Summary: the war against Voldemort is worsening. Half the Order of the Phoenix is dead, and only Harry Potter can defeat the dreaded Dark Lord. But he can't do it on his own. Luckily, he has Ron, Hermione and...Ciel Phantomhive? What on earth could possibly happen to Harry with two demons helping them in the fight? A lot, apparently.

Note: this is mostly based on the manga. The only part of the anime I got was the part where Ciel is a demon. I don't own Kuroshituji or Harry Potter, kay? These belong to Yana Toboso (bless her) and JKR, respectively.

I

That Butler, Meetings

...

"Run, Ron!" Harry screamed. "And take Hermione with you!" The sixteen year old wizard's voice echoed in the dark, empty alleyway.

Ron, whose shirt was torn in several places and his flaming hair in a mess, glared at his friend. "We're not leaving you here, Harry," he huffed. He held his wand at his side. There was a large bruise on his cheek.

Hermione nodded her head of bushy hair in agreement. There was a shallow gash on her forehead and blood oozed from the cut and down her cheek. "If you're going to fight them, we're fighting them together."

Harry glared at them and glanced down the alleyway. No sign of the Death Eaters—yet. His heart was beating fast. "This isn't your fight," he stated. He pointed down the alleyway with his own wand. "Get out of here before they arrive!"

They gave him stubborn looks. He wanted to scream at them, to tell them to run. This mess was his entire fault. If he had just listened to what Dumbledore had said...

"It isn't your faults we're separated from Lupin and the others!" Harry panted. "You don't need to pay for my mistakes!"

Ron raised an eyebrow at him. "This is what best friends do, Harry," he pointed out.

Hermione nodded in agreement. "Sticking together through thick and thin."

Harry's hand clenched tightly around his wand. He felt like hitting them. Why did they have to be so stubborn at such a crucial moment? But despite these thoughts, he felt a warm glow. "Thanks."

"They went through here!"

Fear shot through the trio as a rough voice cut through the alleyway. "It's them," Hermione whispered as the footsteps grew louder.

"On three," Harry whispered. "We disarm them."

Ron nodded, biting his lower lip. The footsteps drew closer.

"One..."

Closer...

"Two..."

Louder...

"THREE!"

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

The moment the two Death Eaters entered the Alleway, the force of the combined spell knocked them off their feet and sent their wands flying through the air, falling to the cold cement with a dull, wooden clatter.

"Accio wands!" Hermione shouted. The fallen wands immediately darted to her open hand.

The two Death Eaters scrambled to their feet, but before either of them could react, Harry and Ron both raised their wands. "Petrificus Totalus!" The two Death Eaters suddenly went rigid, their arms and legs snapping together as they dropped to the ground.

Harry let out a breath. "Are you two all—"

But before Harry could finish, something bright and hot rammed into the ground just in front of them, sending the trio flying backwards with a loud bang. Harry shouted as he flew through the air, shielding his face from the debris and rubble that rained down on him. A moment later, his eyes widened in pain as he felt his back come into contact with the hard brick wall behind them. He fell to the floor, groaning as pain shot through him.

He looked up, his vision swimming, his head reeling. Wand! he thought instinctively. His vision doubled as he hunted for his wand among the debris. Smoke filled his nose as he felt the smooth wood of his wand beneath his fingertips.

"Poor little baby Potter."

Harry froze. He looked up at the entrance to the alley, but he could only make out hazy shapes amid the smoke. Shakily, he stood up and automatically glanced around for Ron or Hermione.

"Where are all your guards, little Potter?" Bellatrix Lestrange's baby voice echoed throughout the alleyway.

The darkness of the night and the smoke helped to conceal him from Bellatrix, but not for long. He was sorely tempted to conjure a light, but this would only bring unwanted attention. He would have to search for Ron and Hermione in the dark.

He squinted and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. "Little Harry! Come out, come out wherever you are!" He could hear Bellatrix and several other Death Eaters scouring the darkened smoky alley searching for him. They, too, probably didn't want Harry to know where they were with a light.

"You don't want me to come and get you, do you?" Bellatrix crooned, to which several Death Eaters sniggered.

Harry felt his heart hammering. Bellatrix was quite capable of capturing him now. Harry realized that she was playing with her prey. Amid the smoky darkness, he made out an inert form lying close to the wall.

