Chapter 66 - 65

Anyways, here's a long chapter of TNWM. This chapter has an R-18 scene.

Chapter 65: First Day of Winter Break

– Asia –

Asia Argento was happy and sad at the same time.

She did not know if that made sense.

It felt like it made sense inside her heart, where all the feelings had curled up together in one warm, confusing knot. 

The happy part was easy. She was at Lucifer Land, an actual theme park in the Underworld, on an actual date with Harry Sitri, her King, her savior, and the boy who made her stomach flutter every time he smiled at her.

The sad part was harder.

Marlene had said "no." Marlene and Jasmine were not going to join Harry's peerage. Marlene had thanked them. Jasmine had cried. They had simply chosen to remain human for now.

Jasmine had been one of her first friends. Jasmine had held her hand on the plane after the crash. Jasmine had kissed her on the ice boat while Asia trembled and did not understand the new, aching heat in her body. Jasmine had touched her gently and had not laughed when Asia cried afterward. Jasmine had made her feel safe in a way very few people ever had.

Asia believed in free will. And they had chosen. Even if she thought it was the wrong choice and didn't know why they said no, why Jasmine said no, everyone respected it.

Asia actually liked being a devil. Even if that would horrify the church that threw her out. And she was learning that wanting things did not automatically make her wicked.

So yes, Asia was happy. And sad. And maybe a little selfishly disappointed, even though she knew she had no right to be.

"Asia?" Harry's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

Asia blinked and looked up.

He was watching her with that gentle, worried look that made her chest squeeze. The lights of Lucifer Land shone behind him, thousands of floating lanterns and neon magical signs reflected in his bright blue eyes. He had dressed casually for their date, though casually for Harry still meant he looked as if an artist had carved him out of temptation and then given up halfway through because the result was already unfair.

He wore dark trousers, a fitted blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and a black jacket that made his shoulders look even broader than usual. His hair was messy in the way Asia had slowly learned was not accidental, though she suspected Harry did not realize how much everyone liked it.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

Asia's fingers tightened around his arm.

She had been hugging that arm for most of the evening. Fleur had told her that if she wanted Harry to notice her as a woman, not just as the shy girl everyone protected, then she needed to stop hiding behind her own hands.

"Press close," Fleur had said, with absolute confidence. "Men like feeling wanted. And Harry especially likes when we are honest with him."

Gabrielle had nodded very seriously and added, "Also, his arms are amazing, so really, it would be a waste not to."

Asia had nearly died of embarrassment at the time.

Now, she pressed her modest breasts lightly against Harry's bicep and hoped she was doing it right.

"I was only thinking," she said.

Harry's expression softened further. "About Jasmine?"

Asia looked down at their linked arms.

"Yes," she admitted. "And Miss Marlene."

Harry did not answer right away. That was one of the things Asia liked about him. He did not rush to fill every silence with words. He let feelings breathe, even uncomfortable ones. "I wish they had said yes too," he said eventually.

Asia looked up quickly, startled by the honesty.

Harry gave her a crooked little smile.

"I know it was the right choice for them," he continued. "I know they had to decide for themselves. But I still wanted them with us. Jasmine especially."

Asia swallowed. "Because you love her?"

Harry's eyes widened just a fraction.

Asia immediately panicked. "I am sorry!" she squeaked. "That was rude. I should not ask. It is not my place. I only meant, I know you care for her very much, and I know she cares for you, and I know everyone says things about the way she looks at you, and I have eyes, even if I am not very experienced with these things, and I am talking too much again."

Harry laughed softly.

It was not mocking laughter. It never was with him.

Asia still felt her cheeks heat.

"I do care about Jasmine," he said. "A lot. I don't know if I would call it love yet, not in the way I love Hermione or Lilja or the others. But it could become that. Easily."

Asia nodded, even though that answer made something small and complicated twist inside her. She liked Jasmine. She liked Harry. She had liked kissing Jasmine. She liked Harry's hands when they held hers. She liked the way Harry looked at her when she managed to say something bold without hiding afterward. She liked the idea of them all being close, though that thought still made her face burn so hot she worried steam might puff out of her ears.

Puff. The mental image startled a giggle out of her.

Harry's eyebrows lifted. "What was that?"

"Nothing!" Asia said quickly.

Harry stared at her for half a second, then laughed properly. The sound warmed her all the way down to the tips of her toes.

Lucifer Land glowed around them. The theme park had been nothing like Asia imagined. She had expected something frightening, perhaps grim castles and rivers of fire, because even now, after months among devils, old lessons sometimes crept up from the dark corners of her mind.

Instead, Lucifer Land was bright, ridiculous, beautiful, and loud.

There were roller coasters shaped like silver dragons that dove through enchanted clouds. There were haunted mansions run by actual ghosts, though the ghosts seemed more interested in gossip than scaring anyone. There was a ferris wheel so tall that its highest point vanished into a pocket dimension painted with artificial stars. There were stalls selling grilled hellboar skewers, sparkling demonfruit juice, fried pastries shaped like bat wings, and glowing candy apples that changed flavor with every bite.

There was also an enormous mascot in a smiling Lucifer costume taking photographs with children.

Asia had stared at that for nearly a full minute. "That is supposed to be the Devil?" she had whispered.

Harry had looked at the mascot, then at the small line of excited devil children waiting for hugs. "That was probably my mum's or Sirzechs' idea."

Asia had not known what to do with that information. Her old church teachers would have fainted.

"Do you want to keep walking?" Harry asked.

Asia glanced toward the next row of stalls, then saw something fluffy and pink spinning behind a glass counter.

Her eyes widened. Cotton candy!

She had only had it once before, years ago, when a kind old woman near a small village church had bought her a little paper cone of it. Asia had been eleven then. She remembered the way it melted on her tongue like sweet clouds. She remembered Sister Francesca scolding her afterward for accepting gifts from strangers. She remembered praying that night to be forgiven for liking something so much…

Asia took a breath. She was allowed to want things. She was allowed to ask. She was allowed to be a little selfish.

She hugged Harry's muscular arm more tightly, pressed herself against him the way Fleur had taught her, and pointed with her free hand. "Harry?"

"Yes?"

"I would like cotton candy next." The words came out small, but clear.

Harry's face changed. His eyes simply warmed, and his smile went soft around the edges.

Asia's heart went thump.

"Then my lady gets cotton candy," Harry said.

Asia ducked her head, smiling helplessly. "You do not have to call me that."

"I know. But this is a date and I want to…"

Asia blushed and giggled nervously again.

Harry guided her toward the stall, and Asia tried not to bounce on her toes like a child. That was difficult, because the cotton candy stall was shaped like a tiny castle made of spun sugar, with little bat-winged cherubs flying above it and dropping glitter into the air. The devil woman behind the counter had lavender skin, curved black horns, and a cheerful smile. "Welcome, welcome! One cloudfloss for the lovely couple?"

Asia froze. Couple!? That was true technically, they were a couple weren't they? Her face burst into heat.

Harry, horrible and wonderful and far too calm, simply smiled. "Two, please," he said. "Unless you want to share one, Asia?"

Asia's mouth opened.

The stall woman looked between them with bright interest.

Asia thought of Fleur. She thought of Gabrielle. She thought of Hermione, who always seemed nervous and brave at the same time. She thought of Ginny, who would have already climbed Harry like a tree if she wanted something. She thought of Lilja, who had looked at Asia with those fierce green eyes and told her that desire was not sin when it came from love and trust.

Asia lifted her chin by the smallest amount. "We can share one," she said.

Harry's smile grew.

The stall woman made a delighted sound. "Awwww. First date?"

Asia made a noise somewhere between a squeak and a dying kettle. "Eep." Technically it wasn't, they'd watched movies together and kissed and even touched a bit. But never more than that. 

Harry chuckled, and Asia hid her face against his arm. "It's our first public date at least," he admitted. "Is it obvious?"

"Only because she's adorable," the stall woman said.

Asia considered hiding behind Harry entirely.

The stall woman spun a stick through a basin of shimmering pink sugar. It bloomed upward like magic, threads of sweetness catching the light until a massive cloud formed around the stick. It was nearly as large as Asia's head.

The woman handed it over with a wink. "For the pretty young lady."

"Thank you," Asia whispered.

Harry paid, then steered her toward a quieter bench beneath an enchanted tree whose silver leaves chimed softly in the breeze.

Asia sat beside him, clutching the cotton candy with both hands.

For a moment, she only stared at it.

Harry reached over, pinched a fluffy piece from the edge of the cotton candy, and held it near her lips.

Asia stared at it.

Then at him.

His eyes were gentle. "May I?" he asked. That question did things to her.

Small things. Soft things. Dangerous things.

Asia nodded.

Harry brushed the cotton candy against her lower lip.

She opened her mouth and let him feed it to her.

The sugar melted instantly across her tongue, sweet and airy and perfect. Her eyes fluttered closed before she could stop them.

"Mmm." The sound slipped out before she thought about it. Asia's eyes flew open.

Harry had gone very still. His gaze had dropped to her mouth.

Asia's heart began beating faster. Ba-thump. Ba-thump. Ba-thump. 

Harry exhaled through his nose, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Asia, you made eating cotton candy sound like a religious experience."

Asia stared up at him. Then, to her own horror, she laughed. It burst out of her in a bright, helpless sound, and Harry laughed too, and suddenly the ache in her chest loosened.

She fed Harry a piece next, though her fingers trembled as she lifted it to his mouth. He leaned in and took it from her fingertips, his lips brushing her skin for barely a second.

It still sent a shiver through her.

