The Birth of Raum 

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 05: The Birth of Raum

- Daphne - 23/08/1994 -

"Heiress Greengrass, it's a pleasure to see you again. I believe this is the first time we have spoken outside of school." Gray says courteously as he took a seat opposite her.

As he sat down, she felt her eyes linger on the ring he was wearing, the crests of the Black and Raum houses proudly on display as he smiled slightly at her. He was an Occlumencer like her, keeping most of his emotions hidden away behind a polite smile. He could be feeling anything, and he'd have that same smile on his face.

She preferred to hide her emotions completely, keeping her face entirely blank, which is how she got the nickname 'Ice Queen' after one of the upper years called it her in her first year. Gray preferred to keep an innocent and harmless smile, allowing him to slip into the background.

"Heir Raum-Black." she acknowledged, forcing her anger down with well-practised ease. Her mental walls were not in the best condition due to her inner turmoil, but she still had years of practice to fall back on. "Call me Daphne... we are going to be married after all."

Looking him over, she felt herself frown mentally... he looked different. Not much different, but there were clear differences between the Grayson she saw at the leaving feast and the Grayson in front of her.

"In that case... please, call me Grayson, or just Gray if you prefer." he said with a small but disarming smile. She felt herself want to return it before she crushed that with growing curiosity.

Grayson had always been... average. Average in looks and talent. Sure he was incredibly intelligent, but his lack of power pulled him back down into the middle of the pack, and his looks were nothing to comment on.

He was essentially a background character, living as the side-character of everyone else's story... something that was more of a blessing than a curse in the Slytherin house. Sometimes she wished she was as easily forgotten, but she had plans and ambitions that would be harder if she slipped into the shadows.

Looking at him, she furrowed her brows at the changes. His skin seemed more healthy, and even his hair looked better tended too, giving him an almost doll-like appearance. That could be done easily with cosmetic spells... but she was well acquainted with cosmetic spells, and she could tell his looks were natural. Even more interested, the countless tiny flaws he used to have were missing, the small acne, the slightly crooked nose.

She'd say he was almost attractive now... instead of his utterly dull appearance he was ever so slightly handsome, maybe even cute? Curious... but perhaps he was just a late bloomer?

"As you wish, Grayson." she agreed, staring at him blankly. It wasn't really his fault that she was having her freedoms taken from her, even if Grayson hadn't been so agreeable, her mother would have found someone else... and it was better than some old man on the continent who was five times her age at best.

She'd seen some of the offers for her... and before her mother started negotiations with Lady Raum-Black, the best offer was a Russian noble... he was from a very reputable family, extremely wealthy... and seventy-four years old. She met him at one of the balls her mother took her and Astoria too, and she had to wash herself a dozen times before she felt clean from his lustful gaze.

She had barely been twelve, though she did hit puberty early meaning she already had a blossoming chest by then, even if it was no match for the likes of Susan Bones or Lavender Brown, and to make it worse, he wanted both her and Astoria. She was just happy they met in such a public place and that she was smart enough to excuse herself and get away from his offer of a tour of his mansion. His offer was remarkably generous and her mother had been seriously considering accepting it.

Her mother did love her, as she loved Astoria and quite possibly Tracy as well... but she was both a political creature constantly looking for ways to increase their family's wealth and power, and she was also raised with a very old fashioned mindset.

Magical England could be backwards at times, but Magical Russia and the Eastern Europe countries were so much worse. It was rare for witches to ever even attend a magical school, often being homeschool by their family instead of going to one of the magical schools.

Durmstrang was the famous one, but there were other less renown ones, like there was in England. Hogwarts was the school everyone thought of when they thought about Magical Britain, but there were a handful of other ones for those who couldn't attend Hogwarts, which had a limited amount of spaces, some of which were 'reserved' for Muggleborns.

She saw marrying into another family for the good of the House as the duty of a noble daughter, her mother married her father because while her birth family were an ancient bloodline, they were utterly broke and the Greengrass house was quickly rising as business giants.

Unfortunately, respected in Russia and respected in Britain were two different things, and her family had supported Grindelwald during his rise so her mother found herself being looked down on by the British Purebloods and looked at with suspicion from the light families in a Dumbledore led Britain... which was why she wanted to make sure Daphne and Astoria ended up with good matches.

She honestly believed that they would grow to be happy in their marriages eventually, that her complaints were just teenage rebellion, no matter how much they argued.

Daphne had only agreed to stop trying to drive away suitors... if her mother agreed to cut off all negotiations for Astoria. Her mother hadn't been happy about it, but she had accepted. Getting the Raum and Black blood into the Greengrass family's next generation was worth it after all.

So Grayson really wasn't a terrible option, he was her own age, at the very least, smart enough that she would have to use small words and he didn't have a bad reputation... or any reputation actually.

But the contract was incredibly strict, it left her a slave in all but name. She could barely go to the bathroom without Grayson's permission. He could do anything he wanted to her, and to Tracey, and no matter how harmless he seemed, he was a teenage boy who was just given full power over two beautiful teenage girls.

"Your mother warned me that you aren't exactly... pleased about this, but I do hope we can make this work." he said with the same unchanging smile, even at her cold reception.

"Have you read the contract? Would anyone be pleased about how controlling it is?" Daphne asked rhetorically, making him give her a small nod in agreement. "Mother should have simply stuck a slave collar around my neck and handed me over to you, it would have been more honest."

"It certainly is one of the more... restrictive contracts I've ever seen, rest assured I have no plan to treat you like a slave." Grayson said soothingly, making her roll her eyes.

"You're a teenage boy with complete control over two the most beautiful girls in our year." Daphne scoffed, making his brow furrow in thought. "Words are cheap, and they aren't worth the parchment they are written on. I give it a month at best before you give in to the temptation." she said coldly.

