Many of you may remember that I recently tried to begin another High School DxD crossover, called Hermione Bael. While I wholly intended to try and continue that story, I realised I couldn't continue it beyond a certain point. So, I decided to go back and revise it, discussing pertinent plot points with whitetigerwolf, whose challenge inspired the story in the first place.

Many will doubtless see similarities to my first High School DxD story, Fall to Zenith, in this one (in fact, Cambion was my working title for that fic, before the story changed and I wanted a different title). Certainly there are some superficial similarities, in that it starts in Year 4 (well, Year 5 for this older Harry, and the ages of the Hogwarts characters have been bumped up a year), is set some time before High School DxD canon begins, has a half-Devil Harry belonging to one of the canonical families from the series, and has him being, eventually, married to Rias. But those are superficial similarities. Firstly, this will be a WBWL fic, with some James Potter and WBWL-bashing, but, unlike Fall to Zenith, no Dumbledore-bashing. Secondly, Fall to Zenith was written when I had less knowledge about High School DxD, and so I think this story will turn out better. Thirdly, I'm making this story a harem fic, with an already pencilled-in harem of Harry/Rias/Hermione/Akeno, with the possibility of adding Fleur. Finally, Harry won't be participating in the Tri-Wizard Tournament (Barty Crouch Junior being instructed to put the WBWL's name into the Goblet), leaving him free to deal with other problems.

Oh, and unlike my previous WBWL fics, Lily is alive, albeit in a coma thanks to her protection ritual. No prizes for guessing how Harry will revive her...

CAMBION

CHAPTER 1:

SECRETS REVEALED

It's odd how fate works out at times. Some events can change things for better, or for worse. How that happens can be a matter of perspective.

Certainly, the death of Vali Lucifer, the half-human scion of the Lucifer line of Devils, as a young child was a tragedy, and the world was poorer for his absence, even if he would grow into a battle-hungry young man in other timelines, the destined wielder of the weapon known as the Divine Dividing, and the Heavenly Dragon sealed within it, Albion. In going too far with their abuse, his father and grandfather had robbed themselves of an opportunity to wield power by proxy, though they never would have succeeded, anyway. Vali died unmourned in a world that should have mourned his passing.

But the death of the boy who would become the latest White Dragon Emperor upset the order, for Albion's rival, Ddraig, the Heavenly Dragon sealed within the Boosted Gear, had yet to be given to a new master, one who would become the next Red Dragon Emperor. These two had a rivalry that spanned centuries, and the Dragon Emperors with opposing powers were destined to clash. Vali's demise also had an impact on the burgeoning organisation known as the Khaos Brigade.

Shortly after Vali's untimely death, Ddraig and Albion were soon given their new chance. But fate, it seemed, had a perverse sense of humour, as it often does. Ddraig was destined to become the Sacred Gear of Issei Hyoudou, an otherwise unremarkable Japanese boy who would grow up to become a pervert of prodigious proportions…well, prodigious in his perversion, anyway. But Vali's death upset things, and it was Albion who would become sealed within Issei.

As for the Boosted Gear, and with it, Ddraig? Well, as noted before, fate has a somewhat perverse sense of humour. Ddraig found himself sealed within a child who, frankly, needed his power, only for said power to be inaccessible for about fifteen of the first sixteen years of his life.

A power that was about to be unleashed thanks to a friend with a secret of her own…

Harry Tonks didn't know where exactly Hermione Granger was taking him, the first weekend after Hogwarts started again. She was in the year below him, his brother's year (even if Charlie and James Potter would deny that to their dying breath), but the two were friends, of a sort. Outcasts both, Harry having been thrown out of the Potter family for being a bastard child (no father was known, and James Potter didn't care, only that Lily had been unfaithful to him), and Hermione for being a Muggleborn prodigy who had the misfortune to demand the Sorting Hat put her into Gryffindor rather than Ravenclaw, where she belonged.

