Okay, so, if you guys have come to this wondering where the first chapter is, just go back a chapter.

Also, I love how I wrote Koneko here. Koneko is adorable, and while she's lovably snarky, I also like writing her in moments when she lets her guard down like she does around Harry here, expressing her gratitude for what he did in being expelled from Mahoutokoro.


PULLED FROM AN ANGEL'S WING

CHAPTER 2:

OBSERVATIONS

"So, I'm curious, Sona. Did you have anything substantial about our new student, beyond the obvious?"

Rias noted that Sona simply sighed as her oldest friend sat behind the desk of the student council president during lunch. "He seemed somewhat insolent during our meeting, brief though it was. He has a problem with authority, so keep that in mind first and foremost should you consider him for your Peerage."

"It's early days yet," Rias said. "And given what I have heard, I am hardly surprised."

"Then what have you heard, Rias?"

Rias frowned, marshalling what information she had, both through the media of the wizarding world (always somewhat dubious in its accuracy) and through sources they had in other parts of the supernatural world. "Harry Hyoudou, 17 years old, born on the 31st of July 1990. Birth name, Harry Potter, of course. He was orphaned during Voldemort's attack on the Potters' hideout on Halloween, 1991, and was left with his maternal aunt. However, according to records, these relatives, the Dursleys, dumped him here in Kuoh during a trip to Japan Vernon Dursley had as business for his company, Grunnings. A drill company, I believe. Harry was found and adopted by the Hyoudous, who had a young son, barely more than a toddler. At the age of eleven, he received an invitation from the Japanese Ministry of Magic to study magic at Mahoutokoro. I believe Professor Dumbledore came here to plead with him to come to Hogwarts, but to no avail."

Sona Sitri nodded. "He did eventually go back mollified by Harry being adopted by an obscure No-Maj family, well, Muggles, they call them in Britain."

"In any case, Harry's tenure in Mahoutokoro was marked by disciplinary problems, though given the later incidents, it seems that he simply had an intolerance for bullying and xenophobia, particularly against Youkai and the like," Rias said. "It was during a visit early on by Lady Yasaka of the Shinto Faction that Harry endeared himself to her. At the time, she had recently wed a man whom she had hired to be the tutor of her daughter, Kunou. Said man was Remus Lupin, a werewolf and a former schoolfriend of his parents. That meeting was apparently quite…tense, but the two have since reconciled. Then, in 2004, Harry was, somehow, selected as a Fourth Champion of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Mahoutokoro, of course, took full advantage of it. If you read just the wizarding gutter press, he was either the darling of Mahoutokoro, or else the usurper of the glory of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang, depending on which country you were reading the papers in."

"The Tournament ended messily, with Hogwarts' Champion, Cedric Diggory, dead, along with a number of prominent Purebloods in a graveyard in Little Hanglteon, a small village on the border between Scotland and England. All of them dressed up in Death Eater regalia, apparently. And then, the British really went on the warpath against Harry. Dumbledore publicly spoke out, claiming that Harry prevented the return of Voldemort. This claim was ridiculed, though I would not have been surprised if that had been the case. Harry returned to Mahoutokoro, but under something of a cloud. And then, there were the circumstances behind his expulsion."

"Yes. From what I gathered, one of the survivors of the Naberius family, working behind Sirzechs' back, made discreet overtures to various wizards and witches in Japan, inciting them to attack Nekomata, as revenge for Kuroka's rampage and for Sirzechs and Yasaka for preventing the pogroms from getting any worse. This survivor of the Naberius family hoped that Sirzechs' hands would be tied, given that the Biblical Factions have an unofficial agreement to avoid interference in the wizarding world. However, only a few accepted the offer, though that was enough to start a pogrom at Mahoutokoro targeting not only Nekomata, but also Youkai in general. Harry helped defend them, but many of those involved had links to the Japanese Purebloods. So Harry was effectively scapegoated and expelled with dishonour, despite Lady Yasaka demanding an explanation and that he be reinstated. All of which has led to an even greater schism between Magical Japan and the Shinto Faction."

