Hermione felt herself swallow involuntarily, a strange, fleeting insecurity passing through her as her eyes briefly dipped downwards. Damn, her breasts really are enormous, Hermione thought self-consciously, immediately annoyed at herself for even noticing such a ridiculous thing during a critical moment.
Rias didn't seem to notice Hermione's internal struggle, or if she did, she was kind enough not to comment. She simply continued smiling gently as she took another careful step forward.
"Hello, Hermione," Rias greeted her softly, her voice warm and pleasant, devoid of any obvious hostility. "It's nice to finally meet you properly. We've never really had a chance to talk, have we?"
Hermione narrowed her eyes slightly, gripping her wand a bit tighter in her hand, cautious but polite. "No, we haven't," she agreed slowly. "This probably isn't the best time or place to get acquainted, though."
Rias merely chuckled softly, shaking her head. "I disagree," she said pleasantly. "In fact, I think now is the perfect moment. I'd like to get to know all of my fiance's girlfriends better, after all." Rias stepped even closer, the friendly expression never leaving her face.
She really was stunningly beautiful, Hermione reluctantly admitted to herself, every bit the elegant, confident devil princess Harry had described.
"Thank you, Hermione," Rias murmured warmly. "I appreciate that, especially coming from you."
Hermione blushed when she realized she'd said that part out loud... Damn, she usually was more focused than this.
Hermione took a careful step back, holding her position warily. She knew she couldn't win if things turned into an open fight. Rias was the strongest member of Sona's team, capable of annihilating entire groups with ease. Harry himself had privately admitted that if forced to fight both Sona and Rias together, he didn't stand a chance.
That's why Hermione had felt so relieved moments before, when one of her magical fires had succeeded in drawing Rias away from Sona and into the forest alone. But now, facing the beautiful devil princess in person, Hermione realized she might have slightly underestimated just how intimidating Rias Gremory truly was.
But the crimson-haired girl didn't seem eager to fight, at least not yet. "Relax," Rias whispered reassuringly, as if sensing Hermione's unease. "I promise I won't attack without provocation. Truly. I really do want to talk with you."
Hermione bit her lip hesitantly, before deciding there was no harm in keeping Rias talking. After all, every second Rias spent here talking to her meant Harry had more time alone with Sona. "Alright," she finally agreed, cautiously lowering her wand slightly, but not completely dropping her guard. "If you genuinely want to talk, then I suppose we can."
Rias beamed delightedly, clasping her slender hands together in front of her large chest. "I'm glad," she said cheerfully. "You know, Hermione, Harry speaks extremely highly of you. He trusts your judgement implicitly."
Hermione smiled slightly at hearing that, her cautiousness relaxing slightly despite herself. "Harry's my best friend and my boyfriend," she said softly, meeting Rias's strikingly blue eyes. "We've been through a lot together."
"Indeed," Rias agreed with a gentle smile. "He told me you were the first girl he invited into his peerage. That means you're exceptionally important to him."
Hermione felt her cheeks flush hotly at that statement, her heart fluttering in her chest. "Well," she admitted quietly, "Harry means the world to me. Joining his peerage... it was a decision I never regretted. Not even once."
Rias nodded slowly, her gaze soft and understanding. "I can see why he values you so highly. You're intelligent, resourceful, loyal-and quite beautiful, if I may say."
Hermione's blush intensified rapidly at Rias's open praise, her heartbeat quickening. Was Rias seriously flirting with her right now, of all times? "Th-thank you," she stammered, momentarily unsure how to respond. "You're quite beautiful yourself. Stunning, really. I can see why Harry is so smitten with you."
Rias laughed softly, clearly pleased. She stepped a bit closer, dropping her voice into a husky whisper. "Tell me honestly, Hermione-do you feel jealous, knowing Harry will marry me?"
Hermione took a deep breath, forcing herself to be honest even though it was difficult. "Maybe a little bit," she admitted quietly. "I mean, we all knew he'd have to get married eventually. Politics, obligations-all that nonsense. But it's still difficult seeing him belong to someone else."
Rias reached out and gently touched Hermione's arm. "Harry will always belong to you too," she reassured softly. "His heart is big enough for us all."
Hermione gulped softly as Rias released her arm, only to gently slide her hand down to rest comfortably against Hermione's lower back. They were standing so close now that Hermione could easily admire the incredible beauty of the crimson-haired devil princess up close.
