Chapter 2 - Caster and Rider

Harry watched quietly as Rin with Archer astralized entered the church, he moved around quietly to the back using his wand to send out various pings looking for the keystone to the bounded field surrounding the building. Upon finding it, gently nudged an overide ward stone, it would briefly blind said fields to him and Saber long enough to enter. "This doesn't feel right to me, Harry."

The Teen-who-won glanced over his shoulder at where the young woman's voice emanated, she was currently hiding under his invisibility cloak. "I know it goes against your code Saber, but it is only just this once. This is a rescue mission and not a battle."

He heard a sigh, "Very well, you are correct," he smiled slightly in her direction. "Don't worry you can fight to your hearts content eventually." The duo moved toward what look like the entrance to the cemetary, swiftly headed toward the door to underground leading into the mausoluem. They stopped long enough for Harry to scan things using his wand. "Magus are just as daft as Wizards," he opened the door silently and both descended down. The first thing he noted was the thick coppery smell of blood and the foul stench of decay. The first thing he could hear was a very faint sound of breathing, moving quickly pulling the thieves lantern out and lighting it. He found Bazett on the ground near one of the crypts she was surrounded by a pool of her own blood. He grimaced reaching down and feeling for pulse finding own he sighed, "If you had died Amy would have never forgiven herself for letting you go alone," he whispered to her gently rolling her onto her pulling out a small flask. Uncorking it he rubbed some of the liquid on her stump a few seconds the bleeding stopped, skin began cover the stump. "Your also really lucky I retook all those potion classes," he snorted seeing her breathing normalizing. Looking around he saw pot filled with dead flowers. Grabbing the pot he dumped out the contents whispering, "Portus," he touched the pot to her chest where she subsquently vanished.

"It's been a long time since I've seen a portkey," Saber whispered.

Harry gave a wry smile, "I hate them personally but I made it point to learn how to create them, just encase something like this could happen to anyone I care about. I'll need to give her a more thorough inspection when we get back." He felt her nod through their bond, "it's now time for us to say toodles to this dreary place."

The duo quickly moved back the way they came, disappearing up the stairs out of the shadow watching them Lancer smirked. "Seems like my cowardly master lost his bargaining chip, shame. Be safe Bazett."

XXX

Repeating their track in reverse Harry and Saber emerged quietly walking back to the front of the church just as Rin and Archer exited church itself. Giving both a subtle nod, the two duos split up heading back to the Emiya house from different directions. It took fifteen minutes before both duos could reunite again. Harry quickly moved into the house and found Bazett desposited right where he expected her to. Walking over to cabinet he touched a button causing the entire thing slide away. Archer whistled when he saw various vials and bottles of carious liquids. "What the heck are these?"

"Potions obiviously," Rin rolled her eyes, "so are you going to explain yourself now?"

Harry glared at her as Saber moved over to sit next to Bazett as the teen-who-won pulled out some scissors, a tray, a cup, and several potions. "Rude, a woman is lying in my living room clinging to life and you want an explanation, I know Magus were pragmatic and dedicated to their research...," he sighed gently sitting down setting the tray and placing the items he collected on the tray. "while I try to save Bazett's life I may explain some things," he picked up the scissor's and began cutting off Bazett's dress coat and shirt. "Saber, can you please help me, grab a bucket from outside near the outdoor faucet and get some water."

"I'll do it," Archer spoke up as pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning up against.

"Thank you, Archer." Harry gently pulled Bazett's head for it to sit in his lap pouring one of potions into the cup. "This won't taste pleasant Bazett but it'll help re-grow your arm," he stated softly gently pouring the liquid down her throat while holding her nose to get her to swallow it, he heard a grunt and smiled faintly seeing the purple haired woman make a face. "Yeah, pretty awful. But it's better than explaining to Amy, why you have no right arm." Archer re-entered the room with the water and set it down next to Harry. Leaning back Harry grabbed a towel from the edge of the bathroom. Dipping it in the water he wrung it out and began to wash the blood and grime from Bazett's skin while pulling away the clothes.

"At the end of the fourth grail war, Kiritsugu ordered his Saber to destroy the grail," Harry spoke up still systematically cleaning and shedding Bazett of her bloody clothing, after a point he pulled out a blanket and covered her. "He had a reason for that," everyone looked at him Saber frowned. "The grail was tainted, any wish made would have brought grave misfortune, didn't matter how pure the wish was. It took Kiritsugu and I before his death going to the Clock Tower and meeting that troll Zelretch to find out why," he finished cleaning the purpled haired woman, pulling out another potion, "She's really going to hate me for pouring all these nasty potions down her gob," he chuckled holding her nose again this time pouring violent red looking potion down her throat. She coughed grimacing a bit as Harry gently covered the rest of her, gathering her clothes and tossing them in the trash. "Part of the blame falls to the Tohsaka's, Matou's, and von Eisenberns, turns out in the third war they in a combined effort created an eighth class, the Avenger class."

