A/N: Chapter 1 has been edited. Extra stuff that are not plot relevant has been deleted.
Chapter 2: "Can you touch ghosts?"
"So let me get this straight... seven wizards... magus you said... summon seven legendary beings of incomprehensible power to kill each other in a bloody war just to get their hands on an omnipotent wish granting device?" Harry asked with a grim expression.
Caster nodded, carefully observing the young man's reaction.
"So if you're a Servant, where's your master then?"
"He... has perished."
"I see, so that's why your core wasn't replenishing itself. So what's your plan from here? I can supply you with magic, er prana, if you want but I have no interest in this war you're talking about. I also don't have those things you called Command Seals anyways. And to be perfectly honest with you, I see no reason why you should fight. Being granted a second chance at life is already a miracle in and of itself. Why not use it to do the things you were never able to do during your lifetime? I can tell that you've had a rough past. I've seen many women with the same betrayed look in their eyes and you're no different."
Caster's eyes widened a bit. Was she really that easy to read?
"Now I know it's none of my business but if you want to get back at the one who betrayed you, I think I have a way for you to do so."
Caster's eyes narrowed. "That is impossible. He is long gone and his legend have been inscribed into history."
"You never know until you try." Harry waved her off. "Can you touch ghosts?"
"What?"
"Spirits, shades, etc. Since you're technically a spirit, you should be able to right? I'm not even a spirit and I can, so I don't see any reason why you shouldn't."
Caster frowned, not seeing where he was going with this. "I do not know."
"Well, one thing to do then." Harry jumped up, smiling brightly. He reached into his pocket, digging into it up to his elbows. After searching for about a minute, he triumphantly brought out a small black box. Caster gasped at the large amount of prana it was emitting. Harry opened it, revealing an ugly black stone.
To any normal person, the stone looked insignificant, if not for the strange symbol inscribed on its surface. Caster's mind overheated from trying to understand the object. It was something that was a part of the world, yet was not. A strange item of mysterious origins able to bend one of the world's laws.
"W—what is it?" Caster asked in disbelief, already having an idea of the answer.
"It's a stupid old stone that can let you communicate with the dead. It summons a loved one in the form of a shade, a bit more solid than a ghost yet less so than a living body. It doesn't actually bring back the soul, but some of the things you do to the shade gets transmitted to wherever their souls ended up in after their death."
"Why would you show me this? To be willing to expose such an artifact to a complete stranger is suspicious."
Harry scratched his head. "Well... there are times when I feel like kicking old acquaintances in the balls every time I remember how badly they wronged me but then I remember that they're dead. It makes me feel a whole lot better afterward after venting at them. I figured you could use some venting yourself. Turn it on your palm three times and think about the one you want to talk to specifically. Otherwise, it will summon a bunch of other 'loved ones' that you have no business with. Don't let go of the stone until you have finished."
With that, Harry smiled, put the stone in her palm and left the room.
Caster stared at the closed door for a minute before turning her attention back to the stone. She was still suspicious of the young man's motives but she could tell he doesn't near any ill will. After some contemplation, she flipped the stone in her palm thrice, feeling a bit apprehensive. A figure appeared, looking around in bewilderment before its gaze found her.
"M—Medea?" The shade gulped.
"Jason?" Caster's smile held no ounce of humor as she stepped towards him. "I've wanted to talk to you."
Jason, Greek hero and leader of the Argonauts, tried to escape, only to find himself unable to move as caster's foot connected with his groin.
===Break===
"I CHOPPED MY BROTHER TO PIECES FOR YOU, YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD!"
Harry winced as more shouting echoed from upstairs. He poured himself some butterbeer and waited for the storm to pass.
Hmm... maybe opening up old wounds wasn't such a good idea...
After some more yelling about killing her own children to save them from the consequences of her actions, Caster finally made her way downstairs, her posture more regal and noble, yet more tired than before.
"Feeling better?" Harry asked with a smirk.
Caster allowed herself a small smile as she handed the stone back. "Yes, thank you."
"So what do you plan to do from here? Although you need large amount of magic just to exist, it shouldn't be a problem if you want to just stay here until the war ends."
"About that, the prana you have supplied me with... it's similar to the one in the stone. It's not your prana is it?"
Harry snorted. "Of course not. If I was to supply you with my own, I'll die. Let's just say there's a place accessible only to me that contains more than enough power to... well it doesn't matter." He added quickly.
