A/N. Finally I wrote this chapter. No Harry here, but he'll become the major character again soon :)

HARRY POTTER AND THE BURNING HELLS

by CreatorZorah

Chapter 15: The Succubus

The catacombs under the ancient city were as expected creepy. Darkness was so thick that Tracey seemed to be struggling to keep her staff illuminating their path. The sorceress was confused, but Selia knew the reason.

"It's demonic magic," Selia told Tracey. "By robbing us of light, the demon is trying to instill fear in anyone who enters the ruins."

"So… do you sense him?" Tracey asked nervously squeezing the stuff in her hand.

"Her, not him, it seems, but you never know that for sure with demons," the demon hunter said with a nod.

"How do you know that?"

"Ah… just a feeling," the demon hunter replied.

She had met this kind of hell spawn once and it wasn't hard to recognize it. She glanced at Tracey and let out a sigh. Normally Selia wasn't attracted to women, but the sorceress was more desirable than any men now. She wondered if Tracey felt the same for her at the moment. As far as she knew powerful succubi were rare, but there was no mistake, they were dealing with a demon of lust.

"Remember the cave," Selia said, "the demon is already making her way into our minds."

Tracey cursed and closed her eyes for a moment. "It's much more subtle," she whispered, "almost unnoticeable, as though it were a natural magical noise that erodes my mind shields."

"The demon is rather curious than aggressive. "

"Then we should avoid her if..."

Suddenly the floor under their feet began to collapse. Selia was fast enough to get away, but Tracey wasn't. Her heart almost stopped beating as she rushed to the dark maw of the hole, where the sorceress disappeared. The young demon hunter hated losing friends and the sorceress had become one.

"Are you alive?" Selia shouted, her voice echoing in the ancient halls.

"Yeah," Tracey answered, "cushioned my fall just in time."

Selia let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't had to worry about Tracey. The sorceress was quite capable even if she didn't look like. However, it was clear that the readhead wasn't a fighter, which was strange. There was no place safe from demons and other dangers. Although she wasn't a fighter, Tracey was powerful judging by her ability to kill demons. At least there was a lot of power hidden inside of her. Power attracts not only the worst scum but demons too. How could she wield so much power having so little battle experience? Most spells Tracey had shown her weren't designed for battle.

Tracey lightened her staff again. It wasn't as high as she initially feared. Fifteen cubits at most. Still, enough to break a neck.

"I feel as though I've gotten closer to the orb," Tracey said. "Should I help you to get down here?"

"No need," Selia answered and easily climbed down to the sorceress.

"The staff draws me there," the sorceress said pointing at one of two passages out of the small hall.

Selia sighed and gave Tracey a nod.

The sorceress looked at her and noted, "You seem bothered by something."

"It's surprisingly uneventful," Selia answered.

Tracey snorted. "You mean crumbling floors are a part of your everyday life..."

The demon hunter smiled. "It was just a negligible nuisance. We should have met some lesser demons and beasts on the way here. Someone must be clearing our path."

"So, it's a trap," the redhead said. "What should we do?"

"The wise decision would be going back," Selia said, walking deeper into the catacombs, "but you can't afford to waste your time here, so we'll spring the trap."

"Thank you, Selia."

"You're welcome. What is your friend like?"

"He's…he's a powerful wizard, I guess," the redhead said in surprisingly uncertain voice. "I've just realized that I know little about him. We lived in the same castle for five years, but I can count on my fingers the words we exchanged. I heard some rumors about him, saw him doing… things, but I've never cared to get know him."

Selia hummed. "And still you're risking your life for him."

"I've got no one left, after… after we've left the castle. We became friends. You think I'm stupid, right?"

"Then I must be mad risking my life for a sorceress I know almost nothing about," Selia said giving a laugh. "You're doing an admirable thing, Tracey. If only there had been more people like you in this cursed world..."

The demon hunter stopped as they entered a hall filled with bookshelves... or rather what was left of the bookshelves. Two shelves were, however, protected by some magic, and the books were still in good condition. The sorceress gasped as she studied the books.

"They are priceless," Tracey said.

Much to Selia's surprise the shelves began to shrink when the sorceress pointed her staff at them. When they were small enough, Tracey packed them into her bag and looked at Selia, who watched her doing the magic. Selia could think of many instances when she could have used the spell. Too bad she wasn't a sorceress. On the other hand she could do things the sorceress couldn't. In the end it didn't matter in battles against demons. Her hatred was her power.

She had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Tracey approaching her. When the sorceress touched her face, she gave a start. She was looking into Tracey's eyes while the redhead was caressing the demon hunter's lips with her eyes. Lust. The succubus… Selia took a deep breath and used her hatred to clear her mind. Then she smacked Tracey on the face.

"What the hell?" Tracey exclaimed, holding her cheek shocked.

