[006]

It took a moment to get over my completely justifiable anger at the Grimoire giving me the perfect spell for escaping a cell only moments after I'd been stripped naked, assaulted and had to kill the jailkeeper to escape. Fuck the grimoire! I took a deep breath.

"No, Luna. I'm fairly certain I'm not a Heliopath."

"Oh… does that mean you're not going to ravage me and take me into your harem?" She sounded disappointed.

I just stared at the naked thirteen? Thirteen-year-old. "Not without at least a dinner date first."

As if waiting for my mention of food both of our stomachs rumbled and I was reminded that I hadn't eaten anything in… almost two days now. Fuck the Dursleys.

I crouched over the corpse of the dickhead who thought he could have some fun with us and started riffling through his robes. I found a handful of lint covered sweets, an entire bottle of wine, a ring that refused to come off his finger and a coin pouch which held a generous amount of coin but no more than the dimensions of the purse could realistically carry which was disappointing. 'Where was my bag of holding, dang it!'

I fetched the man's wand from where he had dropped it and felt a weak spluttering wheeze come from it when I attempted to push my storm through the wood. So, I handed it to Luna who waved it about, vanishing half the blood still on my chest and the small amount that had somehow splattered her legs with a firm "Scourgify."

She frowned at the wand and shook it like you would a torch with a failing battery and cast the spell again causing the remaining blood to be removed.

Both castings had caused me to shiver at the phantom feeling of a brush scrubbing away at my tits and I wiped off the lingering soap that had somehow appeared.

Luna tried to return the wand to me but I shook my head. It didn't seem to work with me and I didn't know any wizarding spells to use it anyway. "You keep it, you'll know more spells than me."

Luna tilted her head at that but didn't ask and kept hold of the wand.

"C'mon, let's get out of here and hopefully find some food and clothes… either order, I'm not picky." I moved towards the cell door.

Outside the cell was, surprisingly, more cells. A short hallway lined with cells on either side and from each I could feel the echo of death and misery. Lots of people had died here and I had to pull back my passive channelling to no be overwhelmed by the faint spirits of muggles that had passed in these cells. Luna stepped next to me and peered curiously into the cells empty of people but filled with the restless dead and the instruments of torture and rape.

I could see stairs at the end of the hallway and so I took Luna's cold and slender hand in my own and tugged her along. This place sucked and I was starting to think that maybe the magical world sucked too. How on earth were places like this allowed to exist?

The stairs were long and winding and we climbed in silence but for the soft slap of our bare feet on stone, slowing as we reached the top and the closed door that greeted us there. I held a hand out to stop Luna going any further and tried to ignore the softness of her petite chest against the back of my hand as I reached for the most recent spell from the Grimoire and examined its effects.

I could cast the knock spell… or the knock concept? Or maybe it's the way of Knock? Never mind. It was similar to the spell of the same name that existed in Dungeons and Dragons but at the same time it was way more than that. It was a connection to the idea of doorways and openings. A subtle request to the universe to open its secrets and reveal all that was hidden.

I could tap into that. I could Knock and the world would open for me. Which was pretty rad to think about.

I lifted my hand and made a closed fist and pictured in my mind's eye the Key that opens all things while also picturing what it was that I wanted to happen. A silver key etched itself onto the back of my hand and I reached forward and gently, ever so quietly, rapped the door with my knuckle so softly that there wasn't even a sound. The door remained closed yet from the point of contact where I Knocked, soft silver ripples spread outward and a circle of the door faded away allowing us to peer through.

The hallway beyond was richly appointed. Lush royal blue carpets and rich polished wood skirting on the walls. There were paintings a plenty, mostly portraits, and their ability to move in the frames declared the place we were being held in was purely magical yet I guess we had already determined that. Now those paintings were a danger as they could and likely would alert others to our escape. Thankfully the window creates through Knock was one way and they couldn't see use peering through.

