"I've got to run," Hermione said, hastily drinking the rest of her pumpkin juice to wash down her breakfast. "Let's catch up at the library tonight, okay?"
"Alright," Harry said, resisting the urge to sigh.
Once Hermione was gone, that resistance crumbled, and he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Hermione had been distant over the last few days, and he wasn't sure why. She could have simply been busy, of course, and he did think that was a possibility, but he couldn't shake the thought that she was avoiding him. She was still helping him with the tournament and seemed no less friendly than normal, but she was spending less time with him, and he figured that he knew why.
Harry was so glad that Hogwarts served coffee to those who asked for it. He'd have normally been happy to be a proper Brit and have tea, but training with Rias and the hours of sex that followed had left him drained, and though he slept well, once he dragged himself to bed, it didn't seem like enough. He had sent Sirius his letter the other day, but he didn't expect to hear from his godfather any time soon. With the man still on the run, it would take the owl he'd sent some time to find him, and he was cautious enough to find a new spot before attempting to reply.
As he didn't expect to get his response that day, he barely paid attention as the owls started pouring in with everyone's mail and morning papers. It was only when people started to stare at him, and a couple even began laughing, that he realized something was off.
"That bitch!" Hermione hissed next to him, and he looked over at her in shock, noticing that she was glaring down at the Daily Prophet.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"That reporter who was outside the tent just when we spoke just before the first task wrote an article about us," Hermione said, handing him the paper.
"About us?" Harry asked in confusion as he took the paper from her.
The Boy-Who-Lived in Danger?
That was the title of the article, and from it, he might have assumed that it was regarding the tournament. As he read on, however, it quickly became clear that Rita Skeeter didn't care about the tournament at all and was far more interested in outright lying about him.
"What the hell is this?" he asked, rage and disbelief warring inside him for dominance. "I never gave that woman an interview. Not one of these quotes comes from me."
"Look here!" he heard Malfoy say loudly. "It says Potter cries himself to sleep at night over his parents! You really will say and do anything for attention, won't you, Scarhead?"
Laughter followed the blonde's words, mostly from the Slytherin table, but not entirely. Harry glared at him for a moment before looking back down at the paper to see what other filth the wretched reporter had written, and every word made his mood blacker.
"Merlin's beard, Hermione, I'm so sorry," he said as he came to what the bulk of the article was about.
"Yes, apparently I'm a gold-digging hussy taking advantage of a poor, broken boy who happens to be the heir to a wealthy family," Hermione almost growled. "Given how many times she called attention to my blood status in the piece, I'm surprised she didn't just call me a mudblood. How the hell can she get away with blatantly making up quotes from people? You should sue!"
"I'm afraid that wouldn't do much good," Neville piped up. "The law in Magical Britain gives the major papers pretty much limitless leeway. They avoid angering the wrong people, and so no one's had the power to change it. Many of the wealthier people on the Wizengamot have used the Prophet in particular to smear their enemies, and if reporters had to be honest about anything, they'd lose that ability."
"So this entire thing is just a gossip rag?" Hermione asked. "How does anyone take it seriously?"
"The prophet's right more often than not," Seamus muttered. "Wouldn't be surprised if it was right this time too."
"Are you saying I really am a golddigger?" Hermione asked, her tone icier than Antarctica.
Harry's hand went to his wand as he glared at Seamus, who looked ready to respond until he jolted slightly. From the look he shared with Ron, Harry guessed that his former friend had kicked the Irish boy under the table. Seamus just glowered at his oatmeal.
"That's what I thought," Hermione muttered under her breath.
"Hermione, I…" Harry went to say.
"It's not your fault," Hermione said, cutting him off as she gathered her things. "If you'll excuse me, I need to head to Arithmancy."
He watched her leave with a furious glare on his face and his fists clenched. He had enough to worry about as it was, and he truly didn't want to have to deal with a vile, lying reporter as well. As he stewed in his own anger, he wondered if there might be a way for him to pay Skeeter back.
It had been a few days since then, and Hermione had spent noticeably less time with him, which bothered him greatly. There was little that he could do about it, however, and as he noticed a particular owl coming his way, his mood brightened immediately. Deciding that Hedwig was too distinct to carry his correspondence with Sirius, he had elected to find another owl for the task, much to his snow owl's annoyance. Luna had been kind enough to let him borrow her owl, a great Stygian owl with bright orange eyes that seemed to be set in a permanent glare. The dark and scary-looking beast, named Alice, couldn't have suited his new friend less if she tried. The glaring beast unceremoniously dropped a letter in front of him before taking a paper to her owner.
Harry pocketed the letter and finished breakfast quickly, wanting to be alone when he read it. He was beginning to feel as paranoid as Professor Moody, but if Rias and Akeno had taught him anything over the last week or so, it was that he had been far too lackadaisical with his own safety. It was okay to assume that people were out to get you when they really were. Slipping inside the first empty room he found, he opened the letter and began reading.
Hello, Harry,
Congratulations on finishing the first task without being injured. I would have expected the organizers to charm the egg against summoning, but they must have thought that all of the champions would just assume that they did. Don't expect to have such an easy time with the other tasks, now that they know differently.
I'm doing well enough, and I don't want you worrying about me while you're dealing with your own problems. Buckbeak and I have found a certain comradery in our shared status as fugitives, and we're managing to lay low. I'm sure that the ministry is still actively looking for me, but I doubt that I'm their priority anymore. The aurors had short attention spans in my day due to being overworked, and they seem less funded now than they were.
I told you before that Karkaroff is likely your best bet as a suspect for who put your name in the cup, but that's not a sure thing. You have no shortage of enemies, and Hogwarts isn't as impregnable as people like to think. The rat and I are proof enough of that. The map might be your greatest weapon against them at this point. Keep an eye on it whenever you can. I know your school is full of students whose names you don't know, so focus on the ones you do know and try to learn the names of the others.
Sadly, that's all I can advise you with for now. Try to stay as safe as you can and stay on top of the next task.
With love,
your Dogfather.
