The rest of the day passed rather quickly. Susan avoided me like the plague, which wasn't surprising. After the show Amelia and I had put on for her, I wouldn't be surprised if she threw away all her plans about me and decided to stop talking or even outright ignoring me. A part of me also pointed out that Susan had borne through the entire show, only deciding to call it quits when I had shoved my cock into Amelia's pussy. Maybe it was just a coincidence, maybe it was a culmination of all of Amelia's taunts, or maybe, she just didn't have the stomach to digest it anymore, but I had a suspicion that maybe Amelia was right. Maybe Susan wasn't exactly as comfortable with me bedding other women as she liked to pretend. It was why her first question hadn't been about me fucking other girls, but if it was even possible for me to stay a one-woman man.
Those thoughts kept my mind busy all day. Amelia might have skipped office, but she was back in her work avatar the second we had re-entered the mansion. She had spent the rest of the day cooped up in her office, perusing through the files I had given her, and unless I was wrong, viewing the memories in her pensieve. At one point, she had even called me to her office, not to fuck or chat, but to clarify certain points in the file. She had arched a brow at the way I answered the questions. Again, not surprising, since that level of intimate knowledge of the subject only came from detailed study and first-hand experience.
Both of which were not possible for a student about to attend his fourth-year at Hogwarts. Noble Lord or not.
So when I appeared on the patio and joined her outside in the afternoon, it wasn't the seductress that I saw, it was just… Amelia.
"Hey," she asked, looking back at me as she took out a bottle of firewhiskey from the mini bar. "You doing okay?"
I nodded and sat down at the patio table. She uncorked the bottle, and summoned two glasses, pouring the rich, caramel liquid into each. The firewhiskey jostled around in them as she pushed one of them towards me.
I raised a brow. "What happened to your No underage drinking rule?"
Amelia snorted. "I'm many things, but a hypocrite is not one of them. If you're old enough to fuck, you're old enough to hold your firewhiskey. Unless you'd have some water?"
I grabbed the glass and held it gingerly, taking a tiny sip. Even in her work uniform, she looked absolutely stunning.
"How are we gonna do this?"
"What?" She asked, confused.
"This. The wager. Susan challenged you, and you taught her a lesson she'll likely not forget in her entire life. All that's left is the wager."
"Oh," she said, straightening up. "Well, Harry, I think you know how it ends."
I nodded. I knew what the end would entail. I just… didn't want it to end that way.
"Tonight is your last night as a welcome guest in this manor. Depending on how the night turns out, you're either going to leave a free man, with my permission to court Susan, or stay back as my toy."
"Does it have to get that far?" I asked. "Is there no other way?"
"Afraid not, Harry," said Amelia, a small smile forming on her lips. "Like I said, you must be careful what you wish for. You had me, the DMLE Director and a Bones woman. I was ready to be your slave in bed. I was willing to be your ally, your partner in whatever discord you wish to sow in this country. I was even willing to lend all my resources and make the DMLE your bitch. All I wanted was you. You'd dominate me and I'd willingly be dominated. And it would have stayed that way, but then you opened your greedy little mouth."
"Susan." I said.
"Susan," she repeated. "You wanted Susan, despite having me. As if I was an afterthought. I had thought that after all these years, at least you'd…. But no, you didn't." she let out a cold, mirthless laugh. "Not surprising. You are James Potter's son. He had me, had this body all to himself, but he wanted more. I'd have understood if he went for something better. But he didn't. Instead he went for the average Lily Evans. Just like you went for the average after having me. And that, in my mind, is unforgivable."
I smiled. "So long as we're being honest with each other, can I ask you something?"
She shrugged. "I'm not Albus Dumbledore. Speaking the truth does not scare me."
I took note of that particular sentiment. "When we first met, you said that you looked into me. You claimed that you knew I was fucking my secretary, and Hermione, and Susan told you that I had fucked Hannah and her mum."
"And what of it?"
"You knew that I was fucking all of them. Hell, you called me a serial womaniser. And yet, you slept with me. We made out in the bath, in your office and in the sea. Just what is it about me choosing to go after Susan that triggered you so much that the other girls and women did not?"
