A Devilish Bargain

It took Harry a few moments to respond to the girl’s greeting, finally speaking after hearing Sirius snicker behind him, “I’m Harry. Harry Potter,” he said, introducing himself. He gestured, “Come in, please.” He gestured towards Sirius, “This is Sirius.”

“Thank you, Harry,” the red-haired girl said as she entered the house.

She looked around curiously as Harry walked past, leading her towards the couch, “Please, sit. Would you like a drink?” he asked. It felt weird being the host.

“No, but thank you,” Rias said to him as she settled onto the couch. “My brother had me arrange for you to attend Kuoh Academy. I thought I’d meet you as I was curious about you both.” Offering a smile, she continued, “He didn’t tell me much about your situation honestly, simply that you’re aware of the supernatural world. That’s part of the reason I’m here. Sona Sitri and I are the ones taking care of the supernatural side of Kuoh Town. I wanted all of the information that you’re willing to share about yourselves. I can tell that you,” she glanced at Sirius, “are a devil, but you’re not?” She looked at Harry.

“That’d be correct,” Sirius answered her. “My becoming a devil was part of the contract between myself and your brother.” He chuckled, “I can’t really complain. I feel and look over a decade younger.”

“I’m surprised. My brother doesn’t normally take contracts anymore,” Rias said, blinking slowly.

“Well, I had a tome that contained an old ritual he made to gain contracts when he was younger. I think,” Sirius continued with a shrug, “he felt obligated because of that.”

“That makes sense,” Rias said absently, still surprised.

“It’s too bad that he acts like a five year old,” Harry stage-whispered to Rias, ignoring Sirius’ agitated ‘Oi’ with a grin.

“If I might ask, what was the contract?” Rias asked curiously, crossing one leg over the other as she glanced between them. She couldn’t help but smirk as Harry glanced down before looking away, blushing.

“Harry here is famous in Britain,” Sirius said, looking amused as Harry rolled his eyes. “Unfortunately, an evil wizard wants him dead. He’s been attacked multiple times, and the one who was supposed to be protecting him... well, wasn’t.” Sirius shrugged his shoulders as he continued, “My family had an old tome with a ritual to summon a devil. I used it and the devil turned out to be your brother. We made a deal: he helps Harry have a relatively normal life away from all of that and protect him and I work for him.”

“Well, that’s interesting. You’re a wizard too?” She glanced curiously at Harry. “I’ve never met any wizards before. Magicians, of course, but not wizards.”

“I am,” Harry admitted. “I was in my fourth year at Hogwarts before all of this happened. I’m looking forward to attending a normal school, though. I loved Hogwarts, but I did miss non-magical things. Sirius is going to teach me magic in the evenings and on the weekends.”

“I’m sorry,” Rias had to ask. “But Hogwarts?”

“Believe it or not,” Sirius said with a touch of amusement. “A hogwart is a type of plant, so it’s not as strange as it sounds.” He continued, “But anyway, Hogwarts is said to be the best school for wizards and witches in Britain. There are other, smaller ones for poorer students or students with less influential families.”

Harry did what he always did when he was nervous: he snarked. “Being a flower makes the silly name so much less strange, right?” He ran his fingers through his messy hair, “When I first heard of it,” he admitted to Rias, “I had this image of a pig with a lot of warts. Then again, I heard of it when I had just turned eleven...” He frowned, “Though I don’t know if I’d say it’s the best in Britain, honestly. Well, I hope it isn’t. I guess I could see Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick being the best. Not Snape or Binns or Trelawney.” he added after a moment.

“My brother said you were in a coma for a year, are you sure you’ll be able to handle the classes?” Rias asked curiously.

“I think so,” Harry said with a shrug, “The man who helped me -- Ajuka? -- said he put knowledge into my head when I was asleep. Technically, I’m ahead of the other students thanks to him. I didn’t even speak Japanese before.”

Rias blinked, “I didn’t know he could do that. Normally, the transfer of knowledge is difficult and dangerous. I think I’m jealous.”

Sirius interjected, “Ajuka told me that it’s something that only he can easily do right now. Well, he said that Azazel the Fallen Angel might be able to as well. He basically uses some sort of ritual spell and magical machine to implant knowledge in a controlled manner. It takes a long time and only gives knowledge and theory. Harry was unconscious for a year as they fixed his body and soul, so they had time to use the ritual spell.”

“Still,” Rias shrugged, “It took me a while to learn Japanese’s written language. Kanji can be confusing.” She blinked at Sirius’ words, thinking, Fix his soul? That’s probably not something I should ask about.