"Time will prove I mean my words, Occlumency is a useful talent for controlling temptation after all... but what do you mean, two girls?" Grayson asked with a slight frown. Instead of answering, she simply swished her wand and made the door open, a black-haired girl falling in.

Standing up, Tracey didn't even try hiding the fact that she was spying on them as she gave them a sheepish smile.

"Hey Gra- Sorry, 'Heir Raum-Black'." Tracey said with a wave, a slightly mocking tone as she said his title.

"Tracey owes me a life-debt after an incident when we were younger, as such she can't refuse an order from me until it has been repaid, I've never abused it obviously... but now it has transferred to you." Daphne admitted.

"You can just call me Gray, Tracey. Nice to see you again." Grayson said amicably, getting a smile from Tracey as she sat down next to Daphne, her legs slightly parted as she leaned back, far less proper than either of them.

...She did realise she was wearing a fairly short skirt, didn't she? Grayson had a perfect view of her panties.

Catching Grayson's eyes flicker downwards, she had to admit she was mildly impressed at how quickly he regained control, meeting her eyes. Oh... she got it, Tracey was testing him. The impish smile on her face gave away her intentions. Tracey always had been more carefree than her.

She was also impressed with how easily he handled Tracey's lack of manners, many of the Purebloods would be far more annoyed at her.

"Ahh, I see... no-one had mentioned that, but my words still hold true. I have no intention to force you to do anything you don't want to." Grayson promise, making her hold back a sigh at Tracey's smug look.

She had spent the last few days trying to convince her that this 'wasn't that bad'. Tracey was an optimist, and a romantic one at that. Daphne was a paranoid pessimist with no interest in romance, so they clashed often about these kinds of things.

"But I won't try convincing you of my words, time will prove which of us is right." Grayson said smoothly, taking little offence at her distrust. "We have until your seventeenth birthday before we are married after all, three years is a long time. I'd rather get to know you first, your goals and ambitions... all I really know about you is that you are an Occlumencer and that you are very talented in Charms and Ancient Runes." Grayson said making her sigh.

"Very well, I will play along. As you already know, I am Daphne Greengrass, Heiress of the Greengrass family and the future Lady Greengrass. My ambition was to become the Minister of Magic before I was served up as a sex toy for your pleasure." she drawled making his lips twitch slightly.

Becoming the Minister was more difficult for a woman, out of the thirty-two only nine of them had been female, and most of them had been puppet leaders or fools.

Josephina Flint had been the mouthpiece of the traditional 'dark' faction, dancing to their tune. Hortensia Milliphutt was a fool who left an often mocked legacy after she started passing legislations on the pointiness of hats and other inane things. Priscilla Dupont had blatantly broken the Statute of Secrecy just to spite the muggle Prime Minister. Venusia Crickerly and Wilhelmina Tuft had both died stupidly.

Eugenia Jenkins wasn't that bad, but she was utterly unable to handle Voldemort's early rise to power. Millicent Bagnold was a decent leader during the war, but her harshness towards the traditional faction after Voldemort's downfall left an unpleasant taste in the dark families mouths, and played a large part in her resignation.

Truly, the only two Female Ministers that didn't end up with a poor reputation were Artemisia Lufkin, the first female Minister who was competent but not particularly renown. She didn't do anything really worth remembering other than be the first woman to hold the office. And Evangeline Orpington, arguably the most accomplished Minister to take office, being responsible for the Hogwarts Express and Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Even then the Purebloods of her time had been disgusted at the idea of using the stolen Muggle invention to travel to Hogwarts, and it was only generations later that their disapproval faded and the Hogwarts Express became a staple of Magical Britain.

"Ambitious... but then you are a Slytherin, I suppose it is to be expected." Grayson said, a slight raise of his eyebrow. "There's one thing I don't understand however... if you want to be Minister, shouldn't you see this arrangement as a benefit? The Greengrass family aren't particularly influential in the Wizengamot, but the Raum and Black families certainly are. With my families power and your families wealth, your ambition would be far easier to achieve." Grayson pointed out, making her narrow her eyes.

He wasn't wrong, she just didn't trust him. She wasn't willing to just hope he was telling the truth, that he would be willing to help her. Trusting simply wasn't in her nature.

"Perhaps, but I have no desire to be your puppet Minister either." Daphne said easily. "Yes, yes... you wouldn't do that. As I said, words are meaningless." she continued, seeing him go to respond. "Let us just move on, repeating ourselves is a waste of time. What are your ambitions? You are clearly driven if your grades are anything to go by." she asked, feeling Tracey's disapproving stare on her.

"My ambition? Before Damian decided he didn't want to be Lord Raum-Black, I wanted to be a Magical Researcher, maybe an Unspeakable though I don't like the idea of all the secrecy oaths they take... most likely an independent researcher. Now? I suppose it hasn't changed, I'll simply have to balance my seats in the Wizengamot and my own research. I want to learn magic, to put it simply... all magic." Grayson admitted.

"...And how exactly did you not end up in Ravenclaw?" Daphne asked, making him chuckle.

"Oh, that's easy. I'm too ambitious for Ravenclaw. Mastering every kind of magic is a lifelong ambition, after all." Grayson admitted.

"Fair enough." Daphne said, it might even be more ambitious than her own goals.

As they continued talking, discussing their lives and 'getting to know one another' while Tracey practically vibrated in excitement at her playing along, she had to admit... Grayson, no Gray, wasn't as bad as she expected.

Though her paranoia and pessimism had her expecting him to simply strip her and have his way with her right here in the meeting room, so it wasn't hard to be better than she feared.

