CHAPTER 19:

CHRISTMAS

The next month leading up to the Yule Ball was an interesting one, albeit a somewhat fraught one. With the cat out of the bag, Riser was now trying to find out more about his mysterious rival. Ravel, thankfully, kept silent, and Zeoticus Gremory had shielded Rias from her erstwhile suitor, actually acting like a protective father for once.

Ravel actually came to visit whenever she could, curious about her nephew. Harry found himself warming to the young Phenex girl, once the initial awkwardness was out of the way, and she was actually a good source of information on the Phenex family and its legacy. And it seemed his young aunt relished the challenge of teaching him. Personally, Harry cared little about some elements of Phenex family history, but he still needed to learn something about it.

Of course, of greater concern was James Potter. Charlie was currently trying to work out the clue that resided within the golden egg he had to retrieve. But James Potter was apparently stirring up trouble in the Wizengamot, and while many were getting sick and tired of him throwing his weight around, he still had enough influence to be of concern. Dumbledore confided in Harry that James Potter was increasingly convinced that Harry had a hand in what happened to Lily. James didn't care that Harry would never try to hurt Lily, instead probably wishing to revive her…but instead, he had this bizarre notion that Harry was trying to rob James of Lily. The fact that she was declared dead on the Goblins' paperwork meant little to James: somehow, it had to be Harry's fault as the bastard child.

Ironically enough, Sirius Black was trying, and failing, to be the voice of reason. While Black's antipathy towards the Tonks family was still there, he also knew, like any decent Slytherin, when not to make such outrageous accusations. He did this not out of any good will towards Harry, but simple pragmatism: accusing Harry Tonks of something so blatantly untrue as murdering his mother was stupid, and sure to burn political capital in the process. James Potter had alienated a number of allies within the Wizengamot already in his bigotry towards anything he saw as dark, and only money and influence kept other allies on side, including a number of substantial…donations to Minister Fudge.

Unlike Sirius, however, James Potter never quite grew out of his adolescent fantasies of invincibility, Dumbledore told Harry. Surviving Voldemort, not to mention political shitstorms, had instilled in James Potter the notion that he was both literally and figuratively invincible, to say nothing of being infallible. Any failures were down to other people rather than any deficiencies on James' part. Harry knew that, soon, he would have to disabuse James Potter of that notion. It would be risky, as it might mean exposing his Devil heritage. But he would be damned before he let James Potter dictate anything.

The trips to the Underworld or Kuoh were becoming a more and more welcome escape from the hurly burly at Hogwarts. The tedium of the classes, the constant gossip about the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Rita Skeeter sniffing around, and the waxing and waning tension between Harry and his half-brother. By comparison, heading to the Underworld or Kuoh to speak with his fellow Devils just felt…well, normal, like his life should be. Or at least as normal as you can get under the circumstances, but Rias, Hermione, and their respective Peerages, while eclectic and not what you could call normal, were also people. They felt more like people than most wizards and witches Harry knew, especially the Purebloods, who felt more like one-dimensional cardboard cutouts written by a hack writer, basing their work on a superior work.

In hindsight, maybe this was why he was so accepting, almost apathetically so, of his heritage. He'd been yearning to know where he came from, that he had a place to belong, one free from being seen as the brother of the Boy Who Lived that, well, he couldn't feel any joy for it…just a kind of acceptance, like he always knew this was the case, just never consciously. Either that, or the infodump Hermione and Rias hit him with pretty much numbed him to anything else.

Still, the Yule Ball was almost upon them. And Rias would be making her public debut as Harry's fiancé. Not that she was going to tell the wizards this. Hermione had already spread a story around that a cousin of hers had wanted to attend the Yule Ball (a witch of a very old, if somewhat reclusive, line), and had begged to go with Harry. Rias would be using a different last name. She was tempted to use 'Joestar' on an impish whim, but opted for her usual alias when dealing with wizards who may have read the Ars Goetia: Regan, which meant 'child of the king'. While Sirzechs, a Devil King, was technically her brother, it was still apt. Besides, her father was still a high-ranking Devil.

The buzz around 'Rias Regan' was palpable, but at least Hermione was the one controlling the information. Unfortunately, some of the Purebloods disdained this interloper. If she was part of such an old magical line, then why the hell didn't she go to Hogwarts? And the fact that Hermione would be taking Blaise to the Yule Ball caused considerable division in Slytherin. Then again, amongst the Slytherins who weren't diehard Blood Purists, Hermione was viewed with reluctant admiration and was considered to be one of the few Gryffindors worthy of any real respect.

Prior to the Yule Ball, Harry encountered Raynare one more time in Hogsmeade, and finally met her associates (aside from the petite Mittelt, whom he'd already met). He didn't like the rather contemptuous feeling he got from either Kalawarner, a buxom Fallen who wore a revealing coat over her dress, or Dohnaseek, a trenchcoat and fedora-wearing Fallen, and the sole male Fallen in the cell. Indeed, Dohnaseek's expression reeked of the barely-contained malice and arrogance of James Potter. Mittelt was more bratty than contemptuous, and he had the feeling Raynare was warming to him more and more.