Harry chuckled at that last bit and put the letter back in his mokeskin pouch before sighing. He really didn't have much time these days to dedicate to obsessive watching the map between classes, training, and his more fun pursuits. That training was already starting to pay off in small ways. He didn't think that he saw much more definition on his body than it had before, but his stamina was already improving, as was his reaction time. Rias had said that they'd get started on more offensive training soon and had tasked him with compiling a list of combat spells to master. Getting Hermione's help with that had been easy as, while he was still keeping her in the dark about his involvement with the devils, improving his spell repertoire was a good idea in general, given the tournament.
He'd be summoning Akeno to the Room of Requirement this time, as Rias had decided to alternate days with her queen so as to avoid falling behind in her own studies and responsibilities. The gorgeous, kinky brunette was starting to grow on him as much as her master had, and he couldn't keep the dopey smile off of his face as he made his way to his class with Hagrid.
"This sauna is easily one of your best ideas," Rias sighed as she felt the tension of the day melt off of her.
"I can't argue with you there," Sona said, looking utterly relaxed as she sat with her eyes closed and enjoyed the heat of the room. "At the risk of ruining your relaxation, do you want to hear what the various ladies of the Underworld are saying about you?"
"I wouldn't have asked about the gossiping harpies if I didn't want to hear it," Rias said, tensing slightly.
"Lady Phenix is giving off the air of an insulted noblewoman, enraged by the fact that you spurned her son in favor of a human," Sona said, "but in reality, my sister doesn't think that she's actually that surprised."
"My cousin Seekvaira did seem to think that Riser's mother was well aware of what her son was like," Rias said. "That won't stop her from using the incident to her advantage."
"On the whole, most of the noblewomen think that you debased yourself and lowered your standing in the process," Sona said, "while a few think you merely acted in haste and desperation, unable to think of a less unfortunate solution. The slimmest minority seem to think that you just did what you had to do and rebelled as any good devil would."
Rias rolled her eyes and sighed. She knew that solving her Riser problem in the way that she did would have consequences, and she'd be a target of derision for a while, but that didn't make it less annoying.
"You're lucky that you'll never have to deal with this," she said. "None of these women would say a single thing about me to Sirzech's face, but they're well aware that he doesn't concern himself with gossip, where your sister hears everything."
"And would fly off the handle at the slightest insult, I'm aware," Sona said dryly, as irritated as ever by Serafall's obsessive fondness for her.
"Once I've established myself in the rating games, that'll shut them all up for good," Rias said.
"How go your efforts to expand your peerage?" Sona asked.
"I think I'm going to make Koneko into my servant today," Rias said.
"You think she's ready?" Sona asked, cocking an eyebrow. "She still seems so emotionally muted."
"That's not necessarily a bad thing where her transition to devilry is concerned," Rias said. "She has improved a great deal since we met when she barely ever said a word to anyone. I think she can handle this, and, more to the point, I think this show of trust from me will be good for her."
"I hope you're right," Sona said. "What about other potential recruits?"
Before Rias could answer, the both of them received simultaneous magical calls from their queens.
"Tsubaki?" Sona asked.
"Akeno, what's up?" Rias asked.
"Lord Ajuka is here," the queens said almost in unison.
"What?!" Sona exclaimed, rushing to her feet and drying herself off with a wave of her hand.
She was clothed a moment later and rushed to the door, her face turning red for reasons that had nothing to do with the heat of the sauna.
"Sona, relax," Rias said, getting up more calmly and following her friend's lead in drying and clothing herself. "He's here to see me. This is regarding Harry."
"Your lover?" Sona asked, furrowing her brow in confusion. "What business does Ajuka Beelzebub have with him?"
"I'll fill you in on the way," Rias said. "Given who your sister is, I doubt that he'll care much about you being informed."
By the time they reached the meeting room of the Occult Research Club, Rias had told Sona everything about the failure of the evil pieces. Her old friend was suitably disturbed by what she was told, so much so that she almost forgot who they were meeting with until they found him leaning back against Rias' desk.
"Ah, Rias, Lady Sitri," Ajuka said as he spotted them
"M...my Lord," Sona said, bowing her head and feeling suddenly hot. "Please call me Sona."
"Sona then," Ajuka said. "Tell me, Rias, have you been to see my young research project recently?"
"Yesterday, my lord," Rias replied.
"Have the clothes you were wearing been washed yet?" Ajuka asked.
"No," Rias said, holding out her hands and summoning them from the laundry basket they'd been sitting in.
He waved his hand over them, and a single black hair flew into his waiting palm.
"I had business in Japan to take care of and figured I'd try to get a hair sample here before I bothered going all the way to Britain," Ajuka said.
"Have you been able to determine anything yet?" Rias asked.
When Ajuka shot Sona a questioning look, she said, "I'm apprised of the situation and promise that nothing you say will leave this room, my lord."
"I suppose there's no harm in Serafall's little sister being brought into the loop," Ajuka sighed. "To answer your question, I've determined many things, but I don't have the complete picture yet. Something is interfering with the piece's ability to enter into and transmogrify Potter's soul. It has to be a form of soul magic that was cast on him when he was very young, but the only possibilities I can think of make no sense."
"Rias told me that his family was hunted and attacked by a magician who tried and failed to kill him," Sona said. "Is it possible that his parents cast some protection spell on him that both saved him from his assailant's spells and is interfering with the evil pieces now?"
"No," Ajuka replied. "I was already able to divine what saved him as a boy. Someone used a sacrificial ritual to protect him, either his mother or his father, and exchanged their life for his. When this Voldemort attacked, they must have offered their life for Harry's and died willingly inside a ritual circle. The fool failed to realize that he'd just bound himself not to harm their son, and when he tried anyway…"
"The magic backfired on him," Rias said. "The kind of magic it must have taken to power such a ritual...I didn't know mortal witches and wizards could pull things like that off."
"It does seem odd, doesn't it?" Ajuka said, his expression momentarily darkening. "Anyway, the point is that the ritual protected him from Voldemort and Voldemort alone. It would have no impact on the evil pieces. I'm certain that whatever is interfering goes back to that night, however, and as I said, while I can think of a few things that could theoretically be the problem, none of them make sense in this instance."
