Matou Shinji and the Master of Death
A Harry Potter / Fate Stay Night Story
Disclaimer: Though I wish it were otherwise, I do not own or in any way, shape or form hold a legal or moral claim to elements of either the Nasuverse, the Potterverse, or other works I may reference in the course of this story.
Summary: In the wake of Dumbledore's death, Lucius Malfoy has become the most powerful man in Magical Britain. Hogwarts undergoes reforms under the rule of Headmaster Flitwick. Severus Snape learns that some wrongs cannot be set right. And driven onwards by eerie dreams of shadow and flame, Matou Shinji walks the path of destruction.
Chapter 38. Original Thinker
"We're coming on Acromantula territory. Advance with caution," Ron Weasley ordered quietly, his voice almost a whisper as he crept through the dense, gloomy woods with his five chosen companions. Given what had happened last time he was here, a team of six people wasn't nearly enough firepower for his peace of mind, even if each was at least competent with a wand, but would have to do. After all, even if he wished he had an entire army at his back, they were all he had. "First rank, shield wall, now. Second rank, wands out."
His comrades nodded, shield spells shimmering into existence as three of them – Fay Dunbar, Anthony Goldstein, and Cedric Diggory, muttered a quiet Protego, with Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Ron himself using their comrades – and their shields – as cover as the group advanced.
The redhead didn't know much about Acromantulae, given that such creatures hadn't been covered in any Defense class he'd had in his three years at Hogwarts, and so he didn't know what exactly they were capable of. What he did know, however…made him more than a little nervous.
'Well, no. That's a lie.'
Being completely honest, Ronald Bilius Weasley was terrified. Being back in the forest, back in the place where he'd been so brutally savaged, he could scarcely keep his breathing under control – and he was sure the others could hear the rapid-fire pounding of his heart, even if they had been kind enough to say nothing about it.
He was almost certain that victory was impossible, given that Ginny had told him that the Kobayashi Maru – whatever kind of name that was – was a "no win scenario", yet here he was, clinging to the desperate hope that maybe he was wrong.
That maybe, just maybe, he could win.
"Forward," he said, his eyes darting here and there, trying to see any sign of movement in the gloom, any sign of those hateful webs, but there was nothing but underbrush…for now.
'Maybe I should have kept one or two of us on brooms as scouts…' Ron thought ruefully, though it was far too late for that, as he'd had his group stash them under the provided invisibility cloak. 'No. If I turn back now…'
…he'd lose his nerve. For the Weasley boy, there was nowhere to go but forward into the maw of destruction.
'Still, I wish the forest weren't so thick…anything could be in there.'
Hundreds of Acromatulae, for example. For where there was one…
Then his worst nightmare was upon them – a hideous shape with too many legs that came out of the underbrush, barreling into the group without any warning, its massive form smashing the formation to the ground, their shields flickering out as their concentration lapsed.
Before anyone could react, the monster seized Cedric Diggory with its front legs, lifting him into the air, with the boy only able to look on numbly as the legs brought him closer and closer to razor sharp pincers dripping with venom…
"Stupefy!" a voice cried out – not his own. The voice of Neville Longbottom, whose eyes were wide in fear.
The spell hit the spider's gigantic, hairy body, but for all the good it did, he might as well have just thrown a stone, with the spider's pincers slicing into the Hufflepuff's unguarded belly.
"No!" Ron shouted, his wand coming up as he shrieked the words to one of the earliest spells he'd learned. "Expelliarmus!"
The Disarming Spell, which in theory should have made the spider drop its prey…but didn't.
'No…'
"Expelliarmus!" he cried again, but his spell had no effect, as once more, he was forced to bear witness to the grim spectacle of someone dying before his eyes, without any way to stop it.
"Stupefy!" Neville called out, the red spell-beam aimed not for the spider, but for Cedric this time, striking the older boy as his body went slack. If he couldn't…if he couldn't save the Hufflepuff, at least he'd make sure Cedric wouldn't suffer.
"Together." Luna's voice cut through the din like molten metal through butter. "Disarming Spell on three. One. Two. Three!"
This time,the incantation for the Disarming Spell issued from three mouths at once, with the unconscious body of Cedric Diggory falling to the ground with a sickening thud – and the Acromantula rearing up in fury as they drew its attention at last.
"Stunning Spell," Lovegood's voice commanded.
"But, it didn't…" Ron grimaced, as he'd seen a stunner just bounce off the spider's carapace, and wasn't at all sure it even could be stunned.
But Luna paid him no heed, as she was already issuing more commands.
"Goldstein, Dunbar, with me. Stunners on three."
"Yes, ma'am!" Anthony Goldstein barked out, shaken from his paralysis by his former captain's reassuring tones.
The sheer trust and confidence Ron heard in the Ravenclaw boy's voice made Ron blink. He would be the first to (grudgingly) admit that the other boy was competent on the battlefield, as Team Snorkack headed the league, and Lovegood had once headed that team before Goldstein took over, but how did that translate to trusting Lovegood in a situation like this?
"One."
He didn't know – but he would have given anything for people to listen to him with such respect – to trust him so completely – though the thought of such a thing also terrified him, for what if he failed?
"Two."
The spider charged, its massive form targeting Lovegood this time, but Luna did not so much as flinch.