They were nearly the same height, and Hermione found herself drawn into Rias's captivating blue eyes. Her face was genuinely flawless-soft porcelain skin, full lips curved into a playful smile, and a heart shaped face that made it immediately clear why Harry was so enthralled with her. It made Hermione's heart beat faster, and she felt her cheeks grow warm as an undeniable blush spread across her face.
Rias leaned in slightly closer, her voice dropping into a warm, seductive whisper that sent a pleasant shiver down Hermione's spine. "It's good to see that we're so compatible," she purred gently, her breath ghosting softly over Hermione's skin. "I imagine we'll be sharing Harry's bed quite often in the future."
Before Hermione could even respond, Rias closed the small gap between them, pressing her soft, inviting lips firmly against Hermione's own. Hermione gasped softly in surprise for a brief moment before fluttering shut as the unexpected kiss deepened.
Rias's lips moved sensually against hers, confident and tender, leaving Hermione breathless and dizzy. Hermione felt Rias slowly trail her fingers up and down her back, gently caressing her, drawing her even closer. The gentle friction sent waves of warmth and desire rippling through Hermione's body. She shivered slightly at the delightful sensation.
As the kiss deepened, Rias pressed her lush body firmly against Hermione's own. Hermione could clearly feel the soft, generous curves of Rias's full, heavy breasts pressing snugly against her own smaller, sensitive chest. The sensual pressure sent a heated pulse straight down her body, and Hermione felt her knees weaken slightly, mind growing increasingly fuzzy with arousal and confusion.
Rias continued kissing Hermione passionately, deepening the intimate embrace even further. Hermione struggled to gather her scattered thoughts. Something wasn't right. Why was it so hard to think clearly? She had been fine just moments before, yet now, in Rias's warm embrace, her mind felt strangely clouded, drifting further away with every passing second.
Wait... Hermione's eyes fluttered open in alarm, realization striking her suddenly even through the foggy haze in her mind. Something was definitely wrong here. She shouldn't be feeling this hazy, this weak and vulnerable, just from a kiss-no matter how alluring Rias Gremory was.
This wasn't natural. This wasn't just attraction or arousal-it felt like magic.
She tried to pull away, to ask Rias what was happening, but her body refused to obey her commands. Her limbs felt heavy and unresponsive. She felt herself falling gently forward, slumping helplessly into Rias's waiting arms.
As Hermione's vision grew darker and consciousness slowly slipped away from her, the last thing she clearly saw was Rias's face smiling softly at her-a strangely gentle yet victorious expression.
Then everything faded to black...
— Rias —
Rias felt a thrill of victorious satisfaction as Hermione's eyes fluttered closed, the brunette going limp and unconscious in her arms. She carefully caught the girl's body, cradling Hermione gently against her chest. Rias's deceptively strong arms easily supported the girl's weight.
Not that she weighed much.
Rias glanced around. Sona had warned her earlier that this forest was far more dangerous than it looked. Apparently, there were giant man-eating spiders prowling around-not to mention centaurs who weren't fond of devils at all.
Rias certainly wasn't about to leave Harry's precious peerage member defenseless and vulnerable here in this terrifying forest.
Honestly, why had the Hogwarts staff even chosen a place like this for a student competition? Perhaps the danger was precisely the point, she mused darkly. Humans and their bizarre notions of entertainment never ceased to amaze her.
Although, could she even talk considering she wanted to be a rating game champion herself in the underworld?
Shaking her head slightly, Rias shifted Hermione's soft, feminine body closer, holding her securely with one arm. Her free hand rose to her ear as she conjured a small communication magic circle. She needed to inform Sona about her victory immediately.
The magic circle shimmered softly next to her ear, the voice of her close friend and fellow devil coming through clearly. "Rias? Is everything alright?"
A triumphant smile spread across Rias's lips as she proudly replied, "Mission accomplished, Sona! I've successfully incapacitated Hermione Granger, the strongest member of Harry's team."
There was a brief pause on the other end. Rias could almost picture Sona raising an eyebrow skeptically. "Already?" Sona's voice sounded mildly surprised. "That was quite fast. Strange, I didn't sense any powerful spells or magical exchanges coming from your location."