"Is this your attempt to cancel the wager?" She demanded softly. "Because if it is, I can cancel it right away. I'd rather not have a wager at all than someone who's already lost the bet in his mind."
I smiled. "We'll have the wager alright. And we'll fuck. And one of us will win. That remains unchanged. That I swear."
Her lips twisted in glee at my promise. "Well, that already makes you better than your father in my book, Harry."
"Will you answer the question then?"
"Only if I can be brutally honest."
I nodded.
Amelia took a sip of her own glass. "I knew James. Better than James knew himself. James didn't really like girls like Lily. I knew him, I knew what he liked. He didn't like girls that dressed down, played down their looks. He liked girly girls. He'd rather have a girl dressed in pink than in black. And most importantly, he didn't want a younger girl at all. A real woman. Yes, Lily was witty and sarcastic but she wasn't wife material. Maybe she was for other guys, but not for James. I had watched Uncle Fleamont and Auntie Euphemia, and I knew James was like Uncle. He wanted a strong woman. One that could call the shots in the relationship. I think that's part of the reason we worked so well. I was older, with greater experience at Hogwarts and life in general. I was the one that he came to with his queries. Lily? Lily was this obstinate muggleborn that wanted to ignore the inter-house politics and stay friends with Severus Snape, uncaring that her friendship probably cost him Merlin-knew how many torture sessions by older Slytherins. Lily was the kind of girl who'd never do any housework and instead go for her own desires, leaving her husband to pick up the slack. I suppose it was domination in a way, which is why their marriage sustained for whatever period of time it did. But she was all wrong. James needed a wife who'd be a mother in the day and a whore at night."
She took another sip. "Lily was a dog." Before I could react to that statement, she grabbed my other hand. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not being a bitch. It's just that… I never understood what he saw in her. James had good taste, but clearly, he had a blind spot for her. I think that his hatred for Slytherin had somehow twisted Lily and Snape's relationship as something valuable in his eyes. Maybe he thought that if he could shatter their relationship, and claim Lily for himself, he'd win. Lily herself wasn't the prize. Her relationship with Snape was. I mean, nothing else made sense to me. She had red hair, but like a crow's nest. Her face was plain, like, a blank. I'd have trouble describing her because she was boring looking. Her body wasn't up to snuff. It was just like her. A reflection of her lack of care. She was even a bit of a fatty. I mean, James was a fucking Chaser in the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He could have easily played professionally if he wanted. I know for a fact that both Puddlemere and Wimborne were scouting him from sixth year onwards. He could have joined the DMLE and become a kickass hit-wizard. With his looks, with his charisma, and with that Potter talent in and out of the bedroom, he could have had his pick of the litter. I wouldn't even have minded. It would be insulting to think that he needed someone else after he had had me, but I suppose men are like that. They always want variety. And I understood that. But he didn't want variety. He wanted Evans to supplant me. Like I was… less."
And just like that, things began to make sense to me. Amelia's initial reaction, and her sudden shift in demeanour after I had boasted about going after Susan after bedding her, was a reflection of what James had done. Just like James had chosen Lily, I had, in my stupidity, tried to make Susan look more valuable than Amelia herself. Her own dysfunctional relationship with her niece had only added fuel to the fire. And the results had been… explosive.
"When we met for the first time, I thought I was seeing James. When we agreed to work together, I had made up my mind that I would have you destroy that contract that twisted my life and made me live all this while suppressing my desires. I'm certain you probably would have too. But then we were in the bath, analysing each other, and you said things to me… I — I cannot tell you how deeply those truths resonated within me. I lost all my senses to think clearly. All this time, you were Harry James Potter, the boy that would undo the contract for me. But there in the bath, you suddenly became James. In my twisted head, it was so easy to think that James had returned to me, and was offering me the chance to live the life that he denied me in the past. How else would you be able to understand me like James did? Right then, in that moment, I knew we were on a collision course. Like James, you were a womaniser. Like James, you were cocky. Like James, you wanted the world to obey your whims. Like James, you were contracted to breed me, and make me your slut. Right that moment, I knew that this was Fate's work. Like, look at you. You've got an impressive cock that can slay any woman, married or otherwise. That stamina you boast will not be quenched by those schoolgirls either. The werewolf could match your stamina, but why settle for someone subpar when you could have the perfect female form in your arms? I knew, right then, as you fucked me in my office, that we were made for each other. This was James giving me back. I deserve you. People like Lily, or Susan, or the countless fucked pussies you leave behind in your wake, they don't matter. People like us… we're the ones that get to have the real fun. People like us get to fuck. The school-sluts might give you a little thrill here and there, but they won't give you that deep, earth-shattering orgasm you really need. The pleasure I need."
