Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Fate/Stay Night, or Nasuverse in General. I make no money from this or any of my other Fanfiction Stories.
Author's Note: Please note, I changed some of the dates during which events occurred in the Type-Moon universe to make them better fit the story as I am writing it. Also I am unrepentant in the fact that some of my characters will be OOC from their portrayal in the canonical series that they are from. There is a good reason for this, so if you don't like it, then don't read the story.
xXx September 8th, 1985 xXx
xXx Einzbern Castle, Germany xXx
Irisviel von Einzbern had a large smile on her face as she watched her daughter Illyasviel play with the raven haired young man a little ways away from her. The two children, four and five years of age respectively were just unbelievably adorable together.
She turned her head as her husband Kiritsugu and the boy's mother entered the room. "Hello Kiri, Alt, how are you."
Altrouge waved happily at Irisviel without saying anything. It was Kiritsugu who voiced his feelings "I am ticked off. Here I am, in the same room as a Dead Apostle and I am forbidden from doing anything to harm it. I used to make my living killing these abominations."
Altrouge snorted in amusement. "Please. You've never dealt with anyone even remotely close to being on my level, and while your little servant girl might be able to keep me entertained, she wouldn't dare with Alaya watching her every move. Something about a prophecy hanging over my son's head."
Saber from where she was stood in the corner watching the children swivelled her head to look directly at Altrouge, "Please tell me you are joking."
"Not even the slightest bit." Altrouge said with a smirk.
"Sorry Master, but I would be forced to inaction even if you were to use a Command Seal on me. A Servant endangering the parent of a child who is the subject of a Prophecy before the child can fend for themselves is grounds for immediate termination of the Servant by Alaya." Saber explained.
Kiritsugu sighed in defeat. "Fine."
"It's not like she's evil or anything, Kiri…" Irisviel stated in follow-up.
"Oh really? What do you call threatening the entire population of London with Primate Murder then?" Kiritsugu inquired.
"A bluff." Altrouge said.
"Wait… what?" Kiritsugu asked, blinking in confusion.
"Okay first off… you are ignoring the fact that I was addressing an audience largely composed of known terrorists who aren't afraid of committing murder, rape, and any other crime you could care to name. Second off… they were contemplating ways to try and revive a criminal sociopath who is just too stubborn to die properly. And finally. Primate Murder weighs in at over one metric ton of raw muscle. How exactly am I supposed to get her from Siberia to London? I can't exactly apparate that much mass, and Portkeys aren't graded for things of that size." Altrouge explained.
Harry ran up to his mom and tugged on her dress saying "Grandpa Zel!"
"Well, yes, I suppose Zelretch could pull it off…" Altrouge said off handedly.
"No Mum… Grandpa Zel!" the kid pointed over to where an older gentleman was handing a small object to a curious looking Illyasviel.
Altrouge's eyes widened dramatically, "Illya! No! Don't…"
But it was too late the girl touched the object and in a bright flash of light her dress was replaced by a frilly magical girl costume. Meanwhile Zelretch had already vanished from whence he came.
"Wha… Momma?" Illya cried in panic.
"The heck?" Saber and Kiritsugu asked simultaneously.
Iri ran up to her daughter and started fussing over her in mild confusion.
Altrouge could only facepalm at what had just happened. "Damn old man. He did the same thing to me a quarter century ago. I think he also got Arcueid as well at one point."
Irisviel turned and looked pointedly at Altrouge, "Okay, explain. What is this?"
"Gramps has something of an obsession with Magical Girl Anime…" Altrouge began.
"What like Majokko Meg-chan?" Kiritsugu asked.
Altrouge scrunched her face up in confusion for a moment before saying "No… more like Sailor Moon. But I can see how you might be confused. Sailor Moon doesn't debut officially in this world for a few more years. Only reason I know about it is because Gramps forced me to sit through the entire series… both of them."
Altrouge paused a moment before looking curiously at the object Illyasviel was still holding "Oi! Wake up you damn pervert!"
"My, such atrocious manners on such a beautiful young lady. You would think your parents never taught you proper etiquette." a voice said from out of nowhere.
