CHAPTER 6:

REUNION

Raynare had to admit, to herself if nothing else, that watching the reunion gave her some envy. Harry may not have had many loved ones, but he had more than she had. Of course, despite her envy, it was kind of heartwarming to see him getting hugged by his friends and loved ones. She paid attention to how Harry greeted them, and Mittelt pointed out some of them and told her their names quietly.

"Did Azazel ferry you down here or something?" Harry eventually asked.

Remus Lupin nodded, the careworn-looking man running a hand through his messy hair. "It took a while to speak with everyone and get them together. Arthur and Charlie were busy at the dragon reserve, and Bill and Fleur and their kids are busy in France. And I'm sure you know what Percy is doing. But it was easier than you'd think, especially once they learned you were still alive. And…Merlin, Harry…to think you were in the Underworld this whole time."

"Yeah, it's a shock to me too," Harry said. "God, Devils and Angels are real, along with so many pantheons…I'm honestly still trying to take it in."

The plump red-haired woman, presumably the Weasley matriarch, came forward, and peered into Harry's face. "Still, those eyes…you can't change them back?"

"Not as far as I know, Mrs Weasley. I guess it comes part and parcel with being a draconic hybrid now. Did Azazel tell you anything?"

"He told me a little, and I told the others," Lupin said. "Something about the Heavenly Dragons, felled by the Biblical Factions, buried at Hogwarts. And whatever happened to you nearly killed you, and is still in danger of killing you. Not as much as it was before, but…" He shook his head. "Never mind that. Who are these two?"

Raynare cleared her throat. "I am Raynare, and this is Mittelt, my comrade and protégé. Harry…saved my life. Lord Azazel has assigned me to be his minder, along with Mittelt, who knows much about the wizarding world."

Mittelt nodded eagerly. "It's actually a pleasure to meet so many of Magical Britain's most famous figures from recent times, even if I'm sure it hasn't been that great for you guys. Did Lord Azazel tell you why the Biblical Factions kept out of that mess with Voldemort?"

"And I told the others," Lupin said as he nodded. "I'm not exactly happy, but I understand it. From what he said, if things went sour, it could have kickstarted Armageddon, or at least the closest thing to it."

"Armageddon would be preferable by comparison, as you'd know the right people have won," Raynare said. "Honestly, I hate that term anyway. To me, it just sounds like Har Megiddo, which means Tel Megiddo, the place in Israel where, allegedly, the final battle was supposed to take place. The Great War, though…you think the wars you humans have fought were bad? Imagine one of your World Wars lasting for centuries, across many dimensions, and you might be able to comprehend a little of the scale of the Great War. The atrocities, the casualties, the sheer power being thrown around…if you had any idea of what happened, then you'd not want it to happen without a good reason."

"Is there ever a good reason for war?" the bushy-haired one, the one Mittelt said was Hermione, asked.

"It doesn't stop people from going to war for stupid reasons," Raynare pointed out. "Look at Voldemort. Blood purity has been a fallacy too many have adhered to, even outside of magical bloodlines. We even have a bit of that in our ranks. Mittelt, being born outside of Heaven, is considered lesser by many compared to those that Fell." Bitterly, she added, "If Falling was a matter of prestige and power, I'd be a Cadre by now."

"…Well, enough of that for now," Harry said, changing the subject. "We've got a lot to catch up on…"

And so it turned out to be. Harry was glad his loved ones had survived. He had lost too many, which was to say at all. True, he was still pissed at Dumbledore for manipulating his life, stage-managing it, and yet, the old man had been a major mentor to him. As for Sirius, his godfather had died unnecessarily. He wasn't exactly a good mentor, but Harry had been shown love by the old dog in the short time they had known each other before he went through the Veil.

But his friends and loved ones had survived, and had managed to get on with their lives. True, they mourned Harry's apparent demise, but they moved on. And Harry, in a way, was glad for that. He didn't want them wallowing in despair, but getting on with their lives, finding happiness where they could. They deserved that much, at least.