"There's one thing about this that stands out to me," Sona said. "Why would his parents go to so much trouble to protect him specifically?"
"Because they're his parents," Rias said incredulously.
"That came out wrong," Sona said, flushing slightly. "I just mean that this lunatic was after their family, but they had no way of knowing that he would specifically attack their infant son. He could have killed them and set the house on fire, content in the knowledge that anyone else in the house would perish in the blaze. After all, why would anyone specifically try to murder a baby by hand?"
"Unless they wanted to make absolutely certain that said baby died," Ajuka said, looking contemplative. "Well reasoned, Sona."
If Ajuka heard her squeak, he didn't react.
"Wait, so you think that Harry was the target that night?" Rias asked.
"It's a possibility," Ajuka said, "and it might add a level of intrigue to this conundrum that will only serve to complicate it further."
"What do you mean?" Rias asked.
"There are only two possible reasons to murder an infant," Ajuka said dispassionately. "You either do so because you want the child's parents to suffer the loss, which can't be the case because he killed them first, or because you think the child might grow up to become a threat."
"Oedipus Rex," Sona breathed, and Rias' eyes widened as she caught up to them.
"A Wizard hears a prophecy claiming that a young boy will be his doom and rushes off to kill him while he's young and vulnerable, only to bring about his doom in the process," Ajuka chuckled. "A self-fulfilling prophecy, the most entertaining kind unless you're a part of one."
"What in the world am I going to tell Harry?" Rias asked, fully aware of how poorly her lover would take the knowledge that his parents died because of a prophecy about him.
"For now, nothing," Ajuka replied. "This is all speculation, and I don't want him doing something stupid before I've managed to figure out why the evil pieces are failing to work with him. Once we know for certain, then tell him as gently as you can."
Rias let out a slow breath and managed to stop herself from chewing him out for his coldness. She knew that he was just like this generally, but, more to the point, he was right. She didn't know anything for sure, and Harry didn't need this additional problem while he was training to survive the tournament. She hated lying to him but could justify it as long as she had no proof to back up Sona's theory.
"Well, with that, I must bid you adieu," Ajuka said, disappearing in a blindingly bright ritual circle.
"You actually managed to speak to him in complete sentences this time," Rias said teasingly.
"Shut up," Sona muttered, going red.
Rias laughed at her old friend's reaction to being teased about her longtime crush.
A knock came to the door a moment later, and Koneko walked in, her slight form giving little hint to her true strength, something which Rias intended to enhance. Her white hair was messy, as she had clearly just rushed over from the grounds of the school. With yellow eyes that weren't quite as listless as they had been when Rias first met the nekomata, she looked up at her.
"Akeno said that you'd like me to come see you once Lord Ajuka left," she said.
"Did Akeno leave already?" Rias asked.
"She did," Koneko replied. "She looked quite excited."
"I bet," Rias thought to herself.
"I'll leave you two to it," Sona said, teleporting out.
"Koneko, sit here," Rias said, gesturing to the sofa.
The shorter girl did as instructed without a word.
"It's been a few months since you came into my service now," Rias began, "and I think that you've made fantastic progress in that time.
"I guess," Koneko said flatly.
"You've improved so much that I think you're ready for this," Rias said, pulling a rook from her pocket.
Koneko's eyes widened at the sight, and she reared back as if it were a venomous beast. "Are...are you sure?"
The fear in her voice was a change from her usual monotone, but not the sort of change that Rias would prefer.
"I am," Rias said reassuringly, placing a hand on Koneko's shoulder. "I wouldn't be making this offer if I wasn't absolutely sure that you could handle it."
"It's just...I don't want to be like...her," Koneko stammered, her eyes closing as she relived the worst days of her life, when all she knew was that her sister had abandoned her and committed crimes that could get the both of them killed.
"You won't be," Rias said firmly. "I don't know what happened with your sister, but you aren't her. You're strong, very strong, and I have full faith in you, Koneko."
The nekomata's eyes opened and nearly shone as she stared up at Rias. "Thank you."
"You can thank me by saying yes," Rias said softly.
"Alright, I'll do it," Koneko said, and she whimpered as she felt the magic rook placed against her chest.
"I order, by the house of Gremory, that you, Koneko Toujou, will be reborn as a devil," Ria declared once she felt the magic of the evil piece take hold inside her servant.
Koneko gasped and then stilled as she felt the overwhelming power of the devils spread throughout her body. As a nekomata, she was already stronger than a normal human. Enhanced by the power of the rook piece, that strength would magnify immensely.
"There, all done," Rias said, and Koneko smiled at her very briefly.
"Thank you for trusting me with this," she whispered, her voice returning to its emotionally neutral state.
Rias kissed the top of her head and said, "You more than earned my trust, my little kitten."
Inwardly, the crimson-haired beauty was crowing in victory. She was genuinely happy to have helped Koneko out, but she was also looking forward to having such a strong rook in her peerage. She wasn't exaggerating earlier with Sona when she said that some good showings in the Rating Games would silence anyone critical of how she handled Riser. Power was, first and foremost, what devils respected and so long as she could project power, she didn't have fear anything as petty as gossip. Now she just needed to fill out the rest of her peerage, and she very much hoped that Harry would someday be part of it.
"You have any idea what this is about?" Harry heard Dean ask.
"No clue," Ron replied.
"I was about to inform you, Mr. Weasley," Professor McGonagall said dryly, earning a couple snickers. "One traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament, which I doubt many of you are aware of, is the Yule Ball."
"A ball?" Lavender asked, sounding excited.
"Indeed," McGonagall replied. "It will begin at eight o'clock on Christmas Day and finish at midnight, being held in the great hall. It will be a night of fun and merriment and will give us a chance to converse with our foreign guests. It will be open to fourth-years and above, though if you wish to take a younger date, you are allowed. The dance will be opened by our champions, who are the only ones truly required to attend, but I would encourage you all to take part."