"And apparently he's been continuing his tuition under Lady Yasaka and her consort," Sona said. "To anyone with little knowledge of the supernatural, this school in Kyoto he has listed after Mahoutokoro's alias is simply a small but prestigious one. In truth, it mostly caters to Youkai and wizards in Kyoto. However, he eventually decided to finish his education here at Kuoh Academy. I'm guessing his brother coming here was part of the reason. The two are close, even if Harry spent much of his education away from him. But do you think he's a spy for Lady Yasaka?"

"Probably not. When my name was read out, he showed little recognition," Rias said. "I also made sure to speak Japanese rather than relying on the Devil Gift of Tongues. I doubt he has read anything to do with the Ars Goetia. Which has me surprised. I would have thought Lady Yasaka might have told him about us at least. Then again, we have only begun administering this territory in earnest a short while ago."

"Or it could be that Lady Yasaka simply doesn't see us as a threat to her interests in the area," Sona pointed out. "As long as we stop the Stray Devils popping up here, she may not care unless we try to do something egregiously stupid. But if we remain under the radar, she may be content to let us be. In any case, I presume by your words you will take a wait and see approach to him?"

Rias nodded. "Though I think Koneko wants to thank him for helping others, so I've agreed to let her reveal what she is to him, at least her being a Nekomata. If he approaches the ORC, I will accept him, though I will demur telling him exactly what we are. I will ease him into it. Devils do not have the best reputations after all. I will say we are magical creatures, but other than that…well, honestly, I want to see if I can make friends, proper friends, outside of my Peerage, and, well, you. And I want him to feel welcomed. As much as I need new members for my Peerage, I'd be fine with him as a friend. I wouldn't mind bringing his brother into it too."

"That troublesome pervert?" Sona sighed. "At least he's not quite as bad as those other two, but they're already causing trouble, especially with the Kendo Club. I just hope you don't regret this. But why are you focusing on Harry Hyoudou?"

"…In some ways, he's like me…like us, I suspect," Rias said. "After all, we've all had to deal with expectations of what we are supposed to be like, that we have to deal with people's preconceptions of us, for better or for worse. What's more, I do want to find out if he has any ulterior motives for attending Kuoh Academy, and whether we can ask him to make contact with Lady Yasaka. And to tell the truth…I am curious about him, about what power he may hold."

"I think I know what you mean," Sona said. "The claims that he wiped out a substantial group of Death Eaters and possibly a reborn Voldemort himself are ludicrous on the face of it, even for a well-trained wizard his age…unless he has a power, like a Sacred Gear or something similar. I hadn't really considered that until now."

"Exactly. But I would rather have a friend give up a secret willingly than trick him into it," Rias said decisively.

"Fair enough," Sona said. "That being said, Harry Hyoudou, by all accounts, is a quixotic troublemaker who chafes at authority. He may not be as perverted as his brother, nor is he a delinquent, but he's rather anti-authoritarian. Just be careful."

"I could say the same to you, Sona," Rias said. "You are, after all, in authority. Don't worry, I'll be careful…"


Harry was having his lunch, unaware that he was being discussed by two of the more prominent figures in the school. He had to admit, the first couple of classes were hard to get through. His brother already had something of a reputation here, but the whispers he had heard and the attention he had gotten was annoying. Not as much as at Mahoutokoro, or during his brief stays at Hogwarts, but still annoying.

Still, he was surprised when someone sat next to him. He did a brief double-take when he realised that the girl sitting next to him was petite, looking more like her early teens at most. Short silver hair was cut in a bob, while she had golden eyes. Issei would have called her the essence of a cute loli, and Harry wouldn't disagree.

"Uhh, hello?" Harry greeted uncertainly.

"Hello," she said, her voice a soft monotone. "Koneko Toujou, First Year."

"Oh, right. Harry Hyoudou, Third Year. Nice to meet you. You look younger than a first year, sorry."

Koneko nodded, and Harry had to admit to frowning when he began thinking about her name. Wasn't 'koneko' another name for a kitten or something in Japanese? "I'm used to it. I just wanted to say thanks."

"…Uhhh, thanks for what?"

"For helping others at your former school," she said. "Others who were being attacked for being born different."

And then, it clicked in Harry's mind what she meant. He carefully established a Privacy Charm, before saying, "You're a Youkai?"

"Nekomata, to be precise," Koneko said. "I…was nearly killed in one pogrom, years before what happened in Mahoutokoro."

"And you didn't go to Kyoto, to Yasaka?" Harry asked.

She shook her head. "I didn't get the opportunity to. I'm incognito here."