"The hell?" Kiritsugu, Saber, and Irisviel all exclaimed at the same time.
"Which one are you?" Altrouge asked of the voice.
"I am Kaleidostick Ruby." the voice exclaimed.
Altrouge facepalmed yet again, "Joy, he gave the single most perverted one to the four year old girl. I do not envy you two, or your father Iri."
"If it makes you feel better Master Zelretch said he was developing a Kaleidostick variant that boys can use." Ruby stated in what the gathered adults could only assume was supposed to be a candid voice.
Altrouge shuddered before getting out "No… no that does not make me feel better…" She paused momentarily before addressing Irisviel and Kiritsugu, "You guys may want to find a way to seal that thing before it unduly corrupts your daughter. I managed it by tossing mine into the Veil in the Department of Mysteries in London. Zelretch was suitably horrified when I told him where I put it, said something about how he should have added a counter to things created using the First True Magic into the devices."
"So I take it doing that probably won't work a second time?" Irisviel inquired.
"Probably not, no." Altrouge confirmed.
"I could always hit it with Excalibur." Saber offered.
"As amusing as it would be to hear Ruby scream in horror, I doubt it would actually work. Those things were designed with the intention of allowing humans to fight on equal terms with Heroic Spirits." Altrouge stated.
"We may need to get your father involved in solving this problem, Iri." Kiritsugu stated in concern. As much as he despised the man, he wasn't willing to ignore the fact that the man was much more learned on Magecraft than any of the people in that room except for Altrouge. And if Altrouge was stumped, then they needed to outsource.
xXx Several Minutes Later xXx
Jubstacheit von Einzbern looked down at his granddaughter and the floating bobble that hovered around her head incredulously. For one thing the outfit she was wearing was absolutely ridiculous. For another, he couldn't even begin to guess how he was supposed to seal that bobble away.
"I am sorry Irisviel, the old pervert somehow imbued that… bobble... with the ability to use the Kaleidoscope. Even if I were to try and seal it away, it would hardly be a permanent solution." the old man explained.
"So she is stuck in that gaudy outfit?" Irisviel pouted at this realization. She may look like a fully grown woman, but the reality is that she isn't all that much older than her own daughter is, which results in her experiencing the occasional bout of emotional immaturity. These bouts only became worse when Kiritsugu imbued her with a reason to feel her emotions instead of being an emotionless doll.
"Well… that depends… have any of you tried asking Ruby if she would mind letting Illya change back to her normal clothing?" Jubstacheit inquired.
Behind Irisviel, Kiritsugu, Saber, and Altrouge all opened their mouths to protest… before they promptly closed them and facepalmed themselves as they realized that not one of them had thought to do just that.
Sighing to himself, Jubstacheit looked at the Kaleidostick and asked "Ruby, my dear, would you be so kind as to allow my Granddaughter to resume her normal clothing, and only transform her into a… magical girl… if she personally requests it of you?"
Ruby laughed before saying "Sure, no problem." and in another flash of bright light, Illya was back in her original outfit, much to everyone's relief.
xXx November 1st, 1989 xXx
xXx Frankfurt Airport xXx
About a year ago, Harry had begun learning Magecraft from his Mum. Almost immediately upon beginning those lessons, Harry and Altrouge made the startling discovery that Harry had at his disposal what seemed like infinite od reserves.
After consulting with Zelretch about this discovery, Altrouge hesitantly asked for Jubstacheit's opinion on the matter. The man was well and truly flummoxed by what he had found. Somehow, without ever having reached the Root, Harry was able to utilize the Third True Magic, Heaven's Feel.
To make matters more confusing to the old man, he saw within Harry many signs that indicated he had unlimited potential as a Master to Heroic Spirits. However, it was agreed that Harry was much too young to partake in a Grail War anytime soon.
So with that in mind, Zelretch and Jubstacheit began putting their heads together to plan for Harry's introduction during the eventual Fifth Holy Grail War. The same war that Jubstacheit was beginning to realize he would be forced to send Illyasviel into.