"Three!"
"Stupefy!"
A volley of four crimson spell-beams lashed out at the arachnid, their combined might doing what one alone could not, with the spider keeling over sideways and crumpling to the ground in a tangle of hairy legs.
Ron swallowed as he looked the immense form of the spider, thinking that any moment now, it would get up again. That it would simply kill them all for daring to inconvenience it. For having the hubris to believe that wizards could possibly be a match for such terrible beasts.
Already, Cedric's body had vanished, with the poison no doubt having taken hold.
'One down already…'
Yet the others didn't give in to despair. Even as he watched, one of them used the Levitation Charm to lift a fallen log into the air, floating it above the insensate Acromantula and slamming it down with brutal force over and over again, crushing the unconscious beast as its lifeblood trickled out onto the ground.
'That was…Lovegood?'
It had to be – her wand had been the only one moving, even if she hadn't said a word.
'Nonverbal…she must have learned Matou's arts…'
That and the way she had efficiently ended the spider's life after it was incapacitated reminded him unpleasantly of how the boy from the east had singlehandedly defeated the spider in the tunnels – something he still hadn't told anyone about.
"If there are others, they will be attracted by the smell of death, away from our party," the small blonde noted as she looked at him. "We should either move on or retreat. Your orders?"
His orders? Right…he was nominally leading this run, wasn't he? Shaking his head as if to clear it, the Weasley boy sighed. He wanted to retreat after what he'd seen – what had just happened, but…
He couldn't.
"Onward," Ron commanded, his voice harsh as he looked into the distance. "Turning back…isn't an option."
"Weasley," Fay interjected. "We're already down a wizard. And if we go too far…" She broke off, shuddering. "There's a barrier around the temple. One that will disintegrate anything it touches." '…and alert a troll that there are intruders.'
…she remembered only all too well the horror of that monstrosity – a beast nearly five meters tall, wearing some kind of armor. A creature that Cedric had sacrificed himself delaying so that she could escape.
This stopped the boy cold.
"…a barrier?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as he remembered what had happened when something conjured hit the Temple roof. "Invisible until something touches it?"
Fay only nodded.
"That's why I'm not sure if we can go on," Fay concluded. "If we don't know where it is until we hit it…"
"Do you know Avifors or Draconifors?" Luna broke in, with Fay blinking in confusion at the sudden query.
"…yes, but why?" the Scottish girl answered, unsure of what a spell to transform things into birds or miniature dragons could be useful for.
"P-Professor McGonagall taught us Draconifors this year," Neville added. "And Avifors is a second year spell."
"…ohhhh," Ron said, as something clicked. "Ok, I see what Lovegood has in mind. Longbottom, you and Dunbar use Draconifors on some of the stones or fallen twigs around here, to create a screen of things to scout for us. We'll have the swarm go ahead of us, and when they hit the barrier…"
"Sounds workable," Anthony Goldstein noted, nodding slowly. "Do we remember exactly which direction we were heading in?"
Ron frowned at that.
"I think we were going that way…" the Weasley boy answered, gesturing vaguely to the left. "The temple was west of us…I think."
After the clash with the spider, they'd gotten a little turned around, after all…
"Well, there's an easy fix to that, at least," Goldstein replied, flattening his palm and whispering "Point Me" to his wand. The length of wood spun around once and pointed slightly right of straight ahead, towards one of the bigger trees in the forest. "Ok, that way's north, so yeah, to our left."
Ron grunted, but said no more, with the group advancing in near silence…until part of the swarm that preceded them crashed into the unseen barrier, a line of runes blazing into existence as those transfigured beings were turned to ash.
"…I guess there's the barrier," Neville said, looking around. "But how do we get past…?"
He clammed up at the sound of a monstrous roar in the distance, one that sent an icy shiver down his spine.
"Troll," Fay whispered, swallowing.
"Fall back!" Ron said harshly, as the roar sounded again, with the ground beginning to shake as the troll pounded towards them, still out of sight, for now. "Quickly!"
'…we should have kept our brooms with us,' he thought. That way, they'd at least be able to speed away…but it was too late for that.
The group moved, but the troll was faster, crashing into the clearing with all the force of a moving mountain.
"Attack!" Neville and Fay ordered, as what remained of their swarm launched themselves at the troll, only to be smashed out of the air by a massive wrought-iron club as it turned to them.
In mere seconds, it would close the distance between them. In mere seconds, they would be struck down. In mere seconds…
'No. No. I won't allow it!'
"Glacius!" Ron called out, running to put himself between the duo and the troll, as an icy wind howled forth from the tip of his wand, lancing for the creature's eyes.
The troll reeled back, not having expected the onslaught – particularly not as Fay and Neville joined their leader in casting the Freezing spell, with one of the monster's hands moving to shield its eyes.
"Take that, you bloody wanker," the redhead crowed, pouring more and more of his magic into the gale he was creating, sheer exultation surging through him as the troll bowed its head.
'Yes. Yes. Take that. Take that!'
…that was the last thought Ronald Weasley had as the troll charged, his body crushed into the rocky ground by the momentum of its vicious assault.
Fay, who had just a moment more warning, managed to push Neville out of its way, though she herself did not escape, her body broken to pieces by the enemy's sheer bulk.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" another voice called out – Goldstein's – as the club flew from the troll's grip and smashed into its metal-covered face, staggering the beast.
