Blood: This is certainly a surprise. You're not the type to post a oneshot that isn't part of a series of unrelated oneshots.
Yoruko: To be honest, this was inspired by the author Eirenei.
Vivaldi: We were curious, so we read the Harry Potter books. If it were in our power, the heads of the entire Dursley family would roll. We commend you on your innovative story ideas, though.
Yoruko: Thank you, Vivaldi.
Summary: Selene Potter, the twin of the Girl Who Lived, was abandoned by her father after ensuring that her twin would have her magic. Dumbledore thought she would be safer, so he did nothing to stop James Potter from abandoning her. Living with the Dursleys, it was only natural that Selene would want to escape the world she lived in. Then she met Boris, and he saved her and they became siblings. Thus, the way to Wonderland opened for her years before the day Peter White kidnapped Alice Liddel. Unlike Alice, Selene had no intentions of ever returning to the world she was from. When a group of wizards showed up to get her to help them defeat Voldemort, it was already too late. Selene Potter had already become the only Foreign Role Holder. fem!Harry/Nightmare/Gray, Alice/Julius
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and Quinrose owns Heart no Kuni no Alice.
The Foreign Role Holder
It was a boring, ordinary Sunday when Selene met him. Not that she had minded that in the least. Boring meant that Dudley wasn't around after all, and that meant relative safety as long as she behaved. In fact, Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon were also absent. They had left that morning to see Marge Dursley, Vernon's sister. Some sort of emergency or other had come up. They left Selene because Marge hated her as much as they did. For once, the Dursleys hadn't had a choice but to leave her alone with instructions to look after the house- Mrs. Fig was away on vacation. So at the time Selene had been weeding the garden. That was when he appeared, as if out of thin air. At first he looked like a pink cat with golden eyes that looked entirely too human for Selene to think he was a cat. He also had piercings even back then, which only increased her suspicions.
"Hello; I'm Selene. What's your name?" she asked him.
"I'm Boris Airay. Say... why are you doing the gardening?" he asked her, "Isn't that what moms do when they don't have the money to hire a gardener?"
"I wouldn't know. Aunt Petunia always makes me cook and do most of the chores." Selene told him, not at all surprised at or disturbed by the presence of a talking cat, "And I never met my mom. Say, Boris... are you really a cat? Your eyes look human to me."
At that, Boris suddenly changed into a boy. Only, he still had cat ears and tail. Selene had never seen anyone like that before. Plus she was sure his clothes would make the Dursleys call him a delinquent or a freak. Not Selene, though. Instead, she grinned, having decided that in most cases if it wasn't what the Dursleys called normal it was okay to her.
"... You look cool!" she exclaimed.
"Say, you're pretty interesting. Will you play with me?" Boris asked her.
"I'd love to! No one's ever asked me before... But, I need to finish the chores first." Selene said with a grin. 'My first friend!'
"I'll help you." Boris declared.
She blinked, thrown off by the statement because no one had ever even offered to help before, let alone actually done so. "Eh?"
"Two heads are better than one, right?" he said, "It'll probably be boring, but that way we can play sooner."
The next few months passed in much the same way. Time passed slowly for Selene, who was already counting the days until she could leave Privet Drive. Whether it was the same for Boris or different, he never told her. But for the first time, life was tolerable- even fun- for Selene with Boris' random and rather sudden visits to look forward to. He even taught her Japanese, Russian (Strangely enough), and how to defend herself. His riddles were fun, too. Boris even knew some magic, and taught her to control the 'funny business' her relatives hated.
At first, when September came around after she turned eleven, it looked like Selene's situation might improve. She didn't know the reason, but even Vernon treated her less harshly. For the first time, they started to rein in Dudley's bullying ways a little where she was concerned. As long as she did her chores and stayed out of their way, the Dursleys ignored her completely. The only thing that changed was that because of this, she was hungrier than ever when the Dursleys were around. The green eyed girl still considered it an improvement.
It was her twelfth birthday when things started to go downhill. Grunnings, the company Vernon Dursley worked for, had chosen him to entertain someone important from a partner company for dinner. Some way or other, they figured out that Selene was there and found her in her cupboard. She only escaped trouble because she hadn't made a sound as instructed. The only result was that she was moved from the cupboard- which was cramped because she was tall for her age- to Dudley's unused second bedroom.
This turned out to be even worse. Until the school year, she was only let out to use the bathroom. After she was free, Vernon switched his punishments from being locked up to hitting her with his belt. She was just grateful that he didn't have the nerve to hit her hard enough to risk scars or noticeable wounds.
All the rising tension came to a head when Halloween arrived. Marge Dursley had come over because she wouldn't be able to come for Christmas. Selene had been happy to ignore the fat, woman with a mustache... until Marge insulted her mother. Petunia had let her have her mother's old diaries when she found them while cleaning the attic. Selene couldn't care less what more than likely inaccurate conclusions the Dursleys drew about her MIA father. Her mother apparently hadn't been able to stand him during their school days so some of it might have been true anyway. But… insulting her mom had been the last straw for Selene.
Any semblance of self control the young girl had flew right out the window. To start with, Selene had only yelled at Marge. The Dursleys had been too shocked at first at not only the fact that Selene was shouting like that but also at the revelation concerning her father to do anything. Then she lost control of her magic… First, Marge Dursley's wine glass shattered; then Vernon Dursley's sister swelled up like a balloon. Selene shouted that she was through with the lot of them, then ran out of the room before Vernon could attempt to harm her, kill her, or make her fix Marge.
