Luthor was not an arrogant man. He had been in the Demidova family for his entire lifespan, born into it like his parents and grandparents before him. They all served the Demidovas, and he had trained for grueling hours every day, prepared to protect and sacrifice his life for his Lady and his Lord.
The birth of the younger lady had been a joyous occasion in Demidova Castle. The whole castle celebrated for more reasons than the obvious.
The servants were enthused and eager to interact with their lady, but it was one-sided, as her Ladyship hadn't responded to any of the servants or even to her own father and mother. She remained cool and composed. Some speculated she was unable to feel emotions.
But that was okay. 'She was the Lady, she's our pride, The castle had simultaneously adopted that as their mantra andhe smallest of nods from the Lady became a crowning achievement, and Luthor had received a nod once. He swore by his bloodline that he had, no matter what the others said, and he was proud.
Until the boy walked in, the lady hadn't left his side and had openly glared when someone suggested it was beneath her to take care of him—OPENLY GLARED, a rare display of emotion for her, who only furrowed her brow slightly when she ate something she disliked.
Luthor was envious, and so was everyone else, to care for an unworthy human boy, their thoughts had mirrored each others, He had almost burst in and killed the boy when he heard him shout at the lady through the door. But before he could, he heard his lady speak gently with care! That had stunned him and forever etched Harry as enemy number one in his mind. So when he saw him teasing his lady and saw the first signs of courtship this early, he was incensed.
The boy had been grieving about his loss, some white-haired girl, and was still sensitive. So Luthor took the opportunity to attack the boy where it would hurt the most.
While he had seen the aftermath of what the boy had done, he labeled it as a one-off and not something to be concerned about.
The boy had reacted exactly as he expected, with anger and malice. But what he had not expected was for the boy's magic to react the same way. The air was stifling at this point, especially to him. Fire was something he, as someone descended from the High Elf blood, was more susceptible to—the heat being his kind and many other kinds of weakness.
The air grew hotter still, and the room's atmosphere distorted. Luthor, brought down to his knees by the searing heat, was about to unleash everything in a final attack to kill the boy when the door swung open, revealing a panicked Tatiana Demidova.
His lady quickly assessed the situation and, to his bewilderment, struck his hand holding the wand, leaving him defenseless. Even worse, she put her wand down, rolling it out of reach, and began walking towards the boy.
"My lady, you mustn't," Luthor cried out in disbelief at her actions. She was more resistant to heat due to her higher purity, but by no means was she immune.
Tatiana didn't care if it hurt; he was hurting. A fresh wound that had barely started to heal wrenched wide open with something akin to a knife.
The effects of the heat had spread up to the hallway. She was talking to meet her father, and while it had been minor, she had instantly figured out what had happened and ran down as fast as she could.
Harry was furious, his volatile emotions surfacing again as he was provoked by Luthor. He focused on the source of his anger, feeling his fire ready to move, to destroy, to kill. However, before he could, a body stood in front of him, her hands opened wide.
"Move."
The body in front of him refused and instead moved closer.
"I SAID MOVE!" Harry screamed in anger, his fire urging him to destroy.
"You know, this is the second time someone's screamed at me in my life, Harry!" uttered the familiar voice, shocking him with her conversational tone and starting to break the haze of anger that had crept upon him.
"The first time was you as well!" she said, coming closer enough so that he could make out her face even through the rage that consumed him. He remembered that face, and those eyes were starting to become ones he would never be able to forget.
Calming down, Harry controlled his rage; it was there but no longer wild even as Tanya came closer and wrapped him in a hug, one he didn't return but just leaned into.
They stayed that way, just savoring the moment. However, the moment ended as Luthor grabbed his wand again and shouted.
"My lady, get away from him now; he's not in control!" Luthor said, wand pointed towards them.
Harry's rage boiled up again but was cooled by a touch from Tanya; her eyes looked into his meaningfully, and he understood; she wanted to handle it.
"Is that wand pointed at me, Luthor?" demanded Tanya, standing in front of Harry.
"Of course not, my Lady. It is pointed at him. I would never be able to make a move against you!" Luthor said appalled at the suggestion.
"If your wand is pointed at him for another moment, I'll kill you myself and strike your family from the divine tablet, Na leithia en' tova sina, na'ruva sina a'meren al seas a'naialion, ar' tel'quessir Yando naa lle!" she uttered, cold raw fury apparent even as she switched to a language Harry couldn't begin to understand by the end of it.