"Hermione?" he whispered, recognizing the mane of bushy brown hair. He quickly knelt down beside her. "Hermione?" he whispered again, brushing a hand through her hair. He felt something wet and sticky. His heart stopped and he drew his hand. In the faint light of the moon, he could make out the scarlet fluid on his fingers. Blood. He looked down at the ground—the blood was spreading.

"No," Harry whispered. His fingers flew to her neck, searching for a pulse. Thankfully, there was one. He parted her hair and placed his wand just above her head. "Episkey," he whispered. The blood immediately stopped flowing.

A hand suddenly clamped down on his mouth, and his eyes widened in shock. He was about to react when Ron's voice reached his ears. "It's me, Harry!" Ron said as Hermione groaned.

"Aha! Found you, little Potty!"

Ron's eyes widened in shock as he pulled his hand from Harry's mouth. He cursed as the sound of the Death Eater's feet thundered towards them.

"Grab Hermione!" Harry whispered as he stood up and faced the sound of the Death Eaters' approaching footsteps. "And run."

"No way, mate!" Ron snapped as he, too, turned to face the approaching Death Eaters.

"Ron's...right," Hermione's strangled voice reached their ears. Harry could hear her feeble attempts to stand. "We're...fighting them...together." The young witch gasped as she stood and leaned against Harry's arm for support.

Harry inwardly sighed. He knew it would be pointless to make them change their minds. "The both of you are idiots, did you know?" he whispered.

The Death Eaters suddenly burst through the thick veil of smoke, Bellatrix at their lead. She grinned at them. "Found you!"

"We're idiots," Ron agreed as he gripped his wand tighter. "But we're your idiots, mate."

"Aw...how sweet you are!" Bellatrix said, leering at them. "Unfortunately, boy, loyalty can only be rewarding as long as you're on the right side!"

The five Death Eaters raised their wands. "CRUCIO!"

"PROTEGO!"

Though the shield charm was combined, it easily shattered under the four blasts of the Unforgivable Curse sent by the Death Eaters. Harry, Ron and Hermione were thrown backward as the blast knocked them off their feet. Harry felt himself hit the hard ground, felt himself rolling away and hitting the wall again.

He let out a small groan as he quickly stood up. "Crucio!" Bellatrix shrieked.

Harry could not stop the scream that escaped from him. He fell to the floor, his wand rolling away from him. A second later, he heard two other screams and despite the pain that racked him, his blood went cold. Ron and Hermione...

The pain suddenly left him and he panted. A second later, Ron and Hermione stopped screaming. They were only several feet away from him, their wands nowhere to be seen.

Bellatrix crouched down in front of him, her face screwed into a mock-sympathy look. "Poor little baby Potter," she crooned. She gripped him by the hair and tilted his head so he could look into her eyes. "No one is coming for you, boy. The other members of the Order have their hands full at the moment, with the trap we sprang for them." She smirked.

"What do we do with the others?" A raspy voice asked. Harry's heart stopped. He knew that voice. He glanced sideways, and his eyes saw the massive silhouette of none other than Fenrir Greyback, who had Ron—too paralyzed with fear to make a noise—by the scruff of his neck, holding him close to his face.

Harry saw Ron squirm and he began to struggle from Bellatrix's hold. He had to save them. This was all his fault...

"Hm..." Bellatrix said thoughtfully. She watched as another Death Eater approached Hermione and waved his wand over her. Her limp form began to hover in mid-air.

"We could burn them," the Death Eater suggested.

"And the smell?" Bellatrix snapped, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Or leave them to me," Greyback said, baring his sharp teeth at Ron, who struggled all the more.

Bellatrix smirked. She waved her wand over Harry and he felt himself rising till he hovered in the air, facing Ron and Greyback, Hermione and the Death Eater who had her. "Fortunately for you, little baby Harry," Bellatrix went on, in that baby voice Harry came to loathe. "The Dark Lord wants you alive and unscathed as little as possible." She smirked at him. "So, what do you say, little Harry? Shall we have some fun with your friends while you watch?"

"Don't you harm them!" Harry snarled. "I'm the one you want. Let them go, and I'll come with you!"