Selene didn't stop until she collapsed on her knees in an isolated part of the neighborhood park the local playground was located in. Then she realized that her face felt wet, and wondered when she'd started crying and why she hadn't noticed. It was odd for the twelve year old girl. She hadn't shed a tear in years so she'd been under the impression that she had forgotten how to cry. As she started raising a hand to wipe at her tears, she felt a pair of arms around her. Selene knew immediately who it was, realizing at the same time that she had been cold. Only one person she could remember had hugged her.
"…Boris…?" she turned around in his arms to look at him.
"It's okay to cry, you know." was all he said.
She finally broke down sobbing, her face hidden by his chest. Boris just held her, letting her get it all out of her system. He knew how much she needed it. Selene had once told him that he was her first friend. She couldn't even remember having ever had a real family.
"I-I'm so sick and tired of being alone." she admitted, "Why can't I have a loving family? How come you're the only one willing to be my friend?"
"…Selene…?" Boris started, knowing what to do, "If you're willing… I'll be your family from now on."
"… Really?" she sniffed, happier than she could ever remember being.
"I've already come to see you as a little sister." the pink haired cat boy admitted, glad that she had cheered up, "So what do you say, Selene? Would you like to leave this world behind and come live with me in Wonderland?"
"I wouldn't want it any other way… Boris-nii." Selene declared.
In that way, two things came to be at once. First of all, Selene came to live in one Mary Gowland's amusement park. Second, and more importantly, Selene Potter became Selene Airay, Boris' sister, and cast away her old name and home. Boris and to a lesser extent Selene came to eventually see Gowland as an uncle of sorts- as he was far too eccentric and irresponsible for her to consider him a father. Also, Vivaldi herself, the notorious Queen of Hearts, took a liking to Selene. The royal woman made sure that the green-eyed girl had plenty of cute clothes. The two took great delight in burning Dudley's old cast-offs.
Then, of course, there was the incubus, or dream demon- Nightmare Gottschalk. Being a little older than Boris, he was already a teenager. The dream demon had been one of the first she met in Wonderland. He was really nice though, as Selene found… If a little weird at times. Nightmare helped Selene make understand how things worked in Wonderland; thus helping her adapt easier to her new home. Upon being told by him that it was possible to return- and how do to so- Selene took the first opportunity she found to break the vial Boris had had her drink when they arrived in Heart Country.
Of course, meeting Vivaldi had also involved meeting the other resident Role Holders of Heart Castle. Ace quickly became almost like a cousin or second brother. Selene thought he was silly, but she liked how cheerful he tended to be. She even got the directionally challenged knight to teach her how to use a sword. However, unlike the Knight of Hearts, she unlike Ace couldn't even pretend to like Peter White.
Of course, who could forget the Hatters? Elliot, though usually unintentionally, had a tendency to make Selene laugh. When he wasn't in Boss Mode (as Selene called it) or purposely getting her Gowland mad Blood Dupre proved to be a good teacher when he put his mind to it. It was quite the opposite of Selene's experience in elementary school. The first Bloody Twins had been girls much older than Selene. They were always been far too busy arguing to be worth paying attention to. They hadn't lasted long anyway. (Selene still didn't know the story but Blood had shot them because they tried to attack her even though they were supposed to know that she was always welcome.) The replacements were boys named Dee and Dum who were a few years younger than Selene. They quickly became Selene and Boris' best friends.
It wasn't until Ace decided to drag her on one of his 'adventures' that she met Julius, the clockmaker- aka 'The Mortician'. At first, Julius had seemed grumpy almost the point of being unfriendly. However, he proved to be really nice if you gave him a chance… and weren't too much of a nuisance. In Selene's opinion, the blue haired man was as lonely as she used to be. So the young girl often visited him. Much like Boris' visits to Heart Castle without the danger in fact. Only, Julius eventually told her she was welcome to come and go as she pleased. Then, naturally, Selene learned the entire truth about the heart clocks and Julius' job. His reaction when she hadn't reacted had been funny. Especially when she said that even though Blood was the one who sometimes tutored her and Boris and Gowland were her family, Julius was the one she looked up to. It was difficult to make the infamous Clockmaker speechless after all.
"Don't tell, though, Julius." Selene had requested conspiratorially, "Boris-nii and Gowland Tou-san would pout." Which had gained her a chuckle and a pat on the head.
For a while, time passed in much the same manner. Time was random in Wonderland, yet contained a routine which was only kept from being mundane by the chaos which was the norm for that world. Then Selene's first April Season came. Selene had woken up one day to find that it was fall in the Amusement Park's territory. Watching Boris chase the new resident, Pierce, was funny to Selene. She thought April Season was great fun! The green eyed girl had also been ecstatic to see Nightmare outside of dreamland.
As her immune system had still been recovering from her time in Privet Drive, the constant change of environment made Selene catch a cold. So she was stuck inside for a week to recover. Once she was better, she got lost on her way to the Hatter Mansion to play with Dee and Dum, who had gotten spring as their resident territory's season. After wandering aimlessly through a forest filled with toys Selene ended up at… a circus tent, of all things. Having never been to a circus, she was about to explore when she felt and saw a hand on her shoulder.
"Excuse me, Ojou-san, but you're technically trespassing." a redhead in a jester outfit informed her, "You see, this is my circus."
Selene just blinked. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "I was only trying to visit Dee and Dum. I'm Selene Airay, who are you?"
"I'm Joker." he said with a close-eyed smile.
Then a voice came from the mask on Joker's belt. "Brat, why do you have the same last name as the stupid cat?"
"Boris-nii is my big brother!" she exclaimed, have bragging and half defending the Cheshire Cat, "He saved me and gave me a home when I was all alone."
