Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, or Harry Potter: they belong to SEGA and JK Rowling instead. Just my luck.
"Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies" - Aristotle
In the central command chamber in the main tower of his secret base on an island just off the eastern coast of South Japan, Doctor Julian Ivo Robotnik, known better as Doctor Eggman, stretched back in his large rotating chair and whistled a dirge. He stared through his round, sapphire-tinted glasses at the large electronic red and yellow screen that hovered in front of him, projected from the metallic command desk that he sat behind. The various buttons flashed occasionally, signifying a new input but otherwise, the screen remained visibly static. In front of it was a railed balcony that gave way to a drop of around thirty feet, to where his Egg Pawns were busy assessing individual targets and furthering his various plans for world domination.
Eggman watched the screen and continued whistling for a minute, before he sighed and dejectedly spun around on his chair to face the door that led to the lift down from the top of the building to the hub below. He slowly stood up and stretched his arms up and out, yawning, before he sloped over to the door. It slid open with a mechanical whir and as he left the room, the lights dimmed and various panels powered down. Eggman paid it a quick glance before the door locked behind him and he moved over to the lift. He pressed the button for it and entered. He jammed his gloved thumb over the button marked "LC" and checked his reflection in the mirror as it began to descend.
Eggman was approaching his forty-sixth birthday and he was beginning to feel his age. He had lost his hair long ago but now, his gingery-brown walrus-like moustache was beginning to grey; he had trimmed it ever so slightly to hide the damning evidence, but he still felt almost naked without those extra centimetres on the side. His red, gold-buttoned long-sleeved jacket was no longer the close fitting garment it had been before he had lost a few kilos. His weight had dropped the last few months, although not much; he suspected it was due to the stress of being under lock and key by Metal Sonic aboard the Egg Fleet, and then his conflict with the Black Arms. It had drained him both physically and emotionally. His black slick trousers and boots still fitted him perfectly, but Eggman wondered if the tight fitting garb of a supervillain was becoming an old school trend and whether at forty five, he was too old to pull it off.
The lift doors opened onto a short, surgically white corridor, with a surgically white door at the end. In his outfit of black and red, Eggman looked more like a flamboyant circus clown that had stumbled into the deepest depths of non-existence; the sense of no space, no time, no life, nothing at all. He briskly stepped out and forward, covering the hallway in less than ten seconds. He raised his fist and rapped twice in quick succession. At once, the door rose upwards, vanishing into the frame to reveal the Lower Command Center; similar in structure to his own Central Command Center but with much more of everything. Monitors, desks, dials, buttons, models, plans, electronic equipment and revolving chairs. Behind each was an Egg Pawn, working its machinery, flicking buttons, moving, whirring, speaking in mechanical tones. Eggman knew that in terms of combat, the Pawns were outclassed by nearly everything; the invasion had given him a wake-up call and the first thing he had done upon returning to his base was to draw up plans for a new generation of soldiers, which he had immediately put into mass production in his factory based off the coast of East Africa. He did not want to get rid of the Pawns though, so instead used them as manual labour around the base, as well as his off-field team in terms of planning and staging. It meant that if he ever went out himself into the fight, he would at least have an entire unit working back at his headquarters to keep it all from falling apart.
"Good evening, doctor," said one of the Pawns as he passed. "What brings you from the top?"
"Boredom," replied Eggman glumly. "Just plain boredom. Here I am with an army ready for world conquest, yet I find myself constrained, unable to do it." He gestured with his arms, then let them fall again. "I could if I wanted, but I have no purpose at the moment. Nothing to search for. All I have is the same old plot to create Eggmanland, yet that no longer fulfils my ambition."
"Doctor, be careful. You are slipping from tyranny into an unfocused state," replied the Pawn. Eggman glared at it, then looked at his feet.
"You are right, for once. My tyranny is failing. After the fiasco we've just had with Metal Sonic and the Black Arms, I no longer feel like a true villain. In fact, I feel as if I've done a half-arsed job with it all."
"Do not be downbeat doctor. Just look at your list of technological feats. You built the Death Egg twice, the Egg Carrier, the Egg Fleet, the Empire, all of your robots. Not to mention the fact that you also defeated the Black Arms in aerial combat, something G.U.N. were unable to do."