Again and again the club smashed at its iron mask, the air ringing with the sound of metal on metal as the troll roared, its arms moving to grab the weapon from the air, but failing.
"Reducto!" another voice called out – that of Luna Lovegood, who had an odd smile on her lips as a bolt of blazing blue light issued from the tip of her wand, arcing through the air and slamming into the troll.
…no, not the troll. Its helm, which exploded in its face with a blood curdling shriek, staggering the beast as the club pitilessly smashed into its unprotected face over…and over, and over, with a final blow knocking the creature unconscious, with the forest itself seeming to shake as the massive evil-shaped form crashed to the ground, with the club falling beside it as Goldstein released his spell.
In the silence, Luna ran, feet carrying her towards the fallen troll with every ounce of speed she had as she clambered on top of its foul smelling form and jammed her wand up its nose.
"Reducto."
What gave a troll resistance to spells was its stony hide. If one was able to bypass that by, say, jamming a wad of ofuda down its gullet or one's wand up its nose, then, well, there would be no resistance, and whatever spell the caster intended would take full effect.
As it proved here, where Luna Lovegood's Reductor Curse blew apart its skull – and brains – with its face blowing outward and then going slack as its wretched existence was ended forever.
With the battle finished, the girl withdrew her blood-covered wand from the troll's orifice and jumped back to the ground.
"It's time to fall back," she ordered calmly. "Goldstein, help Longbottom. We're heading back to the landing zone."
The scenario ended shortly thereafter, with Ron Weasley slowly returning to awareness. He found himself laying on a cold stone floor, alone, with every inch of his body screaming in pain. He'd…he'd died. Again. Failed.
"Can you hear us, Mr. Weasley?" a voice called out, with the redhead's only response a strangled moan.
His forced himself not to resist as he felt someone helping him to a sitting position and force a vial of something down his throat – something that numbed his body, easing his pain.
"What…happened?" Ron asked, not sure if he wanted to know.
"You were crushed by a troll, Mr. Weasley," Professor Lockhart responded helpfully, as the boy grimaced and shook his head.
"…and the others?"
"Miss Dunbar pushed Mister Longbottom out of the path of the troll, though she was killed herself," the History Professor noted.
"Oh." Ron was silent for a moment as he digested that. In the end, his last stand had accomplished nothing, and… "What about…Lovegood and Goldstein? Did they also…?"
Lockhart chuckled at the boy's query.
"…they survived," the Assassin noted, a reply that brought a bewildered expression to the Weasley boy's face.
"…how?" Ron whispered. Surely the troll wouldn't have just ignored them. Did they…? Had they…?
"They killed the troll, Mister Weasley."
The redhead's eyes bulged in disbelief as he heard this, wondering how that was even possible. With how his brothers had talked about trolls having spell resistance, how was it that Lovegood and Goldstein had slain it?
"...how?" he said again.
"That will be something for you to figure out, Mister Weasley, though the Levitation Charm came into play."
"Huh. I see." He didn't though, not really. There hadn't been any fallen logs around, boulders, or…huh "Did they…kill it with its own club?"
"Not a bad guess, Mister Weasley," the History Professor noted in his cool tones. "You have a long way to go before you truly achieve your potential, however. What say you, Mister Hillard?"
At the query, Ron finally took notice of the fact the Head Boy – the eldest of the Stone Cutters – was in the room…and had probably watched what had happened. All of what had happened. Including his failures…
"From what I saw, you certainly have some amount of bravery," Hillard allowed, the Ravenclaw's face utterly expressionless as he regarded the younger boy. "And the fact that you volunteered to go next after Mister Malfoy refused speaks well of you. It is true that you have a long way to go before you are truly suited to lead a group into combat, but Merlin permitting, you will have that time."
"Merlin permitting, yes," Lockhart agreed, a wry, almost sad expression crossing his face for a moment, before the man's expression returned to its normal, tranquil state. "For what it is worth, I think your willingness to listen to your team members' suggestions is a good thing, Mister Weasley, as it allows you to compensate for what you do not see. Further, your willingness to confront the troll, and to block its path, while perhaps foolish, also says something about character."
"Character is one thing," Hillard said, frowning. "I will note that if it were not for the actions of Miss Lovegood, you would have lost your entire team."
"Which is scarcely worse than Mister Diggory," Lockhart riposted. "Mister Weasley's team was not…"
"…destined to fail?" the Head Boy questioned dryly.
"In a word, yes," the History Professor acknowledged with a dry cough. "They showed a willingness to work together, even in desperate circumstances, circumstances in which Mister Diggory's team dissolved into chaos from personal quarrels."
"Point," Hillard allowed. "That team was held together only by its leader's charisma, not out of any sense of loyalty to each other, or any shared duty. A dangerous thing when one is going into a hostile situation."
"Agreed," Lockhart said quietly. "That much I am aware of." He turned back to the nervous figure of Ron Weasley, who sat awaiting the man's judgement as to his fate. It was true that Ron didn't care much for the so-called adventurer, but… "Mister Weasley, I am inclined to recommend you for membership in the Ourea, so that we may see just what you are capable of. The final decision, however, is up to your peers."
