Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Fate/Stay Night

Chapter three: Training Course

Kiritsugu ran his hands along the lines of the weapon case before him, it looked like he was being affectionate but in reality the maneuver doubled as a procedure to deactivate the security measures on the case.

He opened the case slowly, looking upon the weapon he had not seen in almost nine years. He took a slow steadying breath and then quickly lifted the weapon and an additional bullet from the case. He smoothly went through the proper procedure of removing the bullet in the chamber, replacing it, readying it for fire, and 'aiming' it at his partner.

"Almost two seconds, damn I am rusty."

The expressionless face of his partner and former student, Maiya, remained placid even with his loaded weapon aimed at her head. "Yes, but that is why we are doing this mission, is it not?"

Emiya sighed before lowering his weapon to his side. "Me and Old Acht agree that the risk of a mission this close to the Heaven's Feel Ritual is worth reducing any rust from my edge. Although, I had to be quite convincing."

"I think your manipulation skills were spent to bring them along, not to come yourself," Maiya stated while coaxing something dangerous out of a young Harry's hands.

Maiya's expressionless face seemed to break for a moment and an almost scowl appeared to be directed at Kiritsugu. "They might be very smart and mature for a five and seven year old but they are still just five and seven. I can't believe you brought them with you on such a dangerous assignment."

Kiritsugu holds up a placating hand, "Relax, I happen to know these won't be the only kids on this mission

This time the emotional deadening Maiya had experienced seemed to fail completely and an expression of incredulity showed itself. "We are being sent to help root out a Dead Apostle from its own lair that it has spent years preparing. What family would risk it's children facing something like that, other than you of course?"

Kiritsugu looked at her calmly. "I thought I had trained you in the noble families, can you think of none?"

Maiya fell deep into thought trying to uncover some lesson that Kiritsugu had given her during training.

At a nearby hotel suite, an extremely disciplined twelve year old girl, who wouldn't let any being on this Earth call her cute, sneezed cu- er, um daintily. She had long ago mastered this Mystery and knew immediately what it foretold. 'Someone is talking about me.'

Maiya shook her head and resumed her expressionless state. "I have prepared the animals and equipment in the basement, but not made them familiars yet. Do you want me to work on that next?"

Kiritsugu thought for a moment. "No, this seems a good time for a teaching moment. Come on children, time to learn how to make familiars."

The gathered members of the Emiya family began walking down the steps into the basement of the suburban house Maiya had rented as a base.

Kiritsugu ordered his thoughts on how much progress the children had made in their mystical studies and began to lecture. "There are two main methods of creating a familiar, and of course countless variations. The more powerful method, which we are not using tonight, involves gathering the 'leftover thoughts' of a dead human and..."

At this point Ilya squeaked, loudly, "D-d-dead! You mean a-a ghost!"

Kiritsugu let a calming hand fall to Ilya's shoulder. "A true ghost would be a powerful example of 'leftover thoughts', but few leave behind a full ghost when they die. Nor is it needed for the process of making a familiar. Now the 'leftover thoughts' are gathered with a dead animal of the type desired and the magus heals the body and binds the thoughts and body together using a spiritual contract involving a prana rich bodily fluid like blood or tears. This creates a rudimentary soul for the familiar, including granting it magical circuits and the ability to perform some mystical abilities. The familiar will have no prana of its own to use those abilities, nor will it continue existing unless granted prana from the binding magus. Short of a rare few who gain a power that lets them gather prana on their own."

Harry popped in here holding up a small snake in his hands. "That's the type Zida is right? I made her with the help of Lord Einzbern."

"Correct son, given your parsel sorcery trait the family wanted you to bind as powerful a snake familiar as they could manage as early as you could manage. Zida belongs to a breed of mystical snake known for immortality and enhancing magical ability. While Zida may have been dead when we found her, it has been at least two thousand years since Zida was born. That age lends Zida mystical weight and strength which as your familiar and owing to your parsel trait, lends you mystical weight and strength. Now Zida was made using the 'leftover thoughts' of an old Einzbern mystic from hundreds of years ago. Back before they decided to use homunculi to achieve the third magic they would institute harsh training to prepare human magi to deal with the needed level of power. One young girl was a prodigy and met every test. But the Einzbern kept pushing and she died young without fulfilling her potential. The family saved her leftover thoughts all this time and used them to help you make Zida. This both makes Zida as strong as possible but also lets her act as a mentor considering her training. Now, we will discuss the second type."

At this point Kiritsugu had a coughing fit like his throat was dry. Instead of trying to drink something for a parched throat he reached into his coat and pulled out a cigarette. He lit it and took a drag and then looked as relieved as you might expect someone taking a soothing drink would.