Eggman thought over the comments and realized what the Pawn was saying. Sure, he may not have had the most successful campaign recently but what he was being told was that it wasn't the end of the world. He was still a successful supervillain and certified genius, and he only had to look to his past to realize that.
"You're right, Pawn," he said, smiling. "I should not be downbeat. However, that does not still cure me of my boredom."
"I think that I have an ideal remedy for that, doctor," said the Pawn as he turned back to its desk and rapidly typed in some data.
"Really?" said Eggman, surprised. Usually, his Pawns remained quiet unless they had found something that could really pique his interest.
"We have discovered the location of one of the seven Chaos Emeralds."
Behind his spectacles, Eggman's eyes lit up. "A Chaos Emerald, you say?"
"Yes, doctor. The green Chaos Emerald. It has been located in the country of England, Europe."
"England..." mumbled Eggman under his breath. "Get me a visual on where England is."
"Yes, doctor." The Pawn signalled to two others who flicked a combination of switches. On the screen in front of them, a world map flickered up and began to rapidly home in on Europe before closing in on the British Isles.
"So," said Eggman as he studied the various data pieces about population, government and currency which appeared onscreen. "The Chaos Emerald is somewhere in this country. Can we narrow it down at all?"
"Just a minute, doctor" said the Pawn again. It typed some numbers into a keypad and the screen zoomed in again. "Southern England. Near the capital city known as London."
"London?" said Eggman. "I believe I've heard of it. G.U.N. has an unofficial base there. They don't actually have a military presence if I remember correctly though."
"No, but they are allowed to station agents there. Currently, Shadow The Hedgehog, Rouge The Bat and E-123 Omega are all on active mission service there."
"All of them?" exclaimed Eggman. He looked intently at the screen. "I think this means that G.U.N. also has a handle on what is hidden in Britain. A Chaos Emerald, eh? That is an opportunity I can't afford to miss."
"Shall I prepare to send command to the Fleet, sir?"
"No, don't," Eggman answered quickly. "If we send the Fleet in, we'll be instantly recognized again. It's something I don't want to risk at the moment. No, I shall go myself, personally."
He looked at the screen again, lost in thought.
"Tell me Pawn, is Prototype X-17 finished?"
"We are tailoring the base model to you personal specifications doctor," answered the Pawn. "It will hopefully be ready within the next forty eight hours maximum."
"Good," said Eggman, a dark grin playing across his features. "I could do with a test run. But I shall wait. If G.U.N. gets the Emerald before I do, it will make my victory when I take it from them all the more worth waiting for."
000
Hermione woke up slowly. At first, it felt like she was sinking back into a dream, but she realized she was awake when her senses kicked back in.
The first thing she noticed was that she was no longer in the clothes she had been wearing, nor was she where she had been previously. Instead, she was dressed in a light blue bathrobe and was laying on top of the sheets of a gold and crimson four-poster bed. She was in a room that was roughly fifty square feet, with dimmed lights built into the ceiling and the bed pushed up in a corner farthest away from the silver metallic door.
She had no recollection of how she had gotten here. In fact, the last thing she could remember was being in Diagon Alley, under attack from Death Eaters. But she had been saved, saved by someone she couldn't quite remember. She tried to think harder, to clarify her thoughts, but found that she had a shocking migraine and was unable to think clearly.
"Ouch," she said out loud to no-one in particular; she was surprised when she heard a reply.
"I'm not surprised."
Slowly, she turned her head to her left and saw a black and red hedgehog sat in a chair across the room. He was sat there, leant back slightly, his piercing red eyes fixed on her.
Shadow. She suddenly remembered.
His expression was one of concern and he slowly stood up and made his way over to the bed. Hermione watched him as he crossed the room but she said nothing. He reached her and knelt down at her side.
"Painful?" he asked quietly. She slightly inclined her head.
"You're Shadow." It wasn't a question.
He nodded, answering regardless. "I didn't realize I was so well known in the Wizarding World. I thought that I had stayed out of the limelight."
"You're not" said Hermione quickly. "I come from a non-magical family. I recognized you from their news."
"Muggles?"
Hermione blinked, surprised. "How do you know that's what we call them?"
He shrugged. "Research."
He paused for a moment, a frown creasing his expression.