Jubstacheit was many things, cold, arrogant, aloof. But he was NOT heartless. And if he could send his granddaughter into potentially hostile territory with someone she could count on to watch her back, then he would do so a hundred times over. Afterall that was the very reason he had married Kiritsugu into his family and had him stand in as the Einzbern Master in the current war. Irisviel was too gentle to be able to properly handle being a Master.
As it was, Harry stood alongside his mother and Illyasviel as they bid their farewells to Illya's parents who were off to Japan for the purposes of fighting in the Fourth Holy Grail War.
"Now Illya, you behave for your Grandfather and your Auntie Altrouge, okay?" Irisviel stated as she hugged her daughter farewell.
Kiritsugu suppressed a grimace. He still couldn't quite believe they had somehow managed to become so close with the Princess of the Dead Apostles as to name her Illya's Godmother. But then again, Illya and Harry are practically twins in all but blood given how inseparable they happen to be.
It was even more mind boggling because Jubstacheit had actually consented to allowing Primate Murder to take up residence in the forests around the Einzbern Castle so long as the beast stayed away from the villages, which she was more than happy to do so long as she got to cuddle with Harry and Illya from time to time. Kiritsugu still couldn't figure out what Illya did to win the Wolf's affection.
"O-Okay M-mum." Illya sobbed through her tears.
Kiritsugu kneeled down and ruffled Illya's hair, "Illya-chan, you know we will be back, right?"
"Uh huh…" Illya mumbled out.
"I will personally make sure he keeps that promise." Altrouge spoke up from the sidelines. To herself she mumbled out 'Even if I have to pry them away from the grip of Alaya herself.'
"You heard your Aunt. So cheer up. We will be back." Kiritsugu pulled Illya into a hug. He then stood up and turned to leave with Irisviel, Saber and Maiya.
"DADDY!" Kiritsugu paused and turned to look at Illya. "You promised, you have to keep it."
"Yes sweetheart, and I will." Kiritsugu smiled fondly at his daughter as he turned to follow Irisviel into the terminal.
xXx A Month Later xXx
xXx Altrouge's Office xXx
Altrouge opened the scroll that had been placed on her desk by one of the Homunculi servants in the home and scanned its contents. As soon as she finished reading it she cursed "Oh fucking hell. Ortenrosse really doesn't know when to leave well enough alone… but seriously… the Aylesbury Valesti? Damn maniac is going to kill the planet if he pulls that off, and the fact he is inviting me to attend alongside of Solomon and Blackmore? Oh yes, that would be fun."
Taking out a quill she penned her 'no thank you' response and sent it off. After that she penned another letter, this one anonymous, and sent it off to the Burial Agency informing them of the date and location that Ortenrosse intended to enact the ritual in question on. Sucks to be him.
If all went to plan, then she might luck out and be able to free herself of four nuisances in one fell swoop.
xXx Four Months After That xXx
xXx Einzbern Castle xXx
Altrouge stormed into Jubstacheit's office sending Homunculi scattering every which way in her blatant fury.
"Ah… Altrouge, to what do I… um… wow… what happened?" Jubstacheit inquired in not a little bit of fear at the palpable killing intent radiating off of the woman.
"You happened! Why do I only just find out that you have standing orders that should Kiritsugu not retrieve the Grail, that he is to be forbidden access from the Castle from that point forward and is to never lay eyes on his daughter again?" Altrouge screamed at the man causing him to quake slightly.
Jubstacheit laughed meekly "You found out about that did you?"
"Yes I found out about it. Kind of hard to miss the fact that every time he shows up in the area Illya and Harry are ushered into the most heavily defended section of the castle while most of the Homunculi go out to dissuade him from entering the structure." Altrouge stated sternly.
"Good point." Jubstacheit admitted.
"As it happens I left the castle after the last time it happened and followed him to a nearby village where he was drowning himself in alcohol. I cornered him and got him to tell me what happened. Did you know that the Grail has been cursed?" Altrouge asked.
Jubstacheit winced. No, he didn't know that, but honestly it wouldn't surprise him given what happened in the Third War.
"I see you didn't know that. Well, as it turns out, Kiritsugu has only a few years left to live as he has been infected by that curse and has an untreatable terminal illness because of it. Illya also has a younger adoptive brother in Japan that she has never met before. Do you really want to be the cause of her wanting to kill her brother because she thinks her beloved father abandoned her in favor of him?" Altrouge asked pointedly.
