "And that question is, is Harry Potter still alive?"
There was a long pause, before Remus' voice came through, tight with anger. "…Azazel, if this is a joke, then it's in pretty poor taste. Harry was thrown through the Veil, and…"
"…He came out the other side. Remus, I am not joking. It's a very long story that I'm still putting together, but Harry was found alive and…not exactly well, but I've been working to fix that. As luck would have it, he saved the very nice arse of one of my subordinates from another who was a traitor. I'll send you the photos later. Of Harry, I mean, not Raynare's arse. I know you're a married man and committed to your wife. Remus…Harry is alive. He has a rather…dangerous condition, related to that transformation, but I can stabilise it, and I know other people who can help him if he chooses to leave the Grigori. He wants to see his friends and loved ones. So maybe you could gather a few of them up. Once we've made arrangements, you guys can have a day-trip to the Underworld…"
It was the best sleep that Harry had had for a long time. Then again, he'd been sleeping rough ever since he ended up in the Underworld, even once he regained his sanity. Of course, the caves he chose were far better than that goddamned cupboard under the stairs the Dursleys shoved him into, so that was something to be thankful for, if nothing else.
Mittelt and Raynare had left his new quarters for their own, but came back the next morning. Thankfully, he had already showered. The two Fallen were taking him to the canteen.
As he sat down, having gotten a tray of breakfast food, he looked around. It could've been a modern canteen in a workplace, albeit one that seemed not as soulless as some would be. "I'm surprised at how modern this place looks," he remarked after eating some toast.
"It actually used to look like the Hogwarts Great Hall for a time," Raynare said. She was still wearing actual clothes than that BDSM stripper getup she laughingly called a battle outfit. "But it gets a bit samey after a while. Some things get boring after a while. I believe originally, it looked more like a dining hall in Heaven. But to some, it was too heartbreaking, and to others, too dull and boring. I personally agree with the latter. Heaven's décor is mostly gold, ivory and marble, it gets very monotonous."
"You don't miss Heaven?" Harry asked.
"…Not the place, and certainly not many of those there. Angels make themselves out to be pure, but purity doesn't exactly mean good, as anyone with half a brain should tell you after a bit of thought," Raynare said, before a wistful look touched her features. "But…if I missed something from Heaven, it was the Grace of God Himself. That which was taken from me when I Fell. I miss that much. Then again, God was a raging hypocrite, allowing me to Fall because I fell in love, with the wrong man."
"Yeah, Salazar Slytherin, believe it or not," Mittelt said.
"Wait, really?" Harry asked, surprised.
Raynare shot Mittelt an annoyed look, before she returned her gaze to Harry. "Yes, really, and that's all I wish to say on the subject. I paid too much for a simple mistake, Harry. And I've only known you for a day at most, so Mittelt should learn to shut her yap a little."
"Okay, okay," Harry said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "But what was he like? Was he as much an arse as his reputation was?"
"…Both better and worse. That's all I want to say for now, though the other Founders were almost as bad, save for Hufflepuff, who was the nicest of all of them. They were just the ones who wrote the history books," Raynare said, returning to her meal.
Harry did the same, only for two more people to sit down at the table. "So, how's the wizard babysitting job coming along, Raynare?" purred a sultry voice.
Raynare glared at the newcomers. "Piss off, Kalawarner, I'm not in the mood."
"It's been centuries since Slytherin fucked you over in more ways than one," the woman in question retorted. "You should've gotten over it by now."
"Kalawarner, you know better than to prod that particular button," said the man who had sat down. He then looked at Harry. "We didn't properly meet each other, we were mostly tasked with escorting you back to Grigori Headquarters with our comrades. How do you do? I am Dohnaseek, and this is Kalawarner."
Dohnaseek was the sole male of this group of Fallen sitting down. He had a lean, sardonic look to him, albeit seedier-looking than Azazel, and was dressed in a trenchcoat, a fedora now on the table next to his tray. Next to him was sitting a buxom woman wearing a minidress that had her bust straining it in the chest area. Harry barely remembered them, due to his worsening condition as he was taken back to Grigori HQ, but he nodded.
"Harry Potter, though I'm sure you knew that already."
"Thanks to Mittelt, yes," Kalawarner said. "And sorry about that, I just get irritated about Raynare still being hurt over what happened with Slytherin."
She didn't seem remotely sorry, but Harry let it slide for now. "So you guys make up some sort of unit or squad or something."