He was curious as to why Raynare and Mittelt seemed to react to Hermione saying she was teaching at Kuoh Academy in Japan. She'd recently got a teaching degree, and was currently teaching English at that high school. It was Luna's claim of working with the youkai of Kyoto that got more of a reaction, or more specifically, their leader.

"You what?" Raynare asked incredulously. "You're basically the private tutor to Lady Yasaka's daughter?"

Luna nodded, giving that usual knowing, cryptic and airy smile. "And why not?"

"Is this a big deal? I'm sorry, but I don't know much about youkai," Harry said.

Remus nodded solemnly. "Lady Yasaka is their leader. She's a kyuubi, a type of kitsune or fox-being with nine tails. In other words, she is one of the most powerful and influential beings in the world, and certainly one of the most powerful, if not THE most powerful, being in all of Japan. I met her years ago, before I was asked by Dumbledore to teach DADA at Hogwarts. Kunou was not yet born at the time. In her human form, she is…well…"

"See for yourself," Luna said, handing over something that Harry had learned was a smartphone. The picture showed a beautiful blonde-haired woman with gentle Oriental features, wearing a kimono that did little to hide a bust that made Raynare's look modest by comparison, sitting with Luna. Sitting next to her was a girl with similar features, maybe ten at most. "Daddy and I met her years ago."

Raynare and Mittelt were staring, and Harry got the feeling that to them, it was a big deal. "…I guess I shouldn't be surprised at you knowing the leader of the youkai, Luna," Harry said with an exasperated sigh. "Azazel said something about, if I didn't want to remain with the Grigori for treatment, Yasaka would be my next best bet."

"But you're stable, right, Harry?" Ron asked.

"For a given value of stable, Ron," Harry said. "Apparently, what happened to me with the remains of Ddraig and Albion should be impossible. As it is, my biology is still a bit unstable, and not just in the sense I could die. I got the impression I'm a walking nuke with a hair trigger if I'm not careful. I'm staying with the Grigori for now, to ensure I'm stable, but I'm still keeping my options open. I mean, this supernatural world is far bigger than I ever thought it was."

Remus nodded. "That it is. And given the current state of affairs between the Biblical Factions…just tread carefully, Harry."

"Easier said than done, considering I'm in the middle of one of those factions," Harry said with a sigh.

Their reunion went on for a little longer, until eventually, they had to leave. Harry did promise to stay in touch, though he'd have to get a phone, a laptop, and an email account. But after they departed, Harry was left drained, emotionally.

The suite had a little kitchenette that, while not that great for full-on meals, was good enough for him to make tea or coffee. Raynare and Mittelt, certainly, accepted his offer of cups of tea to accompany his own. As he sipped his, he said, "I'm still trying to come to terms with everything."

Mittelt nodded. "I can imagine. I don't really have that many friends myself. My parents died to a Stray Devil that took them by surprise in a suicide attack. Raynare's my closest friend. Dohnaseek and Kalawarner are okay, but…" The petite Fallen shrugged.

"What about you, Raynare?" Harry asked.

Raynare shook her head. "Aside from my cell, I don't have that many friends. I…I don't really make friends that easily. Besides, it's better that way."

"Why's that?"

"I specialise in seduction missions, as does Kalawarner. Basically, I'm a honey trap, trained to lure targets into a false sense of security. I either get information we need through that seduction…or kill them." She chuckled bitterly. "And I know what you're thinking: how do you know I'm not pulling the same thing here?"

"The thought crossed my mind, yes," Harry admitted. He could see how someone as beautiful as Raynare, or as Kalawarner for that matter, would be used to seduce others, and he wondered why she had divulged this.