"…I'm sorry. I really am."

"No. Don't be. It wasn't your fault Nekomatas ended up being targeted by the supernatural world at large," she said. "I spoke to you because you cared enough to take a stand."

"…Thanks, Koneko. By the way, sorry if my brother's been giving you any grief."

The petite girl merely shrugged. "He's a pervert like any other. Though at least he isn't like that creep Matsuda. The one who's into lolis."

"True, but I've been getting him to understand where the line is. Issei, I mean. Plus, my family know about the supernatural, so if you want someone to talk to…well, Issei's got a heart of gold. He just needs to turn down the libido a tad."

"More than a tad, but I'll consider it as long as he doesn't perve on me," Koneko said.

"And you've got family or guardians looking after you?"

Koneko nodded. "My parents died when I was young, something I know you're familiar with, even if you didn't know the Potters. My…original guardian abandoned me. But my current guardians are good. You?"

"Yeah. Well, at least you're not a fangirl." He shuddered, remembering a few at Hogwarts.

"I have lolicons lusting after me," she said flatly. "That's as bad, if not worse."

"Okay, fair enough. Well, if you want someone to talk to, I'm willing to help. I mean, I'm your senpai, and, besides…well, your gratitude means something." He gave Koneko what he hoped was a winning smile, a warm smile. At least she wasn't acting like a fangirl.

"I'll think about it. But thanks. You're nicer than your brother."

"Like I said, Issei's got a good heart. He just has a habit of blurting out all sorts of perverted nonsense. I got him to stop peeking, at least. Besides, knowing what happened to you, he's more likely to give you a good hug, and so would Mum and Dad."

"Hmph…I'll take your word for it…"


"So, what was he like, Koneko?"

Rias nearly chuckled as the stoic Nekomata-turned-Devil didn't answer her at first, simply eating her chocolate as she (and the rest of her Peerage, barring Gasper, of course) were convening in the ORC headquarters. But she knew Koneko well enough to know that the petite girl was simply considering her reply carefully. Eventually, she said, "Warm. Friendly. Sympathetic. Hard to believe he is Issei's brother, even by adoption. A little guarded, but he seemed to take my explanation at face value."

"I'm surprised you actually revealed your heritage to him," Kiba observed.

"He allowed himself to be expelled in disgrace for defending Nekomata from a pogrom," Koneko said. "That takes balls. Most wizards don't have that much."

Akeno chortled. "Oh my, does our adorable little Rook have a crush?"

"Hardly," Koneko said. "If anything, he seems to see me as a possible little sister. He even asked if I was being looked after properly. He seemed genuinely concerned."

"…And his ki? You did sense that, right?" Rias asked.

Koneko nodded. "He seems human…but…I also felt a seal. Two, actually. One on his body, and one on one of his eyes. The one on his eye seems to be a simple concealment seal, while the one on his body seems to be for suppressing some sort of power. It feels like something the Shinto Faction would use."

Rias and Akeno shared a look. "Should we extend an invitation to him to join the ORC?" Akeno asked.

"Let him settle in the school for a bit first, let's say a week or so. Same for his brother," Rias decided. "And until we are ready, we are not Devils as far as he or his brother are concerned. If Issei is aware of the supernatural, then we might be able to ease them both into what we are. No hard sell into joining my Peerage, though I doubt any of you would have done so anyway."

She got a chorus of acknowledgements. She hoped that this approach would work. She was telling Sona the truth, that, aside from trying to nut out the mystery that was Harry Hyoudou, and to see if she could make friends without them being in her Peerage or from Devil nobility. It meant a lot to her.

Time would tell if she would succeed, though…

CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Rias and Sona are trying to puzzle out what Harry is, while Koneko and Harry have bonded.

Now, if Koneko seems OOC here, revealing what she is to Harry so candidly, keep in mind, Harry allowed himself to be expelled in disgrace from Mahoutokoro after saving Nekomata and other Youkai from a pogrom. Koneko admires his cojones in sticking to his guns, and knows what it's like to be on the receiving end, only, nobody stood up for her, save for Sirzechs effectively conscripting her into Rias' Peerage. Koneko is treated well by Rias, true, and she lacks any real resentment towards her. But she wishes someone had done it for her when Kuroka ran out on her.

No numbered annotations this time.