"Hang on, I recognize you. You were in the library yesterday, weren't you?"
Hermione looked at him. She wondered whether he had noticed that she was the same person. "Yes, I was."
"Homework for the holidays?"
"No, just for fun. Although I have to admit, I was there today for another reason."
"Oh?"
Hermione blushed slightly and looked away. "I was trying to find out about you. Who you were. And why you were here."
Shadow looked at Hermione whilst she stared at the lights above her, trying to avoid his surprised gaze.
"You won't have found much," he said eventually. "I'm rather an enigma to many people."
"Yes, I'd gathered." She fidgeted slightly. "I hope you're not offended. I saw what you did to those Death Eaters, and I don't want to be on the receiving end of that."
Shadow touched her gently on the arm and she turned around to face him, apprehension on her pale features.
"Of course I'm not offended," he said quietly. "I can understand anyone being interested if they only have half-truths and not the full picture. Hell, even I don't have the full picture of my own life."
Hermione looked surprised. "Really?"
"Yeah, really." He paused as something struck him. "Hang on, did you say those men were Death Eaters?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
Shadow grimaced. "If I'd have known that, I would have kept one of them alive to have a little chat with."
"A chat?" asked Hermione, shocked. "Why on earth would you want to do that?"
Shadow looked Hermione directly in the eye. "Let me ask you a question. Why were there three Death Eaters after you?"
"Um," said Hermione, shifting slightly and pulling herself up into a sitting position. "Kind of because I made them angry. I don't know how much history you know of but they were trying to kill me because I attacked some of them a few months ago."
"The Department of Mysteries?" asked Shadow. Hermione looked at him and slowly nodded.
"Yeah, it was."
"Then…" Shadow mused for a moment before he continued. "Would that make you Hermione Jean Granger?"
Hermione almost did a double-take. "Yes" she said. "Yes it would."
"In that case" said Shadow. "I think we both have a common goal. How are you feeling at the moment?"
"Painful" she replied weakly.
"Hungry?"
Hermione's stomach rumbled; she blushed again and Shadow grinned.
"I'll take that as a yes. Stay here, I'll be back soon."
He stood up and walked over to the door. He placed his gloved palm against the metal and it retracted to one side as he made to exit. He paused in the doorway and looked over his shoulder, smiling at Hermione, his deep ruby-red eyes locking onto her chocolate brown ones. She returned the smile and he left.
Hermione sank and slid back into a supine position. She starred at the lights off to one side, lost in thought.
Shadow knew who she was, which had surprised her. Yet, he hadn't seemed surprised at all that she knew who he was, despite his lack of history. But she had learnt more about him in the last few minutes than her morning of in depth research had given her.
Wondering what the time was she reached for her wrist only to find that her watch was no longer there. She looked around, but found there was no trace of any of her personal belongings; her wand, her bag, her watch or her clothes. She wondered if she should be overly worried as she remembered having all of them before she had fainted, but decided not to worry about them for the time being.
The door slid away again and Shadow entered carrying a tray with a plate of sandwiches and a mug of soup on it. Hermione shifted herself back up to the sitting position and accepted the food with a word of thanks. Shadow walked across the room and picked up his chair, bringing it over to Hermione's bedside and he sat himself down facing her.
"Since you seem genuinely interested in me, I'll start at the beginning. Which, for me, was fifty years ago."
"Fifty years ago?" Hermione asked, surprised, through a mouthful of sandwich. She swallowed quickly and repeated her question. Fifty years ago seemed to strike a bell in her mind.
"Yep. I was created as the Ultimate Life Form. And I'm not kidding, that was actually what I was going to be called. But the name of the development process was Project Shadow so that name stuck with me. Mind you, it could have been worse."
"But how exactly did they create you? And where?"
Shadow smiled, but Hermione saw that it was a bitter expression.
"They created me with the scientific research of a scientist named Gerald Robotnik. He was a brilliant man, a heroic man, yet viewed by our world as a traitor. Very few know the real story from beginning to end. Anyway, Robotnik created me in an attempt to cure cancer. You see, his fourteen year old granddaughter who lived with him, Maria, was dying from a very rare form. She was the bravest person I ever knew... She still smiled, despite all the pain and suffering she endured."
