I am very bad at keeping deadlines, especially self-imposed ones. I apologize. Onto the anon review replies! Oh, and there are multiple "Guest" anons, so for clarification, I am answering the reviews from latest to earliest.
Guest: I'M SORRY but hey at least you didn't have to wait two weeks after your review ;D *is shot*
Le Fay: Them's the price that comes with being a fangirl/boy; some names are forever changed for you *looks off into distance majestically like Thorin Oakenshield as i flashback to the weeb days*
SayMrrp: As the house elves seem to worship Harry, I thought that the countries, being pretty much the most impressive constructs of Magick in existence, would be practically revered. And I'm guessing your fav character is China, Seychelles, Russia, or one of the Eastern Asians. I love writing England crazy as much as you enjoy reading him crazy ;3
bluebirdsong: I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and that I'm portraying the characters IC! :D That's something I always worry about when it comes to fanfic, especially with characters that I'm not all that well versed at writing -.-;; If the story does go on hiatus again, I will make sure to note it in the summary, thank you for that suggestion :) And please, you were very polite. You're probably feeling better by now, but in case you aren't, hope you get well soon!
Ai: Ha ha, I'm glad Ai liked the chapter! And yeah, Feli's pregnancy did tend to shock a few ppl ^^;; Glad you both liked the chapter!
Guest: I'm sorry you had to wait two years but HEY I've updated! :D
Tee: I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or not? ^^;;;
ATC: I'M SORRY FOR ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS WITH MORE QUESTIONS I'M KIND OF AN ASSHOLE LIKE THAT. Is "wansting" actually "wangsting" but misspelled? And yes, I did get the names from BehindTheName; it's my go-to for p much all of my OC names, Hetalia or otherwise. HOUSEWIFE JOKES PLZ YES IZUMI CURTIS IS MY QUEEN
PS: Of course inbreeding is the answer; all the pureblood families are related to each other by like at most five or six degrees but they still date each other and shit and ppl wonder why two of the three most powerful wizards of their time (Voldie and Harry) are half-bloods? (dumbles is the third but I'm not sure of his blood status)
Guest: Well, considering how long England (and the others) have been around, amnesia isn't that big a deal for them. And Peter/Sealand is p sheltered compared to some of the others; he's only a little over 70 years or so, and most of that has been spent trying to get his big brothers to acknowledge him, and then being raised by the Nordics. Also, England isn't supposed to do anything that might potentially scar him for life. It doesn't have to be scarring, it just has to be potentially scarring. So really, that could be anything, it could be a much abused tactic to get Daddy Sve and Papa Fin to lecture and nag at England.
MagiMace: You'll see this chapter whether they both attend or not ;3 And Bulgaria just likes to laugh at ppl, whether they scream at Romania or not x3
Language key is unneeded this chapter.
When Harry dragged himself into the Gryffindor common room later that night, he wasn't surprised to see Ron and Hermione sitting on the couch waiting for him. He was surprised they weren't snogging or anything, but he supposed that that was actually a good thing; his brain was scarred enough.
"Where on earth have you been?" Hermione demanded as Ron commented, "You don't look too good."
"Lessons," Harry groaned. "Gee, ya think? My head feels like it was hit by the Knight Bus."
"Is it as bad as it was with Professor Snape?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"Eh," Harry shrugged as he flopped down on the couch next to his friends. "Pain's up there, but that's probably from hitting me with a frying pan."
"He what?" Ron blurted while Hermione's mouth dropped in shock.
"At least I'm learning something," Harry continued, not acknowledging his friends' outrage.
"Unless you're learning how to make a Philospher's Stone or something, I don't see how getting hit over the head is that good a pay off," Hermione said, worried for her friend's physical and mental health.
"Snape spent a good portion of last year basically mind raping me and I got zilch out of that," Harry retorted. "I think a bump on the head is a small price to pay for Professor Kirkland actually giving me pointers on how to possibly survive Voldemort, because God knows no one else is."
"You've got a point there," Ron agreed.
"Yes, yes I do," Harry nodded. "And now I'm going to crawl upstairs, go to bed, and sleep for the next 12 hours or so."
"Oh, just don't lay on the package!" Ron called after him.
"Luna came by with what she said were your clothes for Professor Slughorn's party tomorrow," Hermione added at Harry's confused expression. "We put it on your bed."
"Thanks," Harry said before turning and continuing up to the dorm and sweet blissful unconsciousness that was not caused by a frying pan.
England yawned a little and stretched his arms above his head as he made his way to his quarters. Recalibrating Potter's head had taken more out of him than he'd expected. Then again, the lad was fairly powerful, though it had been rather difficult trying to get him to understand basic theory. He stopped just outside his quarters, frowning at the portrait entrance. There was something off about it, something he just couldn't put his finger on...