"I've told you before to watch your mouth around children, Joker." Joker admonished the mask, and then looking back down at Selene said, "I see. So you're a foreigner?"
"Foreigner? But Heart Country has been my home since Boris-nii took me here." She protested.
Joker laughed. "No, Selene, here 'foreigner' only means you're from a different world, like the term outsider."
"You mean the place I was born?" Selene said with a frown, "I hate it there. I wouldn't go back even if I never broke the vial after I found out what it's for. I see no reason to stay in a world where pretty much no one I can remember cared."
"…!" Joker's eyes went wide, "What did you say Selene-chan?"
"Are you deaf, Bastard? The stupid brat said that she broke the damn vial!" the mask said.
"Quiet, Joker!" Joker once more reprimanded his twin (not that Selene knew that yet), and then turning to Selene asked her, "Does anyone know?"
Selene shook her head in the negative. "No one mentioned the vial other than Nightmare-kun telling me I would need it to go back, so why would I?"
The 'mask' started laughing. "Kekeke! I think I might actually like this kid."
Being Boris' little sister (he was a cat after all) her curiosity finally got the best of her, so she asked "Joker-san, why is the mask on your belt talking and how come you call him Joker? That's your name."
"This mask is how I talk to my twin, who is also named Joker." The redhead explained.
"That's a little confusing… can I just call you Akai-kun and Kuroi-kun?" Selene said in response to the information.
"…Akai?" Joker inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"There are two different colors for the four suits in a deck of cards, two Joker cards in a deck- one of each color- and two of you." Selene explained, almost as if it were obvious, which, with her still being a child, she probably thought it was.
"That actually makes sense in a way, Selene-chan." Joker- or Akai- said with another closed-eyed smile.
"At least the brat didn't come up with lame names like Black and White." The newly nicknamed Kuroi commented.
Selene shrugged in response to the comment. "Well, life in general isn't so simple no matter where you are. People that see or describe bad or evil and good as black and white forget that a world of all black and white would have shades of gray." She pointed out, "Besides… you learn pretty quickly that no one in Wonderland is as good or innocent as they appear, even if they're actually as nice as they seem."
Akai just chuckled at what she said. It amused him that she could say something so insightful when she was so young. He was sure the not quite foreigner had risen up in his twin's eyes. Watching how she affected things would be great fun.
"…Ne, Akai-kun?" Selene asked, "Why did you look so alarmed when I said that I broke the vial?"
"Damn, this kid is sharp." Kuroi said, "When she changed subjects I thought she forgot or didn't notice."
Akai ignored his foul-mouthed brother in favor of answering the girl's question. "The vial should not have been able to break unless full.
"Why shouldn't it have broken?" Selene asked.
"My dear girl, it was your only connection to your old world." Akai informed her, "Both the vial itself and the potion it contained are vital to a foreigner's role in the game until the end of the game when they have to decide between staying and leaving. You're the first to do such a thing."
Her eyes widened at the news. "Well, then… I'm still glad that I did it if it connected me to that place. But, what… does that mean for me?"
"I'm afraid, my dear, that you'll have to ask Julius or Nightmare. Only those two have a role that might allow them to know what to expect or do." he said, "You may, however, have to wait until April Season is over. During this time, the role holders and faceless are bound to their resident territories."
"… I see." Selene said, still a bit confused.
"Normally, that's where this loser comes in." Kuroi spoke up, "If a foreigner beats him in a game of cards, they can visit other territories by changing the season."
"Well, then, no use worrying about it now." Selene said, "That might mean that I can still come and go as I please."
"Would you like to play a game anyway?" Akai asked, holding out a few cards.
"Sure! Sounds like fun." Selene said with a grin.
Selene still managed to visit the twins when she left. They had a lot of fun. Even if the only reason the twins' pay wasn't docked was because Blood, unlike the angry Elliot, found this particular resulting chaos amusing. A week after she met Joker, she had figured out that she really could come and go as she pleased. So, she decided to visit Julius and Nightmare. That was when the next unexpected occurrence happened.
Selene bumped into someone at the entrance. She almost fell, but a strong arm caught her before she could hit the ground. Intending to apologize, she looked up to thank the person who caught her. Only to fail to fight down a blush instead. It was a role holder she'd never met- or heard of, for that matter- before. He was every bit as handsome as Nightmare, only he seemed more mature than the incubus.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"Yeah, thank you for stopping my fall. I'm sorry for bumping into you. I'm usually more aware than that." She said with a grin, "Oh! Where are my manners, my name is Selene Airay."
"… I'm Gray Ringmark, nice to meet you. And think nothing of it." He said, fighting back a small blush of his own, normally Gray couldn't stand children; but she was every bit as adorable as the kittens he liked to take in, "Are you by any chance related to the Cheshire Cat?"
Her grin widened. "He's been my big brother since he saved me!"
"… I see. May I ask why you're here?" Gray inquired.
"I'm here to see Julius and Nightmare-kun, of course!" she exclaimed.
Gray's eyebrow twitched at the mention of the clockmaker. "I see. Then if you would excuse me."
'…What was that? I wonder why his attitude changed when I mentioned Julius.' She thought, 'Oh, well. Why he doesn't like Julius is none of my business. I'll figure it out later.'
With a shrug to herself she was off. A short time later she could be found in Julius' workshop. Selene had just finished telling him about almost everything that had happened since she last saw him. He had even replied or commented occasionally. So, when Nightmare came in, having gathered that she was there from a stray thought of Gray's about a strange girl, she was helping Julius fix clocks. Nightmare was very amused when he noticed that the Clockmaker was even letting her do small repairs and explaining a little about what he was doing. However, he shoved that in the back of his mind in favor of his main objective.