"Nn." She pressed her knees together quickly.

Harry noticed. Of course he noticed. Harry noticed everything when it mattered.

But he did not tease her. He only took her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers one by one.

Asia forgot how to breathe.

"You're doing wonderfully," he murmured.

Her throat tightened. "Am I?"

"Yes."

Asia looked down at their joined hands. His fingers were warm around hers. 

"I used to think wanting things made me bad," she said quietly.

Harry's thumb brushed over her knuckles. "What do you want right now?"

Asia's face heated again. That was a dangerous question. So dangerous.

She could have said she wanted more cotton candy. She could have said she wanted to go on another ride. She could have asked to see the enchanted aquarium or the fireworks show Fleur had mentioned.

Instead, because she was a devil now, and because she was trying to be honest, and because Harry made honesty feel less like standing naked in front of judgment and more like stepping into sunlight, she whispered the truth. "I want you to kiss me."

Harry's expression softened into something that made her entire body go warm.

"Where?"

Asia's brain stopped. "W-where?"

He nodded, far too innocent for someone who was absolutely not innocent. "Cheek? Forehead? Hand?"

Asia stared at him, realizing with dawning horror that he was making her choose.

This was cruelty. This was devilish cruelty! This was probably what the sisters at the Church had warned her about.

Except she liked it.

Asia swallowed and forced herself not to look away. "My mouth," she whispered.

Harry leaned closer.

Asia's eyes fluttered.

Harry kissed her.

It was gentle at first. Warm lips brushed hers, soft and careful, giving her time to pull away. Asia did not pull away. She made a tiny sound, "mmh," and leaned closer, her free hand finding the front of his shirt.

Harry kissed her again.

This one lasted longer.

Asia's heart fluttered so hard she thought it might escape through her chest. His mouth moved over hers with slow patience, coaxing rather than demanding. She copied him clumsily, then felt him smile against her lips when she got braver and pressed closer.

Her breasts brushed his arm again. She gasped into his mouth. "A-ah."

Harry pulled back just enough to look at her. Asia wanted to hide. She also wanted him to kiss her again. Those two desires fought inside her for approximately two seconds before the second one won.

She leaned forward herself.

Harry's eyes widened slightly, then he met her halfway.

This kiss was not as careful. Asia made another small sound, higher this time, "nnmh," and clutched his shirt tighter. His hand rose to cup the side of her face, thumb stroking her cheek. She opened her mouth without fully meaning to, and when his tongue brushed hers, heat flashed through her body so intensely she whimpered. "Mmh!"

Harry drew back at once.

Asia chased him without thinking.Then froze. "I am sorry," she breathed.

Harry looked amused and tender and a little strained. "Asia."

"Y-Yes?"

"You don't have to apologize every time you like something."

Her face burned. "I liked it very much."

"I noticed."

"Eep!"

Harry laughed softly and kissed her forehead.

Asia leaned against him, overwhelmed, happy, embarrassed, and still a little sad, but not as sad as before.

They sat beneath the chiming silver tree while the Underworld theme park sparkled around them. Asia picked little pieces from the cotton candy and took turns feeding him and letting him feed her. Each time his fingers brushed her lips, she shivered. Each time she made a soft noise, she tried not to apologize.

She only failed twice.

Maybe three times.

That was still progress.

After a while, Harry nodded toward the distance, where a massive roller coaster looped around a floating replica of Lucifer's castle. The cars shot through a ring of blue fire before plunging into a tunnel shaped like a dragon's mouth.

Asia stared at it.

The riders screamed. "Aaaaaaaaah!" The dragon mouth snapped shut behind them with a theatrical boom.

Asia swallowed.

Harry looked at her. "Too much?"

Her first instinct was to say yes. Her second instinct was to say whatever Harry wanted was fine. Her third, newer, smaller, braver instinct stood up inside her and cleared its throat.

Asia squeezed his hand. "I want to try it."

Harry's eyebrows rose. "Really?"

She nodded, more firmly this time. "Yes. I am scared, but I want to ride that dragon."

Harry stood and offered his hand. Asia placed hers in his. "Then let's go scream while riding a fake dragon." 

– Harry –

After the third dragon ride, yes they rode it three times in a row, Asia looked like she was seconds away from floating off the ground, without using her wings.

Her blonde hair was wind-tossed, her cheeks were flushed, and her green eyes were shining with the kind of bright, breathless happiness that made me forget about anything but making her happy. She had screamed on every drop, every twist, every loop, always clutching my hand like I was the only thing keeping her from being flung into the artificial Underworld sky.

Which was adorable, obviously.

It was also dangerous, because Asia Argento happy was a direct attack on my ability to think like a responsible person.

"W-was that fun?" she asked, still panting slightly as we stepped away from the exit gate of the Demon Dragon Spiral.

I looked down at her.

Her blouse was slightly rumpled from the rides. Her skirt had shifted higher on her thighs. Her fingers were still tangled tightly with mine, and she had that soft, hopeful look on her face, like my opinion on whether she enjoyed herself somehow mattered more than her own.

"It was really fun." I reached over and moved a stray hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.

Lucifer Land glowed around us in the evening haze. The whole park looked like someone had taken a human theme park, handed it to a committee of horny devils with unlimited money, and told them subtlety was a crime.

Which, to be fair, sounded exactly like something my mother would fund.

There were roller coasters that dove through illusionary volcanoes. There were snack stands shaped like succubi. There was a children's ride where tiny devil toddlers rode miniature Cerberus puppies in circles while their parents waved from the side. Somewhere in the distance, a mascot dressed as Lucifer was leading a dance line of excited children while three teenage devil girls tried to take selfies with his ass in the background.

The Underworld was a very strange place.

Asia tugged my hand. "Harry?"

"Yes?"

She lifted her free hand and pointed.

I followed her finger. Then I blinked.

The ferris wheel loomed over the far side of the park, enormous and glittering, with enclosed private gazebos instead of open seats. Each one was made of dark polished glass and silver trim, with heavy privacy wards wrapped around it so densely that even my senses slid off them like water off oiled silk.

That ferris wheel was a bit infamous. I stared at it for a second too long.

Asia noticed. "Is that one not good?" she asked.

"No, it's good," I said carefully. "It's just..."

She tilted her head.

I cleared my throat. "That ferris wheel is notoriously slow. It takes almost an hour to go around once. And every gazebo has blacked out windows. The reason for that is…um—"

It was a sex ferris wheel. Of course Lucifer Land had a sex ferris wheel. This was still the Underworld, after all.

Her blush deepened, but she did not look away. She tightened her hand around mine. "Fleur and Gabrielle told me what it was," she said. "When they helped me plan this date…"

My mouth went a little dry. "They did?"

She nodded. Her face had gone bright red now, but there was determination there too. Sweet, shy, trembling determination, but determination all the same. "They said it was private," she continued. "And safe. And romantic. And that many couples end their dates that way."

I had a very sudden, very vivid image of Fleur and Gabrielle explaining the Underworld's famous private ferris wheel to Asia with absolutely no shame whatsoever.

I was going to kiss them both for that. "Asia," I said, softer this time. "You don't have to do anything just because Fleur and Gabrielle suggested it."

"I know," she mumbled softly, but didn't look like she was giving up on riding the Ferris Wheel next.

"Or because you think I expect it." I added watching her expression closely. 

"I know," she repeated. Her green eyes seemed determined. Her fingers trembled around mine. Then she stepped closer. "I planned it this way," she whispered.

I swallowed.

She was so nervous that I could feel it through our peerage bond. It fluttered in her like a trapped bird. But beneath the nerves was want. Real want. Warm, shy, aching want that she had chosen for herself.

That hit me harder than any ride in the entire park.

Asia had spent too much of her life being told what she should be. Holy. Obedient. Grateful. Quiet. Pure in ways decided by men who had never cared whether she was lonely or hungry or frightened. Now she stood in front of me with trembling hands, flushed cheeks, and eyes full of terrified courage, asking for something simply because she wanted it.

Fuck. I loved my life. I also very much did not deserve parts of it.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

She nodded, then seemed to force herself to be braver. "I want to end our date this way." The words came out soft and breathy.

My cock twitched immediately.

I lifted her hand to my mouth and kissed her knuckles. "Then let's go."

Her smile trembled, then bloomed.

We crossed the park hand in hand.

The attendant at the ferris wheel was a tall devil woman with rose-colored skin, swept black horns, and a uniform that looked like it had been designed by someone who did not believe buttons should exist above the navel. She took one look at me, then at Asia, then smiled in a way that made Asia squeak.

"One private ride?" the attendant asked.

"Yes!" Asia said before I could answer.

My eyebrows rose.

Asia looked like she wanted to hide behind me and also like she would bite my hand if I tried to stop her.

The attendant's smile turned delighted. "Wonderful. First time?"

Asia made a small noise. "Neh…"

The attendant laughed, not unkindly, and handed us a small silver token shaped like a heart with bat wings. "Place this in the slot when you enter. The gazebo will seal automatically. The emergency bell is inside, but it is almost never used. Complimentary cleaning charms are included."

Asia made a strangled sound.

I coughed into my fist. "Thank you," I said.

"Have fun, Lord Sitri."

I froze.

Asia looked up at me, startled as well.

The attendant winked. "You're very recognizable on the devilnet lately, my lord. Don't worry. Lucifer Land respects privacy."

Somehow, that did not make me feel better.

We stepped into the gazebo. The inside looked less like a ride compartment and more like a small luxury lounge. Plush black seats curved around the walls. The floor was soft crimson carpet. A low table sat in the center with a bottle of chilled sparkling demonfruit juice, two glasses, and a little tray of chocolate-covered strawberries.

