Disclaimer: I own no rights to Harry Potter or High School DxD.

"Speaking"

"Parsel"

'Thoughts'

Chapter 7 – Resolving Pasts

With a dissatisfied sigh, Harry plopped himself down into the living room armchair, lightly massaging his temples in frustration as he went over the last few hours in his head. With an undignified grunt, he swung his head upwards to stare at the slowly rotating ceiling fan, mentally cursing in his head. Everything, in the span of less than maybe four hours, had changed.

The devils at the school were aware of his presence now, and more importantly, they could easily speculate that his entire family were tied to the supernatural. Given that Kuoh and the surrounding areas were under the jurisdiction of the Gremory's, this meant his family was potentially in danger. Should they discover the true identity of Kuroka and Shirone before they'd had a chance to embolden themselves to them, a fight could and would likely break out.

Additionally, given what he had heard about the Lucifer's tendency to over-react when it came to his younger sister, any battle involving the young Gremory heiress would turn ugly very fast. If Yasaka got involved, it could quickly devolve into a faction war, something Harry had no wish to see.

Luckily, Harry believed that he had already earned a few brownie points with the Gremory heiress and her peerage. He and Kuroka had been successfully teaching them for a while with great success, and his new involvement with the whole ordeal involving Valerie had definitely added to it.

However, that brought him the crux of the entire issue and how it had started, Valerie Tepes. Out of all the possible things that could have outed him to the devils, it would be something as ridiculously obscure as soul magic. Soul magic…the bloody thing was probably the root of all his issues in life, and he once again mentally flipped off his now-relative-in-law, Fate, for constantly screwing with him.

Plans would have to be made to ensure the safety of his family. Harry would have to carefully consider the next few steps. He would not allow anything to happen to anyone in his family.

"At that rate, you're going to worry yourself into an early grave nya," Kuroka said with a soothing purr, settling into the same seat as her mate, curling into his side, "Gremory-san is a good kid. I don't think she'd do anything too crazy nya. Well…I hope…you know what they say about red heads."

"It poses a huge risk. You know, just as well as I do, who her brother is," Harry said, his posture relaxing a little bit as he cuddled with his wife, but the tension still remained underneath, "I refuse to see anything happen to you or Shirone."

"Hehe," the black nekomata hummed happily, feeling her heart swell happily, "I bet you could take on Sirzechs anyway. Dee would kill you if you couldn't at least match him nya."

"I'd rather not start an inter-dimensional conflict thanks," the wizard quipped playfully before his face turned a bit serious, "And…I've been looking for a good opportunity to clear your name. It's a bit counter-productive if I'm fighting the leading Maou…"

Kuroka blinked. Peering up into those glowing emerald eyes, she smiled blissfully. To be completely honest, she had forgotten she was technically a wanted criminal. Having spent so many years in Kyoto had spoiled her somewhat. Still, it a wonderful reminder of just why she had fallen in love with Harry in the first place.

"You're making it awfully hard for me to just stick to cuddling you know," Kuroka purred seductively, nipping Harry's shoulder and sneaking in a kiss. "I have half a mind to skip Yasaka in line…"

"She'd skin you alive if you did it you know," Harry answered with a laugh, pecking her cheek in response.

"Yasaka would let me do it. She just loves me too much nya," she answered with her own cheeky grin.

"Speaking of our lovely wife, shouldn't you be preparing the kitchen for her? She wanted to cook today after all, and you promised to help," he suggested, laughing at the look of horror that passed across the nekomata's face. It was a well-established fact that Kuroka plus kitchen equals disaster.

"Only if you help me nya," Kuroka all but begged. She suppressed a shiver, remembering the last time she had messed up Yasaka's sacred duty of cooking dinner. The blue fire and mad cackles still haunted her nightmares sometimes…

Funnily enough, it had only been elevated to such status because Harry, more often than not, cooked for the family, and the proud kitsune was not about to let her womanly pride be so easily brushed aside! It had evolved into a very fun competition between Harry and Yasaka over the years, each of them trying to out-do the other throughout the week. Shirone was especially fond of the arrangement.

"I suppose it is my duty to help my struggling wife, isn't it?" he joked with a grin, earning a punch to the arm for the quip.

"Naturally nya," Kuroka responded before grabbing his arm and dragging him towards the kitchen.

"Hey, thanks Kuroka," Harry said, his expression soft.

"That's what family is for nya."

A blip of magic alerted Harry that the rest of his family had arrived, and he smiled as the sound of rushing feet down the stairs told him exactly which child was coming.

"Daddy!" Akane yelled as she ran-hopped down the stairs, tripping up for just a moment before her cat instincts righted her back up. Without a single pause in step, she barreled into her father, nuzzling into Harry's stomach, her tail wiggling happily.

