Chapter 6: Enslaving the Free One

It was quiet. Too quiet.

Seriously, though. Every time Harry visited, the Burrow was always a source of pure chaos. Now?

Harry looked to the clock that suggested there wasn't any danger for the Weasley household. At least that was a good sign. Probably the first time in a good year too.

Everything else was still. Harry sighed before he wandlessly summoned his bank key. It came from upstairs, where Molly left it, but not before tearing a giant hole in the ceiling from his magic power.

"That wasn't supposed to happen," he muttered before he drew the Deathstick and cast a Reparo on the building. While he was here, he may as well strengthen the wards.

They weren't improved much since he didn't have ownership. He was only keyed in as a permanent guest.

However, he was able to use the Elder Wand to reinforce then by brute force. It was better than nothing and Harry still felt he owed the Weasleys for their kindness.

The new knowledge from Tom was interesting to him. It felt like he always knew what was in his head, despite evidence to the contrary. There wasn't any emotional connection to the knowledge as it was more like a library. Harry hoped there weren't any side effects, but he was fairly pleased with it anyway. He had only known maths from before he was 11, but now he had collegiate level knowledge on top of the Arithmancy he just utilized.

Harry was just about to apparate out when an owl flew through the window and dropped a special edition of the Daily Prophet on the table.

HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED DEAD FOR GOOD! VANQUISHED BY THE CHOSEN ONE!

Harry let out a sigh before he apparated out. That was quicker than he expected.

============

With a 'pop,' the Chosen One appeared at the steps of Gringotts.

The goblins were looking especially murderous, but he ignored it and their poem that everyone loved. Strangers take head? Tell that to the horocrux.

============

"Soul. Phylactery. Dark Lord. Plus, Griphook was an asshole."

Blah, blah, blah, a sovereign nation, blah, blah, blah. Harry had been looking up at the goblin behind the high counter for almost a half hour now. He was causing such a scene that the guards were congregating, holding their weapons threateningly.

"I'm sooorry, Mr. Potter," the sarcastic ass continued with the trademarked, goblin smile. "As I told you before, the Nation is assessing the damage and making a decision on the contents of the Potter and Black vaults. We will get back to you within two weeks."

Harry clenched his fists, grit his teeth, and let out a threatening aura before a bevy of owls came in, dropping newspapers everywhere.

The poor birds looked like they were about to drop dead from exhaustion, but everyone gasped with surprised shouts when they read the front page of the 'Extra Extra Special Edition.' They hadn't had one since Voldemort first 'died.'

MAN-WHO-CONQUERED LET MUGGLEBORN DIE. DID WE TRADE ONE DARK LORD FOR ANOTHER? WHERE IS HE?

The bastard goblin at the counter let a wider grin show before Harry was forced to leave before he started killing.

============

With a 'pop,' Harry arrived at Grimmauld Place. Before he destroyed something, he wiped everyone else out if the permissions for the wards and reinforced the protections that had lasted for centuries.

Muggleborn. He was mad that the goblins were trying to steal his money. He was mad that the ministry was labeling him a Dark Lord.

He was furious that they just called her a muggleborn. Harry looked at the article that he grabbed at the bank and couldn't find a name. The name of a girl that died because of him. For Wizarding Britain, she was just another muggleborn. Another case where Obliviators would be sent to her parent's house to remove their daughter from their memories.

Another mistake. Another death on his hands.

The paper caught on fire and burned away. He needed an outlet. He was filled with so much rage. He just wanted to lash out and pour his magic out, somewhere.

A flick of his wrist and a magic circle grew around Harry's wand as it started to heat up and steam from the tip. Harry stopped channeling magic and placed the scalding hot wand on the table. His hand even formed a nasty burn before it caught on fire and all that remained was clean uninjured skin.

It seemed that any amount of magic that passed a certain threshold of power automatically created a magic circle based on its use. His Arithmacy knowledge lead him to believe that while he could make a circle with nothing more than power and imagination, he could also modify the circle to modify the spell.

It was a foreign system to him, but he couldn't help but be fascinated by it. Magic will always be an amazing phenomenon for Harry, but he was falling in love with the ease of how circles worked. Much better than the nonsense Latin and careful wand waves that had to be measured in near perfect circles or degree flicks based on your orientation with the ground.

Harry was interrupted by his musings when he saw a circle pop out in front of him that left a note, something that looked like a cigar box, and 6 heavy books.

'Figured you could use these, for more go to Japan. Don't forget, you're my blood child and a bastard from a dead Phenex woman you don't know. It was the only way I could get you Evil Pieces without anyone else looking into your situation. Use it as your excuse for surviving those killing curses. Don't forget to live your life either. Being a devil is great, as I'm sure you found out.'

Harry scoffed at the paper as it shredded itself and turned to ashes, automatically removing evidence of its contents. "Sure, it's bloody great."

As he said that another piece of paper appeared in its place.

'You'll probably hate me for this, but all devils of the 72 Pillars have to become engaged to another. You have until you're 20 to break it through legal ways. It's usually done with a trial by combat or Rating Game. Stay tuned and I'll find you a match, because of our magic we have booms of births every few hundred years and there's a handful of houses that I'm setting up negotiations with. This may remind you of your old headmaster fixing your life up, but if you hate and can't get out of it, you can always build your own harem anyway. It's what I did, anyway.'

