Shout at the Devil

by MalcolmTent6730

Magic wasn't real. That's what Ryan Black was told for most of his life. It was a truth he believed until about a week after his eighteenth birthday, when he was contacted by his dead dad's estate about his own. Being born a squib he had no reason to be informed, except for a small gift his old man left him. Evil pieces in Harry Potter. AU Hogwarts University. Eventual OC-Multi,

28. Chapter 28

December 20th, 2011, Diagon Alley, London, England 12:00 PM BST

All in all, I'd ended up coming out ahead on my stone gambling. The big one was sadly a low quality lightning elemental ore whose magic was naturally attuned to transportation…which meant it was basically portkey fodder. I had no use for portkeys since I could fucking teleport, but hey, it was relatively saturated, so I could probably sell it, but it was only worth about twenty galleons or so..

The bronze one was metal element (big shock) and was attuned to defensive wards. That fist sized chunk of the stuff was apparently worth about two hundred galleons all on its own. The black and green stone was attuned to offensive magic and apparently contained poison magic, and was worth about one hundred and fifty.

Maggie had been excited about the stone with the crystalline pockets, which was apparently attuned to space and contained ice magic. It was worth three hundred and was perfect for making expanded refrigeration units. But the biggest windfall was the last rock.

The perfectly normal stone. Or at least the one that looked normal, was apparently an ash element stone attuned to creation. It was the exact kind of stone one would use to create a potions lab, and would sell for about nine hundred galleons if I put it up on the market, which Maggie suggested I do, because no amateur enchanter could do anything with it.

I, of course, knew what NONE of this meant. I was a second year enchanting student, and we hadn't come close to learning about material attributes or attunements yet. I'd come here for something with high tolerance, and hadn't expected to find a bunch of special magic rocks. Or at least, not a bunch of rocks special and magical in this specific of a way.

Thanking Maggie, I stashed all the extra rocks in my "pocket" (read, dropped them through a circle onto my bed at home) and headed back out into the alley. I considered my next move, and decided Knockturn alley would be a solid place to try to find information on Voldemort of the faceless. Both of them probably got talked about in the seedier parts of town.

The walk to Knockturn was simple, I'd been there before, and a quick circle let me grab a cloak to throw over myself just in case. Not that it drew attention, most of the people in Knockturn were disguised.

I followed the road down, passing a variety of strange and sometimes disturbing shops. Places like "Ariana Alraune's Poison Pet Parlor', and 'The Bleeding Pig'. I debated stopping at the parlor, if only to inform Ariana that animals were venomous, not poisonous, but it seemed like a poor use of time.

Finally, I came to a spot that felt like it might shed some light on things. A small, run down building, an old inn called 'The Sacrificial Lamb'. It was busted up and rotten, with gaps between the boards letting out light and sound, and the door hung at an angle that meant it couldn't fully close. Something about it though…it just called to me.

That happened sometimes, though I hadn't figured out why. I got feelings that pulled me toward certain actions. I'd checked the booklet, but it wasn't a devil thing. Just a me thing.

Walking inside, I let the door bang shut behind me, not bothering to wait for it to close before taking a seat. After I sat down, I waited for a minute or two before realizing there was no server. I'd have to go up to the bar to order, and I didn't feel like it.

Instead, I let my head droop forward, my cloak shadowing my face completely, and closed my eyes. I focused on my hearing, sorting and processing the inputs, as I listened to several muttered conversations at once. The topics varied, some terrible (I made a mental note to tell Tonks someone was selling pixies to be eaten) and some mundane (a wizard dealing in black market pain killing potions).

My listening was interrupted by a thump as the table as I was at shook, and my eyes flew open wide as I realized someone had say down across from me. A familiar man with a cocky smile and close cropped hair.

"Garment." I said levelly. "Or should I call you the Mirror Master?" I felt myself tense involuntarily, my wrath rising…but I tamped it down.

This man (if that was what he was) wasn't exactly my enemy. He DEFINITELY wasn't a friend, but he wasn't my enemy. I had a sneaking suspicion I didn't want him as an enemy. My wrath wanted me to scream at him, to hurl insults, to blame him for my father's death, even if he wasn't the one who did the killing.

But I'd learned to be circumspect. To hold my tongue. So I just waited. He smiled indulgently, like a proud teacher. "Talked to Van Ghoul, eh?" He asked with a chuckle. "Impressive you managed to track him down so quickly. The earth is a big place."

"Come to offer me another deal?" I said flatly. "Because I don't think I'll be accepting. Bad things tend to end up happening to people who deal with you."

He gasped, putting a hand to his chest. "Me?" He said in exaggerated shock. "Why, I'm just a humble merchant. Caveat Emptor and all that. It's not MY fault that mortals can't be trusted with the trappings of power."

"So you're just a repeated victim of circumstance?" I drawled skeptically. "You take no pleasure in leading people to their dooms?"

He shrugged. "Didn't say that, now did I? I quite enjoy when people make a mess. I just don't force them to it. I don't need to. It's all about picking the right people. Your daddy was one of those. Finding his answer at the right time gave him the backbone he needed. Might have found it anyway, but I didn't leave it up to chance, did I?"

That was an angle I hadn't considered. "Wait…why do you care if someone stops Voldemort?" I asked in confusion. "I took you for the type to fiddle while Rome burns."

"I was accompanying Nero on drums, actually." He said cheerfully. "Talented musician. Terrible dancer. But you're not asking the right questions. I don't care about Voldemort. I have…bigger game in mind. A game is only fun with two players. The Faceless cheated, so I evened the playing field."

I scowled at him. "So…you were just balancing the scales? Why offer me that book then? Or point me toward the Horcruxes. What do you want from me?"

He rolled his eyes. "So boring. No one ever asks that and wants an actual answer. I told you. They cheated." His eyes flickered, a lambent red glow overtaking the brown. "Nobody CHEATS Gaunter O'Dimm."

"So why are you here?" I asked with a frown. "And how did they che…" I trailed off. "Voldemort." I said flatly. "His necromancy."