Subtle. Very subtle.

Asia stared at the strawberries like they were part of a ritual sacrifice.

I inserted the token into the slot by the door.

Click.

A soft pulse of magic washed over the gazebo as the windows darkened completely from the outside. The ambient noise of the park faded until only a low, gentle hum remained.

Then the ferris wheel began to move. Slowly. Very, very slowly.

Asia and I sat beside each other. For the first five minutes, we only held hands.

Honestly, I needed those five minutes.

Asia kept glancing at me, then at our joined hands, then at the blacked out windows, then at the tray of strawberries, then back at me. Her knees were pressed together. Her free hand rested in her lap, fingers twisting in the hem of her skirt.

I could smell her nervousness. I could smell her arousal too.

"Asia," I said eventually.

She jumped slightly. "Yes?"

I turned toward her fully.

"We can just talk. Or cuddle. Or eat strawberries. We don't have to do anything else."

She looked down at our hands. "I know."

I waited.

Her thumb brushed over mine. "I am scared," she admitted.

"That's alright."

"But I still want this." She looked up at me, and there were tears in her eyes, though none fell. Asia drew a shaky breath. "I want this because I want you."

Fuck. I lifted my free hand and cupped her cheek. She leaned into my palm at once.

"Asia..."

"I am sure," she whispered. "Please kiss me again."

(R-18 Start)

So I did. I leaned in slowly and pressed my mouth to hers.

She made a tiny sound, "mmh," and clutched my shirt with her free hand. Her lips were soft and trembling. I kissed her gently at first, giving her every chance to pull back, but she did not. She tilted her face up, pressing closer, and her mouth opened beneath mine with a shy little gasp.

"Ah..."

My tongue brushed hers.

Her whole body shivered.

I slid my hand from her cheek into her hair, careful not to pull, just holding her there as I deepened the kiss. Asia whimpered into my mouth, a soft, breathy "nnmh," and the sound went straight to my cock.

I was already hard. Of course I was. I had been hard since she told me she planned to end the date on the Underworld sex wheel.

But when Asia shifted closer and her thigh brushed against mine, I felt myself throb so intense that I had to stop myself from groaning like an idiot.

She noticed. Her eyes fluttered open.

I pulled back just enough to look at her. "Still sure?"

Her gaze dropped. She stared at my lap. Her face went so red I thought she might burst into flames. Then, very softly, she nodded. "Yes."

I reached down, took her hips, and pulled her onto my lap.

She yelped. Her hands flew to my shoulders as she landed astride me. Her skirt rode up around her thighs. Her warm weight settled over my cock, and the moment she felt how hard I was beneath her, her eyes went wide. "Oh," she whispered.

I laughed under my breath, though it came out strained. "That would be your fault."

"M-my fault?"

"You wore that skirt. You held my arm all day. You made little noises when I fed you cotton candy. Then you asked me to take you onto the most notorious private ferris wheel in the Underworld."

Asia's mouth opened and closed. She buried her face in my shoulder with a mortified whine. "Nnngh."

I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her.

She was warm. Small against me, but not fragile. Her devil body had power in it now. Beneath that was the bond between us, pawn to king, girl to boy, trust braided with want.

I kissed the side of her head. "You're adorable."

She pouted in my lap. "I am trying to be sexy..."

I smiled at her. "You are also doing that."

She lifted her head slowly. "Really?" Her eyes searched mine. She wanted to know that I saw her, that I wanted her, that I did not only think of her as the sweet rescued nun or the delicate girl everyone needed to protect.

So I let my hands slide down to her hips and pulled her a little more firmly against me.

Her breath caught. "A-ah." Asia swallowed. Then she moved. It was tiny, barely more than an uncertain shift of her hips, but it rubbed her clothed pussy over my cock.

My eyes nearly rolled back.

Asia froze. "Was that wrong?"

"No," I said quickly. "Very much no."

"Oh."

"Do it again."

Her blush deepened, but she obeyed.

She rolled her hips more deliberately this time.

A soft, shocked moan slipped out of her. "Ahh..."

That sound broke something in my restraint.

I leaned in and kissed her hard.

Asia melted against me with a startled cry, "mmph," her fingers gripping my shoulders. I kissed her deeper, tongue sliding against hers, one hand holding the back of her head while the other stayed on her hip, guiding her into another slow grind.

She whimpered into my mouth.

"Nnnh... Harry..." Hearing my name like that in Asia's voice was almost unfair.

I broke the kiss and moved to her jaw, then her neck. Her head tilted back at once, giving me room without hesitation, and the trust in that single movement made me ache.

I kissed the soft skin beneath her ear.

She shivered.

I dragged my lips down the side of her neck and felt her pulse flutter under my mouth. 

"Ah... ahh..." Her hips jerked against mine.

I smiled against her skin. "Sensitive?"

"Y-yes."

"Good." I kissed lower, nipping very gently at the place where her neck met her shoulder.

Asia gasped. "Hah!" Her nails dug into my shoulders.

I pulled back enough to look at her blouse. "Can I?"

She followed my gaze. Her hands tightened, then loosened. "Yes," she whispered.

I undid the first button slowly. Then the second. Then the third.

Asia watched my hands like they were casting a spell. Her breathing grew faster with every inch of skin revealed. Pale and soft skin. The upper curve of her breasts, modest but beautifully shaped beneath a simple white bra with a tiny bow between the cups.

It was so painfully Asia that I nearly groaned. Just white cotton, sweet and innocent, stretched over tits that made my mouth water.

I pushed her blouse open.

Asia made a tiny sound and turned her face away, blushing furiously.

"Don't hide," I murmured.

"I am embarrassed!"

"I know. You're beautiful."

She went very still. Then she looked back at me. Her eyes were wet again. "You mean that?"

"Asia, I mean that so much it makes me stupid."

A laugh trembled out of her, half choked and half relieved.

I slid the blouse off her shoulders and down her arms. She helped me with shy little movements until it fell onto the seat beside us.

Then I reached behind her.

She turned rigid for a second as my fingers found the clasp of her bra. The clasp came undone with a quiet click.

Asia inhaled sharply.

I eased the straps down her arms and pulled the bra away.

Her breasts bounced free.

They were smaller than most of the women in my life, but fuck, they were perfect. Perky and soft, pale with rosy nipples that had already tightened into hard little peaks from her own arousal. They suited her completely, sweet and delicate and tempting.

Asia crossed her arms halfway, then stopped herself. I saw the moment she chose not to hide. That was hotter than any striptease could have been.

I looked at her. Really looked.

Her lips parted. Her cheeks burned. Her breasts rose and fell with each nervous breath. Her skirt was bunched around her thighs, her knees spread around my hips, and my cock pressed hard beneath her.

I lifted both hands and cupped her tits.

Asia gasped. "A-ahh! You're touching them for real now, not just over my clothes like in the dorms…"

I was gentle at first, just feeling her weight in my palms, brushing my thumbs over the tight peaks of her nipples. Her whole body jerked when I touched them.

"Oh!" She gasped.

"Too much?" I asked her gently. 

She shook her head so fast her hair bounced. "No. No, it feels... it feels..."

I circled both nipples with my thumbs.

Asia moaned. "Nnhaa..." Her hips rolled down against me again, more instinct than intent.

I groaned that time. "Fuck, Asia."

She shivered at the word.

I pinched her nipples lightly.

Her eyes flew open. "Ahn!" A real moan. 

I wanted to hear it again. I leaned down and took one nipple into my mouth.

Asia cried out. "Ahh!"

Her hands flew into my hair. She held me there.

I sucked gently, flicking my tongue over the stiff pink peak. Her back arched, pressing her breast deeper into my mouth. I felt her thighs tremble around my hips.

"H-Harry... ah... nnnh..."

I switched to the other breast, giving it the same attention, while my hand continued to knead the one I had left wet and flushed.

Asia was panting now. Every soft sound she made filled the little private gazebo. "Ahh... mmh... hhaa..."

The ferris wheel continued its slow, indifferent climb. Outside, Lucifer Land carried on with its lights and music and crowds. Inside, there was only Asia on my lap, half naked and trembling, learning that she was allowed to want.

I pulled back, and her breasts glistened faintly from my mouth.

Asia looked dazed. Her eyes were half-lidded, her lips swollen from kissing, her hair slightly messy. She looked nothing like the frightened girl I had found in Kuoh.

She looked like mine. Mine because she chose to be. My pawn. My girl.

I kissed her again, slower this time, one hand sliding down her bare side until I reached her waist.

She kissed me back clumsily but eagerly. Her tongue met mine, retreated, then returned with more confidence. I could feel the exact moment she stopped trying to guess what she was supposed to do and started doing what she wanted.

Her hips rolled. Once. Twice. Then again, with more pressure. "Mmh," she moaned into my mouth.

I held her hips and guided her.

The friction was maddening. Her thin panties and my trousers were the only things between us, and every shy grind dragged pleasure through both of us. I felt the dampness begin to soak through the fabric beneath her skirt.

Asia felt it too. She broke the kiss, looking mortified. "I a-am wet..."

I nearly lost my mind. I rested my forehead against hers and took a breath I did not need. "Yes," I said. "You certainly are."

She bit her lip. "Does it make you happy?"

I slid one hand up her back and pulled her closer. "Yes," I said. "It makes me very happy."

Her expression shifted. The embarrassment did not vanish, but something else joined it. A small, shy pride. Like she had pleased me and realized she liked that too.

She rolled her hips again. On purpose.