"Akane! I've told you many times to not run down the stairs!" Yasaka fussed as she made her way down, her steps a little bit faster than normal, sighing in relief as she saw she was safely in her husband's arms, "I don't want you to fall."

"But I missed Daddy!" Akane pouted as she continued to nuzzle into her father without a care in the world, her red, cat ears twitching happily as if that was the most valid excuse in the world.

"Akane-chan! No fair! I wanted to greet Otou-san first!" Rin complained as she followed her mother down the stairs, her fox tails waving wildly in displeasure. She marched down the stairs and began yanking at her half-sister's dress, scowling. "You said hi to him first yesterday too!"

Appropriately, Akane's response was to simply stick her tongue out in defiance, returning to hugging her papa without a care in the world.

"You two are ridiculous," Harry said with a laugh, bringing the veritable twins into a big hug and kissing the tops of their heads. Satisfied for now, the two sisters ran off to play, mutually deciding to go bother Shirone for a while.

"I missed you," Harry said as he greeted Yasaka, pulling her into a warm embrace and kissing her, "Where are Lily and Kunou?"

"They'll be coming through soon. Kunou forgot to do some of her homework, so Lilith-chan is helping her…again."

The wizard smiled, shaking his head ruefully. Knowing his foster-daughter's tendencies, she was lucky to have Lily keeping her on the straight and narrow. Though, her increasing dependency was becoming a tad bit ridiculous. Harry was pretty sure she still continued to take baths with Lily more than three times a week…

"Speaking of our kids," Yasaka said, "Have you put any more thought into what I suggested? You know Akane and Rin are at the age where they just want to be around you. They really don't like that they have to wait to see you when they get home." Harry hummed in thought.

"Kuoh Academy does have a program for K-12, but…" he stopped, thinking about this afternoon's fiasco. He didn't want to do anything until he was sure his kids would be one-hundred percent safe.

"But…?" Yasaka probed, sensing the distress in her husband's voice. Having known Harry for so long, she knew the signs to look for when he was worrying about something. It usually meant he had gotten himself into something troublesome.

With a resigned sigh, he explained what had happened earlier, and the nine-tailed fox patiently listened, nodding her head at the appropriate points made. Her face furrowed into a slight frown as she realized the potential dangers her family would be put in.

"So, you can see why I'm reluctant. Until this whole thing is resolved, and I can guarantee our family's safety, they should remain in Kyoto. I know it's not optimal, but I'm not taking the risk. But that's proving to be difficult. I'm not sure how to approach this problem without it boiling down into a battle," Harry expressed, "While I'm sure they are happy one of their own is partially healed, they won't take 'I can't tell you who or what I am' as an appropriate response tomorrow."

"They also won't be comfortable with having a higher power they can't control or understand within their territory," Yasaka said, her inner ruler coming out in her analysis, "Until the devils have the ability to at least bargain on equal ground, they won't be very hospitable."

"That is the problem yeah," Harry sighed, still stumped about how he would manage to keep good standing with the Kuoh devils.

"That being said," the Kyoto Queen continued, her mind scheming, "I do have a few ideas." She would take any opportunity to knock the devils down a peg or two. While she didn't necessarily hate them anymore, considering she had one for a wife and sister-in-law, her grudge was an old one.

Plus, it would be fun to play a little prank on the Lucifer.

The Next Day

Rias Gremory was feeling extremely stressed out. Just this morning, she had received an urgent message from her brother that Yasaka, widely considered the ruler of the youkai faction, had sent him a missive. That in itself was significant because the elusive fox queen hadn't contacted any of the three factions in many decades now. It was a well-known fact that relations between the devils and the youkai were especially coarse too.

However, the part that was stressing her out the most was the fact that one of her teachers, Harry-sensei's wife to be exact, had been mentioned in the letter and identified to be an important person to the kingdom.

What had started out as a small scuffle had somehow escalated into a full-blown faction-wide problem! And the worst part of it all, was that she was technically at fault…

While the devils could use the fact that there were two unidentified, three if counting Moka-chan, supernaturals in their claimed territory, it was a poor defense considering the circumstances. Additionally, while the devils did technically claim the land, there were likely countless unknown supernaturals living in the area, going about their lives like normal. Japan was originally the land of the Youkai after all.

Therefore, the blame would fall upon her shoulders, and should repercussions occur because of her inability to be patient and her hotheadedness, it would spell disaster for her peerage, family and the entire devil faction.

Sirzechs himself was going to come today to an impromptu meeting between factions, and Rias could only hope it all turned out well. Her entire peerage would be present for the meeting as well, bar one of her bishops who was still having problems controlling his powers.

"Worried?" Akeno asked softly, setting down some tea and cake for her king and future guests.

"Who wouldn't be…" Rias murmured, her hands shaking slightly as she took the tea from the table, awaiting the arrival of her brother anxiously.

