"Of course I don't want Grindelwald getting help."
However to Fudge's weak heart, the person he just talked loudly to didn't even look at him, he just bent down and quietly put the scattered books back in place, one by one, "But your approach is wrong. To Grindelwald, the Ministry, and everyone else, Lucifer is just a merchant. They're all customers, he isn't selling contraband. What right... do you have to demand he sacrifice profit, even offend the Acolytes, just to help us? Even if he agreed, with Polyjuic disguises everywhere, can you guarantee Grindelwald won't find another way to buy them? You're making him a target on two fronts."
"I..." Fudge opened his mouth, wanting to say yes, but he knew he'd be talking nonsense. Any competent wizard could get around purchase limits. At best, the Ministry could cap quantities, could never stop it outright. The imposing tone he had built up moments ago completely evaporated under Dumbledore's questioning. 'That bitch Umbridge, she didn't think about it from the boy's side, and here I am getting reprimanded!'
"Then what do you suggest? We can't just sit there doing nothing while the Acolytes arm themselves."
Dumbledore shook his head lightly. "I don't know business, but even I can see that most of his products are made by him personally. If you want to limit them, why don't you just buy everything... he's willing to sell? Why resort to methods that only create enemies? We need to win over every talented witch and wizard, not afford to push them toward Grindelwald."
He waved his hand, Robert's unconscious body floated over and landed beside Fudge, "Take Graves back, explain 'things' to him once he's calmed down, and don't bring him to Hogwarts again. No need to make tensions worse."
Now, the grand old wizard had done everything he reasonably could. Whether Fudge would listen was another question, Dumbledore was exhausted from dealing with nonsense like this, yet he still had to clean up Lucifer's messes. If he didn't, the fallout would be even worse. He wanted to sigh again, even more tired now. 'When would I finally get to die and be done with this?'
xxxxxx
On the Sixth Floor,
Lucifer was thinking about how to make Robert sleep forever, he hated pests that popped up repeatedly.
This was only the 'first' time, sure, but he was certain that if Robert lived, there would be a second. He had promised Rouse he would leave Robert for him, but that had been under the condition that the target didn't provoke him.
Still, he couldn't act within Britain's borders. And since he'd be heading to Zebel estate, during the holidays break to meet Lilim, and their children, Robert could enjoy a few more days of breathing.
"Lucifer, what are you thinking about?" Daphne was nibbling on late night chocolate eggs between his spread knees, noticed he'd gone silent for a long while and asked curiously.
"Nothing much, just thinking about where to bury someone...."
"Bury? Who?"
"A scumbag who thought he could threaten me."
"Huh?" Daphne instantly bristled with indignation, stopping her cat licks, she cleaned her mouth with the back of her palm, "Don't bother burying him. Just throw into Azkaban and let a Dementor kiss him."
"Good idea, I'll definitely try that if I get the chance." He wasn't saying that to placate her, but actually thought it was a decent option. Dementors were devouring souls; wait...could it absorb and erase the consciousness inside it?
That was worth studying, his current methods of extracting souls required some extremely nasty Dark magic. Honestly, the process too grossed him out, Lucifer didn't like using it.
"Mmph...." She moaned with a giggle.
xxxxxxx
The next day, students who were going home boarded Hogwarts Express to London. Since more than half school was staying for break, the compartments were plentiful.
The Greengrass sisters and Hermione decided to leave Hogwarts. While Ginny, and Luna stayed at school, talk about those two Hufflepuff girls, they were inside another compartment with house friends.
"I heard from Sister you punched some big-shot from the Ministry yesterday?" Astoria asked curiously from her seat, her fingers resting on the lap playing with a sleepy Eve.
Hermione stared at the cat's owner in shock and worry. Sure, Lucifer had racked up his share of victories before, including against teachers, but attacking a Ministry official was a different story. That kind of thing could land someone in Azkaban! Didn't they hear Hagrid's own experience a couple of days ago?
"That's nonsense," Lucifer denied it with complete seriousness, "I just had an unpleasant run-in with the man Fudge brought. But he's not a Ministry official, just some foreigner."
"Oh-oh, he is just a loser, Robert Graves, a relative of Wilkinson we met at the pub," Daphne's eyes sparkled, she vividly had a good enjoyment staring at naked dancers.
"Oh... that's 'fine' then," Hermione relaxed at once. But she also had a good memory, remembered rumors about Robert's identity and asked cautiously, "That Graves... isn't he the 'International Confederation of Wizards'' head of security?"
Lucifer nodded without caring, and the public girlfriend instantly paled.
"Don't worry, or take the ICW too seriously. It's a loose alliance with no real law enforcement power. They can only send armed forces into a country with said Ministry approval. And besides, I hit him right in front of Dumbledore. If he wanted to stop me, Graves wouldn't have been touched. But he didn't lift a finger the whole time...."
xxxxxxx
The dusk had fallen, and Hogwarts train finally arrived at King's Cross. Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was buzzing with joyful reunions. Even Lady Greengrass, free for once, had come to pick them up. Moment she saw Lucifer, she instinctively wanted to greet him with a kiss.
But settled on the cheek for two seconds which made her eldest react quite----"'Mom!" Daphne, who had spotted her mother first gave Lucifer a mock scolding glare, then flew into her arms like a joyful lark, as if hogging up on the spot to just herself.
"You're almost grown and still so clingy." She scolded her, but the smile on Lady Greengrass's face wouldn't go away. What mother didn't like a daughter who adored her? She rubbed Astoria's head when the little girl leaned in, then turned to a nervous bushy haired girl who looked out of the place carrying a pudgy cat.
"G-Good evening, Lady Greengrass, you're so beautiful! My name is Hermione Granger, I hope, I won't be disturbing you during the holidays."
Evelyn smiled sweetly at her, which made the bushy haired girl somewhat bashful, avoiding her eyes, she was internally a bit downtrodden due to blood status.
"Oh my, aren't you quite lovely yourself, Dear?"
xxxxxx
The Greengrass Manor, house-elves had already prepared an extravagant dinner. As expected, conversation kept circling back to Grindelwald's recent moves and Lucifer's encounter from the day before.
Lady Evelyn wasn't particularly worried. Their family's old chronicles described the last war in detail. As a house that cared neither for power nor status, the Greengrasses always kept a low profile. No matter who won, both sides generally ignored them. Just avoid the battle, heavy regions and you'd be fine.
But Robert's behavior from yesterday had genuinely angered her.
"Darling, don't worry. I can't do much about Graves in North America, but those people can 'forget' about doing business in Britain from now on. When I get the chance, I'll find an excuse to toss him into Azkaban for a bit. Let him enjoy the hospitality."
British witches and wizards tended to have an unexplainable sense of superiority, they simply considered North America a barbaric backwater. Even now that it had a massive population and rapid development, the British still saw them as nouveau riche amateurs.
Giving her a thankful smile, Lucifer didn't mention his plan to make the whole problem disappear from earth permanently. Some things succeed in silence, announcing it served no purpose.
Dinner ended, and the two sisters immediately dragged a jumpy Granger who had gotten lost twice and Lucifer to the garden to transplant the seeds they'd brought from school. Afterward, all returned to his room, one Greengrass girl on each side, and his girlfriend settled her usual place between the legs.
Unfortunately, nothing could happen. All he could do was tell them a bedtime story until they drifted off.
xxxxxx
Lucifer spread the 'Marauder's Map' across his desk and slipped on a pair of heavy, dark-lensed glasses, studying every inch carefully.
They were Nicolas Flamel's "X-ray spectacles," originally confiscated from the eccentric alchemist. Their true purpose was to analyze magical objects, identifying crafting methods, runic structures, and material enchantments.
He had apparently used them to spy on women instead, Lucifer shook his head with a laugh, "Well... technically, that's still one way to use them...."
After a while, a faint smirk tugged at his lips. Whatever one might say about 'the Marauders'' personalities, the magic and ancient runework embedded in this map were extraordinary. With his skills, parts he could decipher already proved one thing---Those pranksters' magical talent was 'far' beyond ordinary students.
It took him a full two hours to study every inch of the Marauder's Map, but by the end of it, he finally grasped the general idea behind how it worked.