And now, she paid the price, alienated from most of her peers in her age group. Harry technically was only a couple of months older than her. He was in his fifth year (and thus needed to study for his OWLs), though, and Hermione was in her fourth (turning sixteen in a couple of weeks), along with Charlie and the youngest Weasley boy. Then again, Ron had grown sick of Charlie after last year. The only friends Charlie had, despite his delusions, were Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley. Unfortunately, his father and godfather wielded a lot of influence in political circles, so Charlie had his own little court, like Draco Malfoy, hoping to gain his favour.

In any case, Hermione was something of an outcast, and she and Harry were pretty strong friends, despite them being in different years at Hogwarts. She was a good studying partner, as she frequently read ahead, and he would probably need her help with his OWLs, not because he couldn't by himself, but because she was good at reminding him to study, and had a knack for discerning what would be covered by tests.

They eventually halted on the seventh floor, and Hermione began pacing back and forth near a painting showing dancing Trolls. To Harry's astonishment, a door appeared. "What the hell?" he yelped.

"The Room of Requirement," Hermione said. "I discovered it last year by accident while trying to find a place to rest because of that Time Turner nonsense. The House Elves call it the 'Come and Go Room'."

"Huh. Does anyone else know about this?"

"Only Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore, to my knowledge, and a few of my friends," Hermione said. "Dumbledore stumbled across it once filled with chamberpots. But it basically sets things up for your requirements, whatever they may be. And I wanted a place to talk with you in private, Harry. I've been keeping secrets from you, and it's past time I revealed them."

With that, Hermione opened the door to the room, and went inside. Harry followed, to find that it was like the Gryffindor common room, with fireplace, lounges, and a table currently laden with tea and tea paraphernalia. "What's all this for? Are we having a tea party or something?"

"Later." Hermione sat down in one chair, and gestured for Harry to sit down in another. He did so, and Hermione seemed to take some time to gather herself. Eventually, she said, "I'm not sure where to begin. Please know, Harry, despite my keeping secrets from you, you are my friend. In fact, it was because of that that I kept those secrets, because I wasn't sure what you'd think of me. And it's not just secrets about myself…but secrets about you. Things that I've suspected, and which I've almost confirmed."

"What do you mean, secrets about me?" Harry said. Then, he realised what she meant. "You mean…you know who my father is? The guy who slept with my mother?" The very mother who was in a coma in St Mungo's…his mother, whom he intended to find a way to wake up.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. In fact, if I'm correct…there is a way she can leave St Mungo's. Almost nothing can bring her out of the coma she's in thanks to whatever she did to stop Voldemort and save you and Charlie. But…there is something that can. I've actually considered doing it myself, but I knew that, when I did, you may never speak to me again, and Charlie and his father would definitely take umbrage."

"Hermione…I trust you most out of everyone here, now that Dora's graduated," Harry said, thinking back to his clumsy stepsister. Nymphadora Tonks, who hated her first name, but was the best big sister to him after James Potter cast him out of the family, and the Tonks family took him in. Of course, Hermione wasn't the only person he trusted here. The Weasley Twins, for example, Luna Lovegood, Daphne Greengrass, Cedric Diggory…

"Okay. The truth is, Harry…I'm wearing a glamour. Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, along with Madam Pomfrey, are the only people who know in this school. My real name is not Hermione Granger. My real name is Hermione Bael." Then, she pressed a hand to her chest. Something seemed to release, and suddenly, Hermione had changed. Her now buxom body was something many a woman would envy having, even if she was about his age. Brown eyes flecked with amber looked at him with concern and amusement, and her hair was beautiful brown waves…framing a very familiar face.

It wasn't quite the same face. It was too beautiful to be the same face, not exactly. And yet, it was so familiar, and Harry was almost certain that it was the same person. It was Hermione, as if refined and made more beautiful in subtle ways that nonetheless added up.

Of course, most startling of all were the pair of cat ears, twitching on her head.

