That's gotta be boring as fuck!
I flicked my wrist and dried myself off with a burst of magic, feeling warmth wash over my skin as the lake water vanished. It didn't last long with the chilly scottish air.
My shirt was basically ruined, torn and clinging to me, with bits of lake weed still tangled in the fabric. I tossed it to the ground.
My school robes were long gone underwater where they had threatened to drag me down when they got waterlogged. At least my jeans had survived the ordeal.
I wasn't hurt, and I hadn't burnt through that much magic either. I'd only been underwater for around 10 minutes or so, there was still a lot of time left in the task. I had spare clothes in my magical storage, but there was no way I was risking stripping down here. For now, I would just have to suck it up.
I scanned my surroundings. I was standing on the muddy edge of the Black Lake, facing up toward the castle. Not far away I could see the care of magical creature teacher Hagrid's hut, smoke coming from the chimney. Surprised he was home and not at the feast.
Suddenly I heard a rush of footsteps pounding over the wet grass behind me. Not just one or two-at least a dozen, maybe more. There were excited shouts, coming in multiple languages that I all understood.
A mixed group of Hogwarts, French, and Bulgarian students came sprinting over the grass toward me. I caught a couple of the French girls staring, their eyes going wide as they took in my bare chest.
I shot them a crooked grin and could not resist throwing a wink their way. If nothing else, I might as well have a little fun with the situation. "Bonsoir, ladies," I called in French, swaggering just a little. "Lovely night, isn't it? I just went for a quick swim. Zero out of ten, would not recommend. And with that said, I'm just going to go..." I flashed another smirk and turned as if I was about to just saunter away, pretending I was not half-naked, caked in lake mud, and very obviously their target.
A few of them laughed.
I took maybe three steps before a jet of red light zipped past my head.
I stopped and sighed, glancing back to see who had fired it. It was the lead French witch-a tall girl with striking features and long dark hair. She definitely had queen bee energy.
"Harry Sitri, the famous Boy-Who-Lived." The lead witch said my name like it was already a prize she had collected, her eyes raking over my chest in a way that was anything but subtle. "You are even more handsome in person," she added, giving me a brazen once-over and not even pretending to hide the fact she was ogling.
"Thank you," I replied. "Am I handsome enough for you to let me walk away? Or do you really need that reward money?"
She laughed, tossing her long hair over her shoulder. "My maman and papa are very rich," she said, her accent curling around every word. "I do not need the 10,000 galleon reward for capturing you. But there is something else I want!"
I cocked my head, already knowing where this was headed. "And what would that be?" I asked-even though it was obvious what she was after.
She licked her lips, eyes trailing over my abs before meeting my gaze. "I am very upset to know those Veela sluts, Fleur and Gabrielle, have already laid claim to the famous Boy-Who-Lived." There was real venom in her tone, jealousy thick in her words. "You should DUMP THEM and become MY lover instead. I promise you, you will not be disappointed!"
As soon as she finished her little declaration, two of her friends stepped up beside her, both of them eyeing me like I was something to be tasted. One with honey-blonde hair crossed her arms and gave me a dazzling, almost predatory smile. "Juliette is so much better for you, Harry Sitri. Fleur and Gabrielle are nothing but stuck-up bitches," she said.
The other girl, tall and willowy, let out a laugh and tossed her own hair. "They are Veela sluts who just want to use you for your fame. You deserve someone better and human. Someone like Juliette!"
They both looked me up and down, clearly thinking their friend might also share with them. The group seemed totally oblivious to how shallow and desperate they were coming across, as if saying it loud enough would make me forget about Fleur and Gabrielle.
"Oh, these bitches..." I could not stop the thought.
As if I would ever ditch Fleur and Gabrielle-two of the most beautiful, kind, and genuinely magical girls I had ever met-for some girl who only wanted the handsome and famous boyfriend on her arm. Extra emphasis on the handsome, obviously.
I gave Juliette a fake regretful smile and shrugged. "I am afraid I am going to have to pass," I said bluntly.
Her eyes narrowed, and that flirtatious smile dropped right off her face. She raised her hand, and in an instant, all the witches and wizards behind her snapped their wands up, tips glowing menacingly as they all aimed at me.