"You wouldn't happen to know the disillusionment charm, would you?" I asked the blond in a hushed whisper.

Luna shook her head. "That's a sixth-year spell, I'm only just about to start my third year at Hogwarts."

"Right." I tried to consider what our options were and attempted to prod the Grimoire in case it had any solutions. Yet nothing came about.

Fine. I'll sort this out myself. I couldn't go invisible or anything and Silent Stalker was versatile and yet also limited. I wouldn't be able to creep naked down an observed, empty hallway without something to blend myself in with. A forest I could do easily, a crowded room I could also do, but a long empty hall under constant surveillance? Nope.

I really was lacking in versatility at the moment, especially without my rings which would have covered a lot of bases if I had them. It was looking like I was going to have to blast my way out when the Grimoire decided that now it would move despite my earlier attempts at engaging it.

+100 CP

400 CP - Rolling…

A Good Blade (Justice League Dark) – 100 CP

A fine blade, forged by a master blacksmith and woven with enchantments, it is preternaturally sharp and durable and will never dull or rust.

Accepted.

300 CP Banked.

An ornate, one-handed French Cavalry sabre fell into my hand and I almost fumbled the blade before grasping hold of it.

I stared at the sheathed blade in my hands. It was a thing of beauty. Both the blade and the sheath were made of a bright reflective steel and was slightly curved. The hilt was a bright three bar hilt in golden brass with a curved and delicate looking hand guard over the short grip. It felt good in my hand.

Fuck it. I guess we go in hard.

I was just flicking on my explosive aura when Luna tapped me gently on the shoulder causing me to look at her.

"What if we go through the walls or ceiling?"

I considered her idea. The Grimoire stated that Knock would allow me through any lock, door or barrier and it was possible that a simple wall could be counted as a barrier. It would take more power to get through but then again, I was a storm of magic enclosed in flesh… pfft, wow that sounded lame in my head.

"Good idea, Luna." I praised the girl and she beamed back at me with faintly pink cheeks.

I followed Luna back down the stairs and tried not to stare at her pert bottom the whole time but utterly failed in that endeavour. We really needed to find clothes because despite the whole dungeon being magically kept at a pleasant temperature, my nipples were hard enough to cut diamond. I shook my head. I was almost glad I didn't have a dick as my attraction would have been painfully obvious… only almost though.

Back in the dungeon hallway I brought the concept of Knock back into my hand and held it up to the ceiling, feeling out the barriers of stone between us and somewhere else. I felt an open area above us halfway down the hall and asked Luna to levitate me to the ceiling.

Luna gulped but nodded and swished and flicked her wand at me.

"Wingardium Leviosa." She cast and I was beset with a sudden lurching feeling in my gut as I floated upwards to stone ceiling.

Up high enough, I reached for the stone and rapped my knuckles while pulling deeply on the swirling winds of magic within my core. The key sigil on my hand glowed bright and the stone above swirled and faded allowing us to look up into a well-furnished room above and the three men within and the sound of them arguing.

I floated back down to the floor as Luna let go of the spell, panting with the effort of holding up a person with a spell not quite designed for it. We both peered upwards as she caught her breath.

"Where the fuck is, Mulciber? He was supposed to question the girl and return." A man I recognised as Rosier asked his compatriots as he poured himself a glass of wine from a liquor trolly by in a corner of the room.

"You know Mulciber, he's likely having some fun with the young one first." The one I think was Nott spoke up from where he was seated by the fire.

"As long as he doesn't damage the goods." The last, whose name I didn't know but who had the face of a weasel said from the chair across from Nott.

"Mulciber knows how far he can take his fun. And anyway," Nott replied, "'s why I grabbed the little blond. Less temptation to taste the prize Veela."

"Still, he was supposed to get us answers. Someone must be missing the half-breed by now. Someone with enough money to give her an entire hand of magic rings." He gestured to a table and I could only assume my rings were there yet couldn't see them as our view point was from below.