He tapped his nose. "Give the lad a kewpie doll." He said cheerfully. "As for why I'm here…let's say you earned it. I did come to make an offer, but I'll respect your choice to decline. Moreso, I'm impressed how far you've made it. It's actually impressive how deeply you've managed to entrench yourself in this mess without ANY idea what is actually going on."

That didn't really bode well for things to come. It was probably fair though. From his perspective I really was fumbling around in the dark I imagined. "Don't suppose my steadfast refusal to get tricked into some horrible deal earns me another free bit of information?"

He paused. "Now that doesn't seem like much fun." His face lit up. "Oh, I know. How about a game." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a piece of paper, then wadded it up and tossed it on the table. He snapped his fingers and in a flash a trio of cups appeared. He flipped them all over, making sure I saw him put the paper under one, and then started to move them around.

"A shell game?" I asked as he switched them around. He was humming a tune I didn't recognize, and as I watched, his hands grew faster and faster. Space seemed to warp, three cups became six, them twelve, then one, and then three again. Finally he stopped hands pulling off a trio of smoking cups.

He gestured to them grandly. "Choose your destiny." He said in a faux wizened voice.

"You palmed it." I said without hesitating. He just stopped, staring at me in shock. "What? It was obvious. You did the magic trick with the cups to confuse the issue, but you wouldn't have needed to do that if there wasn't a trick to cover up. The easiest answer was that you did something sneaky, but sneaky in a way I wouldn't expect. Like I expected. You palmed it."

"You know." He said with narrowed eyes. "You're supposed to be a stupid himbo. It's not fair when you have a proper thought."

I smirked at him. "You seem like you've seen a lot of shit, man. Whole other worlds maybe. You ever find a place where life was fair?"

He burst out laughing. "You know?" He said delightedly. "You've got me there. I do so enjoy our little chats, Orion. You're always so amusing. You're a spiteful, stubborn little shit, but you've got spine. Fine. You win. I palmed it. You'd be shocked how often people fall for that."

"Wizard's first rule." I said with a grin. "People will believe something if they want to believe it, or if they're afraid it's true."

That got a nod of acknowledgement. "Fine then." He said after a minute. "Something helpful that won't spoil the fun. Something you'd find out eventually anyway…" He chewed his lip, then brightened. "Ah. You know about the Horcruxes already. So I'll tell you how many there are. That shouldn't help too much."

"I mean, anything is better than nothing." I shrugged. "It would be nice to know exactly how many of the damned things are out there."

He rolled his eyes. "You could show SOME gratitude. I'm bending a very strict noninterference policy. The other me's will never let me live this down. I'll catch hell at the union meeting." He shot me a wink, but I still wasn't sure if he was joking or not.

When I didn't respond, he sighed in annoyance. "Fine. I'll tell you. Are you happy?"

"Ecstatic." I said dryly. "So…go ahead. You can just say it. No need to be all cryptic and mysterious."

He winked at me. "I always have a need for that. Check your pocket." I raised an eyebrow but reached down into my pocket to find the crumpled up piece of paper. Rolling my eyes, I unwrapped it. The number seven was scratched on it in bad handwriting.

"Was that really nece-" I looked up and sighed. He was gone. Because of course he was. Grumbling to myself, I put the paper back into my pocket, then closed my eyes to listen in on a few more conversations. Eventually I confirmed that I wasn't going to hear anything important and I stood up, stalking out the door in a huff.

I might not really trust 'Gaunter' (which was only a slightly less dumb name than Garment), but he didn't need to lie to me. It would be like me lying to an ant. Whatever he was, I'd gotten a deep and terrible sensation of POWER from him when he'd done that cup trick. He was WAY out of my league.

In light of that, I had some new information to pass on. We knew how many Horcruxes (Phylacteries damn it) there were, which was a good first step. Of course, we still had to FIND them all, but one thing at a time.

December 25th, 2011, Grimmauld Place, London, England 12:00 PM BST

Nothing happened for the next five days. I was shocked, I'd been sure that I'd get attacked by a pack of werewolves or have to fight an army of Death Eaters, but it was smooth sailing. I spent time with my girls, hung out with Sirius, talked with my mom, and just generally enjoyed my life. So when I woke up at noon, I was feeling pretty peaceful…for about five seconds.

"Wake up sleepyhead, it's Christmas eve day!" Bellowed Astoria as she flung open the door to the room with a grin. Only to immediately squeak and cover her eyes to avoid getting a VERY thorough look at a naked and exhausted Daphne with half her ass hanging out of the blanket.

I snickered, reaching down to tug the blanket over my snoozing girlfriend. "So it is. I'd make a joke about wanting you to learn to knock as a gift, but I suspect that lesson has been taught."

"Not funny." She pouted at me. "Now get dressed. Your mum made a special breakfast."

She turned and strutted out, head held high, and I laughed a bit and used a circle to push the door shut from across the room. That was SUCH a useful ability. Standing up, I leaned back, stretching expansively with a loud groan. I winced as I realized Daphne was still sleeping, but when I glanced down to check on her she wasn't bleary and upset, she had one eye open, lazily tracing the line of my body.

"Must you look at me like a piece of meat?" I said in a faux offended voice. "The way you stare when I'm naked makes me feel like one big sausage."

She smirked. "I've always wondered why men are compared to sausages. We're the ones who get stuffed. But you have a point. I'm showing far too much respect. Dance for me, strumpet." She grinned wickedly as she twirled her finger. I blurred across the room, tackling her sideways across the bed, pinning her down by the wrists.

"You want to dance?" I said smugly as I ground against her. "Because I wanna polka." She giggled and we were just about to enjoy a little of that recreational sausage stuffing when someone pounded on the closed door.

Stori's voice boomed through the wood. "Come ON!" She comnplained. "It's CHRISTMAS! I let you sleep til noon, now get up!"

"Remember when she was all shy and quiet?" I said with a sigh. "I miss that." My tone made it obvious I was kidding, and Daphne just giggled slightly.

Almost immediately her voice returned. "No you don't!"