She had the grace not to look right at him as she said that last part, but he knew damn well it was directed at him in anticipation of his most likely question. If this had been last year, or even last month, he'd have been terrified, but now he found the idea exciting, at least he did until it occurred to him that he wouldn't be able to take his preferred date.
"Shit," he thought to himself as he realized that it would be impossible to take Rias.
His sigh was masked by the various sounds of excitement and horror around him, as some, like Lavender, seemed over the moon while others, like Ron, looked sickly pale. Putting it off as a problem for another day, he left, hoping to reach the Room of Requirement quickly and summon Akeno. Around the first corner he took, though, he ran into Snape, who demanded that he stop.
"Potter!" the man snarled. "I need a word."
"Broomstick," Harry said, and the man's scowl deepened.
"Two points from Gryffindor for your cheek," Snape said. "There's been boomslang skin stolen from my supplies. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, by chance?"
"Boomslang skin?" Harry asked, recalling one particular potion that called for that ingredient.
"Don't play dumb, Potter," Snape said. "I know it was you and your little friends."
"Why in the world would I steal that?" Harry asked. "In case you haven't noticed, I have a fair bit going on right now, and nothing in this wretched tournament would be made easier with boomslang skin."
"Perhaps a drop or two of Veritaserum would change that answer," Snape drawled. "Just one drop is likely all it would take to ensure you were honest."
"I'm sure the aurors would look kindly on you dosing me with that," Harry snarked. "If you've been robbed, call them. I'll gladly comply with an actual investigation."
Snape glared at him and looked like he was about to retort when a voice from behind Harry interrupted them.
"Is something the matter?" McGonagall asked.
"Nothing at all, Minerva," Snape said, giving Harry one last glare before he took off.
Harry watched the overgrown bat leave and was filled with a sense of foreboding. There was a good chance that someone stealing one of the key ingredients in polyjuice potion had nothing at all to do with him being entered into the tournament, but he wouldn't bet on that. If there really was someone here pretending to be someone else, it made Sirius' suggestion to make good use of the map even better.
As he made his way to the room, he wasn't surprised to see the door already there. He knocked, and it opened almost immediately, showing an excited-looking Luna.
"Hey, Harry!" the young blonde exclaimed.
"Hey, Luna," Harry said, smiling at his new friend.
As odd as she seemed and as much as he hadn't known what to make of her at first, he had come to actually enjoy her company. He was looking forward to introducing her to Hermione when he got the chance, and not just because he wanted to see the look on her face when something like snorkacks was inevitably brought up.
"I see you got the room set up," he said, noticing that the training room even sturdier was today than it usually was.
Luna had gotten significantly better at incorporating little details like that into the room, where he still visualized more basic things.
"Did you get held up?" Luna asked.
"Snape stopped me to ask if I stole something from him," Harry replied.
"Was it his ability to smile?" Luna asked. "I've often wondered why he doesn't seem capable."
Harry laughed at that, saying, "No. Some potions ingredients went missing, unless that was just something he made up to give me trouble. You never know with him."
"So, you're summoning Akeno this time, right?" Luna asked.
"Yup," Harry replied, taking out the paper with the Gremory ritual circle on it. "Akeno Himejima."
Instantly, a red circle of light appeared in front of him, and a moment later, Akeno appeared in it, looking as gorgeous as ever.
"Harry," she purred, and he swore his cock hardened from her tone alone, though the fact that he could make out the exact shape of her massive breasts through her tight school uniform was certainly a factor. He wondered how many guys at her school had walked into walls as she passed by.
"Akeno," Harry said, pulling her in for a passionate kiss.
He had taken Rias' advice to be less meek to heart, and it was working out for him so far. Akeno melted into his embrace and moaned into his mouth as he reached down and grabbed two large handfuls of her bountiful arse.
"Mmm, that was some welcome, handsome," Akeno sighed as they broke the kiss for air.
"He really is handsome, isn't he?" Luna asked, and Harry froze, having forgotten until that moment that he and Akeno weren't alone.
"Hi, Luna," Akeno said, smiling at the blonde.
"Hello, Akeno," Luna said. "I must say that I prefer your school uniform to our robes. It really brings out your lovely breasts."
"Why thank you," Akeno said as Harry sighed at Luna's lack of tact. "If I could get your measurements, I could get you one like it."
"Really?" Luna asked, sounding excited. "Should I strip down now?"
"Sure," Akeno said as Harry shot her a look. If the gleam in her eye was any indication, his discomfort was part of the appeal for him.
As Luna started stripping, Harry turned around, promising himself that he was going to spank Akeno so hard later.
"You can look, Harry," Luna said. "I don't mind."
That surprised him, and as he turned around to ask if she meant that, his jaw dropped as he saw that she had removed her underwear too. She didn't have a body like Rias or Akeno, but she was quite pretty all the same, and he kicked himself for not noticing until she was completely naked in front of him.
"Do you need to remove your underwear to take measurements?" Harry asked, his eyes lingering on her shaved slit.
"I never wear underwear," Luna replied as Akeno started pulling a measuring tape tight around her. "Ooo, that's cold."
"Is that why your nipples are so hard?" Akeno asked teasingly.
"No, that's because Harry's looking at me with an erection," Luna replied as casually as she would while discussing the weather.
The fact that she looked right at him while she said it, her silvery blue eyes dark with desire, only made him harder. How the hell did he not realize that Luna was hot?"
Akeno laughed at her response and finished taking her measurements, saying, "All done. I'll try to get you a uniform quickly."
"Thank you so much," Luna said, putting her robes back on. "Now, are you going to shoot lightning bolts at Harry?"
"That's the plan," Akeno said, grinning wickedly at him.
"Um, can I have a minute?" Harry asked, hoping to will away his erection before he started running for his life.
"No enemy will ever give you that," Akeno smirked, a yellow bolt of lightning forming in her palm.
Harry jumped over that one and ran, nearly getting hit by the second. Luna pulled the popcorn she'd gotten from the kitchen ahead of time out of her pocket and sat down to watch her favorite show. Harry was getting noticeably better every day, which took some of the humor out of it, but his increasing athleticism made it entertaining in other ways.