Once Christmas had come around, Harry was pleased to find a whole bunch of presents, including from Rias and her Peerage. He was glad he'd actually went to the trouble of asking Hermione for gift suggestions. Rias was fairly easy, surprisingly, with Hermione ordering, on his behalf, a Gundam figurine, and Shirone was very easy, with Harry ordering a box of her favourite sweets. The others were a bit harder to order for, and if it weren't for Hermione's help, he would have been stuck. Even Ravel got something from him, a set of ribbons for her hair, made from Acromantula silk.

He had to admit, the gifts he got were all great. Ravel got him a number of books, on the history of the Phenex family, Devil etiquette, as well as rules and strategies in Rating Games. He was worried that Akeno might try to send something sexual, even BDSM-related, but she just sent him some enchanted trinkets that helped protect people from malign magic…as well as a quill made from a feather from the Fallen Angel wing of hers. A rather personal gift, he felt. She wouldn't do such a thing for just anyone. The other members of Rias' Peerage sent him various gifts, but it was Rias' gift that struck Harry the most.

It was a ring. A simple gold ring, with no jewels adorning it. But he knew what it meant almost as soon as he opened the small box, before he read the note crumpled up with it.

Rias had had it specially commissioned, and had more made for Hermione and Akeno. Although it looked to be plain gold, it was layered with a number of enchantments. While Harry and Rias would be the ones officially getting married, she also wanted to show some solidarity with Hermione and Akeno.

It was not an engagement ring or a wedding ring, but something far deeper. Over the past few months, since he first met Rias, they had a quick friendship, albeit one based on Rias needing Harry to get out of a wedding to his biological father. But he didn't blame her. In truth, her coming to him gave him a purpose to his life that had been sorely lacking, one spent in the shadow of his younger brother. Like Hermione said, he had a desire to help others. His brother may be the hero, the famous one, but Harry worked in Charles' shadow. He tried to help others, even when his brother held all the glory, and tried to steal what goodwill Harry had scraped together, sowing suspicion, thanks to James Potter and Sirius Black's influence.

Perhaps that was why Harry agreed so readily. One of the biggest clichés in fairytales was to have an errant knight win the hand of a princess at the end of the story. Life didn't actually work like that. But maybe, just maybe, his life would be like that.

Rias' gift, then, left him moved. More than ever, he looked forward to tonight's events. He hoped that they would be an indelible memory, and a good one at that, a memory worthy of a Patronus.

In the atrium to the Great Hall, it was all Harry could do not to pace nervously. While not a Champion, he was still having attention brought onto him. People were curious to see the girl whom he was going with, after all, even if it was, according to Hermione, a favour for her.

And then, when Rias finally entered, all attention was brought to her. The unnatural beauty many Devils had assured it. She was followed by Akeno, Kiba, and Shirone. Akeno was apparently with Kiba for the date, while Shirone was directed to Colin Creevey. Apparently it was a favour Hermione was doing for Colin. For all that he was a fanboy of Charlie, he didn't have a date to go to the Yule Ball, and he wasn't bad, just irritating.

Harry could hear the whispers starting now that Rias was linking her arm through his own. Even with Hermione already stating that Harry was having Rias as a date to the Yule Ball as a favour to Rias, given Rias' beauty compared to Hermione (at least when Hermione had her glamour on) certainly had people wondering whether Harry would cheat on Hermione. However, Charlie was looking at Rias rather jealously and with lust in his eyes, and Ginny was just plain glaring.

Harry just shot a glare back, as did Rias. Their evening would not be spoiled by the so-called Boy Who Lived. They wanted to enjoy themselves.

They soon were allowed to enter. Harry noted that Barty Crouch Senior was conspicuous by his absence, and his replacement was not much better, that pompous arse Percy. Well, to be fair to the officious sod, Percy had taken Harry under his wing and helped show him the ropes in Gryffindor. He was not awestruck at Harry being the brother to the Boy Who Lived, and while a sycophant to those in authority and a stickler for the rules, Percy had helped him out on more than on occasion.

The fact that Percy had given Charlie a number of detentions helped matters. Harry had many virtues, but he also had a number of faults, and a petty streak was one of them. Then again, he didn't know whether that was a human foible, or something from his Devil heritage.

Interestingly, Rias and Fleur Delacour made conversation at the dinner table, though Harry didn't follow the French. He knew that Devils could speak in other languages, but apparently either it wasn't an innate gift, or else being a Cambion, he didn't have it. However, the two were getting along very well.

Soon, after dinner was eaten, the dancing began. Harry almost wished out of spite that Charlie would have two left feet, dance badly, but alas, it was not to be. Then again, he'd been to other formal functions, so he probably had some small modicum of dancing ability.