"Stop spying on us or I'm going to fuck your sister into a gibbering mess just so you have to hear it!" I snapped back. "We'll be down in a minute!" I could hear her grumbling through the door as she stalked off, and I let my head flop down onto Daphne's shoulder with a groan. "Ugh. I think we have to get up."

Grabbing my head by the hair, she lifted it gently, pressing a kiss to my mouth. "You first, you're crushing me." She said teasingly. "But don't be too down. I have a surprise for you tonight. I think you're going to like it."

"I do like surprises." I mused. "Well, except when I'm not expecting them. Sudden unpredictable surprises are the worst kind."

She pushed me off her with a laugh, leaving me to catch myself floating in the air next to the bed. "Remind me to get you a thesaurus next year." Giving me a quick kiss, she murmured. "Happy Christmas." Then rolled over, her bare ass bouncing enticingly before she threw a pillow at me and obscured my view. Sadly she was wearing underwear when the pillow fell away.

Winking at me, she wiggled into a sun dress. She'd been letting Tracey and Seras help her dress when we were in london, and it showed. With a laugh, I righted myself, throwing on some sweats and a t-shirt I snagged from my room at home (limitless portal circles were WAY more convenient than some stupid bag of holding like they had in stories). Then we headed downstairs.

"Morning everyone." I said cheerfully as I waved at our assembled friends and family. "Merry Christmas eve day!"

My mother, sipping coffee, just rolled her eyes."You don't need to say the whole thing every time. Not that you'll listen. Did you sleep well?" I was surprised everyone was still in a breakfast mood at noon, wearing robes and all, but I guess they all slept in too.

"He didn't sleep much at all." Snickered Astoria. "Daph was naked and looking very tired when I went in there." She stuck her tongue out at me like she was getting me in trouble.

I just grinned unapologetically. "What, I'm supposed to be embarrassed I had sex with my smoking hot girlfriend? You need to get better at mocking people." I returned her stuck out tongue gesture and she pouted.

Cyrus, who was staying here with his wife and daughters, winced. "Perhaps we could speak less casually about young Orion defiling my eldest daughter."

"Probably better than discussing Blaise defiling your youngest." Snickered Tracey from where she was leaned against the counter. When we all looked at her she blinked. "Oh, I said that out loud didn't I?" She shrugged. "Whoops."

Blaise, who was glaring at her, looked nervously. "Sir, I would never take advantage of your daughter."
"It's true daddy." Stori pouted. "He won't even spank me with a belt. His hand just isn't enough anymore." Cyrus stood and fled the room, a sickened expression on his face, and Stori grinned smugly after him.

I sighed. "So I'm not the one being tormented then?"

"Daddy's been very mean to Blaise." She sniffed loftily. "He glares at him every time I turn away and thinks I don't notice. Maybe now he'll learn to be nicer."

My mom beamed at her. "I just ADORE you." She glanced at me. "Can we keep her? I could dress her up in little outfits. I bet you would look darling in a little sun hat. You're so cute, you're like a little china doll."

"Mom." I said with a grimace. "Please don't drool over Stori. It's creepy."

She snorted. "I see how it is. Little miss Goth sunshine is getting her biscuit buttered by your uncle and its fine, but I show some appreciation for a beautiful witch and its creepy." There was a crash as Val dropped her fork with a mortified look on her face that I was sure matched mine, and my mother winked at us before smirking at Stori. "And that, young lady, is how you torment people. Single targets are never the answer. It's best to spread the pain around."

"I-m not-" Val stammered. "There's no…buttering!" She whirled on Sirius, who was snickering, and he quickly smothered his grin. It was honestly adorable seeing my tough as nails Queen floundering.

Ignoring the interplay, I walked over and grabbed a plate, scooping out the corned beef hash and eggs and grabbing some cornbread. I dropped down next to Harry, who was watching everything with a strange sort of detached fondness. "Galleon for your thoughts?" I said cheerily. Suzie was right, knut sounded wrong.

He smiled dimly. "Oh, just…this is nice. Christmas is usually much different for me. I cook dinner and clean up after my relatives. It's not pleasant."

"But you're out of there right?" I asked cautiously. "You're eighteen. Where did you stay this summer?" I knew from context clues how much his aunt and uncle had to suck, though I wasn't aware of the specifics.

"Ron's." He said with a smile. "But that's not…I can't keep putting them out. Sirius actually told me I could stay here after this year ends. Like…move in permanently. He's even going to introduce me to some other friends of my parents." His face was shining with happiness, and I was going to congratulate him until I was cut off by a squeal of delight.

Stori hurled herself at him, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Oh Harry! That's amazing I'm so happy for you."
"Stori, I think you're suffocating him." I pointed out. Harry's face was turning purple as her python grip wrapped around his neck.

She pulled back, clicking her tongue as she let him go. "You should be more careful about that kind of thing Harry." She swung to beam at her boyfriend. "Blaise, Harry is going to be living here now. We need to help him decorate his room. I have so many ideas. What do you think about dark red and gold? Gryffindor colors."

"That's really not nec-" Harry tried to essay, but Blaise cut him off.

"Don't bother mate." My friend said with a grin. "Once she gets something into her head there's no getting it out of it. Just give in to the inevitable and help her pick your stuff, or you might come home to find she's snuck in and decorated it hot pink or something out of spite."

Stori sniffed, brushing a fake tear from her eye. "It's so romantic how well you know me."

I turned to Daphne. "You still worried Blaise is going to take advantage of your adorable little sister? Because at this point I feel bad for him."

"He deserves it." She said loftily. "But yes, it is quite fun to watch. She knows how to handle her man." She winked at me. "Shame I ended up with one that never listens to anyone. I just have to make do with all the earthshattering sex."

We all laughed, at least those of us awake. Tracey seemed to be a bit out of it and Shaggy was asleep on his feet. I had to search for Scooby, but I found him sticking out from under the table, tail wagging as people slipped him food surreptitiously. "Anyway." I said, turning to Sirius. "Are we doing presents tonight or tomorrow?"

