Of course, Sona herself was no stranger to that sort of attention. Her poised elegance, silky black hair, intelligent pink eyes behind her glasses, and the refined air of nobility she naturally carried often attracted plenty of interest as well.
Maybe even more, she thought smugly.
Today, Sona had invited Fleur and Gabrielle to accompany her to all of her own classes, partly to get to know the two sisters better-but also to subtly evaluate them.
Especially now that her nephew Harry was finally starting to actively recruit peerage members. So far, his peerage was small, consisting only of Hermione Granger-who Sona already approved of-and Narcissa Black-whom she still held slight reservations about. But she suspected that Fleur and Gabrielle would eventually be offered positions as well. Hence, her careful evaluation.
She was intimately aware of how deeply her beloved nephew, Harry Sitri, cared for both Fleur and Gabrielle. As far as she knew, her own grandparents, Sebastian and Selene Sitri, as well as Sona's older sister, Serafall, fully intended for her to eventually marry Harry herself. That meant that they would all be spending a lot of time together in the coming centuries, and with a blush, she suspected a lot of that time would also be spent together in the bedroom.
It would be good if they could at least get along-hopefully as friends.
At least she found both of their attitudes to be amusing. They almost reminded her of her closest female friend Rias.
Fleur sighed again in annoyance, interrupting Sona's thoughtful contemplation. "Honestly, that man Professor Snape is utterly intolerable!" the older Veela sister continued, her full lips pursing into a delicate frown. "How dare he claim all of those students failed today because of us. All we were doing was sitting there and observing! And he had the audacity to tell us to never come back to his classroom!"
"Oui," Gabrielle added bitterly, still fuming. "If he spoke to us like that at Beauxbatons, Madame Maxime would toss him out by the scruff of his greasy hair!"
Sona chuckled softly again, enjoying Gabrielle's fiery temper and vivid imagination. "Well, I can certainly understand your frustration," she remarked calmly, adjusting her glasses with one elegant finger. "Professor Snape is indeed an acquired taste. Although I find him manageable enough. Then again, I haven't given him reason to dislike me. I've never given him anything but perfect results in his class," she added smugly. And yes she knew that was because of her Sitri bloodline.
Fleur and Gabrielle continued venting about Snape and his terrible teaching style for a few more hallways. Sona walked quietly alongside the two sisters, listening patiently as they expressed their irritation. The Veela sisters' accented voices echoed softly off the castle walls, drawing appreciative glances from the students they passed by.
Finally, Fleur stopped abruptly, turning to face Sona. A soft blush tinted the older veela's pale cheeks. "Sona," Fleur began slowly, her French accent growing slightly thicker with nervousness, "Gabrielle and I... we're very happy you invited us to spend the day with you. Honestly, we weren't completely sure whether you actually liked us or not."
Gabrielle bit her lower lip softly, nodding beside her older sister. Her pretty face turned serious, almost melancholy. "We... We are used to most other women hating us. It's always been that way," she admitted quietly.
Sona regarded the two Veela thoughtfully, adjusting her glasses carefully as she understood their meaning immediately. It was something she herself could relate to all too well. Back when she attended the human Kuoh Academy, the situation had often been similar for her. At least half of the female students adored her, idolizing her as their graceful and intelligent student council president.
But the other half of the girls had either been intimidated by her or deeply jealous, resenting the attention she'd unintentionally attracted from the male students. She'd never been interested in a single one of those human boys, of course, but that didn't seem to make a difference. Jealousy didn't require logic or reason-it simply was.
After a moment, Sona finally offered the sisters a gentle, understanding smile. "Actually," she admitted softly, her tone sincere, "I understand exactly how you both feel."
Both Fleur and Gabrielle immediately perked up, their expressions turning hopeful.
"You do?" Gabrielle asked earnestly, eyes wide and searching. A cautious smile was slowly forming on the younger girl's lips.
"Yes, unfortunately," Sona replied wryly, a faint chuckle escaping her as she shook her head slightly. "Back at my old school, Kuo Academy, my situation was similar. Many of the other girls either disliked me or felt intimidated by my presence. I was student council president, highly capable academically, and received plenty of attention-even though I never wanted it from those particular boys."
Gabrielle's smile widened instantly, clearly relieved that Sona genuinely did understand them. "You really do get it, Sona," she said happily, stepping a bit closer as her posture relaxed noticeably.