Bellatrix let out a loud peal of laughter. "Is baby Potty so dim?" she asked. "Do you think you are in a position to make negotiations, boy?" The other Death Eaters joined her in her laugh.

Harry struggled against Bellatrix's magical hold to no avail. "Well, then, who should we have a laugh with first?" Bellatrix said aloud. "The blood traitor or the mudblood?"

"Him first!" Greyback said eagerly, bringing Ron closer to him. Ron thrashed and kicked, his knuckles aiming for Greyback's face. Greyback caught his hand and twisted. A sickening crunch echoed throughout the alleyway and Ron let out a loud roar of pain as the bones in his arm broke.

"Ron!" Harry screamed. He felt rage consume him. "Let him go!"

The Death Eaters laughed as Greyback pulled on Ron's hair, exposing his throat to him. Harry felt a sickening sensation in the pit of his stomach. "NO! Don't harm him!" he screamed.

"So this is what all the ruckus was about."

Everyone froze. They all turned their eyes to the top of one of the buildings that made up the alleyway. Harry's eyes widened in surprise.

Silhouetted against the moonlight were two figures both dressed in black. One was taller than the other and he had a mane of messy black hair that contrasted against his pale skin. His blood red eyes were fixed with an impassive look on the whole party gathered below him. He wore a suit that looked suspiciously like a tailcoat.

The other figure was shorter—a young boy who looked no older than thirteen. He had short, grayish black-hair, and a stunning blue eye. The other eye, his right eye, was covered by an eye patch. His arms were folded across his chest as he looked down on them with a rather sour expression on his face. They were probably muggles residing in the building. Harry wanted to shout a warning at the two to tell them to run, but found that his mouth couldn't open.

"Are you sure they are what you say they are, Sebastian?" the boy asked his companion.

"Indeed they are, Young Master," the one called Sebastian said.

The 'Young Master' scoffed. "When you said they were wizards, I expected to see something from the Middle Ages," the boy said, scowling in disappointment.

"Kill them!" Bellatrix screamed.

Jets of green light suddenly blazed from the other three Death Eaters wands towards the two newcomers. "Watch out!" a now conscious Hermione shrieked.

But the jets of green hit nothing. "What?" Bellatrix exclaimed, astonished. "Where are...?"

"Your aim is pretty off the mark, you know."

Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters turned to the entrance of the alleyway. The man and the boy were standing there. The man known as Sebastian had a small, mocking smile on his face, and the boy maintained the sour expression he wore. Harry blinked. How did they get there so fast?

"Avada Kedavra!" A jet of light issued from Bellatrix's wand. Sebastian and the boy were nothing more than a blur as they parted, allowing the jet of green to pass between them. They were fast, Harry thought.

"My, my," Sebastian said, highly amused. "It seems that ladies of this era are more temperamental than those of before, Young Master."

The boy scoffed and rolled his eyes. "What are you waiting for, you imbeciles?" Bellatrix snapped, glaring at the Death Eaters. "Kill them!"

Jets of green flashed through the darkness, heading towards the 'young master'. The young boy easily dodged them. He scowled heavily. "What a disappointment," he muttered. "Sebastian, get rid of the attackers."

Sebastian's smirk was cold. "Yes, my lord."

Harry could not understand what happened next. The moment Sebastian finished speaking, he suddenly vanished. A second later, the Death Eaters screamed as, one by one, they collapsed on the ground.

"Where? Where?" Greyback snarled, still holding Ron. He glanced around as the last of the three Death Eaters fell.

"Over here."

Harry's eyes widened in astonishment when he saw Sebastian standing just behind Greyback. The young man smirked, his finger flying to a spot on Greyback's neck. The werewolf made a gasping sound as he fell, pinning Ron beneath him. Greyback's eyes were oddly blank. Was he dead? Harry thought.

Bellatrix glared at Sebastian, before brandishing her wand. "Avada Kedavra!"

Sebastian jumped gracefully into the air. Harry's eyes widened. That jump must have been more than thirty feet! Before Harry could conclude whether or not the young man was into steroids, Sebastian landed a foot in front of Bellatrix and smiled charmingly at her.

"It doesn't suit a lady to scowl so heavily," Sebastian mused.

"Cru-!" Before Bellatrix could finish her curse, Sebastian grasped the wrist of her wand hand, pointing her wand upward. He pulled her towards him and grasped the back of her neck in one fluid movement.