"Midnight." He said firmly. "Nobody wants to wake up at five in the morning on Christmas, especially not people who slept til noon the day before. Kreacher is actually making dinner this year too. I hate to compliment the little bastard but his prime rib is fantastic. Only decent part of Christmas at my mums."

I was about to comment on how he should leave Kreacher alone, since the little guy had been so much help so far, but I was cut off by a loud sound from the other room.

Daphne and I were up and out of our chairs at top speed. Something about that sound was familiar. We bolted for the other room, only to find Suzie lying on the area rug, breathless. "Ryan!" She sobbed. "Please help! It's my Aunt. The Bones Manor is under attack!"

Cursing, we helped her up, bringing her into the kitchen. My mom, ever the cool customer, fished out a series of potions and sat her down at the table, feeding them to her.

"Val." I snapped. "You're with me. Wake up Seras and get her down here to watch Suzie. We'll pick up Skulduggery on the way." She nodded, rushing out of the room to go wake up my Rook. I turned to Susan. "Hey, are you alright? We need to know what's going on. Are they inside the manor, stuck on the wards? We can take care of this."

She stammered out a story, telling me about visiting her aunt for Christmas day, planning to come spend the evening here. Val came back as she finished, and I nodded to her, opening a circle as we headed for her place to pick up my Bishop.

"Wait!" Suzie grabbed me before I could leave, giving me a tight hug. "Bring her back safe, but be careful, ok?" With a reassuring smile, I walked through the circle. Silently I cursed myself for my earlier thought about nothing happening. What a jinx.

December 25th, 2011, Bones Manor, London, England 1:00 PM BST

Sadly, we did NOT find Skulduggery at his place, which was annoying. He didn't have a phone, so we left a note. Val suspected he might be visiting China, so I told her we could check in after we hit Bones Manor, in case he ran into trouble.

We came out of the circle in Suzie's bedroom. I'd been there a few times, so it was easy enough to get us in. Val and I stepped out, wands ready,and I held up a hand to silently stop her. Focusing, I opened up a circle in front of my eye, forming the other end on the ceiling at the top of the steps.

After a second, I nodded. "We're clear. Hallway's empty, keep an eye out for whoever is here." She nodded back and we stepped to the door, opening it quietly to lean out into the hall. I sniffed briefly, picking up a few whiffs of smoke, but nothing else.

Before I could head out into the hall though, Val caught me, glaring reproachfully. Sighing, I stepped back, letting her go first.

Val's face was as serious as I'd ever seen it as she entered the hall, I made sure to face away from her so nobody could sneak up on us until we hit the steps. When we reached the top of the stairs though, I felt a subtle shift in the air. Without thinking I slammed down a shield charm with a big chunk of intent behind it.

An explosion of purple flames rebounded off the shield, and there was a low pop. Fletcher Renn, eyes still black as night, appeared in front of me, raising a knife.

I punched him in the throat. I made sure not to kill him, but I didn't need to hit him too hard, my speed was more than enough. He started gagging and doubled over. Turning, i grabbed his collar and hurled him down the hall, using my intent trick with the cutting curses to coat him in magic so he could pass through the shield.

He sailed down the corridor, head smashing into the wall, before dropping to the ground limply. Val glared at me, but I shrugged. "His fault. Go get him tied up will you? If he knew we were here the rest of them will too, and I don't feel like getting backstabbed as we take them on."

She glared a bit harder, but then turned and stalked off down the hallway. I was planning to wait for her, but I heard a pained grunt from downstairs and realized I didn't have the time. I put a hand on the bannister and vaulted over the side, dropping fifteen feet to the ground without using the steps.

As my feet hit, I threw myself forward in a blurring fast roll, which was pretty lucky because half a dozen beams of light impact the floor where I'd been. The spot exploded, caught on fire, turned inside out, and if I wasn't mistaken, started to dissolve all at once.

I had a shield up nearly instantly, and the next wave slammed into the silvery dome, barely shaking my spell. I snorted. Enchanting had taught me a lot about how to manage my energy. The shield was rock solid. "Ryan!" Called Val's panicked voice from upstairs, but as she came over the bannister a column of shadows smashed into her.

Turning, I saw Bermuda and Jager, the necromancers we'd met at Finbarr's place, emerging from the shadows. I cursed as they pursued her, but I let it go. Val was my Queen, and stronger than I was, not to mentioned better trained, I had to trust her.

"Awwww." Cooed a high pitched sing song voice. "Look at the ickle half breed's sad little face. Someone get the poor lamb a cookie."

Turning, I sighed as about ten Death Eaters came into view. At their head was a pale woman with dark circles around her eyes and a rats nest of tangled black hair streaked with grey. Her dark eyes looked small and beady, and they shone with madness and cruelty.

"I'm sorry." I said politely. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure. I suspect not living out of a dumpster we run in different social circles."

Her eyes widened in rage. Like…really widened. Like I could see the white all the way around. "You DARE speak to me in such a way, mongrel?" She screeched, her giddy craziness melting away to reveal the more common violent kind. "To spout off about social standing as you pollute the world with your impure blood!"

"Wait." I said with a nod. "I got it. My bad. The crazy bitchy vibe, the wacky hair, and the blood supremacy. You're Andi's sister right? Bellatrix." This bitch was supposed to be in wizard jail. I had no clue how she'd gotten out, but I suspected it involved a certain bald snake fucker who wouldn't stay dead.

Her wand blurred up and about a dozen curses smashed into my shield. I caught the subtle blurring that told me she was using that annoying time slow spell and she was FAST. Like, even for people who used that spell.

"SILENCE!" She shrieked. "Don't speak that disgusting mud-fucker's name in my presence!"

I smirked at her. "An ironic insult coming from a woman who looks like she got gangbanged by Oscar the grouch and his extended family. You forget how to Bathe in prison?" I gestured to her ratty torn clothes and matted hair.

She shot another flurry of attacks at me, but I'd been watching. I dropped the shield instantly, stepping lightly in a series of shuffling dodges and letting her spells pass me by as Asclepius came out to play. The massive acid snake blurred toward her, and I saw her flinch back.

