Matou Shinji and the Broken Chains

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: It is a time of seeming peace, as the British Ministry prepares to host the Quidditch World Cup - the greatest sporting event in the Wizarding World. But unbeknownst to them, a grand army of Giants and Werewolves is gathering in Eastern Europe, under the leadership of the vicious Fenrir Greyback, their sole objective - revenge. In the East, Matou Shinji and his comrades have arrived at the hidden bastion of Mahoutokoro to hone their skills, given that they are likely to become Champions of the two Tournaments this year – the Tri-Wizard and the Potions. And if their struggle against the Acromantulae has shown them anything, it is that only through power can they gain victory - and only through victory can their chains be broken.


Chapter 53. Spoken Word

For Pansy Parkinson, seeing the forbidding silhouette of the Durmstrang Institute loom in the distance came as a major relief, with knots of tension she hadn't known she was carrying ebbing away as the end of their journey came into view at last. She and her companions, the Potions Champions of Britain and France, as well as a trio of familiars, had been travelling for days across the arctic expanse of Svalbard, guided across the land of grey-blue by the dim half-light of the stars above.

Well, that and by the efforts of her human companions, who seemed to share a peculiar ability to note where the group was relative to the world around them. Neither had exactly been keen to explain just how they were capable of doing so, with Matou Shinji brushing off the inquiry with a remark about having good "stonesense", whatever that was, and Rachelle Lestrange offering even less of an explanation than that, though with the help of Kriemhilde, her newly-acquired tanuki familiar, currently in the shape of a warm travelling cloak, she had been able to piece together enough to reassure her that there was some basis for her colleagues' confidence.

The onmyouji, as Kriemhilde referred to Matou, derived his sensing abilities from his bond to his familiar, which despite appearances, was not a mere kitsune, unlike the white fox belonging to Lovegood, (and howthe tanuki managed to pack such derision into a single word, Pansy had no idea), but a kodama, a spirit of nature closely attuned with the patterns of the earth. As a spirit, the kodama was not limited to a single material form, and indeed, had no need to take physical form at all, meaning that it could go around invisibly, or assume other forms at need – leaving her wondering how much of Matou's performance in the Potions Challenges the year before had been due to his own merits, and how much had been due to the unsung efforts of his dutiful familiar.

Kriemhilde had further explained that Matou's ability to shift himself into a "battle form," in which he gained stone-like skin, resistance to most spells, sheer crushing speed and instinctive command over powerful elemental magic, was also the result of him merging his soul with that of his familiar for a time, allowing him to shed the weaknesses of human flesh and thought.

'…frankly, that reminds me of some of the more dangerous rituals that some wizards partake of, irreversibly altering the pattern of their souls for one reason or another, with physical effects as well as magical.'

Mostly, such rituals were used by dark wizards like Lord Voldemort, who sought to become more magically potent at the cost of their humanity, as they believed human norms and standards to be beneath them. However, her Mentor had noted that the effects were heavily dependent on how one designed the ritual, and what one was willing to sacrifice, mentioning that theoretically, one could sacrifice a portion of one's magical potential as a witch or wizard to make oneself more physically potent, or to gain certain abilities which some might consider…unnatural.

She had never heard of a variant involving spiritual fusion, but then, the tanuki also mentioned that such a thing was rarely practiced outside the East, and even then, it was not a particularly common skill, given that it required a certain level of vulnerability and openness, neither of which Pansy associated with Matou Shinji.

Indeed, the mysterious manner affected by the Potions Champion of Hogwarts, coupled with the deeds he had done, led most to think of him as being a skilled, but secretive wizard who would show off from time to time, but didn't like explaining how he did things, or really, talking much of the arts of his homeland in general, preferring to find other conversation topics. She, like many others, had assumed that such was simply because they were the qualitative edge that had saved his life many times over, but Pansy was beginning to wonder how much of that persona was true.

'Is he really skilled but wary, or is he simply insecure, because he isn't as powerful as most of us think he is – at least, not alone?'

It was an interesting question, but not one that she thought would get an answer to any time soon.

The tanuki had also given her some insight into George Weasley, mentioning that he was bonded with a creature called a satori, which granted its host the ability to manipulate memory and perception, with all the logical consequences thereof. Unfortunately, it had little idea of how the redhead could shift into spirit form, as that was not an ability usually attributed to satori hosts.