The map's greatest strength was its ability to mark people's names and trace their movements in real time. The Wizarding spells behind it were a bit unfamiliar to Lucifer, so he had to summon Grindelwald to help decipher them.
"This is a very advanced form of human-tracking magic," Grindelwald explained, eyes narrowing with interest, "It marks and follows living targets, definitely something from the Potter family. They've always been quite good at running away."
Lucifer couldn't help but nod, the Potters were born runners, since he has examined it carefully, that Invisibility Cloak Harry had was from 'the Death' itself, whether it was a normal Reaper, the Four Horsemen, or Angel of Death, Azrael, it didn't matter, cause no way that being wouldn't be back to collect his belongings. And, it means, Potters' ancestor escaped Death himself, James Potter had slipped from Voldemort's grasp three times before his luck finally ran out.
"As for the name display..." Grindelwald rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "That's true name magic. Not bad at all. Lucifer, if you can reverse-engineer this spell, you might unlock quite a few useful tricks."
"Like making people too afraid to say my name aloud?" he joked.
Mazikeen who had been listening nearby, couldn't resist a jab, "Lucifer, you're starting to sound a lot like Voldemort.... What's wrong with humans saying your name? If they were too terrified, and knew it would bring misery, how does everything else function?"
He shrugged with a faint smirk at seeing her bring out a whip, "Relax, I'm kidding, no intention of going that far. Didn't I stop at hiding my name so no one could curse me later? I will do the same for girls and their family."
It sounded similar to Voldemort's name change, but what Lucifer was talking about was much more abstract. He didn't want to replace the name "Hermione Granger" he wanted to strip away the mystical essence tied in those words pinpointing the girl.
Complicated in theory, and an absolute nightmare in practice when done to humans. For now, he simply wrapped everyone's name in a magical safeguard, decent at his standards, but 'far from perfect.' he would have liked.
Still, it made him realize something: pureblood families really did hoard some incredible knowledge.
"True Name Magic" was probably a closely guarded secret of the Black family. Lupin and Pettigrew had helped make the Marauder's Map, sure, but they were mostly errand boys. The real brains should be Sirius Black and James Potter, two heirs from powerful lineages.
Even though Evelyn had collected quite a few rare grimoires for him, families like those never gave up their core secrets. 'A favor owed doesn't mean a life sold.' The Marauder's Map gave Lucifer more inspiration than he expected, his progress had been so smooth lately that he'd nearly forgotten there were treasures like this sitting right under his nose.
He'd have to "collect" a few someday.
"Lucifer! Lucifer! It's vacation, stop working so hard and come play already!"
Daphne's voice echoed from downstairs, breaking his train of thought. Smiling helplessly, he folded up the map and headed down to join her. Lunch was ready when he got there, house-elf Maple had prepared a full feast.
She reached out for a few extra cannoli rolls, her favorite, only to catch sight of reflection in the silver platter, noticing her cheeks looked rounder than she remembered. Her 'face' fell instantly, and reluctantly put the plate down.
Lucifer nearly burst out laughing but held it in for a moment. Then he said, "Eat as much as you want from now on. I guarantee you'll be able to keep whatever weight you like."
The words had barely left his mouth before three pairs of eyes turned toward him. Daphne's golden hair practically flew as she darted to his side,"Wait, you mean you've made a weight-loss potion?!"
He nodded casually, "Yup. I even tested it, works perfectly." Pulling out a small vial of potion he'd been saving. Originally, Lucifer'd planned to give it to Daphne as a birthday present at the end of the school year, but seeing her despair now... maybe he'd find another gift instead.
"...Jelly?" Hermione and Astoria leaned closer, surprised. The potion inside wasn't liquid, it was firm and wobbly like gelatin.
"Yeah," Lucifer said, amused, "It even tastes like it. I'm calling it Path of the Heretic's Diet Potion."
"Heretic... Diet?" All three girls echoed in confusion, baffled by the name.
"See, the main function of this potion isn't actually weight loss," Under their puzzled stares, he explained calmly, "It's a temporary boost to magical power, and tets your spells hit a lot harder."
"Huh?" Daphne blinked, visibly deflated, "But... didn't you just say it was a diet potion?"
"I wasn't finished."
Lucifer took her hand gently, motioning to be patient, "What I mean is, I use side effect of the potion for weight loss. In Dark magic, there's a category called sacrificial magic, basically, you burn flesh to temporarily boost magic power. Voldemort knew that spell, and he even taught it to a few Death Eaters."
For example, Sirius Black.
He added silently, recalling the day the sacrifice of captured Pettigrew's body was used to blow up half a street, only a single finger remained. By that yardstick Sirius was not exactly weak, merely vicious and self-serving.
Hermione, Astoria, and Daphne all turned pale, staring at the pretty crimson jelly in horror.
Daphne swallowed hard before giving back a response, "Lucifer, I do want to lose weight, but... isn't that a little extreme?"
"Relax, I optimized it. The body fat converts directly into energy. There's a mild numbing agent, so you won't feel any pain... Each vial burns about one kilogram. You'll just feel a little pressure in your body, and once you expend the excess magic, everything goes back to normal."
Lucifer's reputation in Daphne's eyes was rock solid, so she didn't question it for a second. Hugging the potion close, she said happily, "Then I'll finish lunch first and try it after!"
But his own girlfriend Hermione hesitated for a moment, then she raised her hand shortly unlike the one during classes, "Lucifer... do you have any extra? I might want to try it too."
Honestly, what girl didn't dream of eating whatever she wanted without gaining weight? Even she, a biased past hater of Dark magic wasn't immune to that temptation, thought she was not a happy snack minded like the older Greengrass.
Lunch vanished quickly after that, Daphne had completely let loose, eating nearly three times her usual amount. Her belly was visibly round when she finally stopped, so she dragged Lucifer upstairs to weigh herself before heading to the backyard for the real test.
She ate the potion like jelly, and soon enough, her body began to heat up. No pain, just a rush of pent-up energy begging to be released. He conjured a few targets in front of her.
"Go on, start when you're ready."
"Stupefy!"
"Diffindo!"
"Confringo!"
Spell after spell burst from her wand, each one stronger than the last. The swelling energy inside her gradually subsided, and once it was completely spent, Daphne felt light again, her full-belly heaviness was gone too.
They checked her weight afterward.
Sure enough-down exactly one kilogram.
"That's amazing!" Daphne cheered up and threw herself at the boy, planting a quick kiss on his mouth, "Now I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want, and never worry about getting fat again!"
"'Daphne! A lady should mind her image!" Hermione scolded at the direct saliva exchange, tugging her away before she could cling any longer, and did further damage, but even she couldn't hide her grin.
Both girls insisted on getting some of the potion for themselves, but Lucifer hadn't brewed much yet. He promised he'd make enough during the week to keep them stocked for the rest of the holiday, which finally satisfied them.
Then, out of nowhere, Hermione darted in, gave a quick peck on her boyfriend's lips, perfectly overlapping, and super imposing with Daphne's, then bolted off before the girl could react.
"...Sis? What's wrong?" Astoria asked. She was surprised, normally, her older sister would've already tackled Hermione in mock outrage like she did after that snogging in Great Hall, but right now Daphne just stood there 'frowning', as if deep in thought.
"I was just wondering..." Daphne began instinctively, but caught herself halfway. She leaned in close to whisper in Lucifer's ear.
"Ah..." Lucifer's expression turned strange as he studied the flustered girl, "Technically speaking... the effect's averaged out. Controlling where it takes from is tricky, but I can help to make a few adjustments..."
"Fufu, okay, inform me when you are done," Daphne lowered her head, her voice girlish as she stared at the two bulges of mountains, they were grown since last year, but compared to Granger's. She wished she had a bit more padding in certain places so, that Gryffindor wouldn't look down on her in the bathroom.
Astoria's face turned bright red in an instant. Clearly, she'd figured out what her sister had been asking, and before anyone could say more, she grabbed Daphne and dragged her back into the villa.