"Unfortunately," Sona repeated, smirking lightly in amusement, "I most certainly do. I even had my own stalker..." she admitted. Although she would refuse to ever admit that she was foolish enough to invite her own stalker into her own peerage... Freaking Saji-the memories of his creepy bedroom would follow her to her grave.
"Oui!" Gabrille giggled. "Both Fleur and I have had numerous of those over the years. Thankfully all our stalkers so far have been highly flammable! What a coincidence, non?"
With the tension now eased, Sona changed the topic smoothly, deciding she wanted to know a bit more about these sisters personally. She gave both of them a small, mischievous smirk. "So, what do you two usually do in your free time? When you're not practicing magic-or busy having sex with my nephew Harry, of course." Sona had meant it as a teasing jab, intending to fluster the Veela sisters. But as soon as the words left her lips, she realized she'd badly miscalculated.
Rather than blushing or getting embarrassed, Fleur and Gabrielle both smirked openly, clearly enjoying the topic.
Right, Sona realized silently, of course they'd be shameless about it. They're Veela.
Fleur was the first to respond. "Well, to be perfectly honest, Sona, in my free time, I would very much prefer to be having a lot more sex with your nephew Harry."
Gabrielle giggled softly beside her sister. "It truly is a tragedy that, thus far, Harry and we have only spent a single very long-and very memorable-night together. Honestly, I almost regret signing up for this tournament, considering how much of our time it's eaten up. It has left us so little time for more pleasurable activities."
Fleur nodded along with her younger sister. "Oui, it's true. Now, the money and the fame that initially seemed so appealing appear utterly pointless. But at least we have a good magical challenge to test ourselves with. That's something, I suppose."
Sona blinked once, then, gradually, she felt her initial surprise fade into quiet amusement. Really, she should've expected no less from these two confident, passionate women. "I have to agree with you both about the challenge, at least," Sona admitted lightly. "If there's one thing I genuinely enjoy, it's proving my capabilities through competition-magical or otherwise."
Fleur chuckled knowingly, her eyes twinkling with playful challenge. "Ah, then we're not so different after all, oui? You enjoy winning as much as Gabrielle and I do, I suspect."
Sona met Fleur's gaze directly, matching the older veela's smirk with a confident one of her own. "Absolutely. I freely admit I can be quite petty. I hate losing more than almost anything else."
Gabrielle giggled brightly, looping an arm through Sona's own, pulling her gently forward. "Then we'll get along just fine, Sona! We can all be beautifully petty together!"
Sona, Fleur, and Gabrielle reached the Great Hall for lunch. Together, the three elegant young women made their way smoothly toward the Ravenclaw table, gracefully slipping onto the bench. Fleur and Gabrielle sat across from Sona.
Instinctively, Sona's eyes drifted toward the Gryffindor table, subtly searching the crowded bench for a familiar dark-haired figure. She felt a tiny tug of disappointment when she realized that Harry wasn't there yet. She briefly wondered if he had gotten caught up in yet another incident or meeting-both seemed equally plausible, given Harry's eventful life.
She forced herself to return her attention to Fleur and Gabrielle, who were now staring at her curiously, obviously noticing her distraction. Sona adjusted her glasses smoothly, deciding to change the topic and refocus the conversation. "You know," she began calmly, a soft sigh escaping her lips, "I have a feeling we might soon have another beautiful-and competitive-woman joining our little group."
At her unexpected statement, both Fleur and Gabrielle tilted their heads to the side at precisely the same moment. Their identical expressions of confusion and curiosity brought a slight smile to Sona's lips.
"Who are you talking about?" Gabrielle asked curiously, leaning forward slightly.
"Oh? Is there going to be even more competition for our beloved Harry's heart now?" Fleur teased.
Sona chuckled softly, shaking her head gently as she reached for her glass of water. "Well," she replied, "I'm not certain you can even call it competition at this point."
Gabrielle was obviously intrigued now. "What does that mean?" she asked eagerly.
Sona sighed again, setting her glass down carefully. "It means she's technically already a shoo-in. You see..." Sona hesitated for a second, choosing her next words carefully, "Harry doesn't exactly know it yet-but he already has a fiancee."