"As pleasant as this has been, I'm afraid my time is running short." Gray admitted as she glanced at the grandfather clock, her eyes widening slightly at the time. "Daphne, Tracey, it's been a pleasure... and I'll see you both at Hogwarts. I do hope you'll give this a chance, I'll admit I agreed to it because I could see the potential in an alliance between our families, but I don't see any reason for us to be unhappy together." Gray said, giving her another smile as she rose, offering her hand to him. Taking it into his own, he placed a light kiss on her knuckles, as was proper.

What was less proper was Tracey wrapping him in a tight hug as he moved away from her, her large breasts pressing into his chest. She knew Tracey very, very well... which was why she wasn't surprised as Tracey simply leaned forwards and caught his lips with her own, her tongue slipping into his mouth as it fell open in surprise.

After a moment, he leaned into the kiss, his arms moving around her waist as he returned her hug, his hands staying above the waist.

"Later Gray, see you when school starts!" Tracey said as she broke the kiss, panting slightly with a broad smile as she pulled away, grabbing Daphne's arm and pulling her from the room.

Reaching her bedroom, Daphne sighed at her unrepentant friend as she tossed herself onto the bed.

"You are terrible." Daphne said with a slight glare before she let up with a giggle. The shocked look on Gray's face had been the first real emotion he had shown that entire meeting.

"He's basically my master now, so I thought I'd at least test the waters... he's a good kisser, and he tastes pretty nice. He's definitely had experience kissing before, and given what I could feel pressing into my stomach, he's pretty gifted in some places..." Tracey said, her eyebrows waggling as Daphne groaned.

Daphne was a proper Pureblood Heiress, she hadn't even kissed a boy before... Tracey was an unrepentant slut. She was still a virgin, but after hitting puberty she decided to 'experiment', constantly regaling her with stories of her broom-closet experiences.

She could have lived without knowing that Theodore Nott was had a small... wand, or that Justin Finch-Fletchley fired too quickly.

Tracey hadn't gone that far, only handjobs and groping, but she was still probably the most experienced girl in their year... unless the rumours about Lavender Brown were true.

"You realise that you'll have to stop your... experimenting? The life-debt would take it as a betrayal." Daphne pointed out, making Tracey shrug.

"A shame, I had my eyes on Seamus." she admitted making Daphne scoff. "But I'll make do."

"A Gryffindor? Really? You might as well go for Crabbe and Goyle." Daphne mocked making Tracey shudder.

"Don't even joke about that... at least some Gryffindors know how to bathe. I honestly think those two trolls would drown if you put them in a bathtub without supervision." Tracey said with a laugh. "But don't change the subject... admit it, he wasn't as bad as you expected." she said smugly.

"Yes, yes... you were right. Unless he was acting to make me lower my guard before he struck." Daphne pointed out.

"...you have such a sad way of looking at the world." Tracey deadpanned. "But, don't worry! If you are right and the temptation gets too much for him to resist, I'll serve myself up as his personal sex toy to protect you." Tracey boasted.

"...We both know you were planning on doing that anyway." Daphne said with an amused smile.

"Well, yeah... but it still counts. Be in awe of my self-sacrifice." Tracey said, taking on a ridiculous pose like the hero on the front of a corny adventure novel. "You have to admit... puberty did some good work on him, he's no model, but he has gotten kinda cute over the summer."

"Hm, maybe a little." she admitted with a shrug. It was nothing to write home about, but he wasn't unattractive either.

- Gray -

Well... Tracey is nice. Very friendly.

...after that thorough tonsil cleaning courtesy of Tracey, I headed out of the room after gathering my thoughts.

Daphne Greengrass, Heiress of the House Greengrass

Faction – Herself

Thoughts about you – Mild anger, mistrust, paranoia

Lesser Secrets – She wants to become Minister of Magic to get back at the people who have looked down on her for not being from a 'proper British bloodline'

Major Secrets – ???

Biggest Secret – ???

Tracey Davis

Faction – Servant of Daphne

Thoughts about you – Amusement, Slight Lust, Optimism

Lesser Secrets – She's easy, she'd do anything for Daphne

Major Secrets – ???

Biggest Secret – ???

They are certainly an interesting pair... Daphne will be a hard nut to crack but taking advantage of the magical oaths from the contract would make her an enemy, and I don't want to have to be on guard from her trying to kill me down the line.

I'll be dealing with her for a long time, and it's better to hold back for now to make her more manageable later on... after all, the contract insists on children so I'll be bedding her sooner or later and I have time to work on her dislike of me. I'll 'court' her with dates and gifts, slowly worming my way through her defences... if she achieves her ambition, having her on my side would be a significant future asset.

Tracey is far easier, her mind is an open book and her adventurousness will bring her to me with no real work on my end. The only real danger is how protective she is of Daphne, she could be a problem if she ever thinks I'm a danger to her friend.

Never underestimate a fanatical best friend.

"Thank you for having me." I say with a slight bow to Ana.

"It was my honour, Gray. Was Daphne any trouble?" she asks hesitantly making me smile.

"A little, perhaps. She's awfully paranoid, isn't she?" I ask making Ana sigh.

"I apologise for her behaviour, she's always been a troublesome one." Ana says after a moment. "How bad was she?"

"It wasn't that bad, in the grand scheme of things. I do understand her mistrust after all. I'm sure she'll thaw out in time, and if not... well, three years is a long time, a lot can happen... and there is an escape clause in the contract, after all." I say, watching her emotions jump to worry.

She's desperate for this marriage to work, and I can use that.

"I... yes, there is. But if Daphne proves that... problematic, please come to me before you do anything drastic. I'm sure we can come to an arrangement to make this alliance work out." Anastasia says quickly, her Russian accent growing stronger before she fixes it. "If the marriage goes through, the entirety of the House Greengrass would be at your fingertips after all, you shouldn't throw that away just because Daphne is being difficult." she says making me keep my amusement down.