Ilya coughed delicately and looked at him disapprovingly. Kiritsugu ignored her to take another drag.

"Papa, you shouldn't be doing that in front of children."

Kiritsugu just patted her head. "It's fine. I never expected to be a good father so I shouldn't start now."

Ilya just huffed and Harry groaned at the old joke from his father.

"Anyway, the second type of familiar and the kind we are making today." Kiritsugu began his lecture again as he continued down a hall, gesturing with the cigarette.

"This type of familiar is a spell cast upon a living animal giving you the connection to it and allowing spells to be cast through the animal. But the animal does not gain sentience or special powers. Because you do not have to maintain the life of the creature involved, the spell is far less demanding. This allows you to have many familiars of this type. Another potential downside of these familiars is if you keep them long enough they might evolve into a Monstrous Beast."

Harry chimed in at this point reminding of some readings he had gotten from the Potter elves. "Monstrous, I thought that monsters were basically magical creatures. I thought this spell did not give them magical powers."

"The spell does not give them magical powers directly. However having the excess prana in their systems causes their bodies to adapt. Eventually they will become what a magus would call a monstrous beast and what your wizarding folk would call magical creatures. Magi classify magical beasts, which is any creature that needs a source of mystic energy to survive, as Monstrous, Phantasmal, or Divine. Each level indicates a new tier of mystical weight, inscrutability to humans, and rarity. Most Divine level beasts are unique beings, not races. Each of these tiers has rankings E through A. A high ranking Monstrous can best a low ranking Phantasmal, but the Monstrous races can be bred and tamed by humans while even low ranking Phantasmal races are not so easy to understand."

"Wizards seem just consider them all magical creatures with a ranking for how dangerous they are." Harry added his thoughts.

"And most of those creatures are Monstrous Beasts, like dragons and hippogriffs. However they include the Unicorns and Phoenixes in the same category despite how much they don't know about those races. Magi would just classify them as Phantasmal Beasts rather than having text books with non-equal knowledge of the various creatures."

An interested look came over Ilya's face. "Do you know why that is papa?"

"The wizards seem to just accept magic on a deeper level. If they can't understand a creature's habits they will just shrug and say its magic. A magus is more like a mundane scientist and must be able to fully explain all the facets of a creature. When they can't they have justify it be labeling the creature so it has an official reason for being so mysterious. The net result is the same but the magus is uncomfortable without the official categories. The wizard can just accept that some mystical creatures can be more mysterious than others without trying so hard to categorize them. Considering the rarity and uniqueness of Divine Beasts, I refuse to blame them for not being part of the school year curriculum."

The trio entered a room that was filled with small cages filled with rats and bats with a long work table filled with video equipment. "Alright kids, we are here. Let me get you started on the proper care and use of mass familiar reconnaissance."

The next morning outside of town.

Kiritsugu, Maiya, and the two children left their rented vehicle and walked across the crunching gravel towards the rest of their party. The fairly new children's playground they were meeting near was a stark contrast to the mood of the group and its purpose despite having children present.

Indeed, children present at an important meeting like this should have been playing on the jungle gyms and staying out of the adult's way, not participating in the meeting. But such obstacles to the common sense of a non-magi had no bearing on the common sense of a magus.

The Emiya group crunched across the parking lot towards a well-dressed blonde man, a few years older than Kiritsugu with eyes that were green but not as vividly so as Harry's. He had a pompous and aristocratic look to himself with expensive and high quality clothing. On his left was a girl who looked related to the blonde with long blonde hair and green eyes of her own. She was about the same five year old age as Harry actually was and Illya appeared due to her method of birth and procedures performed during her youth surpressing the rate of Ilya's maturity. On his right was a very stern and even more aristocratic looking twelve year old girl with light brown hair and piercing brown eyes, her clothes might have been expensive in material but looked far more pratical.

Kiritsugu waved, an obviously false expression of happiness on his face. "Yo! I assume you are the clients we are supposed to meet correct?"

"Of course, I am Lord El-Melloi and ninth head of the Archibald family, Kayneth Archibald. Through the recommendation of the esteemed Einzbern family, I have hired you to act as guards and assistants on thism the inaugral Dead Apostle hunt for the newest member of the Bartholemoi family. Of course the principle hunter will be the Lady I am escorting, Miss Lorelei Bartholemoi." The blonde was wearing formal black clothes and had had his hands clasped behind himself. He had raised one hand to the right when introducing his charge. He raised his left hand to gesture towards the young blonde girl and continued his introduction. "This is the current heir to the Archibald family should I have no children, Miss Wilhelmina Archibald. She was eager to see a Bartholemoi in action and I took it upon myself to bring her along."