Yet, strangely, Kriemhilde had been less willing to discuss either Pandora, Lovegood's kitsune familiar, or the odd abilities of Rachelle Lestrange, though whether out of ignorance or sheer discomfort, Pansy didn't really know. Whatever the case, however, the young brunette felt it was safer not to push, given that she and her familiar didn't know each other too well, yet, and she wanted to build up a good working relationship with the tanuki.

'I'm sure we'll have time for that back at the castle, once I catch up on recent events. I'm sure some interesting things have happened while I was away.'

Unfortunately for young assassin-in-training, she would be proven quite right.


When Matou Shinji strode triumphantly through the doors of the Great Hall of Durmstrang, with the members of his expeditionary party trailing behind him, he hadn't been sure what kind of reception to expect from the people he had left behind. Annoyance that he'd simply gone off into the wilderness without telling anyone? Relief that he hadn't gotten himself killed, perhaps? Perhaps some measure of curiosity as to what he'd been up to?

That there would be questions about where he had disappeared to for long and what he had been doing was almost certain, given his choice of travelling companions and the fact that his timing overlapped with the Second Task, though given how easily he'd been able to spin events in his favor in the past if given half a chance, he didn't foresee much trouble arising from it. Not when he was a Potions Champion, as was Rachelle Lestrange, with the obvious explanation for their trip being that he had gone off with her to train for the upcoming competition, bringing along Pansy Parkinson – the Daily Prophet liaison and apprentice to Britain's greatest adventurer – to ensure that nothing got out of hand.

(And with the familiars accompanying their party having either gone invisible, or currently wearing some inconspicuous form, it wasn't as if there was any hard evidence to the contrary. He even had brewed a few potions while camped these last few days, so it wasn't entirely a lie…).

What he hadn't expected were the death glares he received from what was almost the entirety of the Hogwarts delegation falling silent as he walked in, or for the conversation in the Great Hall to fall silent – and not in a good way.

Fear.

Anger.

Hatred.

Resignation.

Envy?

All of these and more he saw, writ large across a sea of once-familiar faces.

The reaction of the Beauxbatons delegation was quite different, with some of them looking between him and Rachelle Lestrange as if seeing the two of them together was somehow puzzling, and others looking away, as they knew better than to do anything that might offend their Potions Champion, after the grim events she had been involved in the previous year.

The others – the Durmstrang students – glanced over at him curiously, but soon returned to their meals, as they were aware that he – like Lestrange – had few obligations at the school other than the Potions Championship, and so, what he chose to do was his business, not theirs.

So long as he hadn't been interfering with the Tri-Wizard Tournament, anyway, but they didn't think anyone would be foolish enough to do so, as that would bring down the wrath of all three schools upon them.

Now, the Hogwarts delegation was not particularly large, but it was their reactions that hit Matou Shinji hardest, as he was not used to his peers looking upon him with such…vehemence and scorn, as if the world would be better off if he was no longer in it. He glanced back to see that Pansy, too, was shaken, almost wilting under the attention, while Rachelle Lestrange seemed utterly indifferent to the hostility, seeming to pay no heed to the crowds at all as the trio walked past them.

'…maybe I should have found another way in. Or sent Zelkova to scout to make sure I wasn't arriving during a meal?'

But what was done was done.

'Right. If things are this bad, I probably should head back to Britain to see just what nonsense they've been saying about me. But first…Raven's Keep.'

He nodded towards the door on the far side of the room, with his companions trailing him silently, save for Zelkova, who he had instructed to remain behind for a few moments to see what would be said in his absence.

The boy nearly stumbled at the door to the Keep as his familiar reported back, noting that most of the Hogwarts delegation present in the hall referred to his excursion as "Matou's Arctic Sexpedition", with increasingly salacious remarks and suggestions being thrown around as to what he'd been up to. It was commonly assumed that given his choice of companions – one of which was known to be close to him, and the other of which resembled a somewhat more mature version of his lover back in Britain – he had no doubt been indulging in carnival of lust and debauchery, away from prying eyes.

A smaller but more vocal fraction of the Hogwarts delegation, had disagreed, something which had lifted Shinji's spirits until he learned just why they had done so. In their eyes, the Boy from the East would not have gone on an arctic expedition simply to slake his lusts, not when he had more than enough privacy to do what he wished with his companions in Raven's Keep. No, to them, it was obvious what he had been up to, given the timing of his excursion.

Treason.