"Here you are, Selene! I was very disappointed when I found out that you were here yet hadn't come to see me." Nightmare complained.
"You just want an excuse to slack off, Bagworm." Julius accused.
"I just don't see why the first person she wanted to see was a gloomy man like you." Nightmare retorted.
"I came her to see both of you, Nightmare!" Selene protested, partially to stop an argument, "I'll have you know that I was going to go find you soon."
"So you say, but even my slave driver of an assistant got to see you before I did." Nightmare pouted, "And I had wanted to be there when you met."
Selene blinked. "Do you mean Gray-san? I ran into him at the door when I got here… literally."
Nightmare chuckled. "That's certainly an interesting way to meet someone."
"Yup!" she chirped, having remained unfazed from the encounter, (though she did wonder why Julius seemed irritated at the mere mention of the not present role holder) "… Speaking of interesting encounters, he's the third person I met this week... sort of. One of them wasn't actually there in person."
As he could read minds, Nightmare saw just who she was talking about and almost paled. "You met Joker?"
Julius placed his tools on the table and turned to look at Selene. "That guy didn't do something to you, did he?"
Selene tilted her head in confusion at their reactions; was this why Dee and Dum said things would get interesting if she mentioned Joker to the other Role Holders? "Nothing weird or bad, if that's what you mean. The mask he said was to talk to his twin had a foul mouth, but both Jokers seemed pretty cool. The one I met in person even played cards with me."
"Then did they say anything?" Nightmare asked.
"We talked a lot, in fact. Actually, now that you mention it…" the girl answered, "Both of them seemed pretty surprised that I broke the vial so I can stay in this world without worrying about being forced to go back… He said it was weird that I was still in good health. Nightmare… is there something you didn't tell me when you told me about the vial?"
Nightmare paled, and both his and Julius' eyes widened. Both knew the full importance of the potion to a foreigner's continued existence in Wonderland. Until it was filled completely, the vial was supposed to be unbreakable by anyone or anything because without it a foreigner's position could be precarious at even the best of times in most cases. (Every role holder that knew the whole truth was very thankful that there had previously only been on or two cases long before even their predecessors were born.) That was because the vial represented the foreigner's home, the choice they would need to make and the potion represented their emotions. For those with no intention of staying or who were undecided, drinking the potion was their key home. Without it, a person from a different world became neither foreigner nor either role holder or faceless, and thus was an anomaly. Nightmare told Selene all of this. She started to tremble, tears in her eyes. Julius looked panicked, but Nightmare just held her, knowing she was scared now.
"Why would you do such a thing, Selene?" Nightmare asked her, "I told you that you never have to go back if you don't want to."
She pulled away slightly so she could look at both of them. "I… didn't want to be able to leave." she told them, "Because this wonderful wonder world is the only real home I've ever known that I can remember."
"You'll be all right, Selene. I'm sure we'll figure this out." Nightmare assured her.
"You're still all right, so I doubt the situation is as dire as it might have been." Julius added, "It may be as simple as finding you a job or "purpose", thus a role."
Julius, to no one's surprise, turned out to be right when they figured things out around a week and a half later. They only needed to find something tied to the game Selene could do that sparked her interest. To some people's amusement and others' surprise or indignance, she chose to be a doctor whose job included making replacements for the clocks which were too damaged to be fixed, had been broken on purpose, or simply wouldn't work even after Julius fixed them. She chose that job because she wanted to be neutral. Selene got home to the amusement park the time period after she told Nightmare and Julius about breaking the Vial. When she told Boris about it, he gave her one of the tightest, warmest hugs she'd ever received.
At first, the pink haired boy was silent, but then he admitted, "I've never been so happy, Selene… I'd been so afraid that one day you would want to go back and find your real family."
"You are my real family, Boris-nii." Selene said, "So… you're not mad?"
Boris pulled away and smiled. "You're okay, right? So it's no big deal."
"I love you, Boris-nii!" Selene exclaimed, hugging him.
"I love you too, Imouto."
Once Selene got used to her new role, the years passed with few changes or deviations from Wonderland's chaotic routine. When in Clover Country or when April Season came to Heart Country, Selene got closer to Gray and even- during April Season, as that was the only time they were around- both Jokers. The Bloody Twins were her best friends, but she was closest to Boris, Julius, Nightmare, and Gray. The Jokers came as a close second compared to the Bloody Twins, though. Eventually, when she was a teenager and almost done growing, Blood told her that she had no more need for tutoring, but could borrow books whenever she wanted.
That was when Peter White started to disappear on occasion. Always, Selene noticed, during time periods that lay within Sunday. When he stopped, only Selene and Nightmare- as he could read minds and visit dreams- noticed that Peter was slightly down. Though, Vivaldi did notice that the Prime Minister seemed distracted. That was the first sign Selene noticed that foretold upcoming change.
Because she had noticed, after asking Nightmare about it she found out that there was another foreigner who needed Wonderland. A young woman a couple of years older than her named Alice Liddel. Alice's older sister Lorina, the only person she was close to, had died with a powerful wish for Alice to find a world where there would be people who cared for her. That was because Alice's ex, who the younger girl still cared for, left Alice to try- and fail- to pursue Lorina. Thus, Nightmare told Selene, if Peter, who had a connection to Alice not unlike the one she herself had with Boris, if said White Rabbit came to Nightmare for help he would assist Peter in bringing Alice to Heart Country.