The atmosphere in the room was strange. Yuuto was rather grim-faced, his hands tensing as if held around the hilt of his sword. He was still a bit upset about how easily Potter-sensei had defeated him the other day. Akeno looked rather relaxed to the outside viewer, but Rias knew she was worried. Should a fight break out, there would be very little they could do to contribute or protect themselves.

Valerie was honestly the only reason why Rias had the strength to continue. Ever since yesterday, the half-vampire hadn't stopped laughing or smiling, and it was an absolutely wonderful thing. After suffering for almost all of her life, she had the chance to enjoy it once again. Personally, Rias was pretty sure Valerie couldn't wait to see Harry-sensei again.

Her musings would have to be cut short, however, as the imposing seal of Lucifer bathed the room in dark, blood-red light. Out of the seal, two figures slowly rose from the floor.

"Lucifer-sama. Grayfia-sama," everyone in the room greeted formally, bowing respectfully.

"Rias-sama," Grayfia said, her voice as serious as usual, "I trust you are doing well?"

"Yes, thank you Grayfia-nee-san," Rias answered, a slight droop in her shoulders. She could hear the disapproval already. While she could handle her brother's usual stupidity and eccentric attitude, Grayfia had always been a crucial role model for her. It stung to hear the disappointment.

"Oh, don't be so stiff Grayfia-chan!" Sirzechs said, his goofy smile firmly set in place, "How is my favorite baby sister hmm?" Without hesitation, he brought Rias into a bear hug.

"Nii-sama…get…off," Rias said, grinding her teeth a bit as she was being coddled by her brother in front of her friends. It was highly embarrassing and just glancing at the wide smile on her best friend's face was enough to know she would be getting teased about it later.

"Rias-channnn! Don't be mean! I haven't gotten to hug you in almost a week! I'm starved for attention," Sirzechs lamented, practically clinging to his sister, "It's so cruel! Why don't you love me anymore Rias-channn?" The Gremory heiress stared deadpan, refusing to answer.

"This is why you're not married yet Nii-sama," she answered coldly, smirking as her brother seemed to seize up, like an arrow had been shot straight through his heart.

"I agree," Grayfia added, a small smirk tugging on the edges of her lips as her king collapsed, all life seemingly devoid on his face.

"Anyway, what can you tell us about this meeting Nii-sama?" Rias asked, trying to get the situation on track. Sirzechs peered up with one eye and sighed, standing up with the actual dignity that his position required of him. There was a time to be Sirzechs Gremory and a time to be Lucifer.

"There is not much to really be said. As I'm sure you know, the Kyoto Youkai Faction has not been heard from in almost a decade already. Previously, before that, they were still very reluctant to communicate, but we were still able to gain information. Every single spy, devil, angel, fallen and in-between, has failed to glean any information from the youkai kingdom," Sirzechs said, "Which is why it came as a massive surprise to hear from Yasaka-sama of all people yesterday out of the blue."

"Wait…you mean to say that no-one has any information about the Youkai faction that isn't almost a decade old now?" Yuuto asked, his eyes widening in disbelief. Sirzechs nodded his head.

"The barrier that normally protects the Kyoto youkai changed about eight years ago. Back then it was just a very powerful protective barrier with some basic concealment spells. Whatever it is now though… it universally denies anyone that seems to not be invited in or has…lesser than benign intentions. Even Ajuka can't figure out how the barrier works," he said, his face grim, "Serafell had half a mind to jump in on this meeting, seeing as it is her area of work, but the missive requested me specifically."

"What is Yasaka-sama like?" Akeno asked, curious. She had never really heard anything about the illustrious ruler of the youkai.

"Now? It could be anyone's guess. Back then, she was rather cold and calculating. She was lauded as one of the most powerful figures on Earth though, able to easily beat almost anyone from the seat of her power in Kyoto by drawing upon her divine ancestry through Amaterasu. People that I have talked to remember her as exactly how a ruler would expect to act, prudent, dignified, beautiful, and cunning. I, personally, only met with her twice."

"They are here," Grayfia said suddenly as three precise knocks echoed throughout the club-room. The protections surrounding the old clubhouse were dangerously strained as the collective power in the area rose dramatically.

With a graceful purpose, the Gremory maid strode to the door, taking a calming breath as she reached for the door knob. She prayed her king would not do something foolish in this meeting and opened the door.

"Hmm…I suppose we have not arrived early then if the Strongest Queen herself is here to answer the doorbell," Yasaka answered blithely, her tails swishing behind her as she nodded to the maid. She was dressed in one of her finest kimonos and carried a traditional paper umbrella decorated with the images of flying foxes. Behind her were, who Grayfia assumed, were Harry and Kuro Potter. Like their leader, they too were dressed in fine kimonos that echoed the traditional culture of the land. Already, the impression that Grayfia had of the Youkai delegation and their queen went up.