It seemed obvious to them that the foreigner who wore the title of Britain's Potions Champion had chosen to betray the people who had placed such trust in him, and hard embarked on his expedition to assist Fleur Delacour with the Second Task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

Granted, there was no hard proof, but why should that stop them? Someone like Matou wouldn't be foolish enough to leave physical evidence of his betrayal laying around. No, he'd simply go off on a mysterious errand and return – proudly – once it was complete, just as he had done by walking through the doors of the Great Hall, as if his disappearance was nothing out of the ordinary.

This second faction had some trouble explaining the presence of Pansy Parkinson in the party, as they didn't think that a loyal daughter of Britain would be party to some foreigner's schemes. Still, every person had some weakness, and Parkinson had been rumored to be fond of the Japanese boy, so most came to the conclusion that Matou must have seduced her, as he had done to Granger, in order to make use of her skills and compromise the journalistic integrity of the Daily Prophet.

'What.'

'I am sorry, Master, but this is what your peers have been discussing in your absence,' the mental voice of his kodama familiar echoed in his mind.

'Is there anyone from Hogwarts who doesn't think my reasons were either base or nefarious?!'

'…a very few, Master. Mostly members of the Ourea, but they are not speaking up, as it would not only be futile, but would draw attention to their association with you.'

Matou Shinji's jaw clenched in irritation – no, in something close to rage – and it was with some effort that he fought down the urge to do something…terrible to those who slighted him, as he knew that wouldn't help matters.

He glanced over at Rachelle Lestrange, an island of utter calm in the chaos, and with her as an example, took a deep breath, forced the heat of his anger to drain from him before he could act on it.

'Is there anything else?' he asked, as he made his way into the Keep, trying to pay no heed to the murmurs as he walked past the few individuals in the common room and down into the VIP section, where at last, there was silence.

'Simply the news that Viktor Krum has already returned to Durmstrang, Master, while the other Champions have not.'

'Thanks.'

"Champion Matou," the melodious voice of Rachelle Lestrange murmured, with the boy turning to the Potions Champion of Beauxbatons, finding her silver eyes as arresting as ever.

"Yes?"

"Our obligations 'ave been discharged," the petite blonde noted simply. "Ze tanuki is no longer free to cause trouble, and ve 'ave returned to Durmstrang."

"Yes, this is so," Shinji said with a slight bow, smiling at his fellow Champion – an expression that came surprisingly easy to him when he was around her. "Thank you. For…well, everything."

Rachelle Lestrange just nodded, looking at the boy expectantly.

"As to the other matter, I look forward to discussing it with you…soon," he continued. The boy paused for a moment, hesitating. "If that is acceptable, that is."

"Oui," the Champion of Beauxbatons agreed with a slight nod, and a languid, Gallic wave. "Until then, Champion Matou."

With that, the petite blonde took her leave, disappearing through the door that led to her private quarters in the Tower, leaving Matou Shinij alone in the common area of the Keep's basement with a rather subdued Pansy Parkinson.

"…it's bad, isn't it?" the brunette murmured, looking down at the ground as her fingers toyed nervously with her new scarf. "How everyone was looking at me. Us. It doesn't bode well."

Shinji sighed and shook his head.

"I'd say something reassuring, but well, you're right," he admitted ruefully, a chuckle escaping his lips with very little mirth. "They're out for blood."

"I was afraid of that," Pansy whispered, her voice very small. "I can only imagine what they must be saying."

"Oh, that much I can tell you," Shinji replied, as he looked away. "They think we either spent the last few weeks shagging each other silly, or that we were off helping Fleur." The boy sighed, his lips quirking into a grim half-smile. "Though I guess they're not entirely wrong where the second bit is concerned."

"…right, since Hilde was causing a bit of trouble, wasn't she?" Pansy asked, stepping a little closer to the Potions Champion. "Matou. Shinji. Did you know…?"

"How they would react?" the onmyouji supplied. "No. I didn't think…well, that's really it. I didn't think."

The self-condemnation in the boy's voice made Pansy look up, with the girl drawing a startled breath at the bitterness written across his features. Throughout the journey, he'd taken pains to seem quite composed, even when suffering from terrible pain. Now though, alone with her, in the privacy of Raven's Keep, he seemed so very…vulnerable.

The very image of a tragic hero, condemned by the people he sought to protect.

…a far cry from her own mercenary ways.

