Occlemency, My Friend
Fandom: Harry Potter/Neon Genesis Evangelion Crossover
Rating: PG 13
Disclaimer: The Characters and Settings in this fic don't belong to me - Snape and the Wizarding World belongs to J., the rest belongs to Gainax
Another Angel had been destroyed today, thank God - and there was still enough time left to grab something to eat. Pedestrian lights at the crossing flashed green, and a small crowd started across the road - among them a bearded, poker-faced man in uniform. Around him the city stood highlighted in blood-pink sunset colours - it was not yet dark enough for the lights of the city to take over. Gendo Ikari turned right, and continued on past the shops & restaurants - to a street resembling a cluttered alleyway lined with vending machines and stalls hawking all manner of cheap nourishment. It was one particular ramen stall that he sought – one that he had heard about from Rei. She had suggested it to him after he returned from his last visit to Antarctica. She had gone there with Major Katsuragi, the Third Child and … his son … to celebrate after defeating an earlier Angel. She had recommended well, the place was cheap, clean, fast - and above all else the food properly done - a good place to patronise. When he found what he was looking for, the man at the stall recognised him, bowing slightly and grunting an acknowledgement. Gendo made his order, paid, and then settled down for a short wait while the vendor threw a wad of noodles into the vat.
As he sat, his thoughts turned again to his son. On this his mind had dwelt on and off throughout that day. True – without Shinji's assistance the angels all would have now been walking free, their destructiveness unchecked. Not that the street crowds he observed this evening appeared to be very concerned much with that fact, Gendo thought cynically. He did not doubt that as the Second Child, the boy played an essential role in the cause. But he had also been a cause of disappointment to him many times: especially with his wavering commitment, his ignorance of priorities … his lack of faith. One day he will learn, he thought: One day Shinji will understand the necessity of the Human Instrumentality Project. Gendo had devoted a considerable part of his life working on that project, and he lived for the day of its completion. And he will realise - he thought - that I was right to make things happen in this way. He studied the wandering street-life from behind mirror-like lenses. Listening to the scraps of conversation, one could easily think that no angel had ever passed this way. Work, money, shopping, entertainment, romances currently either budding or wilting. Safe behind the walls of their hearts, in insular worlds where the greater reality was easy to forget. Gendo mused: People still focused on the pursuit of their futile pleasures … when all this is finished and we are finally united as one - he thought – then my son will finally have to understand and forgive me.
Absentmindedly, he scratched his fingers through his short beard, and heard a sharp, light popping sound nearby. Probably an empty cola can that had been dropped. He could hear a man behind him mutter a curse in English – and in the periphery of his vision he noticed a movement of someone in dark clothing. He heard the man's voice again – deep, soft – and somehow sinister. A voice carrying inflections of strong, slow-burning anger. Gendo's shoulders tightened while making his best effort to ignore the lout – hopefully it was just a drunk foreigner. He was not in the mood for more trouble tonight. When he next heard that same voice suddenly pronounce a Latin-sounding word - and his mind suddenly began to cloud, Gendo realised something was amiss. The man – someone sent from SELLE? Or another Angel already? No, surely not …
Whoever … or whatever it was, he was not willing to allow himself to be taken without resistance. Gendo fought back the fogginess by focusing his mind on the cola sign above a snack dispenser. Keeping still, he scanned his field of vision and noticed that - whatever it was that had almost fogged his mind - had also affected others. He saw the stall operator frozen in mid-action, his immobile hands clamped over a slab of roast pork he had been slicing. He noticed the ramen still boiling in its vat. He saw from one corner of his eye a diner next to him posed perfectly still, like a mannequin - her chopsticks nearly inside her mouth. He noticed a strand of noodles loose itself from their grip and fall back into her bowl. He saw a fly settle onto the counter. It began lapping at a droplet of spilled stock.
