Alisa woke to weak morning light filtering through the window and Tonks' arm draped across her waist.
For a moment—just one blissful moment—she felt normal. Rested. Clear-headed. The almost constant pressure of arousal was finally, finally absent.
Then reality crashed back.
Her dick. The demons. Harry Potter's blush and her own shameful reaction to it.
But at least I can think straight now, she told herself, carefully extracting herself from Tonks' embrace.
Tonks stirred, one eye cracking open. "Morning already?"
"Afraid so." Alisa reached for her clothes, scattered across the floor from last night. "I need to examine that demon essence I captured. And—"
A sharp knock at the door interrupted her.
"Miss Alisa?" McGonagall's voice, crisp even through the wood. "I apologise for the early disturbance, but your presence is required in Hogsmeade. Immediately."
Alisa and Tonks exchanged glances.
"Another attack?" Alisa called out.
"Last night. No casualties, but significant property damage. The Headmaster requests your expertise."
"Give us five minutes," Tonks said, already rolling out of bed.
She was smiling mischievously at Alisa, who had suddenly gone deathly pale.
She—McGonagalls. Fuck.
They dressed quickly, Alisa in her usual dark coat and boots—almost crying from embarrassment—Tonks in her Auror robes.
They looked professional.
Like last night didn't happen, Alisa thought, watching Tonks braid her hair with her metamorphagus ability. Except it did, and it would happen again.
She fought back a blush.
"That's way too unfair for the rest of us," Alisa muttered with mock disgust, getting a wink in response.
Hogsmeade was chaos.
The attack had centred on the main street near Honeyduke's. A couple of broken windows glittered in the morning sun.
There were a few odd scorch marks here and there.
A crowd of villagers stood in worried clusters, speaking in low voices to Ministry officials.
And standing in the middle of the destruction, examining the ground with intense concentration, was Hermione Granger.
Alisa stopped short. "What—"
"Granger's got a talent for curse analysis," Tonks explained. "McGonagall must have asked her to take a preliminary look before we arrived."
Harry and Ron stood nearby, the latter looking distinctly uncomfortable while Harry watched Hermione work with obvious pride.
Hermione looked up as they approached, her expression brightening. "Oh, good, you're here. I've been making notes, but there are some things I wanted to confirm with someone more experienced."
She held out a roll of parchment covered in neat handwriting and detailed diagrams.
Alisa took it, scanning the contents with growing surprise.
Hermione had identified the demon's entry point, mapped the trajectory of its movement through the village, and even estimated its approximate power classification based on the destruction pattern.
"This is... excellent work," Alisa said honestly. "Very thorough."
Hermione's cheeks pinked with pleasure. "Thank you. I've been reading everything I can about demon manifestations, which is surprisingly not much. Merlin knows that wizards should write books more often. The theoretical framework is fascinating, really—the way they interact with our reality follows surprisingly consistent rules once you understand the underlying principles."
"She's been like this all morning," Ron muttered to Harry. "I think she's actually enjoying this."
"It's interesting!" Hermione protested. "And useful. The more we understand about how demons manifest, the better prepared we'll be. Unless you don't want to be prepared, Ronald."
The ginger flinched, and Alisa found herself smiling slightly.
The girl's enthusiasm was... refreshing. Reminded her a bit of herself, really.
"Walk me through what you found," Alisa said.
Hermione's entire face lit up.
They spent the next twenty minutes examining the scene together.
Hermione's observations were sharp, her questions intelligent. She'd noticed details that most would have missed—not Alisa.
"It barely touched the buildings on the south side," Hermione pointed out, gesturing to a row of shops that were relatively intact. "But it destroyed everything along this central path. Like it had a specific destination in mind."
"Heading north," Alisa murmured, following the trajectory with her eyes.
Toward Hogwarts.
A cold feeling settled in her stomach.
Tonks noticed. "You're thinking what I'm thinking."