She took another sip of the glass.
Part of me wanted to say no. It wanted me to tell her that her perspective was flawed. People should have the right to be with whoever they want to be with. But if I did, I'd be the biggest hypocrite of them all. In an ideal world, Harry Potter would have settled with Hermione Granger, her own vow to be with him and her unconditional love would have been enough to spend a lifetime with. Harry would have married one woman, and stayed faithful to her and the world would be all the lesser for it.
But I wasn't Harry Potter.
I was an incubus. An Outlander.
I had changed Hermione from a werewolf to an utter submissive beast in bed. I had changed Hestia Jones from an Order spy into someone that had willingly sworn an unbreakable vow to be forever loyal to me and be on my side. Narcissa Malfoy was the mother of my nemesis at school and I had taken her away from her son and husband, and made her choose me over them. I had changed Hannah and her mum into my sex-slaves and I had transformed Penelope Clearwater from a stubborn, high-strung muggleborn to a masochist that revelled in pain and humiliation. Come to think of it, Ginny Weasley and Tracey Davis were the ones I had affected the least.
All because I wanted power. Because I wanted to play god.
And as much as I wanted to deny, but seeing Amelia be a raging cunt to Susan made me stiff as a brick. I don't know if I ever felt harder. Amelia just being there, casually asserting her dominance over her, effortlessly humiliating them… it made my cock throb.
Come to think of it, wasn't that also why I was so fond of Narcissa? And why the Hestia Jones of old was far more attractive than the one that had pledged loyalty to me?
I had to face the truth. I loved dominating others. And my best women were those that dominated other women.
Amelia was right. People like us got to have real fun. Everyone else, they just stayed side characters. People like Amelia and I were practically made for each other.
And given how there was an actual contract mandating that, I could help but feel the subtle hand of Destiny in it.
"We're starving animals, Harry," Amelia whispered, licking her lips. "And we will feast. Tonight. I will show you exactly what a motivated witch is fully capable of. And after that, I will own you."
I smiled. If only she knew what I knew. But perhaps… I wondered. Perhaps I should tell her? She had been nothing but honest with me. Maybe it was time to return a little of that trust back?
It would only make the victory that much sweeter.
"You're right," I said. "We're on a collision course. And we will feast. Tonight. But here's where you are wrong."
I smiled. "After tonight, it will be me that owns you. Not otherwise."
She held my gaze, neither of our eyes blinking.
"You have the confidence of a god, Harry," she murmured. "I adore you. Your power is beyond anyone I've ever known, except for perhaps, Albus Dumbledore and the Dark Lord. Your skill at spellcasting is wondrous. And I don't even want to comment on the way you understand things that you are not supposed to know, much less understand at this age. Your cock is massive, and your stamina is unreal. You are indeed an enigma to me, Harry, and I will have fun unwrapping your mystery after I've conquered you."
I laughed. "You have no idea how your words amuse me, Amelia. But since we're being brutally honest with each other, perhaps it's time for me to share a secret or two with you. If nothing else, I don't want you to accuse me of unfairness later."
Her eyes brightened. "Oh? Do tell."
"You are right, you know. My cock can slay any woman, and my stamina will leave me with blue-balls while women lie groaning at my feet, unable to keep up with me. People like you and me are the ones that really get to fuck, but are unable to, because the rest of the world simply isn't able to keep up. You, because of your twenty-years of diligent effort, patience and willpower. And me, because I am an Incubus — persuasion, lust, sex — that's my playground."