The diet potion's impact spread faster than Lucifer expected, during the afternoon lunch, he was called to Lady Greengrass's study, she herself was eating 'four-leaf' shaped biscuits, and her cup of tea, whose recipe she had kept secret, (Leftover dirty bathwater, drops of semen, powder mash created from pubes, mixed with urine and faeces, of course her favorite brand of tea leaves---She had been using similar elements in girls's food intakes as well, for example the boy's cutted nails.
.....Anyway, those were her own thoughts, she talked for nearly an hour without getting to the point, leaving Lucifer completely confused, he thought maybe she'd come to make sure he wasn't "bullying" her daughters. Then, after a long and awkward silence, Evelyn finally blurted out her real purpose, she wanted a 'Diet Potion' too.
That resulted in another round of laughter, Mrs. Greengrass' cheeks were faintly coloured, she was furious and shoved her naked breasts to keep the boy's mouth shut, "Gaining weight is normal, I am supporting two lives her--Ahn~use your teeth!"
......
Lucifer stayed up that night to brew an entire batch. But the day which came forth, Evelyn Greengrass returned again, this time bringing a guest: Amelia Bones.
Once they were seated, she gave him a teasing smile, "Husband, I thought boys... weren't allowed to enter the girl's dormitory and get knocked up at Hogwarts? Did they change rules?"
Lifting a shoulder, he crossed his legs, "Since when has the 'Department of Magical Law Enforcement' started policing Hogwarts?"
She chuckled wryly, "I wouldn't dare."
Lucifer's brow rose slightly at her tone, taking in the subtext, "Funny. I thought you and Dumbledore were on good terms."
"Professional duty and personal relationships shouldn't be mixed," Amelia said with a shake of her head. "Hogwarts holds an unusually high position. The Ministry's been trying to learn more about what goes on there, but with Dumbledore as Headmaster, that's... 'difficult."
Hogwarts had always stood apart from the Ministry, but never quite to this degree. Not every headmaster could command a generation's respect like Dumbledore.
"Alright, that's enough politics," Lady Greengrass interrupted smoothly in the sensitive line of talk, "Amelia's here for the potion too. Her salary's not low, Lucifer--'name your price."
Madam Bones lowered her head, visibly embarrassed. To the public, she was the model of composure, a tough, no-nonsense professional, iron lady of the Law Enforcement. If anyone found out she'd personally come to beg a student for a 'weight-loss' potion, jaws would drop across the Ministry. Let alone sharing news of her four month pregnancy with that same boy, her husband.
Lucifer didn't tease her. A snide comment now would only make things awkward, maybe even offend her mood swings, he also didn't play the magnanimous overdoting husband, instead, he named a fair price-one Galleon per bottle.
She however was delighted and immediately ordered twenty bottles. Then, shared some good news.
"About your 'First-Class Order of Merlin'---it's practically confirmed Husband. More than half of the council supports it, and several others are leaning that way too. Only a few shows hesitation, saying you're too young and the award should wait until after you graduate..."
A cold glint flashed in Lucifer's eyes, but it vanished quickly, neither woman noticed, "Seems there are still plenty of old fossils in the wizarding world," he said lightly, "Which of these 'distinguished elders' were against it?"
Bones looked troubled, "Hon..."
"I'm not going to take revenge," he said with an easy smile. "You know I'm not that petty. I just thought I'd send them a little gift, a few Galleons for some... health supplements. That's what Black used to do, isn't it?"
"Those old relics can't be swayed by money."
"Then let me handle the donations," Lady Greengrass said gracefully, setting down her teacup, "Just fund directly to the Ministry itself. That's the final push we need, and no one will question it now."
She had opposed him donating earlier because there had been no proper reason, and his age made it unseemly. Even if money changed hands, the Ministry would not dare treat the public as fools. Now things were different, he had saved the next generation of the magical world from the basilisk's maw. 'Awarding the First Class', invented Whatsapp, gave discounts, payment card system, and Auror equipment, it was not excessive.
"Then I'll leave it to you," Lucifer said, giving her a knowing look, he had already donated Galleons, but the Ministry hadn't complied, and were being greedy. After a bit more conversation, Bones excused herself to return to work, but Evelyn lingered behind.
"Something you didn't want to say in front of her?" She asked.
Rubbing his hands together, Lucifer asked sheepishly. "Evelyn.. could you tell me who exactly opposed it? And maybe... lend me their family trees while you're at it?"
Lady Greengrass just stared at him. So this was his idea of not holding grudges? For a second, she actually believed her man had changed, maybe he didn't sweat the small stuff anymore. Silly her. He was still an arsehole', through and through.
What a petty little thing. She couldn't help grumbling inwardly, though still obediently gave up the names of the people most opposed to Lucifer.
Bulstrode. Grahams. Bathilda Bagshot.
After sending her away, he sat quietly, murmuring the names under his breath, "So they want to play the 'too young' card, huh? Fine. Then I'll make sure your 'families' are left with nothing but old folks. Every last one of you will die without heirs."
That punishment was far crueler than death. In the Wizarding world, a family's lineage meant everything.
For her young Draco, Narcissa dared to betray 'Voldemort,' she threatened her husband to take up Black's name.
For the sake of legacy, the Greengrass family had endured a thousand years of torment. So... turn those into barren lines, and remaining elders would wish for death every day, condemned to live out their long lives in endless despair. And maybe, Lucifer thought with a smirk, he'd even throw in some 'Elixirs of Life', so those old fossils could really enjoy the "gift" of longevity.
"Oi, Gellert!"
Storming into his space, he yanked Grindelwald in with sheer fury radiating off him."What, did you eat a 'Blasting Curse' for breakfast?" Gellert blinked in confusion, staring at Lucifer's dark scowl.
"I remember Bathilda Bagshot's your great-aunt, right?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Yeah, the old lady is my aunt. She's what, a hundred and twenty by now? Lost her marbles ages ago. Why? She piss you off?"
Lucifer explained what happened, and Grindelwald burst out laughing halfway through. Just then, Mazikeen appeared, drawn by the noise. Grindelwald turned to her, speaking with a rare seriousness, "You see, Demon---this is what I've been saying. The Wizarding world is rotten to the core. My aunt and her ilk-these stubborn old relics, still hold all the power. They're the reason our world stays stagnant, refusing to change...."
He sighed softly, "'Change is frightening', yes, but without it, magic itself will decay. That's what Albus and I once sought, to bring rebirth to our kind. Sadly, we became enemies before we ever got there."
As her emotions churned, the whitish scarred visage appeared on Maze's left side of the face, her true Hell-bent form, Lucifer didn't interfere, he simply watched. After a long two minutes of silence, she forced it back down again. Then she smiled, bright and sweet, "Let's just kill them all, I was just a bit affected cause of Billy's words for not having a soul...."
Grindelwald chuckled softly, his eyes filled with the kind of pride a father feels when his child finally grows up.
"That was my first idea too..." Lucifer admitted, before sharing his far crueler plan. Mazikeen listened, eyes gleaming, nodding along.
"That's even better! You're so clever, Lucifer."
However, the only wizard present here couldn't help laughing ruefully and shaking his head, "That might work on others, but my aunt? Too bad, she's already without issue."
"You mean she can't...?" She could not be targeted that way, oh woes, Lucifer forgot the physical limitations of the human body, but an idea quickly struck him, "Wait. You're her descendant, aren't you, Gellert?"
"..." Grindelwald's expression froze, "Come on, besides a handful of people, who even knows you're related? You think she'd care?" He asked flatly, exasperation in his tone. 'This Devil's not just ruthless-he's crazy, no wonder he got sorted into Slytherin. Actually... he's dragging the House's moral baseline even lower!'
"Then we'll have to go after her academically," Lucifer decided, his grin turning wicked, "Her life's work is Hogwarts: A History of Magic. If I can turn that book into a laughingstock, she'll wish she were dead."
Grindelwald sighed and walked straight into the Meditation Room to clear his own head. He couldn't listen anymore. Bathilda was still his aunt, after all, and Lucifer was casually plotting her emotional destruction right in front of him.
The boy didn't act on it right away, though. That revenge could wait until after he received the 'Order of Merlin'
He would write his own book.