A wicked grin curved Rias's lips, feeling slightly mischievous. "Hehe... that's because there was no battle. I simply seduced her instead." She paused, feeling her cheeks warm slightly at admitting it out loud, but she pressed forward boldly. "And while her lips were locked against mine, I cast an extremely potent sleeping charm. Trust me, Sona, it was very effective, and fun."
Complete silence lingered on the other side of the line for several seconds. Rias felt a faint worry creeping into her heart at her friend's unusual lack of response.
Finally, Sona sighed heavily, sounding both exasperated and embarrassed. "Rias... you do realize there are enchanted scrying mirrors watching every champion and their teammates right now, don't you? All the tournament judges, professors, and the students from all three schools were able to clearly witness you passionately kissing Miss Granger."
Rias's heart skipped a panicked beat. "Wh-what!?" she squeaked in horror, gripping Hermione's unconscious form tighter in alarm. Why hadn't Sona warned her about this sooner!? "Sona! You never told me anything about those mirrors!"
"We used those same mirrors in the first task," Sona replied in mild amusement. "I assumed I didn't have to explain them again."
Rias groaned softly, mortified realization washing over her. "My peerage wasn't enrolled at Hogwarts yet for the first task, remember? How was I supposed to know about that!?"
A pause, then Sona's voice returned, slightly sheepish now. "Oh... right. Well, I'm sure it'll be fine... probably."
Rias released a quiet, embarrassed sigh. Of course she had nothing to be ashamed of-Hermione Granger was an attractive young woman, after all, and the kiss itself had certainly been pleasant-but that didn't mean she'd intended to put on a scandalous show for everyone to enjoy!
"Oh no," Rias muttered suddenly, her mind quickly jumping to another horrifying thought. "Akeno doesn't know about those mirrors either!" Cold dread pooled uncomfortably in her stomach at imagining exactly what kind of perverted, shameless display her sadistic Queen was likely putting on at this very moment!
"Sona," Rias said urgently, gripping the communication circle tighter, "we need to find Akeno immediately. Merlin only knows what she'll do once she finds an unsuspecting opponent. At this rate, the entire school might see far more of Akeno Himejima than they ever bargained for."
Sona made a sound like a strangled groan. "Fuck... You're right..."
Rias nodded firmly, carefully cradling Hermione's unconscious body closer against her chest. She couldn't leave the Gryffindor girl here defenseless. But first things first-she absolutely had to stop Akeno before Hogwarts had its first-ever live adult broadcast!
— Akeno —
Akeno couldn't help but smile with pure amusement as she gazed down at the two ginger-haired twin boys. Fred and George had tried and failed to ambush her in the dark woods.
Trying to double team a beautiful sinful girl like her-how naughty! They needed to be punished.
The twins were bound tightly together with intricate shibari knots.
"Oh, Fred," George murmured with a twinkle in his eyes despite his compromising position. "I must say, this is quite a new experience for us, isn't it?"
"You're quite right, George. Dare I admit I rather like it? I think our dear girlfriend Angelina would be rather jealous if she could see us now." Fred chuckled warmly, wriggling slightly against the restraints, testing their strength. Akeno was quite proud of her knot tying skills, there was no escape unless she wanted them getting out.
"Or perhaps," George suggested, glancing appreciatively at Akeno, "this will give our Angelina some rather interesting ideas."
Akeno allowed a soft, sensual giggle to escape her lips. In her right hand, Akeno held a polished black leather riding crop, its flexible tip tapping lightly against her palm.
"Ufufufu," she purred. "You've both been quite naughty, haven't you? I'm afraid punishment is absolutely necessary. Now," Akeno continued. "You're going to reveal exactly where your team's flag is hidden. But I warn you..." She bent down slowly. "Don't go confessing too quickly. I'd hate for our fun to end prematurely..."
— Harry —
Damn, I could immediately sense at the back of my mind that something had happened to Hermione. It wasn't pain, exactly, but more like the quiet feeling of someone drifting off into sleep. It was a connection between peerage members.
As the King, I felt it the most.
Hermione wouldn't have just decided to take a nap in the middle of the bloody Forbidden Forest.
I shouldn't have let her try to distract Rias Gremory on her own. I knew it had been risky from the start, but what other choice had we had? Hermione was smart, capable, and far stronger now that she was my Bishop, but Rias-damn, Rias was on another level entirely. I just hoped Hermione hadn't been hurt.
