Chapter 51: Grigori, Again

Hogwarts Castle, Somewhere in the Scottish Highlands

December 1st, 1992, 01:21 AM - Thursday

"I met some centaurs that live in the forest."

Joan said to Erik. They had left Selena alone a little with Hilda's body to say her final goodbyes and were now out the main chamber, by the round door.

"And?"

Erik said, expecting Joan to continue her tale. And she did.

"I found a group of them galloping in the direction where Selena was with the basilisk and appeared in front of them to stop them. One of the centaurs of the group ordered me to step aside. And I replied that they were welcome to pass by me if they wanted to look a thousand year old basilisk in the eyes. That shut the loud one up and a more gentle one asked me to explain. I said that I was one of the wives of Erik Ravenclaw, Lord of Ravenclaw and Hogwarts' castle and that I was entrusted to warn the denizens of the forest to stay out of the way of the basilisk. He asked what a basilisk would have been doing in the forest and I told the truth: that it was doing its last hunt before its eternal rest. The gentle one, who later identified himself as Firenze, thanked me and said that they would not need to hunt the spiders that night. The louder one, I think that his name was Bane or something like that, then called me a liar and made a motion to continue his hunt. His peer, Firenze, yelled at him to look at the stars and then said something about the bright blue star guiding the waning green one in its last shiny moment. Bane winned a lot but relented after looking at the stars, but I could see that he was very afraid to get face to face with a basilisk and was just doing a scene as a tough guy."

Joan spoke, remembering the antics of the childish centaur. She then continued.

"I talked a bit with the centaur Firenze and said that Lord Ravenclaw was back in the castle and was 'restoring' the school. He then talked about how the spiders were unbalancing the forest cycle and the centaurs were trying to cull their number. I then said that I would talk with you about organizing a hunting party."

Joan finished saying to Erik, who nodded at her and patted Leona's head affectionately.

"Yes. I saw that the spiders' numbers are indeed big and may be causing an imbalance in the forest. We will need to cull their numbers. Maybe the goblins would be interested…"

Erik said and stood thinking about the 'problem' in hands. The goblins had a ritual where their young had to kill a beast to be accepted as adults in their society. And maybe, just maybe, they would be interested in using the acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest as a means to an end. Of course that the goblin to do the kill would have the rights to claim the corpse as theirs, but that was no problem.

Erik was brought out of his thinking line by a noise. He looked at the entrance to the main chamber and saw Selena. She was smiling softly at them.

"Thank you."

She said to her husband and sister-wives. Erik and the girls smiled back at her and Leona let go of Erik and ran to Selena, hugging her tightly. Joan and Erik followed Leona's example and walked to Selena and hugged the black haired beauty. Selena now found herself in the center of a group hug. She then remembered all the decisions in her long life that brought her to this moment, with this big and kinda chaotic family, and concluded again that she couldn't have ever done better.

After a sweet moment that lasted a minute or so, Selena asked them to release her.

"Ok, guys. Thank you, but that is enough."

Selena said.

"Yeah! We can continue it later in bed."

Leona added her nippet to Selena's comment. That sent the group in a fit of giggles and laughter.

"Erik, I sent Hilda's body to the warehouse in the Nexus."

Selena said after they calmed down. Erik nodded his head in confirmation.

"Want to check the chamber now or you prefer to check it tomorrow?"

Erik asked the girls.

"I think tomorrow would be a better option. We had enough emotions for one night."

Joan replied to Erik, and Leona nodded her head in agreement. Erik then looked around in the chamber.

"Good thing that we can directly teleport from here."

Erik said and activated his teleportation magic circle, and soon the group disappeared in motes of blue light, reappearing inside the bathroom haunted by Myrtle's ghost. He looked around the bathroom and found Myrtle's ghost looking at them with an open mouth.

"Ms. Warren. You will be happy to know that the creature that killed you will not harm anyone anymore."