"I see... do you really have no desire to participate in the Holy Grail War? Is there no wish you want to be granted?"
"Well, I do have a wish but it would be meaningless if I do not achieve it using my own strength."
Caster was silent for a few minutes, lost in thought. Then she said, "Why did you help me?"
"Well, I can't just leave a dying person now, can I? It was within my power to help you and that's what I did."
"And you expect nothing in return?"
"Nope. Though now that I know who you are, there is something I would like your help with."
"And what would that be?"
"Well, you see, I have this condition where nothing I try can sexually arouse me. I've tried every spell I could think of but nothing seemed to work. That's why I went to Japan to find a fetish that will work. I've found many that I deem sexy but... I just don't get turned on."
"So what do you want from me?"
"Well, since you are a very powerful ancient witch, surely you would know of a cure right?"
Caster's lips twitched at the mention of the word 'witch' and planned to have a talk about it with him later. He did, after all, help her as she was dying so she felt a certain obligation to return the favor. "Have you tried rejuvenation and lust potions?"
"All three hundred seventy eight of them." Harry nodded.
"Including aphrodisiacs, blood flow enhancement, energy amplifying, and sex drive stimulating potions?"
"Along with mundane drugs like viagra, herbal medicine, as well as visiting hot springs, wrapping my manhood in succubus enchanted cloth for days six days, six hours, and six minutes, actually summoning a succubus to have her way with me..."
Caster frowned. "I'm pretty sure the succubus treatment should have worked. Is this condition congenital or acquired later in life?"
"Acquired."
"Just what did you do? This is not merely a case of sexual exhaustion!" Caster exclaimed.
"Sorry. That's one of my most important secrets and telling you now would leave me vulnerable."
"I see. Then I'm afraid there is nothing I can do for you."
Caster had expected him to look crestfallen at this but Harry didn't look disappointed at all.
"Well, I guess there really is nothing that can be done about it now, considering what it is that I did." He stood up and grabbed a jacket from the rack. "You still okay on prana? I won't be back until tonight so you're on your own till then. Sebastian can make you some food if you get hungry. I think you should go out and enjoy yourself, though. Just make sure you close the door when you do."
With that, Harry turned and vanished with an inaudible pop.
===Break===
It was nearing evening when Harry came out of the brothel. He had tried many of the kinky plays in the books but not a single one turned him on in the slightest. He ended up pleasuring the woman instead, feeling slightly bad after demanding so much out of her. With a sigh, he went out for ramen, briefly wondering what Caster had been doing in his absence. The woman was interesting and beautiful, if not a bit weird. Harry had known many women in his life but Caster was the only one that gave off a feeling of danger on the same level as a horde of dragons. He shuddered at the thought. If the other Servants running around were stronger than her, he knew he wouldn't last a second in a direct confrontation.
He pushed the thoughts away as he reached the park, buying himself an ice cream and watching the children play. It was nearing dusk yet there were still quite a few that were playing outside. He felt a slight twinge of jealousy as he sat on a swing and ate his ice cream. He never actually had a proper childhood, courtesy of his relatives' upbringing. By the time he found out he was a wizard, one thing happened after another. There was a stone that needed to be protected, a basilisk that needed to be tamed, a godfather that needed to be rescued, a tournament to be won, and an evil that needed to be destroyed. Before he knew it, his childhood and teenage years had passed him by. There were some enjoyable moments of course but sometimes he wished he could go back to being a kid, oblivious to the world.
With a start, he noticed there was a little girl sitting on the swing next to him. She too, was watching the children play with a pensive expression. Judging by her appearance, she was clearly a foreigner like him. Her long white hair reminded him of the part veelas he met in his fourth year. Her angelic face only added to the resemblance. A strange feeling washed over him as he looked at her and realized that she was not human.
A veela? She doesn't have the allure yet so she must be fairly young. She looks so cute... oh crap... am I turning into a lolicon?
He shook his head like a dog and did a mental test to convince himself that he was not a pedophile. He imagined what the girl would look like naked and breathed a sigh of relief as he found that no, her body does not turn him on.
"Are you okay, oniisan?" The girl asked as she gave him a worried look. "Does your chest hurt?"
Harry realized he was clutching his chest and quickly turned his attention back to his ice cream. "Ah, yes. I'm fine, just remembered some very bad memories. And I'm too old to be called oniisan, by the way. I'm turning thirty next year."
"But you don't look older than my oniichan." She pointed out.