"SURPRISE!"
A sudden weight on his back made him yelp and he staggered before trying to dislodge whoever the hell was - was - glomping him.
"What the bloody fuck are you doing?" England screeched when he spotted that stupid little hat. "Seriously, Stefan!"
"I thought you liked surprises," Romania pouted, small fangs sticking over his bottom lip. He was still holding onto Arthur, arms around his neck and legs wrapped round his waist.
"Not when I'm not aware of them," England snapped, prying the arms off of him and dumping Stefan on the ground.
"Ouch!" Romania hissed as he landed flat on his ass. "That ruins the whole point of surprises!"
"Precisely," the island nation replied flatly, hands on his hips as he glared. "Now what are you doing here?"
"He's seeking sanctuary. I'm just along for the ride." Bulgaria was lounging against the wall and seriously, when did they get here and how had England missed them? Then what Bulgaria said sank in.
"Sanctuary?" he asked, very bewildered. "For what?"
"For protection; that's kind of the general definition of sanctuary," Romania said, a little worried that England apparently didn't know this.
"I know what it means-" England stopped himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, just come inside all right? We're bound to attract attention if we stay out here much longer."
"Your face attracts attention," Romania replied cheerfully. Bulgaria facepalmed and an unintelligible garbled sound escaped Arthur's mouth before he turned to the portrait, hissed his password, and stomped inside after the portrait swung aside.
Arthur marched straight to the small aside table, poured himself a glass of strong alcohol (because he needed it to deal with these Morrigan-damned hellions), and downed it in one shot. "Please," he said testily, "do tell me why you're here requesting sanctuary."
"It's your Voldemort annoyance," Kiril said in an attempt to keep the peace. "Apparently he's been dealing with Stefan's boss."
"Yeah, and my boss was trying to get me to meet with him," Stefan chimed in. He slumped down in a chair by the fireplace, arms crossed, his right leg over his left knee. "Saying how it was important I meet a great man who was going to change the world for the better. Once I found out who he was I was just like "Nope, I'm outtie!" and then my boss tried to lock me up." He pouted, looking very petulant.
"His boss contacted me, telling me there was an emergency, that Stefan had disappeared and they couldn't find him," Kiril continued. "I was going to ignore it but he kept calling so I decided to just get it over with, since I thought maybe Stefan was just pouting or something." He scowled, not at all pleased in being manipulated to possibly bringing his friend harm. "Stefan found me, explained what was going on, and then got us both out with the help of his friend Eldred Worple."
"Eldred Worple, where have I heard that name," England mused before recalling: "Oh yes, Horace was bragging about having a vampire friend of his-" He cut off, looking at the other two countries with a supremely unimpressed look. "You decided to escape the possible clutches of Voldemort by coming to the country where he is most active?"
"Hey, in my defense I didn't know that was where Red was coming!" Romania retorted. "I just remembered that he was going out of the country soon! It seemed like a good idea at the time..."
"Plus it's not as if you're the best of friends or anything," Bulgaria added. "I doubt that they'd reach the conclusion we're here, at least not from a logical standpoint."
"Ah, but that's the trouble with wizards," England huffed. "Hardly a lick of common sense to be found anywhere. And the fact that apparently your boss wanted to introduce you to Voldemort?" He looked at the both of them. "Not good."
"Wait," Romania said, dawning realization in his voice. "You think that my boss meant to introduce me... like introduce me? As a country?"
"That would explain why he went to so much trouble, even trying to lock you up," Bulgaria added softly. "A show of force that the literal personification of a country could be brought to heel?" His gaze met England's. "That would definitely be something he'd be interested in."
"Earth to Draco, are you reading me?" Blaise waved a hand in front of his friend's face.
"No, I'm reading this book," the blond replied dully.
Blaise frowned, then plucked the book (he noted the title, Shrouded Darkness, and mentally shelved it for future reference) out of Draco's hands. "No, you can take one night off," he said over the beginning of Draco's protests, holding the book as far away as he could.
"Blaise, you don't understand," Draco insisted, silver-grey eyes wide with barely concealed fear, "I can't afford any delays!"
"You have been through how many dusty old books in this year alone?" Blaise retorted. "That's rhetorical, by the way. Dray, you have been wearing yourself down to the bone. Dark Lord or not, you are human, and you need to rest. Aht!" He cut off interruptions with a hand in the Malfoy heir's face. "I am going to take this book, lock it in my trunk, and will only give it back to you after you have gotten some sleep."
"What's to stop me from taking it while you're at Slughorn's party?" Draco asked mulishly, but looking so very very tired.
Blaise shrugged. "Nothing, I suppose. I'm your friend though, and I would hope that you at least would respect my privacy. Plus I have a blood ward on my trunk that would make it impossible for you to get in, but, you know, that's neither here nor there." He laid a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Get some rest. You're not going to be able to do anything if you can't concentrate or understand what it is you're reading."