Desperation is a dangerous thing.

"I'll keep that in mind." I say with carefully projected disinterest. I'm Old Money after all, the House Greengrass is New Money.

"Please do, I'd be happy to help soothe any stress she causes you." Ana says, her tone becoming sultry. She has no sexual interest in me... but she is willing to do anything to make this work.

Pausing before replying, I take a moment to run my eyes over her body, still on display in her tight dress.

"How generous of you, I'll certainly keep your offer in mind." I say with a hint of lust in my tone.

Anastasia is an ambitious Sorceress, and one that is likely reporting to this 'Philippa' woman... so working on getting her under my control could be a useful tool against the Lodge. Besides, I want to solidify the idea that lust is my weakness, if I show a mostly fake weak point then people like Philippa will aim for it, and be less inclined to look for another vulnerability.

"But I really must be going now, it is getting late after all." I say, taking her hand and kissing it lightly before I break protocol completely and hug her, making her yelp in surprise. She gives no resistance, returning the hug wordlessly even as one hand moves down below the waist as it rests on her curvy backside, squeezing ever so lightly.

Breaking the hug, I look at her smiling face with a slight smirk.

Anastasia Greengrass, Lady of the House Greengrass

Thoughts about you – Acceptance, Reluctance, Worry

"I've promised Daphne that I won't make her do anything she doesn't want to, and breaking my word would make her far less... willing to work with me since it would just prove her fears true. If the temptation to take advantage becomes too much, you wouldn't mind helping me work it off, would you? For the good of our alliance." I say calmly, watching her mind race for a moment.

"Of course not, Gray. Please, if you need any... assistance, I'm only a floo-call away." Ana says, her smile not leaving her face. She's an outstanding actress.

"Wonderful, I do believe we will get along just fine, Ana." I say calmly, considering whether to push it further this time.

My thoughts are interrupted by a blonde-haired missile as the bane of my personal space finds me.

"Gray!" the twelve year old girl cheers, hanging off my side with a wide smile. "What are you doing here? Why is there a lizard popping out of your pocket? What's its name? It's so cute! Are you here to see me? You are, aren't you! I knew you cared! Why are you talking to mum?" Astoria rattles off as I try and pry her surprisingly firm grip from me.

"Miss Greengrass... I was just leaving." I say, pulling the gremlin off me.

"Tori, not 'Miss Greengrass'. What were you doing, huh? Huh? Huh?" Tori asks, poking me in the ribs.

"Grayson was here to see your sister, his betrothed." Ana points out making Tori freeze, looking between us with a look of intense thought. It just makes her look cute.

"You... and Daphne? You know what this means?" Astoria asks, staring at me intently with a furrowed brow.

"A great many things, but I'm sure you'll tell me." I say with a long suffering sigh.

"You're going to be my brother in law... which means you have no excuse for avoiding me outside of our tutoring sessions! I can bother you as much as I want!" Astoria cheers as I pause for a moment, before shuddering.

Goodbye peace and quiet, goodbye personal space. I will miss you dearly.

"...Yeah, I'm leaving. Ana, it was a pleasure and I'm sure we will be seeing much more of each other." I say, watching her nod in amusement as Tori still peppers me with questions. "'Tori'... what's that?" I ask looking over her shoulder.

The moment she turns away, I leap through the Floo network, jumping out at the Raum manor.

...I have no idea how to handle that little imp.

"Why exactly did you come through the Floo looking like you were being chased by a Cerberus?" Mother's amused voice says as I stand up, brushing myself off. "I do hope the Greengrass Manor wasn't so dangerous that you had to flee for your life."

"...I had to make an emergency exit, but everything is fine. On an unrelated side note, are you busy?" I ask, making her eyebrow raise as she puts down her book.

"Not particularly, why?" she asks, barely managing to let out a word of surprise as I close the distance, capturing her lips, my hands already undoing her dressing grown. "Well, well... someone is eager." she says in amusement as I growl.

"I've just spent the last few hours being flashed by a complete tease, I have good control... but I'm still a lust demon." I growl, ripping her dressing gown off her, leaving her naked except for a silky black pair of panties.

"Flashed? I will be wanting the full story... but you're right. You've done well controlling yourself... now sit down and relax, let mother take care of it all." she says, guiding me into the seat as she drops to her knees, her eyes locked with mine as she undoes my robe.

- Three Days Later - 26/08/1994 -

Hogwarts is growing closer and closer.

I've spent the past few days studying, helping Keira with the runes project I set her doing... Vanishing Cabinets are complicated it turns out. We eventually realised that it would be better to use Demonic Runes to make a doorway that leads to the lair, that can be closed and locked.

Vanishing Cabinets can be tracked if you have one half, and even detected if you know what you are looking for, and our research has happily shown why they haven't replaced the Floo Network other than their two way passage.

That's ignoring the stories off people stepping into one and never showing up in the other. Apparently, that only happens once in five hundred thousand times... but if I'm using it often I don't want to be the one.

With Demonic Runes we should be able to make a 'doorway' that can be connected to any other doorway we make, meaning we can set up one in the Raum Manor, one in the Lair and one in Hogwarts... possibly in the secret compartment of my expanded trunk if we can make it work, or somewhere else if we can find a nice hidden place for it.

I actually got a new skill on my list.

Demonic Runecrafting – Minor Rank

The Demonic Art of carving runes into objects and people to grant them power.

It's at Minor for know, but it's useful to know I'm making progress. The fact that it says 'People' is exciting, but it's also stupidly risky to start carving myself up in the hopes for power.

I'll wait till I know what I am doing first, then I'll experiment on someone who isn't me, and then when I have all the information and knowledge I might try a minor rune on myself.

