I stood there for a long moment, sandwiched between two gorgeous women while Akeno pouted nearby looking jealous. Ha! That's what she gets for shocking my ass!
"I guess you're right," I murmured, resting my chin on top of Sona's head while giving Rias's hand a squeeze where it rested on my arm. "It just... sucks. Ginny is devastated."
"She is," Rias agreed softly. "But she has you. You'll help her through it. She's your contracted witch. Maybe when you catch that Voldemort guy, you can let her finish him off for revenge!" she said with a bit more pep that made me chuckle.
Now there was a thought...
....After that, I was feeling better. Sona, Rias, and even Akeno all continued training a bit more with me, getting some magical exercise in-which basically was the same as regular exercise for magical beings like devils.
We all headed back to the castle for showers and then dinner once it got around that time. The mood at the Gryffindor table was a bit somber because rumors spread fast in this castle. All the Weasleys had also been pulled out of their classes for the rest of the week but I'd make sure to be there for Ginny when she got back.
....After dinner I decided to head to the infirmary, figuring Lilja should be awake by now.
I pushed open the heavy double doors of the infirmary, the smell of antiseptic and magical potions hitting me instantly. The ward was mostly empty, save for a few screens set up at the far end.
Madam Pomfrey bustled out of her office, looking harried, but her expression softened just a fraction when she saw it was me. "Mr. Sitri," she said, her voice hushed. "I assume you're here for Miss Nornas?"
"I am," I said, giving her a polite nod. "How is she?"
Pomfrey pursed her lips, a mixture of professional concern and mild amusement flickering in her eyes. "Physically? She'll survive. Although her dignity might take a few days to recover. I've given her a Strong Sobering Draught and a Pain-Relieving Potion, but she insisted the room was 'spinning like a top' until about an hour ago." She gestured toward the drawn curtains at the far end of the room. "Try to keep it quiet. She's... sensitive to noise right now."
"Thanks, Poppy," I said with a grin.
I made my way down the row of empty beds, my footsteps soft on the stone floor. When I reached the curtains, I slipped through the gap.
There she was.
My beautiful, fierce, terrifying Valkyrie-the woman who had slaughtered a basilisk and pledged her eternal loyalty to me-was currently curled into a miserable little ball beneath a mountain of white blankets. Only the top of her head was visible, a messy spill of vibrant red hair fanned out across the pillow.
She groaned as the light from the rest of the ward filtered in through the open curtain.
"Turn off the sun," a muffled voice demanded from beneath the duvet. It was hoarse, cracked, and sounded absolutely pathetic.
I couldn't help it. A laugh bubbled up in my chest, escaping before I could stop it.
"It's eight o'clock at night, Lilja," I said, stepping closer to the bed. "The sun's been gone for hours."
The blankets shifted. Slowly, painfully, a pale face emerged. Lilja squinted at me, her emerald eyes bloodshot and narrowed against the dim torchlight. She looked like hell. Her skin was chalk-white, there were dark circles under her eyes, and her usually immaculate composure was completely shattered.
And yet, even looking like a wreck, she was stunning.
"Harry," she rasped, wincing at the volume of her own voice. She flopped back onto the pillow, throwing an arm over her eyes. "Kill me. Please. Just take your water sword and end it. It would be a mercy!"
I sat down on the edge of the bed, the mattress dipping under my weight. "That bad?"
"You have no idea," she moaned. She peeked out from under her arm, shooting me a glare that lacked its usual heat. "Never let me drink with Rossweisse again! Ever! My sister is a monster. She is a bottomless pit designed to consume alcohol and sadness!"
Well, from everything I've heard, that's not a terrible description.
I reached out, gently brushing a stray lock of red hair away from her forehead. Her skin was cool and clammy. "So, a Valkyrie of Asgard was defeated by a bottle of mead?"
"It wasn't just mead," she grumbled, leaning slightly into my touch. "It was Enchanted Nord Mead. Aged in dwarven casks. The kind that Odin keeps in his private reserve. Rossweisse stole a bottle-or three-before she came to London." She shuddered, looking a little green. "I thought I could keep up. I thought, 'I am a warrior, I have faced dragons and demons, I can handle a drink with my big sister.'" She let out a ragged sigh. "I was wrong. I was so wrong. I remember the first bottle. I remember her crying about dying alone with forty cats. And then... nothing. Just blackness and the sensation of my skull being split open with a war hammer."