My pulse kicked up, but I tried not to let it show. I let my hands drift behind my back, making it look casual as I inched a little closer to the edge of the Black Lake. I could feel the water at my back, and my demonic magic humming with anticipation.
Juliette's voice went cold. "That is too bad, Harry Sitri."
The group all tensed, clearly about to throw everything they had at me. I did not give them the chance. Before they could cast their first spell, I whipped my arm forward, calling out a surge of magic from the lake. A massive wall of water rose up behind me, casting a shadow over the whole group. Their eyes widened. Then I brought my arm down hard, and the wave crashed over them like a small tidal wave, slamming into the witches and wizards and sending them tumbling in a tangled, soaking mess.
They shrieked, curses and spells dying on their lips as the water swept them off their feet, knocking them across the muddy grass.
I took the opening, bolting toward Hagrid's hut as fast as I could. I could already see even more students spilling down from the castle, dozens of wands flashing in the moonlight. I knew I was going to have to keep moving if I wanted to last two hours.
'Let's make it harder for everyone to find me.' I focused on all the moisture around me and yanked my arms up. A bit more imagination and demonic power, and suddenly the whole area around the lake was now covered in a thick fog.
So thick you couldn't see more than a couple feet in front of your face.
"What the fuck just happened?"
"Merde, je ne vois rien! Where did he go?"
"I cannot see my hand in front of my face!"
"Juliette, I lost my wand!"
"Shut up and grab onto something, this is his doing!"
"Who cast this? Was it Harry Sitri?"
"This is cheating!"
"I am stuck in the mud-somebody help me!"
"Stop pushing me, you idiot!"
"Did anybody see which way he went?"
"This is so unfair."
All around me, the fog thickened and their voices crashed together in a chorus of confusion and panic. I grinned to myself, slipping through the mist while they fumbled in the dark, completely blind to where I had gone.
— Serafall —
"Fwuah..." Serafall pressed her palm to her lips, stifling a hot, breathy moan that slipped out before she could stop herself. Every muscle in her body shivered, pleasure still sparking through her nerves. Under the high table, her thighs quivered and her panties clung, utterly soaked from how turned on she still was. Her large chest heaved as she tried to calm her breathing, barely holding back another whimper.
She let her eyes slide back to the glowing scrying mirrors, still flickering with the images of Sona and Harry in the middle of chaos and battle. Watching her sister and son show off such raw magical power-outsmarting and overpowering their opponents, using the same kind of water and ice magic Serafall herself was known for-had worked her up to the point where she had an orgasm...
She was not ashamed!
Serafall let herself squirm a little more, riding out the last waves of pleasure, all while her lips curved into a secret, satisfied smile.
Thankfully all the human eyes in the Great Hall were glued to the scrying mirrors.
Not everyone in the Great Hall was oblivious, however. Sirzechs, sitting right beside Serafall, had not missed her shivering or the way she pressed her legs together under the table.
He just shook his head with a knowing smirk, the soft sound of his chuckle barely audible over the noise of everyone else in discussions. "You really have a problem, Serafall," he murmured, amusement clear in his voice as he kept his gaze fixed forward to not draw more attention to her. They argued from time to time, but were still very good friends and always covered for each other.
Serafall took a second to recover, cheeks flushed and heart pounding, before she managed a playful pout at him. She shot him a teasing glare. "At least I do not make my wife cosplay as a maid twenty-four seven. Do you have her put on red wigs sometimes too?" she asked. Because Grayfia and Rias had very similar bodies besides the hair and eye color-was what was left unsaid.
Sirzechs blushed at that...
"T-That is none of your b-business! And if you did have a wife, I am absolutely certain you would have her dressed in a magical girl outfit every day, and probably go so far as to even wear matching thongs!"
Serafall giggled, not even denying it. "Mmm, maybe I would!" She totally would. Except for the thongs, she'd make her imaginary wifey go panty-less all the time! Although-when and not if-all of her plans came true, then her imaginary wifey would not be so imaginary... And neither would her imaginary husband.
"Hehehehe..." she giggled to herself, lost in her imagination for a moment while Sirzechs tried to snap her back out of it.
Their conversation was cut off when Dumbledore's voice rose above the chatter, magically amplified to fill every corner of the Great Hall. "Attention! The first champion has been captured!" he announced. All eyes flicked toward the scrying mirrors, where one of the Durmstrang champions could be seen being dragged, red-faced and soaking wet, out of a bathroom on the sixth floor. He had been hiding in one of the stalls.