Harry shuddered, “I don’t want to think of how long I’d have taken to learn it. I’m not that clever.”

“Harry,” Sirius said, frowning, “You really need to stop that. You learned the Patronus at thirteen and you managed EEs and Os in the subjects you cared about when you were basically getting attacked year after year. You are a lot smarter than you think you are.” The older man moved towards Harry and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Rias listened to their banter, lips curving into a smile. She asked curiously, “Patronus?”

“The Patronus is a spell that keeps back certain types of evil creatures like inferi and dementors,” Sirius explained. “It’s a very difficult spell and few wizards can cast it. Harry?”

Shrugging, Harry pulled his wand and stated clearly, “Expecto Patronum!” White light flared out of his wand and a stag composed of solid light appeared in the center of the room.

Rias flinched backwards slightly and Sirius sighed, “Oops. I forgot about that. Harry, dismiss it.”

Blinking, Harry did so, asking, “Uh, what’s wrong?”

“That felt almost like Holy Energy. It’s definitely Light magic, anyway,” Rias interjected. “That sort of thing can be deadly to devils, though that particular spell didn’t feel strong enough to be more than uncomfortable.”

“Oh!” Trying to diffuse the situation, Harry quipped, “Well, I have a new way to punish you if I find you pranking me, Sirius.”

“Oi. Keep that thing away from me,” Sirius said with a pout.

DXDADBDXDADBDXDADBDXDADBDXDADB

The three continued to speak for a time, Harry and Sirius asking questions about the city itself and the supernatural community in the area. Soon, however, Rias stood, “Why don’t I show Harry about the school, so he’s prepared for when he attends?”

Sirius gave Harry a look and opened his mouth to tease him but before he could talk Harry pointed a finger at him, “Shush.” He got to his feet, sliding his wand into a holster at his wrist, and gestured with his hand, “After you, Rias.”

Walking out of the house, Rias turned to him as they headed down the street, “You and he seem to like joking around.”

“Well, it’s more that he does. I run with it because he likes it,” Harry said with a shrug. “I’m more sarcastic than anything else.” He chuckled, “I get a little mouthy when nervous. Then again, Sirius is usually a lot more serious - pun not intended - than he’s been acting. I think he’s trying to cheer me up.”

“Cheer you up?” Rias wondered. “Due to the evil wizard?”

“More because I had to leave my friends in England. That and Dumbledore is still looking for me. Sirius said that he’s now wanted in Britain for kidnapping me,” Harry said with a snort. “Another false charge to add to the list.”

“False charge?” Rias asked as they walked down the street.

“Yeah, Sirius was in jail for being a member of a terrorist organization and killing my parents and others. None of it’s true. The sad part is there are ways to find out but they just tossed him in prison because of his family.” Shaking his head, Harry explained, “It’d be like tossing you in prison because you’re a devil. Not because of anything you’ve personally done.” He chuckled, “So, why are you here in the human world? Sirius said there’s a whole Underworld with a culture of its own, after all. Even large cities.”

“I’m fascinated with human culture, especially much of its fiction,” Rias explained with a slight blush. “Not a lot of devils understand my interest, though. Sona’s here to study how their schools work as she wants to open one eventually.”

“Oh, so you’re a human fangirl,” Harry teased Rias as they entered the school gates. “I get it.”

“Hey!” Rias gave Harry a glare, though her smile betrayed her amusement. Soon, they came to a set of open gates and passed through. “This is Kuoh Academy. The main club building is over there, and that’s the gymnasium. There are a few meeting rooms in there too for the more athletic clubs...” As they walked along the school grounds, she pointed out various landmarks.

“This is a really nice place,” Harry said after a time, “I didn’t expect the place to be so... I guess, well funded? I mean, the club rooms looked really nice.”

“Well,” Rias admitted, “My family and Sona’s family fund the school, so that’s part of it.”

“You mentioned her before,” Harry acknowledged as he paused, looking around slowly. “Anywhere else to see?”

“Well, I suppose I could show you my own club house; it’s in the old school house to the rear of the property,” Rias said after a moment’s thought. She led him down a path that went around the main school, coming upon what looked like an old western-style building from the nineteenth century. “The Occult Research Club is here,” she said.

“Ah, your peerage you said, right? Sona’s is the Student Council?” Harry asked as they entered the building. He briefly glanced around as he walked inside, frowning; he could feel powerful magic permeating the area. “A lot of magic here,” he murmured to himself. However, he simply followed Rias up the stairs, emerging onto the second floor landing and heading down the hallway.