"Gah!" Harry cried as he was hit in the arse with a bolt of lightning.
There was also still the humor factor.
"You're lasting a lot longer now than you were at first," Akeno said.
Harry just chugged the water Luna had gotten him and hoped that one couldn't actually die of exhaustion.
"Do you think that you could stay here tonight?" Akeno asked.
"My bed's curtains are pulled closed, and none of my dormmates would likely notice if I didn't show up, so yeah, why?" Harry asked.
"We've been training you quite hard, and I want to try something, a healing technique I learned from Rias," Akeno said. "It'll involve us sleeping in each other's embrace, completely nude."
"Do some people not sleep in the nude?" Luna asked, sounding confused.
"Some," Akeno replied, sounding deeply amused.
"Weird," Luna said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a vial of pepper-up potion.
"Anyway, have fun you two," Luna said, making the room create a large, comfortable bed in the center of it.
"Night, Luna," Akeno said, grinning.
"Night," Harry said as she left.
"You really do look adorable when you're flustered," Akeno giggled.
"I'm going to spank your arse raw," Harry said darkly.
"Promises promises." Akeno purred, shuddering. "I see what Rias meant about Luna. She's fun, cute, and totally into you."
"Huh?" Harry asked.
"Girls don't strip naked in front of guys they don't like, Harry," Akeno said. "You know, neither Rias nor I would mind if you gave her what she so clearly wants."
Harry shivered at her breathy tone and the thought of seducing Luna. He didn't necessarily doubt Akeno, but he also knew that Luna was unusual and didn't want to ruin a new friendship by misinterpreting things. Deciding to wait for her to hint more strongly that she wanted him if she did, he changed the subject.
"Akeno, I wanted to ask, if I wanted to take you or Rias somewhere inside the castle, could you conceal yourselves well enough?" Harry asked.
"It would depend on who we came across," Akeno replied. "We're powerful enough to fool the average witch or wizard, but the most powerful of you are still threats to us. Your Albus Dumbledore would see through any spell we wove to conceal ourselves and likely take none too kindly to our presence in his castle."
"Damn," Harry sighed. He knew it was a long shot, but he'd still hoped that some solution would present itself.
"I could ask Luna, or I could ask Hermione," he thought to himself. "If Hermione's pissed at me after all, then that might help smooth things over a bit."
"Now, I think you said something about a spanking?" Akeno asked, grinning.
Harry sat down on the bed and stared at her, pointing to his lap.
"Hmm, you're growing more confident," Akeno said. "You've no idea how sexy that is."
"Not as sexy as you," Harry said, his voice low and rumbling. "Now get that gorgeous arse over my knee."
"Gladly, but first, I have something that I think you're going to like a lot," Akeno said. She held out her hand and a small tube of something appeared within it. "As amazing as this room seems, there are some things that you want to make absolutely sure won't disappear mid-use."
"What's that?" Harry asked.
"Lube," Akeno said, and her grin widened as his eyes did. "Fitting that massive cock of yours inside my tight little asshole is going to take a lot of work, and as fond as I am of pain, I'd really rather you not try and go in dry, especially the first time."
"Ther...there's probably a spell for that," Harry said, his mind racing as he tried to imagine just how good it would feel to have his cock buried inside her arse.
"I could probably do it magically, but like I say, since your cock will be the biggest thing I've ever had back there by a pretty considerable margin, I'm leaving nothing to chance this time," Akeno replied.
"What else have you…" Harry went to ask.
"Rias' fingers," Akeno replied, and Harry groaned as he felt his cock strain against his pants.
"Fuck, you're a naughty girl," Harry said.
"You have no idea," Akeno said. Throwing him the lube, she said, "Catch. You did so well today; I think you deserve a treat."
"Isn't anal a treat?" Harry asked.
"Two treats then," Akeno purred, and she started undoing the buttons of her corset one by one.
The room started playing music, something that Harry didn't know it could do, and Akeno swayed to the beat as she slowly undressed. Her shoes followed the corset, and Akeno danced up to him, reaching out to rest a foot on his shoulder. Harry groaned as he saw that she wasn't wearing any panties.
"Give me a hand with the sock?" Akeno asked and reached out to grab her foot immediately, gripping the sock as she pulled her foot back until it was bare.
She repeated that with the other one, her drooling slit on full display to him, and then padded away, giggling as she removed the black ribbon from her collar. She removed her shirt slowly, letting the fabric practically melt off of her in a way that had to require magic, and then reached behind her to unhook her bra.
"Fuck me, you're gorgeous," Harry hissed, making her giggle.
Her large breasts barely descended at all once her bra was removed, standing in abject defiance of gravity itself in their impossible perkiness. She had been very slow and methodical throughout her little strip tease, clearly trying to drive him mad, but it seemed like she was not unaffected herself, as once her bra hit the floor, she wasted no time at all quickly unzipping her skirt and letting it join her other clothes.
"What do you think?" Akeno asked.
"I think if you can walk in the morning, I'll have failed terribly," Harry growled, and Akeno flushed with desire, her violet eyes going black.
"I'm very strong, Harry," Akeno said, "and my stamina is immense."
"We both know you have limits," Harry said, "and I intend to make you reach them tonight."
"Do it," Akeno gasped, rushing over and climbing onto him until she was lying across his lap.
She reached out, and the room created a wooden paddle, which she handed to him.
"I'd say good girl, but we both know you've been very bad," Harry said.
"Then punish me," Akeno said, wiggling her gloriously round arse at him. "Yes!"
"You know how this works," Harry said. "The spanks only count if you count them."
He brought the paddle down again as hard as he could, making a loud cracking sound echo through, drowned out only by her scream.
"One!" Akeno cried, grabbing the sheets in front of her. "Two!"
Harry continued to rain blows down on her arse, noting how much easier it was using something other than his hand, as she counted the numbers diligently. Her skin turned a bright, angry red, and he'd have worried that he was actually hurting her if not for how powerful he knew her to be and how her cunt was absolutely overflowing. He could smell her arousal, and the scent was making his already hard cock throb painfully.