Hermione smirked a little at his shock, but said, gently, "Are you aware of any of the magical beings of Japan, Harry? The ones known as youkai?" Harry shook his head. "Well, I am part-youkai, specifically a type of youkai known in Japanese as a nekomata, or a catgirl." She gestured towards her body. "I made my body look less desirable rather deliberately. It was part of going undercover at Hogwarts. In truth, I know probably more about magic than even adult wizards and witches, though there are some that I don't know about. That's one of the reasons I accepted the Time Turner back in Third Year."

"I remember hearing from Ron that you turned part-cat back in your second year, but you said…"

"I know what I said. Millicent Bulstrode does have a cat, but nekomata have a bad reaction to Polyjuice Potion. That's what really happened, nya." She blinked, before grimacing. She gestured, and her ears disappeared, though the rest of her remained the same. "I thought I'd managed to get rid of that. Anyway…that's not the half of it. You see, nekomata are not very well liked by many corners of the supernatural world. We're feared and coveted for our powers, especially those of the stronger offshoots of our people, the nekoshou, of which I am one of them. There was a pogrom not long ago. My family barely avoided the worst of the backlash. Anyway, nekoshou, even half-bloods like me, have an innate ability to sense energy, particularly lifeforce, and use it to distinguish people by their species. What's more, we can tell if certain powers lie dormant."

"Okay, okay, I get it, but what does this have to do about my father?"

"I'm getting to that, Harry. I'm trying to cushion the blow. The thing is, Harry…I'm not half-human, half-nekomata. My other half is not human."

"Half what?" Harry asked. "Stop beating around the bush, Hermione!"

Eventually, she whispered, in a quiet tone, "…Half-Devil."

As he stared at her, she hurriedly held up her hands. "Please, understand, Harry. Not all Devils are like those in the Bible, evil and stuff. Most of us are like humans, mentally, just more prone to hedonism and sin. Most of the ones who were evil died during a civil war centuries ago. We generally don't even accept deals for souls anymore. There's still Devils as bad as those in the Bible…but my parents, and many of my relatives, are good people. Even the current Lucifer is a very nice guy."

Harry slumped in his chair. "You're part-Devil?"

"Yes. The technical term is Cambion, which basically means any part-Devil. My father, Dante Bael, is a Devil. My mother, Emmaline, is a nekomata, turned Devil. I'm telling you this because… I didn't want there to be any more secrets between us. And before you ask, yes, the God of the Bible is real. Angels are real. Centuries ago, there was a devastating series of wars between the forces of Heaven and the Underworld. Even now, the three factions who took part are in a tenuous stalemate, more of a ceasefire than an actual peace. Of course, there are other factions involved: other deities exist, like those of Norse or Greco-Roman or Hindu mythology. Or Shinto. In fact, Japan is of considerable interest to all factions for various reasons. Plus, my cousin Rias is a total Japanophile. Anyway, the wars between Angels, Fallen or not, and the Devils, left our peoples depleted, and that civil war within the Underworld depleted it further. You see, many of the old guard of the Devils, including the original Lucifer, Leviathan, Beezlebub and Asmodeus families, wanted to continue the war, even if it meant the end of our kind. But other families wanted to just live in peace and avoid the extinction of our people. My cousin Sirzechs, Rias' older brother, was one of those who led the 'New Satan' faction, and they won."

"A civil war? Like that Voldemort caused?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. The Old Satan faction were very much like the Purebloods under Voldemort," Hermione said. "Though even now, there's still similar attitudes amongst the Devils. My being a Cambion isn't viewed that well by many, and it's really only Sirzech's influence that protects my family. He's the current Lucifer."

Harry nodded, if only because he needed something to do. His best friend was part-Devil? He knew she wasn't malevolent, he thought he knew her better than that, but still…was he wrong? Eventually, he asked, if only to take his mind off the influx of information, "So why tell me? I mean, other than I'm your friend, and you wanted no more secrets."

Hermione pursed her lips. Again, she seemed to be psyching herself up for something. "It's to do with your father, Harry. Your real father. You see, as I said, I'm sensitive to life energy…and I can sense another Cambion. You, in fact."

"Me?" Harry hissed in astonishment. "But…I would have known if I was a Devil."