"Look," she offered after a few heartbeats. "Why don't we go back to Hogwarts and talk to Professor Lockhart? I'm sure that with his help…"

"It's too late for me," Shinji interrupted. "Even with the Professor's help, I'd be living on borrowed time." He sighed, shaking his head once again. "We both know that I was only allowed back in Britain due to my position as Potions Champion of Hogwarts. When the Championship is over, I'll have outlived my usefulness."

"Matou…"

"I'm a foreigner whose name is probably worse than mud at this point, Pansy," the boy continued, his tone melancholic. "Professor Lockhart shouldn't waste his time trying to rehabilitate my image. And he won't, I'm sure – he seems bloody pragmatic to me. Or pragmatically bloody."

Their eyes met then, brown looking into grey, as he smiled, a wan expression that vanished as quickly as it had come.

"Pansy, look…I…appreciate what you're trying to do, but it will only hurt you to be associated with me, in the long run," Shinji explained. "At least while things are the way they are." His arm rose, his hand drifting up before dropping to his side again. "You were a tremendous help. I couldn't have succeeded in this without you. So…go back to Britain, talk to Lockhart. See if you can find a way to keep yourself from being too tarred by the fallout."

But the brunette, instead of leaving, closed the distance between them, leaning forward to lean her forehead against his.

"Every time I think I have you figured out, Matou, you end up surprising me," she murmured, chuckling a little as she felt him stiffen at her touch. "Every single time."

She shivered as she felt his fingers brushing the line of her jaw, before pushing her away ever so gently.

"You'll find I'm full of surprises," the boy noted dryly, his eyes looking over her form before rising to meet hers once more. "For now though, let's head back to Britain. I think we both have some explaining to do."

"…yeah, and with your luck, there will be a squad of Aurors waiting to arrest you when you step through, won't there?"

"…let's hope it doesn't come to that."


Fortunately for the Boy from the East, there was no squad of Aurors waiting to arrest him when he returned to Hogwarts, stepping through the Vanishing Cabinets that linked the frozen isle of Svalbard to Britain. There were only a pair of the red-robed figures, and he was not officially under arrest.

Yet.

"Gentlemen," Shinji greeted, far more calmly than he felt. "What seems to be the problem?"

"That remains to be seen, Champion," the taller of the two figures noted coolly. "Word of your return from your…expedition, preceded you."

"We have questions," the other added.

"Many questions," the first supplied. "However, it will not be us you have to answer to."

"Oh?"

"The British Youth Representative has requested a meeting at your convenience, Champion, as he, too, has questions for you," the shorter of the two figures explained. "Given the circumstances, I think now would be a convenient time…don't you?"

"…quite."


It surprised him that the two Aurors, after escorting him to Founders Tower, didn't follow him in, but he supposed that they were at least paying lip service to the privileges accorded to the Stone Cutters (of which he was still one, at the moment) – either that, or Harry had asked to meet with him alone.

'But what is there to say, really?'

Ever since Harry had gone back to Hogwarts and taken up the post of British Youth Representative, while Shinji stayed behind in Mahoutokoro due to his rejection of British citizenship, there had been something of a rift between them. Not something born of malice or such, merely the natural outcome of two people having vastly different priorities.

Harry Potter was – and felt – responsible for the young people of the entire British nation – a nation which found itself beset from all sides by potential enemies, foreign and domestic. The Boy-Who-Lived was loyal to something greater to himself – to his people – and so did whatever was necessary to boost his country's morale and secure the homeland, ensuring that a tragedy on the scale of the Qudditch World Cup Incident would not strike again.

Matou Shinji, on the other hand, felt no such attachment to Wizarding Britain, no sense of responsibility for its people. He was far more concerned about personal debts and obligations, having sworn what amounted to an oath of loyalty to the Director of Atlas, while effectively being an adopted member of the Fujou family, and having Luna Lovegood as his companion.

What tied him to Britain, in the wake of everything, was a single, fragile thread: the position of Potions Champion, to which he had devoted much of his time, because it was in accord with Sokaris' will.

As such, the two friends, who had met on the Hogwarts Express their first year, no longer quite saw eye to eye, even if they didn't quite realize it – yet.

"Hullo, Harry," Shinji greeted as he emerged from the long spiral staircase to the main chamber of the Tower to find the Boy-Who-Lived standing at a window, looking out into the distance.

Harry Potter, one of the most important people in magical Britain, turned and smiled at the sight of his old friend.

"Shinji, it's been a while."

