She laughed softly, shaking her head again. "I suppose Ron could be right. Maybe Dad just needed a few days without Mum hovering around him constantly. But still-he's never been gone this long without a word before. And with everything going on lately, I just-" She hesitated, swallowing back the anxiety that suddenly threatened to overwhelm her. Her voice dropped, becoming soft and more fragile. "I just need to know he's safe."
Fred's expression softened at her worried tone. He reached out, gently ruffling Ginny's fiery hair affectionately. "Hey, it's gonna be alright, little sis. Dad's probably just lost somewhere having an argument with a toaster or something."
George nodded in agreement, gently nudging her shoulder. "Yeah, don't fret too much, Gin. And besides," he added with a sly, mischievous grin, clearly attempting to lighten the mood again, "what kind of scandalous payment did you promise to pay the illustrious Harry Sitri for his invaluable assistance? Merlin knows none of us have a single Galleon to spare."
Fred smirked wickedly. "Careful, Ginny, Harry's a famous hero now-his favors can't be cheap. Tell me you didn't promise him something deliciously inappropriate."
Ginny's cheeks flamed bright crimson, her heart hammering furiously in embarrassment. "Fred!" she gasped, scandalized but secretly amused.
Ron rolled his eyes, glaring at his brothers. "Lay off, you tossers. Harry's her friend, and Ginny wouldn't trade sexual favors for his help-"
Ginny's blush deepened even further, and she quickly turned away, embarrassed and annoyed that that was exactly what she had done. Although she'd have slept with Harry for free, so it wasn't like this actually changed her relationship with him at all.
She stammered softly, unable to completely hide her bashful reaction. "Oh, shut it, all of you."
Fred laughed warmly, squeezing her shoulder affectionately. "Relax, sis, we're only joking. Mostly." He exchanged a wink with George, before finally relenting and standing up to stretch dramatically.
"We'll let you know if we hear anything from Dad. And thanks for talking to Harry, Gin. Really," George added sincerely.
Ginny nodded gratefully, turning back to glance briefly toward Harry. He was sitting by the fireplace now, conversing quietly with his bishop, Hermione, but even from here she could feel his attention drifting back to her periodically.
Her heart clenched softly again. Whatever had happened to her father, she trusted Harry implicitly-trusted him to protect her, to find answers.
— Harry —
Later that afternoon, I found myself walking leisurely down the castle halls toward the Muggle Studies classroom, unable to suppress the broad grin spreading slowly across my face.
Just the thought of Lilja-my fierce, beautiful Valkyrie-had my heart quickening and my stomach tightening pleasantly. It had only been a few days since I'd asked her to become my Queen, and she'd accepted without hesitation. That incredible moment in the shower still lingered vividly in my mind.
She wasn't officially my Queen yet, of course.
Lilja had insisted on sending formal messages back to her own pantheon first, mostly so Lord Odin and her sister, Rossweisse, wouldn't assume she'd been kidnapped by devils or forced into anything against her will.
Politics and protocol were tedious things, but for her sake I endured the wait.
Turning the corner toward the classroom, I approached the door, ready to knock politely, when raised voices on the other side suddenly stopped me in my tracks. My curiosity flared instantly.
I recognized Professor Lupin's voice, tight with disbelief and amazement. "I can't believe it's really you! Does-does Harry know? Merlin's beard, how is this even possible?" Lupin sounded both shocked and excited.
There was a brief pause before Lilja's voice floated through clearly in reply. "Magic truly is extraordinary, Remus... Some things transcend life and death."
My brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of confusion crossing my mind. How exactly did Lilja know Professor Lupin?
I knew I shouldn't eavesdrop-after all, it was incredibly rude-but their conversation pulled at me, impossible to ignore. Carefully stepping closer, I pressed my ear to the sturdy wooden door and strained my hearing.
Remus's voice dropped quieter, almost conspiratorial. "If you're back... then, do you think HE could've returned as well?"
Lilja scoffed dismissively, her voice turning suddenly cold, sharper than I'd ever heard her speak before. "Even if he has returned, Remus, I couldn't care less. Especially not after what he did back then...."
I blinked, startled by the venom in her voice.
Lupin sighed softly, his tone wistful and filled with nostalgic longing. "I suppose you're right. Still, part of me misses the old days. Those were simpler times. I miss all my friends, they were my pack..."