Erik said to the shocked ghost of the girl, who nodded her head at him. He smiled and waved goodbye at her. Erik then walked out of the bathroom with his wives after him. As they all exited the bathroom, Erik waved his hand and the door to the bathroom sealed again with the 'CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS' plaque on it. The sink, where the pipe to the chamber was, was already closed when they came back up.

The group then walked back to the owner's chamber for a night of 'sleep'.

Grigori Headquarters, Somewhere in the Underworld

December 1st, 1992, 03:08 PM - Thursday

Erik was walking again inside the Grigori Headquarters' building accompanied by the purple long-haired beauty that was Penemue. He had, earlier that day, called Azazel and asked if he was ready to cleanse another two artifacts, and after a confirmation from the Governor General of the fallen angels, they had agreed at that specific time for the procedures.

Entering Azazel's office, Erik saw that the fallen angel was waiting for him while standing and talking with another fallen angel, who Erik recognized as being Baraqiel.

"Erik!"

"Azazel, Baraqiel."

Both men said, greeting each other with hand shakes. Azazel first, and then Baraqiel.

"Let's go, no time to lose today, we can talk while waiting."

Azael said quickly, while walking to the closet where the transportation circle for his research laboratory was located. Erik followed the fallen angel and saw that Baraqiel was going to go with them today as he was following the two. As they all stood inside the transportation circle, Azazel activated it and the trio disappeared in motes of yellowed light. Penemue, who was looking at the interaction of the trio, walked out of the office, closed its doors and went back to her work.

When Erik, Azazel and Baraqiel opened their eyes again, they were in another place. Erik recognized it from his last visit. The trio started to walk without talking and with Azazel in the front, guiding them to the machines that they would need for the day. They soon arrived in the first machine, the one that would scan the artifacts.

"I'm sure you remember the drill."

Azazel said to Erik and went directly to the computer station attached to the machine. Erik nodded his head to him and retrieved his mokeskin pouch from a pocket inside his coat. He opened its mouth and from inside, Erik retrieved the first artifact: a golden cup with a badger as motif and a pair of little wings as handles.

"Hufflepuff's Cup."

Erik said to the two fallen angels while putting the artifact on top of the designated space for scanning.

"Its magic can boost a little the effect of potions that are drunk using it."

Erik added to his last comment after having put the artifact in place.

"Useful."

Azazel said while typing commands on the computer station's keyboard.

"By how much does it boost the potion exactly?"

Azazel asked without looking from the screen in front of him.

"About ten percent with the more simple potions like Pepper Up or a Wiggenweld. Two percent or less to the more complicated ones like the Wit-Sharpening or the Draught of Peace."

Erik replied while shrugging.

"It is a small effect but useful noneles. And… Start."

Azazel said while finishing typing and then pressing the start button. The machine buzzed in life and started to scan the golden cup. Azazel then looked at Erik again.

"Now, I understand that congratulations are needed."

The Governor General said, letting a grinn appear on his face.

"Two kids, huh?"

He added while still looking at Erik with a grinning face. Apparently, the same day that Lord Sitri received the news from his wife, the man had gone partying in his capital, and soon the entire bar knew that Satan Leviathan was pregnant. And with the entire bar knowing about it, the news quickly spread through the underworld and reached the ears of Grigori's spy network.

"That is bound to happen if you are married."

Erik replied to Azazel while sporting his own grinn.

*groan*

Azazel let out a groan hearing Erik's reply, and Baraqiel started to laugh at his old friend and boss' cost.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's all kick the single guy."

Azazel grumbled, making Erik start to laugh too and Baraqiel laugh even harder. Azazel let the duo laugh at him and waited for them to finish.

"Anyway, congratulations, Erik."

Azazel said again.

"Yeah, congratulations, Erik. Pregnancy changes a man's perspective of life."

Baraqiel added. His deceased father knows how much his priorities had changed with the arrival of his little princess.

"Yes, I know. Thank you, Azazel, Baraqiel."