I also got this little skill.

Familiar Magic – Minor Rank

A branch of magic for spells that utilise a familiar.

So far, all I can do is call my Moke to my side, send my thoughts to her and see through her eyes.

I really need to come up with a name for her, but names have power to demons and I don't want to give her a bad one.

I have learned what makes her different from a normal Moke however... Mokes have the ability to shrink to a fraction of their size, but that is all.

My Moke can pass through solid objects, something that came as a surprise when she simply dropped through my pocket instead of climbing out and equally impressive... If she goes into the shadows, she can blend in becoming completely invisible.

She can climb vertical surfaces, and she can also grow, but not by much. She got to the size of a small iguana before she couldn't grow any more, so she won't be much use in combat.

But that is perfectly fine... because she is going to be the best spy/thief in the wizarding world. She is basically tailor made for spying and stealing, and I love it.

Closing my eyes, I guide her through the building she is in, watching through her eyes as she moves up the stairs with practised ease. This is just a practice run.

Passing through the door, I send a wave of pride at her, feeling her happiness as she climbs the bedroom wall looking around with curious eyes, lingering on the sleeping couple.

As entertaining as the naked breasts of the young wife is, we aren't here for that... guiding my Moke, she skitters across the wall and leaps, landing on the dresser.

Moving to the jewellery box, she simply moves through it coming out the other side with a gold ring in her mouth. Hopping off the dresser, she falls through the floor and lands on the ground floor again, heading out of the building through one of the walls.

Once she's out, I recall her with a grin, seeing her appear in an inky black cloud in my hand, looking up at me with anxious eyes, the ring sitting in her mouth.

"You did wonderfully, good girl." I say, running a finger along her back as she shivers in happiness, dropping the ring. It's worthless, just a plain gold band the wife took off to sleep, but it is proof of her abilities.

Our first heist.

I'm so proud.

Stroking my Moke... which sounds like a euphemism, I smile.

I've also been gathering Essence, mostly by spending most nights with my mother and gorging myself on food. I still have a long way to go before I'm ready to build a lair, especially since I don't know how much it will take to make one in the Forbidden Forest.

Heading home, I head straight to my bedroom, I've made a little bed in my room for my familiar to sleep in instead of just living in my pockets... of course getting her to actually leave my side was a bit of a struggle.

Giving her some more attention, I'm not particularly surprised when my bedroom door opens, Keira walking in.

"So, I have good news and bad news about the virginity ritual." Keira says, immediately making me smile.

"Hello to you too, sister." I say, watching her roll her eyes.

"Yes, yes... hello, how have you been today? Good? Good. Anyway, it's late, and I want to get this done so I can sleep." Keira grumbles. "I've gone through mothers notes on ritual sacrifice, and I've started making the ritual. Good news, there are rituals to strengthen someone through the 'sacrifice of a maidens purity'... however they don't exactly work on demons. A mans 'purity' is worth far less, and a demons is worth even less than that, as you're basically the exact opposite of pure." Keira explained, making me sigh.

My own research indicated that my virginity might be worth something in rituals, just not as much... but then I am an amateur at this.

"That being said, the rituals are still worth doing... but it would power up the 'Maiden', and likely just result in the creation of a great deal of Demonic Essence. You would get stronger... the first time, afterwards there would be diminishing returns and the strength increase would get lower every time you did another ritual. You would produce a large amount of Demonic Essence every time, though." Keira explains, making me pause. "Since you are a lust demon, defiling a maiden would be one of the quickest ways to build up demonic essence, if they are holy maidens, nuns or priestesses, it would make even more so. Even if you don't do a full ritual, defilement is one of the best ways you have available."

"Interesting. Do you think we could adjust the ritual to give the power to the 'maiden' instead of taking it myself? If there are diminishing returns, eventually the power would be wasted completely, and it could be a good force multiplier for the future." I say, rubbing my chin.

"It... should be possible? I'd have to check with Mother to make sure, but it makes sense in my head..." Keira admitted, before she let out a laugh. "Morrigan is going to love this... it'll be fun watching her pride and hunger for power fight... you know she didn't believe in the contracts? She always was too overconfident, she figured she would be able to break free of it, and now she's basically a slave." Keira says with a laugh.

"As are you, remember?" I point out.

"Please, I knew what I was getting into. I trust you with my life, and someone has to watch you back with Morrigan and Mother scheming. Anyway, back to what I was saying... there's a big difference in the effect the ritual has if the maiden is willing or not. A maiden willingly sacrificing her purity is better for things like strengthening rituals or wards, but a forcibly taken maiden is better for more... offensive rituals, things like Cursings or summoning more powerful demonic creatures. Also, the way the purity is taken matters as well, Raum had a lot of notes on this in his Grimoire for some reason, your Grimoire now I suppose... which actually lets me read it without feeling like it is going to rot my hand now that I'm bound to you... that thing is definitely sentient." she grumbles.

"Back to what I was saying, if you take the maiden's virginity gently, it would have a different effect than if you did it brutally, including how much essence it would make, especially since you have the sin of wrath. Basically, if you want easy essence, brutally rape an unwilling 'maiden', preferably one with magic or a holy connection." Keira says clinically making me stare at her. "Yeah, I know... but human sacrifice is going to be impossible to avoid, half the rituals require it and compared to that is something like rape really worse? You need power to stay alive, Essence is your best way to gather it. I've told you... I'd do anything to anyone to keep you safe, Gray." Keira says. "Pardon my language, but fuck everyone else. As long as we survive, the rest of the world can burn for all I care. I'd even light the fire myself if it kept our family secure."

"And I really appreciate it. I love mother and even Morrigan... but they both have their own plots and schemes, right now you're the only one I can really trust." I admit, watching her blush slightly.