"I…I see," the Gryffindor replied, his emotions a whirlwind. He didn't know whether to be happy, nervous or… "I…"
"I suppose congratulations are in order as well, Mister Weasley."
"Oh?"
Lockhart chuckled.
"Of course. You have completed your first Kobayashi Maru."
"Finished. Try it now," Goldstein's voice called from below, with a grin nearly splitting Fay Dunbar's face in two as her transfigured swarm of birds passed through the space the line of runes would have been with no ill-effect, before following them in on her broom, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of additional barriers or defenses.
…but there were none, with a thunderous crash in the distance and the whoop of triumph that followed signaling the defeat of the troll which guarded the front entrance.
'The barrier is down! Goldstein was right!'
"It's down," she confirmed, with the air rippling to reveal the head of Anthony Goldstein, who was wearing the team's invisibility cloak.
"Good," the Ravenclaw answered. "I was a little worried whether the others would be alright holding the troll's attention, especially after the mess with the spiders earlier."
"…yeah, running into a nest of them wasn't fun. We fought our way out, but it was touch and go for a while there," the Ravenclaw admitted. "One isn't so bad. Three at once. Eesh."
"Glad you had air support, huh?" Fay quipped, with Anthony nodding fervently.
"It was a good idea to keep some of us on brooms – and for the rest of us to carry ours on harnesses. Not that it kept us from losing Miss Bones."
"…no, you're right about that," the boy murmured. "Shall we link up with the others?"
"Let's. I'll cover you, so don't go invisible this time."
"Right."
They made their way over towards the front entrance, moving slowly to where Neville waited with Daphne Greengrass and Pansy Parkinson over the corpse of a slain troll.
"Good job, Goldstein," Pansy remarked. "I was a little concerned that you were taking so long. Especially since this thing was one tough bugger."
"Apologies Miss Parkinson, but with all due respect, there were four foundation points I needed to disable," the Ravenclaw replied, nodding to the girl. "Each with a different runic configuration."
'Thankfully, unchanged from my last run though.'
"Tricky."
"You're telling me," Anthony said dryly. "I'm the one who had to deal with it. Still, the barrier is down, at last. And we didn't lose anyone to the troll. That's something."
"Thanks, Anthony," Neville said, nodding his head at the other boy. "You know quite a bit about runes, huh?"
"I'm a Ravenclaw. It's my job to know."
That and he had an interest in barriers himself, as his ambition was to work for Gringotts as a cursebreaker and see the world. As such, he knew that whatever their effects, most barriers could only be maintained if their seals were intact.
And that if the troll could exit the barrier with ill-effects, there had to be more than one anchor point, unless there was a single, extremely complex seal engraved into the ground specifying everything the barrier could do.
…if that were the case, he would have had to give up, since his understanding of runes and arrays wasn't advanced enough to disable something like that. That would leave the brute force method of using his magic to eliminate the seal, or to drain the magical energy in the seal, and he wasn't especially skilled at either of those.
Yet.
So as Neville's team kept the troll busy, Fay had helped him by using her miniature dragons and birds to keep the barrier lit up, with him finding the first point immediately east of the entrance and keeping it visible with Verdimillious.
The next had had been due south of the temple, then west, then north.
'Point me helped a lot.'
If it wasn't for that spell, which he'd read about in one of his spellbooks, he would have gotten…well, quite lost. He wondered sometimes if it was a spell Professor Lockhart made much use of, or if he just used a compass instead.
Perhaps he'd ask, sometime.
"Shall we go in?" Neville asked, eyeing the great stone doors of the temple with a bit of trepidation.
"You're the boss, Nev," Fay replied. "You tell us."
Neville Longbottom took a deep breath and nodded.
"In we go, then."
They stepped into the antechamber of the temple, wands drawn as if expecting the worst, but relaxed as they saw no immediate threats.
…but that was the wrong move, as the ground gave way under them and they fell.
Cold, damp air rushed past them as they plummeted into darkness, falling down, down, down, tumbling end over end until –
FLUMP
— with a funny, muffled sort of thump they landed on something softish.
"…ugh…" Pansy groaned, "what happened?"
"We fell," Anthony said blandly, his voice coming from beside her. "It was a trap."
"Besides that, oh great Master of the obvious," Pansy remarked acidly. "Did anyone not get caught up in that?"
"Me," came a faint voice from above. Fay Dunbar's voice, they thought. "I held on to my broom just in case."
"…good for you," Pansy uttered, struggling to sit up as she realized she'd lost track of her wand. "Dunbar, can you get us some light down here?"
In answer, there was a cry of Lumos, as the area they were in was faintly illuminated from above, revealing that they'd all landed amongst some kind of dense, vinelike material…and that their legs had already been bound with long creepers without their noticing, with Longbottom and Greengrass unconscious, having hit their heads against pieces of rubble.
"Shit," Pansy said with feeling, as more vines moved about her chest. "Devil's Snare." 'How do I…I beat it with fire, but…' "Dunbar, summon our wands."
The light was extinguished as Fay cried out "Accio wands!" with five lengths of wood flying into her hands. It flickered on again, revealing the girl descending on broomstick.
"Catch, Parkinson."