For now, he had other priorities, between having sexual intercourses with his pestering wives in the Underworld, Lucifer spent most of his time studying flesh magic, brewing potions, and crafting protective gear for Madam Bones. Her latest order was for the best of the best-top-tier protection cloaks from the 'Killing Curse.' They took ages to make, but at least Daphne, hopped up on Diet potions, was constantly dragging her sister and Hermione around London for food binges, leaving him in peace.
.......
"You've worked hard, Lucifer," Amelia Bones said apologetically, seeing how exhausted he looked after a marathonic 'fivesome' last night.
"It's fine," Lucifer replied, rubbing his eyes, his cheeks were slightly paled, and dry to be touched, "Didn't sleep much day before yesterday for other reasons, and 'feeding' four pregnant witches the next is no joke..."
The night before yesterday he was playing "Devil & Angel" with Greengrass sisters together, the moment he 'fell' asleep at 1'o clock, Lucifer got a late night video call from Alexandra who couldn't dream, so he
he stayed up late telling bedtime stories to little girl over the mirror until nearly three in the morning.
Then, just as he was about to sleep, Grindelwald had a new breakthrough.
Lucifer rushed to Nurmengard to assist in an experiment, helping one of his projects. The result was promising: no rejection, high compatibility, and significant boosts to magic and physique. They were rated a five out of ten; still another five's worth of potential. Perfect fusion would mean overwhelming power, especially for acolytes.
Next, Grindelwald asked for Basilisk 'flesh' and blood. He didn't care for its Deadly Gaze or lethal venom. Who needed such gimmicks? He had plenty of spells that could level cities, "And if you doubt me," he'd said dryly, with a distanced gaze, "go ask Paris."
What he did want was the Basilisk's longevity, both for himself and for his old comrades.
"Husband, I have a question?" Amelia Bones' sharpness had caught something unusual long ago, but she didn't ask much of it earlier.
She leaned forward, shifting her weight slightly to ease the dull ache in her lower back.
At four months, the pregnancy was finally starting to show, her robes draping differently over the firm, rounded swell of her stomach. Resting one palm over her middle, feeling a familiar warmth, while her other hand traced the cold engraving on her Gringotts payment card.

"This mark, I mean crest.... It's breathtaking, Lucifer," She murmured, her striking green jewel eyes reflecting the metallic glint, "I've seen the Malfoy crest, the Blacks... they look heavy and gaudy compared to this. This feels entirely...."
Looking up, Amelia bore a flush of pride coloring her cheeks, "I know your family, but seeing Merlin's true line written down like this... it makes everything we're risking feel worth it. Our child will carry the blood of the prince of enchanters. It's even on the Cloaks you just made."
Lucifer stifled a yawn, pouring a glass of 'firewhiskey' to wake his nerves, a faint smile touched his lips at her words, "Merlin," he repeated, voice a low, amused purr, taking a sip. He set his glass down with a soft clink, "A decent wizard, to be sure. Excellent showmanship, but I am afraid, my sweet Amelia, that 'you' are aiming a bit too low on the cosmic ladder. Think of it as my brand, so no one comes knocking later with counterfeit junk claiming it's mine."
"Too low? Lucifer, he shaped the very foundations of the Wizarding world. Our child... is going to inherit a lineage that commands respect from every pureblood 'family' in Britain. What could possibly be grander than that?" She rolled her eyes with a slight pout forming inside the cheeks, but then nodded approvingly, "Anyway, smart, you needed a mark sooner or later. With how many things you're creating, that crest's going to become a symbol of quality."
"Look at the motto at the bottom. 'Non Serviam,' The Morningstar name answers only to itself. Any child of mine will never bend a knee to anyone else." Does she honestly think a mortal wizard, even one who advised a king, could claim dominion over the soul's journey?
Amelia's breath hitched. She looked from the card back to her husband. The magical power radiating from him in that moment was suffocating, yet strangely.... comforting. It was a shield against the rest of the world.
A 'family' crest was no small thing. It stood for heritage and honor, and Lucifer, just a muggle born kid, and an orphan at that, technically had no right to use one. Usually, only old families that had prospered for generations carried a crest.
Even among the 'Sacred Twenty-Eight,' barely half of them still kept theirs. But with Nicolas Flamel's approval, and Lucifer's own genius, he had every right to create one for himself.
It was the mark of a new beginning. A new bloodline, from now on, when people spoke of the Morningstar family, Lucifer would be the ancestor.
After a few more words of small talk with their tongues, Bones took her leave, he went upstairs for a nap and didn't wake until the afternoon sun was glowing through the curtains.
He had woken up with a jolt, and took out his 'WhatsApp' immediately, Ginny Weasely had launched a text bombardment, she was practically spamming him!
『BatBogey Queen』: Where's my gift? You have it prepared for Christmas, right?
『BatBogey Queen』: Lucifer, come out, you coward!
『BatBogey Queen』: If you dare go back on your word, I'll 'fight' you to the end of my life.
『Hearthrob』: Fight me how? With the spells I taught you?
『BatBogey Queen』: Hehe~
『BatBogey Queen』: I could just tell 'Daphne and Hermione,' that you spent two hours with Susan Bones and, Astoria alone in Astronomy Tower a week before the holidays.
『Hearthrob』: ???
『Hearthrob』: How do you even know that?
『BatBogey Queen』: The Marauder's Map.
『Hearthrob』: Impossible, The Map doesn't show my name.
『BatBogey Queen』: True, it doesn't. But Astoria would have to be out of her mind to go to the Astronomy Tower alone at night. If it wasn't with you, then who else?
Lucifer drew in a sharp breath. Ginny was terrifyingly sharp, who needed a girlish interest in 'Divination' under Trelawney when she could major in 'Detective Arts?'
『Hearthrob』: Fine, fine, you win. Your reward's been ready for a while, I have corrected the handling issue of Nimbus 2001. On Christmas morning, I'll give it to you then.
『BatBogey Queen』: Not tonight?
『Hearthrob』: Too lazy to search for a second gift.
『BatBogey Queen』: ...Fine.
At Hogwarts, Ginny reluctantly put away her notebook. If they'd met tonight, both probably would've gone to the Sixth floor's bedroom, would he have tied her up again? Her cheeks 'flushed' at the thought. It was embarrassing just remembering it, so why did it feel not so bad anymore? Maybe even a little exciting?
Lucifer, of course, had no idea what sort of thoughts were spinning in Ginny's head, cause of her, suddenly remembered that night.
.......
The chill of midnight air swept through open stone arches of the Astronomy Tower, carrying faint scent of rain and old parchment. High above the sleeping castle, a heavy oak table was cluttered with brass star charts, inkwells, and half-finished lunar diagrams.
Lucifer was leaned back in his chair, a quill resting loosely between his fingers, casually plotting the transit of Jupiter while his gaze remained fixed on the shadows near eastern parapet. There bathed in silver glow of the moon, space felt a bit thick with heat.
Astoria Greengrass and Susan Bones, her stomach now showing the distinct, soft curve of her pregnancy were locked together on a wide, cushioned bench.
Positioned between them was a long, double-ended rubber dildo, its slick length buried deep within both of their wet pussies. Facing away from one another, they had braced hands against stone ledge offering an undulating performance.
...Those girls were now used to moving in perfect synchronized opposition, their hips rolling and shaking in a heavy twerk show that put the wet gleam of their lower halves on "full display."
-----With every deep, retreating thrust, their arses collided with a loud fleshy 'thwack!' sending tremors through Susan's soft changing hips.
'Squell... squelch...!'
The friction of rubber core against their saturated folds filled the quiet tower with a constant, sticky cadence.
Susan was gripping the edge of the wood, her knuckles had turned white as she arched her spine, driving her rear backward to meet counter thrust.
"Helga's saggy tits, Lucifer... look at her, she's learnt s---" She gasped out, head tipping back as red hair spilled over her shoulders. The internal pressure caught her breath, forcing a sharp, high-pitched, "ah-h..." from her throat as she slid heavily against the toy, "She's... she's stretching me so perfectly..."
Her words reached Astoria who let out a low needy whimper, her fingers clawing at a stone pillar for leverage.