"Exactly. Which is why I'm going first." Keira says, her face slowly turning red at my slightly amused look. "Don't give me that, you've spent every night in bed with mother, so don't pretend you didn't see this coming... the only question is what to focus the ritual on. If we leave it as a plain strengthening ritual, all your 'traits' would increase... slightly, or we could focus it in a certain area, your magic, your body, your mind and get a larger boost."

"Could the power be shared between us?" I ask, watching her pause before she smiles.

"It could, possibly... but we aren't doing that. The first ritual will have the most effect, so I want to make sure you get it all. I'm not a fighter, and while improving my mind is tempting, you take priority. Besides, higher tier demons can grant 'blessings' similar to the gods from various mythology, we just have to get you strong enough that you can grant me a blessing of intelligence." she says with a smirk.

"You've thought this through... my main worry is my magic, my reserves to be exact... I can make do with my magic being weak but running out is a major problem." I admit.

"I figured as much, give me some time and I'll have the ritual worked out, and checked over by Mother." Keira agrees easily.

"Aren't you spreading yourself too thin? The Demonic Doorways, The Loyalty Mark and now the Rituals?" I point out, I was supposed to be working on the rituals but my other studies on my powers have gotten in the way. I need to learn to control my demonic mana better, it's similar to regular magic but it is far more... resistant to being controlled.

My Hellfire still wants to rage and consume whenever I summon it, and getting it under control has been hard, but I can't use it properly in battle until I have absolute control of it. Not that I can use it without giving away my true race, but it has immense potential as a secret weapon as Hellfire can devour basically anything.

"No, I work better with multiple projects... a single one and I get bored and lose motivation." Keira admits with a shrug. "It shouldn't take long, don't fuck anyone until I'm done, your virginity might be less powerful but it is still a potential boost." she says making me nod in agreement.

Even a small power boost is still a power boost.

"Will do, thanks." I say watching her hesitate before she smiled.

"You're welcome... now, it's late and I can't be bothered to walk back to my room." Keira says, her hand coming to her blue shirt as she plays with the button, undoing it slowly as her top starts to part. "You don't mind, do you?" she asks, a slight smirk on her face as my Moke catches on and phases through the bed. Where does she go? I have no idea, but she can look after herself.

"Of course not." I say, watching her slowly undo her top, revealing her pale breasts and utter lack of a bra. Letting it fall to the floor, she hesitates for a moment as her emotional state changes to insecure, fidgeting even as her small pink nipples start to harden.

"You're beautiful." I say honestly, making her smile as her hands move to her zip, undoing it and stepping out of it, her long legs exposed as she slowly approaches the bed in just a small pair of white cotton panties...

...Why are all the girls in this family so fucking sexy?

"Naturally, of course I am." Keira says as she moves onto the bed, crawling towards me.

As she reaches me, she stares into my eyes for a moment, slowly inching forwards before our lips meet for the first time since we stopped our 'practice kisses'. I always liked our practising, but somehow this one is different.

We are doing the same as we always did, our tongues dancing as she straddles my lap, but somehow it feels more... intense.

I suppose it's because we aren't using any excuses about practising this time, we are just kissing because we want to.

Moving my arms around her, I slip my hands beneath her panties, digging my fingers into the soft, ample flesh as she moans into my mouth. Keira doesn't have the biggest breasts, but to put it in the words I overheard a muggleborn saying... she's got a lot of junk in her trunk.

Whatever that means. What I do know is that I like big butts, and I cannot lie.

Swishing her wand, I feel my clothes vanish as I roll my eyes, looking into her amused gaze. Did she really have to vanish my clothes? There's no bringing them back from that... and I liked those boxers.

Wait... Where do vanished things go? It doesn't disintegrate the object, otherwise it would be a far more complicated spell, but where does it send everything that has been vanished?

As Keira's hands run over my now bare chest, her breasts pushing against me, I put magical theory out of my mind and focus on kissing her, groaning slightly as she starts to grind herself against me.

Breaking the kiss, she moans slightly as she rubs her barely covered mound along my shaft.

"The panties stay on tonight." Keira says sternly, or as sternly as she can manage while she whimpers in pleasure, her hips speeding up. "Other than that, it's time I found out what has mother moaning like that every night."

"...I'm ninety-nine percent sure I have silencing charms up in my room, so how do you kn-"

"Less talking, more kissing." she growls, smashing her lips against mine with a different kind of blush as she avoids my eyes.

...do I need to check for listening charms in my room?

- Next Morning -

Keira is a cuddler.

That's not really a surprise, she always was clingy and overly fond of physical displays of affection.

But it's already midday and she hasn't let go yet.

"Keira? Are you planning on getting up any time soon?" I ask, lifting the quilt up and looking down at her as she hides under it, amused at her mumbled response against my chest, even with my slightly enhanced demonic senses I couldn't make out what she was saying, but given the way her arms tightened around me, I think it was a no. "We can't just lie around in bed all day." I scold lightly, making her grumble again as she shifts slightly, her head resting on my chest as she opens her eyes and looks up at me.

Before I can scold her again, my eyes widen slightly at the feeling of her slender fingers wrapping around my shaft, gently stroking it as she places a kiss on my chest.

"We aren't wasting time if we work on getting you some more essence, right?" Keira asks as she slowly kisses her way down my chest.

As I go to respond, her lips engulf my shaft as she stares up at me from under the quilt, amusement in her eyes...

Well, she isn't wrong.

- Later - 27/08/1994 -

"Honestly, Gray... are you ever not horny?" Keira asks with fond exasperation as I pin her against the shower wall, my hands roaming her wet body as she rolls her eyes over her shoulder at me, her breasts pressing against the wall and her ass pressing waist.