Sadly, that wasn't enough to put her down. She flicked her wand almost faster than I could see and one of her fellow Death Eaters went flying in front of the snake. It didn't stop my Ascelpius, but the body slowed it for a split second, enough time for her to spin on her heal, apparating ten feet the side and unleashing a renewed flurry of attacks.

Cursing, I yanked back my spell, letting the acid snake flow in front of me, intercepting all of her spells. Some combination of the damned things mixed inside the construct and detonated it in an explosion of acidic heavy water.

My shield came back up, just long enough to take the splash, and then I was blurring forward. I'd considered my options, and while Bellatrix herself seemed pretty powerful, I was pretty sure all her minions would be my big issue. So I decided to take out the Death Eaters first. There was another crack and she appeared in front of me, wand blurring out and sending a series of powerful hexes at me.

I snarled in frustration, weaving around them as the others joined in. I conjured a shield around me, a real tight one, and an invisible layer of force wrapped around my body.

A dozen blasts of magic smashed jarringly into me, sending me wheeling back, and Bella took advantage to launch into a complicated chain of spells, not just dark curses in general but a few of those annoying murder spells. Stomping my feet, I smashed the floor, and then cast a levitation charm on all the fragments of stone.

Dropping to a knee so I was under the level where they were interrupting all the spells I started casting cutting curses. Legs sheared off at the knee and calf, some at the ankle, as Death Eaters fell screaming, most of them losing their heads much more literally to my follow up cutters.

Bell gods damn her soul, simply seemed to dance over the attacks gracefully. She flicked her wand and a wave of that same horrible cursed fire Barty used came at me with a roar. Her cackle of glee was one of the most annoying sounds I'd ever heard.

I conjured another Ascelpius, smashing the condensed water serpent into the cobra of green flame. The snakes twined around each other, both screaming, and my heavy water started to evaporate as the cursed fire was crushed into oblivion by my will. I had to cast a second Asclepius, wrapping it even tighter, and my intent was needed to flood the water to slowly compact the magic until I could choke the life out of it.

Once I was done, I spun to face Bella again…but she was gone. That cursed fire shit went crazy when you didn't control it, but since she wanted us all dead that didn't seem to be an issue. Sighing, I glanced between the kitchen door they'd been trying to blow open and the upstairs where Val was.

I spread my wings, floating up to the top of the steps. Val was slumped against the wall nursing a shiner and a bleeding lip but otherwise unhurt. I was glad. I really needed to learn more about these necromancers, but they seemed to think she was their messiah, so I hadn't figured they'd hurt her. "You alright?' I asked as I landed.

"Fine." She grunted. "Fletcher is…not doing great. He woke up long enough to spew a bunch of shit before I knocked him out again."

I sighed. "I'll talk to Vincent. Maybe he can figure something out. He did make the chest of demons to begin with." She nodded gratefully, then stood, hoisting the necromancy wrapped body of her ex over a shoulder effortlessly.

Once I'd checked on Val, we headed down to the kitchen door. I banged on it. "Amelia?" I called loudly. "It's Ryan. You in there?"

There was a pause. "Orion Black?" She said suspiciously. "What are you doing here? How did you get past my wards? How did you know I was even in danger." Then she stopped talking. "O Merlin, Susan! Is she alright?"

"She's fine." I said reassuringly. "Though you don't have wards anymore if you did before. Bella teleported like three times when I was fighting her. Can you let us in?"

I could hear her deciding whether or not to ask us for proof, luckily she didn't do anything that pointless. We had no pre determined signals or anything, so it wouldn't have proven anything at all. Eventually she sighed. "I need you to stand back." She said tiredly. "I transfigured a bunch of pots into a block of metal to obstruct the doorway. It's speared into the ground."

We did so, and let her know, and an explosion of magic reduced the door to rubble, along with vaporizing the metal blocking it off. She came out, coughing. "Sorry." She said sheepishly. "Didn't have the mental strength to untransfigure it. Is Susan here with you?"

"Of course not." I snorted. "She was wounded. She's resting at Grimmauld place. We can take you back there if you're up for it."

She nodded slowly. "There are a few things I need to get if you can wait. Documents, the house ring, things I can't leave behind in case they come back." I agreed, and she bustled off, hurrying to collect her things."

"Jesus." Val muttered under her breath. "And I thought Seras had big ones." Amelia was wearing a night gown, and it put her extremely healthy figure on display.

I grinned at her wickedly. "You know Sirius was hitting that when she was our age." Her eyes snapped to me in a glare, and I just winked. "What? Now you know, and knowing is half the battle."
I was still laughing at her middle finger when Amelia came back. She seemed confused but I waved it off, opening a circle to take us back to Grimmauld. She seemed a bit surprised, but magic could do some crazy shit, so I saw her mentally dismiss it in light of all the crazy shit that had gone down today. Merry fuckin' Christmas, huh?

December 25th, 2011, Grimmauld Place, London, England 3:00 PM BST

Sirius was thrilled to see Amelia show up safe at Grimmauld place. He was LESS thrilled by the daggers Val was staring at him when she hurled herself into his arms. I mostly just tried to hide my snickers.

My mom took pity on the old man, taking the rattled redhead upstairs to get some rest. I stepped up next to him as we watched them leave, mentally high fiving myself for snagging Suzie if she was going to have a body like that (which given devil physiology she definitely would). "Huh." I said casually. "No way that's going to get complicated."

He glared at me. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" He was very carefully not looking over at Val.

"Of course not." I said in an innocent voice. "I'm AMUSED by it, but I take no joy in your pain. I-"

My teasing was cut off as a small but very fast red blur smashed into my ribs, Suzie wrapping her arms around me and squeezing so tight I thought I might pop like a water balloon. "Thank you so much Ryan! Auntie told me she heard a big fight, and that you protected her from Bellatrix Lestrange of all people! I don't know how I can thank you!"

I reached down to stroke her hair, a soft smile on my face. "You never have to thank me for anything, Suzie. You do so much for me. Of course I'll do my best to keep your Aunt safe."