"Incubus…" Amelia breathed. "You're a — but that means —"
"I was not born with these powers if that's what you're asking. Or if I did, I never did end up using them. But that evening, with a hundred dementors surrounding me, I tried to cast the patronus and failed, and I… I died. Or at least, I think I did. Call it my Boy-Who-Lived powers, or call it Fate, but the guy that was reborn from it, this Me, was reborn an Incubus."
"I see," said Amelia, taking a sip. "And you think that I'll be intimidated and walk away from the wager because of that. Incubus powers or otherwise, you're only sixteen, Harry. Don't forget that."
"You misunderstand me," I said, smiling, as I took another sip. "I didn't share that secret to intimidate you, Amelia. This is me levelling the playground. I thought the Hufflepuff in you would appreciate that."
She furrowed her temples. "You —"
I took one final sip. "You're right. We are starving animals. And tonight, you will show me what you've got. As will I. But not with my Incubus powers. Tonight, when we feast, I will dominate you without them. It will be just me. And when you're writhing on your bed, moaning my name, after surrendering yourself to me, I will make you beg for it. Beg me to give you an orgasm like you've never experienced. That is when I will show you what I am truly capable of. I will use my power, after the wager, and give you everything you've missed in the last twenty years."
"I'll be waiting, Harry," said Amelia, a genuine smile floating on her lips. "I definitely will."
….
….
….
The time had come.
Despite what I had planned, despite all the excitement that was about to happen between me and Amelia, I couldn't help but feel a little tense. I had spent the afternoon lounging on top of one of the towers, getting a birds' eye view of the entire place. There was something soothing about standing at a great height, looking at things beneath moving like clockwork. A lot of people found the experience nauseating, but I enjoyed it.
I wonder if that means I can gain an aerial form for my animagus transformation.
Smiling wistfully at the idea, I had returned to the mansion sometime after sundown. It was time to get ready for battle. I hopped in the shower, cleaned myself, got dressed and prepared myself for the encounter ahead. Finally ready, I took a deep breath and made my way downstairs.
As I entered the dining room, I noticed Amelia sitting there. She had cleaned up, and made herself look good, just like myself. I saw the thin shiny material of the robe struggling to contain her jutting rack, each of her ripe melons forcing the material outward. She had the robe synched tight, but the size of her breasts was testing the limits, a hint of her cavernous cleavage forcefully exposed. For a second, I wondered if she was naked under the robe.
Susan was still conspicuously absent.
"What's for dinner?" I asked.
"Spaghetti bolognese," Amelia said, tucking a single hair that had fallen over her face. She flicked her wand, and the cutlery began to arrange themselves for the both of us.
"Where's Susan?"
"She won't be joining us," she commented off-handedly. "But I had her dinner delivered to her room earlier."
"You can't blame her," I said. "You did do a number on her."
"Hardly," she drawled. "I only did what she asked of me. Not my fault she couldn't handle it." She eyed me curiously. "Why do you ask?"
"I'm just… wondering, how all this is gonna affect your relationship."
She dismissed my concerns with a wave of her hand. "Do not fret. Susan had a sheltered life. This is the first time she's really tested some uncharted waters and burned herself. She'll be fine. Besides…" she smiled knowingly. "There is still one more lesson I need to impart to her."
"Don't you think she's already had enough?"
"Just because she couldn't digest the lesson, doesn't mean I should stop it midway, Harry. That's not how life works. She started it, so she has to bear through it until she truly understands the consequences of her actions."
"The consequences could also strangle your relationship for good," I pointed out.
Amelia paused at that, and frowned at me. "You genuinely care for her, don't you?"
Of all the things she had said to me, that statement caught me off-guard. Care? For Susan? What kind of fucked-up conclusion was that? Susan Bones was practically a stranger to me. Granted, the sort of stranger that had fucked up her family life and one she had cuddled and wanted to marry, even if it meant going against her own aunt, but a stranger nonetheless. She was a spitfire and had spunk, I'd give her that, but exposure to my Devil's Charm turned them all into willing submissives that wanted nothing more than to be treated as my personal cumslut. Amelia was no different. Narcissa had veela blood injected in her bloodstream, and she was my lover. Hestia was my secretary and she was a hundred percent loyal to me, courtesy of her own unforgivable vow. Hermione thought I was the Harry Potter she fell in love with and dedicated all her life to. The rest of the world might think of me as the Boy-Who-Lived and the Potter heir but to me, this was just a fictional story and fictional characters and all of this, this reincarnation and incubus bullshit, it was all one giant piece of black comedy.