I groaned.

Asia's eyes widened, then softened. "Oh," she whispered. "You like that… My king?" She did it again. 

"Nnh," I breathed.

The smile that touched her mouth was tiny, but it was there. A wicked little spark from the sweetest girl in my peerage.

I was so fucked.

Asia leaned forward and kissed me first. This time, I let her lead. Her hands slid from my shoulders to my chest. She explored me through my shirt with hesitant strokes, tracing muscle like she was still surprised bodies could feel good under her hands. Her nipples brushed against my shirt, and she shivered at the contact.

Then she pulled back. Her fingers found the hem of my shirt. Asia tugged upward.

I helped her strip the shirt over my head and tossed it onto the seat beside her blouse and bra.

She stared at my bare chest. Her blush returned, but this time she did not look away.

Slowly, almost reverently, she placed both hands on me.

Her palms were soft and warm. She touched my shoulders first, then my chest, then my stomach. Her fingers traced the lines of muscle down toward my abdomen, and every inch she explored made her breathing a little less steady.

"You are very beautiful," she whispered.

I blinked.

That was not usually the word people used for me.

Hot, yes. Handsome, sure. Ridiculous, according to Hermione.

Beautiful was different. Coming from Asia, it felt like a prayer she had not realized she was making. "Thank you," I said with a smirk.

Her gaze lifted to mine. Then dropped lower. Her hands followed. She touched my stomach, then hesitated just above my belt.

The gazebo seemed very quiet.

"Can I..." she whispered, then swallowed. "Can I touch it?"

My entire body went tight. "Fuck yes."

Asia's fingers trembled as she reached for my belt.

She fumbled with it for a few seconds, cheeks burning brighter and brighter, until I covered her hands with mine.

Together, we opened my belt. Then the button. Then the zip.

When I shifted enough to free my cock, she made a soft, startled noise. "Oh wow..."

It sprang up hard between us, thick and flushed, already leaking at the tip.

Asia's eyes went very wide. Then wider. "That is..." She trailed off.

I waited, fighting the urge to say something stupid.

She swallowed. "That is bigger when it is not under clothes."

I laughed before I could stop myself.

Asia looked horrified. "I am sorry!"

"No, no, don't be sorry." I kissed her quickly. "That was adorable."

"I did not mean to be adorable!"

"You keep doing it anyway!"

She gave me a tiny glare, but it collapsed almost immediately when her gaze dropped back to my cock.

Her hand hovered.

I took her wrist gently and guided her fingers around me.

Asia inhaled sharply as her hand closed around my shaft.

I hissed through my teeth. "Fuck."

Her eyes snapped to my face. "Did I hurt you?"

"No."

"Then why did you make that sound?"

"Because it felt good!"

Her expression changed again. That shy pride returned, stronger this time. "Oh!" She stroked me once, clumsy and tentative.

My hips jerked before I could stop them.

Asia gasped, but she did not let go.

I wrapped my hand around hers and showed her how. Slow at first. Up and down. How to twist her wrist near the head. How to keep her grip firm enough to feel good but not too tight.

She watched everything. She learned everything. Of course she did. Soon, her hand moved without mine. It was uneven and hesitant, but it was her.

I groaned and leaned my head back against the cushioned wall.

Asia stared at my face as if my reactions were the most important lesson she had ever studied. "Like this?" she whispered. She stroked again.

"Nnh... yes." I moaned for her.

Her lips parted. The scent of her arousal grew stronger. She was getting wetter from touching me.

That realization made something dark and hungry stir low in my gut.

I caught her wrist.

She froze at once. "Did I do wrong?"

"No," I said, voice rough. "You did very right. Too right."

Her face flushed with pleasure.

I kissed her again, hard enough that she whimpered.

Then I lifted her slightly, just enough to shift her skirt higher around her waist. My fingers brushed the edge of her panties.

She trembled. "May I?" I asked.

Asia nodded.

My hand slid between her thighs.

The moment my fingers pressed against the damp fabric of her panties, Asia cried out. "A-ah!" She clutched my shoulders.

I rubbed her slowly through the soaked cotton, feeling the heat of her pussy beneath my fingers. Her hips jerked into my touch almost immediately. "Oh... oh, Harry..."

"You're so wet," I murmured.

She made a mortified little whine but did not apologize.

I pushed the fabric aside and touched her bare.

Asia's whole body jolted. "Ahhn!"

Her pussy was hot and slick beneath my fingers. I stroked through her folds, slow and gentle, gathering her wetness before circling her clit with the lightest pressure. She nearly collapsed against me. "Haa... ah... nnnh..."

I held her up with one arm around her waist while my fingers worked between her thighs.

Her forehead dropped to my shoulder. Her moans were small at first, half swallowed by embarrassment. "Mmh... ah... ahh..." Then I found the rhythm she liked. Her fingers dug into my back. "Ahh! Harry!"

"There?"

"Y-yes... there... please..." she said in-between breaths of pleasure.

I kissed her neck and kept rubbing.

Her hips rocked against my hand now, chasing the pressure. Her breasts pressed against my chest, her nipples dragging over my skin with every little movement. Her hand still rested around my cock, forgotten but warm, squeezing whenever pleasure spiked through her body.

I slid one finger lower and pressed carefully against her entrance.

Asia froze for half a heartbeat. She lifted her head. Her eyes were hazy, but focused. "Please," she whispered.

I eased one finger inside her. I went slowly.

She was tight, slick, and trembling around my finger. Her inner walls clenched like her body could not decide whether to pull me deeper or panic at the new sensation.

I kissed her cheek. "You're doing so well."

Her eyes fluttered. "Harry..."

I began to move my finger. Slow. Gentle. In and out.

Asia whimpered with every stroke. "Nn... ah... ahh... hhaa..."

My thumb returned to her clit, circling carefully.

Her reaction was immediate. She jerked in my arms, eyes wide, mouth falling open in a silent cry before sound finally escaped her. "Aaah! It feels so good inside me!"

"There we go," I murmured.

She clung to me, riding my hand with tiny, helpless movements.

The ferris wheel creaked softly as it continued upward, carrying us higher above the lights of Lucifer Land, but I barely noticed. My world had narrowed to Asia's trembling body, the wet squeeze of her inner pussy walls around my finger, the soft cries spilling from her lips, and the way she looked at me like I was giving her something sacred instead of simply touching her the way she deserved.

"Harry," she whimpered. "Something is... I feel… It is building. I don't know what to do."

I grinned at her. "Let it happen."

Her green eyes filled with frightened wonder. She broke. Her body tightened all at once. Her thighs clamped around my hand, her back arched, and her mouth opened on a shocked, shaking cry. "Ahh! Ahhhn! H-Harry!" Her pussy clenched hard around my finger, pulsing in quick, wet spasms. I kept rubbing her clit through it, softer now, guiding her instead of pushing. She trembled violently in my lap. "Haa... nnnh... ah... oh... oh..."

When it finally faded, she collapsed against my chest, panting.

I held her.

For a long moment, neither of us said anything. Until she caught her breath from her orgasm and she lifted her head.

Her cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen, her green eyes bright and dazed. Her hair was a mess, her blouse and bra lay discarded beside us, her skirt was bunched around her waist, and her panties were pushed aside over her glistening pussy.

She looked debauched. She looked innocent. Somehow she looked both at once, and I wanted her so badly I could barely think.

Her gaze dropped to my cock again.

It stood hard and aching between us, wet at the head, throbbing with every beat of my heart.

Asia swallowed. Then she wrapped her hand around me again.

I groaned. "You don't have to."

"I want to..." Her voice was still soft, but steadier now.

She shifted on my lap, her knees pressing into the cushion on either side of my hips. Her hand stroked me once, twice, still imperfect but more confident. "I want to make you feel good too," she said.

"You already are."

She looked up at me through her lashes. "Then I want to make you feel better."

Fuck. "Asia."

She leaned forward and kissed me.

It was not as shy this time. Still sweet. Still Asia. But there was a lot more lust in it now. Her tongue slipped against mine, and her hand tightened around my cock, and her bare tits pressed to my chest while the ferris wheel carried us slowly toward the top of the world.

I held her waist. She lifted herself slightly.

My breath caught. "Asia?"

She looked at me. Her eyes were nervous again. But not unsure. "I want you," she whispered.

"This is a very big step," I told her honestly.

But she shook her head. "I want this," she said. "I want my first time to be with you. Tonight. Here. Because I chose it."

I reached down, took my cock in hand, and guided the head against her slick entrance.

Asia gasped at the contact. Her hands gripped my shoulders.

"Slow," I whispered to her. This was her first time having actual sex.

She nodded quickly.

I held her hips as she began to lower herself. My cockhead pressed into her.

Asia whimpered. "Ah... ahh..." She sank down another inch, trembling around me, impossibly tight and hot. Her nails bit into my skin. Her breath came in little broken sounds against my mouth. "Nn... nnnh... H-Harry..."

"You're doing beautifully."

"It is big," she whispered, voice shaking.

"I know. Go as slow as you need."

She nodded, eyes squeezed shut. Another inch. Then another. Her body stretched around me slowly, reluctantly, opening with each tiny movement. I felt every shiver, every clench, every moment of hesitation. I held myself still even though my instincts screamed to thrust up into her.

Finally, her hips settled against mine.

I was fully inside her.

Asia froze. Her mouth fell open, but no sound came out.

I kissed her forehead. "Asia?"

She opened her eyes. Tears slipped down her cheeks.

I held her carefully.

She trembled around my cock, hot and tight and pulsing, but I did not move. Not until she did.