Rin frown heavily, "Grandpa, old man Zouken, and that old homunculus were able to create a new class?"

With a nod Harry sat back down, "They were trying to stack the odds in their favor and summoned Angra Mainyu as Avenger, the problem was he was terribly weak and was the first spirit to die in that war. How ever you can't just play with the embodiment of All the World's Evil, and it not come back to bite you in the arse. When he died he permanently tainted the grail, so now it's nothing more than a very dangerous monkey's paw, as I said earlier, no wish no matter how benign will bring anything short of disaster. Kiritsugu's wish for peace would have been that of the grave. Kill one to save ten, Kill ten to save a hundred, kill a hundred...and well you get the idea."

"So if I wanted to find the root?" Rin asked.

"The wish would have ripped every magic circuit from every magus in the world you included to show you the root, just before you died," Harry explained causing the girl to pale.

Saber's head lowered, "So any wish I would have made would be folly?"

Harry winced gently taking her hand, "I'm sorry Saber." She looked up at him a pained smile appeared on her face. "The problem is there are at least four other people that will try to summon the grail. The master's of Rider, Assassin, Caster, and the bastard that tried to kill Bazett."

"It...was...that...priest," Bazett croaked weakly cracking an eye open. "I'm...going...to get you for the potions, Potter," she grimaced.

"You should be resting threaten me in the morning," Harry stated softly. "We'll worry what you can do to me then, yeah?"

"Fine," the purple haired Apostle Hunter drifted back to sleep.

Harry then turned to Rin, "As for me there isn't much I was born into a Wizardcaft family, namely the Noble and Most Ancient House Potter, said parents were murdered a year and three months after I was born, I took a little dip in the curse infected waters of the Holy Grail ten years ago effectively created over 100 magical circuits to a point where I don't know where my Magecraft begins and my Wizardcraft ends. I have all the strengths of both magicks and none of their weaknesses."

Rin looked dumbfounded, "you don't need a wand to perform Wizardcraft or Magical Circuits to perform Magecraft!?"

Harry shook his head then glanced at both Archer and Saber, "I do have a question, um, have I appeared on the throne of Heroes?"

Archer snorts crossing his arms, "Several times over, usually revolving around your battles with Voldemort."

Harry grunted getting up and moving to his kitchen pulling out a teapot and three cups, "Figures, something tells me once I finish this life I'll end up their as well. Let me guess I would be a Caster?"

"Not necessarily," Archer stated. "I've seen you become a Saber, a Rider, and a Berserker along side Caster, usually depended on the life you led before you died."

"I see," Harry set the teapot on the burner thinking. "So you were involved in something similar, Shiro?"

Archer flinched causing both Saber and Rin to look at him, "What drew that conclusion?"

"Three things, first was your brief encounter with Saber," Harry stated not turning from the teapot watching it fill with water. "Your face was stoic as normal, but two factors gave away what you were thinking. The moment you laid eyes on Saber they tightened on the corners showing some regret and nostalgia, second was how utterly confused you were upon seeing me. As if you were expecting someone else. Second thing was when we did our little rescue mission, you knew them intinctively Rin barely summoned you this morning yet you had knowledge of route both to and from the Church. And before you ask I had you tagged with a tracking charm the moment we left this house," Archer winced he knew after meeting Harry Potter numerous times how practical the man was he just didn't realize how observant he was too. "Third and final is the fact you've been in this house all of an hour and instantly know where everything is minus the editions I've made in the last ten years. So my hunch is that you're a Shiro Emiya from a different timeline or reality."

"Knowing Zelretch you would know about that," Archer sighed. "Your right in life I was Shiro Emiya, I would die roughly ten years from now betrayed by the very people I tried to save. I was conscripted as a Counter Guardian, by Alaya after a few centuries of killing to save humanity I had enough of it."

"So, you entered this war to hopefully meet your younger self to do what?" Harry asked turning to the Silver haired man.

"Either change his philosphy about saving everyone or kill him outright," Archer explained.

"Wouldn't work, you would simply create a branching path where your younger self was killed or abandoned his ideals," Harry smiled sadly. "You would still exist and still be forced to undergo the path you walk, you can't mess with time it will always win."