She didn't slow down; instead, accelerated the pace, hips vibrating in a fast circular motion that kept their skin smacking together in a relentless, bruising tempo. 'Plop... splat...!~'
"D-Don't just watch, father," Astoria called out breathlessly, her eyes flashing with sharp arousal as she glanced over her shoulder at him. The younger girl's chest heaved, sweat dampening the nape of her neck, "Tell us how much you like seeing your girls share y----Salazar!"
Lucifer dipped his quill into black ink, the tip scratching against the parchment as he added a final detail to his chart without looking down.
While his gaze remained fixed entirely on the display of shifting buttocks, tracking frantic bounce of thighs and a long trail of fluids running down wood of the bench.
"The geometry is flawless, pets,"
A slow predatory smile played across his lips, "Though I believe gravity pull between you two is more interesting than anything happening in northern sky tonight...."
"Ah... 'fast-faster, Astoria," Susan panted, voice thick with lust, shaking rounded rear against Astoria's. It forced the dildo deep against her cervix, pulling a loud, wet gasp from her lips, "Ah... right there...! Papa, let us see your cock!"
He did.
"Blooody heel, L-Lucifeerrr~~?!"
And, it seemed to push two teenage girls over the edge. Astoria gave one violent roll of her pelvis, her arse was whacked hard against Susan's swollen hip. The sudden depth of penetration caught them both, pulling a strangled sweetly cry from lips as internal muscles clamped down hard around rubber shaft.
.......
Coming out of his daze, Lucifer took out the Marauder's Map and zoomed in on Gryffindor Tower, he could still clearly see Ron's name overlapping almost perfectly with.
'----Peter Pettigrew's.' A chill ran down his spine, this wasn't a failure anymore, he had been checking it over the past few days, Lucifer actually felt kinda sorry for Ron.
Scabbers, Peter Pettigrew, used to be Percy's pet. When he made prefect in fifth year, his parents bought him an owl, and rat got passed down to Ron.
"Poor Ronald Weasley, everything he owned was second hand, even his traitorous pet..?"
As for why Pettigrew didn't bother hiding his name, Lucifer figured either the rat assumed no one used the Map anymore since all the Marauders were gone, or he simply didn't know the spell to conceal his true identity. 'Or maybe just the creators could see each other? That explains why Twins never did...'
He was different, no secrets. How to catch Scabbers, though, it would take more polishing, but first he needed to have Aoyuki have a chat with Crookshanks and Rowena, two highly intelligent pets, who must have noticed it from the start.
xxxxxx
For now, Lucifer ignored her threats, sent a few lazy replies, closed the chat, and went to wake Daphne.
....They were supposed to meet her friend Davis, Susan, Abbott today and go shopping for clothes.
But Amelia Bones arrived unexpectedly and threw off all his plans to disaster, so he had no choice but to shoo a horny Granger packing away Greengrass sisters without him, doing a 'finger-in-pussy' promise to join once he'd dealt with.
"Sorry for interrupting your date, 'dear husband," The older woman gave her sincerest with a smile, though there wasn't the slightest hint of apology in it.
"Good, as long as you know, tell me what you want, Lady. My vacation time is rare and precious."
"I'm here to bring you money," Amelia said with a shrug, it was definitely not because she heard the girl talk last night from Susan, when she went to check on her, and felt jealous, "And I'm afraid your holiday is about to get a lot shorter."
She handed over a massive order contract, placed jointly by more than twenty Ministry' of Magic. The total value was over two million galleons, if he could deliver, the profit alone would put yo-----But something felt off to him, "I have just finished the last batch. Why are you back again?"
Madam Bones only smiled dirtily and reminded the boy with a pat on left thigh closest to her, "Delivery can be delayed, but never more than four months, they're getting nervous."
He understood instantly, when her fingers went to poke the navel, to get back on Amelia for her display of being needy, he responded his kind.
Lucifer raised his left arm behind the sofa, which caused the woman beside to raise her eyebrows, as she leaned in to close the gap, his fingers went to grope on date breaker's breast.
"Mmmh~Ehaaa, no, be serious!"
She glaringly tried to swat his naughty palm away, but he was relentless, directly pinched that nipple hard.
"Lucifeerrr...."
No bra today, he noticed. So that was play, Ministry wanted to lock down his production capacity, keeping him too busy to sell anything to the Acolytes. Once he saw through it, he couldn't help laughing inwardly.
Clear out all his stock? They could do it before, but now....
For the next two days he ran wild with girls, hitting every fun spot in London and visiting almost every Christmas market worth seeing.
But outside on the European continent, situation was anything but peaceful. Gellert Grindelwald completely switched strategies, he began capturing wizards who attacked him, and within days had taken over ten people alive, most were International Aurors.
Babajide rushed to Hogwarts again and dragged Dumbledore out who was trying to feed Fawkes lemon drops, but he kept turning his beak.
In Austria, more than 'fifty' Acolytes and Aurors clashed. Grindelwald and Dumbledore arrived one after another, engaged in a brief fight, and once again nothing came of it. They could only watch the Dark Wizard escort his people away safely.
"Babajide, we can't keep doing this."
The Headmaster's expression was grim, couldn't he be left alone for the holidays, and enjoy time with his bird playing a bit, "A drawn-out tug-of-war only drains us. It won't produce results, I can't hold Grindelwald down... As long as Acolytes maintain their current territory, their strength combined with German Ministry will let them hold indefinitely."
Babajide voiced a thought he'd been chewing on, "What if we pin Grindelwald down for a while, and I gather everyone to take out his underlings?"
"And then what?" Dumbledore shook his head, and he finally sighed as Fawkes stopped even talking to him albeit he might have overcome it today.
"What then?" Babajide blinked.
"Then Grindelwald will become completely alone again. No burdens or ties to stop you. Everything will go back to what it was before, he'll move like a ghost, and no one will know where he'll strike next.... At that point he'll be a nightmare hanging over the entire world. Everyone including 'you' will live in fear."
At this point, the guest felt numb. So according to Dumbledore, letting Grindelwald grow his faction was actually better? "Then what do you think we should do?"
"The only useful advice I have is to limit the Acolytes' expansion. I don't have a good way to break the stalemate, 'Power is the foundation of everything'. Unless there's another wizard who can fight beside me and guarantee a win against Grindelwald, all other attempts will be meaningless."
Babajide hated the answer, but he had no alternative. He recalled most forces, set up defensive lines along the borders with several countries, and at least let people go home for Christmas.
.....Grindelwald didn't try to expand his territory either. Instead he went back to tormenting the goblins, helping Lucifer squeeze out even more galleons, from the species who had once betrayed.
"Lucifer."
"What's wrong?" The boy knew he wouldn't summon him in a rush unless something needed doing.
Gellert got straight to the point.
"There's an old friend I would like to save from Voldemort... in the forests of Albania, she's a maledictus victim, I can 'feel' where the woman is."
"You're telling me she is traveling with Voldemort? Forget that, You know what happens to blood-curse victims," Lucifer settled into his first-class seat as the flight attendant smiled politely, "She's long since lost her rational mind."
"I'll find her," Grindelwald said with a determined tone, he left the space, summoned Rosier to make arrangements, and then quietly slipped out of Berlin without alerting a single soul.
He was sure Dumbledore had spies in his territory, the last thing he wanted was to come home and find his entire stronghold looted.
xxxxxx
Meanwhile, inside a shabby little house in 'Flushing---'
"Rouse, you still haven't made up your mind?" Solen looked down at her round, swollen belly, gently stroking it as she felt the small pulses of life inside. But her expression was far from soft.
She fixed her man, who was sitting on the bed, with a hard stare.
"Do you want the baby born with no home, constantly running from Graves' people? You want me and the baby living in hiding with you forever? And what about school? What happens when child grows up?"
"..."
"You're giving me an answer today. We leave together, or I'll go back to my family and you stay here dealing with your mess."
Mr. Rouse's face darkened, he stood without a word, stepped outside, and lit a cigar, letting the smoke fill the cold air. They'd already been hiding in New York for nearly six months. Then last, when he went out for supplies, Graves' men somehow spotted him. He'd fought his way out and escaped, but they were forced to move yet again.
In no way, he was stupid, could see what had happened, Solen had leaked their location on purpose. She'd lured them here to push him into leaving New York, to force toward Germany and her mother's family, to shove him onto the Acolytes' path.