"It has," the Boy from the East acknowledged easily enough. "How are things?"

"As well as one might expect," Harry replied evenly. "Always more to do, and not nearly enough time in the day."

"I know the feeling," Shinji remarked.

"Yes…you've certainly been…busy, haven't you?" Harry inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Between your duties as Potions Champion, your bodyguard duties on behalf of Miss Delacour, and any…expeditions you go off on."

"That's one way of putting it, yes," the Matou boy agreed, before his expression hardened. "And to be sure you wouldn't miss me when I came back to Hogwarts, you made sure someone would be waiting?"

"Yes?" Harry said, nonplussed, tilting his head. "A couple of my Auror bodyguards. Why?"

"…did you think about how it would seem to have Aurors waiting for me when I stepped out of the Cabinet, to ensure that I wouldn't miss a meeting? And what it probably looked like to everyone else? Especially given the rumors I heard going around?"

The Boy-Who-Lived blanched.

"…I…I didn't actually think about that," the British Youth Representative admitted, grimacing. "I—"

"That you didn't think about that was pretty obvious," Shinji cut him off, not wanting to hear his old friend's recriminations. "Just like you didn't think about how changing so much of the official story in Cornerstones would make me look, did you?"

"I—"

"I'm sure you had the best of intentions," the Boy from the East continued. "I imagine you probably wanted to honor Sokaris, which I can respect. But did you really have to make me look like I was destined to become a Dark Lord? I mean, it was pretty bleeding obvious, with everyone else standing in the light except the actor playing me."

"I didn't know!" Harry exclaimed. "Merlin's beard, Shinji, I didn't know. I helped write the script, but I wasn't the director. I wasn't involved in any of the blocking decisions, or with most of the rehearsals. By the time I was brought in to do the epilogue, it was already the dress rehearsals, and by then, it was too bloody late to change anything."

"Yeah," Shinji echoed bitterly. "Too bloody late to change anything. Sounds about right for what happened that year, eh, Harry?"

Harry slumped over, a pained expression crossing his face at his old friend's words.

"…yeah…" was all could manage to say, before trailing off uncertainly.

Too late.

That was, more or less, the story of his life.

He stopped Lord Voldemort, too late to save his parents.

He stopped Quirrell, too lateto save Sokaris.

He became the British Youth Representative, too late to stop anything at all.

In the wake of the short confrontation, a tense silence lingered between the two Stone Cutters that neither was entirely sure how to break. For that matter, neither was sure if they wanted to break the silence, given that with their long history, both could hurt the other deeply with nothing more than a simple word.

Still…

"…perhaps that was a little out of line," Shinji conceded, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, I'm just in a pretty foul mood right now, with everything…"

"No, you have a right to be upset," Harry replied weakly. "If it makes you feel better, think of it this way, the Wizengamot hasn't managed to strip you of your title yet, right?"

"…yet, Harry?" the Boy from the East echoed, raising an eyebrow. "That implies they want to."

"Well. Yes. They don't like the fact that you're a foreigner, or the unrest you stir up, but…they listen to me when I tell them that you're still the best person for the job," Harry said plainly. "Look, I'm on your side, Shinji, or at least I'm trying to be, so help me out." The Boy-Who-Lived sighed, brushing some dust off of his formal plum robes. "Tell me what's happening, and why you've been going out of your way to tweak Britain's nose this year, when for as long as I've known you, you've been pretty fastidious about keeping your image and reputation."

Shinji briefly considered lying to Harry, but dismissed the notion, as he knew it wouldn't do any good in the long run. Besides, after three and a half years, he rather thought they knew each other too well for blatant lies to work.

'I'll just tell him the truth, though perhaps not the whole truth…'

"Do you want to know the truth, Harry?" the Potions Champion inquired, to which his friend nodded his head. "The truth is that I don't feel like there's much of a future for me in Britain anymore. Before this year and…everything that's happened, I thought there might be. I felt like Hogwarts had become a second home, and I could see myself spending some of my life after graduation in Britain."

"Because of Lovegood?" Harry couldn't help but tease.

"Well, yes. In part," Shinji readily admitted, a faint smile playing across his lips at the thought of the petite blonde who meant so much to him. "But it wasn't just because of her, since Luna's fond of travelling, you know?"

Harry nodded.

