SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

CHAPTER 2:

PEER SUPPORT

Harry marvelled at the opulence of the house he was led through. Dark woods, decorations of gold, marble, silver, and the like, paintings and sculptures, it was clearly the abode of someone who was sickeningly rich, and didn't mind showing it. "You know, for Hell, this isn't too bad."

"Technically, this isn't Hell. This is the Underworld. There's a difference. Hell is a place of punishment, while the Underworld is the residence of the Devils, as well as the Fallen," Rias said. "You'd be surprised, but most Devils are very like humans, mentally. My brother Sirzechs, for example, is the current holder of the title of Lucifer, and thus the ruler of the Underworld. But you wouldn't know it to look at him. If anything, we're more hedonistic than humans. That's not to say that there aren't Devils like those you hear about: there's far too many of those. But we're as varied as humans in terms of temperament."

"Huh." As they continued, Harry asked, "You said something about resurrecting people as servants like me. How does that work?"

"Quite simple. The Underworld is obsessed with chess. Each high-ranking Devil is given a set of 15 magical chess pieces known as Evil Pieces. Each of these has its own properties. I don't have a chess piece, but I count as a King. While that means I'm the keystone to the whole thing, don't think that makes me weak. I'm the strongest of the Peerage. I have to be."

"I never said you were," Harry said hastily, hoping he hadn't offended her.

"I know. I was just clarifying things. Now, a Knight, which is what I reincarnated you into, emphasises speed and attack power. I have another Knight, Yuuto Kiba. A Bishop, which is what I reincarnated your godfather into, emphasises magical ability. As an experienced wizard, I thought it appropriate. He's my second Bishop. My first, Gasper Vladi, is currently sealed, because he's unable to control his powers. Plus, he's something of a shut-in. If my brother allows it, I might get you to meet him. A Rook emphasises strength and resilience, and my sole Rook is Koneko Toujou. She may not look like she should be a Rook, but appearances can be deceiving. Queens combine the qualities of all of those pieces, and my Queen is Akeno Himejima. Aside from a Queen, I can have two of each of those pieces, as well as eight Pawns. Now, Pawns would be my footsoldiers if I had any, but they also have a special property: Promotion. In enemy territory, or when I give permission, they can become a Rook, Knight, Bishop or Queen."

"So they can become really powerful under special circumstances, right?" Harry asked.

Rias nodded. "And keep in mind, you won't necessarily be my servant forever. Do enough deeds of note, and you'll eventually go up a level. Reach the rank of a high-ranking Devil, and you can get your own Peerage."

They soon came to a dining room. It was presumably one of many, because it wasn't a massive thing, like the sort you'd see in a palace for state occasions. Opulent, yes, but it also felt lived in, and while large, it wasn't huge.

Sirius was seated, holding forth on some matter or another with a young man (or apparently young) with the same blood-red hair as Rias, and dressed in a suit. Seated next to the red-haired young man was a woman with silvery hair and a serene demeanour, dressed in the manner of a maid, and a young boy with red hair.

Around the table were three other people. A short, petite girl, in her early teens at the latest, with silvery hair and golden eyes, her cute face an impassive mask. A handsome, almost beautiful boy about Harry's age with blonde hair. And a dark-haired girl about Rias' age, her face having a gentle smile, and her body even bustier, if that was possible, than Rias'.

The red-haired young man looked up, and smiled warmly. "Ah, good morning, Rias. And Harry Potter, if I'm not mistaken. Welcome to the Gremory Estate. I am Sirzechs Lucifer. This is my wife, Grayfia Lucifuge, and my son Milikas." He indicated the woman in the maid outfit, and the boy respectively.

"As you can tell, Harry, he's a man of wealth and taste," Sirius quipped(1).

Sirzechs chuckled. "Ah, good old Mick Jagger. That song wasn't too bad, though I had little to do with the events they wrote about. Anyway, Sirius was telling me about what had actually happened to him to get sent to Azkaban. It seems a more plausible story, frankly, than him turning traitor on the Potters," Sirzechs said, more for Rias' benefit than anything else. "I guess emotions at the time ran too high for the truth to come out. In any case, it's a moot point. The Veil you two fell through was once a dedicated portal to the Underworld, though if I recall correctly, it became dangerously unstable over a millennium ago, with the exit becoming random. Meaning you could end up safe at your destination, or buried alive underground, or, as you found, dozens of metres up in the air. The original meaning of the portal was lost, and it was thought to be a gateway to the realm of the dead."

Harry nodded, before saying, "So, um, Lord Lucifer?"

"Call me Sirzechs, please. I don't stand on ceremony, as long as you show me respect," Sirzechs said with a kindly smile.

"Okay, umm, are you really the ruler of the Underworld?"

Sirzechs laughed. "Does Dumbledore have an obsession with sherbet lemons? Yeah, I guess I'm not what you're expecting when you think 'ruler of the Devils'. That whole horns and pitchfork thing is so clichéd and gauche, it isn't funny. Actually, my son is sort of a fan of yours. Don't worry, he won't bite."

Harry realised that Milikas was looking at him with barely-concealed interest. He was reminded a little of Colin Creevey, albeit with less hero-worship and more restraint. "Hey," he said to the kid in a friendly tone. He then returned his gaze to Sirzechs. "So, have you done anything to Voldemort's Horcrux yet?"

"No, not yet. Ajuka Beelzebub is preparing the ritual even as we speak. He's like me, one of the Four Great Satans, in charge of research and development. Has Rias told you of the Evil Piece system?" Harry nodded. "Ajuka was the one who developed it. He's also one of those who maintains our libraries of spells and rituals."

"Sirzechs, we have that meeting with Lady Leviathan before long," Grayfia said calmly.