He looked away and Hermione thought that he was about to start crying but when he raised his head, his expression seemed oddly distracted, yet a flicker of dark emotion played across the features.
"The other part of my creation was an alien warlord named Black Doom."
"Black Doom? You mean the-"
"Alien who just blew half of the United Federation to pieces? The same. You see, Gerald couldn't create life itself; he had made the body, the shell, the vitals, everything. But he lacked life. He bargained with Black Doom when the Black Comet passed Earth fifty years ago. In exchange for life, he would provide Doom with a rare collection of powerful jewels called the Chaos Emeralds. What they are and what they do is unimportant, only that the holder wields great power."
"Do you know where any of these Chaos Emeralds are then?" asked Hermione.
"One of them. And luckily, we are in possession of it. I'm afraid I do not have it on me but it is somewhere within G.U.N."
"Oh." It was all Hermione could say. "Go on."
"So, that was how I came to be. But then it gets worse. As you were raised a Muggle, you know of the Second World War?"
Hermione shuddered. "Yes."
"Shortly after the conclusion, G.U.N. had evidence to believe that Gerald Robotnik had been conspiring against the United Federation with the Nazi regime in Germany. G.U.N. sent a taskforce to the ARK to capture-"
"Sorry to cut you off Shadow," interrupted Hermione quickly. "But what's the ARK?"
"Of course, you won't know. Space Colony ARK. It was a space station launched in the thirties, with the intention of disrupting Nazi communications should it come to war. Gerald Robotnik was the caretaker of the facility."
"But the first spacecraft didn't take off until the fifties!" exclaimed Hermione.
"The reason there is so little about me is because the ARK was a failure. As a result, the entire program, which had been secret to start with, was locked deep into the federal system, so that no-one would ever learn of it."
"Why was it a failure?"
"Because G.U.N. believed that Gerald Robotnik was working for the Nazis. So, their taskforce went to the ARK. Black Doom had left only hours earlier. There was a struggle. All but five were killed, including Maria."
Shadow looked solemn for a moment and when he continued his voice was strained.
"She was helping me to escape. They believed that I was a weapon that had been developed for the Nazis, even though I wasn't. We were cornered in the escape pod room. She could have saved herself but she stood between us. They shot her five times, no less. I watched her slowly bleed to death before I escaped. I was captured four days later in a forest in the Federation. Her sacrifice had been for nothing."
He swallowed and continued, his voice stronger than before.
"Gerald was tried for war crimes and executed the following year. Ultimately, two of the remaining four of us were released without charge. Another one, who was no older than eight, was placed into foster care. And I was put into statis on Prison Island."
Shadow looked at Hermione, who was staring open-mouthed at him, her sandwiches forgotten. He took the tray from her and set it down on the floor. She mumbled a thanks and he nodded before continuing.
"I remained like that until two years ago. I was freed from statis by Doctor Ivo Robotnik, the grandson of Gerald Robotnik. You may have heard of him. He goes more commonly by the name Doctor Eggman."
"Doctor Eggman freed you?" asked Hermione.
"He had found his grandfather's journal which recorded the events of the last three years of his life. He learnt of the Ultimate Life Form. He freed me and for that, I was grateful."
"But Prison Island was destroyed?"
"Indeed. Not immediately. That happened during a battle between me and Sonic."
"Sonic The Hedgehog?"
"I'd be surprised if you didn't know his name," said Shadow, grinning. "He loves the publicity, but unlike most hounds of that type, he is good at what he does. Obviously at this point I was against him; in fact, I had no idea who he was, other than the fact he was a constant pain in my rear. We battled and Prison Island blew up."
"Then?"
"Through a lot of complications, we ended up back on the ARK. I had already decided on my own agenda. I was going to make G.U.N. pay for what they had done. For their crimes against Gerald Robotnik. I led Eggman to the ARK and got him to gather the Chaos Emeralds for me. With all of the Emeralds assembled, I would be able to claim my vengeance. As always, it went disastrously wrong for both sides. The ARK had a self-defence mechanism, a prototype of the Ultimate Life Form known as the Biolizard. Once that was defeated, it transformed itself into the Finalhazard. At first, I was willing to let the beast get on with it; it would make my job easier by shifting the ARK out of its orbit and into the planet. But then, I remembered something. Something that brought me back in time. Maria. She wouldn't have wanted it this way. So, along with everyone else present, I became united in saving the ARK and the world. I transformed into my Super form – I believe that if you have done the research, you will know what that is, correct?"