Hell, fucking other women gave me boosts on Meta-Luck which I could use to avert destiny itself. And Amelia thought I cared for Susan? That was ludicrous.
So why couldn't I laugh?
"I — what are you saying?"
Amelia was not done throwing curve balls. "I am not blind, Harry. I've seen the way you look at her. Not as an object of your desires, but as someone you care for. Even with our little wager going on, you've constantly tried to keep her safe from my wrath. And I know it's not simply a matter of getting into her pants."
Something about her words rankled me.
Me? Caring? For Susan Bones? It made no sense at all.
This world was fake. Magic was fake. All my powers, all my perks, Meta-Luck, all of it was fake. A twisted fabrication crafted out of a fantastical story at the whims of some Greater Power. One that had thrown me into this twisted reality and given me the illusion of power. I was the most famous and perhaps the most powerful student at Hogwarts. Nothing was out of my reach, and no individual was ignorant of my status. And the best part: I barely had to work to get it.
I remembered how scared I was when I had first arrived in this world. I had to be extra careful to make sure Ron wasn't suspicious of me. Ginny was a surprise, but I was extra sure to avoid Dumbledore's prying eyes, but all in all, it was a lot easier than I had dared to hope.
The Potter fortune and the legendary reputation of the Boy-Who-Lived only made things easier for me. Almost every student had been brought up hearing stories of my supposed heroics and skill, and when they saw a confident Harry Potter, acting every bit the Lord he was, seeing me play with trash like Draco Malfoy and his goons, it had made all their wildest dreams real. A controlled display of skill tempered with the right combination of humility had taken me farther than what the real Harry Potter could have ever imagined. A little good action here, a little ruthlessness there, and a little show of fortune in the right environment had nearly almost everyone eating out of my hand. My knowledge of canon events, my incubus powers, my ever-growing magical affinities and my skill at finances, it was enough to have almost everyone eating out of my hands.
So why….
Why did I feel disturbed by her statement? Why did that make me feel so nervous? I already had Devil's Charm ready. I had explored the potential possibilities of that perk, and I knew that Amelia would be in for a surprise when our wager began. And then, she'd be my bitch and I'd have Susan next. Everything was going exactly as I planned. Heck, everything was turning out better than I hoped. This was what I wanted, after all.
Wasn't it?
Memories of the last two months flooded to me. Me casting a spectral hippogriff as my patronus. Me holding Hermione right after she confessed to committing herself to me back in our first year. Me getting angry at Hestia's words, and the growing annoyance at the way Penelope was treated. These people were fictional, so why, why did it feel like somewhere along the line, I was beginning to care for them?
This was worrying.
This was worrying me a lot.
I might not be able to remember names, but I still had memories of my old life. The me that was lustful, self-centred and arrogant. The competitive side of me that helped me in my meteoric rise, the one that made me resent my brother for catering to my every demand. The one that helped me so often drive down the football field and get the winning score, or made me twist and manipulate people so that I could land the hottest chicks at college in my bed. The me that would do anything, screw over anybody, ruin other people's lives, just to get what I wanted, even if it was on a whim. To interject myself into things I had no business interjecting into. The part of me that relishes when I fuck girls knowing that I'd cast them aside, only to serve as my stepping stones on the path to magical godhood. The part of me that didn't care about consequences, and only wanted what I wanted, no matter who got hurt.
That was who I thought I was.
Then why was I changing? What was it that was making me change?
Just earlier in the morning, I had shared my little secret. My incubus nature with Amelia. Yes, it made her trust me more and shared a deeper part of her psyche in return, which made it much easier to understand her. And as they say, understanding your opponent is the first step to victory. Maybe I was subconsciously channelling Hestia's perk, telling her exactly what needed saying, while keeping the more relevant parts of it to myself. I could have sold myself the story.
But it would be a lie.
"Harry?"
"Uh," I stammered, "You're just seeing things."