"When I first came to Hogwarts, it was after I discovered that despite how hard I'd worked to learn my family's arts, memorizing the spells and all, my adopted sister had been chosen as heiress instead. I didn't really have anywhere else to go, if I'm going to be honest," the Japanese boy confided, shaking his head. "I didn't know what to expect when I came to Britain, if I would make friends, if I could become someone."

"Yeah, you mentioned that."

"That year, I made friends – found comrades – in you and the rest of the Stone Cutters, met Sokaris, whose memory I still seek to honor even to this day, became someone," Shinji continued. "And as I came back year after year, I began to get comfortable, thinking that Britain might not be a bad place to live, because where I am isn't as important as who I'm around and what things are like. I even bought a house, you know! Even if it was partially because Tohsaka needed a place to live during her exchange program."

"Ah," Harry interjected, knowing this might be a bit delicate. "She doesn't…"

"She doesn't live there anymore, no," Shinji replied, finding Harry's look of relief odd. "She's being taught by my old Master, Aozaki Touko, and one of her associates is providing housing for her."

"I see," Harry noted, thinking from this that Tohsaka had gone back to Japan, which was better for all involved, with Britain on a wartime footing.

"After the Quidditch Incident though, and all the restrictions being placed on foreigners, I don't feel like there's much of a future for me here," the Boy from the East told the British Youth Representative. "Not unless I become a British Citizen, and I'm not sure I'm willing to do that, since it would mean I'd lose my Japanese citizenship. And with the current state of things, I would probably never be able to go home."

"…I see."

"I might have considered becoming a citizen more seriously, but seeing the Hufflepuffs who attacked Delacour and Krum get labeled as heroes was pretty off-putting," Shinji noted. "I feel like the Britain I thought I knew, the Britain that cared about things like honor and human dignity, is dead – that its people threw that away for the illusion of safety. It was also a bit ignorant about the outside world, but before, at least it was curious – now it is paranoid, fearful, eager to hate anything – anyone, who is different. A point that the Cornerstones play really drove home, frankly."

Harry winced.

"What I'm trying to say is this: I'm in Britain this year because of my position as Potions Champion, so I've been focusing on doing my duty as Champion, on cultivating relationships and alliances that might be useful for the Championship, and after, as opposed to worrying about how Britain thinks of me, since I'll probably be forced to leave at the end of the year anyway."

There were another few moments of awkward silence, before the Boy-Who-Lived spoke.

"Look, I'm sure we could work something out, right?" Harry offered. "Maybe if you invented something clever at the Potions Championship and offered it to Britain?"

"Maybe. But then I'd have to believe they were honorable enough not to abuse whatever I came up with," Shinji said diffidently. "In all likelihood, I won't be around next year, so why bother with something useless like my image? It isn't as if the Prophet isn't going to go out of its way to smear my reputation anyway, no matter what I do. I'm a foreigner, and thus, an acceptable target."

The Boy-Who-Lived found himself immensely troubled by his old friend's words, mostly because they were the truth.

Matou Shinji, Harry realized, was indeed an acceptable target because the Prophet, and others, knew that he would be leaving at the end of the year, and as a foreigner, had few avenues for redress of grievances in the Magical Britain of today. Not that he had thought of that before their talk.

"I see."

"Well, I'm glad someone finally does," Shinji remarked, which only served to make Harry feel all the guiltier. "Still, I appreciate you speaking up for me in the Wizengamot…" He paused, eying his old friend. "Assuming you have been speaking up for me."

"I have."

"Then thank you," the Boy from the East said with a small bow. "I'm sorry if I've been making things more difficult, but…"

"Your actions make a bit more sense now," Harry replied, shaking his head. "It's a bit odd to think that this year, you're considered almost…expendable, while I'm apparently important enough to Britain to be given Auror bodyguards."

"Harry, you've always been important to Britain," Shinji noted wryly. "Something about being the Boy-Who-Lived and the savior of the nation?"

"…granted, though they've never felt I needed Auror backup before," Harry rejoined.

"Britain wasn't at war with some enemy yet," the onmyouji reasoned, frowning. "Speaking of which, just between you and me, are we still going with 'Bulgaria did it' or do we actually know who was responsible for the attack?"

"We're still going with 'Bulgaria did it,'" Harry admitted, "though there are few other possibilities." The Boy-Who-Lived sighed. "That's more or less why the Wizengamot has asked me to step down as Second, since the Potions Championship is too much of a risk."

"But not for me, huh?"

"…no."

"That's either a great vote of confidence, or a show of how expendable I am."