He smiled at her. "One may surmise that you were once charming," he commented, blood-red eyes critically taking in Bellatrix's gaunt face.

"Stop fooling around, you idiot," the boy said, rolling his eye.

Sebastian smiled at him, another cold smile. "Yes, my lord." He turned his attention back to Bellatrix.

Bellatrix glared and, with her free hand, she pulled a gleaming silver dagger from within her robes. Only a second elapsed before Bellatrix drove the dagger straight into Sebastian's chest with a furious snarl.

Sebastian's eyes widened in surprise as he let Bellatrix go. He staggered backward, his red eyes wide with horror as blood blossomed from the wound on his chest, where the dagger was still buried.

Strangely, the boy only let out a long, suffering sigh. "Sebastian, you're my butler, not an actor," he pointed out, impatient. "Hurry up. I want to go back to the house."

Sebastian suddenly steadied himself, his face hidden in shadow. He let out a small chuckle, a chuckle that made the hair on Harry's nape stand on end. "No way," Ron said, astonished. His eyes—like Harry's—were wide with shock. No normal wizard could have survived a stab to the heart...

"Indeed, Young Master," Sebastian said quietly.

Bellatrix appeared frozen to the stop, her eyes wide with horror. "Im-impossible," she stammered.

Sebastian slowly looked up and Harry felt his blood turn to ice. Sebastian's red eyes were glowing, the pupils narrowed into slits. He smiled, showing his teeth, as he carefully pulled out the dagger from his chest. He let the dagger fall to the cobblestones with a loud clang.

Bellatrix took a step back. "What kind of wizard are you?" Bellatrix asked, her voice filled with both rage and surprise.

Sebastian smirked as he took a step towards her. Like Bellatrix, it seemed he liked to play with his food. "No, I am nothing of a wizard," Sebastian said, placing a hand over his chest. "I could never be anything so lowly. No, I am just one hell of a butler."

Bellatrix glared at him. She said something in a voice so low that only Sebastian could hear. Harry could see the butler smirking as he took another step towards her. Bellatrix threw him a look of both loathing and horror. A fraction of a second later, a loud crack echoed throughout the alley as she disapparated.

"How rude," Sebastian commented, the red glow of his eyes slowly fading. "Abandoning an unfinished conversation." He stared at the spot Bellatrix was standing on only a second ago. Harry had a sneaking suspicion that he only let Bellatrix go to annoy his 'Young Master', who was glaring at him from the entrance, annoyance in his eye.

"You did say to get rid of the 'attackers', Young Master," Sebastian said, turning to him. He smiled at the young boy. Harry didn't like that smile. For some reason, it made him even more wary of the butler Sebastian.

The younger boy rolled his eye as he approached his butler. Harry stood up. From the peripheral of his vision, he could see Hermione helping Ron get Greyback's inert form off him.

"Who...who are you?" Harry asked the strange man dressed in black. Something told him to run from the pair, and run fast, but he controlled himself. Something about them did not seem right—especially those glowing red eyes—but that was no reason to run. He'd seen worse.

Both Sebastian and the boy turned to face him. The boy didn't seem to want to answer, but Sebastian spoke up. "How very improper of us," the butler said apologetically. "I am the butler of the noble house of Phantomhive, Sebastian Michaelis. And this is my Young Master, the head of the Phantomhive family, Earl Ciel Phantomhive."

Phantomhive...

Somehow, the name seemed all too familiar to Harry, but where he heard it, he couldn't say at the moment. Ciel Phantomhive scowled at his butler. "Let's go back, Sebastian," he said, impatiently turning to the entrance of the alleyway. "I hear company coming."

"As you wish, Young Master." Neither Sebastian nor Ciel spared them another glance as they left the alleyway, vanishing into the darkness.

For a moment, Harry stood rooted to the spot. Not only were they eccentrically dressed (was their sense of fashion Victorian?), but something about them just did not feel right. How on earth did a single human finish off four Death Eaters without the aid of a wand in less than a heartbeat?

This question occupied Harry's mind until he became aware of a loud grunting behind him. He turned. Hermione and Ron were still struggling with Greyback's limp body. He found his wand near the rubbish bin and pointed at Greyback.