Pansy reached up and barely managed to catch the wand, which she used to efficiently free herself from the vine with well-placed Severing Charms. She knew fire would repel it, but she dared not use fire – not while her companions were still there. Quickly, she freed Anthony as well, with Fay tossing the boy his wand as both of them summoned their brooms, which had fallen down with them.
"I think this run is shot," Fay called down.
"Couldn't agree more, Dunbar," Pansy said, even as the vines started creeping up again. "What say you, Goldstein?"
But the boy was shuffling over to where Greengrass and Longbottom had fallen.
"Agreed, but we're not leaving them behind," Anthony spoke, with iron in his voice. "We're not leaving them to die. Not if we can help it."
Pansy grunted.
"Fine, Goldstein. Have it your way," she acquiesced. "I'll get Greengrass. You get Longbottom."
"Fair."
Together, they cut the stricken members of their expedition free of their bonds, and used Seize and Pull Charms to grab onto them as they mounted their brooms and lifted into the air.
Lockhart seemed almost amused during the after-action report, noting that they had done a fairly good job, despite their lack of caution as they entered the temple. After all, they were the first team to find and disable the anchor points that maintained the barrier – and the fact that they had carried their brooms with them allowed them to escape the trap.
"A pity you did not advance further, but you are to be commended for choosing a good team, Mister Longbottom. One that chose not to leave anyone behind."
"That wasn't my doing," Neville replied, closing his eyes. "They made that choice without me."
"Yet they saved you all the same. Sometimes, you learn more about people from failure than through success, no?"
"…you have a point, Professor. And…thank you."
"Don't thank me, Longbottom. Thank your team."
"Mm."
One by one, the others of the Ourea stepped up to the challenge of leadership, choosing their teams and building on the work of those who had come before. Su Li's team came to a bad end when they stumbled upon a chamber of Billywigs. Ginny's was ambushed and nearly overcome by a pack of Gytrashes – vicious dog-like spirits which concealed themselves in darkness – with them forgetting that it was the basic wand-lighting charm they were weak against, not one of the more advanced spells.
And so and so forth.
Anthony Goldstein had made an aggressive push into the temple, mapping out a number of its chambers and hazards as a bit of advanced reconnaissance, but it was not until Fay Dunbar led her team into the challenge that one managed to unravel the deepest riddles of the temple, defeating its guardians until they came to what they figured was the entrance to the final room – or what had better be the final room, given that it was warded by a curtain of ebon flame, with a strange indentation in the wall beside it containing several potion vials and some kind of inscription.
"One of these is Flame Freezing potion, isn't it?" Pansy asked, eyes narrowing at the many vials. "But there's barely enough for one swallow in each of these."
"From the inscription, the rest are either poison or simply not useful," Luna commented. "Pity we don't have bezoars with us."
"Heh. You've got that right," Pansy remarked. "Well, Dunbar, what's it going to be?"
Fay shook her head. Already she'd lost half her team, and the fact that only one person could go through, while the rest had to remain behind was setting off all sorts of red flags in her mind.
'Ambush.'
"We're falling back," she said, with Pansy looking at her in shock.
"What? But…the goal is…"
"It doesn't matter." Fay cut her off. "We have three people left, and I don't think that's enough, no matter how skilled the two of you are. If I was the one who put this all together…" '…I would have designed a challenge that needed a full team if one wanted even a chance of success.'
"Well…your run, your decision," Pansy said tightly. She didn't agree with the decision, but it wasn't her choice, after all.
On her own, she went through – and encountered an enemy she couldn't defeat.
Luna Lovegood likewise entered the chamber on her run, with her team only down by one member, but though she passed the test and was allowed to retrieve the Grail, she was forced to destroy the Grail in the end to keep it out of enemy hands
And then it was Matou Shinji's turn, the very last of the Kobayashis.
By now, each of his team members was quite experienced with the labyrinth, and under his direction, they thought they had a chance to win. After all, they'd come quite close before, hadn't they?
Armed with the information from past runs, as well as the extra firepower of Matou's dual wands and ofuda, there managed to reach the final archway – though it had taken considerable effort to keep anyone from getting injured too badly – and Luna's help to patch up those who had been injured at all.
"So the Holy Grail is in there, huh?" Shinji asked, eying the suspiciously familiar barrier of ebon flame barring the way ahead, as well as a riddle he remembered all too well.
"Yes," Luna confirmed, her white dress seeming almost purple in the odd light of the flames.
"So you managed to get it, huh?" Pansy inquired, raising her eyebrows. "Didn't get out with it though."
"Mm. There was an ambush, and I had to destroy it to save my team," the girl murmured. "You didn't?"
"…I well, I was a little slow about it," was all Pansy said. "What I saw…"
"Yes?"
"No, it's none of your business, Lovegood. I'm just surprised you managed."
"One tries."
"Speaking of which, Lovegood, is there a reason you changed out of your normal robes?" Pansy inquired, eying the dress the girl was wearing. "That kind of thing isn't quite I expect to see during a raid on an ancient temple."
"I had my reasons," Luna answered, but she left it at that.
"Alright, Matou, I assume you're going through, since you're team leader," Pansy remarked, turning her attention back to the boy who led them. "Who's in charge while you're gone?"