"Still say there's something odd about them." The weasel faced one said. "I've cast every revealment charm I know and they respond with gobbledegook."

"Goblin made shite!" Nott spat.

"Nah, I mean they're nonsense results not the bloody language." Weasel sneered.

I'd heard enough to get a picture.

"You wait here. I'm going to smash some pureblood eggs." I passed Luna the scabbard of my sword and she took it and looked on worriedly.

"Will I be able to cast spells through the… hole?" she asked and I poked the foreign knowledge in my head then nodded that she would be able to. "Good."

I focused on the Knock still present and pushed more and more of the storm into the effect. The sigil still glowing faintly on my hand burst into light anew and the portal above glowed silver around the edges. I could see Rosier dropping his glass and looking down at his feet as he was about to cross the room but before he could alert the other two, I had already pushed the remaining storm into my legs and leapt!

Magic enhance strength saw me launched and I pulled on my Sacred Gear and wreathed myself and the sword I held in viridian flame. I passed though the knock-portal and I burst through the floor into the room above with the slickness of a ghost passing through stone as a naked, green wraith of sword swinging justice.

Rosier didn't even know what hit him as my blade sliced upwards with my passing, cutting him deeply from crotch to chin. He fell back with a surprised and pained "Arrgghhh!" that ended in a gurgle as blood flooded his airways.

I spun in the air with a Veela's grace and my feet touched on the ceiling and I pushed off with a literal explosion, riding the concussive force down towards the weasel faced one who was just in the process of standing. I brought my sword down in front of me and the edge cut deeply into his neck and chest and then I detonated it, the explosion ripping him apart into so much meat and unfortunately throwing me back into the drinks trolley and tipping me onto my back. It seemed my immunity to my own explosions didn't help stop me from being thrown about if I wasn't properly grounded.

I pushed myself to my feet yet Nott was had already turned his wand in my direction and started casting. "Avada Keda—!" his words were cut short as a spell hit him from below seemingly coming right through the floor causing him to seize up and his arms snap to his side as he fell back against the chair like a stiff wooden board.

I rushed over and snatched the wand out of his hand, snapped it and tossed the pieces to the other side of the room before stilling myself and listening if anyone was coming to investigate the noise. A few seconds of tense silence followed but I didn't hear anyone coming and released a sigh of relief.

I walked back to where the Knock portal was in the floor and pushed more magic into it causing it to become open from this direction too. Luna stared up at me with a wide smile on her face and I dropped down to her.

"Well done, Luna." I praised her and she grinned and hugged me tightly while I had no idea where I should be putting my hands.

"That was amazing. You were like a moon-imp avenging her slain lover." She gushed and I had no idea what that meant.

"Ah, sure. Ok." I finally decided that I didn't really have choice about touching her and so lifted the small and soft girl into my arms causing her to let out a surprised "Eep!"

She wrapped her arms more tightly around my neck and I held on firmly to her… ahem, to her pert rear and then I pushed my storm into my muscles and leapt upwards again, passing through the ceiling with ease and releasing the Knock as I emerged into the room above.

I put Luna back down on once more solid ground and moved to the table where I found my rings, 'Thank God,' and a pale slender wand. I put the rings on, this time balancing them between my hands as I didn't need to hold to the traditions of Kamen Rider and picked up the wand. It felt nicer in my hand than the one from before yet I could also tell it was just humouring me. Somehow.

It was a pretty wand though and it glowed in my sight with Luna's Moonlight on Deep Water which hid the hints of a braided thread of the winds at the wand's core. All the colours were there, including some I didn't recognised, but most clear were flashes of Azyr, Ghur and Ghyran.

"I might have objected to so much killing but they really were infected with a terminal case of wrackspurts." Luna commented as she inspected the two dead wizards. God bless this girl.