"Twe...twenty-nine!" Akeno stammered, tears running down her face and ruining her makeup.
"You've done so well," Harry said. "You've been such a good girl. Just one more, and we'll be done."
"Do it," Akeno whimpered. As the paddle came down one last time, she screamed, "Thirty!"
Harry dropped the paddle and started rubbing her red cheeks soothingly as she recovered.
"Fuck me," Akeno whispered.
"What was that?" Harry asked, grinning.
Akeno glared at him with a wave of her hand, undressed him instantly. Carefully climbing out of his lap, she settled on her hands and knees on the bed and shook her arse at him.
"Fuck me, please!" Akeno begged, and Harry grinned.
Shifting onto his knees, he joined her quickly and brushed her soaking wet nether lips with the head of his cock. She whimpered and lowered her head to the bed. Lining himself up, he pushed and slipped inside her slick tunnel with ease. She was just as maddeningly tight as ever, clinging to every inch of his thick cock like a hot, wet, silk glove. She stretched for him easily, however, and with her being so incredibly wet, he managed to bury his entire cock inside in one long thrust.
"Yes!" Akeno cried. "Fuck me hard, I'm so close!"
"Fucking hell, you really get off on pain," Harry groaned, still confused by the idea of that. "I wonder what other things I can do to you."
"There's...ugh...so much!" Akeno moaned, her grip on the sheets tightening until her knuckles turned white. "I'll show you everything that...that...AHH!"
Akeno shrieked as she came, writhing on the bed in pleasure as her tight pussy spasmed around Harry's length. He groaned both at the pleasure of feeling her try to milk him and at the knowledge that spanking her had gotten her this close. He had been fucking her for just a couple minutes, and she was already cumming hard. As her orgasm began to end, he pulled his cock from her still-quivering depths and reached over to grab the lube.
There was a great deal of information written on the tube, though it meant little to him. When he saw that it was water-based, he hoped it would last long enough, picturing how quickly water dried on his skin.
"Oh man, I needed that," Akeno sighed, looking back and smiling at him. "It's a thick gel that you coat your cock with to make it easier to fit inside me."
"A gel makes more sense, I guess," Harry said. "I was picturing something watery."
"No, that wouldn't work," Akeno said. She hovered her hand over her arsehole and cast a quick spell before saying, "There, all clean."
"Really?" Harry asked.
"Mmhmm," Akeno replied. "Lubed too, though you should still lube up your cock. Given your size, I doubt there's such a thing as too much lube in this scenario."
"Hmm," Harry murmured to himself, looking down at her winking little arsehole.
It looked so small and he was so large that he really couldn't picture how he was going to fit inside her, but she seemed sure, so he was more than willing to try it. As he continued looking at her, an idea occurred to him that he hadn't even considered before, but if she was magically cleaned, he figured it couldn't hurt to try. Setting the lube aside, he lowered himself until his face was inches from her arse.
"Harry?" Akeno asked. "What are...gah!"
Akeno cut herself with a squeak as he traced the tip of his tongue over her arsehole. Moans tinged with disbelief spilled from her pouty lips as he started swirling his tongue around the wrinkled hole, making it quiver.
"That feels so damn good," Akeno moaned. "I can't believe you're doing that."
"You said it was clean," Harry said with a shrugg. A wicked grin formed on his face as another thought occurred to him, and he said, "I wonder how it will take parseltongue."
"Pars...fuck!" Akeno cried as he began vibrating his tongue against her arsehole.
Her thighs shook on either side of him as he continued to pleasure her and she nearly buckled completely when he pushed two fingers inside her pussy. Curling them downward, he brushed against her g-spot and went back to licking her ass.
"Oh, don't stop, don't stop, don't fucking stop!" Akeno wailed, sounding half-dazed already. "You're gonna make me cum!"
Harry grinned and started fingering her harder, rubbing that sensitive spot again and again as she grew louder and louder. He felt her pussy start to spasm around him a second before she came undone with an ear-piercing, wordless squeal. Her cunt gushed, splashing his chin with her juices as he continued to use his tongue and fingers to drive her insane. She collapsed on the bed as her orgasm began to wane, panting like she'd run a marathon.
"So...good…" Akeno panted, her body continuing to twitch as aftershocks of pleasure hit her.
"Clearly," Harry laughed, wiping his chin, neck, and chest down with a towel the room conjured for him.
"Fuck me, Harry," Akeno panted. "Fuck my ass."
Harry grabbed the tube of lubricant and squeezed some of the gel into his hand. It was as thick as Akeno said, as he coated his cock with it, he realized why it was effective as lube. Whether or not he was going to fit inside her was still a question, but one he was eager to find out the answer to. He squeazed a little onto his finger as well and pressed it into her arsehole, making her moan.
"Mmm, that's it," Akeno purred.
"You're ready?" Harry asked.
"Ready enough," Akeno replied. "Do it."
Lining himself up with her tightest hole, he pushed forward, only to grunt when he didn't get in.
"Ahh," Akeno groaned. "Give me a minute."
He waited for her to do whatever she was planning to d, assuming that she was trying to relax herself a little.
"Try again," Akeno said.
He pushed forward, his cock aimed straight at her puckered hole, and groaned when he felt it give way enough for his bulbous head to pop inside.
"Fuck!" Akeno cried, her back arching as the feeling of being suddenly stretched hit her.
"You okay?" Harry asked through gritted teeth, not quite believing just how insanely tight and hot she felt.
"Ye...yes," Akeno panted, "you just feel really, really big back there. I could almost believe that's a fist you just shoved in me."
"I'm not that big," Harry chuckled, looking at his large hands.
"Not your fist, maybe," Akeno laughed. "Just give me a moment to get used to you."
"Take all the time you need," Harry said, more than content to just enjoy the immense heat of her.
"Wow," Akeno sighed after a moment. "I thought you felt big in my pussy. You can move again; just go slow."