"Wingardium Leviosa," he muttered. Greyback rose into the air. Harry pointed his wand to the dumpster and Greyback fell into it. "Accio wands," he said again. Hermione and Ron's wands zoomed into his outstretched hand. "Are you two alright?" he asked as he approached them.

Hermione nodded. "My head is throbbing like mad, but other than that, I'll be fine," she said.

Ron was still shaky as he got to his feet. "Did you see that guy, Sebastian?" Ron said, his eyes still wide.

"No," Harry said. "He was too fast to be seen."

"He must have used a speed charm," Hermione mused thoughtfully.

Harry bit his lower lip. Did they not see the way Sebastian's red eyes had glowed? It reminded him of Voldemort, and once again he shuddered. Something about those two did not seem right. But they were gone now.

"Harry!"

The trio turned to the entrance of the alley. Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, and Moody were rushing towards them. Lupin's clothes were torn in several places, and there was a cut along his neck. Tonks's hair was messed up, her lower lip cut. Moody looked unscathed, though flustered.

"Sirius!" Harry said.

"Are you lot alright?" Sirius asked, his eyes raking each of them from head to foot.

"We're fine," Harry reassured.

"What on earth happened here?" Tonks asked, her eyes taking in the Death Eaters on the ground. She knelt beside one Death Eater, her finger on his neck. Her eyes widened in surprise. "He's dead," she said quietly.

"They all are," Moody mused, both his eyes fixed on Harry.

"Greyback's in the dumpster," Ron offered.

Sirius, Lupin, Moody and Tonks stared at them, their eyes wide with surprise. "How did you lot manage to kill them?" Sirius asked. "Don't tell me you used..."

"No," Harry said quickly. "We weren't the ones that killed them. It was that butler dressed in black."

. . .

"Why you had to show me that fight, I will never know," Ciel Phantomhive said. He was seated at the back of his black Rolls Royce Silver Seraph, looking out the window with a bored look on his face.

"Didn't you say so before, Young Master?" Sebastian, who was driving, asked. "That you wanted to see something 'new'?"

Ciel scoffed. Years ago, after he had been transformed in to a demon, he and Sebastian had left the human realm and ventured into the demon realm. Eternal darkness reigned in the demon realm, the only source of light being a white moon that shone brighter than the moon in the human realm. But in no time at all, even the dark grandeur of the demon realm lost its appeal, and Ciel had found himself wondering what had happened to his mansion. And thus, around fifty years ago, he and Sebastian returned to the human realm (was it really fifty years? He couldn't be so sure, for time did not exist in the demonic realm).

Things had changed.

The Phantomhive mansion had long since been abandoned. When Ciel had first laid eyes on it again, the mansion had fallen into a state of total disrepair, its fountain broken and clogged, the building slowly crumbling as the ivy climbed over its walls. Ciel had been amused. So Meylene, Finnian and Bard (who had all long passed away) hadn't destroyed the mansion as he thought they would. Still, it was an easy task for Sebastian to restore the mansion to what it once was.

Once the mansion had been restored, people started flocking over to see who was stupid enough to purchase the decrepit building. He had Sebastian explain—to the authorities, to the people, and to everyone else—that the rightful lord of the Earldom, Earl Phantomhive, had returned after so many years of absence.

People had been sceptic, wanting to see the erstwhile Earl for themselves. And so Ciel had no choice but to reveal himself in this modern era of idiots. He vividly remembered standing before a crowd of people who looked at him with indignation.

How could a child be an earl?

"I am a descendant of the last Earl, I am Ciel Phantomhive!" Ciel had explained.

He vividly remembered the demonic headache both he and Sebastian had when they suddenly realized what returning to the human realm as Earl and servant meant—they had to deal with the legal issues (the modern Peerage seemed stupid to him). They also had to deal with the tentative business of aging. As a demon, it was easy for him to alter his appearance, bit by bit, as the years came and went. He and Sebastian always left the human realm when he was physically close to twenty-five (resembling his human father to such an extent that it unnerved him). They would return to the demon realm for several years and come back to the human realm, he looking thirteen again (he would say that he was the teenage son of the earl who'd left—again).

And then, there was the modern era itself...