Kiritsugu glanced at Maiya and gave her a look that to most would seem inscrutable but to her, after long association with him, was apparent as a smirk. She returned an even more inscrutable look that he chose to interpret as an eye roll.

"Greetings, I am Kiristugu Emiya and this is my protégé Maiya Hisau. We will be protecting you and following the orders the Lady gives us in battle, if any. I have brought my children, Ilyasviel Von Einzbern and Harry Emiya."

Lorelei looked over Harry with cool eyes, seeming to analyze him. Considering the spells she had available as the heir of one of the Mage Association's premier families, she probably was analyzing Harry in ways he couldn't comprehend. "So I presume Harry is your heir than, if Ilyasviel took the Einzbern name?"

Kiritsugu simply answered honestly since he could not figure out her angle. "Yes, Harry will be the sixth head of the Emiya family. Due to my father becoming a sealing designate I was forbidden 80% of the Emiya crest. Harry has already gained that crest, I will pass on my portion and my personal contribution in a few years."

Kayneth seemed to express some interest at this point. "I have never heard of such a spilt occurring. Have there been any odd effects?"

To Emiya this was getting close to straying into family mysteries. "Some, since the crest was one at some point and will be one again it has given us a great sympathetic affinity for each other when using our mysteries."

A few minutes of walking later while Kayneth probed for secrets and Kiritsugu politely redirecting led the group to a meeting room that Maiya had prepared. A center table boasted a map marked with the results of the mass familiar surveillance that the Emiya children had conducted yesterday evening and the walls were covered in photos of various individuals and what looked like crime scenes.

Kiritsugu stood opposite of the table from the clients placed his hands on the table and looked calmly at Lorelei, "So, Lady Bartholemoi, this is your show. What is our next step?"

Some sort of training seemed to kick in for the young woman and her eyes became frosty as they reviewed the map, "I see you have performed some basic recognizance. Have you identified the Dead Apostle?"

Kiritsugu lifted his arms and crossed them, never changing his nigh expressionless face. "No, he is a clever one. In addition to the energy gathering ghouls that are multiplying every night, he has come up with some trick to avoid a quick take down."

He lifts a hand towards the wall without looking and snatches a photo of a man who looks normal if a bit sharper and more intense, nothing inhuman though. "This man is our target, but he has been seen to appear in as many as three instances simultaneously and the doppelgangers react as if they have some level of idea what happens to the others and with almost instantaneous reaction-times. I do not know the specifics of this mystery, whether triplets, or a split body or clones or whatever. All three, while performing different actions, are performing actions that lead to an identification of Dead Apostle. They never come near each other and, as far as I can tell, you will need to defeat all three almost simultaneously to be sure the bastard is beaten."

At this Emiya looks up at the young woman leading them, "unless you can unravel this mystery."

Kayneth is beginning to look disturbed for the sake of his charge, but she delicately lifts a hand to forestall him. "It is fortunate than that I am already familiar with this mystery. While uncommon it has been used by the Dead Apostles before. The others are enchanted ghouls into which he may imbed part of his consciousness to give them all of his behavior and mannerisms. Chances are none of the three are actually him but we can check the victims and confirm. The victims of full Dead Apostles and ghouls leave different signatures. Enchanting the ghoul does not change that."

"Makes sense. Maiya?" Kiritsugu said as he looked over at his assistant.

"An attack occurred nearby 37 minutes ago by one of the triad." She immediately left the room and everyone followed her as if it was to be expected. They traveled several blocks and ended in an alley with a body that had obviously been savaged by a blood sucker. The three young children were visibly disturbed but doing well to hide it. Kayneth seemed to just be disgusted and was doing little to hide it. Lorelei reacted no more than the experienced assassins.

With long experience Kiritsugu found a position to kneel near the body with minimal risk of blood stains on his clothes. He waved Harry over, the boy swallowed to control himself and then came within arm's reach. "Do you remember your lessons in succubus saliva, Harry?"

Harry had to overcome the big blank spot that had opened in his mind from standing so very close to a dead body, but he eventually nodded and unzipped a fanny pack carrying his reagents. He pulled out some test tubes, some empty, some with catalysts. He swallowed deeply and began to take samples.

After a few minutes of mixing and then analysis, double checked by his father, Harry announced, "The killer took them in violence and was not satisfied by the attack, they then immediately moved on and forgot about it. So this was a ghoul attack?"