The moment those words left her mouth, Fleur and Gabrielle froze. Both sisters gaped at her in complete shock, their mouths opening and closing soundlessly as they struggled to process this unexpected revelation.
"He-what?" Fleur finally gasped.
Gabrielle seemed equally astonished. "Wait, wait, wait-fiancee? HARRY HAS A FIANCEE?" she repeated loudly, incredulously, drawing attention from the entire table with her shout!
— Rias —
Rias gazed quietly out the window of the Gremory Clan private jet as it glided smoothly above the seemingly endless expanse of ocean below. It was beautiful, calming, but Rias herself felt anything but calm.
She sighed deeply, leaning her head back against the plush leather seat as she allowed herself a brief moment of doubt. Was she really doing the right thing?
Of course I am, she thought bitterly, her delicate fists clenching in frustration. Anything was better than being trapped in a loveless marriage with that arrogant, insufferable prick, Riser Phenex.
Still, she couldn't shake the faint feeling of guilt nagging at the edge of her mind. After all, in order to escape her own terrible engagement, she was effectively forcing her problem onto someone else-a young man she'd never even met in person.
Harry Sitri. Sona's nephew, Serafall's beloved son, and now-though he didn't know it yet-her fiance. Rias chewed her lower lip softly, worrying it between her teeth. She genuinely didn't want to burden him unfairly. But she was desperate. She'd pleaded endlessly with her older brother, Sirzechs Lucifer, for help, and this had been his solution.
On the bright side, this Harry must have been exceptional indeed to have so thoroughly captured Sona's heart. She smiled faintly at that thought. Any young man capable of making Sona fall for him was surely going to be exceptional.
Taking a slow breath to calm her nerves, Rias shifted slightly in her seat and turned to glance at her fellow peerage members, scattered throughout the spacious cabin.
Her gaze settled first on Gasper, who was huddled as far away as physically possible, completely withdrawn from the group. He sat curled up, a paper bag placed firmly over his head, enormous headphones covering his ears. His slim fingers rapidly tapped buttons on a vintage Game Boy console as he attempted desperately to tune out the world around him.
Rias frowned slightly at the sight. Yes, Gasper would certainly require the most attention and care moving forward. The poor boy struggled constantly with anxiety, shyness, and sensory overload. But they'd help him through it, as they always did.
Shifting her gaze, Rias looked affectionately at the rest of her beloved peerage-her chosen family. Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko sat closer to her, each with varying expressions. She cleared her throat gently, drawing their attention.
"I just want to apologize again," she said sincerely, her blue-green eyes filled with genuine regret. "I know how much all of you loved Kuoh Academy, and I'm truly sorry to uproot your lives so abruptly."
Koneko didn't even bother looking up from the food she'd been numbly nibbling on, blandly responding in her usual deadpan voice, "I didn't love that place at all. It fucking sucked and was full of perverts everywhere..."
Rias's mouth fell open slightly, her eyes widening in surprise as she stared incredulously at her typically quiet rook. "Wait-Koneko, are you serious? You hated it the whole time?"
The petite white-haired girl nodded again. "Yes. Especially all those annoying perverts always trying to sneak glances up my skirt. Glad we left. I was so close to punching them."
And a punch from her was lethal...
Akeno giggled, pressing a hand lightly to her lips in amusement. "Ara ara, our sweet little kitty certainly has a sharp tongue today."
Rias chuckled softly despite her shock. She turned her attention to Kiba next. "What about you, Kiba?"
Kiba smiled politely, but his eyes held a slightly uncomfortable expression. "Honestly? I wasn't much of a fan of Kuoh either. Constantly having girls throw themselves at me was incredibly awkward."
A pang of guilt tightened Rias's chest again as she winced sympathetically. She knew Kiba's preferences leaned toward men rather than women-something he'd struggled with expressing openly. Gently, she reached across and placed her hand comfortingly over his. "I'm truly sorry, Kiba. I understand it wasn't easy for you. Hopefully, from everything I've heard, the wizarding world is far more tolerant in that regard. You'll find it easier there, I hope."
Kiba's soft, grateful smile warmed his features as he squeezed her hand briefly. "Thank you, President. I hope you're right."
She knew she would be. Despite never being in a real relationship, Rias knew she was an expert when it came to romance! She'd one hundred percented numerous dating sim games after all!