Harry pushed another inch of his cock inside her, and she grunted, clawing at the sheets in front of her. Pulling out slightly, he pushed in further, feeling more of his cock slip inside. It was an odd sensation because the majority of her sear-hot insides weren't as tight as pussy, but the ring squeezing the life out of her cock was leagues tighter. When he'd fucked both Akeno and Rias before, presumably because they were devils, their pussies had stretched easily for him. This was not the case with her arse and it took him a few minutes of slow and careful penetration to bury his entire length inside her. Akeno grunted, gasped, and groaned throughout it, but didn't even ask him to slow down, much less stop.
"That's all of it," Harry said as he finally felt his hips press against her thick, still-red cheeks.
"Holy shit!" Akeno sighed. "You feel so damn deep."
"Does it hurt at all?" Harry asked.
"Not in a bad way," Akeno said. "Even I doubt I'd be into painal, and with all that lube, it doesn't hurt much. Let's just say that it feels really good but I'll probably need a pillow to sit down tomorrow.
"So long as you're okay," Harry said.
"So sweet," Akeno said, "now fuck me hard! I want to see what I can take."
Harry shifted his position so that he was hovering over her and Akeno let out a lewd moan as his cock moved within her. He grinned at that, for while she had made many noises since he first started pushing his cock inside her tightest hole, none of them had been moans. Taking that as a good sign, he began pulling his cock out of her depths, his eyes nearly crossing at the feeling of her tight ring stubbornly trying to stop him. Akeno moaned again and buried her face in the sheets, giving him an idea. Her hair was still in the ponytail she usually wore and so, when he reached out and grabbed it, he was able to pull her head back up with ease.
"I want to hear every sound you make," he whispered in her ear, and he felt the shudder that went through her body.
When most of his cock was eased out of her, he snapped his hips forward, burying every thick inch back inside her in one brutal thrust. Her scream was so loud that if they were in any other room in the castle, he might have feared everyone hearing her.
"More, more!" Akeno shrieked.
Continuing to keep his tight grip on her hair, he began fucking her hard and fast. It had taken a lot of gentle work to help her stretch around him, but now that she had, he was able to move easily within her. His every rough thrust resulted in a scream of delight from the masochistic brunette, who soared towards her peak rapidly.
Her massive breasts swung pendulously under her, and with his free hand, Harry reached under and cupped one of the mammoth mounds. Kneading the soft yet firm flesh with his fingers, he reached for her pebbled nipple and pinched the hard peak just as he knew she liked it.
"It's so much, it's too much, I...I…" Akeno trailed off and let out a wordless scream as she came hard.
Her back arched towards him, and she squirted all over the bed under them, soaking his balls in the process, but Harry barely noticed as he was overwhelmed by the feeling of her already tight arse clenching hard around him. Akeno fell utterly limp onto the bed as her orgasm passed, her body slick with sweat and breaths coming in short and fast.
"Never...never cum...that hard...in my life," she panted, sounding exhausted. "We've...got to do...that ag…"
She trailed off as she clenched her inner muscles and realized that Harry was still hard. Looking over her shoulder at him shock, he couldn't help but smirk at her wide, unfocused eyes.
"Oh, we're doing this again," Harry said. "I thought it was a fluke before, or because I was rubbing your g-spot, but you just really get off on anal, huh?"
"I…" Akeno stuttered, looking unsure for the first time since he'd met her.
Leaning in with a devilish grin on his face, Harry whispered, "Unless you say red, I'm going to fuck your tight little arse until you pass out from the pleasure."
"Greengreengreengreen," Akeno rushed out, her eyes going black with desire.
Harry laughed and started pounding her arse again, using the full length of his large cock to absolutely ream the little anal slut. Akeno's screams echoed through the room as he continued to pound her hard. Words began to fail her as her mind was consumed by pleasure until all she was capable of was blissful screams. After her second orgasm, she collapsed on the bed, too weak to hold herself up anymore. As she lay there, taking everything he could give her and cumming again and again, her eyes went glassy.
Harry didn't stop for a moment, not even as his muscles screamed at him to relent. He was holding himself back somehow, but he knew that he couldn't stop his orgasm forever. He desperately wanted to, though, both because of how incredible it felt to fuck her arse and how great her round cheeks looked as they rippled and jiggled with his every rough thrust. The bed was a drenched ruin under them, soaked through by how many times Akeno had squirted, and he was very glad that he'd be able to get it replaced by the room and that it wouldn't need to be washed. As the pleasure of her sweltering insides finally became too much, he roared and came hard, filling her up with his thick white cum.
"Oh fuck," Harry panted, utterly exhausted as he collapsed on top of her in a heap.
He rolled them onto their sides and pulled her hot body against him, spooning her as he came back down from his high. That was easily one of the greatest experiences of his life, and he dearly hoped that he hadn't overdone it. The two of them laid there for a while, snuggling together as they recovered from the exhausting sex. After a while, Akeno turned around and kissed him. The two of them made out gently, languidly, as their breathing returned to normal.
"I thought you'd passed out," Harry said.
"I think I entered a different state of mind entirely back there," Akeno giggled. "That was amazing."
"Something you'd like to do again?" Harry asked.
"If I feel even the faintest hint of an erection, I'm saying red," Akeno said, making him laugh. "I'll be sitting and walking funny tomorrow, and it'll be a while before I want to try this again, but definitely someday. I'll be telling Rias how great it was too."
Harry groaned at the thought of fucking the gorgeous redhead in the arse too.
"So, if you're ready for bed, we should probably get a new one and get to it," Akeno said. "You'll feel much better after a night with me, and not just for the obvious reason."
"That sounds amaz...oh shit!" Harry exclaimed, rushing to his feet and grabbing his wand. "Tempus."
"What's wrong?" Akeno asked.
"I was supposed to meet Hermione in the library," Harry said. "It isn't closed yet, but I'll be cutting it closer than I meant to."
"Here," Akeno said, waving her hand at him. He was cleaned immediately by her magic and sighed in relief at the time saved. "Meet with her and then return here. I'll wait up for you, for a while at least."