He wasn't heartbroken; he was furious that Solen didn't care about the child she was carrying. Finishing cigar took a great deal, Rouse turned on his heel, and walked back inside, "We leave tomorrow for Berlin...."
His wife, Solen's face lit up at once, her gaze softening, "Darling, I'm glad you finally understand. New York is far too dangerous. And yes, Berlin is controlled by Grindelwald, but our family is all acolyte descendants anyway."
"Solen... you want to join the Acolytes?" Putting on an innocent look, Mr. Rouse who got helped by Lucifer once asked, with a quiver of bottom lip.
"Of course not." She shook her head hard, "I just want us have a quiet life, and don't want to run anymore."
Rouse smiled faintly as she turned around to pack, the warmth fading from his eyes. Berlin was fine, once the baby was born, he wouldn't need to pretend anymore.
xxxxxx
Gringotts,
Arriving at the Headquarters, Lucifer directly went upstairs to meet the goblin who had once negotiated a deal with him: Famur.
"Mr. Morningstar, long time no see."
Famur's smile was much more sincere than on their previous meetings. To Gringotts these days, he was practically a walking fortune.
It wasn't card transactions earned them huge fees. It was that convenience made shopping easier, wizards spent more freely, and every business Gringotts invested in was thriving because of it.
"Let's keep this short, Famur."
Lucifer sat down under the goblin's enthusiastic welcome of a tooth grin, that would have scared even Luna if she saw it, "I'm here to upgrade the main terminal and launch two new cards."
"Upgrade? The main terminal is running perfectly, what needs?"
"Bank cards can't do international transactions yet. I've made some breakthroughs in my runic coms system, I can link now across different Gringotts branches and enable data exchange. Think we need an upgrade?"
"Yes. Absolutely!" Famur almost jumped up. International payments would take their usability to a whole new level, "And the new cards?"
"Here's the deal..."
Lucifer pulled out two new cards. One was a supplementary with a fixed limit, meant for the vault owner's family members, other however was a credit card. Even if your vault was empty, you still had a line of credit.
He hadn't been able to resist dragging Muggle 'finance' straight into the wizarding world, ever since Wendell started teaching Hermione about it.
Pressure motivates people, if there are no mortgage, or broom loans, how will you ever be going to work hard and grow the economy?
He wasn't trying to steal Gringotts' interest profits. They could've offered credit on their own if they wanted. His cards just made everything easier.
He'd simply take a cut of each loan as a service fee. Soon the goblins who'd handled the previous negotiation filed one after another into Famur's office. It wasn't until late evening that both sides reached a tentative agreement.
Mostly because the goblins were too greedy for their own good, giving up even a sliver of fee felt like handing over their life's meaning, Lucifer's temper finally snapped, he didn't lower the rate, but raised it.
His biggest leverage was the Card payment system. The goblins had already tasted its benefits, and unless they found a replacement, they wouldn't dare offend him. So in the end, as usual, the negotiation ended with Famur's seniors practically groveling.
Leaving Gringotts, he headed straight to Newt's house for lunch.
xxxxxx
The next day, he returned to Gringotts headquarters to help upgrade the main terminal.
Originally Lucifer planned to finish between yesterday afternoon and this morning, that's why he agreed to meet Tracey Davis in the afternoon.
Who could've guessed those money grubbing goblins would waste half a day? Now he had to speed up, he didn't even bother removing the surveillance devices they'd secretly installed.
Lucifer just slipped into using his own powers, both hands moving so fast they left afterimages. The alchemy masters and goblins secretly watching him scratch their heads. If they couldn't even see what he was doing, how were they supposed to steal his methods?
At 1:50 pm, he finally finished. After swiping the test card a few times and confirming everything worked, he rushed down to the main hall.
Tracey had clearly been waiting awhile, "If you'd taken any longer, I'd have assumed the goblins kidnapped your body," she complained with a disdainful emotion in her eyes.
He gave her a sideways look, "And if they actually did, what would you have done?"
She hesitated to say her thoughts, but then frowned realising she was supposed to be hating this boy who took her Daphne, "Set off a bunch of magical fireworks to celebrate."
"Truly vicious, Come on, don't keep your Dad waiting. I keep receiving his message to sign my name..."
Handing him a box of custom Floo powder, Tracey stepped into the fireplace first, they were scheduled to sign her bethrodal contract, and called out, "Davis Manor."
Green flames swallowed her.
xxxxxx
Late that night, Lucifer was relaxing his tired muscles laying on the back of a baby Thunderbird in Tempest, staring at stars, feeling bored, but then pulled out his notebook.
『Lucifer M.』: Do you have the Graves family address?
A reply came quickly.
『Rouse Wilkinson』: Boss, you're going after the Graves?
He explained the conflict from earlier.
『Rouse Wilkinson』: They're asking for it... picking a fight with you...I have Robert's address, got it before from his wife.
『Rouse Wilkinson』: Oh, and the Graves family is huge. Lots of branches, spread out everywhere. Robert is the current head, he lives at the ancestral estate. No idea how many people are there though.
『Lucifer M.』: Doesn't matter, just send it.
A moment later, the address arrived.
"Nebraska...?" He closed the diary and murmured, "Not on either coast? Why choose a place like that?"
The country had fifty states, but because of geography, ninety percent of the population lived along the two coasts. Wizards were the same, exceptions like the Thunderbird Sanctuary existed, but generally there were no Magical communities in the central regions.
"So why had the immigrant Graves family planted their ancestral home in the middle of nowhere?"
Lucifer 'filed' the question away for tomorrow, a man might wait ten years to take revenge, but he couldn't tolerate waiting ten days. Just the thought made his skin itch.
He'd been too low-key, before every stray cat and dog thought they could tug a tiger's whiskers. This time, he wouldn't use the Demon kind, Grindelwald or Acolytes for payback.
He would do it himself.
Whatever storm came afterward, he'd deal with it, worst case, he'd transfer to Durmstrang as a third-year with everyone. Grindelwald was already plotting something with that school anyway. The next day, after playing with two young Thunderbirds, Lucifer set out for Nebraska for the Graves ancestral home.
Around noon he reached the address Rouse had given him, only to find a barren stretch of mountains. Not a single person in sight, there were no buildings, it was a dear zone.
Nothing.
Carrying his luggage, Lucifer opened his magical sight. Soon he spotted the rhythmic flow of magic in the area and let out a breath, "Good, not the 'Fidelius Charm'. Otherwise it would have gotten ugly."
Using 'that' spell to break in was a nightmare, but luckily for Nebraska, old pure-blood families usually avoided it, they relied too much on social networks to bury themselves that deeply. Just like the dozen families Diablo'd wiped out before.
After watching a while, he didn't attack right away. Instead, planted a sign outside the boundary, the letters painted in blood-red: {Graves and Pigs aren't Welcome Here.}
Once the sign was firmly in place, blue light flickered in Lucifer's eyes. A faint diamond shaped mark glowed on his forehead. Snow began to fall from a clear sky, it thickened quickly. Within minutes, entire region was blanketed in white as temperature plunged. A shimmering blue dome appeared, an automatic defensive ward, pushing back the cold. It lasted only a few seconds before cracking under the pressure.
Stepping forward, Lucifer exhaled lightly, and shield shattered into glittering fragments that dissolved into the air. Beyond it, a vast manor revealed itself. The "Graves family's" defense system wasn't exactly brilliant. The entire attack had been classified as a natural weather phenomenon, so wards didn't sound any sort of warning at all.
Only when the protective barrier finally shattered did people in the manor receive an alert. One after another, they rushed outside.
The moment they stepped out, everyone shivered, then sucked in a sharp breath. A few nearly froze their teeth off. Why was it so cold?
Only after finishing the entire sequence of standard idiotic reactions did they finally see a figure standing in the swirling snowstorm.
"Who are you!" A wizard drew his wand, watching the stranger with suspicion. He had originally thought the family's magic array was malfunctioning, but unnatural weather and this sudden intruder made it clear things weren't simple.
Lucifer walked out of the storm, then did Graves 'family' members realize that one who'd broken into their manor... was just a teenager.
"...."