After a minute, maybe more, she shifted experimentally.

I grunted from her tightness. Virgin devil girls were a whole different experience. "Nnh..."

She did it again. Her eyes widened. "Oh."

I almost laughed. "Good oh or bad oh?"

"Good," she whispered. "Very good." Her hips moved again.

This time, I helped guide her. Up a little. Down. Slow.

Asia moaned. "Ahh..." The sound was soft and full of wonder. She moved again, a little more confidently.

I kept my hands on her hips, helping but not taking over. Her breasts bounced lightly with each small rise and fall. Her face flushed darker. Her breathing turned ragged.

She was so tight I could feel my pulse in my cock. "You feel incredible," I said.

Asia whimpered. Her pussy clenched around me. "Say it again," she whispered.

I kissed her before pulling my lips back and smiling at her flushed and dazed expression. "You feel incredible."

Her next moan was louder.

The gazebo continued its slow climb. The seat beneath us creaked softly. The privacy wards hummed. Asia rode me with hesitant, messy, beautiful movements, her body learning mine one careful bounce at a time.

I watched her discover what she liked. When she rolled her hips forward, her clit brushed against me, and she made a startled cry.

Her eyes nearly rolled back. "Oh... oh, that..."

"Good?"

"Yes... yes, please..."

I guided her into the motion. Up. Down. Grind.

Her hands slid into my hair. She clung to me, riding me slowly while making the sweetest fucking sounds I had ever heard. "Ahh... Harry... mmh... hhaa... please..."

"Please what?"

"I don't know," she gasped.

I smiled and kissed her throat. "That's alright."

Her movements grew less careful. More desperate. Her body had figured out pleasure and wanted more of it. She bounced a little harder, still awkward, still learning, but every clumsy drop of her hips drove her pussy down around my cock and dragged a groan from my chest.

"Fuck, Asia."

She shivered.

"You like that word?" I realized. "Because it's a naughty word?"

Her blush somehow deepened despite everything we were doing. "It sounds different when you say it." She looked away, mortified. "Hot…"

My laugh broke into a groan when she clenched around me again. "Then fuck, you're perfect."

Asia moaned so loudly she slapped a hand over her own mouth.

I caught her wrist and pulled it away. "No hiding. I want to hear you."

Her eyes went wide and wet. Then she nodded.

I planted my feet on the floor, tightened my grip on her hips, and gave one slow thrust upward.

Asia cried out. Another thrust. Her breasts bounced. Her head fell back. "H-Harry!"

I started moving with her, still controlled, still careful, but deeper now. Her body was ready. Slick. Open. Gripping me with every stroke like she never wanted to let go.

The gentle ride became something hotter. Messier.

Her thighs shook. Her hair stuck to her flushed cheeks. Her nipples were hard, her lips parted, her eyes glazed with pleasure as she took me again and again. "Ah! Ahh! Nnhaa! Harry, Harry, Harry..." My name became a prayer on her tongue.

I leaned forward and sucked one nipple into my mouth. Her pussy clamped down around me. I groaned against her breast, then bit lightly, just enough to make her jerk.

I bit her other nipple. She sobbed with pleasure. "Ahh! Please! I can't hold on anymore!" 

Her second orgasm hit harder than the first.

I felt it start before she understood what was happening. Her inner walls fluttered around me, then seized. Her thighs locked against mine. Her hands fisted in my hair as her entire body arched. "Ahh! Ahhn! H-Harry, I'm... I'm...!"

"Cum for me."

She shattered. Her pussy clenched so hard I nearly came with her. Wet tightness pulsed around my cock in rapid waves, milking me, dragging at every shred of restraint I had left.

I held her through it, thrusting shallowly while she shook and cried out.

When she sagged against me, I was shaking too. "Asia," I said roughly. "I'm close."

She lifted her head. Her eyes were dazed, but clear. "Inside," she whispered.

Fuck. I kissed her hard, wrapped both arms around her, and thrust up deep. Once. Twice. Three times.

Asia cried out with each one.

Then I buried myself fully inside her and came. The orgasm slammed through me, hot and heavy, ripping a groan from my throat as my cock pulsed deep in her tight pussy. Asia gasped as she felt it, eyes widening, body trembling while I filled her.

I held her down against me, my hips pressed flush, emptying my balls inside her in thick, throbbing spurts of hot cum.

She clung to me through all of it.

When it finally passed, I leaned back against the cushioned wall, breathing hard.

Asia collapsed against my chest. For a long time, neither of us moved.

The ferris wheel continued downward, slow and peaceful, as if it had not just quietly witnessed one of the most important moments of Asia's life.

I stroked her hair. She nuzzled into me.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

She nodded against my chest. Then, after a pause, she whispered, "I am sticky."

I laughed so hard I nearly dislodged her.

Asia squeaked and grabbed my shoulders. "Harry!"

"Sorry," I said, still laughing. "Sorry. That was just very you."

She hid her face against me. "I do not know what to say after sex."

"You don't need to say anything clever."

She giggled, soft and breathless, and the sound settled into me like warmth.

I kissed her forehead. "You were wonderful."

Her eyes softened. "Was I?"

"Yes."

Her lower lip trembled. Then she kissed me. It was gentle, sweet, and full of everything she did not know how to say yet. When she pulled back, she rested her forehead against mine. "I am happy," she whispered.

I brushed my thumb over her cheek. "Good."

The ferris wheel finally slowed as our gazebo approached the loading platform.

Asia glanced toward the door in sudden panic. "My blouse!"

I laughed and helped her dress, cleaning us both with a quick pulse of water magic and a discreet charm before fastening her bra with far more difficulty than removing it had taken. She kept giggling every time my fingers brushed her skin, which made the process take much longer than necessary.

By the time the door opened, Asia looked mostly presentable.

Her cheeks were still pink. Her hair was a little messy. Her lips were swollen, and she leaned against my arm when she stepped out because her legs were not quite steady.

The attendant took one look at us. Then she smiled knowingly. "Enjoy the ride?"

Asia made the smallest sound imaginable. "...yes."

The attendant's smile turned incandescent.

I wrapped an arm around Asia's waist before she could collapse from embarrassment.

(R-18 END)

– ??? –

Unknown to Harry Sitri or Asia Argento, someone had watched them leave the ferris wheel.

He stood beneath the shadow of a twisted decorative archway shaped like a pair of black devil wings, half-hidden between a souvenir stall and a glowing map of Lucifer Land. Around him, families laughed. Couples passed hand in hand. Children shrieked in delight as a miniature dragon ride looped overhead with a cheerful roar.

He noticed none of it. His eyes remained fixed on Asia.

Sweet Asia.

Gentle Asia.

Asia, who now clung to Harry Sitri's arm with flushed cheeks, messy hair, and a smile so soft it made the man's stomach twist into a black knot.

She limped. Only slightly. Only enough that anyone not looking for it might have missed it.

He did not miss it. His fingers curled until his nails bit deep into his palms.

She leaned into Sitri's side like she belonged there. Like she wanted to be there. Like the half-breed devil had earned the right to touch her, hold her, ruin her, and make her smile afterward.

The man's jaw clenched. Crack. A dull pop sounded from one of his teeth as pressure ground through his skull.

For almost an hour, he had waited.

At first, he had told himself nothing would happen. Asia was pure. Asia was modest. Asia had been raised better than these disgusting Underworld whores who flaunted themselves in public and called lust freedom. She would realize what the ride was and panic. She would ask to leave. Sitri would be forced to walk out with that stupid charming smile strained at the edges.

But the gazebo was sealed and the windows went black. The wheel had turned slowly. And neither of them had come out until the full circuit ended.

When they finally emerged, Asia's face had been pink, her lips swollen, and her legs unsteady beneath her. Sitri had wrapped an arm around her waist as if he had every right to support her.

As if he had every right to be the reason she needed support in the first place.

The man hissed through his teeth.

A mother nearby glanced toward him, startled, then immediately hurried her children away.

Harry Sitri laughed softly at something Asia said.

Asia ducked her head, smiling, and pressed closer to him.

The man's vision flashed red. That smile should not have been for him! That tenderness should not have been for him!

And then he would have enjoyed breaking it! As was his right!

Asia had been stolen and corrupted by someone else! How dare that slut betray him like this!

He took one step forward. Then stopped.

No. The man was not a fool. He would not attack Harry Sitri directly in the middle of Lucifer Land. It was too public to expose himself like this.

There were other ways.

He turned and walked.

Each step carried him away from the lights, away from the laughter, away from Asia's soft voice. His shoulders stayed rigid. His hands shook at his sides. He kept his head down as he moved through the crowd toward a restroom building shaped like a ridiculous little castle with cartoon bats hanging upside down from the eaves.

A teenage devil boy bumped into him near the entrance.

"Watch it, man."

The man's head snapped toward him. He snapped his fingers and summoned some basic fire magic. More than enough to deal with low class trash. 

The boy went pale, sensing too late he had offended someone who was his better. Before he could run he was reduced to ashes, not even a body would remain…

The man entered the bathroom. The door swung shut behind him. Inside, the air smelled of expensive floral cleaning charms and faint brimstone. A mirror lined one wall above black marble sinks. The stalls were polished, private, and empty.

Good. The man lifted one hand. A green summoning circle flared beneath his feet.

Something dropped onto the bathroom floor with a wet slap. It crouched there on too many limbs, twitching and wheezing. Its skin was gray-green and stretched too tight over swollen muscle. Bone spurs jutted from its spine in uneven rows. One side of its face sagged like melted wax, while the other was all bulging yellow eye and jagged teeth. Its arms were too long. Its fingers dragged against the tile. Black fluid leaked slowly from the corners of its mouth.