Hermione nodded.
"Good. Yes, I transformed into my Super form and battled the Finalhazard. I used the last of my energy to save Sonic and defeat the beast. After that, I remember nothing."
"Why?"
"Amnesia. I believe that I fell. I was awoken a year later by a treasure hunter-turned-government agent called Rouge The Bat. She found me in statis in an abandoned base belonging to Doctor Eggman. In the process of waking me, we activated a robot unit known as E-123 Omega, the last and most powerful of a series of individualized mechanized assassins created by Doctor Eggman. I had no recollection of any of my prior memories due to the amnesia and decided to go with Rouge and Omega, who wanted to get even with Eggman. All of my past I've just told you, I have had to learn again from Eggman, Black Doom and the journal."
"That's terrible," said Hermione. "I'd hate for that to happen." She placed a soothing hand on his arm; his fur was warm. He looked at it and smiled.
"Well, through another overcomplicated adventure, we made it to Eggman, only to discover he had been imprisoned. By one of his own weapons no less."
"His own?" Hermione was incredulous. "Doesn't he have any control?"
"He doesn't pay them much respect. The smarter ones get wise and get out. Some like Omega become heroes. But not this one. This one was Metal Sonic. Eggman built him as a robotic doppelganger of Sonic. He built him to have the same speed, the same power, the same everything. And that included intellectual capacity. Sonic is smarter than people give him credit for, and that was reflected in Metal Sonic. He got wise, but didn't get out. He locked Eggman away on the flagship and took command. He used robotic duplicates and Chaos Energy to give up the facade that he was Eggman."
"Bet that hurt Eggman," muttered Hermione and Shadow nodded.
"He hired a group of detectives known as the Chaotix to break him out. At the same time, we arrived at his flagship, as did Sonic and his friends. Metal Sonic used negative energy from the Chaos Emeralds and transformed into Metal Madness. All but Sonic and two others engaged it in battle, including me, but it still managed to achieve its final Super form. Sonic went Super as well and defeated it. That was when some seeds of doubt were planted in my mind."
"What doubt?"
"That I wasn't Shadow. That, like Metal Sonic, I was simply a robotic copy with the memories and ideas of the original. In short, I had set out to learn the truth but now I was no better off than before."
"When did this happen?"
"January this year. I left and travelled quietly for three months, trying to contemplate all of the events that had happened to me. Eventually, I came to realize that I may never know the full truth. Then, the Black Arms attacked."
"I didn't know about the Black Arms until I got back from school," said Hermione apologetically. "They never really bothered with Britain."
"They were searching for the Emeralds as promised. I was, in fact, the messenger meant to deliver them." Shadow closed his eyes. "At the same time, the head of G.U.N. ordered my capture. It turns out that the kid who'd been put in foster care all those years ago was now head of G.U.N. and he wanted me dead over the whole ARK incident. It didn't help that I appeared to be allying with Black Doom to start with. Ultimately, I managed to gather the Emeralds, evade G.U.N. and make it to the Black Comet which was hovering in orbit near the ARK. I had to find out the answers myself. I had become even more confused throughout this war. I didn't know why G.U.N. wanted me dead so badly and Eggman had told me that I was in fact an android of the original. Ultimately, it was when I confronted Black Doom that the whole truth came out."
Hermione looked on, spellbound.
"I was a weapon. But a weapon to be used by humanity. My purpose was to protect the Earth from Black Doom. I learnt this information from him and the Chaotix. I also learnt that I was indeed the original Shadow from Eggman. Armed with this, I transformed and battled Black Doom in his Super form." Shadow paused. "God, I sound like I'm doing a monologue. I must sound like I'm stuck up my own backside or something"
Hermione gave an unladylike snort. She had the grace to look guilty afterwards.
"Sorry. I didn't know you used such terminology when referring to yourself."
"I don't often," said Shadow. "But it seemed like the right time. Anyway, I'm about to get to the reason why I'm here, and why I'm interested in Death Eaters."
Hermione had been listening intently, but at the mention of Death eaters again, she fixed her gaze on Shadow.