Harry tightened his fist around the latest disappearing paper before he screamed at the top of his lungs and slammed down on a coffee table, breaking it in two.

The wizard devil took a few breaths before he dropped down to check on the Deathstick that his temper tantrum could have destroyed. Inwardly scolding himself, he cast a Reparo on the table and went to check on his gifts.

He opened the box to look at his pieces before he tapped it, shrinking it to size of a pack of cigarettes. He figured he mine as well keep them on him for now.

Finished with that, he continued on to the books. One of them was dedicated to the secrets of Evil Pieces and how much of the information on them is unknown even to the creator. Their limited supply had him appreciating Beleth's help, even if it was all for his own prestige.

Another book was of all known Sacred Gears and descriptions. Harry knew this would be especially important as Cadaer had told him the power over death could be used to sense the souls inside of them.

The next book was a dry encyclopedia on the 72 pillars as well as their signature magic circles. Harry knew he had to memorize the Beleth one to use, but it wasn't the issue. He needed something to help him get his things from Gringotts! He robbed it once, he can do it again.

Harry flipped open the book on Fallen and Angel physiology and magic. It was useless to him for now.

The next read like a textbook about the bodies of devils, rankings and powerups, as well as shared traits.

Finally, the last book was filled with basic and commonly used magic circles. He flipped through it and found it was organized infinitely better than Hogwarts books. They were always dry and filled with useless nonsense.

Summoning magic. It was easy to copy and draw a circle with his blood in an empty training room. All he had to do now was enter his vaults and direct his possessions here. He could have used Kreacher, but the elf did nothing but call him a filthy master and told him to leave him alone.

Kreacher had grown to respect Harry after Dobby's death and lead the house elves at the battle for Hogwarts. However, he was old and ready to die. While Harry was in the house, Kreacher wanted nothing more than to sit by the portrait of his mistress and wait for death.

Harry had offered to reincarnate him as a devil, but Kreacher was content with his life. Regulas' last wish was fulfilled by destroying the locket and killing the Dark Lord.

The devil left the house elf in quiet contemplation before he read a bit on the couch and drifted off to sleep.

============

GRINGOTTS ROBBED DURING EMERGENCY WIZENGAMOT TRIALS FOR THOSE FORCED TO JOIN YOU-KNOW-WHO IN FEAR OF THEIR LIVES. PRIME SUSPECT IS DARK LORD POTTER!

"Bugger."

The Prophet had been especially fast these last couple of days. Harry wondered how the owls could carry so many papers within 2 days.

Thoughts of owls lead him to thoughts of Hedwig. Thoughts of Hedwig lead him to thoughts of...

Triiiill!

A melodious chirp, followed by a graceful song filled the air. Part of it calmed Harry down from his broody while the other part of it shocked him and gave him a headache.

He thought having to watch his thoughts on higher powers was bad enough, but Phoenix songs hurt devils too? Even though he could be considered as part Phoenix now?

Fawkes continued chirping as Harry felt powerful magic thrum outwards from the bird. The man sighed at the new-found revelation that he was no longer without a familiar. The bond was interesting though, it was almost as if it was tied loosely to his soul.

Wait. To his soul?

Harry sat down cross-legged on the floor and meditated on the feeling. It was there and he could feel a connection to Fawkes, but there was another. It was much looser than the former. As if a strand of floss tried to hang onto him.

Harry concentrated on the bond, summoned his cloak to him and grabbed Fawkes' tail.

This was much better than apparition.

============

HERE LIES DOBBY, A FREE ELF.

Dropping to his knees in a blur, Harry forgot his magic and started digging.

He had no idea how long it took, but when he saw Dobby's corpse, he broke down in tears while fumbling for the box of Evil Pieces. It was supposed to only work on the recently deceased, but hopefully, house elves were different. Maybe it was the bond of servitude that Harry hadn't been aware of, but he needed the elf to live.

"I, Harry James Potter of the house of Beleth, beg you to return to my side, Dobby. Arise, as a Pawn of my peerage."

Harry held the pawn piece against Dobby's chest with his shaking hand, cringing with hope. "So mote it be."

Saying that may not have been needed, but he didn't get to read the books yet on how exactly resurrecting devils work, but magic relies on intent. Plus, Hermione schooled him on contracts and moting things be during their fourth year.

Dobby started to glow and a circle radiated underneath him. It was far more complicated than the circles Harry had seen so far. Pentagrams and random shapes lined the edges and two other circles appeared above the first. One seemed to start inside of the house elf's body while the other appeared on top of him with the crest of house Beleth as if stamping its approval.

"Great Master Harry Potter Sir!"

"I'm so sorry Dobby! It was all my fault!"

He hugged the little creature with the first smile on his face since before he killed Voldemort.

Harry continued to plead for forgiveness for enslaving Dobby as the house elf begged to be the best servant of the 'Bestest Wizard and Devil that Ever Lived.' The King and Pawn went back and forth while Harry needlessly justified himself as he explained what devils were and how he killed Voldemort between choked sobs and Donny's insistence on how he was the best.

"I hate to interrupt such a touching scene. but this is Grigori territory, devil scum."