I… still didn't feel much about killing them except a certain satisfaction that they couldn't hurt me or mine and I swallowed and tried not to worry about it right now.

"The spell you cast on Nott was the full body bind right?" I asked as I walked over to stand in front of the last living wizard. He couldn't move but his eyes were wide and fearful as they watched me.

"Yes. It's a mouthful but I had time to aim it from below while you were dealing with the others." Luna said turning back to me. "Oh! My wand!"

I handed her her wand and she took it with a huge smile and cradled it gently against her chest as if it was a lost kitten or something. I'm not sure I understood wands without one of my own. Still, I nodded and started going through the man's robes. I found another coin purse, a self-inking quill and a small locked book. I was going to leave it at that until Luna spoke up.

"Take the ring from his finger. It's likely an emergency Port-key."

I glanced down at the gawdy gold signet ring and tried to pull it from his finger but the thing was charmed to stay on. I couldn't risk him escaping with memories of us and so I picked up my sword and despite the fear and pleading in his eyes, I jammed the blade into his finger and cut the finger off ring and all. Only Luna's spell kept him from screaming yet even then the muffled sounds of pain slipped through his clenched teeth. Sorry, not sorry.

I threw the Portkey into the fireplace and the flesh of his finger sizzled in the flames. Luna made a slight gagging sound but didn't say anything.

I turned my attention to my own rings then looked at Luna. "When I say so, release the petrification spell."

Luna nodded and held her wand ready.

I held out my own hand. "Release."

As Luna release the spell and the man sagged into the couch with a cry of pain then tried to get up to attack, I pushed magic through my shibari ring.

Circles of silver magic appeared around the man and black ropes sprung out of them to twist and tie around his body in intricate Japanese knots. He was pulled off his feet and lewdly suspended in the air, tied up like a Christmas ham at a fetishist convention. Despite the obviously sexual intended uses for the magic, it did tie him up securely and bind his hands in such a way that even if he had a wand, he wouldn't be able to cast anything.

Still, his mouth was unrestrained and he used it now to fling a different sort of curses at us.

"You fucking bitch! You think you can get away with this! The ministry will hunt you down like the filthy creature you are for killing two purebloods!" He spat.

I back handed him. Hard.

"Gah! How dare you!"

I hit him again.

"Argh! Stop that you slut!"

And again.

"Stop, stop! What do you want?"

"You can tell me who you are, who they are," I gestured to the two dead men, "and where we are."

He glared at me and I raised my hand again but he started talking before I hit him.

"Nott. I'm Lord Tiberus Nott, not that that means anything to half-breed like yourself."

I hit him. Seriously, did Purebloods lack self-preservation or what?

He spat out a mouthful of blood, thankfully not at me, and continued. "He was Maddox Rosier and he was Gibbon, just Gibbon, don't know if that's a family name or not."

"And where are we?" I asked again.

"Mulciber's manor."

"That's the one who came down to the dungeons, right?"

He nodded as much as he could in his restraints.

"Does he have any family?" I asked.

Nott's eyes took on a determined glint. "Four sons who'll be after your head." He spat, but I didn't believe him, I could see whisps of Ulgu dripping from his lips. He was likely lying.

I raised the sword this time instead of my hand and he flinched. "He had no family left. All of them killed in during the war and he has no legitimate heirs."

Which meant that he had probably fathered bastards on some poor girls out there.

I thought for a moment and decided to test another fanfic trope. "I, Harry Potter, do hereby claim this manor through right of conquest."

Nothing happened except for Nott looking at me as if I was crazy and Luna giggling behind me.

"That's something that only happens in fairy tales." Luna said between giggles and I felt a little miffed that Luna of all people was telling my off for believing in fiction.

"Actuallies, there is some truthes to the tales." A soft voice spoke up from behind me and I near had a heart attack as I whipped around and pointed my sabre the new threat.

Before me stood a house elf, trembling in her floral curtain toga, large brown eyes staring up at me with a mixture of hope and fear. "You's can be claiming me now that bad master is dead."