"Cell is the correct term, but yes," Dohnaseek said. "While I have the most actual combat experience, being the first among us to Fall, Raynare has been in charge of our cell for some centuries now, if only because she has some aptitude in leadership. Mittelt is a relatively recent addition. Don't let her looks or demeanour fool you, she is not only a competent fighter, she is also the most technically-minded of us. It helps that she was born during the advent of modern technology, especially where electronics are concerned. We may not be as slow to adapt as those prigs in Heaven, especially with Lord Azazel continually researching technology, but the younger generation tends to be more inclined to learn new technology than those of us who remember when humanity's latest innovation had been the printing press."
"At least you're better than many wizards. I knew someone who was meant to be the expert on technology for the British Ministry of Magic. He was a good guy, one of the best people I have ever known, but he mispronounced electricity, and he didn't know what a rubber duck is for," Harry said, thinking to Arthur Weasley.
Mittelt shook her head. "I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. Seriously, I get some wizards not understanding electronics, but a rubber duck? It's a fucking toy! A toy you play with in the bath! It's a simple concept! I'd be more willing to believe it if he couldn't identify a vibrator!"
Kalawarner scoffed. "Given that they generally look like a dick, I think even a wizard could, theoretically. Hell, I remember this one witch who made this homunculus that had one of the best-proportioned cocks you have ever seen. Now that was a fun evening. Shame I had to kill her and destroy the homunculus afterwards. She was a nasty piece of work, but God, she and that homunculus knew how to fuck."
"Yeah, you couldn't walk straight for a month," Raynare snarked, rolling her eyes. "Can we cut down on the filthy talk for now? I'm trying to eat, and Harry's still trying to get used to being around us."
"Hey, he's probably seen worse in the Stray Devils. Half of them have their tits or their dicks hanging out, and not in a good way," Kalawarner said.
Harry shuddered, remembering some he had attacked. "Yeah, too true," he agreed. "But I would like to have some breakfast without smutty talk."
"You get used to it," Mittelt said with a sigh. "Between these two flashing their udders, and Dohnaseek's murder-boner, talk at meal times is a bit of a trial. Still, to think you're a hybrid of the two Heavenly Dragons…you must be a plaything of luck, Harry."
"Ugh, don't remind me," Harry said. "I'm still trying to take it in. God exists, as do just about every pantheon under the sun, and I'm now a draconic hybrid of these ultra-powerful dragons, something that might kill me. I'm not exactly happy about that. Then again, I haven't been happy about my life in a long time."
"You've got something to be happy about," Kalawarner said. "You're alive, Voldemort and his little band of snake-suckers are mostly dead, so…fuck 'em."
"Not dead enough," Harry said bitterly. "Snape and the other survivors lived to screw me over, not to mention the Goblins."
"And? You're alive," Raynare said. "They say living well is the best revenge. That's bollocks. You know how Slytherin seemed to disappear from the history books after he and Gryffindor had a falling out?" A vicious smirk touched her lips. "Let's just say I took my time with him. It's fun what you can put someone through when they have a Horcrux or two."
"Hey, that rhymed!" Mittelt said.
"As fun as revenge sounds, I'd rather live a quiet and peaceful life, as much as I can, anyway. Leaving aside my being the former Boy Who Lived, there's also this shit about me being a hybrid of Ddraig and Albion, which is sure to paint a hell of a target on me," Harry said.
The other Fallen seemed about to say something, but Mittelt intervened. "Guys, just let Harry be, okay? He's been through enough. Like he said, he's still trying to take this shit in. He's a guest of the Grigori, on Lord Azazel's orders."
Raynare, Kalawarner, and Dohnaseek subsided, albeit reluctantly. Instead, they ate in silence, as did Harry and Mittelt. And he thought back to their conversation.
Did he want revenge? Fuck yeah. Especially on Snape, and he was pretty sure Draco Malfoy had survived. To say nothing of those Goblins. But he meant what he said. He would prefer to have a quiet life, one he could enjoy, and already, that was precarious, given the fact that he was a hybrid of the Heavenly Dragons now. Dumped in the deep end, told to sink or swim…story of his goddamn life…
Raynare and Mittelt were escorting him back to his quarters for now. "Does this place have a library?" Harry asked.
"Does Serafall Leviathan have a TARDIS-sized wardrobe of magical girl costumes?" Mittelt asked in her turn. "Harry, the library here is probably in the top 5 in every plane of existence, if not the top 3. It's easily the size of London and its suburbs, thanks to some dimensional engineering bullshit. There's books in there that collectors would sell their souls for, or the worst fanatics of the Church would burn. Though I have to ask, why that question?"