Sweeping his gaze over, there were only a bit more than ten people present, and none were his main target. So he asked, "Where's Robert Graves?"
"I'm Benjamin Graves, Robert's brother." It was the wizard who'd spoken earlier, sneered, "Who are you? If you don't identify yourself right now, I'll act."
"'I know him... He's Lucifer Morningstar'!" An angry voice came from the back of the crowd, Frank pushed his way to Benjamin's side, gritting his teeth, "He's the one who hit me in the pub and attacked my uncle!"
Morningstar? In an instant, every Graves family member looked at Lucifer with hostility.
"Robert's out on assignment. If you want to see him, leave a way to contact you. When he gets back, I'll let him know immediately."
Benjamin held back his impatient family members. He wasn't stupid, on the contrary, he was the sharpest mind in the Graves family. And he knew Lucifer wasn't stupid either. If someone dared to swagger straight into their manor, he had to have something solid to rely on.
Either overwhelming personal power, or someone dangerous waiting in the
shadows, Benjamin scanned surroundings, hoping to find some trace of accomplices, but the ground was covered in pristine snow.
Nothing looked unusual.
"It's fine," Lucifer said, shaking his palm which held melted snow, "Doesn't matter if Robert's not here. You all will do." With that, he flicked his hand. The wooden sign stuck at the gate suddenly expanded in size until everyone could clearly see the words written on it.
"What?!"
"How dare he!"
"The bastard's insulting the Graves family!"
The Graves family exploded with fury.
Every wand was drawn, and moment Benjamin gave the order, they were ready to hurl the nastiest curses they knew straight at Lucifer.
"Yeah, I came here today to cause trouble. So... you can fight me one at a time or all at once, I don't mind."
Opening the case in his hand, Lucifer flung handfuls of white gloves at the gathered wizards. With his magic control, each slap of fabric landed on someone's face stung like a smack.
The Graves 'family' froze. What the hell just happened? And why did he have so many white gloves on him?
A flash of viciousness passed through Benjamin's eyes. The calm he'd been desperately maintaining was almost completely gone thanks to Lucifer's bare-faced provocation.
"Morningstar, you used magic just now, didn't you? You violated the 'Statute of Secrecy.' Even if you're a British wizard, this is American territory. I'll have you tried by the MACUSA."
"'Stupefy!"
Once he decided to act, he didn't bother with fairness or decorum. No warnings, no hesitation. The spell he'd been quietly building up shot forward at top speed.
Lucifer lifted a hand and caught the spell's red arc in his palm, he closed his fingers, and the spell dissipated instantly.
"That's impossible!" Benjamin stared, eyes wide. He wondered whether he'd somehow botched the casting, but it was just a Stunning Spell. A third-year student couldn't mess that up.
"Uncle, what are you doing? Let me!"
Frank shot Benjamin a look full of disappointment. Couldn't even cast a proper Stunner. Brains were probably the only useful thing this uncle had.
"B'm-BAH-da... MAKSMA-!"
(Bombarda Maxima)
He roared out something that barely qualified as a spell, a furious jumble of syllables that sounded more like he was cursing than casting.
.....No one in Graves family hated Lucifer more than Frank, he had once been 'the family prodigy', the model elite wizard, but that reputation had been utterly destroyed the day Lucifer pinned him to a wall in his pub, and used to play darts that could have easily stabbed him in the eyes any second. How badly he wanted to kill this bastard, however Frank had even lost consciousness by then.
Now he had finally found his chance.
He didn't really need to kill Lucifer, just capture and hand him to the authorities. After that, he could disappear from the world without a sound.
"Frank... I'm really amazed you managed to... launch the spell."
Lucifer smiled teasingly, his face a little curious, this man was good enough to track Rouse Wilkinson who came for help and followed nearby Lux, after that guy had left, he had allowed Frank inside.
In front of the Graves family, the previous scene played out again. That same hand glove gifted by Daphne, casual gesture, grinding the spell like it was nothing.
This time, the Graves finally realized something was wrong. But Lucifer had already made his move, with a light tap of his foot, he vanished from where he stood. A long afterimage trailed behind him as he shot toward Benjamin.
----And somehow, a brick appeared in his hand, which he smashed straight into Benjamin's skull.
'Crack!~'
The brick shattered, and blood ran down Benjamin's face as his eyes rolled back and he collapsed.
"Uncle!" Frank's expression twisted in
horror, Lucifer turned sideways and kicked him hard, victims' leg bent at an impossible angle, them 'fell' to the ground screaming as his wand flew from his hand, "Gah.. Aaahhh!"
Catching the wand, he snapped it cleanly in two with a light squeeze, and tossed the pieces aside.
"All of us, together! Attack this kid!"
An elderly witch finally snapped everyone out of their panic. The remaining Graves wizards hurried to aim their wands at Lucifer, and spells filled the air in a chaotic barrage.
He didn't even care enough to dodge a single one, just walked straight through rain of magic toward the nearest wizard, treating those cursed spells as disco light.
Now, as for the Graves family.
Screams rang out one after another.
Lucifer was moving methodically, taking opponents down one by one, knocking unconscious or breaking limbs with effortless precision. But the finishing touch never changed, he broke their wands.
A wizard's wand was practically an external organ, the longer they'd bonded with it, better it fit them. Many who were forced to replace a wand saw their magic fall apart, some never recovering. He wasn't killing them, but cutting into their very core.
That idea came from Madam Pomfrey.
Lucifer being a sweetheart stuck those on ground in a repeated time of being tortured, and screams kept rising in their Great Hall, after losing half their people, the remaining Graves wizards 'finally' panicked.
They tried to Apparate to the nearest MACUSA outpost for help.
"Usaki, dear," Lucier stomped lightly, crushing the old witch's hand, and called to the sky. A piercing roar split the air, a massive black Rayquaza tore through the clouds, then unleashed a blast of dragonfire at the ground. Two wizards attempting to Apparate were knocked out of their spell mid-cast, tumbling helplessly into the snow.
"Didn't you see the sign? Wait... I need to change it... more insulting."
The massive wooden sign changed to:
{Graves are worse than pigs, worthless. Not allowed to leave.}
{P.S.: Sorry, pigs, didn't mean to insult you by putting your names next to the Graves.}
Lucifer kept beating a crying Graves twisted arm into the gap of a door while he did it, with Rayquaza suppressing the skies, they had nowhere to run, or hide. They could only watch helplessly as he waded through their attacks, taking down and snapping wands one by one.
"Riddle! Robert will never let this go! MACUSA won't let you go either!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
The last wizard still standing finally snapped, and hurled the 'Killing Curse' at Lucifer. For the 'first' time, he sidestepped instead of tanking it, not because he was afraid of dying. The green light streaked past him and struck another Graves family member.
The Caster's eyes went wide with horror.
"Noooo!" His very mind collapsed, not only had he failed to kill Lucifer, he had killed his own aunt.
"You're having a rough day, let me put you out of your misery...." He walked up to the man, grabbed him by the throat, and squeezed.
'Crack!'
Lucifer did have principles, as long as no one used an 'Unforgivable Curse,' he didn't kill. But the moment someone dared to cast one, he didn't hold back. He tossed the man's corpse aside like a piece of trash, then looked up at the fourth floor of the manor.
An elderly man with silver hair stood there, staring back at him.
Their eyes met across the distance.
"Greetings, The Devil's here."
Lucifer waved over with a hearty smile, then walked into the castle, all the way to a large bedroom door, and pushed it open delicately. The room was huge, easily over two hundred square meters. Inside were the white-haired elder he had seen and three trembling young wizards.
Glancing at the trio hiding behind a side door, then focused on the old man, his motions couldn't be more polite and said cheerfully.
"Hello, I'm Lucifer Morningstar."
The old man's expression didn't shift, not even after losing two family members moments ago. When he introduced himself, the man nodded lightly, "I am Percival Graves."
His smile widened to a grin.
Well now, a familiar name. With a thought, Lucifer pulled Grindelwald's consciousness into the space and opened shared vision, "Take a look. Recognise him?"
Gellert had been confused, but when he was prompted, then finally focused on Percival. After studying the man for a moment, his frown slowly eased. With a hint of uncertainty, he asked, "...Percival Graves?"