"It's a long story." Harry let out a long suffering sigh. "It will be dark soon. You should head home before your mama and papa gets worried."
"They won't." The girl said, much to Harry's surprise. What kind of parents wouldn't worry about their child?
"Why is that?" He asked, a faint anger in his voice.
"Because they're dead."
Oh fuck me.
"I—I'm sorry. I didn't—"
"It's okay." The girl gave him an angelic smile, making his worries disappear.
"So who's taking care of you now? Relatives? I'm sure they'd be worried about you if you stay out at night. It gets dangerous when night falls, you know. You said you have an oniichan right? I'm sure he'd be worried about you."
"The first time I saw him was yesterday. He probably doesn't even know I exist. My father left when I was little and never returned. I later found out he was raising another child here. I came here because I wanted to meet him."
"That's horrible! What kind of father can abandon such a cute girl like you?!"
The girl laughed. "Oh, did you really believe my story? Such a strange ojiisan." She jumped off the swing and skipped away. After reaching the edge of the play area, she waved back. "Bye, bye jiisan!"
Harry waved back, confused as to what just happened.
===Break===
Harry sat down at the kitchen table, crossing off some items off a long list.
"Lolicon, dolcett, nose fetish, ear fetish, bondage, lactation, foot fetish, and autassassinophilia. That's quite a list you have there." Caster smirked as she read off the list. "How do you even test if you have these fetishes or not?"
"Prostitutes."
Caster gave him an accusing look.
"Hey! I always make sure they don't get hurt and I erase their memories afterward. I even give them multiple orgasms as compensation."
Caster raised an eyebrow. "And erasing their memory justifies using them as test subjects?"
"Well, no but... anyways, there are a lot more fetishes that I have to go through on this list and more keeps getting added as I discover new ones so I'll be busy during most of the day. How was your day, by the way."
Caster blushed and a smitten look cross her face. Harry waved a hand over her face, snapping her out of her fantasy.
"You've found a man." Harry grinned.
"N—no...! H—he's just someone I bumped into while I was wandering..."
Holy... she's so cute even when she's denying it. That guy is one lucky bastard, having a woman like her head over heels for him.
"No need to hide it from me, Caster. Your face tells me all I need to know. So... what's he like?" Harry leaned towards her eagerly, making her take a step back.
"He's... a... he's a teacher."
"That tells me nothing whatsoever."
"He is... strong and silent... and kind... and..."
"To put it simply, he's your type?"
"Well, yes. It was quite a fateful meeting. It's as if the gods are trying to somehow make it up to me."
Harry snorted. "I doubt it. So... when do you plan on telling him about yourself?"
Caster was silent for a minute. "Not anytime soon."
Harry nodded. "Well there's no reason to rush things, I guess, but won't other Servants be able to sense your presence and mistake this man as your master?"
"I'm sure I can make an item that could keep other Servants from detecting me." She said defiantly, her pointed ears pointed up with determination.
Harry stared at her transfixed for a moment before her voice called him back. "It seems you were having dirty thoughts, judging by the way you looked at me just now." She growled, her ears moving up and down with her motions.
"Have I ever told you that your ears are sexy?" Harry asked before he could stop himself.
Caster's eyed widened in surprise before narrowing in anger. She brought up her hand, a ball of light forming on her palm.
Harry ran.
===Break===
"I am... truly sorry... for even thinking about you... in that way." Harry gasped out as he thrashed on the floor.
The torture went on for another minute before the pressure finally lessened and he was able to breathe normally.
"So what were we talking about again?" Harry asked he sat back in his chair as if nothing happened.
"The war." Caster answered with a glare.
"Right... I got a plan."
"Oh? Do tell."
"Well, if it goes well, no one who sees you would think you are the caster in this war if you stay off the radar."
"Why are you willing to do so much for me?" Caster asked.
"Because you're hot." Harry answered honestly, earning himself a slap.
"Quit it with the jokes."
"Right, right. The planning shouldn't take long. I can get the materials delivered by tomorrow and it should be ready for your enchantments by nightfall."
"What exactly do you have in mind?"
Harry just grinned at her.
===Break===
It took two days for the preparations to finish. 'Harry' waited at the park for nightfall. Apparently, it was an unspoken rule for most of the battle to take place at night when there is less chance of civilians to be present. This suited Harry just fine. After all, the less collateral damage, the better.