Shinji glanced over his team – Pansy Parkinson, Luna Lovegood, Daphne Greengrass, Neville Longbottom, Fay Dunbar, and nodded, having already decided. Especially as he knew the reason behind Luna's current state of dress – though not why she'd chosen it for this run, as opposed to the others. As the only one who'd actually faced the ambush, he had no doubt she would be able to hold until he got back.
"Luna, you're in command."
The girl in white curtseyed.
"As you wish," she replied, her voice carrying little of the dreamy quality it normally held, only a quiet sense of determination.
Preparing himself for whatever was to come, Matou Shinji downed the vial of Fire-Protection Potion and passed through the flames.
Matou Shinji thought he was ready for anything, but as he stepped out of the flames, he found himself confused as he found himself in what looked like Mahoutokoro, around the time of Tanabata, if the fireworks and decorations were any indication.
He was standing on a bridge, facing a masked figure looking out upon the city below, a figure clad in a midnight purple yukata patterned with the faintest impression of red-violet leaves, held together with a golden obi.
"You have come, Matou Shinji," the other said – in perfect Japanese – as she turned to him, removing her mask.
Shinji swallowed, not expecting to hear that familiar voice here, to see a face that was familiar in its own way.
"Sokaris," he breathed. For that was the person before his eyes: Sialim Sokaris – not as Sion Eltnam Atlasia, the older Director of Atlas, but as his friend – the girl he had known at Hogwarts. Only she looked a little different…as if her age mirrored his. "Why am I not surprised to see you here?"
"It is Tanabata, is it not?" the other inquired, with the boy only able to smile.
"It is," Shinji remarked. "Here."
Even though it wasn't elsewhere in the world.
"Yet here we are," the other noted, her lips quirking for a moment into what might have been a smile – but only for a moment. "Stand with me."
Shinji smiled faintly. If it were Sion, he would refuse her nothing but…
"…I would…if you were real…" he said, even though every one of his senses told her that Sokaris was there, in front of him. He could see the moonlight on her bronzed skin, feel the heat of the desert lingering on her, smell the desert sands…and yet…..
"Am I not, Matou Shinji?" the girl asked, her eyes almost curious.
"No," Shinji said with a sigh, turning away from the image of the one who meant so much to him. This…this wasn't her. He knew it wasn't. Sion was…the Director of Atlas was back in Egypt, so… "As much as I wish you were."
"Does that matter?" the voice of Sialim Sokaris asked. He could feel her gaze burning into his head, and fought against every bit of desire he had. "Here and now, we are here. Do you find my company…unpleasant?"
"…no," the boy said after moment. "And if things were different…" He trailed off, unable to find the words he wanted to say. "There are people waiting for me. There's something I have to do. I'm…" The boy shook his head. "I have to go."
"Are you certain, Matou?" the girl asked, her voice almost a whisper as she came to stand by his side. "If you go, we will not meet again."
"I…" Shinji swallowed. He was tempted, tempted beyond anything to just give in, but… "I'm sorry, Sokaris."
Having made up his mind, he glanced up at her to find that the figure of Sialim Sokaris was dissolving into golden motes of light, just like the false Mahoutokoro, leaving only a room wrought of stone, with a chalice upon on the altar.
After taking a quick glance about for traps, and seeing nothing obvious, he took hold of the Grail, before turning to go and passing through the curtain of flame once more.
Whump-boom!
An explosion blew away those who had been left behind – or would have, if they hadn't already raised Shield Charms. As it was, the first strike blew away their shields, with spell-beams tearing through the space they used to occupy and stunning half the team, leaving only Pansy and Luna standing.
"There's too many of them," Pansy quipped, as she tried launching her own spell beams at the enemy, only to find her attacks blocked. "Six of them."
Shadowy versions of each member of the team, capable of using every ability they'd displayed up until the time of the attack.
Including Matou Shinji and his ofuda.
Pansy had seen how powerful Matou was in battle, had heard rumors about him, knew the stories, and had been present when he'd blown away the Boggart. But in her mind, she'd always harbored some doubt as to how strong he could be.
She had none now, not when the false Shinji he had blown away most of their team with a single attack, before following up with a swarm of ofuda to bind them.
Like anyone else might, she used gouts of fire to try and burn them, but there was too much coming at her – and he wasn't alone. There was a full team against Lovegood and herself, with spellbeams ruthlessly slicing through the air as Pansy dodged and blocked and moved.
Whump-boom!
And then a second sphere of ofuda came too close, erupting into a storm of force that tore apart her defenses and slammed her into the wall.
'Matou…where are you…?'
But even Matou Shinji couldn't beat himself and a team, could he?
'A no-win scenario…'
She understood now. The more skill, the more power one brought to bear against it, the more would be brought to bear against the challengers. That was why it was a no-win scenario. Why there hadn't been a chance from the beginning.
And yet…Luna still stood.
'Huh. Wha…?'
As Pansy looked on, beams of red and blue and green slammed into the blonde without effect, with the ofuda being pushed back by something like an invisible wall, with the world around Luna Lovegood wavering.
'Are her eyes…glowing…?'
No…it had to be a trick of the light. Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her, had to be—
In the next moment, Pansy screamed as a terrible sound filled the air, as if the very air itself was being torn apart, was howling in pain.
The corridor pulsed.