"Seems that way, good work son," Kiritsugu replied to Harry with a relatively friendly nod.

"Surveillance shows one of the triad entering this alley with this victim, minutes later when assets were moved into position, this was the scene," reported Maiya

The young Lady seemed ready to take command, "It seems clear that this is the mystery I am familiar with. We need to determine whether all three are fakes or is one real." The girl held a finger to her lips as she contemplated. "One of you comes with me. Kayneth will go with rest to investigate the evidence at another scene."

Kiritsugu quickly gains the location of a couple attacks and victims from Maiya before waving her to follow Kayneth. Emiya's children move to follow him. "No Harry, stay with Maiya. If anything happens stay back but support her. Flee with the clients if you must."

The doubt is obvious on his face but he responds, "Yes sir."

Illya looks divided, eyes darting between her brother and her father. When the magus killer makes no comment she decides to stay with her father.

So Lorelei, Illya, and Kiritsugu head one direction while Harry, Maiya, Kayneth, and Wilhemina head another.

As Harry's groups move on, heading over to investigate the attack site they have been assigned, Kayneth gains a sour expression. As if he no longer has to put on a face for the Lady Bartholemoi. Maiya remains as stoic and near expressionless as always. Wilhemina though...

"So, where do you live?" The girl asked coyly.

Harry starts; surprised she is talking to him at all. "We live in the Einzbern family manor in Germany near the forest."

"Oh how rustic!" She nearly shouts with exuberance as her family head smirks. "The Archibalds of course have a pastoral home when we feel the need for time in the country. I've taken drisage lessons and in a few years I will get a horse of my own and make him my familiar."

Remembering the lessons his father had given last night, Harry has to suppress a shudder at the idea of a monstrously empowered horse running amok with Wilhemina on its back. 'Hmm, or would that be considered more funny than something to be afraid of.' Harry thinks to himself but then realizes he has to be polite to the customer, no matter how indirectly this situation applies. "A lovely past-time, I have been kept far too busy with my studies for enjoying much in the way of hobbies."

Wilhemina's coy look begins to hint at derision. "Of course that is only the county house. We have an entire mansion in London for when Archibalds have important business at the Clocktower. The Archibald family is of course an important part of the Clocktower, providing professors, like my uncle, and research materials."

Harry inwardly grimaced at the mention of the Clocktower and he was sure Maiya was as well. "It must be nice to have such easy access to such a prestigious organization. The Einzbern family of course maintains closer ties to Atlas and is not as physically close." Harry allowed a sigh to bubble up. "The Emiya family suffered a sealing designation and lost its Crest and research. Father only got a fifth of the crest and barely talked them into releasing the rest to me. Hopefully my relations will improve with the Clocktower and I will be able to go when I reach an appropriate age"

Kayneth burst in here, seeming to have been waiting for a chance at family secrets. "So Kiritsugu kept the Crest he had?"

"Father will transfer the Crest he inherited and his contribution before I grow too old for a safe transfer. With the full Crest and the previously sealed family research I should be able to become the heir that grandfather should have been. However it's a lot of pressure, hence my concentration on studies."

"Impressively dutiful, I am sure many families would be most thankful for such a considerate heir." With this Kayneth casts a glance at Wilhemina which the girl noticed and it causes her to immediately bristle and blush.

'I'll show him, I will prove such a worthy heir that he won't want to acknowledge his own children even if he has them,' Wilhemina resolved to herself.

A minute or two of silence, except for Wilhemina planning a new study schedule to prove her resolve to the family head.

Finally she shook herself free and tried to start another conversation with Harry.

"What about..." She started.

Harry felt a sensation creep through his family crest as a precognition trickled from the future into the past that was his present. Still new to his position as Oracle it took him a moment to interpret the meaning behind the triggered mystery. Indeed it was almost a moment too long.

"MAIYA!" He cried out as he filled his body with the minimal reinforcement he had been trained to handle. With how small his young body was that meant he barely had enough to keep from being slowed down when he swept Wilhemina into his arms.

"Time Alt..." He began his aria when he felt a surge of prana slide through his Crest, not from his own personal casting but sent back from a future point. The spell accelerated him far more than he safely could on his own at this point.

Not one to waste a chance he started sprinting towards a building. "My feet have wings, and they are lifted skyward," he used the aria to invoke his wind affinity and leapt. With a burst of ragged wind he leapt up to the top of the building he had been sprinting towards taking the young girl with him. With the temproal acceleration of Time Alter: Triple Accel in place he not only jumped unnaturally high but did it with an unnatural rate that would have disturbed any onlookers.