Harry looked on in confusion as the man instantly dropped his wand when those words were uttered, seemingly terrified at the thought of them coming true.
"Let it be known that Harry is to be treated like you would treat me. Spread the word and come back here because only Harry can decide your punishment," she said with a touch of finality.
"Do as she says, Luthor. There's no stopping her when it comes to Harry. Why, she's blushing right now at the mention of it. Oh, how delightful!" chuckled a lady with black hair, framing a stunning face. Her eyes, however, were the same shade as her hair, and she cut a voluptuous figure, standing around 177 cm tall.
She looked at her daughter in amusement and obvious delight, enjoying her daughter's newfound attitude. Then, she looked at Harry, taking him in.
"Well, with what I can see, she might have some competition in the form of her mother in a couple of years," teased her daughter, who looked startled at her mother's words.
Tanya clearly didn't appreciate those words as she glared at her mother. However, she only succeeded in getting her mother to laugh at her reaction, causing her to glare even harder. Harry could almost see her send lightning bolts through her eyes at her mother, though she only succeeded in further exacerbating her mother's amusement as the laughter reached an even higher note.
In walked a man who appeared shocked at the scene in front of him. He had white hair and a goatee, with eyes several shades lighter than his daughter's. He was tall, reaching the six-foot threshold. Composing himself, he looked toward his daughter.
"Aw, is my daughter being teased by her evil mother? Come give me a hug!" he said, looking at her hopefully. However, he was disappointed as his daughter turned away from him with a harrumph, sat down next to Harry, and returned to her previous occupation—glaring at her laughing mother.
"My liege," interrupted Luthor, ready to plead his case, but was cut off by his Lord looking at him with eyes colder than he had ever seen before.
"You have your orders; accomplish them, and I will call you when your punishment has been decided," he commanded, his voice the opposite of what it had been a moment before, as Luthor practically ran out of the room.
"So, you must be Harry," said Tanya's mother, having composed herself. Her tone, however, still retained its teasing lilt. "So you're the one who thawed our frozen Tanya's heart, huh?" she stated.
"Young man, while I am ever-so-thankful for your help in saving Tanya, I need to ask you one thing," said Tanya's father, looking at him seriously.
Harry wasn't one to be daunted by much, but the tone of voice he had used was quite serious, and Harry was prepared for whatever he may ask.
"How did you do it?" he asked, his tone still serious. "Do what?" Harry asked back, confused. "How did you steal my baby girl's heart from me, that too in one day!" He asked, his tone still serious.
Harry was bemused; he had expected something serious, like questions about his powers or what happened at the cave. Instead, Tanya's father was more curious about...
"Ignore him, Harry. I'm Senka, and my idiot of a husband is Dimitrious," interrupted Tanya's mother, to the cries of Dimitrious, which went ignored. "Tell me, Harry, do you know why it is that you're being given such special treatment, including our finest room?"
Harry looked around the room; it was grandiose, with two chandeliers attached to the ceiling on either end. The bed was gigantic, and the furniture resembled something out of Buckingham Palace.
Tanya spoke as he inspected the room, "Because I said so," she said with a tone of finality.
"Yes, because she said so," said Senka, taking it in stride. "But why does her word hold so much weight? You must have already assumed that she's of high standing, addressed as my Lady. But to be clear, she's the Princess of Elthurians."
"What are Elthurians?" Harry questioned.
"Half High Elves and Half Human, and Tanya is even more special because she holds the highest percentage of Elvish blood seen in a millennium, and she's chosen you," chimed in Dimitrious, letting go of all hints of his playful demeanor. Once an Elf has chosen, it is set for life.
"So, she'll be my friend for life," said Harry, his innocence shining through.
Before Dimitrious and Senka could explain what they meant, Tanya chimed in, "For life," looking back at them with a warning glance.
They were unsatisfied but conceded to Tanya, and Senka responded, "Yes, for life."
If Harry noticed the byplay, he didn't say anything. Instead, he asked, "But don't you guys have pointed ears?"
"We do, look again, Harry," said Dimitrious, pointing to his ears. "It's part of our magic; only when we will it can you see our ears."
Harry noticed they now had pointed tips. Looking at Tanya, he reached over, ignoring the slight tensing in front of him as he caressed her ears. This act delighted Tanya, and she seemed to melt into his touch, simultaneously gaining a red hue.
Harry caressed them for a while, oblivious to the astonishment of the parents as they looked at each other. Eventually, he realized he was hungry.
"So, when's lunch?"