Though interesting enough in its technological advances, he found this era to be rather indecent. For one thing, what on earth did the people wear these days? People no longer wore waistcoats! Ladies wore skirts that actually reached above their knees, and this was considered acceptable (he vividly remembered Ran Mao, then).

And then there was Royal Family...

Of course, there was no more need for a 'watch dog' these days (actually, there was, but the Phantomhives had long since fallen out of credibility with the Royal Family). It was not like he wanted to be called 'the Queen's Watch Dog' again, anyway. Besides...he had his hands full with the Funtom Company, which he had Sebastian revive.

It had not been easy for Ciel to adapt to life as a demon. Admittedly, he did miss the sweets Sebastian used to make for him, but every time he tried to eat mortal food—behind Sebastian's back—he discovered that there was no flavour (it would turn to ash, actually), and it made the hunger in him even more known...a hunger that could only be quelled by souls.

Since he was still contracted to Ciel, Sebastian himself could not devour his Master's soul. Ciel, however, allowed Sebastian to devour the souls of the wicked instead ("Young Master, you have never partaken of a pure soul," the butler had said with distaste. "What flavour could there be in souls that are wicked when we, who devour them, are already wicked by nature?").

Ciel vividly remembered the first time when his own hunger became too much to bear. Demons like Sebastian were capable of staving off extreme hunger for centuries. However, Ciel had once been human and the demonic hunger was something new to him. He had ordered Sebastian to find him a human with a black heart, one that deserved death and damnation. Sebastian had brought him the soul of a man who had violated and killed his own daughter. And Sebastian had been right—a soul that was blackened with evil had no flavour for evil beings like them. But devouring a pure, innocent soul was not something Ciel would allow himself to do (though, he would never say this aloud. Sebastian would probably die of laughter).

"Young Master, we have arrived."

Ciel looked up just as the Silver Seraph passed through the gates of his townhouse. When he grew bored of the countryside, he took refuge here. Situated in a village meant for the upper class, the house easily outstripped the neighboring homes in terms of size and class. In truth, this was the same townhouse he used to inhabit before he became a demon. He vividly remembered allowing Prince Soma to be the governor of this house just to get the annoying prince out of his way.

"I'm tired, Sebastian," Ciel said as his butler opened the car door.

"I shall prepare tea immediately," Sebastian said, with a bow. In truth, Ciel wasn't tired—he never tired ever since he became a demon. Old habits were hard to ignore, however.

Ciel was about to take a step towards the door, when he found his way blocked by Sebastian's arm. "My, my," Sebastian said, smiling at his master. "Young Master, it seems that we have an unannounced visitor."

Ciel blinked and focused his senses on the empty house. He was still not used to his demonic senses to take note of a presence within the dark house.

He moved Sebastian's arm away and made for the door. "Don't tell me it's something you're afraid of," Ciel taunted, smirking at him.

Sebastian's smile only widened. "No. I was merely concerned for the Young Master's safety, seeing as being a demon has not changed your feeble...I mean, delicate constitution."

Ciel glared before Sebastian himself approached the door. There were no other servants in the house (Sebastian being the only servant he needed). The black butler threw open the door. It only took a fraction of a second for both their eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"Well now, what do we have here?" Sebastian asked pleasantly as he stepped into the room, blocking Ciel's view.

"A pleasant evening to you both," a calm and aged voice said. Ciel narrowed his eyes. The voice, though aged, resonated with strength.

The demonic Earl stepped from behind Sebastian to see the intruder. His blue eye widened in surprise. Standing just in front of the staircase was an old man. But he didn't look like any old man. He had a mane of silver hair that almost reached down to the floor and a silver beard just as long. He had twinkling blue eyes that seemed to stare into Ciel's very soul (What kind of soul did he see? the young Earl wondered briefly). Perched on a crooked nose were half-moon glasses. He wore robes of a light blue color, decorated with silver stars with a matching pointed hat atop his head. To top it all off, this eccentric old man was holding a wand in between his fingers.

For an instant, the word Merlin brushed across Ciel's mind, but he pushed the thought aside. "Who are you?" he asked, narrowing his eye.

The old man continued to smile, much to Ciel's annoyance. "My name is Professor Albus Dumbledore," he answered. "And I am neither an enemy nor a threat to you."