She nuzzled against me happily, but was eventually dragged away by Daphne to go comfort aforementioned aunt. I was planning to check on them, but was interrupted myself by a whirlwind of frizzy hair as Hermione appeared in front of my, nearly bouncing with excitement. "I got it!"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "It in this case being…" I trailed off, waiting for her to elaborate.

"The answer!" She said, rolling her eyes. "Now follow me and I'll show you." She turned and nearly sprinted away into the library.

I sighed. "Right. The answer. How silly of me. Why didn't I guess."

"She's already gone." Val informed me as she stepped up next to me. "You're not talking to anyone at this point." I glared at her, and she just winked, happy to share her bad mood. Luckily, her eyes snapped to Sirius like a hawk a second later, and she was off. I shrugged, following Hermione into the library.

She was bent over the table, grabbing a book, a sight which I thoroughly enjoyed, when I came in, then spun around and with lightning speed shoved the book into my hands. "Behold!" She said triumphantly.
"I can't believe you just said that." I said bluntly, but I took the book and scanned the entry. "Ok, but this is a Basilisk." I said. "Basilisks don't petrify things. They just kill them. Instantly. With a glance. No one in Hogwarts has died. We crossed them off like the first night we started looking for the creature."

She rolled her eyes, pointing down at the third paragraph on the page. "Read that section, you'll see what I mean." I glanced down at the book, reading the segment aloud.

"Alas, poor Bertrand, for his death at the hands of the beast was swift and brutal. Of all our party's dead, Bertrand was perhaps the luckiest, for several of our number burned alive from the inside, corrupted by the beast's venomous bite. When the fighting waned, and the beast fell dead, I alone survived the horrible onslaught.

"Or so I thought. When the corpses were removed, we found gentle Mathilda among the dead, but not one of their number. Her body was cold as ice and hard as stone, but life yet burned within her breast. Twas Bertrand, that noble fool, who had saved her, enduring the fatal stare of the beast as he knocked her away. Once reanimated, she informed us that she had seen the eyes of the monster in Betrand's shining armor, and was struck instantly with paralysis."

"Ok…" I said cautiously. "Reflected images of the eyes don't kill you. But I don't see…" I trailed off. "The cat was hanging above a puddle." I said, feeling it out. "What about Creevey though? He wasn't near anything reflective."

She shook her head excitedly. "The camera!' She squeaked with triumph. "He was looking through his camera. They found it beside him and the inside was melted to slag!"

"Shit." I said. "That's not good. Basilisks are nasty fuckers. And this one has to be ancient. The book in the library said they don't stop growing. They molt perpetually, getting bigger every time. Like lobsters."

Opening her mouth, she froze. "Wait…is that true? Lobsters can molt forever?"

"Biologically immortal, pretty much." I confirmed. "But they get to a point where the shells are too cumbersome to molt and die from that most of the time."

Despite my fun fact though, my brain was elsewhere. The Basilisk was dangerous. I was PRETTY sure instant death glares wouldn't work on devils, that sounded mental, and the evil piece resisted that kind of thing, but while I doubted any of us would just keel over, I was less sure we would be able to just shrug that shit off.

Chances were any of use hit with it would be damaged horribly, not to mention the venom that was so destructive fucking goblins used it to etch their indestructible weapons.

I had been trying to get my hands on goblin silver for a while now, but nobody sold it except goblins, and even they mostly only did it on a whim. I made a note to try to reverse engineer it with devil magic, if I could make that shit I'd be set for life, plus I could make weapons and armor for my friends.

Hermione had gotten back to talking, but I was tuning her out. She wasn't as bad as I'd thought, even if I'd never trust her completely. I wasn't planning to tell her about being a devil, but she was useful at least. I thanked her mechanically and took off to think about things. We'd postponed Christmas dinner to tomorrow so Amelia could calm down, since it was Christmas even and not day it would still be fine.

Speaking of which, I had someone else to talk to. I headed upstairs, stopping outside Harry's door. I heard talking from inside. "I don't CARE Stori. Something is going on and I need to know what. They're not keeping you in the loop either, aren't you upset? Your own sister lying to you?"

"Not especially." Came her serene voice. "I don't mind being lied to. When people lie to you, it's never about you, it's always about them. It's a defense mechanism. Of course, I'm still going to find out what's going on myself, but I'm not going to take it personally that they're keeping me in the dark. That just makes getting around them more entertaining."

I grinned to myself. Stori was certainly unique. I liked her way of looking at things. It was practical. Luckily, my timing was pretty good. I knocked on the door.

There was a slight shuffling. Stori opened the door. "Oh, Ryan." She said cheerfully. "Terribly sorry, can't talk right now. I've agreed to let Blaise violate my bum. He's just lubing up."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not your dad Astoria." I said with amusement. "I'm not going to run away because you used dirty sex words. I know Harry is in there, and please spare me whatever claims of orgies or threesomes was going to be your next attempt to deflect. Honestly, why are you such a little pervert?"

She pouted at me. "Well if SOMEONE hadn't started shagging my sister into a puddle of mush at every opportunity my pure and gentle soul wouldn't have become corrupted by your filth."

"Didn't you say you used to sneak copies of Playwitch magazine into you-" There was a yelp from my best friend as she turned and snapped off a stinging hex. "Bloody hell." Snapped Blaise. "What was that for?"

Snickering, I pushed inside, to find Harry leaned against the wall and Blaise sprawled on the bed looking bored aside from the damaged leg he was nursing.

"Harry." I said cheerfully. "Just the guy I was looking for. Got a progress update on some shit that's related to your favorite snake face. You interested?" I wasn't going to bother hiding shit from him, he was a good guy, plus if him and the terrible twosome started digging they might catch something we missed.

His eyes were fixed on me intensely. "You mean that?" He said slowly. "You're not just trying to placate me? Because if you're just going to toss me scraps of information and then justify it by saying you're protecting me or something…"

"Weirdly specific assumption." I said lightly. "But no. No need for that. I'm happy to fill you in. Especially given all the help Hermione has been on the Chamber thing. She cracked the case, and she wouldn't have worked with us if you weren't involved. Now, what exactly do you know about what's been going on."