"Really? Did you ever feel inexplicable headaches whenever someone would pray to God or quote the Bible near you?"

Harry nearly scoffed, until he remembered a few times when that actually did happen. Not much: Andromeda and Ted weren't exactly religious, and neither was Nymphadora. But he remembered some of the prayers an old friend who used to live near the Tonks said, and the headaches he had. Irina had left for Italy a few years back, actually.

Oddly enough, though, as much as he would like to deny that he was a Devil, it made a strange sense. "But wouldn't I have known this sooner?"

"Maybe your mother sealed your powers to protect you. But I can sense two very important things about you, and one of them was the reason why I was a bit skittish. The first is that, due to being half-human, you are a bearer of a Sacred Gear. Sacred Gears are artifacts created by God, and granted to humans or part-humans. Many became figures of note in history. Others worked quietly behind the scenes. Some allow for extra strength. Others can heal or defend. The strongest Sacred Gears are known as Longinuses, after the lance used by the Roman soldier of the same name to pierce the body of Jesus."

"I've never heard of them before," Harry remarked.

"It's hardly surprising," Hermione said. "You'd have heard of some of the people who've used them, but unless you're involved with one of the factions, it's unlikely you would have heard of them, even if you're a wizard. I've known you've had a Sacred Gear of some sort, and of a powerful, draconic type, since my first year here. I don't think it's sealed, it just hasn't been awoken. Of course, while important, it wasn't the reason I didn't approach you before. You see, I'm almost certain you belong to a certain Devil family. While only one of them is particularly bad, they're very conservative and traditional." She plucked out of her robes some parchment, a special quill and an enchanted bowl, into which she dropped liquid from a vial. She then got a small stiletto out. "To confirm it, I need your blood. This is basically what the Goblins use for inheritance tests."

Harry, after a moment, allowed her to jab his thumb with the stiletto, and allowed a little blood to drip into the bowl at her direction. The quill then began to write automatically once the blood had mixed in. And then, Hermione looked at the parchment, and nodded grimly. "Thankfully, you're nothing like your biological father."

"And who is he?" Harry demanded, snatching the parchment from her hands, and looking at the name in the pedigree the quill had scribbled down.

As he read, Hermione said, "Your father is Riser Phenex."

Harry stared at the name. Eventually, he asked, "So, given what you said, he's not a nice guy?"

"He's not evil per se, he's more like Draco Malfoy if he curbed his more violent tendencies towards Muggles," Hermione said, before grimacing. "And got a libido transplant. He's not that old, either. He looks to be in his twenties, but he's in his late thirties. Anyway, the rest of the family is okay, I guess, but they're very conservative by Devil standards. I've met them a couple of times. Ravel's nice when she's not being snooty, a bit like Daphne. She's actually younger than you, despite being your aunt. Then again, Devils are long-lived with low fertility."

"Okay…so, why tell me this?" Harry asked. "What does this mean?"

"Well, the Phenex family are noted for their mastery over fire magic, as well as being able to regenerate from most wounds, even ones that would be fatal to other Devils. But…there's another reason." Hermione became solemn. "You see, my cousin Rias…she's stuck in a marriage contract to Riser, and he's making no secret of the fact that he only wants her to be a trophy wife and a sex toy, and neither her father nor Riser's seem to care. But…the marriage contract states that she is to be married to the youngest Phenex male." She met Harry's gaze. "I'm hoping that you'll be able to free Rias from her marriage to Riser…by marrying her yourself…"

CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Harry is the bastard child of Riser Phenex, and Hermione is part-Devil, part-nekomata. The latter was something I considered doing. I'd tired of trying to make Hermione part-Fallen after the abortive attempts at Hermione Bael, and decided on something new. I thought it rather appropriate, given how Hermione seems attuned to cats, and she ends up briefly becoming a catgirl.

Now, shipping Harry with Rias and making him secretly half-Devil is sure to remind some people of Fall to Zenith. I'd like to think that this story will be better. Plus, it has a harem instead of the strict Harry/Rias pairing.

No numbered annotations this time.