Erik replied, this time with a genuine smile on his face. The trio stood in a comfortable silence for a little moment. Azazel then added, his face going all serious again.

"Be careful, Erik. I already heard that some people are feeling insecure with the news of Serafall's pregnancy."

"Those good for nothing council?"

Erik asked Azazel, his face going serious too and already imagining who would feel insecure about the news.

"Exactly. The good for nothing council."

Azazel said, confirming Erik's suspicion. The elder council of devils, headed by one Zakram Bael, head of house Bael, still had some members that were not happy with their Satan Leviathan marrying a human, even if he was an 'evolved' human with enough power to hold against said Satan. Everyone knew that the old effers really were jealous. What they really wanted was to marry members of their own families to their Satan Leviathan. But it all went down the drain with Serafall falling for Erik, and him falling for her.

"Lady Sitri and I already talked with Serafall about it. She will take an extended leave from her work very soon, and she also said that she would ask Grayfia to cover for her."

Erik said, remembering the talk that Elleonore and he had with Serafall that Sunday morning. They didn't need a lot of time to convince her, and she had said that she would take the extended leave/vacation. When the conversation came to who could cover her work, Gryfia's name was put on the top of the list. Being a devil with a level of power similar to Serafall was a very good initial argument, but they could be sure with it. Her indication as substitute could have some political repercussions due to her past alignments.

"Good substitute."

Azazel said. Erik then looked at Baraqiel.

"And you, Baraqiel. Have you talked with your lady about the invitation?"

Erik asked the fallen angel. He had, in his last visit, offered Baraqiel a place in the Nexus to move his wife and daughter. A safe place for them to stay while Baraqiel was working. Baraqiel had answered that he would talk with his wife about it, and now, Erik was asking him about it.

"Yes, we talked about it on the same day. And after some thinking, we decided to accept your offer."

Baraqiel answered back to Erik, who smiled at him. Azazel smiled at it too. Finally his friend's, and brother's, family would have a safe place to stay.

"Good!"

Erik exclaimed, and put his hand inside the internal pocket of his coat. From it, he retrieved a set of keys in a keyring that had some kind of semi-transparent blue crystal together with the keys. He offered the bundle to Baraqiel, who accepted it and looked at the keyring with keys and a blue crystal on his hand.

"These are the keys for the home that I had my people prepare for you and your family. Put a drop of your blood on the crystal now, and when you are at home, put a drop of blood on it from your wife and daughter. It will key you and your family to the wards on the Nexus."

Erik said to Barakiel, who after hearing, immediately made a small cut on his finger and squeezed a drop of his blood on top of the blue crystal. As the blood touched the blue crystal, it was sucked inside it and the color of crystal changed from a semi-transparent blue to a semi-transparent bluish-gray with a yellow lightning in the middle of it.

"Good, now, when you are ready to move places, just pump your magic in the crystal while holding your wife and daughter. The crystal will do the rest. Inside the new house, you will find another two keyrings with keys and crystals. You will have to do the same procedure that you did with this one. They are for your wife and daughter, their 'copy' of the keys for the house and an emergencial way back home."

Erik said, finishing explaining the initial procedure to new residents of the Nexus.

"But wouldn't the crystal be a security risk in itself?"

Baraqiel asked Erik, thinking that if anyone could get their hands on the keyring with the crystal they could transport themselves to his new home.

"I imagine that the blood was for exactly that."

Azazel commented. Since Erik had created the Nexus, no one had managed to enter it without an invite. Even a past user of the Dimension Lost Longinus had tried and had not managed to find the Nexus.

"Yes. Did you see how the crystal changed after your blood was absorbed by it? The blood on the crystal was to link it to you. And for the next two 'drops', you will have to willingly allow them, or it will not work."

Erik said to Baraqiel, who nodded his head in understanding. He, personally, had liked the design that the crystal assumed after having absorbed his blood. It reminded him of a storm with lightning.

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