Just as the incubus had told Selene, Peter indeed approached Nightmare. Alice adjusted to Heart Country just as easily as the younger girl had… even though she had to deal with Peter, who turned into an almost sweet stalker where the older girl was concerned. Selene decided once and for all after learning about how Alice came to be in Wonderland and how Peter liked trying to shoot anyone who got close to Alice until she made him stop, that she simply did not like the White Rabbit.
As Alice was a little older than Selene and they quickly became close, it didn't take long for Selene to deem the 'foreigner' her female role model. Or for her to conspire with Nightmare and Ace- who as Julius' friend saw as quickly as Selene did where the foreigner and clock maker's relationship was headed-to decide to give Alice and Julius a push in the right direction. The two weren't much older than the green eyed girl, but both had become the girl's role models. Julius also happened to, besides being as good as taking care of her as Boris was when needed, make her feel as safe as her brother did. Plus, even though they were almost the same age Alice bestowed the same motherly attention on Selene that she did the Bloody Twins. The two, similar to Boris, had become part of Selene's family. Thus, in Selene's eyes she wanted the two who had become the closest thing she'd ever known to parents to have all of the happiness that they deserved.
The matchmaking plot ended up screeching to a halt, almost failing. After the move to Clover Country but before Selene and Nightmare managed to turn a door for an unused closet into a connection to the Clock Tower, Alice had been sad and homesick for the clock Tower. So Selene invited Alice to have a girl's night in her room at the Amusement Park. As was any female friend or sister's duty, Selene took the chance to tease Alice about Julius. Selene wouldn't say that it hadn't worked. On the contrary, to Selene's delight Alice was so thrown for a loop that she was silent for a moment. Then after what she said had processed, the older girl blushed. It did, however, backfire on Selene.
"What about you?" Alice threw back, (It would have been dead-panned if not for the slightly teasing tone) "You're pretty close to Gray and Nightmare… And they seem to feel the same.
Selene did something Alice and Joker had realized only happened if it involved Nightmare or Gray, she blushed. "What do you mean?"
'Does she really not know…' Alice wondered, then said, "Haven't you realized? It's clear to most that you have feelings for both of them… Though Gowland seems to have fooled himself into thinking that it's only a temporary crush."
"… So that's what it is… Alice-nee… Isn't it weird… for someone to like tow people?" Selene asked, "And they can't possibly feel the same way."
"Nonsense, I haven't see anyone else make Gray blush and Nightmare is always so happy to see you that no one can catch him to make him work." Alice retorted, "And even if one of them didn't, at least you know you won't end up with a broken heart." 'That's right,' Alice realized, 'She's close to my age and fairly mature, but she's still younger.'
After that, Selene subtly showed the two male residents of Clover Tower how she felt. Luckily, Nightmare didn't seem to have caught a stray that made being subtle useless. All in all, it seemed to be working somewhat. Even the cynical and mature Alice thought it was going well.
Not long after that, the Clover and Clock towers were finally connected. When Julius stepped through that door for the first time after Nightmare told him through a dream to see if it worked, Selene swore she had never seen Alice look so happy. Then, whether because she missed the clockmaker so much or because Selene's slight success with Nightmare and Gray gave her confidence would never be known even to Alice herself… But after a moment she was hugging the socially awkward clockmaker.
"I'm so glad you're here. I was so worried that with no one around you would be so busy with work that you'd forget to take care of yourself." Alice had said, almost in tears, "You have no idea how much I missed you, Julius."
At first Julius was too stunned to do anything but stand there. Shock was clear on his face. Later, Selene would even claim that he'd been blushing. But then his expression softened, and he returned her embrace.
"I'm here now, so don't cry Alice." Julius said to comfort her, "I don't know what to do when you cry."
The sight made Selene smile brightly. She was happy for her two friends, they were perfect for each other. Selene hoped that she would be as lucky in love. Nightmare, who had caught Selene's thoughts, looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He had never realized that the medic of Wonderland was no exception to women having a romantic side.
By the time Alice's first April Season came, Nightmare- encouraged by Alice and Julius' successful budding relationship- started to give Selene his own not quite so subtle signs of affection. Even Gray had finally begun to catch on. That had been a miracle in itself, Alice had decided long before that the ex assassin must be oblivious in terms of romance.
For a while, the Jokers had been giving Alice a hard time. That had been because Alice felt guilty for choosing Wonderland and her own happiness over her sister, which awoke the Jokers' primary role as enforcers of the rules. Eventually, however, Selene, as the Jokers' only real friend, got both Akai and Kuroi to behave before Julius ended up having to kill one or both of them. It helped when she threatened to play one of the Bloody Twins' games with them as the target, only unlike the twins, who though younger were bad influences on her, she wouldn't' kill them if given a choice. Luckily Selene didn't have to test her weapons on them after all. Akai had been quite understanding after the medic explained that while Alice would always miss Lorina she had no regrets about deciding to stay.
After everything was said and done, and the Jokers were gone until the next April Season, Julius thanked Selene when she was at the tower while Alice was out. Gray and Nightmare heard the exchange, and asked her about it. Gray only raised an eyebrow, surprised. Nightmare, however, had a different reaction.
"Joker has never listened to anyone before, you know. In fact, one might go so far as to wonder if he has feelings for you with how close you two are." Nightmare commented, gauging Selene's reaction carefully, "Tell me truthfully, Selene… You haven't fallen for that guy, have you?"
Selene shook her head, sure that the Jokers only saw her as a friend. "NO, Akai-kun and Kuroi-kun are both only friends. But surely you already knew that they weren't who I like, Nightmare?"
"Oh? You have someone else in mind who you do like, then?" Nightmare asked.