He snorted bitterly. "Nothing at all." His voice sounded almost hopeless. "No one tells me anything. I knew there was some kind of Voldemort related incident with Kreacher. Sirius came to check on me after you sent me upstairs and had that talk. He tried to be subtle but he isn't great at keeping a low profile."

"No." I laughed. "No he is not. But fair enough. I honestly didn't think about involving you before now because it's mostly my business. But it occurs to me that you have as much skin in the game where Voldemort is concerned as I do, and since you're around anyway…"

So I told him. Or rather, I mostly told him. I left out the devil stuff, but I mentioned my dad, how he'd been searching for something for me, how that had put him at odds with Voldemort, and how he'd eventually been tracked down and killed. I told him about planting the fake locket and Kreacher trying to destroy the other one to no avail.

I told him about a meeting with a 'friend' who was gifted in divination and had confirmed there were seven Horcruxes, and I told him what a Horcrux was.

"So we're going to destroy it right?" He said as I finished talking. And I filled him in on our plan to use the thing to find the rest of them, and how the research was ongoing. We'd be destroying it soon enough, but for now we waited.

He went through a lot of emotions, he was even more worked up about this fucker than I was. But eventually we got through it, and Stori told me to go ahead to bed. She said she'd take care of him and help him calm down a bit. She thanked me and gave me a tight hug, clearly grateful for my honesty even if she hadn't been bothered by its absence.

I headed to my room then, ready to head to bed since Christmas morning I'd need to wake up early anyway, and a lot had happened today. I opened my bedroom door…and froze.

Daphne was sitting on my bed, dressed as Ms. Klaus. A red hat and a skimpy red top and skirt. In her lap sat Suzie, sizable breasts barely contained a ring of wrapping paper. There was a stickable present bow on top of her head, and another right above her bare pussy. "Ryan." Purred Daphne as I stopped in the door. "Please, come inside. It's time for you to unwrap my gift." She leaned down and nipped at Suzie's neck with a sultry smile. "This we'll both be sharing the same present. I hope you don't mind." I've never closed a door and taken off my pants so fast in my life.

December 25th, 2011, Grimmauld Place, London, England 8:00 PM BST (smut warning: threesome, bisexuality, girl on girl, BDSM)

Staring at Daphne in her Christmas outfit and Suzie all wrapped up for me on the bed, I admit I had trouble holding myself back, but I wanted to make sure they were both taken care of too. So, once I was naked, I forced myself to mosey on over to them slowly enough to really enjoy the sight. Arriving in front of them, I raked my eyes over their bodies.

"Well, don't you two just make the prettiest picture." I asked, staring into Suzie's eyes as the shined up at me. "Did you play with each other before I got here?"

My redhead gulped, shaking her head slowly, her heavy breathing straining the wrapping paper around her fantastic breasts. Daphne answered for her. "Of course not. We're only doing this because it's Christmas and we know how bad you want it." I raised an eyebrow at her, and she blushed a bit.

I sat down on the bed next to them, pulling Suzie full into my lap as I glanced at Daphne. "Oh really?" I asked with a naughty grin. "You'll do anything I want to see badly?"

Her eyes left mine, suspiciously glued to the same straining wrapping paper mine had fixed on. "I…yes, of course. We're yours for tonight. This is all about you." Her breathing was getting heavy too, and I noticed her pleasantly plump chest (about a B cup at this point) heaving as she stared at our little present.

"Then I want you on your knees in front of me right now." She didn't even hesitate, kneeling down and staring up at us in arousal.

When she was there, I reached down, hands grasping the thick, creamy thighs of my redhead, and slowly opened them, turning her body so Daphne was treated with a front row view of the neediest pussy I'd ever been in. Suzie turned her head away, blushing, but didn't stop me or pull back. Slowly, deliberately, I reached down and grabbed a handful of silky blonde hair, pressing her face forward until her mouth mashed against Susan's dripping cunt.

"What are- ohhh." Suzie moaned. "She's…oh Ryan, her tongue is inside. I've never let another girl do this. No one but you has ever- it feels so different. She's getting so deep, but she's so gentle." She wriggled her hips in my lap, an eminently pleasant feeling, and I reached up to rip away the paper restraining her gorgeous tits.

She squeaked as they came free and a hand came up to grope one of massive orbs, the other capturing a strawberry milk colored nipple and playing it between thumb and forefinger.

"Daphne." I cooed down at my blonde princess. "Don't stop, but look up." She did, her eyes a bit glazed, and they widened. "That's right. You like these don't you?" She shook her head a bit frantically, but her eyes stayed glued to Suzie's jugs. "Stop licking and stand up."

She did, staggering to her feet, face wet and staggering. "That was…I hope you liked it, Ryan."

"Oh I did." I informed her cheerfully. "But not as much as Suzie. Sweetheart, why don't you tell Daphne what you thought of her time between your thighs."

My redhead blushed. "I liked it a lot." She said shyly. "Your tongue felt so good."

"Daphne liked it too." I informed her. "In fact, she's been wanting to enjoy your pretty little cunt for a while. She just needed an excuse. Not that I don't think she wants to be with both of us, I know she loves me, but my little snake slut likes girls with big fat tits." I groped Suzie a bit more aggressively. "Don't you princess?"

Her porcelain face flushed dark red. "Don't be absurd. I don't feel like that about other witches. This is just a present."

I released my grip. "If you say so. Do me a favor, taste Suzie's pretty nipples for me. Just bury your head in those big fat jugs and go to town. I want to see it. As part of my present." She swallowed hard, leaning forward to shove her face into our girl's big bouncy knockers.

"Suzie, grab a feel of that sweet doughy rear Daphne has been working on." I said casually, enjoying the sight of them together.

She did, leaning forward a bit before palming the pale jiggly cheeks that demonic shapeshifting was slowly filling out in fat delicious ass. "Oh." She giggled. "It's squishy. Your bum is very nice Daphne. I like this. And your mouth is so soft and gentle on my breasts."