"Am I?" She taunted me. "Is that why she still has her virginity intact? Even though she's been alone with you twice now, one of which was in the middle of the night?"
'You're spying on me!" I accused.
"Hardly," she drawled. "You forget this is the Bones mansion, Harry. This is my domain. The elves answer to my command. I have complete control over the wards. Imagine my surprise when Susan walks into your room in the middle of the night, only to leave several hours later."
I stilled. "You, uh, knew—"
She threw her head back and laughed. "You're good, Harry. Very good. Especially for someone of your age. I was initially quite annoyed, but then I realised that Susan had not broken the protocol, and I realised what you did. That she immediately tried to get closer using that excuse to swim shifted the blame further upon her."
"She, err, wanted to cuddle."
"She wanted to do more than cuddle, and I believe you know that very well. Again, I will thank you for exercising restraint. I do not believe she'd have said no if you had made a move. Things would have turned… difficult."
"And that makes you think that I care about her?" My lips twisted into a cunning smirk. "Maybe I just want the Bones fortune all to myself."
Amelia scoffed. "I wasn't born yesterday, Harry. The Potters are one of the richest families in Wizarding Britain, and with the addition of the Black fortune, it will probably top that list. The Bones are an old Noble family but fortune wise, we are hardly in the same league."
Good point. I took an offensive approach. And no, it wasn't because I wanted to change the topic. Absolutely not.
"And you've been divesting away family funds to support the DMLE. Not exactly the best financial decision for the Bones Regent."
Her lips frowned. "Are you trying to make me mad again, Harry?"
I snorted. "Don't get your panties in a twist, Amelia."
Her lips twisted in a smirk. "That's assuming I'm wearing any."
I opened my mouth and then closed it. Then I said, "I walked into that one."
"You did. And stop avoiding my question."
I took a mouthful of spaghetti, chewing it, giving me some time to frame my response. "Is it really that difficult to believe that I can simply be a decent human being while being a womaniser?"
"Not at all," She commented. "I just find it interesting that apart from being a womaniser, you also end up adding your conquests into your life in all sorts of significant ways." She raised a finger to stop me from even trying to refute that. "Hermione Granger, apparently your best friend, got turned into a werewolf. I'd understand helping her by paying for her rent and maybe even arrange for her private education, thanks to the immense fortune you have. But you let her stay in that house and treat her like an equal. No, like a lover."
"Let me guess, Tonks told on me?"
Amelia shook her head. "I inquired. One of my better ideas, I'd say. The Boy-Who-Lived taking over the Potter fortune and getting an enchanted apartment via Gringotts and living by himself? I couldn't have gotten a better chance to inspect you."
I stayed silent.
"Hestia Jones. Halfblood. Nymphadora's trusted friend. Very talented. Lots of spunk. You hired her, and from your interaction at the DMLE, you allow her significant leeway to do things her way, and maybe even dictate your own public actions."
"She's better at public perception than I am," I shot back. "I'd be a fool not to rely on her guidance."
It was a narrow and half-hearted excuse, but the only one that came to mind.
Amelia shrugged and moved on. "The public event with Draco Malfoy. You went out of your way to antagonise the Malfoy heir. Granted, that was because you were arranging for the Black Lordship, but the primary reason was Mr. Crabbe's physical violence on Miss Clearwater."
"Really now?" I drawled. "It just worked out that way. I needed someone of a certain position. Penelope was convenient and fitted the bill."
"Is that why you hired her later?"
"Part of the job. And her resume is rather impressive."
"Must be," she commented. "For you to pay her two hundred galleons per month."
I said nothing this time around.
"And the list goes long. Tracey Davis. Halfblood. And three more recommendations made by Miss Clearwater. All of them halfbloods and muggleborns. Working for your firm at salaries that would make a pureblood froth in jealousy."
Oh, this one was easy. "They're skilled at their jobs. Finding skilled labour isn't easy, you know."
"May not be in the muggle world," Amelia simpered. "But definitely yes in our world. I can randomly throw a pebble in Diagon Alley and it'd hit some talented halfblood or muggle born."
Damn it.