"Well," I said, fighting a smirk as I trailed my fingers down her cheek to her jawline. "You'll be happy to know that you checked yourself in here around ten this morning. Apparently, you stumbled in, told Madam Pomfrey that the floor was attacking you, and passed out."
Lilja groaned, covering her face with her hands again. "Oh gods. The shame. I am supposed to be your future Queen. I am supposed to be dignified!"
"I think it's cute," I murmured.
She lowered her hands, looking at me with skepticism. "Cute? I am drooling and I smell like a brewery."
"You smell like honey," I corrected her, leaning down. "And yeah. Cute. It proves you're not perfect. You've got flaws. Everyone has flaws." I leaned in closer, hovering just inches from her face. "Besides," I whispered, my voice dropping to a low, "I like seeing you vulnerable...mum."
Lilja's breath hitched. Her eyes searched mine, the green irises dilating slightly as the mood shifted from humorous to something heavier. Her hand moved from the sheets to rest on my thigh, her grip weak but possessive.
"My head hurts, Harry," she whispered, pouting slightly.
"I can help with that," I said.
I summoned my magic. I let the cool, soothing energy of my Sitri water affinity flow into my fingertips. I placed my hand gently on her forehead, letting the magic seep into her skin. It wasn't water in the physical sense, but the essence of it-cooling, fluid, cleansing.
I visualized the magic flowing through her, washing away the toxins, cooling the inflammation in her brain.
Lilja gasped, her eyes fluttering shut. "Oh... oh, that feels good."
"Just relax," I murmured, using my other hand to stroke her neck. "Let me take care of you."
I continued to channel the magic, watching the tension bleed out of her face. The color started to return to her cheeks, the pinched look of pain between her brows smoothing out.
After a few minutes, she let out a long, shuddering breath and opened her eyes. They were clearer now, more focused.
"Better?" I asked.
"Much," she breathed. Her hand slid higher up my thigh, her fingers digging in. "You really are too good to me, my King."
"It's part of the job description," I said with a grin. "Taking care of my peerage." Even if she hasn't gotten her Evil Piece quite yet, it was pretty much a done deal. "Get some more rest, I'm sure Madame Pomphrey will have you good as new tomorrow!"
"That's right, I will!" the woman said as she pushed aside the curtains to come and check on Lilja. "Although, Miss Nornas, you will be the one to explain to your professors why you missed classes all day because you were too hungover to get out of bed. And don't think I couldn't see your hand on Mr Sitri's thigh when I walked in! There will be no sex in my infirmary! Other people use these beds, you know!"
The whine Lilja let out before throwing her covers back over her head was adorable.
...I left Lilja cocooned in her mountain of blankets, chuckling softly to myself as I slipped out of the infirmary. She was going to be just fine, though her pride might need a few more days of intensive care than her liver.
The castle was initially quiet as I made my way up toward Gryffindor Tower. However, my peaceful walk was interrupted as I neared the corridor housing the staff quarters. Specifically, the hallway leading to Narcissa Black's new apartment.
Voices drifted around the corner-raised, angry voices.
I recognized that shrill, arrogant tone immediately, though it sounded different tonight. Deeper. Less pathetic, but somehow more unhinged.
"You need to choose a side, Mother! You need to stop these foolish games and come back to where you belong!"
I frowned, creeping closer to the edge of the wall. I hadn't seen the little ferret in a while since he'd been avoiding me and Sona.
"The Dark Lord is forgiving!" Draco's voice rose, cracking with a fanatical edge that made my skin crawl. "He is generous to those who serve him! Look at me, Mother! Look! He fixed me! He restored my manhood when the healers said it was impossible!"
Fixed? What a waste of magic... I thought to myself as I peered around the corner.
Draco was standing aggressively close to Narcissa, invading her personal space. He looked manic. His pale face was flushed, his eyes wide and wild, and he was gesturing frantically at his crotch. "He gave me back what that bitch Sona Sitri took!" Draco practically shouted. "I am a man again! He even made me 3 inches instead of 2 and a half, so I'm even better than before! The Dark Lord has power you can't even imagine. Come back to the correct side before it's too late!"
I tensed, ready to step in and blast him down the hall with some high pressure water, but Narcissa didn't flinch at his words.
She stood tall, her posture impeccable, looking every inch the pureblood aristocrat she was raised to be. She wore a long, elegant evening gown that clung to her curves. Her expression was ice-cold, her blue eyes filled not with fear, but with a profound, crushing disappointment.