"Ah. Damn," Sirzechs said, finishing the cup of coffee he was drinking hastily. "Serafall doesn't like to be kept waiting, and then I've got to supervise Ajuka doing the ritual. Sorry, Harry. We'll have to talk another time. A pleasure to meet you, regardless. By the way, Rias, we're finalising the transfer papers for you and your Peerage to go to Kuoh Academy. We'll have to make arrangements for Harry and Sirius, though, with Sirius needing to be a staff member of some kind. And regarding that other matter…" At this, Harry saw Rias look hopeful. "I'm sorry, it's out of my hands." As Rias' face fell, Sirzechs clarified, "He loves you, but Father's being stubborn, and as Lucifer, I can't be seen to be too partial to you, or else Riser will pitch a fit. That being said, adding Harry and Sirius to your Peerage seems rather auspicious. A Rating Game is the only real way you can resolve the issue, so I'd suggest preparing for that event. Hopefully, it'll be a couple of years before you'll have to resort to that."

After a moment, Rias said, "Brother, I had a thought. Do you think Harry might be able to reach Gasper, help him control his power enough so that I can bring him fully into the Peerage?"

Sirzechs frowned as he stood, his wife and son doing so as well. "I'll consider the matter. We've been keeping an eye on Harry for some time, actually, especially at his residence away from Hogwarts. It may not be such a bad idea. Grayfia, darling, could you please take Milikas back home?"

"Yes, Sirzechs." The three Devils stepped onto a pair of glowing red sigils that appeared out of thin air, Sirzechs on one, and Grayfia and Milikas on another. They said their farewells, and then left.

Harry, meanwhile, was shown to a seat, and as he sat, Rias indicated the others. "Harry, these are the members of my Peerage. This is my Queen, Akeno Himejima." This was the buxom dark-haired girl. "My first Knight, Yuuto Kiba." This was the blonde-haired handsome boy. "And my Rook, Koneko Toujou." This was the silvery-haired petite girl with the golden eyes, and he noticed she had been giving Sirius some dirty looks.

Harry looked at Koneko. "You're right, Rias. I would not have picked her for a Rook. She's quite the cute one. Why is she giving Sirius the stink-eye?"

It was Koneko who answered, indicating Sirius. "He smells of scruffy dog," Koneko said in a quiet monotone.

"Ah," Rias said. "Must be a Dog Animagus, right?" On seeing Sirius' shocked look, Rias smiled. "Koneko has a sensitive sense of smell, and her people don't like dogs very much."

Sirius blinked, before he peered at Koneko. "Hang a moment, are you a nekomata?"

Koneko looked startled, before reluctantly nodding. "What's a nekomata?" Harry asked.

"A form of magical being known as a youkai in Japan. Specifically, she's a cat youkai," Sirius explained. "When she's in her nekomata form, she'll have two tails and a pair of cat ears. Though judging by her expression, she's not exactly a fan of looking like that."

"You are correct, Mr Black," Rias said.

"Call me Sirius. Mr Black was my bastard of a father."

"Okay, Sirius. Each member of my Peerage to date have had painful pasts. Digging those pasts up is not what I want, or any member of my Peerage wants," Rias said. "If they want to, they'll talk to you about it. For Koneko, part of it is her heritage."

Sirius nodded. "That's fine, I can live with that. But what was that stuff your brother was talking about?"

"That's personal. I'll discuss it with you later on, when I'm better acquainted with you two. Let's just say that I'm in a situation where I'll need your help before long."

"Ah, a fair maiden in distress needs the help of a Knight in shining armour, and a Bishop," Sirius said with a grin.

"Amongst other things," Rias said. "It's less that I'm in distress, and more than I'm in a rather precarious position. As I said, I'll discuss it later. Now, I go to school in the real world, but I'm between schools. I've decided to attend Kuoh Academy in Japan, where one of my friends, Souna Sitri, attends. It used to be an all-girls' school, but it recently became co-ed, and that means I can bring Kiba and Gasper, as well as you two. I'm looking to establish an Occult Research Club as a base of operations. Between Souna and I, we will be policing Kuoh Town and Kuoh Academy."

"Policing it against what?" Sirius asked. "Stray Devils?"

"Mostly, yes. You seem to know much about us, Sirius, though given your family's reputation of being steeped in the Dark Arts, I guess that's not surprising."

Sirius scoffed. "They made me read up on the basics of Devil society when I was young, before they kicked me out. Strays, the Evil Piece system, the Four Great Satans, the Great Wars, that sort of thing."

"That's true, though we'll also be keeping an eye out for Fallen Angels and Stray Exorcists. We don't attack them unless they provoke us, lest another war break out. In addition, I hope to find more members for my Peerage. If I have to undergo a Rating Game to resolve…that issue, then I'll have to have a stronger Peerage."

"Rating Game?" Harry asked.

It was Sirius who answered again. "A Rating Game is like a contest for Devils, matching Peerage against Peerage in pitched battle. It's used both as a competitive sport and as a way to settle disputes. From what I heard, you can go all-out in a Rating Game because it takes place in a pocket dimension, and when injuries get too much, you're taken out."

"Top marks again, Sirius," Rias said. "There's an upcoming dispute I need to settle in a couple of years, and I'll need your help. As I said, this is all I'll say on the matter for the time being."

Sirius peered at Rias, before nodding. "Actually, your brother told me a little about what was going on. I'll fill Harry in. Don't worry, I'm more than willing to help. The guy in question sounds like a Malfoy, only with actual power to back it up."

"Then I'm very glad to hear it, Sirius," Rias said with a smile, a smile of relief and gratitude. And Harry felt some of his apprehension about his new life melt away at the thought. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all…

CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:

Harry's met the Peerage, plus Rias' brother and his family.

1. A reference to the lyrics of Sympathy for the Devil, the famous song by the Rolling Stones.