She took a mouthful of spaghetti and closed her eyes in enjoyment. The bitch. "Hannah Abbott. Cynthia Abbott. I understand bedding them. Halfblood daughter to a well-known pureblood family. Suffering from the whims of her uncle Gideon Abbott. From Susan's words, both of them practically jumped in your arms. And you are now Cynthia Abbott's loyal customer."
"She cooks good food, and it's better than muggle takeaways. Becoming her customer cost me precious little."
"Oh. Then it must be your love for her cooking that you're working to get them their fortune and status back."
I gritted my teeth. She was pissing me off now.
"What's your point?"
"My point is that for someone that religiously adheres to the image of a serial womaniser, you're too quick to care about your conquests. Do you know why you do that?"
'I'm a great believer in the benevolence of human nature, obviously."
She smirked. I was getting angry now.
"It is because that is the only way you will allow yourself to be, and I know why."
"All right. Why?"
"Because you're ruled by guilt."
I laughed.A little too quickly. "Okay, this I have to hear. What guilt?"
"Guilt of taking what you want from our world, Harry Potter. Over the last three years, you have played the role of the unsung hero, the one that did what he needed to do to keep himself and others safe. Facing a possessed professor, fighting a memory of Tom Riddle controlling a thousand-year-old basilisk. Facing a man that supposedly betrayed your parents only to defend him against a hundred dementors with a spell you weren't sure you could even cast. Need I go on?"
I shook my head.
"And then, you got transformed into an incubus. I do not know how or why, but you did. An incubus needs to have sex with as many people as he can, for that is the sole way for him to grow strong. The lack of sex weakens him, and I'm sure you realised that you had become an existence that was fundamentally the reverse of what you were. A creature that takes. A creature that claws into the hearts and minds of another and twists and manipulates them, either by words, or actions, or supernatural arousal, until they are in bed, screaming his name in ecstasy. You took over the mantle of Lord Potter, and gained access to the fortune you had. You knew that the Dark Lord would be back and you realised that growing stronger through sex was the best way ahead. And somewhere along the way, you became afraid."
"Afraid? Of what?"
"Of your own power? Of what you were becoming? That you were perhaps looking too deep into the abyss and the abyss was now beginning to stare back at you?"
I stayed silent.
"You came to be ruled by fear. Not fear of the Dark Lord, but fear of what you could be if you ever let yourself stray from the right-hand path," said Amelia. "Of the power you could use. You've thought about what it might be to bend the world to your will. The things you could have. The people. Some part of you has considered it and found joy in the idea of using your abilities to take what you wish. And you are afraid of that joy."
I wanted to deny her words. But I couldn't. Everything she was describing was right, but so wrong. She didn't know jackshit about my reincarnation or my powers as an Outlander. She knew nothing of Meta-Luck, or the power to acquire perks by fucking others. And yet at the same time, the conclusions she was drawing oddly fitted the bill.
It was like following a wrong formula only to arrive at the correct answer.
"And that is why you've added bindings upon yourself. The women you bed, you are taking care of them. As if, it is now your responsibility to ensure that they get their rightful return for their aid. Sometimes it is through providing shelter. Others, through employment. Even your attempt at acquiring the Black fortune isn't fueled by personal greed, but fear of what that fortune might be worth in the wrong hands."
I let out an empty laugh. "You're pulling all the stops at trying to make me look like a hero, aren't you? Like I'm some kind of Dark Knight."
She smiled. "Dark Knight. That's an interesting and oddly apt metaphor. After all, many of your actions of your previous years describe a White Knight complex. Maybe I am wrong, maybe you're exactly the kind of greedy arsehole you claim to be, but isn't it interesting that for someone who acts in pure self-interest, you've spent the last thirty minutes trying too hard to convince me of it?"
That shut me up.
I pushed the chair backwards and gobbled down an entire glass of water. Then I looked at her. "You've made your point. So what do you want?"
She smiled. Again, it was genuine. "I just wanted to acknowledge that you, Harry Potter, are a good person. And should you, by whatever miracle, emerge as a winner in our little wager, you have my permission to court my niece."
I opened my mouth, and then closed it. And then repeated the action several times. While staring at her blankly.
Amelia's lips quivered in amusement. "Now finish eating. You're gonna need a lot of energy after this."
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