As soon as it turned dark, 'Harry' activated the necklace given to him by Caster, giving him the same presence as a Servant. After some thought, he pointed his wand at the sky and fired a massive beam of light visible only to Servants and those who bear Command Seals. With that, he sat down and waited.
After about ten minutes, he felt four figures enter the area, two Servants and two masters. He waited a bit more for them to enter his field of vision and was shocked at what he saw.
What the... these kids are masters? What kind of war is this?
Harry's eyes narrowed. He knew from experience that children can be dangerous when trained to fight. However, it did not sit well with him to be fighting them in the first place.
"Two masters and two Servants. Judging by your actions, can I assume you two are in an alliance?" 'Harry' asked.
The group stopped and eyed him warily. The two Servants, a tanned man dressed in red, and a blonde woman dressed in blue, took up defensive positions in front of their masters respectively.
"Stay back, Shirou. I shall not forgive you should you repeat your actions from the previous night."
The red haired young man behind her seemed about to protest but a glare from her quieted him. His twin-tailed companion gave him a look that just screamed 'Are you and idiot?!'.
"It looks like no one else is coming. Shall we get started?" 'Harry' said in a bored tone, standing up. He was wearing an armor of dragon skin covered in basilisk scales under an enchanted black robe, giving the look of a typical wizard.
He noticed the red Servant giving him a strange look, as if thinking of what to make of him. He was almost sure that the Servant had figured out that he wasn't one but he decided to trust in Caster's skills. His face was also hidden under a veil of darkness so he shouldn't have to worry about them identifying him in public anyways.
The two Servants engaged in a quick and silent conversation. The blue Servant then stepped forward, leaving the red one to protect the two masters.
'Harry' raised an eyebrow. "I would have expected the two of you to fight me together."
"It would be dishonorable to fight two against one when the latter is clearly at a disadvantage." She answered, raising something in her hands as she prepared to attack.
'Harry' knew what she was talking about. Considering that most Servants are immune to magic, it would be downright suicidal for someone like him to fight her. His attire made sure that his opponents would clearly mark him as a Caster, the weakest among all the Servants besides Assassin.
"That's true. I don't know what the hell my master was thinking, making me do all this. Casters are supposed to hide in the dark and plot evil in their temples right? He should have known better than to make me challenge the others in a direct confrontation." He face palmed and sighed. That should have confirmed his identity to the others, thought the red Servant was still giving him a strange look.
"Well, let's get started then." He waved his wand, and the hidden runes in a fifty meter diameter of him activated, creating a seven layered iridescent dome that covered the entire park and some area beyond.
"Relax, that was just a wa—bounded field designed to contained all damages done in this area and prevent civilians from walking in on our fight. There are seven layers since seven is the most powerfully magical number. Even Ajax's shield has seven petals, you know. Anyway, this records the state of the park before the battle started so you can go all out as much as you want. This place will be restored afterward."
The blue Servant nodded in approval but the red one still looked at him suspiciously. He didn't pay it any mind and focused on the Servant in front of him. Deciding to make the first move, he summoned his broom and launched into the air, activating the dozens of summoning circles he prepared beforehand. Gigantic ants and beetles appeared, their numbers immeasurable, each one the size of a car. The blue Servant didn't hesitate, cutting apart each one in rapid succession despite the insects' thick, steel-enforced shells. Pieces of limbs and liquid flew about as the Servant cut open a path to 'Harry' and launched herself into the air in a single jump, aiming to strike him down. 'Harry' barely had time to push his broom to its limits to dodge the attack, only for the Servant to point her sword in the direction opposite of him. She positioned herself in mid-air and a blast of wind exploded from her weapon, propelling herself toward him.
A strange coldness permeated the air and hundreds of tall, cloaked, hooded figures appeared from the strange circles that appeared out of nowhere. Five of them moved between the Servant and 'Harry', only to be easily cut apart by her blade, barely buying him enough time to speed away.
What kind of weapon is she using? I thought dementors cannot be harmed by physical objects? Harry wondered as he rose higher in the air. His summoned creatures were still moving towards the small group down below. The red Servant and his master were making short work of anything that came their way though with the addition of the dementors into the mix, his face took on a pale complexion, mirrored by the two masters he was protecting.
"No... someone... please... help..." The young man moaned, adopting a fetal position in the ground. He was clutching his head, his breathing ragged. The girl with him was in a similar position, though she looked better off than him.
Within a minute, both of them fainted.