Selene blushed, as he and Gray were said objects of her affections, but wisely refrained from thinking anything that could give her away. "While I'm waiting for Alice, I'll see if Julius wants any help."
Then Selene walked away, her face red.
'Why did she avoid the subject like that? That isn't like her…' Gray thought, looking in the direction she went in.
It struck a chord in Nightmare as well. Before long, they pieced together the puzzle from things Alice and Julius had said. But not until Boris said one of the few times he went to the tower with Selene 'Are you all right Selene? I've never seen you red like that before.' Ace's teasing, which had made no sense before then, helped make it clear too.
At first, neither man was sure how to proceed with the knowledge of how they felt about Selene, and that she seemed to possibly like both of them back. In the end, neither was willing to back off or give her up. So they talked it out, and came to an agreement. If Selene was willing, they would share her. They told her during their first date, and both would forever cherish the memory of the hug she gave them after they told her.
"I'm so happy…" she mumbled, "I didn't think anything I did to hint at my feelings worked."
Gray's eyes widened, thinking of all the times Selene had done something that almost made him blush for reasons he hadn't completely understood until recently. 'That… was on purpose…?'
Nightmare only chuckled, having known longer, and also knowing about her time in her world. "Oh, Selene. Haven't you realized?" he told her, "Even if some only see the Cheshire Cat's sister or the clockmaker's assistant, you've always just been our Selene. Even if it took us a while to realize just how we feel."
"Indeed, Nightmare-sama is right." Gray said, then moving his face closer to Selene added, "And I think I speak for both of us when I say that now that you're finally in our grasp, we'll never let you go."
Selene blushed and kissed Gray on the cheek. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
About a year passed after that. Soon after the trio's first date, Alice and Julius were ousted as officially being a couple. Selene beat even Ace and Nightmare in the bet for how long it would take them to be a couple. She also got the added bonus of the amusement that came from the reactions of everyone who hadn't seen her own relationship coming. Meaning everyone besides Alice, Julius, the Jokers, and, surprisingly enough, Ace. For a while there were no problems outside of the sort which came with the almost peaceful chaos which came with an ordinary day in Wonderland. Besides the occasional rebel, that is, but they rarely proved troublesome or problematic.
At first, the next April Season had been an ordinary one, just one that had Alice around. To Selene's amusement and Alice's surprise, there had been a bet between the Jokers on how long it would take Selene to confess, and Kuroi won. The season was currently spring, as the four residents of Clover Tower had agreed to go to the amusement to spend time having fun with Selene. Afterward they intended to bring her to the tower with them for a couple of time zones so they could make a double date out of the first circus event. As the Jokers showed every sign of keeping their promise to Selene, even Julius was looking forward to it. (It helped that that year Clover Tower was the territory with summer.)
The time zone before the circus event, the five were enjoying the rare break that Gray had allowed and Alice had succeeded in talking Julius into. However, Nightmare felt the tug that meant a role holder wanted into the dream realm he commanded. It was Joker, the last person the incubus expected.
"Get your ass in here, you damn caterpillar! There's a problem!" Judging by the language, it was the one Alice almost decided to call 'Black-san', Kuroi.
Nightmare brought both himself and Selene into the dream realm only to find… "Both of you? This is a surprise."
"Kuroi-kun, is something wrong?" Selene asked, knowing that he was more likely to give a straight answer since Akai liked games.
"A bunch of people in weird clothes with sticks appeared out of nowhere, Gaki-chan." The prison guard informed her, using his rarely used nickname for her to show that it was serious. (He rarely called her that because he respected her and she was now too old to be called a brat.)
"There's even a girl with brown eyes who looks like you did before you dyed your front strands purple." The jester Joker added, "And they're asking for you, Selene-chan."
Selene's eyes widened. Memories of a dream of green light and a time she had all but forgotten, and hadn't even thought of since before she met Boris, flashed in her mind. The normally calm yet cheerful girl girl's eyes hardened. It would seem that the past the Dursleys tried to keep her from had decided to try and come after her. If she hadn't known Nightmare already knew somehow, she would have been freaking out. Hearing her thoughts, Nightmare pulled her into his arms. The dream demon wasn't going to let anyone take her from him.
"We'll be there soon. I'll have all the role holders go there for an emergency meeting." he told the Jokers.
"Wise decision." Akai said, "After all since Selene is one of those with a role, something this big could affect everyone."
"I'm sorry for the trouble." Selene said quietly.
"Don't worry about it, Selene." Kuroi assured, "Just hurry up."
The current time zone- evening- proved to be a long one when it didn't get lighter or darker even after everyone finally arrived at the circus. Which, luckily, didn't take too long. Vivaldi and Peter had refused to let Ace lead the way. While most were simply curious as to why they were there or annoyed, a couple had realized that the situation must be serious.
"Why are we even here in the first place?! The damn circus event isn't even until the next midday time zone!" Elliot complained, "And I was trying out a new recipe for carrot cake."
"Behave, Elliot. For the caterpillar to call all of us role holders here, it must be an emergency or at least serious." Blood reprimanded.
"Sorry, Blood." Elliot said, ears drooping.
"What's going on, Nightmare?! You said it was about Selene." Boris demanded, clearly worried.
"I'm not aware of the full situation either, Cheshire Cat." Nightmare said, "I was just informed of it myself."
"Then we demand that you tell us what you do know or at least who it was that brought the problem to your attention." Vivaldi demanded.
"I apologize for the trouble, but we have some intruders in Wonderland." Akai said from the doorway.
"But surely you are capable of taking care of such a thing, Joker." Blood said tauntingly, "Unless you're losing your touch, that is?"