"Of course," Harry said, getting dressed as Akeno had the room create a new bed. She limped over to it and had the room remove the ruined one once she was off of it.
"This won't take long, I promise," Harry said, kissing her again.
"I'll be holding you to that, stud," Akeno said.
Harry smiled and left, getting one last look at her incredible body before he closed the door.
"...so I brewed up a batch of polyjuice for us," Hermione said.
"Polyjuice in second year?" Krum asked. "Much impress."
Hermione smiled at the compliment and said, "It ended up being for naught anyway. The one we suspected was involved, and in retrospect, we shouldn't have suspected him in the first place, but we were young, and he's just so unpleasant. It didn't go entirely smoothly anyway."
"Oh?" Krum asked.
"The hair that I used, I plucked from the robes of another girl, but it turned out to be from her cat instead of her," Hermione explained, blushing at the memory as Krum's eyes widened.
"What happened?" he asked.
"I ended up looking like a transfiguration disaster," Hermione replied. "Fur everywhere, cat ears and a tail, thank goodness our resident healer managed to undo it."
"Completely?" Krum asked. "No, how is said...furballs?"
Hermione laughed and said, "No, nothing like that. I made a full recovery."
Krum joined in laughing for a moment and then turned serious as he said, "Listen, Hermyownee, I...there is something I want ask."
"Go ahead," Hermione said.
"The coming Yule Ball, the...um...person I would take, I cannot," Krum said slowly, clearly trying to make the words as clear as possible. "I wonder if Hermyownee would go...as friend?"
"The ball?" Hermione asked, her eyes widening. "I...er, are you sure?"
"Da," Krum said. "You are not like others. Not fanatic or user but nice. Would have good time."
"I'd love to," Hermione said, trying to suppress her inner panic about what she was going to wear.
Part of her had been considering just blowing the whole thing off and enjoying a nice night with a book and a cup of tea. She was going to need a dress and shoes, and she'd need to figure out how to do something with the rat's nest that sprouted from her scalp.
"Maybe Lavender and Parvati will have some ideas," she thought to herself.
"Good," Krum said.
"Um, don't answer if you don't want to, but why can't you take the person you want to?" Hermione asked.
"Would be bad for both," Krum sighed, looking pained. He schooled his expression a moment later and said, "I must go. Thanks Hermyownee."
"My pleasure," Hermione said, smiling.
Krum departed and left her alone with her thoughts. There were a few more weeks until Christmas, so she was confident that she'd have time to figure out her look. Alas, that was the only thing she was confident about. She needed a distraction for the time being, and thankfully, that distraction came in the form of Harry a moment later. He looked exhausted again and her brow furrowed in confusion and concern.
"What on Earth have you been doing?" Hermione asked as he sat down.
"Training," Harry replied.
"With what exactly, a Nundu?" Hermione asked.
Harry looked concerned for a moment before saying, "I've been getting Luna to throw stinging jinxes at me while I dodge."
"Luna?" Hermione asked.
"Luna Lovegood," Harry said. "She's a year behind us in Ravenclaw."
"A redhead?" Hermione asked.
"No, blonde," Harry replied. He might have questioned her under normal circumstances, but the thought seemed not to occur to him. "Snuffles got back to me."
"What did he say?" Hermione asked.
"He was impressed by how I got through the first task but advised me to keep on my guard, since the judges will likely make sure that easy solutions aren't possible in the other tasks," Harry replied. "He also said that I should keep an eye on the map, something that might be a very good idea if what Snape said is true."
"Professor Snape," Hermione corrected him automatically. "What did he say?"
"He accused me of stealing boomslang skin," Harry replied.
"Boomslang?" Hermione breathed, a chill going through her as she realized what that likely meant.
"The person who slipped my name into the cup could easily be here in disguise," Harry said.
"That's horrifying," Hermione said.
"You don't think that, Ron…" Harry asked.
"Ron?" Hermione asked.
"It would explain why he's been such a pillock all bloody year," Harry grumbled.
"Ron's envy is unfortunate but not entirely out of character," Hermione replied, "and if someone had abducted Ron and taken his place, it would have made more sense to stay close to you rather than distance themselves."
"You're right," Harry sighed, scowling.
"You still have me, Harry," Hermione said, placing her hand on his.
"And I appreciate that more than I could say," Harry said, placing a hand over hers and smiling at her.
Hermione felt her pulse quicken rapidly as his green eyes shone right at her.
"The sad thing is that I'm too bloody busy these days to keep an eye on the map," Harry said.
"I could," Hermione said. "If polyjuice is involved, it's probably one of the students from the other schools. It would make perfect sense to, having learned that the tournament was going to happen, pick one of the loners who were going to be going to Hogwarts and take their place."
"That would make some sense," Harry said. "Whether one of them or one of ours, picking someone with few friends would make it easier to act like them. Fewer people to accidentally trip them up that way."
"Precisely," Hermione said. "Give me the map, and I'll make a point of noting anyone keeping to themselves and trying to learn their names to make sure they are who they seem."
"What would I do without you?" Harry asked, reaching into his bag and pulling out the map.
"If I have my way, you'll never find out," Hermione thought to herself. "I don't think we're going to get much done tonight with how tired you look. Why don't you go to bed and try to take it a little easier tomorrow? That way, we'll be able to do some research for the next task."
"Before I go, I wanted to ask, will you go to the Yule Ball with me?" Harry asked, and Hermione's jaw dropped.
"Wha...what?" she, asked, her heart pounding in her chest.
"I have too much going on right now to think about dating, so I thought that taking a friend might be for the best," Harry said, and her heart sank.
His disinterest was disappointing, but it did make what she said next easier, "Sorry, Harry, but I've already been asked."
"Really?" Harry asked. "Who?"
"I...er," Hermione stammered, not sure if Krum wanted anyone to know just yet. "I'd prefer not to say yet."
"Alright," Harry said, yawning. "Night, Hermione."
"Good night, Harry," Hermione said.
As he turned and left, she opened her charms textbook and began reading the next chapter. Had she been looking, she might have noticed that Harry didn't go in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room but towards the main staircases.