When he and Wilhemina reached the roof he turned towards Maiya who was racing away with Kayneth. However they had only reached the fire escape in the alley and started to climb in the three seconds it took Harry to reach the roof of the building on the other side of the street from them.

With prey nearer to the ground available the horde of ghouls boiling out of the sewers was concentrating on the adults. Maiya had already begun firing into the group, but there were so many it was obvious she would run out of ammunition before they reached safety.

Harry resolved himself, kept a tight hold on his client. "Hold on," he told her and he felt her shudder and cling to him more tightly.

He charged towards the roof's edge while chanting his Aria, just as his foot kicked off from the roof a prana filled wind surged up and pushed them across the street to the roof the adults were climbing towards. As Time Alter was still active this whole jump occurred as if being fast forwarded at triple speed.

Upon landing he put Wilhemina on her feet as quickly as he could while remaining gentle. He walked over to the rough edge and looking down at the adults rushing up the fire escape he saw them reach a decent opening. He called out another Aria. "Answer my Call and delivery unto me a righteous passage." He called out while reaching towards the adults with his right hand and then jerking his hand up and backwards as he pulled them up out of the fire escape, up long the wall of the building and onto the roof near Wilhemina.

Another surge of wind-laced prana flooded through his circuits.

"With a Gust and a Surge the truth is known, time to winnow the wheat from the chaff, time for those before me to know there place."

The longer Aria allowed him to gather greater power and focus and control to cause a sweeping wind that hammered the ghouls off the building with little damage caused to the building itself. A dozen of the previously highest were destroyed by slamming into the sidewalk beneath the building. More continued to pour out of the sewers but it had only been ten seconds since the start and there were already several dozen visible.

Maiya took the time Harry bought her to reload all her weapons and straighten out her suit. Lord El-Melloi took a far longer to compose himself, but when even Wilhemina managed to gather herself and began to straighten her windswept clothes he seemed to pull himself together.

Not even bothering to straighten his clothes he took a vial from his coat and began to pour a silvery mercury-like substance upon the rooftop. The amount he was pouring was hundreds of times larger than the volume of the vial could contain. When it had gathered into a large droplet the size of a large dog he intoned.

"Volumen Hydragyrum"

The named blob of mercury inched towards the edge of the building while Archibald bragged, "My Mystic Code is unmatched. You have shown some impressive wind capabilities young Emiya but witness the capabilities of strong wind and water affinities channeled through a mystic code."

He smirked and gestured sharply. The mystic code suddenly flared sending out sharpened tendrils of itself that after crossing the border of the roof line turned at a right angle and dived for the climbing ghouls.

Harry and the others watched as razor sharp whips of mercury scythed through multiple ghouls at once. Harry, seeing things were at least at a stalemate let his time alter field collapse and drew a shuddering breath as his internal temporal characteristics twisting to match the World Egg of reality. So long at such a high acceleration would have torn his father apart and would have done more damage even to himself. But this spell had been cast by a future version of himself and that version was more skilled and had a completed Crest. This enabled his future self to aid him in the here and now and minimize the impact.

Still it was rough as minor, normally inconsequential temporal paradoxes skittered and scrapped along his body, mind, and soul.

A few deep breaths as Maiya and Wilhemina looked at him with some concern showing and he shook himself, "I'm fine, just have to shake it off."

Kayneth was now leaning over the roof, sneering at the horde of ghouls below as his Mystic Code cut them to pieces. "Pathetic rabble, I can only imagine this was meant as a distraction while the Lady Bartholemoi is in danger."

Wilhemina muttered an Aria under her breath and then moaned piteously. "Uncle there are hundred more below still in the sewer and some are starting to come up through the building! Can you last long enough to hold them all off?"

Worry creased Kayneth's brow. "Volumen Hydragyrum is a potent code, I have no doubts of holding as long as it remains active. But it is costly, at the rate they are falling I will risk being exhausted by the time they are all gone. And that is putting aside how long it will keep us from aiding the Lady Bartholemoi."

Harry sighed deeply before sitting in a modified Lotus position that prominently displayed his left arm and he pulled back his sleeve to reveal his Crest. "I am going to try something, but it's a ten-count. I assume you can hold them for a minute."

He asked this of Maiya, not even caring how long the Archibald could hold them off. However the Lord El-Melloi responded anyway, "Of course, there is no risk of us falling within just a minute." Harry still waited until Maiya nodded before continuing.