The clock above his mirror froze at thirteen minutes and forty-two seconds.
Oof, he didn't even last 15 minutes into the task. That was embarrassing...
Serafall watched with barely contained amusement as the Durmstrang headmaster leapt to his feet, roaring a string of colorful curses in rapid Bulgarian. He waved his fists in the air, face nearly purple, while his assistants scrambled to calm him down. "This task is blatantly unfair! HOW DO ALL OF THESE OTHER CHAMPIONS KNOW SO MUCH WANDLESS MAGIC!"
In sharp contrast, the Beauxbatons headmistress, a very tall probably half giant woman, only smirked from her seat a few places down.
The reason for that smugness was obvious. Fleur and Gabrielle-Harry's Veela lovers-were absolutely dominating so far. Just like So-tan was. The mirrors showed the two beautiful Veela women, working together, holed up on the seventh floor, barricaded at the very top of the castle. Only a single, winding staircase led up to their position, making it almost impossible to reach them without a direct, frontal assault.
Serafall's gaze lingered on the scene. Waves of red hot Veela fire poured down the staircase, setting the old stone aglow and forcing would-be challengers to dive for cover or retreat entirely. The narrow stairs acted as a deadly funnel, trapping the heat and turning the approach into a blazing oven.
No matter how many students tried to rush the steps, none could get more than halfway before they were driven back by the scorching magical flames.
The Great Hall filled with a fresh round of laughter, groans, and muttered bets as the scrying mirror showed another group of students singed and fleeing in defeat!
Although Serafall didn't know if those two girls would be able to hold that spot for the entire two hours. Especially since two of Harry's male friends, the Weasley twins, were at the bottom of that flaming staircase, looking like they were scheming something.
Serafall turned her attention back to Harry's scrying mirror and almost balked at what she saw. Harry was now lounging comfortably inside one of his teacher's, Hagrid's, oversized hut. He sat right in front of the fireplace, shirtless and completely relaxed, as if hundreds of students were not scouring the grounds for him at this very moment. Harry was petting a dog while Hagrid made some tea for both of them.
Sirzechs noticed her staring and could not help but laugh. "Your son certainly has some priorities..."
— Harry —
I scratched behind the black dog's ears, grinning as he leaned into my touch and panted happily. "Who's a good boy? You are," I said, giving him a playful pat. The big black mutt thumped his tail against the rug.
He seemed to really like me....
I glanced up at Hagrid. "When did you get a second dog?" I asked. I only knew about Fang from word of mouth around the school.
Hagrid lumbered over and he set down two big, steaming cups of tea on the table. "Just earlier today, actually," he said, lowering himself into his creaky old chair with a soft grunt. "Jasmine McKinnon brought this stray over. Poor thing looked like he hadn't eaten in days. That's why I wasn't at the feast-I was giving him a proper magical bath and making sure he got something nutritious in his belly. He was abandoned, far as we can tell."
"I hate people who abandon their pets," I muttered and took my hand off the dog for some warm tea. It whined but I sadly couldn't stick around and pet it all night. The fog wasn't going to last much longer unless I recast it and I wanted to use the time to get myself back to Hogwarts castle. Make sure Fleur, Gabrielle and Sona were all doing alright.
"I appreciate you stopping by, Harry. Your parents used to come by for tea at least once a week. Er-Well, Lily did at least. I know that James wasn't technically your-"
I held up my hand and stopped Hagrid. "It's fine, I get what you mean."
The dog perked up, tilting its head and looking very curious for some reason.
I took another sip of tea, feeling the warmth spread through my whole body. The fire crackled in the hearth, and for a few precious minutes, I let myself enjoy the peace and comfort of Hagrid's hut. The craziness of the tournament felt a million miles away.
Eventually, I set my cup down and stretched my arms over my head, feeling the last of the cold seep from my bones. "Thanks for letting me warm up here, Hagrid. And thanks for the tea," I said, glancing over at him with a grin. "I should probably get out of here before word spreads and a mob of lunatics tries to burn down your hut just to collect the reward. Ten thousand galleons is ten thousand galleons after all..."