However, he and Rias soon followed them onto the dance floor. Trying to remember the hasty lessons he had been given, he and Rias managed to dance fairly well. Then again, he was following her lead, and she had had such lessons herself as part of her training. There was something of a temptation to let his hand slip to her derriere and give it a gentle squeeze, but he stifled that temptation. It would be a disservice to Rias, because as desirable as she was, she was a person, not a sex object.

There was more to Rias' beauty than merely her figure. Her intelligence added to it, but Hermione had her beaten in that regard. It was her character, though, that cinched it. Despite being a Devil, a living embodiment of sin, she had a virtuous heart. It wasn't pure by any means: she could be self-centred in her own way, and she had some faults. But those at least made her seem more like a person than just a mere paragon of beauty.

However, the evening began to drag on, and the people were beginning to get to Harry, especially as Charlie and Ginny 'accidentally' bumped into them one too many times. But they had made arrangements beforehand, and on a pre-arranged signal, Harry, Hermione, Rias, and the respective members of their Peerages (including Shirone, as Colin had left early, as had Daphne's date), left the Great Hall. They then made their way to the Room of Requirement, to have their own private function…

"I must confess, I'm actually glad to be out of there," Akeno said. "I could feel a lot of people undressing me with their eyes, and while I usually like it, I know at least two people tried to grope me, even with Kiba being a wonderful dance partner."

"I got groped myself," Kiba confessed, grimacing. "Even the girls at Kuoh Academy don't go that far…well, for the most part. Having a fanclub is one thing, as long as they don't cross the line, but…"

"Thankfully, I didn't," Rias said. "Anyone else suffer unwanted attentions?"

The others shook their heads. "Creevy was mostly a gentleman, even if he wouldn't be quiet about the Boy Who Lived," Shirone said.

"The rumour mill's going to be working overtime, though," Blaise pointed out. "Harry being with Rias instead of Hermione, despite Hermione laying the groundwork…"

"We'll burn that bridge when we come to it," Rias said. "I'm sorry if this makes things worse for you, Hermione."

Hermione shook her head. "I'm used to it. They scorn me for being a Muggleborn, or at least because of the cover story. I'm sure if they knew my true heritage, to say nothing of yours or Harry's, it'd be worse. Dumbledore and Snape may be open-minded when it comes to Devils, but few other wizards would be. If anyone tries anything major, I'll just hint that we're actually considering sharing him by mutual consent. Not that it should come to that. But…I am giving serious thought to leaving Hogwarts and joining you in Japan, Rias, if Harry would do so as well."

Harry frowned. "…Can we? Should we?"

"We can teach you magic far beyond anything Hogwarts can teach you," Rias said. "I understand if you want to stay, but…"

"…I'll consider it. Most of my friends are in Hermione's Peerage anyway. I don't really have many others," Harry said. "As long as my family can come with me, anyway."

"Of course. Harry, I won't make you choose between us and your family. I presume you mean the Tonks family, right?" He nodded. "Then that shouldn't be a problem. In truth, Japan is somewhat more tolerant of supernatural beings than Britain. Admittedly, that is because the youkai have a large presence there, and as many of the youkai are powerful both magically and politically…well, we Devils are tolerated by the magical authorities in Japan, as long as we don't cause too much trouble."

Harry considered this. Hogwarts was all he ever knew as far as magical schooling was concerned. He'd been to a Muggle school before then. But then again, as he himself pointed out, most of his friends were in Hermione's Peerage, and the Weasley Twins were considering joining his own. He wanted to live somewhere from outside his brother's shadow.

A new life…away from all this. If he accepted…then maybe this would be the best Christmas gift he had had for a long time. Because he felt adrift, finding some place to belong. Maybe moving away from Britain would be what he needed. Once Voldemort was dealt with…well, he wanted to live his own life, away from all this. All the drama that came from being the black sheep of the family. Okay, there was the whole saga of his biological father, but he could deal with that when the time came.

Right?

"And did you like my present?" Rias asked.

"Yes. Thank you very much, Rias. When should we start wearing them?"

"…We'll do so come the New Year. How about that? A new year, a new start. How does that sound? We'll make a little ceremony of it."

"That'd be great…"

CHAPTER 19 ANNOTATIONS:

Okay, so it's been a while. Inspiration was somewhat lacking. Sorry. I actually nearly did this chapter for Christmas (set during the Yule Ball, it would've been apt), but inspiration ran dry. Part of it was trying to figure out what presents would be exchanged. I eventually decided to go for Rias giving Harry a ring, one that would bond them when they finally got together in earnest.

Anyway, this will be the calm before the storm. Something will happen that will have Riser finally learning who is cockblocking him.

EDIT: BTW, a few reviewers were wondering about my snarky remarks about hack writers. It was a dig at fanfic writers in general, but myself in particular, and not a comment on JK Rowling. The one-dimensional characters remark was meant to be a dig at how I usually characterise James Potter in my WBWL fics.

No numbered annotations this time.