"Pathetic, spiteful creature! Mulciber should have beaten you more! How dare you spit on the memory of your master!" Nott started shouting at the elf and so I pushed more magic into my shibari ring and caused a monkey fist knotted rope to wrap around his face and gag him.

"You want to be my elf?" I asked and weighed the pros and cons of taking the elf in. Honestly, I wasn't sure I could think of any cons.

"Yes! Pixie wants to have a good and brave master like green flaming lady!" The elf positively bounced.

I glanced at Luna. "Any reason not to adopt the elf?"

Luna considered. "It's a great responsibility, you'll have to find her plenty of work and make sure she is a loved member of the family."

I could do that… well, I could find work eventually, as soon as I found a place to live.

"Alright, Pixie. I, er, welcome you to the family?"

Pixie grabbed hold of my hand and I felt magic flare between us as. The storm roared and surged down my arm and into the diminutive elf who gasped and shuddered under the torrent of magic. She changed slightly under that much magic and appeared to lose years of age and her eyes shifted from brown to my own luminous green. But that was it. I was sort of disappointed that she didn't change into a fantasy elf under my power but I guess not all fanfiction can be on point.

Pixie released my hand and stared up at me with uncomfortably adoring eyes. "Pixie is so very happy! Pixie will go fetch young mistress and her nudist friend some clothes to wear!"

She vanished with a pop and I was once again reminded of my nudity and blushed. Stupid creepy wizards and their stupid creepy vanishing spells.

I turned back to Luna. "So… is there any reason I can't take over this manor?"

Luna shook her head. "Not overtly, no. But without anyone from the Mulciber family to change the wards, anyone who was allowed entry could enter while you were sleeping and the company, he kept are not the sort you would want appearing in your bedroom. It would take a team of curse breakers to bring the wards down and allow you to erect your own."

I considered it for a moment. The manor was nice enough but it wasn't secure and I would rather not have any other death eaters swing by when I wasn't expecting it. Which was likely when Mulciber stopped turning up where ever it was he was employed. It wasn't worth the risk.

At that moment the Grimoire once again reached out to me and I welcomed the chance to gain more power and hopefully more versatility. Obviously, my build was much too focused on causing explosions first and asking questions later.

+200 CP

500 CP - Rolling…

Insufficient CP.

Rejected.

500 CP Banked.

Or not. I could just come up with nothing again. Thanks magic soul book!

I shook my head in disappointment at the failed roll just as Pixie reappeared with plain black robes for both me and Luna.

"Pixies is sorry that robes is all Pixie could find. Pixie didn't think Mistress and Mistress' Nudist Friend would want what girl clothes are in the manor."

Considering the amount of female muggle ghosts in the basement, I didn't think we would want those clothes either. And anyway, it didn't matter as long as we had something to wear, I could make do. Magically of course.

"These are fine, Pixie, thank you." My thanks had the elf bouncing again with happiness. Maybe she should be named Bouncy?

I handed one of the simple black crushed velvet robes to Luna and shrugged the overlarge garment over my own head, letting it fall around me. I was left it pooling slightly around my feet but Luna was left looking like she was swimming in it.

"Pixie will shorten the robes!" Pixies exclaimed but I held up a hand to stop her.

I focused on another of my rings and pushed magic into the Dress-up ring while picturing something comfortable to wear. Above my head another silver magic circle appeared and started lowering over my form while rotating the inner and out runes. As it passed, the robe was remade with silver sparkles and by the time the magic circle had reached my feet, I was dressed in a simple black t-shirt under a comfortable black and green hoodie, a pair of fitted black jeans and a pair of sneakers.

I would have dressed myself as soon as I had reclaimed the ring, I wasn't an exhibitionist after all, but the while the ring could create any type of non-magical clothing, it needed something as a base to actually work.