"I defeated Black Doom, made amends with the G.U.N. Commander who recruited me and allowed an elaborate cover story so that no-one would lose their reputation. But then I learnt a shocking truth, one that not even Gerald, Eggman or G.U.N. knew of. There was a third wheel in my creation. A bargain was struck by Black Doom with this person. They would give him mind control and various additional powers over me, in return for the Emeralds after he had used them. With Black Doom gone, the bargain still stands. This person will hunt the Emeralds like an obsession."
"It doesn't explain why you're so interested in Death Eaters," Hermione pointed out. "Is one of them the person who struck the deal?"
"Not one of them. The one who leads them all. The man known as Lord Voldermort."
It was if Hermione had been punched in the face. Voldermort had had a hand in Shadow's creation?
"I guessed it would shock you," said Shadow, looking at Hermione's frozen expression. "He was still a young man. How he got to the ARK, I've no idea. I guess he used his magic."
"Voldermort actually helped to create you?" said Hermione, gasping.
"Please don't judge me," said Shadow, raising his hands. "I had no idea until Black Doom told me. But I have a very important mission to complete now. I have to find him and kill him. Not just to save people from him, but to bury my past."
Hermione looked at him and could see a hollow, almost-dead look in his eyes.
"My past has been haunting me, even when I cannot remember it. For me to be my own, I need to let it all go. But I can't do that when fragments remain."
"Shadow, that's..." said Hermione. She didn't know how to finish it. It reminded her painfully of so many other things. Shadow reached his arm round and took her hand from his fur, holding it in his glove.
"Yeah, I know. But I have to do it." He looked around for a moment, then stood up and walked to the end of her bed. He bent down and resurfaced quickly, holding what Hermione recognized as her watch.
"Your personal belongings are all down here. I sent your clothes to the laundry, because you'd been sweating so much whilst unconscious. I hope you don't mind."
"I don't" said Hermione. "What time is it?"
"Twenty five to six."
"What?" Hermione cried out. "I was meant to back home by six! I'm not going to get there in time, I don't even know how to apparated, I-"
"Come on," said Shadow extending a hand. "Go get changed, take your time. We'll drop your parents a line where you are and tell them not to worry."
"Are you sure?" asked Hermione as she took it and let Shadow pull her from the bed. He placed her watch back in her hand. "I'm not too sure how they'd react to a foreign government taking care of me."
"It'll be fine," he answered. "I'll even go and do it for you myself."
"Really?"
"Yep. I'll be back soon." And with that, Shadow walked over to the door and exited.
Hermione watched him go, then slipped her watch back onto her wrist. She fastened it and walked round to get her bag and other items. She found her clothes had been returned whilst she had been unconscious; they were neatly folded into a small pile next to her belongings. She picked them up, shrugged the robe off and started to dress herself; her clothes were faintly warm and comfortable.
She was slipping on her shoes when Shadow entered again, smiling.
"They weren't back yet, so I left them a voicemail, explaining that you're safe and will be back tonight."
"Thanks" said Hermione gratefully as she stood up. "I appreciate that."
Shadow just waved his hand. "No problem there. Glad to help. Which way do you go?"
"I catch the train from St Pancras to Nottingham. I live in Bedford so I'll get off there."
"Do you want me to take you to the station?"
Hermione looked surprised. "Are you sure? I mean, you've already done a lot for me today. You know, with saving my life and all that."
"If you wanted, I'd even go with you to Bedford," he replied. "I wouldn't like to take any chances. My enemies generally come back and doubt that it's the last you've seen of the Death Eaters."
"I..." Hermione started, but stopped. She couldn't see any reason why Shadow couldn't go with her; in fact, some part of her mind actually wanted the lack hedgehog to stay with her.
"Well, OK then. Thanks, Shadow."
He grinned again and Hermione noticed for the first time he had a single pointed tooth on either side of his mouth; small, almost unrecognizable, yet razor sharp.
"Don't fret. Now come on, or we'll be waiting all night for a train if we miss it."
He held out a hand again which Hermione took gently and together, they walked out of the room.
A/N: So there's the first meeting of our heroes! Shadow and Hermione already seem to have warmed to each other; it's what happens when you save someone's life. Stay tuned for more in Within Shadow Is Light!