A failure.

One of the countless ugly things left behind when the Naberius clan's secret super devil experiments didn't work out.

The man looked down at it with contempt.

The creature whimpered. "Grrrk... hhhhk..."

"You are pathetic," the man said. The thing flinched at his voice. "But useful." He reached into the inner pocket of his coat.

For one brief moment, hesitation passed through him.

The object he withdrew was precious. A snake. No larger than his forearm. It writhed in his grip despite having no true flesh. Its body was made of black power, glossy and pulsing, with scales that seemed to swallow the bathroom light. Its eyeless head snapped left and right, tasting the air for something it could not find.

The moment it emerged, the monster on the floor froze.

Then it began to shake. It knew. Some deep animal part of it recognized that the thing in the man's hand was not food.

It was infinity carved into poison.

The man smiled thinly. "Open."

The creature tried to crawl backward.

The man's boot came down on one of its hands. 

Crunch. The monster shrieked. "Skreeee!"

"Open," he repeated.

This time, it obeyed. Its jaw stretched wider than bone should allow.

The man shoved the black snake down its throat. The effect was immediate. The creature convulsed so violently that its skull cracked against the marble floor.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Its limbs spasmed. Its back arched. Black veins raced beneath its skin, splitting through old scar tissue and malformed muscle. The green summoning circle flickered wildly as the thing's power surged.

Mid Class. Then higher. Upper Mid. Low High. The bathroom lights shattered one by one.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

Its spine lengthened with a wet crunch. Its shoulders split, one after another, birthing additional arms that dragged themselves free in sprays of black fluid. Splrch! Its jaw broke, then reformed wider. Horns punched through its skull. Its single bulging eye multiplied into five, then seven, all glowing with empty black light.

The man watched with cold satisfaction as the failure grew larger and stronger. 

High Class.

Its aura pressed against the walls until the wards hidden in the bathroom groaned under the strain. The creature's wheezing turned into a guttural, hungry growl.

"Grrrrrrhhh..."

Peak High Class. Not enough to kill Harry Sitri. But more than enough to kill hundreds of civilians before anyone realized what had happened. More than enough to turn the happiest park in the Underworld into a slaughterhouse. Enough to ruin Asia's perfect little date.

The man crouched before the creature. It loomed over him now, huge and hunched, its shoulders scraping the ceiling, black drool hissing where it struck the tile.

"You will go outside," the man said. "You will kill everyone you see. Children. Parents. Lovers. Guards. Vendors. It does not matter." 

The monster's many eyes blinked out of rhythm. 

The man stood. The green circle brightened beneath him again. He spared one glance toward the bathroom door.

Somewhere beyond it, Asia was still smiling.

That would change soon.

"Rampage," he ordered.

The monster lunged. The bathroom wall exploded outward in a storm of tile, marble, pipework, and dust. Screams erupted outside almost instantly as the thing burst into the park walkway, bellowing with all seven eyes blazing. "RRRRAAAAAAAGH!"

The man smiled as the summoning circle swallowed him.

Unknown to the jealous, petty man who had eyes only for Asia, she and Harry were not alone at Lucifer Land…

– Hermione –

Hermione Granger knew there was a time to study and a time to enjoy herself. She did. Honestly, she did. Despite what several idiots at Hogwarts seemed to believe, she was perfectly capable of setting aside books, parchment, and research notes for a few hours of relaxation.

Admittedly, she had brought a small enchanted notebook in her handbag. And two books. And a translated Underworld guide to recreational warding standards. 

But those were for emergencies…

The point was that she had spent most of the day having fun with the rest of Harry's peerage while Harry and Asia enjoyed their first real date together. Asia deserved that. Sweet, gentle, anxious Asia, who still apologized to furniture after bumping into it and needed to be reminded that wanting dessert was not a moral failing.

Hermione had watched Asia cling shyly to Harry's arm earlier in the day, her face pink and determined as she pressed herself closer than she usually dared.

Fleur had looked so proud that Hermione suspected she had given Asia lessons.

Which was horrifying. And useful. And still horrifying.

At the moment, Hermione stood near a snack stall shaped like a smiling little demon with horns, eating a cinnamon sugar churro while Ginny Weasley leaned against the railing beside her with one boot up on the lower bar. Ginny had a caramel apple in one hand and an expression of smug satisfaction on her face that Hermione had learned meant trouble was only seconds away.

"What?" Hermione asked warily.

Ginny nodded toward the opposite path.

Hermione followed her gaze.

Fleur Delacour was slipping away from the group with the careful stealth of a woman who believed herself to be subtle because she was too beautiful for anyone to challenge the lie.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. Fleur was heading toward the ferris wheel. Of course she was.

Ginny snickered. "Veela are shameless."

Gabrielle, who had been licking powdered sugar off her fingers from a funnel cake, nodded solemnly. "Yes, we are."

Hermione slowly turned to stare at her.

Gabrielle smiled without a trace of guilt. "She is probably going to make sure Asia is alright."

"She is probably going to shamelessly spy on Harry and Asia," Hermione replied dryly.

"That too," Gabrielle admitted.

Ginny took an enormous bite of her caramel apple. Crunch.

Hermione sighed, already feeling the weight of responsibility settle over her shoulders. Honestly, if there was ever a family motto for Harry's peerage, it should have been Hermione Granger Handles Things While Everyone Else Causes Problems. "I will go drag Fleur back before she ruins Asia's first proper date," Hermione said.

Gabrielle pouted. She tried to defend her older sister, maybe thinking of even joining her. "You could let her watch a little!"

"No."

"It would be romantic."

"It would be voyeurism."

"It can be both!"

Hermione pointed her churro at Gabrielle. "Do not make me get Lilja. She and Roseweisse aren't that far away. And Narcissa and Tonks are next door in the souvenir shop too."

Gabrielle immediately looked away and took another bite of funnel cake. "You don't need to get Lilja…"

Ginny laughed. "That threat works on everybody now."

"It has become very convenient," Hermione muttered. She finished the last bite of her churro, dusted cinnamon sugar from her fingers, and started after Fleur. She moved quickly through the bright, crowded path, past couples holding hands, children carrying glowing balloons shaped like tiny bats, and a group of teenage devils trying to win an enormous stuffed Levia-tan plush at a ring toss stall.

The ferris wheel stood ahead, enormous and slow and obscene in the way only the Underworld could make something look elegant while everyone knew exactly what it was for.

Hermione still could not believe Asia had chosen to ride it with Harry. Actually, no. That was not fair. Asia choosing it was precisely why Hermione had felt so proud of her. The girl had spent most of her life terrified of wanting anything. If Asia had decided she wanted Harry, and that she wanted to end her date in a private gazebo high above Lucifer Land with the boy she trusted more than anyone, then good for her.

Very good for her. Hermione only wished Fleur Delacour did not look like she was seconds from steaming through her knickers over it. Sure enough, Hermione found Fleur standing just off to the side of the ferris wheel exit, half hidden behind a decorative pillar wrapped in silver ivy. Her blue eyes were locked on Harry and Asia as they stepped down from their private gazebo.

Asia looked utterly ruined. Her cheeks were flushed. Her lips were swollen. Her hair was not quite in place anymore, and she leaned into Harry's side like her legs had forgotten their assigned function. Harry had one arm wrapped protectively around her waist, smiling at her with an expression so warm that Hermione's own annoyance softened despite herself.

Asia looked happy. Hermione's heart squeezed.

Then Fleur made a low, throaty sound. "Mmm."

Hermione slowly turned her head.

Fleur had pressed one hand to the pillar. Her thighs rubbed together beneath her skirt, and her face held an expression of such hungry longing that Hermione seriously considered conjuring a bucket of cold water. "How lucky," Fleur murmured in French. "Her first time in such a romantic place."

Hermione rolled her eyes so hard it almost hurt. "You can ask Asia for all the details later," she said in the same language. "In private. When she is not trying to finish the rest of her date without her "big sister" hovering like a horny guardian angel."

Fleur did not even flinch at being caught. "She looked radiant."

"She did," Hermione admitted.

Fleur sighed again. "And Harry looked pleased too. That means she must have done a great job for her first time!"

Hermione sighed. "Fleur…"

"What? I am happy for her!"

"You are practically drooling..."

Fleur's chin lifted with wounded dignity. "I am Veela. We experience emotions passionately."

"You are lurking behind a pillar watching our boyfriend walk away with the girl he just deflowered."

Fleur sighed dreamily. "Oui..."

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose. "Come on," she said. "Let's go back to the others."

"But Hermione… I only wanted to make sure she was not overwhelmed."

Hermione stared. "No."

Fleur stared back, entirely unrepentant.

After several seconds, Fleur finally huffed and switched to French entirely, launching into a rapid, melodramatic complaint that included several phrases Hermione suspected were not appropriate for polite society. Something about romance, Veela instincts, private ferris wheels, and the tragedy of being denied educational observation.

Hermione let her whine for almost a full minute.

Then she crossed her arms.

Fleur deflated. "Fine," Fleur said at last, also in French. "I will ask her later."

They turned to leave.

Fleur froze for some reason.

Hermione took two more steps before realizing the Veela had stopped moving. She looked back.

Fleur's expression had changed completely. Her blue eyes shifted into something cold and predatory. 

Hermione had seen that look before, whenever someone threatens a person the Veela cares about. "What is it?" Hermione asked.

Fleur's nostrils flared. "I sense hatred."