Lilja's tone softened noticeably. "You really must stop living in the past, Remus. You deserve happiness, truly. You're a kind, compassionate man-far too kindhearted to deny yourself a better future. I'm certain happiness awaits you if you just give yourself the chance to find it."
A short silence fell, and I realized suddenly that Lilja was heading toward the door. I quickly stepped back, pretending I had just arrived, forcing a relaxed expression onto my face.
The classroom door swung open, and Lilja's eyes immediately lit up, she practically skipped forward and threw herself into my arms.
I wrapped my own tightly around her, holding her warm, lithe body close against mine. Gods, she fit so perfectly against me.
"Harry!" she laughed warmly, nuzzling affectionately into my neck, her silky red hair tickling my skin. "There you are!"
Lupin suddenly erupted into a coughing fit behind us, choking as though he'd inhaled his own tongue.
Lilja giggled softly, turning slightly to grin impishly over her shoulder at the professor. "Everything alright, Remus?" she teased playfully. "You seem a bit shocked."
Lupin stared at the two of us, gaping openly, his eyes flickering incredulously between Lilja's affectionate hold on me and my casual, possessive grip around her waist. "You two-you and Harry? Together??! The both of you are doing-stuff...?" His voice cracked slightly at the end.
"Mhm!" Lilja leaned up and planted a soft, deliberate kiss on my cheek, her warm lips lingering deliberately for a heartbeat longer than necessary. She shot Remus a wink as she pulled away. "We'll catch up more later, Remus. But seriously-think about what I said, will you?"
Lupin just nodded numbly, he still looked shocked and confused as he stood there using the door to balance himself. "Er-right, of course. See you later then, Lilja. You two, Harry."
I nodded politely to him as Lilja took my hand and tugged me gently out into the hallway. Her soft palm fit perfectly against mine naturally as we walked slowly away from the classroom.
Once we were several paces down the hall, I glanced sideways at her curiously. "So, you and Professor Lupin know each other pretty well then?"
Lilja hesitated, biting her full bottom lip nervously. "I promise-I will tell you everything today. No more secrets..."
....
Walking up the white marble steps of Sitri Bank, I still had a moment where my brain wanted to call it Gringotts out of habit.
The signage helped kill that instinct pretty fast.
The old crooked gold letters that had once screamed GRINGOTTS were gone. In their place, SITRI BANK was spelled out beneath in clean silver script. Someone had even added a tasteful little tagline in smaller letters:
"Fair Rates. Transparent Fees. No Goblins allowed!"
Serafall's sense of humor, right there at the end.
On either side of the entrance, two mid-class devils stood in formal dark suits. As soon as I hit the top step, both of them straightened. The man inclined his head.
"Lord Harry," he said, voice deep and respectful.
"Morning," I said easily, giving them both a nod as we passed. "It seems slow today."
"For now," the man replied.
"Shame," I muttered under my breath. "I want to see someone try and rob this place. Make things more exciting!"
Lilja snorted softly, elbow brushing my arm. We stepped through the wide glass doors and into the main hall. The difference from the last time I'd been here hit me like a physical thing.
Gringotts had always felt stuffy and hostile. The goblins would glare at you like your mere existence would sully their gray-tinted dreary hallways.
Sitri Bank was...not that.
The ceiling was still high and arched, but someone had added enchanted skylights that poured down a warm, soft daylight glow even though London outside was its usual overcast gray. Walls that had once been bare, oppressive stone were now clad in pale marble veined with hints of blue, and between each pair of pillars a slim waterfall ran from ceiling to floor into narrow channels in the tiled floor, feeding a central circular pool that dominated the hall.
And the staff...yeah. That had changed a lot too.
Where once rows of goblin tellers had glared down at wizards from their brass cages, there were now open counters staffed with beautiful devil women and handsome men in sharp suits and silky blouses. Perfect hair, perfect skin, bright smiles.
The customers, of course, just thought Sitri Bank hired aggressively beautiful people.
A fat old wizard at the nearest counter certainly did.
He was standing far too close to a blonde teller in a slim blue blouse, leaning on the counter with his gut straining his waistcoat. His thinning hair was slicked back, and he was puffed up with the kind of confidence only rich idiots ever managed.