"Why are you here?" the young Earl asked. But before Dumbledore could answer, the lights suddenly flared to life. Ciel blinked and glanced around to find Sebastian standing beside the light switch, a smile on his face.

"Young Master," the butler said. "It seems that we have a guest."

. . .

Minutes later, Ciel was seated across Dumbledore in front of the warm fireplace. Ciel leaned his head against his hand as he watched Dumbledore sip the tea that Sebastian had prepared. The butler in question was standing just beside them, seemingly silent and indifferent, but Ciel knew his butler was surreptitiously scrutinizing Dumbledore.

"I have never tasted tea this good since I tried muggle iced tea," the old man commented. He lifted the leaf patterned tea cup in front of his eyes. "And this is, correct me if I am mistaken, Royal Crown Derby?" He smiled at Ciel. "Very fitting for you, Earl Phantomhive."

Ciel waved aside his impatience and remained silent. "But of course, you are wondering why I am here," Dumbledore said, setting his teacup down.

"Naturally," Ciel said. "I am not fond of intruders suddenly deemed as 'guests'." He threw Sebastian a glare, which made the corners of the butler's mouth twitch slightly.

"Then I do apologize," Dumbledore said politely. For a moment, the old man was silent, then he went on. "Earl Phantomhive, just an hour or so ago, you witnessed three teenagers, a little older than yourself, being chased down a dark alley."

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "You were watching?" Why weren't he and Sebastian able to detect his presence, then?

"Oh no," the old man went on. "It was not I—it was someone else."

Before Ciel could make head of his words, Sebastian suddenly spoke up. "Ah," his butler said. "The young boy in glasses, I presume."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, that was Harry Potter," he went on. He was silent for a moment, narrowing his eyes speculatively at the young Earl seated across him. "I have heard from someone whom he confided in that you saved their lives." His gaze was directed at Sebastian, then flitted back to Ciel.

Sebastian smiled, a hand over his heart (amazing that the blood was no longer there, thought Ciel). "I was only obeying my master's orders," Sebastian said, smiling.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said, sitting back in the chair. "Is it safe for me to presume that you know the nature of the incident that occurred just an hour ago?"

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "Nature?" He paused then smirked. "Ah. You mean about the fact that they were wizards?"

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "Earl Phantomhive," he went on. "You yourself should know that not all things are what they appear to be." Dumbledore smiled. "You yourself appear to be only thirteen, and yet I know for a fact that you are over two hundred years old." He glanced at Sebastian, whose ruby eyes narrowed. "However, I am not certain about you."

Ciel stiffened. Did this man know what they were? But then again, their actions in the alleyway were not the least bit discreet. Especially with Sebastian surviving that stab to the heart.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and began humming. Ciel frowned at him. Yes, their actions had been rather flamboyant, but what made this man conclude that...

The young Earl smiled. "It seems, Professor, that you know just what we are?"

Dumbledore glanced up at him. "What you are? I have a theory."

Ciel leaned back in his chair, still smiling. "Let me hear your theory."

"Hm...I am fond of reading muggle newspapers"—What on earth was a 'muggle'? Ciel thought—"and there is a rather vast collection of muggle newspapers in the library at my school. Some dated two hundred years ago. There is a mention of a certain Earl Ciel Phantomhive, who owned one of the most lucrative businesses in London at age thirteen."

"There is also a picture of you," Dumbledore went on. "You look the same. I am not quite sure how it was that you managed to fool the muggles in this era, but I am convinced that you are more than two centuries old." He smiled again. "It could be that you are one of the rare ones to own a Sorcerer's stone—"

A what? Ciel thought.

"—or...it could be that you are part-human, part mythical creature—"

Ciel inwardly scoffed. Human, once, yes...not anymore.

"—but I will not pry into your lineage, Earl Phantomhive," Dumbledore said quietly, still smiling. He laced his long fingers together and started humming again.

A rather eccentric old man...even for a wizard.

Ciel waited for him to go on, but Dumbledore was still silent. "Why are you here then?" Ciel wondered how many times must he repeat such a question.

Dumbledore glanced at him from the top of his fingers and smiled. "How much do you know about the world, Earl Phantomhive?"

More than you could ever think, the boy thought. But he didn't say it aloud. "I know enough," he answered.