"Welcome," the silver-haired maid greeted, bowing in respect, "Lucifer-sama has been expecting you."

"I hope not too long?" the kyuubi asked, collapsing her umbrella and handing it to Harry who took it with a smile. "Well then, shall we?" Nodding, the trio passed through the threshold of the building. Grayfia dutifully followed them until they were ready to continue to the meeting.

A few minutes later, they entered the main room where all of the devils were seated on three separate couches, leaving one for the Youkai party. It was a clever setup that would make it seem like Yasaka had the lower bargaining hand.

It seemed hospital enough though. There was tea and cake prepared, and the fact that Sirzechs' trusted them enough to be in the presence of his sister spoke volumes.

"Yasaka-san," Sirzechs said while he stood up to greet the three, "It has been a long time. I believe the two next to you are the Potters yes? Welcome. I hope today's meeting will be beneficial for all of us."

"Likewise, Lucifer-san," the golden kyuubi answered with her own small bow as they all sat down, "I trust you have been informed of the situation?"

"Mostly yes. However, I find myself curious as to why you deem this meeting necessary."

"That will have to wait until later. First, Tepes-san was it?" Yasaka asked suddenly, turning her attention to the somewhat subdued half-vampire who had been staring at her husband the entire time, transfixed.

"Y…yes?" Valerie answered, nervousness leaking through her voice. It had been a long time since she had felt this emotion, and she was handling it rather poorly.

"How is your condition?" she asked.

"I'm…I'm doing very well. I haven't felt so wonderful in many years, and I owe Harry-sensei a great debt. I hope one day to repay it…" Valerie answered sincerely, looking at Harry directly with a beatific smile.

Clever…Sirzechs thought. In seconds, all of the momentum had been dramatically shifted in Yasaka's favor with such a simple question. Since Valerie acknowledged a debt owed to Harry, by extension Rias and by that extension, the Gremory family owed a debt to Harry.

"Perhaps that time is sooner than you think Tepes-san," Yasaka said with a veiled grin, "Now then, onto business. I'm sure you are aware that yesterday, Harry and his wife were exposed as supernatural members."

"Naturally," Sirzechs answered, "And we have come to the rapid conclusion that they belong to the Youkai faction. It is a bit concerning to have two powerful unknowns in my sister's territory though."

"Last I checked Lucifer," Yasaka continued, "They were simply going about their daily lives. Nothing has happened ever since they came to Kuoh, and only when your sister confronted them did an incident occur." Sirzechs did have to concede that point. From what his sister had told him, neither of her teachers had gone looking for a fight.

"But I do not believe you call for meetings with the head of every faction for every incident involving Youkai outside the kingdom, do you?" the Crimson Satan countered, his eyes narrowing, "What is your true purpose today?" For a moment, Yasaka and Sirzechs stared at each other, both trying to feel out the general flow of the conversation.

"I suppose the answer is more simply shown and said if anything."

"By all means."

Subtly, Yasaka nodded to Harry who stood up with his wife.

"Before I allow them to do this, I must have your word that no harm is to come to me or mine in this room," Yasaka said seriously to Sirzechs, "I also doubt that combat would be beneficial to your family's well-being." Sirzechs' eyes flashed a dark red at the subtle threat to his sister, but held his temper in. He was here to ensure her safety after all.

"I swear it on my name and pride."

Yasaka nodded, giving the signal to Harry. With a small pulse of magic, the disguises laced with confundus magic were stripped away from Harry and Kuroka's faces, revealing their true visages. Immediately, Grayfia tensed, recognizing their faces easily, however, she had to stay her hand.

"Interesting," Sirzechs said with a small, dark chuckle, "It all makes sense now. The Swan Lake Incident."

Rias and the other devils knew immediately what their Maou was referring to. It was one of the most popular and controversial topics in the Underworld after all, even after so many years.

"I suppose I have to re-introduce myself and my wife," Harry said with a smile, his newly revealed emerald eyes shining in amusement, "I am indeed Harry Potter, but my wife's true name is Kuroka Potter. You may know her better as Kuroka the Nekomata."

The room was silent for a moment as everyone took in the new information. Rias shook a little bit as she actually realized the kind of opponent she had pitted her peerage against yesterday. If Potter-sensei had wanted to, she could have likely killed all of them without a second thought.

"It is nice to meet the infamous Conductor face-to-face," Sirzechs said coolly, quickly understanding what the meeting was about.

"Is that what they call me down there?" Harry asked, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Your tale is a popular children's story nowadays. I believe there's a movie also in production," the Lucifer answered with a chuckle.

"We should go see that sometime nya," Kuroka said with a giggle.