Harry felt a brief surge of freefall as he "fired" the mental trigger that started his circuits. Body Energy, Od, flooded through his natural 30 circuits and the 37 circuits of his current Crest which included five of his natural circuits that had already been converted. All 67 circuits began to feel warm as he refined the needed Od into prana for this spell, which was his current most exhaustive and demanding mystery.

To be a magus is to walk with death. Magic beyond one's ability can kill you. This spell came the closest to being beyond his ability. But he thought he could do it and he wouldn't fail to save these people before him. As he spoke his Aria a mystical circle formed under him and glowed brightly, and his crest responded in kind, glowing and forming mystic circles around his arm.

"From a drop of rain flowing towards the ocean does the cycle form."

"From humble beginnings, many drops combine into a mighty river."

"To chart the course past flowing waters to the first and least drop."

"To steal the drop that starts events and re-make the passing of any."

"Tilt the way towards a brighter course and cross the burden of the cycle."

"Unleash!" Harry cried and the circle flared solid with light before disappearing.

The other three seemed to be looking around trying to spot what he had done. Kayneth snorted to himself, "So what was that supposed to accomplish?"

"Look!" Wilhemina cried out pointing at the ghouls below. You could see that they were seemingly scenting the air and they all began running towards a building on the farside of the block from them.

"Where are the going?!"

Harry climbed to his feet and with a tired sounding voice, "A building I prepared with explosives to bring it down and destroy them all when they were inside and bait set to go off now."

"And the people?"

Even more tired, Harry went to watch the ghouls stream into the building, the ones in the sewers continued clambering to reach the bait even more than they tried to reach them a minute ago. He turned his head back to the others. "Long ago evacuated."

"When did you do all this?" Asked Maiya curiously.

"I snuck out last night and took care of it."

Wilhemina look totally confused. "How did you know to prepare THAT building?" She demanding pointing at the building.

However the Lord El-Melloi answered distractedly, obviously considering the mystical implications of what he had seen. "He didn't know, that was what his spell just now did, inform his past self of something he had to do. So until he cast that spell the past was not what the past is now. Control over time itself, even if limited to one's own timeline. Impressive."

Wilhemina clutched her head as if it hurt. "I think your mysteries hurt my head."

Harry turns to face her fully, looking away from the building just as the last of the ghouls cross the threshold. With a tired grin on his face he reaches up and rubs the back of his head.

BOOOOOOM!

Looking very chagrined, Harry finally replied, "Sorry Wilhemina."

"Very impressive," dryly intoned Kayneth Archibald.

A silver haired, red-eyed woman of great beauty stood with her arms crossed under her breasts drumming her finger along her arms. One of her red eyes seemed to be developing a twitch.

"You did what!"

Kiritsugu held up his hands placatingly, "Now dear."

"Don't you dear me you, you, you male!"

"It's not his fault, he didn't intend..," Kiritsugu began.

"Of course he intended to blow up the building! That was his plan!"

"And it's a perfectly acceptable plan, he even arranged to evacuate the residents first," Kiritsugu reasoned.

"That's, that's not the point Kiri! One shouldn't blow up buildings! It's common sense!"

"The common sense of a magus has little to do with the common sense of regular people," Kiritsugu continued to defend his son in a reasonable tone of voice.

At this Irisviel huffed in exasperation and threw her hands into the air as if giving up. She quickly marched from the room; Illya followed imitating her mother's demeanor as best as she could.

"Son," the head of the Emiya family stated gravely.

"Father," replied the Boy-Who-Lived without much hope in his voice.

Kiritsugu leaned in close and looked his son in his eyes as if what was to follow was urgent and most important. "Did you watch the explosion?"

Taken aback a confused look crossed Harry's face. "What? No, why would I watch one of MY explosions. I know they will go off just as planned."

With this Kiritsugu smiled what was for him hugely stood fully again and clamped a proud hand on Harry's shoulder. "Good job son."

The old head of the family that created and lost the Third True Magic sat behind his desk, he seemed to be fine-tuning a mystic circle as he was continually referencing tomes, starcharts and weather reports before making minor changes.

Kiritsugu cleared his throat.

"Speak Emiya. I have neither time to energy to waste tonight."

"Yes, sir. Mission complete. Client was kept alive and target was destroyed. All parameters were met."

The head of the Einzbern family looked up at Kiritsugu. "I heard it was quite a dust up, how did you compare in combat to the young Lady Bartholemoi?"

"The Dead Apostle was of higher rank and greater intelligence than either my or the Lady's research had indicated. Alone I would have withdrawn and made a plan to defeat the Apostle on my terms. As you know the Bartholemoi family would not accept such a strategy. The Lady was truly impressive. Her mysteries were simple but actualized so skillfully and so intelligently as to achieve far greater results. Considering their common wind element I have already taken a few tips for enhancing Harry's training. But the Dead apostle was such that I believe she would have fallen if I had not been there assisting her."