My dick is trapped between her thighs, the top of it brushing against her undercarriage making her moan slightly as I thrust between them.

"Not really, but I usually have better control over it." I admit, kissing her neck. "Besides, sharing a shower was your idea." I point out making her giggle as she turns around.

"Fine, I suppose it would be hard to stay under control with me wet and naked pressed against you in this tiny space... one more blowjob but that's it, I have things to do today and frankly my jaw is starting to hurt." she says graciously as she falls to her knees.

...This is the third blowjob this morning, and she's initiated every one of them. Also, she's swallowed every time... and I can sense her lust and enjoyment as she does it.

That's not even mentioning the fact that my shower is massive, you could fit five people in it with room to spare, she was pushing her bare ass into me on purpose.

I could point out how much she clearly enjoys this... but why mess with a good thing? If it gets me more enthusiastic blowjobs, why change it?

Stroking her hair, I simply enjoy the eager way she bobs her head, taking the tip of my shaft into her tight throat as it massages me, her tongue writhing along my length. If letting her pretend she's reluctantly doing me a favour makes her drop to her knees more often, I won't mention the fact that I can sense her lust growing as she orally worships me.

I might be a sex demon, but my sexual stamina and endurance are only 'decent', according to the all knowing Grimoire, and while that means decent for a demon, I've cum four times in about less than two hours.

After a few minutes, I let out a groan, leaning back and letting myself go as Keira's cheeks bulge slightly from my load, before they quickly go back to normal as she rapidly swallows, her eyes rolling back in pleasure.

...of all the fetishes I thought Keira might have, an obsession with giving blowjobs isn't one of them.

Still, it works for me.

"My jaw is sore now, so if you still want more you'll have to go and bother mother." Keira says as she rises up, licking her lips to get the small trail that escaped.

"I'll be fine... thanks, Keira." I say, stroking her cheek as she blushes.

- Late Night - 28/08/1994 -

...Okay, what the hell is going on?

Getting out of bed, I carefully extract myself from Keira's grasp as she whimpers slightly.

A quick Tempus charm shows that it is exactly five in the morning.

Pulling on a silk dressing gown that probably costs more than most people could make in a month, I frown as I look down at my hand, a strange tugging sensation running through the mark of Raum burnt onto it, hidden by my ring.

Pushing some of my demonic power into the mark, my eyes widen as my body forcibly changes to my demonic form, growing larger as my muscles bulge, my horns and claws growing. Ugh, I hate the feeling of my face shifting, as a lust demon I look... very handsome in my demon form.

But I also basically scream 'evil monster here for your soul', so I don't use it that often. It's an ace up my sleeve.

...my dressing gown just got torn apart by my growing body. I really need to start buying clothes in bulk.

Before I can really take in my change, I feel myself pulled away from my bedroom and my nice snug bed, my vision turning black before it slowly starts to clear.

Looking around, the first thing I notice is that I am in a cellar, I can see the stairs off to the side, some wine barrels along the wall. This room is far more modern than my manor, but it still looks reasonably old... a hundred years old at least. The poorly drawn summoning circle on the ground tells me quite a bit, and the various pieces of technology tell me even more.

...I do believe I'm in a muggles basement.

Turning slowly, I meet the wide grey eyes of the frozen girl, hearing her gasp as she stumbles back, falling onto her backside as she stares up at me.

"I-it... worked..." she says, shock and terror in her tone, her accented tone... American? Did I just get summoned to the other side of the world? Damn it, sending my power into the seal answered the summon.

Looking down at the girl, I look her over with calculating eyes. How did she summon me? Who is she? Where the hell am I?

She's a bit older than me, at a glance. Sixteen possibly, with long blonde hair down past her shoulders. She's... beautiful, almost fairy-like in appearance despite the obvious fear on her face.

Curiously, she's wearing a short black dress that stops before her knees, along with a tightly laced corset of all things, along with a black lace choker and stockings... and four small silver earrings in one ear, two in the other.

What an odd girl.

Now... the fuck am I supposed to do in this situation?

- Samantha -

Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.

It worked, it actually worked... it wasn't supposed to work?!

Looking at the almost seven foot tall demon, she felt her heart nearly stop at the cold red eyes staring her down, a pair of thick black horns coming from his head, a long mane of black hair running down his back, a pair of pointed, almost elven ears poking out from under it. He was... unnaturally handsome, like a work of art crafted by a master artisan.

Aside from the blacked scales on his forearms and the deadly claws on each hand there was one other thing that drew her attention... he was utterly naked, chiselled abs on full display... and a massive cock hanging free making her gulp at the way it was hardening.

This... was supposed to be a fun game, like playing with an Ouija board, it was just a diversion, something to spend the night to amuse herself.

She loved all things Occult, she always had... so when she found a tome on how to summon Raum, the Great Earl of Hell, at a local occult themed shop she frequented, she couldn't resist buying it.

In truth she just wanted it for her collection on occult texts... she did the ritual fully expecting it to do absolutely nothing.

The red eyes staring at her proved how stupid she had been.

If... if she'd done it right, he shouldn't be able to leave the summoning circle.

"If you had done it right, I wouldn't be able to. You didn't do it right." Raum said almost casually, a musical voice filling the air as he took a step forwards, the circle flaring up before it simply shattered, the chalk burning up with a sickly purple flame.

"You... can read my mind?" Samantha asked, seeing him smirk down at her.

"I can and you are playing with things you do not understand, little Samantha... summoning a demon without a worthy sacrifice? That was... unwise." he drawled, his voice deep and rumbling, a strange almost otherworldly tone to it. "Mages far more powerful than you have paid the ultimate price for that same arrogance... tell me, do I live up to your expectations?" Raum asked with a mocking sneer. "You who have idolised all things occult, drawing pictures of demons and hunting down any object with even a hint of the supernatural for your collection... how does it feel to see a true demon in the flesh?" he asked with a gesture at himself, a deep purple flame dancing in his other hand.