"She loves them." I told Suzie, kissing down her jaw. "She's always loved large breasts. She just didn't want to admit it, so she made snide comments and bullied all the busty girls. But she can't bring herself to bully our little Puff. Can you Daph?" I stroked her blonde hair, letting her pull back to answer and enjoying the look on her face.

Her breathing was heavy and her pupils were dilated. "I don't…that's not." Her wide eyes were glued to the heaving breasts in front of her.

"Touch her cunt Suzie." I ordered, and the groping hands slid down to trace over Daphne's own soaked pussy. She gave a lewd moan, and I smirked at her. "Our busty little Huffleslut is touching your pussy, Daph. How does it feel? Be honest."

She let out a ragged gasp. "I love it." She said, closing her eyes. "I love the feeling of another witch sliding her fingers inside."

"You want her to keep going." I said leadingly, and she nodded quickly. "Admit the reason."

Her voice dropped to a whine. "I love busty witches. I love the way they bounce, the way they jiggle. I love the feel of big soft breasts or a nice fat rump. My mouth waters when I see a witch with a thick curvy body." Her voice sounded almost scared.

"Good girl." I said with a chuckle. "Suzie, I'd say that kind of honesty deserves a reward, wouldn't you?"

She beamed cheerfully at Daphne. "Of course! I think it's wonderful you would share that with us. You can play with my breasts if you like. We're both Ryan's, and if you like my body I'm happy to spend some alone time with a friend." She blushed darkly. "I really liked the things you did between my legs with your tongue."

"I think maybe you should return the favor." I purred in her ear. "Doesn't that sound nice?"

Nodding quickly Suzie straightened up. "Oh, of course! That's so rude of me. Daphne gaze me such a sweet kiss…" She flushed. "Down there. I should do that too, not just touch her with my hands."

"On the bed." I ordered her. "Lay out for us and spread your legs."

Suzie, being an adorable and obedient girlfriend, flopped down on the bed happily, getting herself ready. I grinned at Daphne, motioning to Susan's pretty face. Blushing furiously, Daphne slipped her red thong out from under her skirt and mounted up, straddling Suzie's face.

She let out a low keening moan when she settled in, gasping as Suzie's hands snapped to her fat ass. "Bloody hell." She gasped. "She's tonguing my cunt Ryan, oh fuck this feels good. That sweet little mouth on my pussy. It's like heaven." She let her head drop, hands falling to grope Susans exposed tits.

I grinned, climbing up on the bed and settling between our redhead's spread legs. Pressing my cock to her entrance, I shoved in, sliding up into her snug pussy easily after all the games and foreplay. She was so slick I bottomed out before I realized, and Daphne and I let out twin groans as my stuffing made Suzie whine into the pussy she was licking.

Leaning forward, I grabbed Daphnes hair the way I knew she liked and mashed her mouth against mine, swallowing her whimpers as our Puff ate her needy cunt. Pulling back, I growled in her ear. "She's getting you ready for me, you know." Her eyes fluttered as she stared at me. "I'm going to stuff you up just as good when I finish in her."

"I know." She said breathlessly. "Your cock is the only thing I've ever felt that was better than this. Fuck I can't wait to feel you splitting me in two. She can kiss it all better after."

I picked up my pace, fucking into Susan in time to the loud beat of Daphne's heart. My blonde started whining and gasping into my lips while we used our pretty Hufflepuff, with a wail of ecstasy, she came all over Suzie's face, my redhead tightened up and it only made me fuck faster.

Wet, tight, soft, Susan's pussy was as fantastic as ever, if not somehow better with Daphne sitting on her face. "You can have her like this whenever you want." I growled. "As long as I can watch. It's a bit early, but I got you a pensieve for Christmas." She clenched up, whining as she came again, and took a second to answer.

Finally, after a reboot moment, Daphne giggled deliriously. "Oh fuck! Yes. I want to use it. I'll make a memory of this first. I want you to see what you look like to me, stretching her needy little twat like that. My tongue was barely able to fit, you must be about tearing her in two." She was groping and squeezing Suzie's tits like stress balls, and I decided I wanted to see hers, reaching up to rip off her top. I felt my balls tighten at the sight, speeding up as I got closer and closer to finishing.

While not as big, Daphne's tits were perfect and perky, and seeing them bounce and wobble while she had her cunt licked was fucking amazing. Sadly that about did it for me, and then it was my turn to blow my load inside the snuggest little hufflepuff. I groaned, pulling out sadly.

"Switch." I panted. "Daphne on your back. Susan, sit on her face and let her clean you up."

Nodding absently, Susan climbed up to her hands and knees, and we grabbed Daphnes legs, pulling her out straight as Suzie dropped her battered pussy onto my princess's clever mouth and sighed in joy and pleasure as her tongue dug in.

Meanwhile I stuffed myself into Daphne, groaning at the welcoming feel of her cunt after repeated tonguing to orgasm. "Fuck she feels good. How'd you like the taste?"

Suzie giggled, wiping her face and licking her fingers. "It was nice. I had fun making her feel- oh, good. Wow, she's better at this than me. Do you think she had practice, or is it just a natural talent thing?"

"The latter." I laughed. "She's been in denial for years. But you'll both have plenty of time to work on it. You ok eating her pussy whenever she needs it."

That got another giggle. "Of course. This is fun, and it'll bring us closer together. Besides, you're so big, having someone to kiss it better makes you easier to take." She winked at me, knowing I loved talk like that.
I started pounding into Daphne harder and faster, and Suzie's face went blank with pleasure as the blonde sped up her tongue. Leaning forward, I pulled her into a rough kiss, enjoying the taste of Slytherin pussy on her lips. "Pretty sure she's taking me easier than usual too. So you'll be happy to know all your hard work is being put to good use."

I enjoyed the feel of Daphne clenching and gripping at my cock as I fucked her. She might like Suzie's tongue, but she loved my cock even more, I had no illusions about that. I picked up speed, resolving to draw this one out for a while. We had hours before we had to be up. Still, I had to admit. Best Christmas ever.

As usual pat-reon has the advance chapters at that site /malcolmtent hope everyone enjoys.