"I just want to know more about the Heavenly Dragons and their Sacred Gears. I know your boss knows a lot about them, but still…I'd like to see what others have written."
"Good luck finding what you want," Raynare said with a slight scoff. "If the library is the size of London and its surrounds, then the section on Sacred Gears would fill the entire British Library. Lord Azazel is obsessed with them, they are his hobby, his work. Honestly, it's a wonder he can lead us with how much time he devotes to them."
"Raynare, not so loud," Mittelt said.
"Mittelt, he doesn't care," Raynare hissed bitterly, stopping and turning to glare at the smaller Fallen. "He doesn't care about the insults being hurled at him any more than he cares about anything but maintaining the status quo and continuing his research!" After a moment, Raynare sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Don't get me wrong…Lord Azazel is better than anyone else to lead us. I just wish he'd…" She shook her head. "No, never mind."
Mittelt came over, and gently hugged her comrade. Harry got the feeling he was missing something. "Are you all right?" he asked, deciding that would be better than outright prying.
"…No," Raynare admitted. "Just…what that bastard Nyder said to me got to me. I'd rather not say anything else, okay?"
"…Okay, but I'd be willing to listen. I mean, you listened to my problems, at least," Harry said. "I mean, you two seem nice enough. I'm not so sure about your friends, though. Sorry."
"No, that's fine," Raynare said, waving a hand. "Dohnaseek loves nothing more than to fight. He can be quite affable when he wants to be, but he prefers sticking pointy things into warm flesh, either in battle or the bedroom. Kalawarner, meanwhile…she's a bit more refined in her tastes, you wouldn't believe half the stories I could tell you about her and some writers over the centuries, but she's not fond of wizards for various reasons. To be frank, neither am I, but you at least saved my arse, and you seem like a decent enough person, for a wizard."
"…There's plenty of decent wizards," Harry retorted.
Raynare scoffed, rolling her eyes, but she continued on without saying anything more. Harry's eyes were briefly drawn to that lovely arse, clad in tight jeans, before he caught himself, and followed. Honestly, lately, his thoughts had been drawn in a certain direction, not that he wanted to admit that. Even while still stuck in a draconic form, once he had regained his intelligence, he found his libido was…well, becoming more prominent. As much as he was shocked by what had happened to Raynare when he rescued her, a part of him wanted to tap that, and hard. Hell, half of his embarrassment towards her so-called battle outfit was towards himself, as he loved how fucking sexy she looked in it. Harry had heard of bodies that were sinfully built, but he reckoned Raynare was pretty much an embodiment of that concept.
Of course, he barely knew her. And rescues did not a romance make, no matter what fiction would have you believe. And Harry was understandably wary of her. After all, who was to say she wasn't going to try and seduce him into staying with the Grigori? Not to mention that, even without that possibility, she was dangerous. Powerful, and with a streak of darkness and cynicism in her soul that eclipsed his own.
Still…she seemed genuinely grateful when he saved her, and she seemed to be trying to help him, even if he suspected it was for her own benefit rather than his own. But she seemed honest enough in a cynical way, and Mittelt, for all their bickering, seemed to support her. And Mittelt, despite her often bratty and foul-mouthed demeanour, was also nothing but nice to him, and to Raynare.
He was still in thought as they entered his quarters, only to hear a familiar, and very welcome voice, ask, "…Harry? Is that you?"
Harry, startled out of his reverie, looked up…and saw the most welcome sight he had seen for years. Remus Lupin and Tonks, along with a toddler that had to be Teddy Lupin. And with them, Hermione, Luna, Neville, and about half the Weasleys. Ron, the Twins, Ginny and Molly.
He laughed, a tired cracked thing, but genuinely joyful all the same. No further words needed to be said, no questions about their identity or his. He threw himself into a hug, one targeted at Hermione, who was closest. At least one thing was right with the world. He could take comfort in that, if nothing else…
CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:
So, Harry's met the other comrades of Raynare, and had reunited with his loved ones.
Now, just so you know, I put in Harry's increasing libido here deliberately. I've heard that Dragons and their hybrids mostly have heightened libidos in DxD canon, probably to justify the whole harem thing, and even if I got that wrong, it's a prevalent enough trope in fanfic that has some plausibility to it. Of course, I also want to write romance, not just lust, and Harry has enough gentlemanly attributes (even if he's not a gentleman) to restrain himself.
No numbered annotations this time.