"I-it's... amazing." Samantha admitted truthfully. His very presence had a weight to it, the air around her felt hot and heavy as his presence surrounded her completely. "You're amazing, Lord Raum." she corrected, hearing his deep chuckle. "Are... are you going to kill me?" she asked, staring up at him with wide eyes.

Looking into his gaze, she could see the idle thoughts... he didn't know himself, he was still deciding. Her life was entirely in his hands, a single gesture and those flames would devour her. A swipe of those claws would end her life before she could even scream.

Or maybe he'd keep her alive longer, make her suffer for her arrogance and recklessness.

"I can sense your lust, girl." Raum drawled making her face turn red at the amused tone he had. "You are a strange one, most would have tried to flee by now... but you don't want to run, do you?" he asked calmly.

"Could I get away?" Samantha asked rhetorically making him chuckle.

"Of course not, even if I couldn't set my hellfire upon you, I'm far faster than a normal human girl." Raum said almost casually. "But you didn't answer the question... you don't want to flee from me, do you?"

"I... no, I don't."

"Interesting... tell me, Samantha Page, what are you willing to do to earn your continued survival." Raum said calmly, watching as she moved off her backside, staying on her knees as she stared up into his amused eyes.

"A-anything."

- Bonus Scene – The Price -

Every deal had its price.

It was a simple rule in dealing with demons, nothing was free. If you wanted something from a demon, you would have to give up something the demon deemed of equal value.

In her case, the thing she gave up was herself.

It was an act of pure desperation, a ritual she did with barely any time to spare, and with no time to prepare a proper sacrifice, not that she would have been able to bring herself to sacrifice someone else for her own benefit.

As the flaming whip struck her back, she screamed in agony as the barbed whip tore at her naked flesh, the spiked chains wrapped around her arms were the only thing stopping her from merely collapsing to the ground as she fell forwards, bent over at the waist.

It wasn't her body that was being torn apart by the cracking whip... No, her body was lying in a special room in St Mungo's, it was a physical form made from her very soul that was taking the torment... it made her unkillable, but in this place that was a negative. It meant no matter how badly she was tortured, she would always survive.

You would think that over a decade of torture would make you grow used to it, that it would have less effect over time... you would be wrong. There were people who had been here for thousands of years who still screamed like it was their first day in hell.

There was something about Hell itself that stopped you from growing numb to the torture, that stopped your mind from shattering apart from the endless torment.

Demons fed of negative emotions after all, if she stopped suffering so much she would be worth less to them, if her mind broke she would stop giving them the despair and agony they revelled in.

She had no regrets though, she did what she had to do to save her daughter. When she first found the ritual, through her connection to a group of Sorceresses, she wrote it off, unwilling to sacrifice anyone and not wanting to pay the price again.

Then he came.

James was a strong, talented Auror, a rising star in the Auror corps... and Voldemort had killed him with the greatest of ease. The only reason she even had time to pull off the ritual after the Dark Lord tore through their wards was because he wasted time toying with James instead of killing him immediately, knowing she couldn't escape with Rose.

It gave her the time to pull off a desperate ritual, giving her very soul to a Demon Lord to protect her daughter. Demon Lady really but apparently even female Demons were just called Demon Lords when they reached that level of power. The Demon Lord ripped her soul out of her body, just as the Dark Lords desperate killing curse hit her, and then Voldemort was gone. His physical form ripped apart in an instant, despite his power.

Pettigrew was going to suffer for his betrayal one day, or she hoped he would at least. The Demon Lord let her see what was happening in her world occasionally, if only to make her suffer emotionally.

Sirius losing his mind in Azkaban, Remus hiding away from the world. Rose miserable at her sisters.

She loved Sirius like a brother... but he could be an idiot at times. She wasn't surprised he was so easily framed when his reaction to being arrested was insane laughter and repeating the words 'I killed them' over and over. How could anyone see him as innocent? Dumbledore had been incredibly busy after the war and he always did trust people too much, when the Ministry told him that Sirius had confessed and been send to Azkaban, the Headmaster believed them.

They never told Dumbledore or Remus about the switch in secret keepers, not because they didn't trust them but because they were already in hiding when they made the decision, and Remus was on a mission trying to help recruit the Werewolves away from Voldemort. As far as they both knew, Sirius was the traitor, and Pettigrew escaped unpunished.

As the chains unravelled from her arms, she groaned in pain as the spikes slashed at her skin, collapsing to the ground.

Her wounds healed in seconds, but the phantom pains remained as they wracked through her body even as the Demon Lady walked towards her with a fierce smirk, nine red demonic tails coming from behind her as she stared down at her. Pulling herself to her knees, she stared up into the red eyes she waited obediently.

Holding the whip in front of her, the demon smiled at her obedience.

"Kiss it." the demon said, a hint of an oriental accent in her voice as Lily leaned forwards, kissing the whip that still had her blood coating it. "Good girl, thank me."

"T-thank you, Mistress... for punishing this worthless slave." Lily said obediently, her voice hoarse from hours of screaming as she bent down, kissing the demons boot.

"So obedient, was that so hard?" she asked, mockery in her tone. "Follow, you are spending the night in my room tonight." she said, turning and walking away without another word.

Crawling behind the demon on her hands and knees, she crushed down her happiness. It wasn't that she was happy to be chosen to be her mistresses sex slave tonight... she hated it, it was degrading and humiliating, but it was still better than the alternative.

She'd do anything to avoid being sent back to the breeding pits.