"That this wasn't a random attack?" Alisa crouched down, examining a particularly deep gouge in the cobblestones. The stone was scorched black, and beneath the burn marks, she could see traces of something else—a residue that made her skin prickle with recognition.
Asmudeus' essence.
Could be a coincidence, she thought weakly.
"Are you Miss Alisa?" An elderly wizard approached, breaking Alisa from her thoughts.
She nodded, noting that he was leaning heavily on a cane.
"Forgive the interruption, but I thought you should know—I saw the demon."
Alisa stood. "You did?"
"Aye. I was closing up my shop when it appeared. I sell pastries, you see."
He gestured to a small shop across the street, its front window shattered. "Came out of nowhere in a burst of flame. Terrible thing—all claws and teeth and wrong."
"Did it attack you?" Tonks asked gently.
"No, miss. That's the odd part." The wizard shook his head. "The demon looked right at me—I thought I was done for—but then it just... kept moving. Like I wasn't even there. Headed straight up the street toward the castle road."
Other villagers nearby murmured in agreement.
"Didn't stop for nothing," a witch added. "Just ploughed through everything in its path, making for Hogwarts."
Alisa's stomach dropped.
It was targeting the castle. Targeting—
"What happened to it?" Harry asked, speaking up for the first time. "How was it stopped?"
"Hogwarts wards," another wizard explained. "Once it reached the boundary, they activated. Powerful things, your wards. The demon tried to force its way through, but..." He made an explosive gesture with his hands. "Went up in flames. Nothing left but ash."
Alisa closed her eyes briefly.
It must have been just a Thrall if it was sent back so easily.
That aside, the demon was specifically heading toward Hogwarts. Ignoring the easy targets around itself was almost unheard of.
It was destroyed by the wards before it could reach the castle grounds.
Before it could reach her.
"Alisa?" Tonks' hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"
"Fine." The lie came automatically. "I need to examine the ward boundary. See if there are any traces left."
"I'll come with you," Hermione said immediately.
"We all will," Harry added, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Alisa wanted to refuse. Wanted to tell them to stay safe in the village while she investigated.
But the determined set of Harry's jaw reminded her of his admission that he'd panicked, but his willingness to do better. It was also kind of hot…
Better not think about that.
"All right," she said. "But stay close and stay alert."
They made their way up the path toward Hogwarts, leaving the roused village behind.
The morning air was crisp and cold, their breath misting in the chill.
Tonks fell into step beside Harry, slightly behind Alisa and Hermione, who were discussing ward theory.
"Harry," Tonks said quietly. "Can I talk to you for a minute? Privately?"
Harry glanced at her, surprised. "Uh, sure?"
"Ron, keep an eye on those two," Tonks called ahead, gesturing to Alisa and Hermione. "Make sure they don't wander off the path."
"Right," Ron said, looking confused but obedient. Despite her personality, Tonks was still an Auror.
She steered Harry a few steps off to the side, behind a cluster of trees that provided some privacy. They were still visible from the path, but far enough that their voices wouldn't carry.
Alisa tried not to watch. Tried to focus on Hermione's explanation of how Hogwarts' ward network differed from standard protective enchantments.
But her attention kept drifting.
Tonks was speaking in low, urgent tones. Harry's expression shifted from confusion to surprise to something else—something that made his cheeks start to colour.
What is she telling him?
Hermione's voice faded to background noise.
Alisa watched as Harry's blush deepened, spreading down his neck. He said something, gesturing slightly, and Tonks responded with a gentle hand on his arm.
Whatever she was saying, it was clearly affecting him.
Don't, Alisa told herself. Don't think about it. Focus on the investigation.
But her dick gave an interested twitch anyway, responding to the sight of Harry's flushed face even from this distance.
Fuck.
"—don't you think, Alisa?"
Alisa jerked her attention back to Hermione. "I'm sorry, what?"
Hermione frowned slightly. "I asked if you thought the demon might have been specifically summoned to test the wards' response time."