"I'm going home for the holidays," Draco said in a small voice.
"Oh, Dray." Blaise pulled him in for a quick hug. "I'm here for you. Anything you need, so long as it isn't too illegal, I'll help you."
Harry fidgeted with the collar of his shirt as he waited for Luna. The Ravenclaw had chosen a pair of dark brown, almost black slacks and a silvery light green dress shirt. It looked good on him, though his neck felt a bit constricted because of the somewhat tight collar. Then, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw someone. He looked over and felt his jaw drop.
Luna walked over to him, looking practically ethereal in a flowy light blue dress. It seemed to float around her and made it seem as though she were gliding across the floor. "Hello Harry," she greeted him with a shy smile.
"H-hi," he stuttered, taken aback. "You look... fantastic."
Luna's smile grew wider. "Thank you. You look very spiffy too." She offered him her arm and he took it, crooking his elbow in hers.
"No, really, you look absolutely amazing," he said. "Very non-Nargle-y."
She giggled a little. "Thank you Harry. I trust you like your outfit?"
He nodded. "It's also very non-Nargle-y."
They arrived to find a few people already mingling. Professor Slughorn noted Harry and Luna's entrance and perked up. "Harry m'boy!" he called, waving for the boy to come over.
"Good evening Professor Slughorn," Harry said.
"Yes, good evening!" the potions professor beamed. "May I say, Miss...?"
"Lovegood," Luna supplied.
"Miss Lovegood, you look absolutely stunning," Slughorn complimented her.
"Thank you," Luna smiled a bit shyly.
"Ah, may I introduce my dear friend, Eldred Worple?" Slughorn gestured to the pale and dour looking man beside him. "And his friends, Stefan and Kiril, are over there talking to Professor Kirkland." His smile was a bit strained at the mention of the History teacher.
Harry and Luna looked over to see Kirkland was talking to, or rather being talked at, by a rather vibrant dressed man with a cute tiny hat who gesticulated wildly. The third man had dark hair and seemed to have a "Why God me" expression that was apparently universal.
"Eldred Worple comes from Transylvania," Slughorn said in what was supposed to be a confidential tone but was rather ruined by the wink he immediately gave Harry. "Very interesting, eh Harry m'boy?"
"Yeah, interesting," Harry agreed. Vampires. Well, this can only turn out in a variety of grisly and awful ways.
"Mr. Worple," Luna said, expression determined and - wait, where did that pen and notepad come from? "Would you be willing to give an interview to the Quibbler later on how global warming has affected the vampire population in Transylvania and the neighboring continent of Atlantis?"
The vampire looked at her for a moment, then smiled. It was absolutely terrifying. "I would be interested in speaking with you on such manners Miss Lovegood," he said, amused. "I am certain that Stefan would love to talk to you about it as well."
Luna beamed. "Thank you very much Mr. Worple. Would you also be willing to talk about such issues as Stubby Boardman's next performance, whether a tour is in the works, and on the subject of endangered species such as the Crumple Horned Snorkack and other magical creatures as a result of being flushed out of their homes by Muggle developments?"
"Holy shit, someone else who knows the truth!" The auburn haired man with the cute hat had come over and his eyes were practically sparkling at Luna. "I told you that endangered species were a critical issue!" he complained to the dark haired man and Professor Kirkland, who both wore long-suffering expressions.
"Yeah, only been hearing you rant about it for the last decade or so," the dark haired man rolled his eyes. Professor Kirkland snickered.
The auburn-haired man pouted - aaaand there were tiny fangs sticking over his bottom lip, Harry noticed, just wonderful. "You suck Kiril, and you too, Eyebrows."
Kirkland scowled. "Do shut up before I pull your teeth."
"No, my little babies!" He covered his mouth and glared at Kirkland, who rolled his eyes before turning to Harry.
"I expect to see you in my office the day after tomorrow for lessons, Potter."
"Yes sir," Harry nodded, looking forward to and dreading it.
Luna asks the hard questions, as all hardcore reporters do.
So, I updated! Yaaaaaay. Unsure when the next chapter will be up, but probably in a couple weeks to a month bc I've finally kicked myself in the ass about updating some of my fics. If anyone wants to talk or rant or whatever, you can hit me up at my tumblr, sgchan. There's also a link to my super cool Etsy shop on my profile, where I sell super cool jewelry and shit. Shameless plugs :)
Remember to review please! It was actually the latest Guest review that made me start writing again, so do keep in mind that reviews help an author beyond making them feel good about their story!
Also is anybody else watching Steven Universe because holy shit SAVE LAPIS PLS SAVE MY DAUGHTER