Lucifer Land continued around them. Music played. Children laughed. Somewhere behind them, a ride dropped with a chorus of delighted screams.

Veela were not merely pretty witches with fire and allure. That was the wizarding world's shallow, ignorant understanding of them. Since becoming Harry's Rook, Fleur had opened up more about what Veela truly were, and one of the facts Hermione had tucked carefully away was that Veela were extraordinarily sensitive to emotions. They could sense the emotions of everyone around them at all times, and the stronger those emotions were, the harder they were to block out. 

Fleur's eyes narrowed. "There."

Hermione followed her gaze.

A man with green hair stood near the far path, partially obscured by passing crowds. He looked polished and like a noble. Handsome in a delicate, sickly way. 

Hermione's mind worked instantly. Green hair. Noble bearing. Age bracket approximately within Harry's generation. Slim build. Astaroth family traits. "That is Diodora Astaroth," she said quietly.

Fleur's gaze did not leave him. "Who?"

"Ajuka Beelzebub's nephew!" Hermione had done a lot of studying since becoming Harry's Bishop. More than a lot, really. She had studied devil history, noble houses, peerage structures, bloodline abilities, political alliances, inter-clan rivalries, arranged marriage customs, Rating Game records, and the full publicly available roster of young devils considered relevant to Harry's generation. Future allies. Future rivals. Future threats.

"Harry and Diodora have never met," Hermione murmured. "Why would he hate him?"

Fleur's hands curled into fists. "It is more than hate." Fleur's voice went flat. "It is murderous loathing."

Diodora turned sharply and walked toward a restroom building shaped like a small black castle with cartoon bat gargoyles. His movements were too controlled, too stiff, like a man forcing himself not to run.

Fleur started forward immediately.

Hermione caught her wrist. "Wait."

Fleur rounded on her, eyes flashing. "Hermione."

"It might be a trap..."

"He is going after Harry!"

"We do not know that," Hermione said, though every instinct screamed that Fleur was right. "And if he is, charging blindly after him could make things worse."

Fleur's nostrils flared. Hermione lifted her free hand and began forming a small, subtle communication circle, the Sitri crest flickering faintly over her palm. "I am telling Lilja first."

Fleur jerked her gaze back toward the bathroom. A teenage devil boy bumped into Diodora at the entrance. Hermione saw Diodora's head snap toward him. She saw the boy's face drain of color. She watched him not even be able to scream before his body was reduced to ashes.

Hermione gasped. Cold blooded murder!? In such a public place?

Then Diodora entered the bathroom and disappeared.

Hermione felt sick. She hoped she wasn't letting him get away but he was stronger than both her and Fleur. Confronting him with just the two of them would not turn out well. She sent and emergency SOS to the rest of the Peerage and they could get here in about 30 seconds. 

A flash of green light pulsed beneath the bathroom door. Then another aura erupted from inside the building.

Hermione's mouth went dry. "Oh no..." Whatever that was, it felt vile and wrong. 

Fleur stared at the building.

Hermione's brilliant caution, her wonderful planning, her careful insistence on not charging into an obvious trap, became ash in her mouth. Because one minute later, the bathroom exploded.

Crash! Stone, tile, black marble, and decorative bat gargoyles blasted outward in a storm of shrapnel. People screamed and scattered as a massive shape tore through the ruined wall, hunched and hideous, all wrong limbs and jagged bone and black veins pulsing beneath gray-green skin.

It hit the park path on too many hands.

Boom. The ground cracked.

Hermione staggered back from the shockwave, throwing up a shield by instinct as bits of debris rattled against it.

The monster lifted its malformed head. Seven black eyes opened. It screamed. "RRRRAAAAAAAGH!"

The sound tore across Lucifer Land. Children shrieked. Parents grabbed them. Vendors ducked behind stalls. A group of teenage devils who had been laughing seconds earlier turned white with terror as the creature's aura rolled outward.

Peak High Class. 

Fleur moved before Hermione could speak.

A small devil family had frozen directly in the creature's path. A mother with violet hair clutched two children against her skirts while the father tried to put himself between them and the monster despite shaking so badly his legs nearly buckled.

The monster raised one enormous clawed fist.

Fleur blurred across the path. She planted herself between the creature and the family with her shoulders squared, blonde hair whipping around her face.

The fist came down.

Wham!

Hermione's shield shook from the impact even several yards away.

Fleur took the hit directly.

Her body bent under the force, her heels cracking into the paving stones, but she did not fall. She was Harry's Rook. A normal witch would have been paste.

Fleur Delacour simply lifted her head. Pink fire ignited across her skin. Whoomph. The flames rushed over her arms, her shoulders, her hair, her chest, burning bright and beautiful without consuming fabric or flesh. Veela fire, passion and love and fury made manifest, roared around her until she looked like a living torch. A flaming, furious, impossibly beautiful tank.

The monster snarled and drove its claws into her side. Clang. The sound rang like metal striking stone.

Fleur slid back half a foot, but her lips curled. "Non," she said softly. Then she drove her burning fist into the creature's abdomen. Boom. The blast of pink fire sent the monster staggering backward through the ruins of the bathroom.

Hermione's regret lasted exactly one heartbeat. Then magic combat training took over. She thrust her right hand upward and snapped her other hand through a Sitri spell array, blending witchcraft and devil magic the way Rossweisse had been drilling into her when she asked her fellow bishop for training. "Everyone back!" Hermione shouted. "Evacuate toward the main avenue! Now!" People obeyed. Mostly. A few panicked. A few stood frozen. Hermione conjured a line of blue-white arrows in the air, each one pointing toward the safest exit path. "Move!"

The arrows flashed brighter.

A father scooped up a crying child. A vendor abandoned his stall. Two park attendants finally shook themselves out of shock and began guiding people away.

Fleur glanced back for half a second. Their eyes met. Hermione felt the message in the look.

Fleur turned back to the monster as it rose from the rubble, black drool hissing against the flames licking across its chest.

Sssss. It bellowed again. "GRAAAAAAAH!"

Fleur's fire surged higher. Her hair lifted around her face. Her blue eyes glowed with Veela fury, and the flames across her body deepened from pink to rose-gold. "You ruined our darling Asia's date!" Fleur snarled.

Then the monster charged.

Fleur charged to meet it.

Their collision shook Lucifer Land.

The paving stones buckled outward from the impact. A nearby snack cart jumped two inches off the ground. Balloons shaped like tiny smiling bats popped one after another above a screaming vendor's head.

Fleur met the monster head-on, pink and rose-gold fire roaring around her body like a living storm. For one brilliant second, Hermione let herself hope raw fury and Rook durability would be enough.

Then the monster adapted. Its first strike had been a test, whether the creature was intelligent enough to mean it or simply animal enough to learn from pain. It had hit Fleur expecting flesh. It had found stone. Now it knew. The next blow came harder. Much harder. The monster twisted with obscene speed for something so huge. One of its secondary arms shot out first, clawing at Fleur's face. Fleur ducked beneath it, drove her burning elbow into its ribs, and made the thing stagger half a step.

Only half. Its largest arm came around from the other side like a battering ram.

Fleur had enough time to turn her shoulder into the strike. Wham! The sound cracked across the avenue.

Fleur's body left the ground. "PUTAIN DE MERDE!" She flew backward in a blazing arc and crashed violently through a hot dog stand. Wood splintered. Metal folded. Condiment bottles exploded in red, yellow, and suspiciously purple sprays. A cloud of steam and meat-scented smoke burst upward as Fleur disappeared beneath the wreckage.

Hermione's stomach dropped. "FLEUR!"

The monster took one lumbering step toward the civilians Fleur had been protecting. 

Hermione did not have time to check on her. "Reducto!" The curse slammed into the monster's shoulder. A chunk of sickly gray-green flesh tore free and splattered across the broken paving stones.

The monster barely noticed.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Fine." She snapped her hand through three tight motions and poured demonic energy through the spell structure instead of wizarding magic alone. "Diffindo. Confringo. Ossis Fractura." Three curses struck in rapid succession. The first cut a long furrow across the monster's chest. The second blew a crater in one of its upper arms. The third snapped two visible bone spurs jutting from its ribcage. Black blood sprayed hot across the ground, hissing where it touched Fleur's lingering Veela fire.

The wounds closed almost as fast as she made them, black veins writhing beneath the damaged flesh like snakes under wet paper. 

The creature turned.

All seven eyes fixed on Hermione. "Oh," Hermione whispered. "Bugger."

The thing's mouth split wider. "Grrrrrrhhh..."

Hermione swallowed hard.

The monster raised its massive hand.

Hermione braced. Then blue light flashed beside her. Harry appeared in a burst of light, one arm around Asia's waist, his new silver and blue sword already in his hand.

Hermione barely had time to register him.

Harry moved. The blade sang through the air. The monster's enormous hand came off at the wrist. Black blood exploded outward in a foul arc as the severed limb hit the ground with a wet, heavy slap.

The monster screamed. "RRRRAAAAAAAGH!"

Harry landed between Hermione and the creature, eyes cold, sword held low in one hand. The blade the legendary smith Viviane had forged for him shimmered like moonlight trapped beneath deep water, silver edge gleaming, blue channels pulsing with Sitri power. Frost crawled outward from his shoes, sealing cracks in the ground beneath him as his aura snapped into focus.

Asia stood beside Hermione, pale but steady, one hand clutching the front of her blouse while the other glowed faintly with Twilight Healing.

Hermione had never been so happy to see anyone in her entire life.

"Are you hurt?" Harry asked without looking back.

"No," Hermione said quickly. "Fleur took the first hit."

Harry's jaw tightened.