From Lovegood, something surged forth. Roiling waves, like a shredder with hundreds, thousands, no, countless blades, racing down the hallway…
…and obliterating the bodies of their attackers, leaving behind nothing but a fine red mist.
In a single instant, the doppelgangers had vanished. Distorted, sliced, compressed, utterly destroyed, with the architect of their demise – Luna Lovegood – standing there untouched, calmly regarding the space where their enemies had been.
Pansy was silent, finding herself utterly stunned – and more than a little fearful, as the girl turned to regard her, her hands glowing gold.
But as Lovegood's delicate fingers touched her, Pansy felt a sense of peace, soothing away her pains, and refilling her energy.
"You…" Pansy whispered, swallowing. "…how did you?"
Her voice trailed off. She had trained rigorously, learning as much from the Book of Spells as she could this year, but…Pansy Parkinson knew her limits better than anyone else, and she knew she wasn't capable of using something like this.
Of doing something like this.
She knew that Luna could use wandless magic, but to utterly destroy even Matou Shinji…how…?
"Who are you? Are you Matou's…"
"We train together. Every morning," Luna responded, tilting her head. "I usually win, too."
Pansy's face went slack in shock as she heard that, her mind freezing. What? Not…what? This was so beyond her that…
Laughter.
Someone was laughing hysterically.
It took Pansy a while to realize it was her, and even longer for her to stop laughing.
"…you and Matou, huh? I…well…I guess you're going to be the next Stone Cutter, if anything."
"Mm," Luna responded. Before the blonde could say more, Shinji emerged from the curtain of fire, raising an eyebrow at the sight of half his team crumpled to the ground.
"It's over already?" Shinji inquired.
"Indeed," Luna answered, and with that, the scenario ended, with the others stirring as the cold surroundings of the temple faded away, with both Rober Hillard and Gilderoy Lockhart looking on in mild surprise.
"So…" the History Professor began, looking at Matou Shinji and Luna Lovegood. "You have succeeded in claiming the Holy Grail. I suppose I should have known that someone would beat the no-win scenario, eh, Hillard?"
"…well, I suppose I did say there was no such thing," the Head Boy allowed. "Even so, that was…unexpected. Any questions?"
"One," Shinji found himself saying. "What I saw when I passed through the flames. Why…?"
"Desire is stronger than fear, Mister Matou," Lockhart replied. "Even if your mind knows that something is an illusion, it is far harder than most realize to toss away a dream. It takes extraordinary strength of will, in fact." He turned his cold gaze upon Pansy. "Isn't that right, Miss Parkinson."
"…yes, Professor."
"I will say, I am impressed, overall. By your strength of will and by…Miss Lovegood's unexpected abilities." The man chuckled dryly. "I am surprised you managed to hold that power in reserve, more than anything else, but then you aren't the first to surprise me so. Congratulations are in order."
"Thank you, Professor," Shinji replied.
"Of course," Lockhart said. "To congratulate you all for completing your challenge and to introduce our new members, there will be a banquet tonight, which all of the Ourea are welcome to. But first, Matou, if you, Lovegood, and Hillard would join me in my office for a moment?"
"…so, how long have you been a Stone Cutter, Miss Lovegood?" was the first question out of Gilderoy Lockhart's mouth once they were seated in the privacy of his office. "Shortly after the first Capture the Flag game, I imagine?"
"Yes," Luna confirmed.
"I suppose I should have expected it. There are few other explanations for why you would resign from your post as captain of Team Snorkack," Lockhart noted. "That said, you have a worthwhile successor in Anthony Goldstein. He even proved himself admirably tonight."
"He did," Shinji interjected. "So you wanted to talk to us?"
"Yes, Mister Matou," the Assassin replied with a thin smile. "Now, given the nature of the scenario that you designed, Mister Hillard, I take it you expect the Stone Cutters to face Acromantulae soon?"
"...well. Yes," Hillard admitted. The Head Boy proceeded to outline the basics of the plan to confront the Acromantulae colony during its time of hibernation, with the man listening expressionlessly. "I wanted to see how others would deal with these creatures."
"I presume that you, yourselves, have no experience facing beasts such as these in large numbers?" Lockhart asked. "Given how accurately you modeled them, I imagine you have fought them before, however?"
Hillard nodded.
"A pity none of you are trained Magizoologists like Newton Scamander, who is one of those rare wizards, like myself, with a great deal of travel experience, though your fascination with strange creatures reminds me a little of the man, Miss Lovegood."
"As you say, Professor."
"Likewise, your abilities remind me of those of Djinns, but that's neither here nor there, despite what an old teacher of mine would have to say about them," Lockhart said brusquely. "Can I safely assume that the rest of you have other abilities like this?"
"Some of us, Professor," Shinji admitted after a few tense moments of silence, knowing that Lockhart would ferret out a lie.
"And what is the reason you are conducting this operation in secret?" he inquired. "I presume it is out of more than a desire for glory or the wealth that might be obtained from the destruction of such a colony?"
"...are you familiar with the history of Rubeus Hagrid?" Shinji asked, as Lockhart blinked, his lips curving downward in a tight frown as he recalled what he knew about the half-giant - specifically his expulsion from Hogwarts over a notorious incident almost half a century ago...