He shifted slightly, "I believe she could defeat me in any 'fair' and purely magus-based combat. I would have no intention of fighting 'fair' if it ever came to that of course. It would have gone worse if the Apostle had concentrated his resources. Kayneth, and my son had quite a dust themself when the Dead Apostle directed ALL of the ghouls it had made in the city to attack them."

"Of course. My family is quite desperate to win and complete the next Ritual for the Heaven's Feel. To that end the honor of mystical combat may be left behind if it results in victory. To this end we have hired you and combined you with our family."

The old man settled into his chair and folded his hands with his elbows on the desk. "I have reviewed the combat recorded through familiars and have decided my initial decision was not in error and will allow myself to hope you will do this family proud in your upcoming victory."

With this he went back to his mystic circle without another look at Kiritstugu and Emiya felt his dismissal and left.

Still wary of his mother's mood, Harry walked on tip toes around her as he worked the kitchen. Of all his family he was only one qualified to even monitor a kitchen staff let alone cook himself. Of course his kitchen work when at home was limited to monitoring house-elves or servants. His family swore the food tasted better if he was watching the staff than if they were left to their own devices.

Ilya was watching a television that Kiritsugu had pressed the Einzbern into setting up. Some cartoon or something. She would come away when mother called her to dinner.

Harry was jealous of her sometimes. Her inbred power and knowledge and Wishcraft Sorcery trait meant she could and did take her mystical studies easy. She also used her cute, doll-like appearance to guilt others into letting her get out of other non-magical studies and chores. He had to study basic magecraft, alchemy, the Emiya family crest, his elemental affinity, and handling his innate conceptual weapons, which added challenges of an extra element and the Parseltongue Sorcery trait as additonal things to train on top of learning to control the Conceptual Weapons. This was just the required list and left no room for some wishful thinking studies like the Healing magic that mother was improving in herself and teaching to Ilya when Ilya could be bothered to study. He also, as the infamous magus killer's son, had to learn many non-magical skills and information on prominent magus families and abilities.

His time was booked and what little free time he had Ilya was prone to coopting since she was bored and he, 'wasn't doing anything.'

Still he loved his family. They cared in a very real way, proven by the very fact that his father had such high expectations, that Ilya would demand his attention, and that mother would be so concerned about his 'misbehaviors.'

As he continued to watch the house-elves work on their dinner he snorted internally. His mother had no call to make such a big deal of things like she did, those golems had stopped running amok... eventually.

A few days after the mission the routine had returned to the lives of the Emiya family. Harry was studying some tome to refine an aspect of his basic magecraft when his father walked in.

"Harry, I had some ideas for refining your elemental wind Thaumaturgy from watching the Lady Lorelei combat that Dead Apostle."

"I had some ideas to discuss too dad." Harry was beginning tentatively.

"What's that son?"

"When we were first ambushed I started casting a Time Alter spell. Before I finished I felt the spell finished through my Crest, from the future."

Kiritsugu tapped a finger to his cheek as he considered this. "That could be pretty useful. Even if its limited to Crest based mysteries, you can send up a much briefer spell to act as a beacon for your future self to use as a target for actualization when you have more time. Pretty nice advantage there."

"That's just it dad, since your Crest will join with mine one day we can set up triggers you can cast to act as beacons for my future self to help you. IE I can help you in the upcoming ritual without even being involved." One could see the kids earnestness to help his father as he spoke."

Kiritsugu seemed to still and just looked at his son expressionlessly for a moment while Harry waited with his heart in his hands. Than Emiya gained an ever so small smile, "Trying to help your old man huh? Well that certainly seems worth pursuing. You have to tell your mother though."

Kiritsugu actually chuckled at his son's audible gulp.

Dumbledore's Office shortly before the Fourth War for the Holy Grail begins

Albus Dumbledore looked up as an incoming owl caught his attention. He laughed gently at Fawkes antics whenever an owl dealt with his mail. No matter how often it happened, and with all of his positions it was quite often, the phoenix never seemed to get over it.

The Hogwarts Headmaster removed the letter and scrutinized it. It came from one of his more obscure contacts. Dumbledore had never met this particular fellow, but he was a font of information on difficult to categorize magical phenomena the world over. He worked for what he called the Clocktower. Dumbledore assumed this was an organization to study these odd occurrences. He had some odd views on magic and terms to refer to magical studies, but he kept Dumbledore appraised in exchange for reagents he would request regularly. Most of them were simple potions ingredients and even the more difficult ones were worth it for the intel he recieved. And the gratitude, he was always surprised to see how easily Dumbledore gathered ingredients like Dragon blood.