Above them, black wings cut through the smoke. Lilja dropped from the sky. Her Valkyrie rapier flashed silver as she descended straight onto the monster's back. She landed with one foot between its shoulder blades and drove her blade down through the thick meat of its neck.

Schlkk! The rapier punched through from above, silver runes flaring along the blade.

The monster choked. "Hrrk!"

A heartbeat later, Rossweisse appeared as well in a bloom of pale blue runic circles. She hovered with her newly formed devil wings spread behind her.

One larger circle formed in front of her palm. Hermione felt the spell compress.

Rossweisse fired. A massive lance of silver-blue magic tore through the air and punched directly into the monster's chest. The blast blew a hole straight through its torso.

Hermione saw the thing's heart for one horrible instant, black, swollen, and pulsing with oily veins. Then the heart vanished in the light.

The monster staggered.

Lilja ripped her rapier sideways through its neck while Harry stepped in and slashed upward with Viviane's sword.

The silver-blue blade cut from hip to shoulder. The monster came apart. Black blood fountained. Its torso split, its ruined neck opened, and its legs collapsed beneath it. The creature hit the ground in three separate pieces, twitching violently as black energy sparked through its dying body.

Rossweisse snapped her fingers. Runic chains slammed down over the remains, pinning them in place before any regeneration could begin.

Lilja landed lightly beside Harry and flicked blood from her rapier with a look of cold disgust. "That was hideous..."

Harry stared at the twitching remains. He glanced back at her.

Hermione exhaled. Her hands were shaking. She hated that she had been scared. She hated that her careful, intelligent caution had not stopped a murder, had not stopped the monster from being released, had only made her stand there and watch while Diodora Astaroth vanished.

Then a pile of broken hot dog stand shifted.

Fleur rose from the wreckage like an offended goddess emerging from processed meat hell. Her fire had gone out, but smoke curled from her shoulders. Her hair was mostly intact, which Hermione privately attributed to Veela magic and cosmic favoritism. Her clothes had survived, but only technically. They were streaked with mustard, ketchup, steam grease, chopped onions, and something that looked like glowing green relish.

Fleur looked down at herself. Then she made a sound of pure, aristocratic horror. "Noooooooon!"

Gabrielle would have laughed herself unconscious if she had been there.

Hermione nearly did.

Fleur lifted one sticky arm away from her body, expression twisting. "There is meat juice on me! And not ze fun kind!"

Harry blinked.

Asia, still pale from the attack, made a small sympathetic noise.

Hermione pressed her lips together. Do not laugh. Do not laugh. Do not laugh.

Fleur huffed, then immediately winced and pressed a hand to her ribs.

Harry was beside her in an instant. "Fleur! Are you ok?"

"I am fine," she said, then ruined the dignity by peeling a piece of hot dog bun off her shoulder with two fingers. "Mostly offended."

Asia hurried forward with her hands glowing green. "Let me heal you."

Fleur's expression softened immediately. 

Asia placed both hands against Fleur's side, green-gold light blooming from her palms. The healing magic washed over Fleur's ribs, shoulder, and hip. Fleur's posture eased almost immediately, though she still looked deeply traumatized by the condiments.

Rossweisse descended and landed near the pinned monster remains. Her expression had turned analytical. "This was not a natural creature," she said.

"No," Hermione replied. "It was enhanced. The corruption felt almost identical to what Harry described from Saji's Balance Breaker and the giant bird he faced."

Harry glanced at the monster closer. "Ophis' snake caused this? She said she stopped giving those out."

"Yeah, but she probably never took back any of the snakes she already gave to people," Hermione pointed out. 

Harry looked toward the destroyed bathroom next. "What happened?"

Hermione grimaced."It was Diodora Astaroth."

Harry tilted his head.

Hermione stared at him.

Harry stared back. Then he said, "Who is Diodora Astaroth again?"

Hermione closed her eyes and made an annoyed noise because he should know this but was probably too busy staring at her or Sona's bodies when they were tutoring him! 

Lilja coughed into her fist.

Fleur muttered something in French that sounded suspiciously like, "Men."

Hermione opened her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Diodora Astaroth," she said slowly, "is the nephew of Ajuka Beelzebub."

Harry's eyebrows rose. "Ok? Have I ever met him? Have I offended him?"

Hermione gave him a flat look. "He sent a monster after you, so what do you think?"

– Harry –

The rest of the evening had dissolved into the kind of controlled chaos that seemed to follow me around like a particularly deranged familiar. Lucifer Land security arrived in force. Then Sitri security arrived. 

The monster's remains had been sealed by Rossweisse, examined by Hermione, glared at by Fleur, and then removed by a team of very serious devil investigators who looked like they had all aged ten years the moment they realized the attack involved the son of one of the Maou.

Which was fair. I would have wanted a drink too.

Eventually, the investigators finished taking statements. The monster was taken away in pieces. Diodora Astaroth's name moved from accusation to suspect to confirmed attacker once the park's internal recording wards were reviewed.

Apparently, murder in public was still frowned upon even in the Underworld.

Good to know.

By the time we returned to Sitri territory, Asia looked exhausted.

The girls descended on Asia with practiced efficiency.

Hermione took her hand. Fleur took her other hand. Gabrielle hugged her from behind and promised that hot baths solved almost every emotional crisis. Ginny loudly declared that if anyone was going to cry after losing her virginity and surviving a monster attack on the same night, then there should at least be snacks involved. Tonks volunteered alcohol, then immediately withdrew the offer after Narcissa looked at her. Asia laughed weakly at that, which made my chest loosen by one painful notch.

Then they took her away.

All of them. My entire peerage, plus several women who were not technically in my peerage but absolutely acted like they had voting rights, swept Asia off to get cleaned up and have what Hermione called "girl talk."

I had no idea what that meant. I knew better than to ask.

Which was why I ended up sitting in my grandmother's office an hour later, freshly cleaned, still faintly smelling of smoke, cotton candy, and blood, trying very hard not to look like I had just been dragged from the happiest date of Asia's life into a murder investigation.

Selene Sitri's office. Unlike my mother's office, there were no magical girl posters, no tentacle photoshoots, no hidden costume racks, and no suspicious heart-shaped cushions.

Honestly, it barely felt like we were related.

Grandmother Selene sat behind the desk with perfect posture, looking as if she had personally invented dignity and occasionally lent small amounts of it to other people out of pity. Her pink eyes watched me over the rim of a delicate porcelain teacup. "You look tired," she said.

"I had a long date."

"One hopes the date itself was pleasant before the attempted massacre."

I sighed and leaned back in the chair. "It was."

Her expression softened by a fraction. "I am glad," she said. "Asia is a sweet girl. She deserved a pleasant evening."

"She did," I agreed.

A short silence followed.

It was nice being home. That thought still surprised me sometimes. The Underworld should have felt strange. It should have felt like a place I was visiting, not a place my blood recognized. But every time I returned to Sitri territory, something deep inside me relaxed. The air tasted richer. The magic felt cleaner. The mansion no longer seemed absurdly huge in quite the same way. The servants smiled when they saw me. My grandparents welcomed me like I had always belonged there.

I had a family. A ridiculous, terrifying, wealthy, emotionally complicated family of devils, but still.

And I did not get to see them nearly enough because most of my life was split between Hogwarts, assassination attempts, my ever-growing peerage, and whatever insane supernatural crisis had decided to punch me in the face that week.

Grandmother Selene set down her cup. The soft click brought my attention back to her. "Diodora Astaroth has been arrested."

I straightened. "That quickly?"

"He murdered a low class devil in public, on recording wards, then unleashed an enhanced experimental monster in a civilian amusement park. Even the Astaroth clan cannot bury that before dinner…" Then my grandmother's eyes narrowed on me. "Now," she said, "what did you do to offend the heir of the Astaroth clan so much?"

I stared at her. "Honestly? I have no idea." I spread my hands. "I don't! I swear! I barely remembered who he was when Hermione said his name."

She kept watching me and sighed. "Harry…"

"I know how that sounds."

"It sounds like your mother."

I paused. "I do not know whether to be more offended on my behalf or Mum's."

"You are the son of Serafall Leviathan," Grandmother Selene said, ignoring my expression completely. "If a noble heir hates you enough to unleash a monster in public, I must at least consider the possibility that you unknowingly insulted him, humiliated him, seduced someone he wanted, ruined a plan, or existed in a manner he found personally inconvenient."

That was an uncomfortably broad list. Also, given my life, not impossible.

Grandmother Selene folded her hands on the desk. "I'm sure the investigation will find out the true reasons, it's out of our hands anyways. Let's change the subject. Your winter break is only a month."

I blinked at the abrupt subject change. "Right?"

"I do not intend for my grandson to spend the entire time slacking off like a lustful devil with his peerage."

I stared at her. She stared back. I waited for her to soften that statement. She did not.

Grandmother Selene's expression softened again, just barely. "I am not criticizing your attachments, Harry. Your peerage loves you. Your women are loyal. You have built something real, chaotic though it may be. But you are Sitri. You will inherit responsibilities whether you want them or not. Even if Sona is the heiress, you will still have responsibilities. Tomorrow," she said, "you will spend the day with me."

I had a grandmother sitting across from me, calmly planning to turn me into a functioning noble devil whether I liked it or not.

And apparently, tomorrow, I was going to learn how the Sitri clan made enough money to casually buy banks, fund Hogwarts renovations, and probably pave a driveway with gold if Serafall asked nicely.

Grandmother Selene lifted her teacup again. "Be in my office at eight…"

So much for sleeping in during my winter break…

XXX