Seeing this, the red Servant fought with more vigor, tearing through the unending onslaught of giant insects and gliding abominations. Rapier-like swords with cylindrical handles materialized in his left hand, leaving them as soon as they were created in a flash of metal. Each dementor they struck gave an ear piercing shriek before turning into dust. But it was still a fruitless effort as more and more kept appearing from the multitude of summoning circles within the park and from the way the gliding things suck not only the happiness out of a person but their strength and prana as well, it would be bad to keep drawing upon the master's prana.
The air behind the red Servant shimmered and a multitude of blades materialized behind him. They rained down upon the summoned creatures as the red Servant materialized an enormous bow, fitting a sword into it and firing it upon the iridescent barrier.
There was a powerful gust of wind as the backlash of the explosion as the powerful projectile collided with the barrier shook the ground, the heat destroying more than half of the insects and dementors. The smoke cleared, revealing five remaining layers of the barrier, one of them with a crack running along its middle.
The red Servant scooped up his master and jumped into the air, leaving the male behind and fitting another sword into his bow and aiming it at 'Harry'.
Oh shit. But wait, why would he leave the other one behind? Aren't they allies?
"What happened to not teaming up against a disadvantaged opponent?" 'Harry' yelled at the red Servant, who ignored him and charged his projectile.
The blue Servant ceased her pursuit of him as she saw her master in danger, getting to him in less than a second and moving him out of harm's way.
The red Servant fired.
'Harry's form melted, turning into dozens of snakes that fell to the ground. The broomstick and most of the snakes were vaporized in the explosion, leaving only a few that survived. They gathered in a small mass before transforming into a veiled head and part of a torso.
"Well... I've accomplished what I came for. It was fun playing with you guys. Oh and make sure to feed those two some chocolates when they wake up." It said before disappearing with a pop..
===Break===
Harry Potter watched from his room as the 'Harry' puppet turned to dust in a deserted alleyway in the next city. Caster was in deep thought as she stared at the scale model of Fuyuki City in the table from where she controlled the terrain and the puppet. It was a plan that required precise coordination. Activating the runes and summoning circles in conjunction with the puppet's movements, not to mention controlling its broom by remote control took a lot of skill and focus. Harry was only controlling the summons and that was hard. Being able to control not just the puppet but the wards, half the dementors, the summoning circles, and broom as well and making it looks so easy was just plain amazing. Harry realized once again just how inferior he was to Caster, something that he was not proud of but still accepted.
"And with this, we have made them believe that 'Caster' is a male with a troublesome body that's hard to kill. You think they'll figure out it was just a puppet?"
"There is a possibility but unless they have a puppet master on their side, they should not be able to."
Harry stretched and yawned. "Well, I guess that's that. As long as you stay hidden, you can chase after that man all you want. The ideal scenario would be for the other Servants to kill each, leaving you and another one as the sole survivors, and putting the war on a permanent hiatus. And once you summon your own Servant, there would just be him and you right?"
"Yes."
"Judging by their skills, I assume those two are Archer and Saber?"
"It appears that way, yes."
"Hmmm... they're more than I could handle the way I am now. I'd last thirty, no forty seconds at least? Either way, two knight classes in alliance with each other are formidable. They shouldn't be able to move openly for a while, knowing that another Servant, and a Caster at that, knows some of their abilities, as well as what their masters look like and could plan accordingly. I suppose the will be on the defensive for a while until their masters recover. While a dementor's effect may not last long, their effect gets multiplied when there is a lot of them so it might take a bit for them to recover their prana. I actually fainted when I first met one. They're horrible but effective. How did you make them suck out prana though? I thought they only feed off of happy emotions."
"It is within their abilities but it is not something they do often."
"I see. Anyway, so now we know who two of the masters and Servants are so we could prepare accordingly if they ever become a threat. One thing bothers me though. Why did the Archer leave the other master to die? I thought they were allies. I know he has to prioritize his master but he could have taken both of them couldn't he? It's almost as if he wanted to kill the other master on purpose..."
"I have a theory but nothing definite yet. The boy, however, is interesting."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "How so? I didn't sense anything special about him in particular."
Caster was silent.
"Anyways, if we keep out of this war, we should be able to prolong your stay here for decades. Good luck on your relationship." He bid her goodnight and headed for bed.
===Break===
A/N:
This is not a Kuzuki/Caster pairing. Kuzuki will only make a brief appearance in this fic, very brief.
I apologize if my writing skills are lacking and thank you for reading.