Soon, they entered a large club room. In the corner was a magical circle etched into the floor. “That’s right,” Rias said as she continued their conversation. “Sona’s very strict, but fair. I’m sure you’ll meet her soon enough. Feel free to sit,” she added as she took a seat at her desk. “Would you like a drink? Iced coffee perhaps? I would make you tea, but that’s Akeno’s specialty.”

“Iced coffee is fine, thank you. Sona sounds like a young version of one of the professors from Hogwarts,” Harry said lightly, smiling as he imagined Professor McGonagall as a teenage girl. “What exactly do devils do, anyway? I mean, I know your brother helped me to get Sirius to work for him, but...” He sat on a nearby chair, leaning back and tucking a leg underneath himself.

Opening a small fridge, Rias offered Harry a bottle of iced coffee, taking one for herself before answering. “Honestly? Nowadays, we mostly do favors for money or favors of our own,” Rias said with a shrug. “It runs the gamut from illegal things like laundering money to legal things like finding a donor organ or lost loved one. It depends on the devil and the situation.”

“You work for criminals?” Harry asked curiously, not judging, at least yet.

“I don’t usually, though I might if the person was otherwise a good person,” Rias said after a moment. “I mean, I wouldn’t work for a killer or anything, but a white-collar criminal? Maybe, it’d depend on if he was really hurting someone.” She smirked, “I’m a devil after all.”

Harry was amused; she was honest, at least. “Ah, so you’re naughty. Got it,” he teased her. “I suppose I can see that. This is all strange to me, really. One minute I was unconscious after getting hit with a deadly spell and the next thing I woke up to see Sirius and this green-haired man and I found out that there’s a lot more to the magical world than I thought.”

“Naughty? Me?” Rias appeared innocent, “I could be if you like?” Enjoying the flush on the boy’s cheeks, Rias smiled at him, “I understand though; it must have been difficult. At least you knew magic existed, right?”

“Yeah, I got that shock when I was eleven,” Harry said with a chuckle. “I received a letter from Hogwarts. My Aunt and Uncle were very not pleased about it.” He shook his head with a sigh. “Even now, there’s some confusing stuff, though.”

“Oh?” Rias’ brow rose as she regarded him, leaning back in her chair.

“Yeah. Ajuka said I had something called a sacred gear. I still have no idea what it is, though,” Harry said, wrinkling his nose.

He didn’t notice how Rias’ attention suddenly focused upon him. “A sacred gear?” she wondered.

“That’s what he called it. Some sort of magical item,” Harry said with a shrug. “He said it should have awakened before but something blocked it for a time and it could awaken at any moment.” He paused, “I suppose I’m lucky. If it had awakened before, I’d have been clueless about what was going on.”

“Do you know what kind?” Rias wondered.

“No. He said it was strong, perhaps something called a Longinus. But he also said that he can’t identify it until it awakens,” Harry answered as he took a sip of his coffee.

This time Harry noticed as Rias took in a slow breath as she said quietly, “You have no idea how much I want to pounce you and beg for you to join my peerage.” Her voice was dry, “A strong sacred gear would be very helpful to me, even if it’s not a Longinus.”

Harry blinked at her quizzically, “Wait. Pounce me? Why is it that important?”

“I’m in need of strong people for my peerage. Right now, all I have are a Queen, a Bishop, a Knight, and a Rook. I still need the rest of the pieces,” Rias said as she leaned back. “I’m in a marriage contract and the only way to get out of it is to win in a Ratings Game. Considering who I will have to fight, that’s difficult.”

“Wait. Marriage contract? I heard of those back at Hogwarts. They have them here, too?” Harry asked in distaste.

“Unfortunately,” Rias sighed. “There have been a lot of reincarnated devils gathering strength over time and my brother and the other Devil Kings do a lot to support them. The Old Satan faction hates that and even those who are more progressive are a little fearful. My own parents want me to marry Riser Phenex; he’s a terrible man. His peerage is his harem, which isn’t a major issue except that he’s made comments about how he looks forward to our marriage so he can sample Akeno and Koneko.”

“So basically, you aren’t in love with him but even worse than that he’s a creepy jerk who wants to force you and your friends into his bed,” Harry summarized. “Wait, a harem isn’t a major issue?”