"Lord Azazel told me that my job is to gently encourage you into staying with us, and even then, the choice is yours, in the end. Honestly, for all that I really think you'd be best with us in the Grigori, I'm not an idiot. That kind of bullshit with a being on a par with the Heavenly Dragons won't go well. And I dunno about others' preferences, but I tend to prefer not being turned into a whiff of hydrogen, ozone and carbon monoxide(1). So, our orders are to keep an eye on your condition and ensure you feel welcome. Honestly, it makes a refreshing change." She looked away. "Seduction missions are fun when it's towards the deserving…but it can be a bit wearing."

Harry nodded. If this was an attempt at manipulation, then she was being subtle about it, or at least engaging in a double-bluff. "Just…don't fuck me over, okay? I've…dealt with enough of that to last a lifetime."

"You and me both," Raynare said quietly.

Deciding not to push the matter, Harry turned to Mittelt. "So, what sort of jobs do you do? I mean, I guess seduction missions are right out, given how old you look."

"Well, not really. I don't exactly dress in lingerie, but I have lured a few paedophiles to a well-deserved Light Spear enema, if they're lucky," Mittelt said with a vicious smirk. "But yeah, most of my specialty's in combat and technology. Dohnaseek told you that much earlier. Most of the time, we either hunt down Stray Devils, or traitors to the Grigori or rogue Sacred Gear wielders. We also do some surveillance work on either the Church, which is basically the umbrella term for the Christian Church's various branches, or the Devils, who have property on Earth."

"Wait, but what about Judaism or Islam?"

"The sad fact is, of the Abrahamic religions founded by God, Christianity is the most overtly influential," Raynare said. "And the Vatican, Orthodox Church, and the Church of England comprise the bulk of the Church's influence. It's not universal, by any means. Christianity's influence in Japan, for example, is minimal compared to Shinto and Buddhism. Lady Yasaka answers to the Shinto pantheon. I also mentioned Baraquiel's Japanese lover, who was part of the Himejima clan, if I recall. They are an influential group of Shinto exorcists and the like, albeit ones who are, for the most part, really into blood purity, or else they would not have murdered her. Of course, in a lot of areas in the world, the various pantheons still exist, but subordinate to the Biblical Factions to some degree. This causes tensions, of course. The Biblical Factions have the lion's share of the power."

"Sounds like a powder keg," Harry griped.

"Mostly with the Biblical Factions, actually," Mittelt said. "There's also tensions between the Shinto pantheon and the Devils, due to the Devils having some territory in Japan. In fact, that Kuoh place Hermione spoke of, I'm pretty sure the Sitri and Gremory families have a stake there. I doubt she'd be in danger from them, but I did hear rumours that their heiresses, Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory want to attend school in the human realm, and they'd probably do it at Kuoh."

"Why in Japan, of all places?"

"Because Rias Gremory is a weeb, not that you'd know it to look at her. Body of a model, mind of an otaku," Mittelt said.

"Weeb?" Harry asked.

"Otaku, Japanophile, a geek who loves anime and manga and shit," Mittelt said with an irritable wave of her hand. "As for Sitri, well, I dunno whether she's a Japanophile, but her sister is notoriously…affectionate towards her, in a cringey way. And considering said sister is Serafall Leviathan…"

"…Does she have an incestuous thing for her own sister?" Harry asked, grimacing at the thought.

"Ehh…I think it's just sisterly affection gone weird rather than any real incest. Honestly, I think Serafall Leviathan loves embarrassing her little sister," Mittelt said.

"Hopefully, that's not something you'll have to deal with any time soon," Raynare said. "But given your notoriously fickle luck…"

"Thanks for reminding me, Raynare," Harry said, in a somewhat tight tone.

"Hey…" Mittelt said gently. "You're still alive, and so are many of your friends. Fuck anything else, right?"

He had to concede that much. He was alive, so were many of his loved ones. He could speak with them again. And that was all he wanted, for now…

CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:

So, a reunion has happened, and Raynare has been frank with Harry. What next?

1. Raynare's snarky comment is a reference to The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, describing the pending state of the inhabitants of a soon-to-be-demolished Earth.