Thinking fast, Gendo wondered if the foreigner had given the order for some gas to be released. Had SELLE become that impatient – or suspicious – of him already? Somehow an undercover attack from that organization was not exactly a ludicrous possibility. Whoever was responsible, if it was a gas that they were using … then he needed to be careful. Gendo minimised his breathing, while scanning for a quick escape route. Pressing gloved fingers into the counter, he began to rise for a quick getaway – and froze. Something – no, someone - was still moving. The man in the dark clothes … from the corner of his eye he could not make out much more detail than that. Snatches of muttered self–conversation came to his ears … all in English. The man who dropped the can was still around - and who probably was the cause of all this. Gendo noticed he was still able to freely move and think – but for how long he wasn't sure. He wondered if the can-dropping lout was immune. His best chance was to quietly escape, but that was not likely while the foreigner remained nearby. He watched as another fly circled to land on the partly open mouth of the woman holding the chopsticks. Surely not another angel yet, he thought … and wondered if he should take the risk of a quick look behind him … and felt a large hand clamp strong, bony fingers around his upper arm. A thing that felt like a blunt-ended stick was thrust against his jaw. From somewhere just above and behind his head a deep, familiar and softly drawling voice murmured in English "So, Muggle – maybe you can tell me how you managed to resist my little charm …"
"Maybe you could tell me why you are here" Gendo replied in habitual defiance. While wondering if that tactic was wise. The man who had gripped him answered by yanking Gendo around in his seat, so that he faced a drinks dispenser standing against a wall. He recalled that this one vended iced tea. He caught a more detailed view of his captor – a tall, large-nosed man with greasy-looking hair as black as his robes. He watched as a thin-fingered hand flourished a baton-like object (is that a wand? Gendo thought; is this man a wizard? Or if not - what?) - before aiming it in the direction of the machine. "Evomo!" the man commanded. The machine shuddered, and then began spitting cans of chrysanthemum tea onto the concrete. He pointed the wand again: "Perdo!" – the drinks machine fell apart at its seams, littering the footpath with debris. The man pocketed the wand (Gendo felt the man's grip tighten to a crush), then he reached out towards the junk pile with his free hand open: "Accio Cylinder!" – a can of tea flew into it. Gendo watched as the wizard – for surely that was the best description of what he was - placed the can carefully on the counter before Gendo's face - then took the wand out again, aiming at the can: "Alohomora!" The top of the can flew open and released a short jet of foam, splattering Gendo's glasses. "Just from curiosity, you understand" the wizard said before taking a sip from it, and pulling a face: "I could never understand the appeal of violently bubbling drinks, though I suspect I could get accustomed to the taste of this - if it had come in a more drinkable form, that is" – he said, wiping his mouth and belching a little. Without taking his eyes off his captive, the wizard casually tossed the near-full can into the gutter. Gendo hear it roll wetly for a few seconds, then hiss as it came to rest. He felt the end of the wand press again into his cheek. His arm was growing numb. "Now, Muggle – in case you forgot I'm still waiting for you to answer my first question".
Gendo remained silent for a moment, his glasses reflecting the streetlights, face inscrutable. "What is your name, wizard?" he finally asked. "Why should I tell you?" murmured the wizard in reply, his voice growing suddenly softer. Gendo's danger-instincts were pricked, but he could think only to maintain a stance of impassive resistance to this stranger. Showing weakness in the face of difficult situations had never worked for him before anyway … it had never been his habit. The tip of the wand pressed harder into his face, and the wizard hissed: "You will tell me everything that I have asked you to, and you will make sure it the truth". "I am a simple office worker out for his evening meal" Gendo replied. "That is not enough" said the wizard – and roughly released his grip on Gendo's arm. Stepping back two paces, facing him all the time, he raised his wand and aimed: "I'd advise you not to even think of running away from me. You will not be fast enough, I can assure you" "What is your intention, wizard?" Gendo snapped. "To find out how a Muggle like you managed to resist me" – the wizard seemed slightly amused by Gendo's outburst. "Why do you keep calling me by that Muggle-word?" Gendo demanded. "Because that is what you are, Muggle". Came the reply: " Now look at me – Specto Mihi!" Gendo was caught off guard this time – before he could either turn his head away, he found himself staring directly into a pair of black, coldly glittering eyes. "Nice to see that this one finally worked". The wizard smirked, then aiming his wand again, exclaiming: "Legillimens!"