"That's right."
"And why are you looking for him, oh, right... His grandson crossed you."
Grindelwald remembered halfway through, the matter was so trivial he'd forgotten it altogether, though he hadn't expected Lucifer to have a grudge even smaller than that. 'Crossing the ocean for payback on a muggle flight, impressive pettiness.'
Still, he reminded him, "That old fox is no pushover, keep your guard up. Don't let him sucker you."
If Grindelwald was willing to say someone wasn't simple, then that person definitely had real ability.
At the very least, Hogwarts' four heads of house had never received such praise. Even his own head of House whom he defended once, McGonagall, whose 'Transfiguration' was the best of the lot, barely counted as acceptable to Grindelwald. The others weren't worth mentioning.
Lucifer then insisted Snape's potion mastery had been praised by Dumbledore himself.
And Grindelwald just snorted at that, he was a complete power absolutist. Anything that couldn't be used to fight or kill was, to him, a sideshow. Even his own prophetic ability didn't impress him much.
So... why had Grindelwald chosen to impersonate Percival back then?
The 'first' reason was obvious, Percival held a high enough position. In his thirties, he was already Director of 'Magical Security and Chief of the Magical Law Enforcement Department.' Basically the combined authority of Amelia Bones and Scrimgeour, even President Picquery treated him with respect.
And how had a man in his thirties climbed so high? Well, simply because Percival was strong. Grindelwald had told Lucifer before, subduing Percival back then took real effort. It was an excellent duel.
Impersonating someone powerful and highly placed meant Grindelwald could act more freely, boldly, without fear of drawing suspicion. Later, when he easily defeated Newt and Tina with wandless magic, no one had been surprised. Even when he was surrounded and arrested by dozens of Aurors, no one suspected him.
....If Newt hadn't been sharp enough to expose his true form with magic, everyone would've assumed Percival was simply capable of those feats.
Decades had passed since then, even if the old man hadn't grown stronger, he still deserved respect, Lucifer had never underestimated an enemy.
So the moment he stepped into the room, he kept his magic sight active. Even without wand movement or incantations, magical fluctuations couldn't be hidden. If Percival made even a hint of a move, he would sense it instantly and strike first.
And he can see it...
Within his magical vision, Percival's power clearly surpassed the four heads of house level, he was even stronger than Gellert's best hitman, Gunnar Grimmson.
About on par with Aberforth. After a brief silence, he dragged a cushioned chair over, sat down with exaggerated ease, and hummed an old song.
"I've heard a lot about you, Percival Graves. You were quite the star back in the day."
Mr. Percival let out a dry chuckle, which sounded more like coughing up blood, and then swallowing it, "A star? I suppose so, among the people Grindelwald impersonated, I probably ranked the highest."
"That's something, at least." Lucifer tapped the chair's armrest idly, "How about it? Feel like an intense exciting duel?"
"I'll pass," The old wrinkly Graves said cheerfully, shaking his head, he had lines on entire face, which Lucifer thought would probably tell his age if he counted, "These bones can't handle that anymore. I'd rather not die today, I've still got unfinished business."
"Old man, I killed your descendants, and you're not thinking of avenging them?" Lucifer tilted his head.
Percival too kept smiling.
"I saw everything clearly. You never struck to kill, Kahn hit you with the Unforgivable Curse first and accidentally killed Neeva. You did him in return, no one else is to blame."
Pointing out the window, he gestured over a finger, "You saw the sign?"
Not even flinching a bit, Percival responded back with the controlled emotions of a Buddha, "After the humiliation Grindelwald put me through, this is nothing. Young man, whatever went... on between you and Robert is his business. You should focus on the storm that's coming."
The old man was like a turtle in its shell, no matter how much Lucifer tried to provoke him, Percival didn't react. In the end, he simply closed his eyes and refused to speak.
"Tsk. Fine. I'll wait for the day you go looking for Grindelwald and get yourself killed."
That finally broke the old man's composure, his eyes opened a sliver, and a cold gleam flashed inside.
Chuckling, suddenly bored with him, Lucifer left the bedroom, though he didn't leave the Graves estate just yet. Instead, he found the library and began clearing it out.
Only after he had been gone for quite a while did a young witch dare sneak out through the side door. Trembling, she asked, "Great-grandfather... should I go ask for help?"
But Percival shook his head, feeling it was actually well deserved, and decided right there to teach his lovely young ones a lesson, "Not yet. Write to your father and to the rest of the family. Tell them to return, the Graves family has had it far too easy these years. Some humiliation might finally cool your heads. In this world, influence is nothing... but the shell your power fills. Without real strength, no matter how great your reputation, it's just a castle in the sky.
When you meet someone truly powerful, it collapses immediately."
After that, he walked back out onto the balcony, didn't look at his devastated descendants. Instead, he lifted his gaze to the sky, where Usaki's massive form flickered in and out of the clouds. A spark of longing flashed in his eyes. If he had a creature that strong, his chances of revenge would skyrocket.
Yes, Lucifer hadn't been wrong. Ever since Grindelwald broke out, the only thing keeping Percival alive was the thought of revenge, it was his one last truest desire. Even if it meant dying together, he'd accept it.
The reason he hadn't shown himself during Grindelwald's rampage across North America was simple, knew he wasn't strong enough. He had to wait. for the moment he could strike with certainty and land a killing blow.
What he didn't know was Gellert had seen every reaction he just had... and hadn't taken any of it seriously. After witnessing Mazikeen, he 'finally' understood how much a wizard's state of mind could affect their strength. Someone whose courage had been shattered could dress it up as biding his time or waiting for an opportunity, but at its core---
It was fear.
Just like Grindelwald himself when he played cautious game against Dumbledore back then. Without a change in mindset, he'd never have stood a chance.
Inside the library, books floated in front of Lucifer one after another, flipping themselves open as he projected each into his space.
When he came across a copy of {The Graves Family Chronicle}, he paused, took it in hand, and flipped through it quickly. By the end, he was deeply disappointed.
He'd thought the Graves family had chosen this remote place for their ancestral home because of some hidden secret. But no, it was just a gold mine. Grindelwald had been watching the boy's movements this whole time. Seeing his disgruntled expression, couldn't resist laughing.
"Lucifer, what exactly did you think? Do you know what kind of people came to North America in those days? Failures and desperate men, mostly penniless. Back then, money meant everything to the Graves. A gold mine was enough to keep them standing on this continent... Building their estate on top of it was perfectly reasonable."
"Make sense." He tossed the heavy book aside, "Did you find anything on your end?"
"If only it were that easy. Do you know why the forests of Albania are a haven for dark wizards, why anyone who's in trouble flees there?" Grindelwald snorted as he pushed branches of trees away, escaping a hole made of swamp, "That forest has a strange aura. It's hard to survive in, and interferes with magic. It wipes out magical traces, even I need time to hunt down anything inside it."
Lucifer already knew that, he only asked to shift the topic so Grindelwald would stop mocking him.
"I might be able to help." A gentle woman's voice drifted into their conversation, Makima appeared without either of them noticing, "Let me ask a few sparrows."
"That's excellent news. Thank you, Lady Morningstar," Grindelwald's eyes lit up, a spell invented by the Control Devil was no small thing.
Lucifer shot him a look of pure disdain, while eyeing dust gathered on the shelf, and pinched his nose, "Look at her, then look at you. Can't even handle a small task."
'If Voldemort were as easy to find as he made it sound, Dumbledore wouldn't still be waiting...' Grindelwald's face twitched madly, to his rotten luck, he kept finding rats everywhere.
Once Lucifer finished scanning every book in the library, he picked a random room, destroyed the estate's entire Floo network, and left the Graves lying in the snow. Some of them were waking up already, but he didn't bother, everyone's wand had been destroyed.
....They weren't even declawed tigers anymore, more like toothless cats, he walked right through their midst. They glared at him with venom, but none dared lift a finger. At the iron gate, Lucifer bent one section of the bars open and planted a sign beside it.
The sign read "Pig Hole."
He scratched out the picture of the pig on the larger plaque, then turned toward dazed family members scattered around.
xxxxxx
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