Jubstacheit sighed, she made a very valid point, however, "My dear, there is just one small problem. I need her to be willing to kill in the Grail War. Yes, the Grail may be tainted, but that doesn't change the fact that we need to retrieve it if we are to correct the problem in any sort of permanent fashion. And in order to do that, Illya and Harry both need to be capable of killing the other Masters. I could not realistically order them to attack each other… but they MUST deal with the other Masters."
Altrouge sniffed disdainfully, "You are working off the assumption that her brother will be one of the other Masters."
"Odds are incredibly high in favor of that assumption." Jubstacheit stated.
Altrouge frowned, "Why?"
"For one thing, due to the fire from which Kiritsugu rescued the boy, Avalon now rests inside of the boy." the old man explained.
Altrouge groaned, "Which means the kid automatically has a catalyst with which to summon Artoria. That alone raises his odds of being chosen rather dramatically."
"Then, and this is something neither the kid nor Kiritsugu are aware of, there is the fact that the kid has the inborn potential to generate a Reality Marble." Jubstacheit stated with some distaste.
Altrouge blinked a moment before saying "Could you repeat that please? I don't think I heard you properly. I could have sworn you just said the kid can create a Reality Marble. But I know for a fact that is impossible as no human has achieved that in over five hundred years or so."
"Well actually… there is another with the talent. Satsuki Yumizuka, a friend of that kid your sister is currently gaga over." Jubstacheit explained.
"Oh well that figures." Altrouge groaned.
"Probably doesn't help that hers is a bloody menace to anyone who uses Prana in any sort of manner," Jubstacheit stated.
"Explain." Altrouge asked.
"Her Reality Marble is called Depletion Garden and it drains the prana from the world around it." Jubstacheit stated through narrowed eyes.
"I suddenly do not envy my sister in the least bit." Altrouge said with a knowing smirk. "Anyways, yeah, someone with that sort of talent would be an obvious candidate as a Master."
"Yes well… your Grandfather and I have recently come to the conclusion that Harry can summon servants outside of the confines of a Grail War and maintain them without the assistance of the Grail should he, or you, desire to do such a thing. Zelretch has even managed to procure a handful of catalysts that he wants Harry to try using."
"Wait… Catalysts? As in more than one?" Altrouge asked.
"Yes, that was actually something that surprised the two of us. Harry could theoretically summon the full set of seven Servants, and potentially maintain that many or more. We are currently unsure of the exact number of Servants he is truly capable of maintaining at any one time." Jubstacheit stated.
Altrouge frowned as she considered this information. "I think we had best start him off with no more than two for the moment. Any more than that and it might overwhelm him on an emotional level. Plus, I have been getting letters from England insisting that I allow Harry to attend Hogwarts. If he has some Servants to watch his back, I won't feel as worried by that prospect."
"Oh yes… Dumbledore has been sending me letters asking if I might allow Illya to attend Hogwarts as well. On one hand, I don't really want to let her out of my sight. On the other hand…"
"You know she is likely to end up in Slytherin House." Altrouge stated with a smirk.
"Yes… and that is what I am afraid of. It would be like releasing a Basilisk into a viper nest." Jubstacheit groaned in frustration.
Pureblood Wizards were incredibly arrogant and self assured. The problem is that even an untrained Magus is several orders of magnitude more powerful than a Witch or Wizard of the same age. Harry and Illya were both in the beginning stages of their Magi Training. Which means they are both many more orders of magnitude stronger than an untrained Magus would be when compared to a Witch or Wizard.
"Of course, summoning a Servant or two also means we can send them to the school and not have to worry about who we will send to continue their education as Magi. Especially if we get the RIGHT type of Servant in the process." Altrouge stated.
"A Caster then?" Jubstacheit inquired.
"A Caster would be ideal yes." Altrouge agreed.
"Well we may just have the perfect catalyst for that. But with this particular caster we have a fifty-fifty chance that it could end up completely biting us in the ass." Jubstacheit stated.
"Do I want to know who you have in mind?" Altrouge inquired.
"Probably not, no."