"Possibly." Alisa forced herself to focus. "Or it could have been sent as a distraction while a summoner worked elsewhere. I doubt that a Thrall could have brought itself to the real world by itself. The time it would have needed to stay focused to achieve that… It's quite long."
Hermione's curiosity was piqued.
"A distraction from what?"
"That's what we need to figure out," Alisa said, deflating Hermione. To her credit, though, she shook her head and looked ahead, purposefully.
Tonks and Harry were walking back now, rejoining the group. Harry's face was still pink, his gaze carefully avoiding Alisa's.
"Everything okay?" Ron asked, eyeing his friend with a bit of concern and a bit of humour.
"Fine," Harry said quickly. Too quickly. "Just... Tonks was giving me some advice. About this and that."
It was a terrible lie. Even Ron looked sceptical.
But no one pushed.
They continued up the path in awkward silence until they reached the point where the wards began—an invisible boundary marked only by a subtle shimmer in the air and a change in the ambient magical pressure.
Alisa crouched down, examining the ground.
There—ash marks. And beneath them, the same infernal residue she'd found in the village, but stronger here.
She focused on her ring, the one that still held the essence of the demon knight from two nights ago.
The residue on the ground resonated with it.
Not identical. But... related. Connected somehow.
Same summoner, Alisa realised. Or the same source. Could be just Asmodeus' fucking meddling.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, leaning closer.
"These demons aren't random manifestations," Alisa said slowly. "Someone is summoning them deliberately. And they're all connected—linked to a central source or purpose."
"Connected how?" Harry asked, his voice still slightly rough.
Alisa held up the ring. "The essence from the demon knight we stumbled upon is pretty simillar with this one."
"So someone's targeting Hogwarts specifically," Tonks said grimly. "Multiple attacks, escalating in frequency."
"Not just Hogwarts…" Alisa said slowly, without looking anyone in their eyes. "Me. The demons are targeting me."
Silence.
"How do you know?" Hermione asked, her mind already trying to work through the implications.
"Because I'm cursed…" Alisa said, somehow managing to sound even smaller. "And my curse is probably attracting the demons."
Harry's blush had faded, replaced by something fiercer. "Then we need to find out who the enemy is and stop them."
"We?" Alisa raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, we." Harry's jaw set stubbornly. "You're here helping protect the school. That makes this our problem too."
Ron nodded in agreement. Even Hermione, usually the voice of caution, looked determined.
But I'm the reason that the schools need protecting in the first place, she wanted to say.
Tonks smiled slightly. "He's got a point, you know."
Alisa wanted to argue.
Wanted to tell them this was too dangerous, that she should just leave.
But looking at their determined faces, she could only sigh.
"Only if you're sure," she said, softly.
"Of course," Hermione said immediately.
"We'll even be careful," Ron added.
Harry and Tonks both snorted at the same time.
Despite everything—the danger, her dick, the awkwardness—Alisa felt something warm settle in her chest.
Maybe I don't have to do this alone after all.
They spent another hour examining the ward boundary, collecting samples of the ash and residue. Hermione took copious notes. Ron kept watch. Harry stayed close to Alisa, occasionally asking quiet questions about demon tracking.
And if Alisa noticed the way Harry's gaze lingered on her sometimes, or the way his blush returned whenever Tonks looked at him meaningfully...
Well.
She tried very hard not to think about what Tonks might have said to him.
Back at Hogwarts, Alisa retreated to her room with the collected samples.
She needed to study the demon essence properly. Needed to understand the connection.
Needed to understand what was happening to her.
She put the ring on the desk, dark metal glinting in the afternoon light.
Alisa stared at it for a long moment before carefully activating the containment field and focusing on the particular demon.
The essence rose from the ring like smoke—dark, writhing, and infernal. All the good things.
It took form in the air above the desk, a shadowy approximation of the demon knight that had manifested two nights ago.
Alisa began the analysis, weaving diagnostic patterns around the essence, probing its structure.
And slowly, horrifyingly, she began to understand.
The curse on her body wasn't just changing her. It was making her visible to the infernal realm. A beacon, yes—but more than that.
A summons.
Her very existence was calling to demons, drawing them toward her like moths to flame.
And whoever was deliberately summoning them knew it. They were using her curse against her, amplifying the signal, turning her into bait.
Damn. Fucking Asmodeus. He must have talked.
Alisa's hands shook as she dispelled the essence, returning it to the ring.
She needed help. Real help. Someone who understood curses at a more fundamental level than her.
She needed—
Another knock at the door.
"Alisa?" McGonagall's voice. "The Headmaster would like to see you in his office. It's quite urgent."
Alisa closed her eyes briefly, steadying herself.
"I'll be right there."
She had a feeling this conversation was going to be... complicated.
But as she tucked the containment ring back into her pocket and headed for the door, and despite her best efforts, one thought kept circling through her mind:
Harry Potter's blush. Whatever Tonks said to him. The way he looked at me afterwards.
Her dick twitched again, the arousal already building despite last night's relief.
She needed to have sex soon.