"We would easily if it were that simple, bastard." Kuroi retorted, having come in at the same time as his 'twin', "These intruders are from the other world, and one of them looks somewhat like Selene used to."
"You mean like a twin?" Dee asked.
"Selene-nee, why didn't you say that you have a sister?" Dum chimed in.
"If I do have a sister, it's Alice-chan." Selene said coldly, using a tone that was so similar to one the role holders had only heard when rebels tried kidnapping Alice to get at Julius that some of the role holders shivered or frowned.
"Now young lady, I know that the Dursleys are muggles but surely they taught you better than that." a main with looks vaguely similar to Selene said.
"I believe I asked you to stay in the tent that my staff escorted you to until I came to get you personally." the jester Joker said, a dangerous undertone to his seemingly gentle and pleasant voice you usually needed to have interacted with him before to notice.
"Now now my boy, the situation we're in is desperate. I'm sure you understand." an old man with an incredibly long beard said.
"Neither of us is your anything, you old coot." Kuroi snarled, annoyed due to the worry for Selene he was trying to hide.
"Joker! At least pretend to respect your elders." Akai admonished.
"Selene Marie Potter, I expect an answer young lady" the first man spoke, having ignored the Jokers.
"The name," Selene bit out, "Is Selene Airay. And it's been what, sixteen years? As far as I'm concerned, you're only a stranger who supplied half my DNA. So don't talk like I mean anything to you or like I have any reason to listen to you."
"That's no way to talk to your father Missy." scolded an older man with a weird false eye.
"... Father, you say? Is that who that man thinks he is?" Boris asked in a voice no one had ever heard that spelled danger, "If he's really her father where was he when Vernon Dursley's sister let her dog bite Selene for no reason, then no one was even decent enough to take her to the hospital or at least bandage her arm? Where was he when they left her alone for two weeks so they could visit said sister? Where was he when they treated Selene like a servant, and were always locking her in a cupboard under the stairs until she almost died from starvation, and even both allowed and encouraged their obese pig of a son beat her up all the time?"
The temperature in the room dropped noticeably. Being new to Wonderland and ignorant to its violent ways, the strangers didn't realize their chance at surviving lowered drastically. Every role holder and even Alice were letting off killing intent. Even the Bloody twins, who loved blood and had trouble understanding a lot of things that didn't fit their definition of fun, knew the those things were wrong, and Peter, who cared little or not at all for anyone and anything that wasn't Alice, were angry. Ace was frowning and completely serious. Julius' hand was twitching in a way that suggested even he wasn't above murder. The rabbits could tell that Alice wanted to hit the man. Noticing that Selene was shaking slightly herself, Gray grabbed her hand and squeezed it in support.
A man in black with long, almost greasy looking hair didn't seem to notice or be bothered by the temperature change and turned to the man who claimed to be Selene's father, rage clear on his face. "Am I hearing that cat boy right, Potter? Did you really leave your own daughter with people who hate magic and as a result, Lily? I thought that there had to be something good about you I couldn't see when Lily not only dated but even married you... But it seems I was wrong." he sneered, "I suppose you're the reason why when you abandoned Selene her name disappeared from the Hogwarts list while her twin ended up stuck on bed rest from her magic levels suddenly tripling?"
A strict looking woman gasped. "James, you didn't! That ritual was outlawed when purebloods accidentally killed their own children trying to give squibs magic! I wondered why Selene suddenly had enough magic to register at the ministry but not enough to be a student."
The old man looked disappointed, even sad. James Potter cringed at the looks the old man and the teenage girl were giving him. Blood's eyes narrowed both at the implications and at the man's callousness to his own child. He'd always been suspicious at Selene's state when she first arrived. Alice, having wondered why Selene was more against the idea of returning to the other world than the she had wanted to return to it, was so upset Julius had to hold her so she wouldn't look down.
Surprisingly, Elliot seemed to be on the same wavelength as his boss, because he spoke first. "... 'Until she almost died of starvation'? It seems I know why when seeing Selene eat made me think of my days locked in prison her entire first year here."
"What are you getting at?" a man who reminded the role holders of a dog or a teddy bear asked.
"It's quite simple good fellow." Blood said in his falsely amicable tone of voice that often foretold bloodshed or a scathing remark, "As is usual with most prisoners, Elliot couldn't handle normal amounts of food right when he was free because he didn't exactly get three square meals a day. It took him about five months to regain a normal appetite. When Selene first arrived, she was barely taller and heavier than the twins, who were only six at the time. There were periods of noticeable progress, but it took her an entire year to gain a normal appetite and gain a healthy amount of weight."
"... How could I have known Lily's sister and her family didn't have any decency?" James squeeked, uncomfortable but clearly not caring.
"You were always arrogant, Potter, but I never took you for a fool." Snape said scathingly, then for the first time unleashed his full rage on his former bully. "'How could you have known?' Are you serious, Potter? If you were going to abandon your own daughter you could have at least made sure she went to a good home or check up on her at least once. How could you have let such a thing happen to Lily's child?!"
"Daddy, why didn't I know I even had a twin until yesterday?" the look-alike, who sported glasses like James, asked.
Selene's eyes widened at the voice, a long forgotten memory rising to the surface.
"Daddy, want go zoo!" a little girl said.
A man laughed and picked the toddler up. "Okay, Prongslet."
"Daddy, I go too?" a much younger Selene asked, holding out her arms.
But the man ignored her if he even noticed her at all. "Snape, I expect you'll be done when we get back."
"Whatever, Potter. If you're not going to at least spend one last day with your older daughter then just leave." a second man snapped.