"Green-fire Mistress is even more amazing than Pixie thought!" Pixie exclaimed and I tried not to let the praise go to my head.

"That is a very useful magic ring." Luna said.

I agreed and decided that she needed one too.

Using a ring I had used earlier that day, I pushed magic into the Replicate ring and then pushed a lot more magic into it causing my hair to flutter in the non-breeze and for Pixie to back off cautiously. This ring was special. It could replicate anything or anyone that passed through the produced magic circle with only two caveats. One: the more magical or valuable something was, the more magic it took to replicate it. And Two: anything with a soul could not be permanently replicated and would instead produce semi-autonomous clones that would eventually break down and return their memories to the original through some sort of soul connection. The time the clones could last depended on how much magic was used and how many clones were made. The soul could only stretch so far after all. One clone would last about a day yet the fifteen I'd made at the bank would have only lasted less than ten minutes.

Yeah, that's right, it was Kage-Bunshin-no-Jutsu(Plus+) magic ring. How awesome was that?

The resultant magic circle was sized in accordance to my will and the small circle floated horizontally in the air in front of me. I took off the Dress-up ring and dropped it through the circle and easily caught the two rings that fell below. I put one on and handed the other to Luna who was staring at the magic with bright interested eyes.

"Just push some magic into it like you're trying to cast a spell with your wand and imagine what you want to be wearing." I told her and the girl put on the ring with a huge smile on her face.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! I know just what I want to wear!" She jumped around much like the elf, except Luna I found cute.

Another magic circle appeared above Luna, different in colour and composition to my own. Hers was a light blue and the centre sigil was a crescent moon with a spiral between the horns.

It swept downwards and her clothes changed among dancing blue sparks. In true Luna fashion, her outfit made no sense.

She wore a light blue cloak draped over a tight dark blue satin ballerina dress complete with blue tule skirt and finishing with thigh high blue and silver socks, again without shoes… I was starting to suspect that Luna's shoelessness within the books wasn't just a result of bullying within Ravenclaw.

"How do I look?" she asked, giving me a twirl that lifted the tule skirt and hinted at a lack of undergarments.

"Very pretty." I honestly told her and she preened.

"You say the nicest things, just like your sister."

"Right, now what do we… wait. WHAT?!"

"Your sister. You did say you were Harry Potter, repeatedly and under torture mind you. So, I can only assume that you were speaking the truth and you're Rose's dead brother… I must say, you're very pretty for a boy." She paused and considered for a second. "And you lack any dangly bits. Which is good because daddy said I shouldn't kiss boys because they have dangly bits."

She was fucking with me, she had to be right? I really wanted to question her about my supposed sister, especially since the name 'Rose' matches the one that appeared on the Goblin's blood-test. But now really wasn't the time and knew that.

"Ok… putting aside everything concerning that you just said. What should we do with him?" I pointed my sword at the still bound asshole.

"Well, we can't let him go, he'll make up some story about us doing horrible things and the ministry will send out it's shade kissers and try and capture us." Luna said seriously.

I nodded along. It was what I thought too… not about the 'shade kissers' but everything else.

"Right." I turned to the bound man.

"I don't suppose you have a ring of forgetting?" Luna asked hopefully but I shook my head and she nodded in acceptance. This Luna was surprisingly pragmatic… it was awesome.

Nott glared up at me, likely knowing what was coming and I felt the least I could do was look him in the eyes as I killed him. The blade slid easily into heart, its magical sharpness slipping between ribs and through muscle and I watched as the light left his eyes. I felt bad… but only because I didn't feel bad. Was the Grimoire or one of my perks affecting me or was I just not concerned about killing rapist, nazi-esque, sex traffickers?

I shook my head and pulled out the blade.

"Pixie? Can you fetch an expanded trunk and fill it with as much valuables as you can?" I asked my new elf and she nodded and disappeared, quick to obey.

I looked over to Luna. "Let's get out of here."