"It is being directed by one of the most famous directors of the Underworld," Sirzechs added conversationally. Turning to Yasaka, he stalled for a moment, finding the most unusual smile stretching across her face. It was rumored that Yasaka had never been seen smiling or laughing. Clearly, it was a lie now, but the fact that it was caused by Harry and Kuroka was all the more telling.

"So, you have come here today to ask for official pardons for Kuroka-san and Harry-san," the Maou said, folding his arms in thought.

"My sister Shirone is also part of the deal nya," Kuroka added fiercely. She would not allow anything less.

"I hardly see how that is fair," Sirzechs said, his eyes calculating, "At best, I can pardon one. A life for a life as it were. You have saved, or rather restored Valerie-san's life, but that is all the debt is. One life."

"Hmm…last I checked, that is all Yasaka really needs," Harry answered with a grin, "After all, you know as well as I do that Kuroka and Shirone are innocent. All Yasaka wants is a pardon for me actually. I'm the only one who did anything criminal."

"Kuroka killed her former master," Sirzechs argued, knowing truthfully that what Harry said was correct. However, he was a devil. He wasn't going to just give something away.

"Out of self-defense of another. Last I checked, that wasn't against the law now was it?" he answered sharply. "It is your duty to correct the flaw in the system as the one overseeing domestic affairs, isn't it?" Sirzechs stared at the brave and slightly foolish human. Then he started laughing in earnest, completely amused.

"You're by far the most interesting human I have ever met I must say," the Lucifer responded with a grin, "I've never met a human who would so blatantly attempt to outwit me." His chuckles dying down, he stared at the man across from him, challenge in his eyes. "You would be correct. However, to push though the official statement that Kuroka, a classified SS-stray devil, and Shirone, a B-class stray devil, requires significant resources. There are many forces that still search for their deaths as a show of force that the devil faction retains its strength." Devils were notorious for their grudges after all. Vengeance was a common motivator in devil politics.

"Politics truly is a bane on any species, isn't it?" Harry responded wisely, earning a nod from the sighing super-devil.

"At best, I can push through the pardon of Shirone and Kuroka. That is the most I am willing to negotiate for the settlement of the Gremory debt owed," Sirzechs said, earning a frown from Kuroka and Yasaka who were not pleased. Yasaka was about to say something else in response when Harry's voice cut her off.

"How about a wager then Lucifer-san?" Harry said, a mischievous smile spelling out for Yasaka that her husband was about to do something completely ridiculous, and she would have to absolutely berate him for it later.

"Oh? Do tell," Sirzechs replied, his own grin matching Harry's. He was really enjoying this. Eight years ago he had hoped to talk to the elusive man who had set the Underworld on a frenzied path, and it was just as interesting as he had hoped.

"I will battle any representative of your choosing. First to yield or unable to continue is declared the winner. Should I win, you pardon me as well. Should I lose, I will pledge myself to your service for five years," Harry said seriously.

"And what value does your service mean against your freedom?"

"I'm sure that you are aware of the barrier that now surrounds the Youkai territory?" the wizard said, noticing the nearly imperceptible widening of Sirzechs' eyes, "I'm sure there are many things you could do with my services." Sirzechs hummed, taking his time, despite the fact that his decision was already made. It just wouldn't do to seem too eager though.

"Your offer is intriguing, and I find myself happily taking it," he answered with a crazy grin of his own. Suddenly the room lit up with magic as the pact was made. "When do you wish to battle my representative?"

"Today would be preferable," Harry answered with a lazy grin, "My daughters really don't like it when I get home too later after all. Tomorrow is a school day too, so maybe before dinner would be excellent. Any place of your choosing is fine too."

"Wonderful. Then, you shall be fighting Grayfia, my queen, in the Coliseum you once destroyed…say maybe…an hour from now is fine?" Sirzechs answered. "You don't mind right Grayfia?"

"Not at all Lucifer-sama," Grayfia replied, her piercing gray eyes settling on Harry's face, "It would be my pleasure to teach this criminal his place."

"Ouch. That one hurt. Who knew being insulted by a beautiful woman would feel so bad?" Harry fake winced, but continued smiling, "I look forward to our match Lucifurge-san." Grayfia looked back, and couldn't help but allow a small smile of her own match Harry's.

"Likewise, Potter-san…"

"Have I mentioned to you that you're a complete idiot sometimes, honey?" Yasaka said in an overly sweet voice as she, Kuroka and Harry were walking back to the old schoolhouse in order to teleport to the Underworld. Her tails swished around in angry worry as she mentally reviewed how she believed the upcoming battle would go.

"You might have mentioned it a few times in the last hour yeah," Harry replied sheepishly, admitting readily that he still had his moments of rash decision making. While he had outgrown the habit of jumping in headfirst without a plan, sometimes his roots just sprung back up at the most opportune times. Stupid Gryffindor character flaws…

"If you lose, you know I'm never going to forgive you," Yasaka said, her voice trembling a bit, "Akane-chan and Rin-chan would also be very upset…" Harry frowned.