"Fine with me Snivellus." With that, the man and little girl were gone.
The man who was still there knelt down so that he was eye to eye with Selene. The look in his eyes made Selene trust him. As only a child could, she could tell that he was as lonely as she was.
"Name Snape? I Selene." she said.
The man smiled softly, something that made Selene giggle happily; only her Uncle Moony and Uncle Paddy had smiled at her before. "That's right. I already have the strange potions he wanted so how about we play after you take a potion to make sure you won't need glasses like your daddy does?"
"You can remember something from when you were a toddler that clearly?" Nightmare commented, "You really are a remarkable woman, Selene."
"Three of you cared but not enough to stop Mr. Potter from leaving me with the Dursleys, one of you wants to know why she didn't know I existed, and the rest of you are strangers." Selene said darkly, "So Why are you suddenly looking for me? And do lie or I'll shoot you!"
At the last part twin handguns appeared in her hands.
"The Dark Lord, Voldemort, who killed your mother, rose again a few years ago. Now he is on a rampage." the old man explained, "We thought Sally was the one mentioned in a prophecy foretelling his fall but we recently learned we were wrong."
"How despicable!" Alice protested, "Why are adults asking someone who was a baby when their problem was first a threat to fight a war for them?"
The older woman turned to the old man. "You see Albus? I told you that putting someone so young in that much danger was wrong, and a muggle agrees with me!"
"I kept quiet because I trust you, Dumbledore." the other older man spoke up, "But I agree with McGonagal. Why should we trust the fate of our world in a young whipper snapper that doesn't know the first thing about it?"
"Now Alastor, Minerva, that's Miss Airay's choice." Dumbledore said, "What do you say, Miss Selene? Will you help us?"
Selene didn't even need a second to think about it. "No. There are no pros and more than a few cons. So why should I? Even if I could my answer wouldn't change. I will never leave Wonderland."
"Dumbledore, something strange is going on. My false eye isn't working besides allowing me to see." Moody interrupted.
"You mean it took this long? Impressive." Akai commented.
"Of course it isn't working, Dumb-ass. You're in our world now." Kuroi added.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't been able to change my looks since we got here." a young woman older than Alice said, panicking.
"What's the matter, Nymphadora?" Nightmare taunted, "Not comfortable enough in your own skin to deal with a few hours as yourself?"
"What on Earth is going on?" McGonagal asked.
"This isn't your world. Were you really foolish enough to think that things would be the same when you not only shouldn't be here, but break the rules by being here?" Julius said.
"What do you mean?" Dumbledore asked.
"This is Wonderland, where almost everything is dictated by the rules of the game. In all our years as queen, we have not heard of a round which includes the presence of even one foreigner who wasn't invited by that round's dream demon, let alone a whole group of uninvited foreigners." Vivaldi stated.
"What the blazes does that mean?" Moody asked.
"It means that as both the incubus, or dream demon if you prefer, and the lord of Clover Tower, only Nightmare-sama can open the way for a foreigner to come to this world." Gray stated, "Therefore, none of you should be here."
"Why is that?" Tonks asked.
"Because if I've learned anything since I've come here, it's that someone from the only world is only brought here if they have a wish to leave their world behind for one where they can be happy." Alice said.
"Dumbledore looked at Selene. "Miss Airay... What did you mean when you said 'even if you could'?"
"One with a vague knowledge of this world might be able to look at me or notice that I have a heartbeat and be able to assume 'Oh, she's a foreigner like Alice.'" Selene explained, "It was almost true my first few months in Wonderland. But I was never like Alice. She has a loving sister back in the other world while I had no one. So... I destroyed my only means of going back to make sure I could stay. It turned out to be a reckless move to do so as soon as I did. So now leaving is not just something I refuse to do. It's something that would be impossible even if I were to change my mind, which would have happened a long time ago if it were even possible."
"... What... do you mean?" Sally asked.
"Vivaldi already said it," Selene said, "In this world most serious things are decided or partially dictated by the rules of the game. To keep something bad from happening to me as a result of the rule I unknowingly broke when I prematurely smashed the key to return to the other world, I had to take on an extra, previously nonexistent role with a purpose, meaning I had to take on a role in the game. So now I'm a foreign role holder."
"What does that have to do with it?" McGonagal asked.
"It's very simple. I am a foreigner with no key to go back to the other world and no intention of going back even if I could." Selene stressed, "I am also one of those with a role, someone with a purpose key to the continuation of the game. I cannot return because I neither want to nor am I able to."
"So leave my sister alone and go back to your own world!" Boris demanded.
Dumbledore sighed. "I see that there is nothing more we can do here."
"Tell me, Selene." a man who hadn't spoken before said softly, "what do you intend to do?"
"'Do'?" Selene repeated as she hooked an arm with Nightmare and Gray, "I intend to enjoy life to the fullest in this Wonderful Wonder World with my friends, those I see as family, and the men I love."
Nightmare and Gray both hugged her. Nightmare had a smile on his face, no longer paying attention to the intruders. Gray was smirking and was proud both that she'd told the strangers off and that he'd managed to catch her heart to such an extent. Snape merely rose an eyebrow at the implication while the role holders who were more open with their emotions and Alice laughed at the looks on the wizards' faces. A short time later, the intruders were gone.
"Well, that went well." Nightmare commented, "The uninvited guests were lucky."
"Indeed." Gray agreed, "If they had been foolish enough to try and take Selene away by force, I would not have held back. Selene is ours after all."
Then everyone laughed as Boris yelled at the two for kissing his little sister (on the cheek) in front of him. And life went on as always in Wonderland.
Owari