Selia growled as her eyes glowed yellow. "We've almost fallen prey to the demon of lust. Use hatred to clear your mind."

The redhead's eyes widened. "Oh… I thought… I was…"

"Forgive me, I was careless."

She was indeed very careless and she couldn't afford to be careless before the battle against the demon who was able to manipulate her mind like this. Perhaps she wasn't strong enough to fight her, but Tracey needed Selia's help, otherwise her friend would surely die, if he wasn't already dead…

"We're close," Tracey whispered as they were following a passage.

Selia stopped. "I sense her," she said. "I want you to teleport me behind the demon once I give you a signal."

"How do I know..."

"You will know which demon I mean," she said, looking into Tracey's eyes.

She knew that the battle could end very ugly, because she was doing exactly what her mentor had told her to avoid. She was helping a person she barely knew, following her right into the trap to fight a demon she wasn't ready to face. Still, she was eager to test her strength against a powerful foe and she was even more eager to kill the hell's spawn.

Finally they stopped as they entered a large hall. At the same time an invisible power closed the large doors behind them and lit walls of fire on either sides of him. Before them stood the demoness. She was staggeringly beautiful woman with a pair of demonic wings behind her. Selia looked at Tracey and smacked her again.

"Control yourself!" she shouted at the sorceress.

"Well, well, quite unexpected visitors," the demoness said in a very sultry voice. "A witch and a demon hunter. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Can't say the same about you," Selia said taking a hold of her crossbow with an explosive bolt, ready to fire at the demoness.

"How rude," the succubus said taking a step towards them. "Lower your weapon, I have no intention to fight you."

"How unusual for a demon," the demon hunter noted.

"I prefer to make love whenever I can." The demoness smiled. "It's healthy."

The succubus was unusually talkative… something she wasn't used at all. The demoness was very arrogant. Still, Selia didn't mind talking, because she could use the time to study the foe and prepare for the coming battle.

"Somehow I doubt that it's healthy to make love with you."

The smile on the demoness' face grew wider. "I may surprise you, cutie."

"You'd surprise me if you'd give us the orb."

The demoness glanced over her shoulder at the orb on a postament behind her and said, "Ah, the orb. I had a feeling you'd want it. Perhaps we can help each other."

"I'd rather die than help a demonspawn."

"I could easily arrange your death, little girl," the demoness said, "but it would be such a waste."

"What do you want?" Tracey asked suddenly.

"It seems your friend is more cooperative," the succubus said with a smile. "The only thing I need is love."

The sorceress made a step forward, but Selia stopped her with yet another slap on the face. Tracey wasn't ready to face a demon of this power.

"Don't even think about it," the demon hunter told Tracey and took her hand. "She wants to corrupt you. Do what I told you. Now!"

The sorceress nodded and the next moment the demon hunter felt as though she was forced through something small and tight. It was a little bit disorienting, but the moment they appeared behind the demoness, Selia shot her crossbow. The succubus tried to deflect the bolt with her wing, but it exploded throwing the demoness into the fire. Selia immediately shot another bolt and threw a knife rushing forward and taking a hold of her short sword with her left hand.

The succubus got on her feet just in time to deflect Selia's sword. The demoness snarled and before Selia could react, made a powerful kick in her chest throwing the demon hunter away. As Selia's feet connected with the floor she tumbled further away leaving a few little explosive surprises on the floor.

The demon was insanely fast and strong. Her kick was so painful that she could barely breathe. At this point Selia knew that she was in over her head. To make it worse other demons didn't try to join the battle and she sensed lots of them now. But it wasn't the time to think about it.

Selia dodged a powerful stream of fire and threw a grenade at the demoness. She didn't see the demon spawn, but saw the detonations of her traps and the grenade. The succubus was, however, still alive. The demonspawn appeared out of the smoke with an intention to imbue Selia on her claws, but she was fast enough to dodge the fatal strike. Almost. The claws left a deep gash on her shoulder.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Selia had completely forgotten about Tracey because the battle demanded all her attention, and so Tracey's spell came completely unexpected. The same could be told about the demoness, she was still recovering from the failed attack. A bright green bolt slammed into the stomach of the succubus. Selia hadn't seen anything like this. The succubus shuddered and Selia saw the very soul of the demon struggling to stay inside of the body. Still unwounded, as though the spell was ripping the soul from the body of the demon. What kind of spell could do that to a powerful demon?

The demon hunter didn't wait for the succubus to recover. With a single swing she cut the demon's head off. Now that the succubus wasn't there to stop the demons, lesser demons were running towards them. There was no way to fight so many of them at once. Selia ran to the sorceress, who stood with a staff in one hand and the orb in the other.

"Get us out of here!" she exclaimed as she embraced Tracey. The sorceress didn't need to be told twice.