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere remember? I'll always be there," he responded softly, squeezing his wife's hand comfortingly, knowing that her worst nightmares were about losing family, "I also promised to bake cookies today with Akane and Rin."

"Heh, think on the bright side Yasaka-chan," Kuroka said brightly, "Once Harry wins, we'll all be free! And then, I get to reward him all night long nyahaha…"

"Pervert," Yasaka muttered, a bit more life in her response.

"Like you're one to talk Ms. Exhibitionist," the black nekomata fired back without missing a beat, giggling at the fact that the Kyoto Queen still blushed after being with them for so long.

Soon enough, they were back in the main room of the Occult Research Club, and Grayfia was waiting for them.

"The others have gone ahead and have situated themselves. I trust you are prepared Potter-san?" Grayfia asked, her tightly controlled emotions hiding her own thoughts on what was about to occur.

"Of course. I hope we have a good fight. But please, call me Harry. It's really tiresome to hear my last name all the time…bad school memories," Harry said, earning a stoic nod from the silver-haired queen.

"Very well Harry-san. Yasaka-sama and Kuroka-san, I will be sending you to the seating area during transport," she informed, earning nods of understanding from the two youkai. Magic suddenly filled the air as the entire ORC lit up with a light blue light, and moments later, all four figures disappeared.

"It sure has been quite a while," Harry said conversationally as the transport magic died down, showing him the artificial sky of the underworld. With a slight nostalgia, he looked around the arena where he had met Shirone for the first time.

"The protections were quite heavily fortified after your last visit Harry-san," Grayfia said conversationally, "Even Lucifer-sama's power has some difficulty with breaking down the walls."

"Great! So, this means we don't really have to hold back then," the wizard said with an understanding nod.

"Ahem! Alright then!" Sirzechs' loud voice suddenly boomed over the stadium through magical rune clusters dotted all around the walls, "I'm hoping for an exciting fight from you two, Harry-kun! Grayfia-chan!"

"Well, guess this is it. Good luck Lucifurge-san," Harry said with a small bow.

"Likewise, Harry-san," Grayfia replied with a curtsey, taking a few generous paces back.

"Three!" Harry tensed his body, calling upon his magic to strengthen his body while his sharp eyes waited for any movement from the silver-haired queen. Idly, he wondered just how strong the Silver-Haired Queen of Annihilation really was.

"Two!" Grayfia took a deep breath, shifting her stance methodically, her mind recalling the previous known powers of her unusual opponent. Mentally she reinforced her resolve, adamant in not suffering the same fate as the guards eight years ago. She would have to be prepared for anything.

"One!" Magic cackled in the air as the two combatants condensed their magical energy, a nearly visible shimmer of power surrounding them. From the stands, Rias and her peerage looked on in awe and barely suppressed fear, realizing just how out of their league they really were in comparison. Sirzechs was nearly bouncing on the balls of his feat in excitement while the Kyoto faction females were staring intently at Harry, wishing him their best.

"Fight!"

In less than a blink of the eye, Grayfia shot forth, her fist flying forward, intent on ending the game as soon as possible. However, to her surprise and approval, she was met with empty air and turned right to block a fast jab to the ear. In kind, she responded with a swift spinning hook kick which Harry dodged underneath and rolled away.

They met each other's eyes, both recognizing a worthy opponent. With an acknowledging nod, they flew at each other once again, trading blows and testing the limits of the other's physical prowess. Eventually, both combatants had learned enough to understand their opponent's fighting style which lead to blows being landed by both parties multiple times.

Up in the stands, the audience was watching with rapt attention, various thoughts going through their heads. Rias and her group were continually awed at the fluidity and prowess that both fighters possessed, dancing around each other while looking for openings to strike. Each parry and block had enough force in them to shatter bones if not stone itself, and the clashing strikes reverberated loudly throughout the arena.

Kuroka and Yasaka were watching Harry very closely, critiquing his fight and mentally cataloging each misstep he made. A little bit of an over swing there, a missed opportunity here, a lack of aggression over there…There were many things they still had to fix. Training was a continuous grind after all.

Sirzechs observed with rapt curiosity, waiting patiently for the real fireworks to begin. He was honestly very surprised at how well Harry was matching Grayfia. She had fought in a war after all, and her ruthlessness was not something to be understated. He remembered fondly the few opponents that had believed her to only be a magic user, only to be absolutely destroyed by her physical ability within a few rib-crushing blows.

For another few minutes, the two, wizard and devil, continued fighting, a slight sheen of sweat forming on their faces as their breaths became slightly labored. With one last round of exchanges, they leapt back, both of them looking back at their opponent with a high amount of respect.