The next thing Gendo noticed was the wizard's smirking, hair-framed face vanishing before a tide of images. It was as if he had suddenly been thrown into a waking dream – a dream made out of his real memories. Scene by scene they flowed together into a single crazy film. He could see himself as a boy sitting in a room with his father, neither talking to the other. He was a teenager leaning against an alleyway fence, fists clenched against his sides. He was in college, hunched over a computer. He watched himself embracing Dr. Akagi for the first time … then saw her sprawled over her blood-splattered Magi computer. He saw himself take her grown daughter to his arms and to his bed. Coldly, he remembered how convenient the affair had been to him. He relived his first victory – saw the Second Angel explode. He again heard Shinji's words as his son defied him while facing the 13th; he felt again the intensity of the disappointment. Again he gave the command that freed Shinji's Evangelion so that it could tear that Angel apart. Blood running red rivers down the highway. Once more he burnt his hands as he struggled to free Rei from her berserk unit. Rei. He watched himself create her - and again found her dead and strangled, in the office above Akagi's broken body. Rei's regeneration. Her empty spare bodies floating in suspension. The second impact. SELLE. The Human Instrumentality Project. The Dead Sea Scrolls. NERV. More Angels. The Third Child. Antarctica. Memories continued to flow up around him like a spring. The Evas. Unit 0. Unit 0 going berserk. Unit 01, Yui …
Gendo saw Yui's face. He saw her smile. He re-lived the day they met, the day they wed, the day Shinji was born – but the memories flowed relentlessly on, and he relived the terrible moment of her disappearance. He relived the grief as he once again secluded himself, once more sent his son away, once again discovered that Yui was still ali… from somewhere in the back of his mind, behind the rushing jangle of images, Gendo became aware again of something else. That somewhere out there in the present reality, an ugly wizard was standing in front him, and who was picking through his precious memories like a vulture. Maybe even mocking him … how could he be sure what that stranger would plan to do with what he was picking out of him. He wondered if the greasy bastard would be interested in knowing where Yui was right now. He imagined the old crow standing before her in the hangar; wand in hand … and in Gendo's consciousness anger rose. If the wizard was truly reading his mind – and if he did not do something to stop it soon - he would be giving the lout a good chance at defiling the one remaining thing that held his sanity together. His one lifeline to the world … no, he was not going to give him access to her secret, God knew what that vile creature would try to do once he found his way to Yui … and used that wand on her ...
Gendo tried to retaliate against the mental invasion using all the ways that he knew. He remembered meditation techniques he learnt in his childhood, he tried Cabalistic visualisations; he went through all the other tricks of self-control familiar to many of those who survived a troubled youth. Gendo Ikari was extremely familiar with the finer arts of emotional control, but none of it was enough. The images kept coming, and the best he could manage was to steer the flow away from unit 01... from Yui. Then he remembered – the A.T field. He knew what it was - the barrier that all angels formed around their minds and souls against invasion. Humans had it too, though usually weaker. It was that same barrier his work in the Instrumentality Project sought one day to dissolve for all humanity. It was decreed as the source of human isolation and decadence. With that barrier between souls gone, humanity would be forced to end its stagnation – it would resume its evolution. According to SELLE. And as far as he cared they could be right. Whatever - for now he was going to call up that same barrier to protect himself. If the theories were right – and he tried correctly, maybe he too could generate a field strong enough to repel a wizard, if not an Angel. Hoping he was right, Gendo took the fiercest grip on his feelings that he could manage - and focused his mind again.
It didn't work immediately – the memories kept flowing. But – mercifully – the self-discipline gradually took effect. The flood of images grew slower, and seemed more transparent. The air around him cleared when the spell finally broke, and he saw the wizard's face take shape before him, while the world materialised back into focus. Reality returned. Gendo could hear the stall's noodle vat boiling behind him, cafe banners flapped and banged against their poles in the night breeze. He thought he could hear cicadas starting up somewhere. The wizard stood still before him, his face unreadable. Then, to Gendo's surprise, he looked away for a moment - and slowly shook his head. "I though things were bad enough back in my world, but this … you plan on destroying everybody. Destroying everybody … by forcing them out of their individuality into a single, lonely conglomerate of a creature. Even I find this ludicrous, even monstrous - to even think of forcing the world into such a fate".
"If you had been reading my mind correctly, you would have known our reason" Gendo replied. "Oh yes, I have been doing it correctly". The wizard said, his voice a little more sombre now: "And I still can neither understand nor agree with it. Nor do I wish to try to … from what little I've seen; I consider your plane to be an extremely unpleasant and undesirable place to linger about in. Now if you will excuse me there are some things I must do before I leave. Do not try to escape". He turned his wand towards the dismantled drinks machine, and said: "Reparo". The scattered pieces of the device flew up from the footpath, clicking into their places with precision until the machine was restored. "Accio Cylinder!" – another can of fizzy tea flew into his hands, which was stowed away somewhere in the depths of those robes. "Might be useful in a potion," the wizard murmured, before exclaiming: "Revertor!" – on the footpath the cans that remained flew back inside the machine.