"I take it this is related to the Chamber of Secrets incident then?" the Assassin said flatly. "That this colony is his doing?"
"Yes," Shinji affirmed. "My sources tell me that the original spider was brought here by Hagrid."
"...troubling. Acromantulae tend to devour one another in the absence of other food, but if there is an Acromantula that has survived for nearly fifty years, it is likely to be immensely powerful and rather immense in size."
"...could you give me a size reference?"
"If most full-grown Acromantulae are about the size of carthorses, this one - and its mate, assuming it has only one - would likely be the size of a small elephant. And of course, the others are likely to be fiercely loyal to their leader while alive, meaning they will do whatever it takes to keep you from getting to him or her. Consider, if you will, the specter of a roiling wall of fangs and eyes and mouths, bearing down on your intrepid group."
Shinji felt a chill go down his spine at the thought of such an onslaught. Facing something like that might well stretch his abilities to their limits, even with the help of a trump.
"...I see," the boy whispered.
"I assume you have an estimate for the numbers involved?"
"Somewhere under a thousand, but over five hundred," Hillard supplied, with Lockhart's eyebrows both arching upward at the answer.
"A formidable number. Even for myself, that would be…a challenge."
"Indeed," Hillard noted.
"I suppose you'd be right to avoid letting others know. For if the half-giant found out about your intentions, he would likely interpose himself between the spiders and you. Or at least rally them as a force. And that point, things would get…interesting."
"...I hadn't considered that," Shinji admitted. He'd thought that Hagrid might warn the spiders or move them, but he supposed it was possible the half-giant would stand against them, and that would not be pleasant to deal with. The prospect of dealing with a grand army of beasts, coordinated by a dangerous magic-using foe was...well, it wasn't something he was at all sure he would survive facing.
"I thought not. As powerful as your group is – as mighty the feats you have accomplished – you are yet young and innocent to the realities of the world. Consider the likely purpose of those spiders, powerful and dangerous beasts useful for protection...or for conquest."
"Conquest, sir?"
"Yes, Mister Matou," Lockhart responded gravely. "Conquest. If a powerful wizard was to...say transfer them to the Ministry via Portkey, where a fourth of Wizarding Britain is employed, these hungry beasts would appear amidst throngs of witches and wizards who couldn't cast a decent shield charm if their lives depended on it. You know what these spiders are capable of, as well as the average wizard. What do you think would happen next?"
Death. Death on a scale beyond anything Wizarding Britain had ever expected. Was prepared for. Could ever be prepared for.
"...that's..."
"This is the reality of what you are confronting," the Assassin said quietly, his cold gaze boring into the boy. "Even with every precaution you have made, I am unsure if it will be enough. I have no doubt you can slay a few - perhaps even a few score. But the longer you fight, the more tired you will become. And against the numbers you are proposing to face…."
"...I...see."
"However, there are ways to help mitigate the risks," the man allowed. "Beyond training and equipment."
"Yes?"
"Your ally Peeves," Lockhart replied, as Shinji's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "As someone who cannot be slain, someone who can be as material or immaterial as he wishes, the poltergeist presents an interesting asset to call upon, whether to draw attention, to kill the enemy, or call for help."
"Huh. I hadn't thought about that. He's not limited to the Castle then?"
"The spirit of chaos is linked to the castle and its grounds, presumably," the Assassin noted gravely. "I will provide some assistance myself by keeping watch for any sign of Rubeus Hagrid, preventing him from leaving the castle, if need be."
Remembering his dream about an assassin slaying giants with little more than knives, Shinji had no doubt Lockhart would be able to do so.
"...that's very generous of you," the boy said cautiously.
"Perhaps. I have no desire to see your group perish. Britain does not need more martyrs, after all," the Assassin commented. "It needs leaders who are not as corrupt and self-serving as Lucius Malfoy. The Stone Cutters - the Ourea - both are symbols that change is possible, that the limits men impose upon themselves are false limits - that wizards and witches can be much more than the Ministry would believe. So for this, I am willing to lend some aid. Should more be required...we can work out the details then, agreed?"
"Agreed, Professor."
"And you, Mister Hillard?"
"Yes."
"Miss Lovegood, you are a Stone Cutter – are you agreed as well?"
"Yes."
"Good. I am glad to hear it," Lockhart replied. "There's just one more thing."
"Yes, Professor?" Shinji asked warily.
"As useful as scenarios like the Kobayashi Maru are in expanding a student's worldview, they are no substitute for going abroad and seeing the realities of the world," the Assassin remarked, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. "So I am inclined to take a member of the Ourea under my wing this summer, so to speak, with that member experiencing the life of an adventurer."
"Did you have anyone in mind?" Luna questioned.
"Frankly, I had thought to take you, Miss Lovegood, but I suppose you have other plans?"
"I do," the girl confirmed. "I will be Brazil this summer."
"And Mister Hillard, you have Auror training, don't you?"
"Yes, Professor."
"Matou, you would have made an interesting adventurer, but I am aware of your obligations in Mahoutokoro. So…of the remaining members of the Ourea, do you have any recommendations? Mister Diggory aside, that is?"
Shinji thought for a moment, with his mind finding the name of a girl who wanted more than anything else to leave Britain – and who had done reasonably well.
"Pansy Parkinson."