"Now let's just see what my old friend has to say today."

Dumbledore opens the letter and after a brief intro reads the letters contents, in which is described the Ritual for the Heaven's Feel soon to occur in Japan.

"Oh dear," Albus places a hand on his chin as he slips deep in thought.

"I can only be thankful none of Voldemort's followers know about this. While I don't think any of the remaining Death Eaters are up to this challenge, they would be tempted to hire a skilled participant to wish for Voldemort's resurrection."

Albus Dumbledore lets his eyes rest briefly on the devices indicating Harry's well-being. They warm his heart before he starts to consider how one might discover and battle a resurrected Voldemort in the current political environment.

A/N: Sorry this took so long. I have been trying to concentrate on this story and keep myself from writing others. That didn't work, it just killed my creative juices. So I am letting myself write whatever I want lately and while only a fraction was written for this story, so much more was written total that I got this chapter finished quickly. Hopefully future chapters will be faster, indeed I have half finished my first post war chapter. Next Chapter will be the war, not sure if it will have much divergence though. I will be watching Fate/Zero for reference. In the meantime I will be posting other stories soon.

Question Answered:

Someone asked about the blood wards. They are indeed cast on Privet Drive. Dumbledore powered them off the blood sacrafice of Lily though, so they are only possible when Harry is under the Guardianship of a blood relative and strengthened by a combination of mental resonance and how willing the Guardian is to die for Harry, ie what Dumbledore defines as love.

The alchemical ritual used to make Emiya into Harry's father would normally have made them just barely related. This one was performed by Old Man Acht, a 200 year old master of Alchemy from a family that specializes in making "people" out of spare bits and pieces they have lying around. He managed to make Harry have effectively two fathers with all the advantages of both and no downsides from the merger. Another, lesser, person attempting it, (like Albus Dumbledore, or Charlus Potter) would have most likely either botched it or caused Harry to lose his wizardry or not gain magecraft.

With the full on parental blood connection and the loving feelings the wards are very strong indeed. If Harry lived as in canon the wards would barely be enough to weaken Voldemort's influence. In this story a magi's basic training in mental arts and warding would provide a magus more protection than the Dursley powered blood wards, even without the other extra tricks that also help Harry in this arena.

Request for Help:

Family Magics

Nasuverse is rife with family mysteries. Even apart from their crests, the families have sorcery traits, mystic codes, and unique lines of research that benefit from generations of research on specialized mysteries.

My belief is that the Wizarding World has equivalents for pureblooded families. As shown by this story's Potter line's near sorcerous trait level specialty in 'changing aspect' that leads to great skill in Transfiguration and Alchemy, with alchemy sub-specializing in clay and clay vessels (Pots)

So can you help me gather ideas for unique traits or spell lines or mystic code like objects that other pureblood families can consider their specialties. Important ones include:

Gaunt: If there is anything beyond parseltongue and the Stone they forgot about. Plus anything else Voldemort might have stolen from extinct families in his bad old Dark Lord Days.

Prince: The magical half of Snape, do they have a special trait and does he have access to it or is it just one more thing for him to be bitter about.

Black: Traditionally fanon says Metamorphamagus due to Tonks, but I am hoping there is something Sirius can use. Especially if its borderline dark enough that he would hesitate to use it, but useful enough he still learned. Also keep in mind that blood and status make Harry or Draco potential users of Black mysteries depending on how they are defined. As an Ancient and Noble house they probably have a lot of possibly dark mysteries and codes, but I would like to focus on ones that might be useful by Sirius or Harry. Feel free to tell me if something dark wants to be described, maybe they will find it in the house or Sirius will reminisce.

Malfoy: I am going with default wealth and a collection of minor mystical tools they can barely know how to use unless someone has a good idea.

Weasley: So far I imagine them as having lost theirs somehow. I also imagine the Prewitts had a good combat related one but Molly is so distraught at her brothers deaths and so mollycoddling towards her children that she would rather let the Prewitt Mysteries die than risk her children standing on the front lines. Even if it would bring the Weasley line more prestige again. Any ideas for the specifics as to what the Weasley line lost and if it can be regained and what the Prewitt mystery can do would be appreciated.

There are of course others so please give me ideas. If I use any ideas I will be sure to put a thank you/shout out in the chapter it comes up in.

Thanks!