"That is quite enough," Narcissa said, her voice low and steady. She looked at him with a detachment that must have cut deeper than any curse. "That manor is not my home anymore, Draco. And you..." She paused, her gaze sweeping over him with chilling finality. "You are no longer my son."
Draco recoiled as if she'd slapped him. "What? You can't mean that-"
"I have a new family now," Narcissa declared, her voice ringing with conviction. "One that actually values loyalty and strength, not cowering servitude to a monster." Just then, her eyes flicked past Draco's shoulder and locked onto me. The transformation was instant. The ice melted from her features, replaced by a radiant, adoring warmth that lit up the dim hallway. Her blue eyes sparkled, her lips curving into a lush, inviting smile. "Hello, Harry," she purred, her voice dropping an octave into something sultry and intimate.
Draco spun around, his eyes bulging as he saw me standing there!
I didn't even look at him. I kept my eyes on Narcissa as she glided past her stunned son, moving with a predatory grace that made my pulse jump. She reached me in seconds, and she didn't stop.
She threw her arms around my neck, pulling my head down as she pressed her incredible body flush against mine. I felt the softness of her breasts crushing against my chest, the heat of her thighs brushing mine through the thin fabric of her dress.
"I was wondering when you'd come to see me," she whispered against my ear, loud enough for Draco to hear, before pressing a lingering, wet kiss to my cheek.
"Him?!" Draco shrieked, his voice cracking. He pointed a trembling finger at us, his face twisting in a mask of pure revulsion. "You... you really are shacking up with Harry Sitri? With the enemy?!"
I wrapped my arm around Narcissa's waist, pulling her even tighter against me, staking my claim. I felt her shiver delightfully at the contact.
"That's right, Malfoy," I said coolly, staring him down over his mother's shoulder. "You got a problem with that? She's an adult woman, and I'm a grown man. It's none of your business..."
Draco looked like he was going to be sick. "I thought they were just rumors," he spat, his lip curling. "Disgusting, filthy rumors about you being part of Sitri's disgusting harem! But it's true! You're nothing more than a whore! Selling yourself to a half-blood just to-"
A low growl rumbled in my chest, my demonic energy flaring hot and violent in my veins. I took a step forward, ready to tear his throat out. No one called my Bishop a whore!
"Harry, wait," Narcissa murmured. She placed a soft hand on my chest, her fingers splaying over my heart, halting me with a gentle touch. She wasn't upset. If anything, she looked amused, a cruel, superior smirk playing on her lips as she looked back at her former son. "Just ignore him, Harry dear," she said, her voice dripping with condescension. She ran her hand up my chest, her nails scraping lightly against my neck, drawing my gaze back to her. "He's just like his father. All bark and no bite."
Draco turned a violent shade of purple. "Shut up! Father is a great man! He-"
"Lucius is a limp-dicked coward," Narcissa cut him off smoothly, her eyes never leaving mine. She stepped closer, rising on her tiptoes so her face was level with mine. "He never knew how to satisfy a woman. He never knew how to take charge. Not like you, Master."
The way she said 'Master'-with that mix of reverence and lust-sent a jolt of electricity straight to my groin.
"Show him," she whispered, her breath hot on my lips. "Show him who I belong to."
She didn't wait for me to answer. Narcissa cupped the back of my head, weaving her fingers into my hair, and crashed her lips against mine.
It wasn't a chaste kiss. It was a performance, a declaration, and a hungry demand all at once. Her mouth opened immediately, inviting me in, and I didn't hesitate. I swept my tongue into her mouth, tangling with hers. She moaned, a low, wanton sound that echoed loudly in the quiet corridor. She ground her hips against mine, shamelessly rubbing her soft lower belly against the hardening bulge in my trousers.
I gripped her ass with both hands, squeezing the firm flesh through her dress, pulling her up so she was practically climbing me. We devoured each other right there in the hallway, messy and wet and loud.
"Gah! STOP IT!" Draco screamed. The sound of his retching filled the hall. "STOP IT! YOU'RE DISGUSTING!"
I broke the kiss for a second, just enough to look at him with a smirk while keeping Narcissa pressed tight against me. "Sounds like someone's jealous they're not getting any," I taunted.
Narcissa laughed, a dark, throaty sound, and nipped at my lower lip. "Don't pay attention to the boy, Harry. Focus on me."