Satisfied with the cleanup, the wizard turned back to face Gendo. "And there are some things I will enlighten you about before I leave" he continued: "Though I will not guarantee that you will be able to remember much of it". He smirked as he spoke, this time the smile was more grim than mocking. "Firstly, I called you a Muggle, because where I come from, that is the term that we use for a non-magical person like yourself. But though I still consider you as such, I noted that you twice displayed the ability for … shall I say … a rather obscure form of magic – one in which I myself am proficient at, I might add". The wizard seemed to be studying Gendo as he spoke. "And which explains why you were able to both resist my field of immobility charm, and break free from the legillimency spell". He explained. "legillimency?" Gendo asked. "Similar to what you Muggles would call mind-reading". The wizard continued: "And to break free from that is something few wizards or witches have the ability to do – let alone a Muggle such as yourself. For that one small accomplishment you have managed to impress me – to a point. Not so much that I did not take some other precautions in case you should so decide to try any further foolishness …" That was when Gendo noticed that his wrists seemed locked together, and that he was unable to move his legs … "A simple binding charm", The wizard explained: "From which you will be released after I leave". He raised his wand again.
"Before I unfreeze this area and wipe your memories clean of this incident". The wizard continued, " I will tell you why I came here - I was while scouting through different planes for a suitable place of refuge, in the probability that a certain war back home - that I am currently involved in – fails to work out in our side's favour. It's not necessary to for me to tell you any more than that – since very little of it would concern you anyway. Except to add that, unlike you Muggles here, we intend to resolve the problem by destroying the Dark Lord responsible. Not, I might further add – by semi-annihilating the individuality of every single being on this world, which – as I may have already mentioned - I shall be very glad to leave …"
Gendo wondered then if his attempt at self-protection had been more successful than he had hoped – and if Yui was safe. But though he felt relieved and grateful for his luck, he had a sudden irrational need to say something, anything, to justify to this man the project that he had his life's work into – so for the sake of his purpose and pride he spoke up: "Maybe you have been judging the issue from the wrong angle, wizard" he said: "The tragedy of humanity lies in its fragmentation, in it's separateness. I have good evidence that we were originally one being, pure and whole – but that being was divided by catastrophe into the scattered individual souls that you & I are today. The project that I'm involved in … is to simply repair the damage done by that tragedy. To bring us back together again into perfect oneness, no more separation … into perfect understanding".
The wizard looked at him, bland-faced, wand poised. "I saw your memories. I too lost someone important to me once". His eyes seemed to focus elsewhere for a moment, then he continued: "And I too must deal with reliving her memory whenever I look into the eyes of a child that I must help to guide. A boy who - much like your own son, has from an early age been charged with the task to defeat a powerful adversary. And much like you, it is part of my work to prepare him for this. And yes, he too has greatly disappointed me more than once … but in my world, I know of not one being on the side of light that intends to accomplish this through the annihilation of individuality – rather, if that happened then I would consider it a sign of defeat. I for one regard my selfhood to be a possession of inestimable value – even if there have been those who have doubted my own right to have it". The last phrase he spoke with a tone of bitterness. The wizard looked again at Gendo, inscrutable eyes studying him: "Pity that you are not of my world, Muggle. You and I appear to have some rather interesting things in common. I suspect you would have made a great wizard had you been born as one …" He raised his wand to prepare the disillusionment charm.
"Before you leave" Gendo asked: "What was the name for this magic that I had apparently shown?" "Occulemency, my friend", replied Severus Snape. "Now this is where I must leave you" – and the last thing that Gendo Ikari remembered before his mind shut down again was the wand moving to another Latin-sounding word … and he jerked his head up from the counter. He must have nodded off. He saw the noodle vendor throw a sieve-full of overcooked ramen into the bin. A woman next to him coughed out a fly. A new wad of noodles was thrown into the boiler, and he settled down again to wait. The lights of the city flashed their neon reflections across his glasses while he sat, masking his eyes from the world. They gazed now at a can of chrysanthemum tea that was lying in a pool of its contents on the footpath. There was something about its presence that bugged him, and he could not remember why …