"Someone like you should know about the existence of creatures other than humans," Dumbledore went on. "I am sure that you are not blind to our kind—wizards, I mean." A pause. "Then you are perhaps not blind to the war breaking out?"

Ciel inwardly frowned. What war? He only learned about the existence of wizards yesterday, and that was only because Sebastian made a rather snide comment about how useless twigs and wands were. The word 'wands' had made Ciel curious and ask his butler. One thing had led to another, and he Sebastian found themselves atop an alley, watching as a gang of wizards cornered three teenagers.

Ciel remembered feeling somewhat disappointed about their modern appearance (his mother had read to him stories of King Arthur, but that was not something he bragged about). So, with only learning about wizards yesterday, how could this eccentric old coot expect him to know of a war between wizards?

He stole a quick glance at Sebastian. Undoubtedly, the black butler knew all there was about to know of wizards and the like. But Sebastian hardly shared anything with Ciel these days, unless Ciel asked him outright.

However, ignorance was not something Earl Phantomhive easily admitted to. "Continue," Ciel said.

Dumbledore smiled at him, sensing the proud boy's ignorance. "In the world of wizards, we are at war with a wizard who is close to immortal. He has slaughtered thousands. Not just wizards and witches, but magical creatures and even muggles, or ordinary non-wizarding folk." Dumbledore paused to let the information sink in. "His name is Lord Voldemort."

Ciel inwardly scoffed. "Slaughtered thousands?" he said. "I would have noticed."

Sebastian grinned. "Young Master is new to the world, and as such, is focused mainly on himself, and his property."

Ciel glared at him and Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at the young boy. "My apologies," Dumbledore said. "I should have explained more."

"What is it that you want, Professor?" Ciel finally asked, patience wearing thin. "It couldn't be that you're here just to inform me of the 'wizarding world' and of the 'war'."

The old man smiled. "Of course," Dumbledore said. "I wished to ask your assistance."

There was a pause. "My...assistance?" Ciel echoed. This was starting to be funny.

"Both of your assistance." The old man's gaze rested on Sebastian, who struggled to keep his face impassive. The butler wanted to raise an eyebrow, and raise it bad. There was no doubt in Sebastian's mind that this old man knew just what he and the Young Master were. Quite a bold old man, asking a favor from them—or perhaps he was completely mad?

Ciel seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "And why I should I help you?" Ciel asked. "A war between wizards hardly affects us." The young boy smirked and the color of his blue eye shifted from sapphire blue to demonic red.

For an instant, Sebastian could practically smell the fear that rolled off the old man. But it vanished quite so suddenly, that it surprised the black butler.

Dumbledore smiled at the red-eyed glare at Ciel gave him. "Indeed, it hardly affects you at all, Earl Phantomhive," he said pleasantly. "However, it does affect the lives of thousands, and surely, the human compassion buried within you stirs at this?"

Ciel raised an eyebrow. The old man expected him to do charity work? He had to scoff. "What goes on between humans is none of my business," the Earl said, frowning at him.

Dumbledore's piercing blue eye met his red one. "No?" he went on. "You do not care if thousands of humans are killed, children among them?"

Sebastian had to smile rather devilishly at that. Clever old man. He knew Ciel was still 'young' to life as a demon. Knew that Ciel was once human, and that some human tendencies remained, compassion among them. But the Young Master was never the compassionate type.

Ciel frowned at him. "No." Something nagged at him, but it was easily pushed away. So? He wasn't human. Anymore.

There was silence as Dumbledore studied Ciel critically. His gaze flickered to the butler standing just beside his master.

"If I may speak, Young Master?" Sebastian said, a bright gleam in his demonic eyes.

Ciel nodded once. "Professor," Sebastian went on, turning to Dumbledore. "It seems that you want something from us. And I am sure that you are very much aware of what we are."

"Indeed, it is so," Dumbledore said cheerfully. Sebastian smiled a devilish smile as his red eyes glowed, the pupils narrowing into slits.

"Then I propose the Young Master offer you a contract."

. . . . . .

So that's that for the first chapter. Reviews are highly appreciated! And...are any of the characters OOC, even a bit? It's been a while since I wrote, and I think I may be a little rusty.

Review please!

Oh, and with regard to my other stories-I'm in the middle of updating them. I was actually halfway through when an idea for this story just popped into my head and wouldn't leave me alone. T.T