"You…are surprisingly very capable Harry-san," Grayfia complimented earnestly, "There are very few humans in history that had the ability to stand up to me, and none, save for you, that I can say are alive."

"Why thanks! Yasaka and Kuroka trained me well. I used to be the absolute pants at physical combat," Harry admitted with a grin, giving a thumbs-up to his wives who smiled and waved back at him, "Nothing better than having Youkai sparring partners for combat training."

"I can see the results speak for themselves," the silver-haired maid bantered back, "However, your statement is curious. It implies you learned magic as your main form of combat first."

"Of course! I'm a wizard after all," he replied with a slightly cocky grin, enjoying his fight with a new opponent. To be truthful, a peaceful life was great an all, but sometimes, his adventure-lust really got to him.

"Then, shall we?" she asked, more than three dozen magical glyphs lighting up behind her, all of them brimming with magical power.

"Of course! It's the main course after all," Harry responded, flaring his own magic, his hands glowing with power.

Seconds later, thousands of shards of magic-infused ice, careened towards Harry, intent on skewering him like a kebab. As they collided with the ground and wall, they exploded into more deadly fragments, likening Grayfia's opening salvo to a beautiful carpet bomb.

However, as she had hopped, Harry didn't seem any worse for wear, evidenced by the torrent of fire and lightning that was fired through the fine mist back at her, causing her to dive to the side to dodge. The lightning followed the slight mist in the air, electrifying the entire arena instantly, forcing her to raise her defenses, coming away with only a small burn on the back of her left hand.

The fire, however, had stopped mysteriously in mid-air, but Grayfia didn't have a moment to contemplate it as it suddenly morphed into a flaming three-headed dog. Gritting her teeth, she conjured up a wall of ice to buy her some time, frowning as she decided to match Harry's bit of magic showmanship.

With a small incantation underneath her breath and a sizable amount of power, she countered the three-headed fire dog with her own ice-golem, hers shaped like a giant wolf, and gave it one simple command, to kill the fire-dog standing before her and its master.

With a howl, the two canines clashed, battling for dominance as fire melted ice, and ice overcame fire. Not wanting to be put on the defensive, Grayfia rushed into the mist, commanding it to recede, revealing Harry who had been prepping his next spell.

With a yell, she lept forward, firing disks of razor-sharp ice at Harry's legs, forcing him to dodge or lose his legs. Harry, however, wasn't doing nothing the entire time, with another flash of magic, he brought forth his battle transfiguration prowess to bear, transfiguring left-over shards of ice into weapons of all types. Spears, swords, knives, and all manner of pointy objects were flung back at Grayfia with deadly force.

Continuously, missiles of ice, fire, lighting, metal and any other manner of element flashed across the battlefield. The ground was upended and wounded, like a child dragging a knife across the surface of a pristine cake. Chunks of smoldering earth and puddles of water littered the arena as the two continued to do deadly battle.

In the stands, everyone was watching with rapt attention. The level of magic power and spells being thrown around was not something seen every day. Each party demonstrated a certain level of deadly mastery that others had taken decades to perfect. For the youngest devils there, it made them wonder if they would ever reach such a level of magical potency.

Then a crash above them interrupted another volley of trades between the two locked in battle. Their two constructs collapsed, having used up all their magical power in an attempt to destroy their adversary. The shards of falling ice and fire smashed onto the battlefield, causing a veil of thick fog to roll over the two.

The audience held their breath as a few more bangs and explosions racked through the arena, the vibrations rumbling through the seats. Everyone watched intently with baited breath as the fog was magically dispersed.

Across the field, it was clear that the two combatants hadn't come away unscathed. Grayfia had a number of burns and cuts on her body, and her usually pristine maid uniform was in tatters, sliced open and burn on the edges. Harry wasn't fairing much better honestly, blood flowed consistently through a large gash on his leg, soaking his right leg and pooling blood around him, but his entire body was littered with cuts from small stray shards.

"Your magic is quite scary Lucifurge-san," Harry said, his stance wavering a bit. The blood loss was going to become a big problem soon.

"Yours is even more frightening," Grayfia answered seriously, "You display mastery with so many elements and over obscure magic I have never fought against. I find myself wondering what your next spell will do with equal parts dread and curiosity."

"I can see we're on our last legs though…" Harry said, noting the less-solid stance his adversary positioned herself in and the slight sway in her body, "So what do you say to one last bout? All or nothing. Should be fun."

"I can happily agree to that Harry-san," she replied, about to start gathering her magic power.

"I'd like you to use your best spell though Grayfia Lucifurge. I won't be satisfied if you just continue throwing ice at me," Harry said with a knowing smile, causing the silver-haired devil to start slightly in surprise.

"How do you know about that?" she asked with a deathly whisper, her eyes narrowing. It was a very tightly-regulated secret, and she could count the amount of people who knew about it on one hand.