"So what do you say, my dear?" he was wheezing, voice oily. "Perhaps after your shift, we could...ah...discuss interest rates over a bottle of imported wine? I have a private cellar, you know. Very exclusive."
His wife was literally right next to him by the way...
If looks could kill, her glare would have put Voldemort's Killing Curses to shame.
The teller smiled politely, the very picture of professional calm. She might have looked like a pretty 20-something barely out of school young woman, but I had no doubt she was well trained and probably hundreds of years old.
"Sitri Bank policy forbids us from socializing with customers during or immediately after working hours, sir," she said, tone gentle and apologetic. "But I'd be happy to look over your accounts with your wife present and discuss any adjustments you feel are necessary."
The wife's eyes lit up.
The old wizard visibly deflated and finally noticed he was probably sleeping on the couch tonight. "No, no, that...ah...that won't be necessary."
Lilja huffed a laugh beside me.
We walked through the hall at an easy pace. At the end of the main hall, beyond the fountain, a broad staircase led up to my grandmother's office. We stopped in front of a desk.
"Lord Harry, Lady Lilja," her secretary said warmly. Her voice was professional, but there was an edge of genuine fondness there too. "Lady Selene is expecting you. She asked me to send you straight in when you arrived..."
Grandmother Selene Sitri didn't usually handle bank operations personally-her hands were far too busy managing our clan's vast business empire in the Underworld-but today was special. This meeting wasn't just for me. More precisely, it was for Lilja.
As my chosen Queen, it was protocol for Lilja to meet the current matriarch of our clan before officially assuming her role. My grandmother needed to approve her, ensure her worthiness as my peerage's new leader whenever I wasn't directly commanding the group.
Thankfully, the rest of my peerage already adored Lilja and wholeheartedly supported my decision.
With a reassuring squeeze to Lilja's hand, I pushed open the office door and stepped inside.
The first thing my eyes fell upon was my grandmother, Selene Sitri.
As always, the resemblance between her and Sona was undeniable. Selene was slightly taller than Sona, her figure a touch more voluptuous.
"Harry, darling!" Her face lit up the moment she saw me.
I barely had time to smile back before something pink and uncontained launched at me from the side.
"Harryyyyyy!"
Serafall was here too I guess. My mother hit me like a guided missile. One moment I was taking a step toward the desk, the next my back was pressed to the inside of the now-closed door and I had an armful of overexcited Satan.
Her arms locked around my neck, her legs almost came up around my waist on instinct, and her chest-barely contained by a pink top and scandalously short pink magical girl skirt combo-squashed up against my ribs.
"You're here, you're here!" she squealed, then without the slightest pause she grabbed my jaw between her hands and dragged my mouth down to hers.
The kiss wasn't motherly. Her lips crashed into mine with zero hesitation, opening at once. Her tongue pushed into my mouth, hot and greedy. She made a needy little sound in her throat and pressed harder, her body molding to mine like she was trying to climb inside my skin.
Her hands slid into my hair, fingers threading deep, holding me in place as she kissed me like we were alone in her bedroom, not in her mother's office.
I responded on autopilot. My arms tightened around her waist, one hand sliding down over the curve of her ass, feeling the give of soft flesh under the skirt. She bucked her hips against mine faintly at the touch and deepened the kiss, tongue stroking against mine, her chest heaving against me.
Somewhere behind us, someone cleared their throat. Politely.
Serafall didn't give a shit.
She broke the kiss once, only long enough to gasp in a breath and pant against my lips, eyes shining and unfocused, then dove back in, kissing me again, slower this time but just as filthy. Her nails scratched lightly against my scalp as she kissed me, her body rocking faintly in my arms.
I finally got enough air and self-control back to pull away a fraction, resting my forehead against hers, both of us breathing hard.
"Hi, mum," I muttered, voice rough.
"Hi, baby," she murmured, eyes half-lidded and happy, lips kiss-swollen. She pecked me one more time, softer, then finally seemed to remember there were other people in the room. "Oh! Right! Meeting. Formal, serious, grown-up meeting... BORING!"
Her legs slid back down until her heels touched the floor. She stepped back a half-step but didn't actually let go of me, her hand still resting low on my back, thumb brushing occasional circles at the top of my ass like she had no concept of "appropriate."
Behind us, Lilja's aura was a restrained flare of hot embarrassment and jealousy. I felt it more than I saw it.