"Shinji," Harry said reproachfully. "You did win the position fairly, so it's not as if they gave it to you expecting you to die. And they have talked about stripping you of your position before, so it's not as if your position is guaranteed."

"Not that there's anything I can do about it at this point."

"I wouldn't say that's strictly true," Harry countered, as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a slip of paper embossed with gold letters. "Here, take this."

"What is it?" Shinji asked, as he took the slip.

"My 'ticket' to the Potions Championship, as it were," the Boy-Who-Lived explained with a shrug. "Since I'm no longer able to go, I figure you could make good use of it."

"Are you sure?" Shinji asked, not wanting to sound too eager. "Couldn't you…?"

"I was thinking about giving it to someone like Professor Slughorn, who has always wanted to see the isle and competition with his own eyes, it's true," Harry acknowledged. "But feel free to give it to whoever you feel might be of most help to you."

The Boy-Who-Lived reasoned that if Shinji gave the ticket to Slughorn himself, that would be an excellent way for his old friend to gain another – fairly vocal – ally. It wasn't as if there were many other people Shinji could pass the ticket to, with the travel and mailing restrictions that had been placed upon him.

'Well, except Pansy, but I'd think he wouldn't choose her, given the fallout from his…excursion.'

"Thanks, Harry. I appreciate this."

"Of course. Just consider it your Christmas gift, and we'll call it even."

"…fair enough."


"So, your expedition was successful in your view, Miss Parkinson?" Gilderoy Lockhart inquired of his young apprentice, watching as her tanuki transformed into a variety of people, including Harry Potter, Matou Shinji, Pansy Parkinson, and Fleur Delacour.

"It was, mentor," Pansy noted as she sipped a cup of hot chocolate with relish. It had been weeks since she'd had access to anything sweet, and dried rations, while certainly nutritious, weren't exactly culinary delicacies. "I acquired a familiar with fairly interesting powers, learned much about Matou's abilities, and seem to have further risen in his esteem."

He'd showed her a vulnerable side of himself, after all – and if there was one thing Pansy knew, it was that Matou hated seeming weak, or vulnerable, to anyone.

"And you are aware of what the consequences of your choice are likely to be?" the Assassin asked, raising an eyebrow as he witnessed the tanuki turn herself in a staff.

Pansy shook her head.

"I have an idea, mentor, but please enlighten me."

"Very well," Lockhart intoned, his lips set in a grim expression. "My contacts have informed me that your assignment to cover the Tri-Wizard Tournament, as well as your position with the Daily Prophet, are now in jeopardy, due to several suspected violations of the journalist code of ethics. Specifically, the fact that you neglected your duty to provide coverage of the Tournament to go off on what some have called a tawdry romp with the Potions Champion, who you are known to be fond of."

"…I was afraid it was something like that," Pansy whispered, biting her lip. "I suppose I should have expected people might think that, huh."

"Yes, you should have," Lockhart noted. "Fortunately, for the moment, you are not being stripped of your position quite yet. The Daily Prophet has instead arranged for you to serve as an assistant to a senior reporter, who coordinate coverage of the Tournament. Your continued employment at the Prophet will be at her pleasure, I'm afraid."

"…which reporter?" the assassin-in-training wondered, hoping it wouldn't be someone too difficult to deal with.

"Why, the talented Miss Skeeter, of course," Lockhart replied. "She seemed most excited about the opportunity, especially with the Yule Ball coming up."

"Skeeter, huh?" Pansy echoed, nodding. "She's one of the better ones."

"A frightening thought, isn't it?"

"Your words, Professor, not mine," the young woman snarked, though the smile on her face faded as quickly as it had blossomed.

"That being said, Miss Parkinson," Lockhart continued gravely, "Your request to visit the Isle of Thule and cover the Potions Championship has, of course, been denied, as the Ministry has deemed you a possible security risk."

"…thank you for telling me, mentor," Pansy said quietly. "I…appreciate knowing what I will soon be facing."

"For what it's worth, Miss Parkinson, I believe you made the right choice," the Assassin offered, as he looked at a map of Britain, on which were noted several areas of note, such as the various schools, villages, hamlets, and areas where magical creatures were known to reside. "It is rare in life that there is a choice without some drawbacks. That is what makes them meaningful choices, after all. And I think, if properly directed, Hilde's skills and her penchant for…causing mischief could prove quite useful. Quite useful indeed."