“Devils often have polyamorous or harem relationships,” Rias said with a shrug, “It’s partially due to the rarity of children and partially because, well, devils. We follow our passions. The issue is I don’t love him and he’s a major creep, as you said.” She paused before confessing as she looked down, “I don’t like to admit it, but the way he looks at me makes me feel dirty.”

Harry opened his mouth to speak and then paused. He could just hear Hermione and Ron arguing with him.

Harry, don’t do it. You need to think things through. Sure, she needs help, but you can’t just jump into things.

Mate, she’s right, you did it with my sister and it worked out okay but you nearly died.

And if I hadn’t, he thought to himself, Both Hermione and Ginny would have died. It was for naught. If there was one thing about Harry Potter that remained even after leaving Britain?

It was that he had a Saving-People Thing.

“I’ll join your Peerage,” he said to Rias firmly. “I’ll help you.”

Rias blinked at him in shock as she set down her iced coffee, “Wait, what? Why? I admit I was going to probably ask you once we knew each other better, but I didn’t want to push you or make you feel pressured.”

Harry laughed, running his fingers through his hair nervously. “A good friend of mine once said I have a ‘Saving-People Thing’. I think she was right. I just, I can’t ignore it if someone needs help. I’ve never been able to. Especially when it’s something like this.”

Rias just looked at him a moment, then got up and walked over to him. Sitting down beside him, she suddenly hugged him, “Thank you,” she said quietly.

Blushing, Harry looked at her with a slightly panicked expression. What was he supposed to do in this situation? He didn’t bloody know! “It’s all right, Rias. It’ll work out.” Hesitantly, he slipped an arm around her, offering a one-armed hug.

Taking a breath, Rias leaned back, “Just a moment,” she said as she stretched out her hand. He saw an odd red-black glow around her fingers before she blinked, “You’re worth at least eight pieces,” she said. “That means I could only make you my Pawn; unfortunately, I already used my Mutantion Piece Bishop.”

“I thought Pawns were worth one piece?” Harry asked in confusion.

“They are, but I have eight of them. You can stack pieces of the same type if it’s necessary. I couldn’t, say, stack a Rook and Bishop piece but I can stack all eight Pawns,” Rias explained. “It does mean you’d be my only Pawn.”

Harry smirked, “I want to say I’m no one’s pawn, you know.” He chuckled, “Pawns can promote you said? Become other pieces?”

“In a Ratings Game, they have to be in what is considered enemy territory. Outside the game, you can promote as long as I or someone I designate approves it,” Rias said with a shrug.

“Hrm,” Harry considered as he thought things through. Hermione would be proud. “Is that ever a problem? Needing to promote outside a Ratings Game?”

“Not really,” Rias said with a shrug, “My Peerage rarely works alone, so it’s never been an issue, not that I’ve had a Pawn until now.”

“That’s all right. I’m just considering options. A friend of mine would say I don’t do that enough, usually after I’ve done something stupid.” Harry grinned, “She’d be mad at me for offering to join your Peerage so quickly, but I just can’t stand by.”

“Are you sure?” Rias made herself ask. “There’s no turning back once you become a devil, you know.”

“I am,” Harry said to her with a casual shrug, “Sirius isn’t any different other than being a bit younger. I’ve never been particularly religious, so the whole ‘devil’ thing doesn’t bother me. And Sirius seems to trust your brother, so I can trust you.”

“All right,” Rias said with a smile, rising to her feet. Reaching out, she produced a small case out of thin air. Moving to stand near him, she opened the case, revealing a set of red chess pieces, some of them missing. She said, “Lay back, I don’t want you to fall. Being reincarnated comes as a shock, I’m told.”

Harry laid back on the couch, resting his head upon the rest, “A shock? Does it hurt?”

“No, more of a jolt,” Rias said absently as she placed eight Pawn pieces upon Harry’s chest. “In my name, Rias Gremory, I command thee, Harry Potter, that your soul be changed and that thou become my servant devil. Rejoice thou in thy new life, as my family.” Red light flared around Harry and he felt a jolt, his body heating up before the sensation faded.

He felt different.

“Wow. That was odd,” Harry muttered.

“You’ll find that you’re a little stronger in various ways, though not to the extent of the other pieces,” Rias told him. “Sunlight will be a problem for a while until you get used to being a devil; it won’t hurt you, but it’ll make you uncomfortable. On the other hand, your senses will be a lot sharper and you will be able to see in the dark.”

“Cool.” That’s all he said, and when Rias gave him a curious look, he said, “What? I just remembered that I’m going to have to tell Sirius about this. He might not be happy.”

“Oh.”