"It's fairy self-evident if you know the history," Harry said with a smile, "And a person's magic is always colored by their origins. Yours is no different. I could feel it when I got struck by your ice."

The audience was very curious as to what Harry was talking about, and everyone looked to Sirzechs whose face was also expressing his surprise. He hadn't banked on the fact that Harry would push Grayfia this far.

"Nii-sama, what is Harry-sensei talking about?" Rias asked, a deep curiosity overcoming her, "Grayfia-nee-san secret power? Isn't she mostly an ice and water magic user?" Sirzechs sighed, knowing it wouldn't matter if he talked about it now, because they would see it in a few moments.

"It's true that Grayfia is a very deadly water and ice magic user. She was in contention for the position of Leviathan after all…however, her true strength lies in her birthright, just like your power stems from your blood Rias-chan," the Lucifer said, "It's a story that goes all the way back to the first Lucifer, the Fallen Angel of Light."

Nothing more had to be said, however, as a massive amount of holy power filled the air, causing all of the devils in the area to squirm. Once their eyes were adjusted to the light, they saw something they could hardly believe.

"Lucifurge…an altered name for her family's original purpose…Light forgers," Sirzechs said with a grim tone, feeling the power even affect him, "The only devil lineage from the original Lucifer that mutated to be able to utilize the power of holy light."

That was the true secret behind Grayfia's terrifying prowess in battle. Against other devils, her magic was inherently poisonous and deadly to any devil she fought against. It was why her body-count in the war was so astronomically high and why no adversary that had challenged her had survived, save for himself due to his own ridiculous strength.

"Fitting," Harry said with an excited grin, as the light continued to grow. By now, it had reached the size of a good-size car and it showed no signs of stopping.

"I hope you have something to stop this Harry-san, for your sake. It has been a long time since I used this power, so I can't really control it all that well," Grayfia said solemnly, her own voice struggling as she tried her best to hold up the massive amount of holy energy above her. Even if her blood allowed her the usage of such a forbidden power, there were always consequences, evidenced by the burning of her palms and the blood trickling down the side of her head.

Harry took a deep breath, calling upon his own forbidden powers, and suddenly, everyone's spirit in the arena was dunked in what felt like ice water. A sense of creeping dread slowly wiggled up the spines of everyone presence as a dark power coalesced in the air.

This was going to be the first time Harry had ever called so heavily upon his powers over death. Dark shadows curled around Harry, ready to devour anything its master desired. Nothing could withstand the power of the end, the inevitable void. It was absolute. That was the power of Death if mastered.

One day, his mastery over its power may reach that level. That would likely take centuries. For now, Harry could only hope with all of his soul and power that he had poured enough of his essence and magic into the attack.

With one last burst of effort from the two, wizard and devil, the entire arena rumbled and shook as the strain against the protections holding everything together began to degrade. Half of the battlefield was blinded by a scorching light, as if the sun itself had descended from the sky. The other half had been plunged into pitch black darkness of dancing shadows, not a spec of light escaping.

Then they clashed.

The resulting sound boomed throughout the arena as pure magical power collided, and just as when two opposites meet, complete annihilation occurs.

The explosion rocked the stadium to its foundations, and the power was so monstrously strong that the arena barely managed to stay standing. The wall that Harry had destroyed in the past had fallen once again alongside new sections that had been unlucky enough to be in the path of the energy. Sirzechs and Yasaka had prompt thrown up a strong barrier to protect their charges, and even they struggled a fair amount against the two powerful titanic waves of energy.

Then, after a long tense moment of silence, the dust settled, revealing only one bloodied, burned and bruised figure standing, albeit just barely. Yasaka and Kuroka smiled.

With a colossal effort, Harry dragged himself over to the fallen silver-haired queen, falling onto his knees as the blood loss and magic exhaustion hit him hard, his vision beginning to spin. With a burst of willpower, he bent down and checked on Grayfia's pulse, a sense of relief filling him as he confirmed she still lived.

She too looked like an absolute mess. Her hair was singed very badly, and he was pretty sure small chunks of her characteristic hair had been completely devoured by his death magic. Blood was pooling slowly beneath her, signifying that her wounds were just as serious as his. Her clothes were similarly in tatters, and, squeezing the last of his power out from himself, Harry conjured a plain blue blanket to protect her modesty.

"Match…It… was fun," he said with a smile before falling into a dead faint, face-planting into the dirt besides his adversary. He had done it.

He and his family were free.

Oh boy, it's been a while everyone. Sorry for the very, very, very long delay. School ain't no laughing matter as they say. Busy, busy busy. I did mean to update around Christmas time, but you guys know how it goes with family and stuff during that time.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and please do not lynch me for such a long update dry-patch. With the summer rapidly approaching, hopefully that is mitigated.

Thanks for reading!

Woona the Cat